Fresno State Joins 340 Institutions in National 'Call to Serve' Initiative

California State University, Fresno President John D. Welty has joined over 340 college and university presidents in a national "Call to Serve" campaign that starts April 22 to address the federal government's looming workforce crisis.

Nearly half of the federal workforce may be eligible to retire within the next five years, including over 70 percent of senior managers. Currently only one in six college-educated Americans expresses significant interest in working for the federal government, according to a nationwide public opinion survey.

Campuses which sign on to "A Call to Serve: Leaders in Education Allied for Public Service" will help make federal service come alive for students by sponsoring campus events on federal careers, highlighting alumni who are making important contributions as federal employees and encouraging leaders to speak about government service at commencement or other occasions.
Welty has appointed Daniel K. Whitehurst, director of the Kenneth L. Maddy Institute of public affairs at Fresno State as campus coordinator of the Partnership for Public Service program.

The program, a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization aimed at recruiting and retaining excellence in the federal civil service, and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management are facilitating the Call to Serve campaign.

"For a variety of reasons, including the 9-11 tragedy, many of our students are open to the idea of a career in public service," said Whitehurst.

"The Call to Serve Campaign seeks to inform students about the wide range of opportunities available to them in government employment. And even if they ultimately want to end up in business or a profession, experience in government can make them more valuable in the private marketplace," he said.

Among the events to interest students is the government's first Virtual IT Job Fair, April 22-26. At least 25 federal agencies, including the U.S. Departments of State, Justice, and Agriculture, NASA and the National Institutes of Health, are posting IT jobs online.

A comprehensive listing of government-wide openings can be found at www.usajobs.opm.gov. IT job opportunities are available both nationwide and overseas.

The Call to Serve campaign will be officially launched on Monday, April 22, with a national satellite broadcast featuring United States Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, OPM Director Kay Coles James, U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman, Partnership President Max Stier, and others.