KINGSTON, R.I. – April 12, 2007 – University of Rhode Island students who took advantage of last week’s Career Fair at The Ryan Center had a great chance to connect with URI graduates.

That’s because more than 60 percent of the company representatives at the University’s largest-ever job fair were alumni.

“This creates an instant bond between the company and the students,” said Carolyn Thomas, assistant director of Career Services. “It is a great way to ease many students’ nerves when approaching a table to know that someone is there that they have something in common with.”

In attendance were 127 companies and more than 1,000 job seekers, mostly students.

Michele Passarelli, URI alumna and director of marketing for Restivo Monacelli, a certified public accounting firm located in Providence, R.I., said that her company has a tremendous relationship with the school.


“Three out of five of our partners are URI graduates and that creates a natural flow between the University and our company,” said Passarelli. “The University has an excellent accounting program and we know that when we recruit from this school we are getting some of the very best available in the field.”

Rich Coelho, a professional representative for Merck and Co. whose global headquarters are in New Jersey, said that he was at the fair as a guide for students who may be interested in working for the company.

“URI has extremely strong candidates,” said Coelho. “We want to show students that Merck has opportunities available for a variety of majors and fields.”

“This is our first fair at URI and it is going well,” said Donna Gilman, manager of human resources for B2B Gateway.net, a company that manages e-marketplace interactions between trading partners. “Our company is relocating to Rhode Island and it is a great first step in young people’s careers. By attending this event, we are hoping to show students what our company has to offer.”

“We received rave reviews from both the employers and those seeking jobs,” said Thomas. “Students arrived en masse and looked great. Many employers commented on how professionally dressed and well prepared the candidates were. This fair provided a broad spectrum of opportunities to the students, public, and alumni who attended and we are very please with how the day went.”

Pictured above

#1 POTENTIAL CANDIDATE. URI senior Patricia Kenney, at right, gives her résumé to a representative from the Social Security Administration. URI News Bureau Photo by Michael Salerno Photography.

#2 CAREER FAIR SCENE. URI student Kimberly Cota, at right, shares her résumé with a potential employer at the recent job fair. URI News Bureau Photo by Michael Salerno Photography.