The problem-solving, teamwork, and communication skills gained by Rose-Hulman students from their academic and extracurricular activities had companies from across the U.S. clamoring to interview them during the Fall Career Fair for full-time, internship or co-op work opportunities.

The list of 267 employers present at the annual fair included General Motors, Texas Instruments, Marathon Petroleum, Toyota, Caterpillar, General Electric Appliances, Milwaukee Tool, Collins Aerospace, Eli Lilly and Company, International Paper, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Michelin, Zimmer Biomet, and Los Alamos National Laboratory. 

More than 40 new companies were on hand this year, including Wolfspeed, a growing semiconductor manufacturer, and SpaceX, an innovative space exploration enterprise.

“We’re here because Rose-Hulman produces practical and pragmatic engineers who can get the job done. They like to make things,” said Mark Harris, a senior mechanical engineer with Wolfspeed. The company was searching for students in their junior and sophomore years studying all academic fields. “We’re looking for engineers who can examine a problem and solve it, even if there are some constraints involved. Engineers from Rose-Hulman are problem-solvers and doers.”

That sentiment was shared by recruiters at other company information booths with such eye-appeal catch phrases as “We Fuel Opportunities” (Marathon Petroleum), “Build A Better Future” (Caterpillar), and “The Future Is What You Make It” (Honeywell).

Hundreds of students who caught recruiters’ attention were invited back for formal on-campus interviews after the Fall Career Fair. It’s the next stage in a fall recruitment process that started at the Welcome Wednesday event on the evening before the start of the 2023-24 academic year. The cycle should end in May 2024 with a near 100 percent job/graduate school/military commission placement rate and 90 percent of undergraduate students having at least one internship by their junior year.

The Wall Street Journal’s Best Colleges in America guide ranked Rose-Hulman No. 1 nationally in both learning opportunities and learning facilities, with students specifically citing interactions with faculty, collaboration with other students, available campus workspaces, and satisfaction with physical classroom/teaching spaces. Meanwhile, the 2024 edition of the Princeton Review’s Best 389 Colleges guide highlighted the college No. 1 for internships (among private colleges and universities) and within the top 10 for career placement and career services. 

“Rose-Hulman has earned a strong reputation because of the quality of its graduates. They’re top-notch engineers who are good at adapting and taking challenges head-on,” said Michael Savage, a capital manager with International Paper.

Caleb Nickels, manager of field engineering with Infrastructure & Energy Alternatives Inc., added, “Rose-Hulman students have lots of experience, no matter if they’re freshmen or graduating seniors. And they all are wanting to learn something new. That’s important when you’re working in technology that’s constantly evolving.”