For the Common Good Exploring Socially Responsible Careers

Author: Meghan Keenan

This Saturday will mark the second annual Careers in the Common Good Symposium hosted by the Career Services Office (CSO). The event, which will feature a number of panels covering the various sectors of careers involved in promoting social responsibility, will take place from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. in Le Chateau Grand Salon.

Director of Career Development Krista Siringo and Director of Middlebury College Alliance for Civic Engagement Tiffany Sargent formally initiated "Careers in the Common Good" last year.

The program was created to encourage students to pursue careers in the public, non-profit and private sectors that make positive impacts on their communities.

Although the symposium serves as a highlight of the program, Careers in the Common Good is a year-long service offering many resources for students interested in careers of this nature.

The program conducts Alumni Career Conversations throughout the year focusing on socially driven careers and also participates in not-for-profit career fairs in the spring in Boston, Mass., New York, N.Y. and Philadelphia, Penn.

Siringo organized this year's symposium by contacting Middlebury alumni involved in social organizations. She received many responses from alumni stating how much they would have benefited from such a program while attending Middlebury.

Over 20 alumni based throughout the East Coast offered to participate in the symposium this weekend.

The day will consist of a grant-writing workshop, career panels covering service programs, environmental science, internationally focused non-profits, strategic planning, direct social service and government and a keynote lunch entitled "Working for the Common Good" from Charles Bennett '65.

Bennett's talk will focus on global/corporate citizenship and sustainable business practices and include discussions on the most successful ways to craft a career in non-profit, profit and government professions.

Last year's symposium was considerably smaller and consisted of a single panel and networking luncheon. Approximately 10 alumni from all sectors of this field participated in the panel.

Although the students, faculty and staff who attended brought a lot of energy to the event, the panel's organization was not entirely conducive to the material being presented. Since there are so many different ways in which to involve oneself in social fields, the panel did not allow its participants to focus on their specific work but limited them to a general overview of the field.

The event did create significant interest in the program, though, and led to the formation of a Careers in the Common Good advisory board. This group of students meets about once a semester to discuss the direction of the program and offer new resources to attract both students and alumni.

The program also generated much faculty and staff interest, and this year's symposium will be moderated entirely by staff members.

Siringo is extremely optimistic about this year's symposium and hopes it will build on the increased participation over the past year.

"It will really show all the ways you can become involved in Careers in the Common Good," Siringo noted.

She continued, "I hope this symposium will demonstrate that you can do what you are passionate about and still make a difference. Many of the skills we will highlight can also transfer into the private sector, and even if you are not entirely sure of what you want to do, this symposium will enlighten you to the many ways of becoming involved with a social justice cause."

Siringo also hopes the symposium will raise campus awareness about service and show students the various resources available to them.

"I really want students to see you can make a viable living while being happy and successful in this type of business," Siringo remarked.

The symposium hopes to demonstrate that direct involvement with a non-profit program is not necessary to make a social difference. Many for-profit companies such as Ben and Jerry's and The Body Shop look to make a profit while at the same time promoting social awareness. Students can also become involved with large companies that make significant contributions to charitable foundations.

Siringo also advises students to attend the grant-writing workshop to learn this highly adaptable skill. Although grant writing acts as one of the main ways to gain funding in the non-profit sector, students looking to secure grants for future research and travel will also find this workshop extremely helpful. Depending on the response to this workshop, the Career Services Office may include this type of workshop in the future as well.

The Careers in the Common Good program looks to encourage students to research all options and to become involved with organizations with social missions. It invites all to attend Saturday's symposium to find out what this line of work is all about.