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Northern Illinois University

NIU Office of Public Affairs


News Release

Contact: Barbara Kaufmann, NIU Career Planning and Placement
(815) 753-1645

March 30, 2004

NIU hosts April 5 job fair for educators,
welcomes scores of U.S. school districts

DeKalb — Representatives of nearly 150 school districts from across the United States will converge on the Northern Illinois University Convocation Center next week in search of the best and brightest educators of tomorrow.

Around 1,100 job-seekers are expected to attend the free fair, scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, April 5. Each has the opportunity to drop off resumes, meet with potential employers, sharpen interview skills and perhaps even land job offers for the fall.

Members of the media are welcome to attend. Parking is free.

This is the 19th year NIU has hosted the Mid-America Educators’ Job Fair, which moves on to Northeastern Illinois University, Eastern Illinois University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Illinois State University in the following days.

“As of right now, there are 142 school districts coming from all over the country,” said Barbara Kaufmann, education consultant in the NIU Career Planning and Placement Center and the local event coordinator. “The majority are in Illinois, but we’ve got a lot from the South – North Carolina, Texas. California is always represented here. We have them from Maryland, Florida, Virginia. They’re coming from South Dakota, too.”

The job-seekers include new teachers who will graduate in May, students seeking clinical placements and graduates from the past few years. Education students from nearby colleges without similar job fairs also are invited to NIU’s free meet-and-greet, Kaufmann said.

Despite widespread budget problems among public schools, she said, “there is still the need for teachers.” Employers each receive a free spreadsheet with names and e-mail addresses of every candidate who attends the fair.

“They are extremely happy to come to our university. Our teacher preparation program is outstanding, and everybody is seeking out those best candidates,” Kaufmann said. “They meet great candidates, and since we started at the Convocation Center last year, they have been thrilled to have this area to interview in. We really strive year after year to make this the most positive experience possible.”

Students and other job-seekers leave with even more, she said.

“Students are real happy to have the chance to meet with so many districts in one place,” she said. “It’s a way to introduce themselves to administrators, even if they’re not considering going to another state, and it gives them a chance to work on those interviewing skills.”

Call Kaufmann at (815) 753-1645 for more information.

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