UMass Lowell First University in State to Offer Edge4Vets Services
02/26/2014
Contacts for media: Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu or Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu
* Media Advisory *
Friday, Feb. 28
11 a.m.
What: UMass Lowell student-veterans will learn how to translate their military experience into skills that will help them build careers in the life-sciences industry through Edge4Vets, a workshop series that kicks off Friday, Feb. 28. UMass Lowell is the first university in Massachusetts to offer the program, which has a growing national reputation for success helping veterans land civilian jobs.
Student-veterans who complete the series will earn a guaranteed interview for an internship from one of the program’s sponsors, Covidien, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Fresenius Medical Care and Haemonetics. Representatives from these companies are among the experts who will help participants assess their strengths, develop confidence and make connections to help them launch their careers after graduation.
More than 1,450 student-veterans attend UMass Lowell, which is ranked among the most military-friendly schools in the nation by G.I. Jobs magazine. The university is home to award-winning ROTC units, an active student-veterans’ organization and an Office of Veterans’ Services, which serves this population’s specific needs.
Edge4Vets was developed by Tom Murphy, founder of the Human Resiliency Institute at Fordham University. An employee training expert, he is the author of “Reclaiming the Sky: 9/11 and the Untold Story of the Men and Women who Kept America Flying,” which shares the on-the-job courage of aviation workers on that day and beyond. The lessons in resiliency he learned, coupled with his own sense of loss and renewal as a result of Sept. 11, led him to develop Edge4Vets.
Murphy and Chris Reinke, a veteran who successfully used Edge4Vets to land a job with Covidien, will attend the kickoff and will be available for interviews, along with UMass Lowell Chancellor Marty Meehan; Janine Wert, UMass Lowell’s director of veterans’ services; and Michael Dunford, Covidien’s senior vice president of human resources.
Edge4Vets participants will attend two more workshop sessions in March before being paired with mentors through the Massachusetts Department of Veterans’ Services who will also assist them in their career transition.
Where: UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center, 50 Warren St., Lowell. For directions and parking information, contact UMass Lowell media relations.