Colgate’s Office of Alumni Affairs and Center for Career Services is hosting the 16th annual Real World conference this weekend on campus for graduating seniors.
Nearly 500 members of the Class of 2012 are attending panel conversations with more than 100 visiting alumni. Their discussions are covering a variety of topics, including the pursuit of careers in fields from scientific research to public service to entrepreneurism.
The program began at 7:30 p.m. Thursday evening with a prologue lecture, “The Key to Success at Real World,” delivered by Bruce Crowley ’79, managing director, Frieda Partners.
It continued today at 12:30 p.m. with a keynote address by Brendan Tuohey ’96, executive director and co-founder of PeacePlayers International. Tuohey’s address was carried live at www.livestream.com/colgateuniversity.
PeacePlayers is a nonprofit organization that uses basketball to bridge divides between communities in conflict around the world. It has been profiled by The Today Show, CBS News Sunday Morning, CNN, BBC, ESPN, The Washington Post, and Sports Illustrated. Last spring, PeacePlayers’ Northern Ireland division was included on a short list of charities to receive donations in honor of the wedding of Britain’s Prince William and Kate Middleton.
On Saturday evening, students will learn business etiquette during a special campus reception with alumni and other guests. They will begin with the basics — the art of a firm handshake — and continue on to the more delicate lessons of how to engage professional contacts in conversation and identify the proper moment to exchange business cards.
Colgate graduates around the country will be able to benefit from the expertise of their classmates as well through a series of live webinars, broadcast via Livestream.com/cunow on Saturday afternoon. Beginning at 1 p.m., the Office of Alumni affairs will host conversations on careers in real estate, social media, and evaluating MBA options.
Alumni returning to campus this weekend include Elisa Benson ’06, assistant editor at Seventeen magazine; Thomas Dempsey Jr. ’72, president of Utz Quality Foods, Inc.; Jonathan Dienst ’90, investigative reporter at WNBC-TV; Gregory Threatte ’69, professor and chairman of the Upstate Medical University Pathology Department; and Joseph McGrath Jr., managing director and head of global-leveraged finance and Barclays Capital.