Graduate Fair gives student chance to meet, interact with schools personally

With the academic year quickly drawing to a close at Emporia State, the public affairs club hopes to help students look to further education with their Graduate Fair, scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday in the Greek rooms of Memorial Union.

The graduate fair is set up like a career fair, with universities hosting booths with information on programs and services for prospective students. Many schools also plan on bringing current graduate students with them to answer any questions prospective students may have on life in a master’s program. The setup of the fair is designed to give students a more personal experience while selecting a graduate school.

“This allows students to discuss their specific interests and concerns,” said Rachel Reeves, senior political science major and one of the organizers of the fair. “It allows students to form relationships with these schools which may be helpful when applying.”

The fair will feature schools such as Wichita State, Kansas State and the University of Kansas. A wide variety of programs are expected to be offered, ranging from local government to non-profit work.

Additionally, many of the schools will provide extensive information on financial assistance, something Reeves indicated as a breaking point for students considering graduate school.

“You may find a sudden passion in a specific area,” Reeves said. “Students may be concerned about affording graduate school, but many of these schools offer great financial support.”

Though the fair is geared toward students in public service majors, all are welcome to attend. The members of the club hope that the wide variety of majors offered, coupled with the amount of information available on schools at the fair will attract an array of students.

“Even if you think you may not be interested in this future, it is always helpful to learn about your options,” Reeves said.

The fair is part of the public affairs’ club meeting with the Kansas chapter of the American Society of Public Administrators. This will mark the first year in what Reeves describes as a long time that ESU will host an ASPA meeting. To mark it, the club decided to do something more than usual.

“Usually ASPA meetings involve a speaker with a dinner, but we wanted to offer something different at our meeting,” Reeves said. “We wanted to reach out to students more and help give them connections toward future possibilities.”

Started in 1939, the ASPA focuses on nearly all aspects of service in public administration. According to the ASPA’s mission statement, the organization strives to promote public service professions, advance art, science, and teaching of public and non-public administration, provide an opportunity for public service individuals to network and create professional relationships.

The organization also works to uphold high ethics standards for all of its 9,000 members. According to ASPA’s Web site, the organization offers online training and a directory of sources dealing with ethics issues in politics, business and government.

Overall, the public affairs club hopes that the fair will allow students to consider not just the next step in their academic lives, but where their careers will take them.