New Hall of Fame Remembers Target Recruiter's Service to UK
LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 6, 2016) — Family, friends, coworkers and University of Kentucky staff came together in a rare sea of red on campus yesterday to honor the life and service of one of the best corporate recruiters to work with the university.
Rodney D. Branum, the Target store team leader of Lexington's Reynolds Road location who recently died after a long battle with cancer, was honored with the inaugural Recruiter Hall of Fame Award by the James W. Stuckert Career Center.
Branum is the first person to be inducted into the Stuckert Career Center Recruiter Hall of Fame. The honor is intended to recognize employers and community partners whose work has supported the career advancement of UK students and alumni.
"Rodney was one in a million. He was a great recruiter, friend and professional. He was a wise, compassionate, reliable, optimistic and considerate leader. His life mattered, and he will never be forgotten” said Azetta Beatty, senior assistant director of the Stuckert Career Center.
A native of Somerset, Kentucky, Branum graduated from Pulaski County High School in 1987 and received his bachelor's degree in education from Eastern Kentucky University.
He was a store team leader and campus recruiter for Target Corporation, and worked tirelessly to build and strengthen the partnership between UK and Target.
Branum was remembered by the center as a tireless recruiter. He participated in countless career fairs, on-campus interviews, panels, class presentations, festival events and employer focus groups on campus. Branum also helped with some community outreach efforts.
"Every single person who came across his path, he wanted them to be successful," said Joe Eckels, a district team leader for Target®.
When he wasn't finding ways to help UK students get jobs or internships, he was building a friendship with Clara Samuels, a staff associate with the Stuckert Career Center, who he supplied with Target dog toys. Each visit to the center meant another special delivery to Samuels. Even as he became too sick to visit, Branum had one last Target® dog delivered to her.
"He was a kind, generous, really sweet man. I'm going to miss him," Samuels told the crowd on hand for the ceremony.
Outside of his passion for finding opportunities at Target for UK students and recent graduates, Branum was also a longtime supporter of UK Athletics. The Wildcats superfan attended a wide range of basketball, gymnastics, volleyball and football games. He missed only two home basketball games in the past 28 years and attended the 2016 SEC Tournament in Nashville.
On hand to accept the award presented by Ray Clere, assistant dean of career and academic exploration, was Branum's wife, Karen (Sexton), and his daughter Kelsey Nicole.
This year's Recruiter Hall of Fame ceremony was co-sposored by the Graham Office of Career Management in the Gatton College of Business and Economics.
As part of the UK Division of Undergraduate Education, the James W. Stuckert Career Center’s mission is to prepare students for a lifetime of career possibilities through an educational journey that fosters engagement, reflection and holistic development, while connecting passion to purpose.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu