This week, University of Iowa students will get an up-close look at John Deere—starting with some of the company’s agricultural equipment parked on the T. Anne Cleary Walkway.
Students can test drive John Deere equipment simulators, which help train new operators. Video courtesy of John Deere.
Equipment displays, hands-on activities, talks by company leaders, and networking opportunities will mark John Deere Day at the UI, an event designed to showcase career options across a range of professions, from engineering to public health.
"John Deere is a global company with exciting career opportunities in businesses that support customers linked to the land,” says Laurie Zelnio, the company’s liaison to the UI. “We are building innovative products that provide solutions to help feed the world, build infrastructure, and leverage technology. We want students to see how their career aspirations fit into opportunities at John Deere.”
The company has held similar days at other Big Ten schools. Partners in the UI event include the College of Engineering, the Tippie College of Business, the College of Public Health, the Department of Computer Science in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the Pomerantz Career Center.
Greg Lamb, assistant vice president for corporate and foundation relations at the UI Foundation, emphasizes John Deere’s longstanding relationship with the university.
“These connections go beyond the number of alumni we have working for John Deere,” he says. “They include John Deere’s involvement in UI research, hands-on student learning opportunities, and the company’s philanthropic support for students, faculty, facilities, and other priorities.”
Highlights of John Deere Day include include:
- John Deere equipment simulator demonstrations and more, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., on the Kautz Plaza adjacent to the Cleary Walkway and in the lobby of the Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences
- Equipment simulators and displays, 1-4 p.m., College of Public Health main entry plaza
- Ice cream social for public health students, 1-3 p.m., College of Public Health main entry plaza
- Andrew Bondie, Deere's manager of corporate strategy addresses MBA Marketing and Strategic Innovation Academies, 1:30-3:20, C345 Pomerantz Center
- Ice cream social for engineering students, 2:30-4:30 p.m., John Deere Plaza and second-floor lobby, Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences
- “Grabbing the Globe” seminar by Brian Rauch, vice president for engineering at John Deere Construction and Forestry division, 5 p.m., Macbride Hall Auditorium
The event is a precursor to UI career fairs scheduled for later in September. The Career Center will hold a Fall Job and Internship Affair on Sept. 20 and an Engineering Career Fair on Sept. 27, both in the Main Lounge of the Iowa Memorial Union.