CIA visits Waynesburg U. on a recruiting mission
WAYNESBURG – The CIA was on a mission Thursday at Waynesburg University as active intelligence officers held information sessions and interviews with students to recruit interns and employees.
“It went very well,” said Jim Tanda, an instructor of criminal justice for the university. “The feedback we got from the agency was very positive, to the point that we expect they will come back and continue to recruit.”
Other area schools also brought some of their college students to the event, including Washington & Jefferson College and Bethany College. Tanda said about 150 students were present, with about 100 of them being Waynesburg University students across different majors.
“This is the first time they’ve recruited here,” he said. “Some Waynesburg students were interviewed for the selection process for jobs and internships.”
Tanda said the chance to meet CIA officers was a great opportunity for the students.
“They were excited to be in direct contact with an agency that is otherwise pretty secretive or unapproachable,” he said.
Marie Coffman, director of Waynesburg’s career center, said in a news release she was pleased the CIA showed interest in Waynesburg, as they “normally recruit at very large universities.”
“Rarely do you have the chance to speak with agents one-on-one and hear about the different departments within the CIA,” she said in the release.
Tanda said one probable reason the CIA chose Waynesburg is because the school’s criminal justice program was recently ranked number one in the state for school of its size, and in the top 10 percent in the nation for smaller universities.
The program also was recognized as a best value in the 2017 College Factual “Best Colleges Nationwide” rankings published by USA Today.
Tanda said that within the past three weeks, representatives of the FBI and other national security agencies have visited the campus for recruitment purposes.
“They come specifically to take a look at our students,” he said.
He said the college recently launched a new master’s program in criminal investigation that offers specific classes in homeland security and intelligence.
“We continue to build in intelligence analysis and homeland security,” Tanda said. “It’s moving the ball forward in having these intelligence agencies be interested in us.”