Employment Future Looks Bright For University Of Tulsa Grads

It was a big day for 800 graduating college students as the University of Tulsa handed out diplomas Saturday.

The University of Tulsa has been affectionately called the "Princeton of the Plains."

School officials say more than half of the graduates who are going into the workforce have job offers on the table.

This year's graduating class is made up of 800 students. Some of those will go to graduate school, some will take a break, but most will enter the workforce.

Kimberly Poff of Alexandria, Virginia, says the four years have gone by quickly. She will be working as an engineer for a construction firm in Pryor.

The university holds job fairs throughout the year for graduating seniors and is in contact with some of the area's leading employers. TU takes pride in getting jobs for its graduates.

The school says more than 80 percent of its graduates from last year are employed.

The grads we spoke with say the school does an outstanding job working with them as students to figure out what career they explore. They also say the small class size helps keep students focused.

"I've been looking forward to this day for the last four years," said TU graduate Thomas Porter. "I feel like I've been really prepared for it. I don't feel nervous at all, I'm just excited for it to happen and get it over with.

"We preach quality over quantity here so being a smaller university, you're definitely going to get that intimate relationships with the professors and the people on campus," said Thomas Porter, TU graduate.

"So when you're going out and looking for a career, it's those type of relationships that really propel our students here."

Porter is another who has a job lined up - he's going to Houston to be a landman for ConocoPhillips.

Poff said she couldn't imagine going anywhere else, and she's already working on paying it forward.

"I'm sure the rest of my four younger siblings will come. I've advertised this school because it's definitely a secret," she said.

TU says some of the best careers for students to get into include engineering, accounting and finance, nursing, or information technology.