Career development event connects CMU students with industry professionals

Central Michigan University’s College of Business Administration recently hosted a professional development event to connect students with industry leaders across multiple functional areas of business.

The Dow Insights event, held at Grawn Hall, brought together students, faculty, and professionals for a day centered on networking, mentorship, and real-world business insight. Through a panel discussion followed by breakout sessions, attendees gained firsthand exposure to career pathways, workplace culture, and the skills needed to succeed in today’s evolving business environment.

Exploring careers across business functions

Representatives from Dow teams in finance, operations, supply chain, marketing, and information technology participated in a panel discussion that highlighted both technical and soft skills valued in early-career professionals.

Brian Caine ‘22, a regional channel manager, emphasized the importance of communication, leadership, and continuous growth.

“For me, it's definitely about communication and leadership,” Caine said. “As a person in sales at Dow, you have to know how to communicate your needs and the importance of the projects that you're working on, but then also take the ownership to move those projects forward.”

He encouraged students to stay curious as they enter the workforce.

“You have to be open to learning,” he said. “The moment you stop learning is the moment you stop growing.”

The breakout sessions allowed students to engage more directly with professionals in smaller groups, encouraging open dialogue and personalized questions about career preparation, internships, and leadership development.

“I like the smaller groups because one, as a salesperson, it's all about relationships,” Caine said. “And so, I felt like I got to know the students that were in the room with me and understand what it is that they were looking for in a career.”

Student perspectives and takeaways

For students, the event offered a valuable opportunity to connect classroom learning with real-world application.

Miles Medley, a sophomore marketing and logistics double major from Northville, Mich., said the experience expanded his understanding of how many career pathways are available in a multinational company like Dow.

“From a career perspective, this really opened up my eyes to a new sort of industry that I'm not 100% familiar with,” Medley said. “I definitely got a lot of good exposure to the different offerings they have, as well as the flexibility with their different career pathways.”

Toni Grant, a graduate student from Kingston, Jamaica, appreciated the opportunity to practice networking and better understand the U.S. job market.

“It was a great experience to connect with recruiters, speaking with them about what they expect and how they expect us to approach them in terms of interviews in the future,” Grant said. “It was informative to see their perspective because I'm new to the American job market so that was interesting.”

Students also noted the confidence gained from asking questions, engaging in technical conversations and hearing candid reflections about professional growth.

Support from The HUB for Student Success

The event was supported by The HUB, which continues to play a central role in connecting students with experiential learning and employer engagement opportunities.

“In my mind, the main goal for this event was to help students to understand what it's like to work in a corporate environment in a company like Dow,” said Amy McGinnis, Director of Student Experience in the Student Engagement and Professional Development and Department of Management faculty member. “The students were able to understand what the transition from college to professional would include through the Emerging Leaders Panel discussion.”

McGinnis added that the exposure went beyond job titles.

“It was also helpful for the students to get some ideas and some understanding about the global nature of a big company like Dow and what it's like to work there on a day-to-day basis,” they said.

Through this event and like others hosted throughout the year, the College of Business reinforces its commitment to preparing students for meaningful careers through experiential learning, industry collaboration, and mentorship.

Building strong industry connections

The event reflects Central Michigan University’s ongoing efforts to strengthen partnerships with leading organizations and provide students with direct access to professionals who can shape their academic and career journeys.

As students continue to explore career pathways and build professional networks, events like this serve as a reminder that connections, curiosity, and conversation are just as critical as technical skills in today’s business landscape.

At CMU’s College of Business Administration, those connections don’t happen by accident; they are built intentionally, one conversation at a time.