CIA kicks off Signature School program at the University of Illinois at Chicago

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) kicked-off its Signature School Program with a ceremony at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), a public university with more than 30,500 students, 15 colleges, and a hospital and health sciences system, the agency announced February 28. The program will further the partnership between CIA and UIC by creating more opportunities for students and faculty to engage with CIA officers to learn about employment opportunities. UIC is the fourth university to join CIA’s Signature School Program.

In prior discussions with UIC Chancellor Michael Amiridis, CIA’s Associate Director for Talent, Maja Lehnus, highlighted the importance of building a talented and diverse workforce to ensure mission success and improve CIA’s ability to keep Americans safe. “CIA is committed to building a diverse workforce that has a broad range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, language expertise, and educational and life experiences to ensure diversity of thought and the ability to operate effectively worldwide,” Lehnus said.

CIA’s Midwest Regional Recruiter, Senior Champion to UIC, and UIC Campus Ambassadors attended the February 15 ceremonial launch. In addition, CIA recruiters participated in a career fair that day hosted by UIC.

Signature School Program

As part of CIA’s recruitment strategy to attract qualified, diverse applicants, CIA selects universities to serve as Signature Schools. These schools host a range of recruitment activities to build sustainable relationships between CIA personnel and university staff and students, ensuring CIA maintains contact with skilled applicants from a range of cultures and backgrounds. UIC joins The City University of New York – Baruch College, Florida International University, and the University of New Mexico in the Signature School Program.

Source: CIA