Placement ratings above national average

Trine's graduates finding jobs, pursuing graduate degrees

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ANGOLA, Ind. – Ninety-one percent of Trine graduates from December 2010 to May 2011 reported they were employed or pursuing a graduate degree within six months of graduation, with a significant number of majors experiencing a 100 percent placement rate in a variety of industries. 

Trine’s four main campus schools’ placement ratings were above the national placement average of 68 percent, as determined by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Trine’s Franks School of Education experienced an overall 97 percent placement rating. The Ketner School of Business experienced an overall 95 percent placement rating, with the Allen School of Engineering & Technology following closely at 92 percent. The Jannen School of Arts & Sciences had an 80 percent placement rating.

“We are tremendously pleased with the outcomes of our graduates. These extraordinary placement results demonstrate the commitment of our faculty and staff, especially the growing efforts of our career services office,” said Trine president Earl D. Brooks II, Ph.D. “The value of a Trine education speaks for itself.”

Heidi Haefner, a 2011 mechanical engineering graduate, says she couldn’t be happier working as a designer for GE Aviation in Cincinnati, Ohio. She credits Trine’s office of career services for helping her land her “dream job.”

Before graduating, career services connected Haefner with officials at Warsaw, Ind.,-based Zimmer, where she designed custom orthopedic instruments for two semesters. In addition, she served as a process engineering intern for a summer at Fort Wayne Metals, a recognized leader in the research, development and production of find grade medical wire.

“My experiences – at Trine and on the job – helped tremendously because they gave me an idea of how people are in the real world and what the real job is like,” Haefner said. “I was already familiar with the Unigraphics software at GE because I used it in class. I didn’t need additional training; I could start working on design projects right away.”

Kyle Lynch, a 2011 finance graduate, is on the fast track to management at Owens Corning, a Fortune 500 company that leads major technological advances in glass fiber technology.

Lynch was selected to be part of a three-year rotational program. After working as a financial analyst at a Dallas-based insulation facility, he’ll visit other plants around the globe and gain auditing experience.

When he learned he was going to interview with the company in early 2011, Lynch’s professors helped him prepare. He was expected to examine a case study and present his findings to a panel.

“I went around to my professors and talked to them about the case study in advance. I sat down with three or four different professors,” Lynch said. “Because they had academic and real-world experience, they could tell me what they thought about the questions. … I know people say this all the time, but Trine being a small school and students having the opportunity to know their professors is a huge benefit.”

With an overall 84 percent response rate from people who graduated between December 2010 and August 2011, results show that nearly a quarter of Trine’s majors – computer engineering, fitness and recreational programming (now exercise science), accounting, communication, marketing, sport management, biology, chemistry, mathematics, social studies education, and health and physical education — experienced a 100 percent placement rate in a variety of industries. 

To share your news, contact Trine University communication specialist Lindsay Winslow Brown at winslowbrownl@trine.edu.