Excerpt: About DIVERSITY EMPLOYERS Spring 2011 Issue

IMDiversity announces the release of Diversity Employers Magazine,40th Anniversary Issue, a special edition commemorating the company's 40th anniversary publishing year.

About this Issue

By Stewart Ikeda

This magazine was originally envisioned as a special commemorative edition of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine. Concluding our company’s 40th anniversary publishing year celebrations, it would wrap things up with a retrospective of our best features and milestone moments, largely chosen and recalled by our founder, publisher and company CEO, Preston J. Edwards, Sr. It turned out to be something else.

The transformation of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN into this new publication was motivated by the needs of our expanded job seeker audiences, employer clients and career center partners, and by changes in the job market, workforce demographics, and technology. It would coincide with Preston’s announced transition into his retirement, as he steered us through the last of three planned anniversary issues. It felt like the end of an era.

But there is something appropriate to the timing of this issue. Falling as it does now, amid spring’s renewal, at the end of the academic year, it feels like both an end and a beginning, a graduation and a commencement.

As one might expect, this edition contains seasonal features emphasizing entry-level, student and recent college graduate jobs. But the issue contains more. As incoming editor, I’ve found both inspiring and sobering our two special, retrospective features, with Preston’s selections arrayed like gems commemorating some major moments and figures from our publishing past.

In a “Best of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN: 1970-2010” package that is in many ways deeply personal, he samples some of the themes and events that have driven him and influenced the publication’s character over the decades. Excerpted are unblinking examinations of the legacy of slavery and racial segregation; philosophical explorations of African American traditions and the values underlying a good life; and profiles of groundbreaking Black achievements and “firsts” in virtually every industry and sphere of American life – right up to the election of the first Black U.S. president.

“Straight Talk from the Top” collects frank discussions with CEOs of major organizations about the vision and strategies that helped them become, in many cases, the national diversity leaders they are today. Conducted across three decades, the interviews show the evolving notions of workplace diversity. They illustrate employers’ movement beyond regulatory compliance and narrowly defined race categories in the 1980s to the strategic integration of diversity and inclusion as a fundamental business value – a necessity of long-term global competitiveness and sustainability.

As incoming publisher Preston Edwards, Jr. observes in his Publisher’s Message, such employers have come far in diversifying their workplaces. One ascending the corporate ladder today, he writes, “will see more women, African Americans, Latinos, Asians, indigenous peoples, gays and lesbians, Muslims, people with disabilities, older workers, veterans, among others” at all levels.

In “Today’s Workplace: The Times They are a-Changing,” Chris Campellone concurs, but also notes that in a period of high unemployment, it is “Blacks and Hispanics who are shouldering most of the burden, with rates that are far outpacing those of Whites and Asians,” and women still make 81 cents on the male dollar. As far as we’ve come, we’ve still a long way go.

Explored in these features are questions likely to remain relevant in future editions of DIVERSITY EMPLOYERS: What are the hallmarks of those employers that are most proactive and successful in reaching their diversity goals, to the benefit of their organizational mission? What resistances and obstacles must be overcome? Indeed, what does “diversity” mean today, and tomorrow – the approaching era of the so-called “minority-majority” America, the post-Obama America?

The continued exploration of these questions and our company’s founding values will serve to guide the staff of DIVERSITY EMPLOYERS moving forward from this, our commencement.

-- Stewart Ikeda

Former Director of Online Content and Editor-in-Chief at IMDiversity.com, Stewart Ikeda is a new media planning, editorial, and diversity consultant, author of What the Scarecrow Said, editor of Diversity Employers Magazine, and VP of Online Publishing for IMDiversity, Inc.

FEATURES IN DIVERSITY EMPLOYERS SPRING 2011

Publisher's Message:
Diversity Employers Finding the New Beat

About this Issue

Message from the Founder

Diversity in the Workplace:
The Times They Are a-Changin’

Straight Talk from the Top

The Best of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN: 1970-2010

America’s Top Employers Help Match Jobs to Veterans

Building a Career While Making a Difference

Graduating and No Job: Now What?

Evaluating a Job Offer: Should I Say Yes?

Gallery of Advertisers

Premiere Issue: Diversity Employers (Incorporating THE BLACK COLLEGIAN)

IMDiversity Inc. announces the release of the new Diversity Employers Magazine, incorporating and expanding the scope of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN), starting with its Winter 2011 Issue:

The Jobs and Top 100 Employers Issue

Career Planning and Job Search Issue, featuring The Top 100 Employers for the Class of 2011, "The Way Forward: The Road to Job Growth and a Stronger Economy" by President Obama, "Needed: Bilingual Health Care Providers," and more

BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine to Cease Publication in Print

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine to cease publication in paper form after 40 years. The magazine will be succeeded by, and incorporated into, Diversity Employers Magazine, and wider online jobs and content network.

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN will continue to exist as an online entity, with an active website at www.blackcollegian.com and a Facebook group, and a dynamic jobs database featuring employment opportunities for entry-level job seekers and recent college graduates, at http://jobsearch.blackcollegian.com.

Diversity Registry: Look up Employer Diversity Initiatives

We're pleased to unveil the new Diversity Registry -- A reference to look up employers' diversity and inclusion initiatives in the workplace, supplier contracting, markets and other areas.

THE DIVERSITY REGISTRY is your online resource to research and compare information from employers with active diversity programs according to a wide range of indicators. Its mission is to showcase the diversity initiatives of major employers, and to help job seekers, researchers and others to determine the extent to which employers promote diversity within and outside of their organizations. It is accessible at THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Online (http://www.blackcollegian.com/registry) with additional features posted at the new partner site, DiversityRegistry.com [beta].

Easily look up employers by name, or skip ahead to one of the Diversity Registry Lookup categories, including:

• Diversity & Inclusion - General
• CEO Statement/Quote on Diversity
• Employee Affinity Groups and Diversity Networks
• Supplier Diversity & Contracting Programs
• Diversity Awards and Recognitions
• Entry-Level/College Diversity Initiatives
• Workplace Diversity, Employees and Culture
• Minority Community Involvement and Outreach
• Global Diversity / Multicultural Markets

Updates: 2010 Virtual Diversity / MBA Career Fair

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN is pleased to introduce the latest featured employers to join the 2010 Virtual Diversity Career Fair, co-presented this year by THE BLACK COLLEGIAN, the IMDiversity.com Career Center & Multicultural Villages Network, and the Howard University MBA Program.

Cintas Employer Profile
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Employer Profile
Federal Reserve Information Technology Employer Profile
Illinois State Police Academy Employer Profile
National Fuel Employer Profile
National Trust for Historic Preservation Employer Profile
RJ Reynolds Employer Profile
RSM McGladrey Employer Profile
Thomas & Herbert Consulting Employer Profile

The seasonal Virtual Diversity Career Fair features detailed profiles, recruiter statements, diversity information, and job or internship opportunities by diversity-committed employers who are still actively recruiting in the second semester.

Additional features include career advice content from recruiters and career center directors, Fair update email alerts, resume drive with private job tools for quick posting of your employer-searchable resume during and after the Fair, and expanded custom job search tools for searching tens of thousands of additional job listings across the world.

Visit http://blackcollegian.com/careerfair for more information.

New Job Tools and Expanded Jobs Network for Students

We're pleased to announce we've completed the migration to our new Job Tools format and jobs database, offering improved resume posting and Saved Search Job Alert agent tools, as well as the ability to search a vastly expanded selection of job opportunities through our new Job Sites Network.

Student and entry-level job seekers are welcomed to create an account on our new system using our Job Tools Quickstart wizard.

Other additions of interest include a new series of QuickTips offering advice on how to optimize your job search on our site network, and the ability to subscribe for Jobs and Careers Updates mailings to receive notices about additional features such as our virtual career fairs, Top 100 Employers specials, graduate study opportunities, unpublished job opportunities and more.

To view the new tools and try the extended job search, visit www.blackcollegian.com and click "Job Tools".

Updates to the Virtual Diversity Career Fair

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Online is pleased to announce our 2009 Virtual Diversity Career Fair, co-presented this year with Black College Wire and IMDiversity.com!

Learn about employment and internship opportunities with major employers in a variety of sectors, including many who were featured in the Top 100 Employers List of our current issue. The annual Fair is by invitation only, and spotlights employers who are confirmed to still by seeking diverse entry-level candidates in the second semester, as well as college students and new graduates for internships and coops. Opportunities currently posted seek entry-level candidates in several majors, including engineering, business, IT, liberal arts, accounting and finance, and more.

It will be updated with new employers and opportunities throughout the semester until graduation, or until participating employers determine they are no longer actively hiring.

The Fair runs February 1 through April 30, with continuing new employer updates. Visit the Fair today at http://www.blackcollegian.com.

Features on the Outlook and Options for the Class of '09

It's a high anxiety time for seniors on college campuses across America. With the U.S. Department of Labor reporting that the unemployment rate has spiked to 7.6 percent, or a 16-year high, economic analysts continue to project a bleak employment outlook for the class of 2009.

Dr. Phil Gardner, director of the Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan State University, writes in the current edition of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine, recruitment of new college graduates was already cooling off in the fall.

"Companies [were] still seeking to fill a number of positions and [had] a busy fall on many campuses," Dr. Gardner reported in his feature The Outlook for the Class of '09. But, he went on to warn, "Do not expect the same level of intensity during the second semester, however, as employers will be more likely to be very cautious as they monitor economic conditions."

This semester, the recruitment situation seems downright chilly in many corners of the stumbling economy.

So, what are concerned students to do? This is the question we take up in a couple of interrelated feature articles recently posted on THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Online.

As Walter Vertreace argues in How to Find Your Dream Job In a Nightmare Economy, "The process you would use to target your job search and evaluate opportunities in a stronger economy will still work today."

Researching companies, reviewing company websites and government sources, noting "top companies" lists, networking with knowledgeable professors, alumni and company employees in your network -- the same rules and tools still apply. Finding a job in today's market requires the same diligence, smarts and legwork as in better times, only augmented.

It's not always easy for jobseekers to meet and nail down knowledgeable employees of potential hiring organizations to ask their advice. In an extended online feature, Job Outlook for the Class of '09: Recruiters' Messages, we invited several recruiters from major employer organizations to share their frank advice for those seeking to enter the job market amidst today's harsh economic realities. An online-only companion to Dr. Gardner's feature, the real-world advice column will be updated on a rolling basis this semester with new contributions, many of which are being contributed by representatives of companies participating in our second semester Virtual Diversity Career Fair, an event for companies still actively hiring entry-level candidates up until graduation.

For other soon-to-be-grads, the difficulty of finding a job and the desire to be more strongly positioned for career with an advanced degree, making a direct move to apply to graduate schools is an increasingly attractive option.

As Catherine Cannon reports in a video piece for VoA News this month (Video: College Graduate Job Outlook (in streaming Windows Media Format), directors of college career offices are anticipating seeing more of their newly minted graduates head straight for graduate programs rather than get their feet wet in an entry-level employment opportunity. The current edition of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN features a special section for prospective Graduate and Professional school students -- what we're calling "a bit of an appetizer" introducing a new publication, "Diversifying Graduate and Professional Schools" to launch later this year.

For college seniors especially who have not yet found employment, we encourage you to review these features in our magazine at your campus career center, or on our website. You may preregister now for our career fair, which will be co-presented this year by the IMDiversity.com Career Center and Black College Wire, as well as post a searchable resume.

Updates to Mother Lode of Career Opportunities and Contest

The staff has updated the extended online edition our Mother Lode of Career Opportunities feature following the submission of information by scores of new employers who told us they are offering opportunities to entry-level candidates.

In addition, the online edition of the Mother Lode, announced last month in our First Semester 2008 Super Issue, features an expanded section of advice letters from Career Directors at some of America's leading universities.

Not only can visitors to the Mother Lode find a comprehensive collection of entry-level opportunities with employers of all types and sizes, but afterward enter our contest to win a free AKB-220, the water-resistant, flexible, and dust and contaminant proof take-anywhere keyboard from Adesso.

So stop by and explore the newest batch of employers who said they are actively recruiting seniors and recent graduates, and some who are are also recruiting interns. New employers are being added on more or less a weekly basis!

Nearing Graduation and Still No Job. NOW what?

"School's out, you have that degree and you are ready to conquer the world. Only
one thing stands between you and your professional success: You don't have a
job. So now what? Should you begin a massive online resume campaign and then
wait for employers to call? Should you take any job you can get now and hop
around until you find one that fits? Should you enlist the help of a headhunter?
Should you ask everyone you know for a job?"

These are the timely questions explored in Pamela McBride's feature article, You're a Graduate and No Job - Now What?, from THE BLACK COLLEGIAN's Second Semester Super Issue, and they will likely resonate for a number of soon-to-be-grads who are struggling to fend off senioritis, growing anxious about what lies ahead.

More so than in recent years past, many of our readers from the Class of 2008 who have not yet landed jobs after the campus recruiting are understandably uneasy about the mixed messages they've been receiving about their employment outlook. On one hand, official reports of a general economic slow-down are punctuated by news reports of a hiring drop across many sectors (not only clearly struggling ones like manufacturing and those directly affected by the housing bust) and rising unemployment in many states.

On the other hand, as Dr. Phil Gardner reports in his annual study of the Job Outlook for this year's college graduates, there are bright spots on the horizon that should help motivated new grads get a shot at launching rewarding careers. Shortages of skilled, educated workers in areas such as IT, healthcare and secondary education have created a good range of opportunities for certificate- and degree-holders in these fields, according to numerous industry reports. (However, taking advantage of the good, better-paying opportunities in these areas may mean widening a search to jobs outside the most popular locations, looking at businesses in new regions that could require relocation.)

In many other industries, however, the bright spot for new grads is the result demographic trends: The retirement of workers from the "Baby Boom" generation that has been forecast for a number of years is now clearly upon us. As retirees leave the workforce, many employers are retooling their approach to hiring to fill vacant positions with young candidates, sometimes following a period of "probation" and additional training, or sometimes directly hiring out of their intern pool.

In fact, this year, THE BLACK COLLEGIAN's annual Top Employers survey showed that many national organizations and smaller employers had planned robust college hiring activities for 2008. Among the Top 100 hiring employers ranked in our survey, some indicated in our follow-up survey that they were still accepting applications from students and new grads even after their campus recruiting was over for the season. As a result, we are holding a spring 2008 Pre-Graduation Virtual Career Fair, creating a space to connect jobseekers with those employers who specifically told us they are still actively considering entry-level applicants for open positions.

The Fair begins March 15, and will be updated on an ongoing basis in the run-up right until graduation at the end of April / beginning of May. Students who still need a post-graduation job (or, in some cases, a summer appointment or internship) are encouraged to make repeat visits to the Fair, as it is updated during this period, and review and apply to open positions right away. Time is of the essence, in most cases, which is why we have decided to circumvent our normal, paid job listings and publish the employer-provided, direct-access links to the relevant open positions where students and grads still have a shot.

We extended our congratulations on making it through the school year, and our best wishes in your search. We also encourage you to let us know if you land a position for an upcoming special feature we will be publishing.

March 15 - April 25, 2008 @ THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Online GO

Aerospace Corp. Selects Dr. Wanda M. Austin New President and CEO

Aerospace Corp. Selects Dr. Wanda M. Austin New President and CEO
To succeed Dr. William F. Ballhaus Jr. upon his retirement on January 1

Dr. Austin currently serves as the senior vice president of The Aerospace Corporation’s National Systems Group in Chantilly, VA. She has been with the company since 1979, and has served in positions of increasing responsibility, including general manager of the MILSATCOM (Military Satellite Communications) Division and senior vice president of the Engineering and Technology Group. Austin will be succeeded by Dr. Manuel De Ponte, currently general manager of the MILSATCOM Division...

Dr. Austin has received numerous awards and citations, including the Air Force Scroll of Achievement, the National Reconnaissance Office Gold Medal, the U.S. Air Force Meritorious Civilian Service Medal, the Air Force Space and Missile System Center’s Martin Luther King Spirit of the Dream Award, the Society of Women Engineers Upward Mobility Award, and the Women in Aerospace Outstanding Achievement Award.

The Aerospace Corporation (www.aero.org), one of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN's long-time major sponsors, is an independent, nonprofit company that provides objective technical analyses and assessments for national security space programs and selected civil and commercial space programs in the national interest.

We congratulate Dr. Austin on her momentous achievement! Read more at our sister site, tthe IMDiversity.com African American Village...

Release: Raytheon Honored by Women in Engineering Programs & Advocates Network

http://womensvillage.blogspot.com/: "Release: Raytheon Honored by Women in Engineering Programs & Advocates Network


Release: Raytheon Honored by Women in Engineering Programs & Advocates Network

A June 12, 2007 release reports that the Waltham, Massachusetts-based Raytheon Company has received the Breakthrough Award at the 2007 Women in Engineering Programs & Advocates Network (WEPAN) annual conference in Orlando, June 10-13.

The Breakthrough Award "honors an employer for creating a work environment that enhances the career success of women engineers of all ethnicities. Raytheon was selected for its institutional structures and programs that help foster diversity, especially for its women employees."

Raytheon has been a long-time supporter of IMDiversity and THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine. Jobs with Raytheon appear routinely on the IMDiversity.com Career Center, including but not limited to a wide array of engineering opportunities at all levels, and in the U.S. and abroad. Raytheon was also named among the TOP 100 DIVERSITY EMPLOYERS 2006 in the Universum IDEAL Employer Survey — Diversity Edition for 2006, published in THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine.

We congratulate them on this recognition by WEPAN.

Women in Engineering Programs & Advocates Network (WEPAN.org) is a national not-for-profit organization with over 600 members from nearly 200 engineering schools, small businesses to Fortune 500 corporations, and non-profit organizations.

ASNE Report Finds Percentage of Minorities in Newsrooms Declining

This week on the IMDiversity.com Career Center Home Page:

According to the American Newspaper Editors Association 2007 survey on the representation of minorities in U.S. news media, the percentages of minority and women journalists working in America’s newsrooms both declined in the past year. According to ASNE, it is only the second time since the survey started in 1978 that the percentage of minorities has declined.

In a year marked by news organization layoffs that were headlines in themselves, ASNE’s annual “census” found that the percentage of minorities fell to 13.62 percent, down from 13.87 last year. The percentage of women also dropped from 37.70 to 37.56 percent.

The percentage of minorities in supervisory roles at daily newspapers dropped to 10.9 percent, equal to the percentage from two years ago. The downward trend holds true for student and entry-level employment as well. According to ASNE’s release, the percentage of minority interns stands at nearly 27 percent, “a number that has continued to fall as newspapers cut back” on internships.

The one silver lining in the report seemed to come from online media. ASNE’s census of daily newspapers for the first time counted full-time staffers who work entirely at online publishing activities by their companies. Among online media staffs, the percentage of minorities on staff was an estimated 16 percent, which helped make the drop in overall employment numbers seem less severe than they might have been.

See a fuller report at IMDiversity, ASNE Report Finds Percentage of Minorities in Newsrooms Declining, or view detailed data tables from the census at the ASNE website.