SIUC aviation students will be able to rub elbows with the likes of the McDonnell Douglas Corporation, United Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration as the Aviation Career Fair takes off today.

The Aviation Management Society, an SIUC registered student organization, has organized the career fair for the fourth consecutive year. The fair will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Student Recreation Center, and is the only student-run exposition in the country.

The career fair has grown from a simple panel discussion to a full-fledged career exposition that has 40 companies participating, Doug Carr, vice president of the Aviation Management Society, said. It has really become a showcase item for SIU.

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Carr said a few companies will be searching for college students to fill positions within their companies, but the majority are coming to get a taste of what the exposition will cover.

The exposition is a chance to bring everyone together, Carr said. Students will be able to make contacts and connections. We’ll be trying to promote our program let them see what high quality students we have here.

Jeff Latting, career exposition chairman, said SIUC’s program has one of the best reputations in the industry for producing quality graduates, which helped him find companies who wanted to participate.

We are the only school that has two signed internship agreements with major carriers, United Airlines and Delta Airlines, Latting said. Out of the number of interns, 44 have signed on as pilots, and two have made captain’s rank.

David NewMyer, chair of SIUC’s Department of Aviation Management and Flight, said now is the perfect opportunity to hold a career fair.

The industry is doing so well now. They’re reporting record profits for the first time since 89 and 90, NewMyer said. With the growth, they will be looking for more employees.

Panel discussions will also be a part of the exposition, including one on airport policy sponsored by the Masters in Public Administrations Student Organization.

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Lawrence Truitt, an Aviation Administrator, said the speakers include the airport director at St. Louis Lambert International Airport and the former vice president of Pan-American Airlines.

They will be talking about airport government policy problems that affect their jobs now and in the future, Truitt said.