Anyone interested in jobs in the criminal justice field and related areas will have a one-stop networking opportunity at MTSU.

The Department of Criminal Justice Administration will host a networking and information exchange from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 20, in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building.

A searchable campus parking map is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTParkingMap. Off-campus visitors attending the event can obtain a special one-day permit at www.mtsu.edu/parking/visit.php.

Representatives of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, corrections, homeland security, private security services and the judicial system are among the professionals who are slated to attend.

Dr. Carter Smith

The brainchild of instructor Carter F. Smith, the event is intended to enable students, regardless of major, to chat with working professionals in a casual, relaxed atmosphere.

“My goal is for undergraduate and graduate students to come in and talk to the same people I would have as guest speakers in my class,” Smith said.

In addition to traditional disciplines, agencies that collaborate with criminal justice professionals will be represented. One example is the Tennessee Department of Child Support Collections.

Alexis Wynn, a senior criminal justice major from Ramer, Tennessee, said she has attended each networking exchange since she came to MTSU and approaches the professionals in a conversational way.

“I just try to figure out what they do, ask them questions about that,” Wynn said. “Of course, you want to get all the specifics — location, salary range and all that.”

Smith recommends that attendees wear business casual clothing and speak to as many professionals as possible, even if they don’t think they would be interested in certain fields.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Department of Criminal Justice Administration at 615-898-2630 or Smith at 615-656-3505 or carter.smith@mtsu.edu.

— Gina Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)