The purpose of the Statistics Career Day event is to inform students about various career opportunities that use statistical methods. The focus is on a career fair, rather than a job fair, in order to attract high school students and entry level undergraduate students. Many attendees ask questions about the types of jobs that are available for a student that graduates with a statistics degree. The event helps answer such questions.

The 2023 Statistics Career Day Keynote speaker is Barry Nussbaum. He is  Former Chief Statistician at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Former President of the American Statistical Association. The Statistics Department will host Statistics Career Day on Friday, November 17, 2023, on Grand Valley’s campus in Allendale, MI. 

Click  Statistics Career Day 2023 Flyer to view/print.

6th Statistics Career Day on Friday, November 17th, 2023

The Department of Statistics at GVSU is teaming up with the Southwest Michigan Chapter of the American Statistical Association (ASA) and GVSU Career Services to host their sixth Statistics Career Day on Friday, November 17, 2023, in Kirkhof Center.

This event will provide interested high school and college students an opportunity to learn about the many career options available in statistics and data analytics. This event is designed to attract promising students to the field of statistics and to give students a chance to meet with corporate representatives to discuss job opportunities. Students are often surprised to learn about the great variety of careers made possible through the study of statistics.

Participants will hear presentations from, and be able to speak informally with, representatives of companies such as Disney, Meijer, Steelcase, Westat, University of Michigan Medical School, Sandia National Labs, Dow Chemical, Ally, and other organizations. Some organizations may have job openings or internships available. Anyone with an interest in statistics or data analytics is welcome.

Scheduled Events

Career Fair:  9:00 – 11:00 am

Industries such as insurance and health care (Ally Financial, Auto Owners, etc.) will describe careers available at their organization. 

Keynote Speaker: 11:00 am-11:45 am

Barry Nussbaum, Former Chief Statistician at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Former President of the American Statistical Association

Lunch: 11:45 am – 12:30 pm

During lunch there will also be a Lightning Round with the featured afternoon speakers. Each speaker will give a 5-minute teaser about their upcoming talk.

Break-out Sessions: 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm

Speakers from companies such as Disney, Meijer, Steelcase, Westat, University of Michigan Medical School, Sandia National Labs, Dow Chemical, and Ally will describe key aspects of their jobs in such fields as Actuarial Science, Biostatistics, Marketing, and Quality Assurance. Career Services will offer sessions on writing resumes and preparing for job interviews. Sessions will run simultaneously, so students will have a chance to attend the topic of their choice.

Statistician and Alumni Mixers: 2:30 pm – 3:00 pm

A time to reflect and meet others who attended the Career Day, as well as an opportunity for students to talk to alumni. Everyone is invited.

Our previous four Statistics Career Days (in 2005, 2008, 2011, 2015, and 2019) have been very successful!  We hope you will help make this event another great success by joining us on November 17^th.

Program click on Statistics Career Day 2023 Program.

The Department of Statistics Faculty and the Statistics Career Day Committee encourage you to attend and find out more about career opportunities in statistics! The committee consists of Phyllis Curtiss, Dan Adrian, Bob Downer, Sango Otieno, and Paul Stephenson from the Department of Statistics and Chris Babbitt from Career Services. 

If you have any questions or need further information, please contact the Statistics Department office at (616) 331-3355 or e-mail Phyllis Curtiss (committee chair) at [email protected].