Imagine interviewing with multiple big-name companies—all on one day—and lining up your first job months before you graduate. If you're a Truman student, this could be your reality.

On February 21, 2007, Truman held its annual Career Expo, during which students met with regional employers to discuss job opportunities and possible internships. Each year, this particular career fair gives Truman students their first big break—a chance to wow Fortune 500 corporations, like Boeing and Eli Lilly, with their stellar academic record, out-of-classroom experience, leadership prowess, and polished demeanor.

And impressed they are. Corporate representatives rave about Truman students, affirming that they have what it takes to make a successful transition from classroom to corporation. John Palmer, business manager at the Boeing Company, states, "Truman's liberal arts education creates a well-rounded individual, which is key to a successful career at Boeing. The level of competency, quality of the academic program, and degree of professionalism that Truman graduates display allow them to immediately transition to our organization."

Danielle Thomure, a pharmaceutical sales representative from Eli Lilly, is equally impressed with the caliber of Truman students, whom she describes as having "exceptional communication skills as well as critical thinking abilities."

Whether you're looking for a short-term internship, hoping to learn the ropes of a profession, or hunting for a lasting career, the Career Expo allows future grads to practice showcasing their best to the best—and gives them a chance to find a match in the process.

To find out more about the Fall 2007 Career Expo and helpful hints to make the most of this networking event, go to http://career.truman.edu/CareerExpo/.

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Recently elected Missouri State Representative Rebecca McClanahan is particularly committed to higher education—and making sure institutions are adequately and judiciously funded—but she has a "thing" for Truman State University. Not only did she receive her bachelors in nursing from Truman, but she returned years later as a faculty member in the nursing department. Looking through the lenses of both a student and a faculty member, Representative McClanahan reflects on how Truman enhances students' lives:

The Grounded Life
Truman provides a foundation for the development of a career or progression onto graduate school. I think that's something that Truman excelled at when I was a student and still excels at. It's a wonderful foundation. You come away as a well-educated person with strong critical thinking, writing, and speaking skills—all of which are so important to every profession.

The Mentored Life
We (the Truman faculty) really care about our students; we know them by name. And we often know about their life experiences, sharing their ups and downs, and providing mentorship and guidance. When you are in an advisor/advisee relationship with a student over a four-year period of time, you develop a strong bond.

I've told students that one of my goals is to develop a good enough relationship with them that I can write an excellent letter of recommendation with some personal touches. I always want the letter to reflect the student as a unique person with a unique set of experiences—not just a graduate of the nursing program.

The Experienced Life
The model of education in nursing is service learning. Upon graduation, Truman's nurses enter the workplace as highly skilled professionals. Their junior and senior years, especially, are filled with many experiences that directly correlate with what they're learning. It's a beautiful incubator for critical thinking that progresses to clinical decision making—which is basically putting critical thinking to work in a real situation. I'd often work in a clinical setting with my students, and we would care for real clients in health care situations. This is a very powerful learning experience for the student.

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When you turn 40, you might be considered "over-the-hill," "washed-up," or "past your peak." But with a little cosmetic tweaking, 40 can actually be the new 20 … so they say.

When Missouri Hall, a maturing residence hall, celebrated its 40th, many students were passing it up for newer residences. But plans were underway for a major overhaul—a transformation that would maintain the integrity of the hall while bringing it into the 21st Century with a fresh facade, an updated structure, and impressive amenities. Just two years later, the facelift is nearly complete, and here is what incoming students can expect from this finely outfitted and restyled hall:

Community Living
Known and loved for its U-shaped design, in which six wings revolve around two central lounges with a cross-over wing in the middle, Missouri Hall has always focused on creating a sense of community—a place where, according to Missouri Hall Director Zack Burden, "students feel welcome, respected, loved, and like they belong."

Instead of shrinking the lounge spaces and adding more rooms, the central lounges were made even larger. And the old main lobby has been transformed into a multi-purpose facility, a classroom, and a private dining facility. Other new community spaces include a laundry room and small kitchen on each floor.

Outfitted for the 21st Century
While unappreciated in the dead of winter, Missouri Hall is being retrofitted with air conditioning. According to Burden, "We're putting in electronic heating units so the students will be able to control the temperatures from their individual rooms." New windows, wiring, and an updated wireless network system all usher the hall into the new millennium.

Study Space
Prior to renovation, Missouri Hall didn't have a good location for students to study. Burden states, "Our surveys showed that students were looking for a wonderful place inside the building to work on their academic needs. Now each wing houses a designated study room."

He adds, "We planned that the students' residence life program mirror the academics of the university. With these changes, I think we will more directly compliment that academic mission."

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Many liberal arts programs talk about the Teacher-Scholar model, but, according to Dr. John Ishiyama, Ph.D., professor of political science and director of the Ronald E. McNair Program, faculty from Truman State's political science program actually "do it."

It's that concurrent commitment to scholarship and students that has led to global recognition. In 2004 Simon Hix of the London School of Economics and Political Science assessed 1,255 US programs and thousands of other institutions worldwide and ranked the 200 best based on faculty productivity in the top 63 political science journals in the world. Among the big players, including Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Stanford, Truman ranked 139th in the world and 71st among 1,255 American colleges and universities.

It is particularly prestigious to be featured on this list for many reasons, including: it is widely acclaimed as the best ranking of political science departments; it is the only ranking not based on subjective judgment (like U.S. News and World Report); it is the only global ranking of major universities; and it is the only ranking that includes all types of institutions—not just graduate programs.

Truman is one of only a handful of liberal arts colleges on the list (ranked higher than Bowdoin, Bryn Mawr, and Reed) and ranked higher than many research-intensive universities. But more notably, Truman is the only public liberal arts school on the list and one of only three Missouri institutions on the list (the other two being Washington University and the University of Missouri at Columbia).

Ishiyama credits his department's research productivity to its dedication to Truman students. He states, "In our department, we believe that if we're going to teach something, we'd better learn something. Teaching and research are not separate. If you're just teaching and not updating, then what's the point? And if you're just researching and not teaching, then what's the point? It has to go together. We're both world-class scholars and great teachers."

Serious political science majors get plenty of first-hand experience with this Teacher-Scholar model, co-authoring research with faculty and presenting at national and regional political science conferences. At conferences, it is not uncommon for Truman students to be mistaken as faculty—and heavily recruited for graduate school. The students' unequaled energy and youthful wonder, according to Ishiyama, "reinvigorates" many old faculty "like myself" who have "become a little jaundiced after awhile."

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