Serious Synergy!

This fall U-M History will host its first-ever Undergraduate Banquet and Career Conference, a gathering that will connect current students with the department’s biggest asset: its alums.

The two-day event, open to current U-M History majors and minors, along with undeclared undergraduates interested in studying history, will begin the evening of Thursday, November 7, with a banquet at the Michigan League featuring a keynote conversation between bestselling author Brad Meltzer and travel journalist Karen Carmichael with welcome remarks by Mary Beth Norton.

These speakers will inspire U-M History majors to maintain their passion for history well beyond their classroom years.

The following day, November 8, features a series of roundtables allowing students to directly connect with six U-M History alums—Vivian Flynn, Madison Horton, Andrea Maines, Alexandra Sloan Kelly, Savannah Stephens, and Christopher Wilson—from a wide range of careers, from business to education to museums and beyond.

“We’re enormously excited to welcome our accomplished alums back to campus to share their thoughts and experiences with our undergraduates,” said William Glover, department chair.

“It’s an opportunity for our students to meet people who, not that long ago, were on a similar path.”

In addition, throughout the fall term U-M History is partnering with the LSA Opportunity Hub to hold workshops focusing on the practical matters of career preparation, from creating a resume and drafting cover letters to networking and searching for jobs. See below for topics, dates, and times. 

As U-M History continues this work in the future, its alums will have additional opportunities to connect with students. One way to do so right now is by joining LSA Connect, an online mentoring and networking platform exclusively for LSA students and alums. The more U-M History alums who join, the more chances majors and minors will have to connect with those who have already put their history degrees to work in the world. 

U-M History will be sharing more about the Undergraduate Banquet and Career Conference's featured guests in the days and weeks approaching the event.