Bisons Suit Up

by Anna Yingling, assistant director of Center for Professional Excellence 

Harding University has partnered with JCPenney since 2017 to offer discounted professional attire for students, faculty and staff. Each semester at the Bison SuitUp event JCPenney offers discounts up to 45% off at the Searcy store. Due to rising clothing costs and lack of local access, this event provides community members the opportunity to find well fitting professional attire. 

Harding’s Center for Professional Excellence advertises this event for all majors. Sophomore accounting major Jayden Supratman is thankful for the opportunity. 

“I saw the event advertised and found everything I needed, even some dress shirts. Not everyone has the finances to buy everything they need, so this event was a great outreach from the community to help Harding students,” he said.

YangHong Xiang, a student in the Master of Arts in cardiac function and interventional technology program has accepted a future job offer from Boston Scientific. 

"This event was a great opportunity to grab what I needed for interviews and career fairs, especially since the dress code for my program is business casual but interviews require a more professional look,” she said. “I really appreciated that Harding offered this special time for us." 

Nicole McNiel, JCPenney’s Store Events Manager started the event in 2017, and it has grown to involve 600 schools. 

“Our goal is to promote community involvement and help students prepare for the next stage of their lives,” she said. “Whether it’s for career fairs, interviews or internships, we want students to feel confident and ready with the professional attire they need.”

Community events like the JCPenny Suit Up give opportunity for all students to look and feel their best to prepare them for their early career goals.