Providence, RI -- In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, 10 Providence College faculty members and career counselors and a dozen Fidelity Investments administrators met recently at Fidelity's 370-acre campus in Smithfield, R.I.

Fidelity extended the invitation to the College as one of its key target schools for recruitment of students for internships and full-time employment.

While the College's Office of Career Services regularly organizes employer site visits for students, this was the first visit to Fidelity designed specifically for faculty and career services staff, according to Kathleen A. Clarkin, director of the Career Planning and Internship Service.

The primary goal was to better acquaint faculty and career staff with Fidelity, its projected growth and hiring needs, and its business services. The visit also was intended to explore how the College prepares students for internships and careers such as those at Fidelity and how Fidelity can better attract and maintain a strong Providence College-graduate presence among its employees.

"Currently, Fidelity employs more than 170 PC graduates worldwide," said Joseph P. Pratt a member of the Providence College class of 1987 and Fidelity's director of public affairs in Rhode Island. He added, "We hope to build a strong relationship into a stronger one."

Pratt led attendees on a tour of one of Fidelity's two buildings at the Smithfield location and discussed Fidelity's general operations, including levels of employment. He noted that Providence College and Fidelity share many of the same values, such as the pursuit of excellence and a commitment to community service. 

The meeting came at an exciting, critical time, Pratt told the group. The investments giant will begin construction on a new building in Smithfield in early 2006. Completion is expected in 2008, bringing 1,000 additional jobs to Rhode Island. Currently, Fidelity employs 34,000 people worldwide, including 1,700 in Smithfield.

Several Fidelity administrators--including Christopher R. Zarcaro a member of the Providence College class of 1989 and senior manager of inside sales--gave an overview of career opportunities for new graduates in the areas of sales, service, technology, finance, and marketing. Pointing out that Providence College is a liberal arts college and Fidelity is a financial institution, Joseph Mancebo, client services manager, conveyed that the well-rounded, critical-thinking orientation of the College provides a fine background for Fidelity employment.

He said, "We look for people committed to quality, to the customer, and to personal excellence." Mancebo added that majoring in a particular subject is less important than having "people who can learn systems, deal with difficult client situations, and communicate."

One area of collaboration that is operating well, according to one of the faculty participants, is the internship program in which students gain hands-on experience at Fidelity in client services, marketing, and other areas.

Clarkin said a key value of the program was "to underscore that the kinds of qualities they [Fidelity] are looking for are precisely the competencies and qualities that Providence College students develop through a well-rounded liberal arts education. Our graduates have the foundation for corporate and civic success."

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