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Westminster to present annual Professional Networking Symposium

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Posted on Monday, September 16, 2019

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – Westminster College will host its annual Professional Networking Symposium for current students, alumni and friends of the College from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21.

“The Professional Networking Symposium gives alumni and professionals a chance to visit campus and network with old and new friends, while helping students navigate towards finding a job,” said Dr. Christie Grewe Nelson ’06, one of three founders and co-chairs of the symposium. “Students and alumni of all class years now realize that if they relocate near or far, the Westminster community is far-reaching and always welcoming. It has been such a pleasure to watch the event evolve and grow over the past nine years. But no matter the growth in attendance, the friendly environment is always present.”

More than 400 attendees—students, alumni, friends and faculty—are expected to attend the symposium, which was designed to help students and young alumni better understand potential paths after graduation, including career and graduate school options.

A career and networking fair will run from 8:15 to 9:40 a.m. in the Witherspoon Room of McKelvey Campus Center. The day will also feature 25 breakout sessions with a variety of specially designed tracks and a networking lunch.

The breakout sessions will include panelists with direct relevant experience and will be moderated by experienced professionals. Session topics will focus on how to find success in various career fields and preparing for the job search. Career industries highlighted will be include healthcare, sports management, marketing, business, finance, accounting, insurance, government, music, law, education and writing and publishing.

“This unique event is a phenomenal resource for our students and alumni,” said Kara Montgomery, senior director of alumni engagement. “Our alumni are passionate about wanting to return to campus to help our current students and offer advice.”

Westminster is expecting representation from companies and organizations such as BNY Mellon, Crowe, Duquesne Light, Hill, Barth & King LLC, JFS Wealth Advisors, KPMG, Maher Duessel, Matthews International, Moody’s, National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, Nissan, The Hite Company, Trendy Trousseau, UPMC and Wesley Family Services.

The Professional Networking Symposium was founded by Dr. Daniel Fischmar, professor of economics emeritus at Westminster College, and alumni Dr. Christie Nelson '06, assistant research professor for the Professional Science Master’s Program along with a Department of Homeland Security Research Center (CCICADA.org) at Rutgers University, and Benjamin Nelson ’06, vice president and senior credit officer at Moody’s Investor Services.

Registration is required. Students, alumni and guests can register online at www.westminster.edu/pns.

For more information about the schedule of events, visit www.westminster.edu/pns or contact Kara Montgomery at 724-946-7363 or montgokh@westminster.edu.