Thunderbird MBA candidates had more than 300 interviews with corporate recruiters as part of the School's three Spring Career Fair, held on the Glendale campus February 16-18, 2005.

"That's a great number," said Kip Harrell, associate vice president of Professional Development and Career Management. "Our employer relations team really hustled to get companies here with open positions and to get the students interested in applying."

The 311 interviews conducted during the event were more than twice the number posted at last year's spring fair, he said. There also was an increase in the number of corporations represented at the fair compared to last year, he said. That figure was up 35 percent over a year ago.

Corporate recruiters representing more than 30 corporations attended the three-day event. The most prolific interviewers were: U.S. State Department (25 interviews), Storagetek (24), Johnson & Johnson International (22), Echostar (19), AIG American General (18), and Kennametal (18). Most of the recruiters were looking for candidates for summer internships.

While the increase in interviews and number of corporate participants could be taken as a sign of an improving economy, Harrell believes that the strong results are more likely a result of holding the fair on campus. It's the first Spring Career Fair that's been held on the Glendale campus in several years.

"Having it on campus was a lot easier for students to get to," said Mike Lavin '05, who had five interviews on the final day of the event and was offered a summer internship with IBM. "Having it on campus meant you didn't have to miss a whole day of classes."

In the past, career fairs have been held at the Embassy Suites Hotel, approximately six miles east of the campus. Corporate recruiters also liked the change in venue, Harrell said. Most stayed at Thunderbird's on-campus hotel, which gave them a chance to informally interact with students and to get a better sense of Thunderbird's campus life. Organizers with the Career Management Center are looking into holding the fall career fair on campus as well, Harrell said.

Some of the companies scheduled to attend the fair include: AFLAC, AIG - American General, Boston Scientific, CareerJapanCenter, CHF International, Chiquita Brands, Cisco Systems, Continental Promotion Group, Inc., Dial, Echostar Communications, Ericsson, Inc., ExxonMobil, FedEx, International Business Machines Corp., Kennametal, Inc., LifeScan, Merck & Co., Inc., Michelin, New York Life, Northrop Grumman Corp., Parker Hannifin, Rain Bird, Tyco International, U.S. Department of State, Wachovia Corp., and Walbro Engine Management.