Tornado watches, heavy downpours, thunder, and lightning could not dampen the spirits of School of Information Technology (IT) students as they attended the third annual Welcome Picnic for students in the School of IT. The picnic was moved inside Old Union to avoid the nasty weather.
Attendance at the picnic was up from previous years and made the event more up close and personal than our usual venue on the lawn. Students munched pizza and cookies elbow to elbow with faculty, advisors, and Director Mary Elaine Califf.
Officers from our student clubs answered questions and gathered recruits for this year’s activities. This year’s AITP (Association of Information Technology Professionals), ACM (Association for Computer Machinery), and ISU Security Club officers include Ryan Nguyen, Robert Heaser, Zach Schleder, Omar Qaddour, Jared Weiss, Manthankumar Rakholia, Sarah Duehr, Alec Powers, and Adam Ringwood. They also recruited new members at Festival ISU and had a great kickoff party September 2.
The 10th Day Census shows our enrollment numbers significantly up, which is exciting news. Participation has increased for mentors and students involved in our mentorship program with 44 mentors and 75 students. Attendance at the Internship Fair is also up. Over 200 students had 22 employers—some participating for the first time—to choose from for summer internships.
Stormy weather also accompanied our Annual Scholarship Award Reception. In spite of the deluge, family and friends turned out in force to honor our 23 scholarship recipients and our generous donors who provide the scholarships.
