Business Advising Center Opens On Campus

Photo by Lizzie Nimetz.
Photo by Lizzie Nimetz.
Photo by Lizzie Nimetz.

This semester, after several years of work, the SUNY New Paltz School of Business unveiled the Center for Business Advising, a resource center providing students with planning assistance for academics and career.

The Center for Business Advising, which is located in Van Den Berg Hall Room 206, was revealed to the public on Aug. 27 with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Director of the Business Advising Center for Business Advising Rendesia Scott said the Center for Business Advising was a project that had been in development since 2010.

“There’s just been the desire from the students who have showed the need for it,” Scott said. “As the School of Business grew, my plea to show the dean was, ‘Listen I want to continue to give effective advising, but I want to make sure I have enough people and space [to help the students].’”

Current Associate Professor and former Interim Dean of the School of Business Chih-Yang Tsai said the center cost about $9,000 to turn the room from a classroom into an advising center, which was paid for by alumni donations.

Interim Dean of the School of Business Kristin Backhaus said the center will help students with problems they may face during their time at New Paltz.

“What we want students to get from this center is an opportunity to seek on the spot advising, effective problem solving and proactive planning for their academics and career,” Backhaus said.

Scott said she hopes students come in to use the “one-stop shop” for any questions or concerns they may have regarding their education and future.

Provost Phillip Mauceri said the opening of the center demonstrates the School of Business’ commitment to helping its students. He also said the center is a two-way street and students need to be open to seeking the help that they need.

Third-year finance major Fabio Rivera said he envisions the that center will help him with the difficulties he may face as a transfer student to graduate on time.

“I think it will help guide me through the agonizing process of registering for classes and you don’t always know what you need, so they will be able to help me with that,” Rivera said.

Third-year business major Vince Oram said he’s happy about the center opening because the advisors will help him find internships and a job, something that is very important to him.

About 75 students, faculty and staff attended the ribbon cutting ceremony. Scott said she was most excited to see the students in attendance because they are her main priority and she wants them to feel comfortable enough to get advising whenever they need it.

Mauceri said he hopes the business students appreciate how close in proximity their advising center is to their school and classrooms.

Backhaus said she hopes the School of Business continues to meet the advising needs of its students throughout their time at the college.

Looking forward, Scott said she hopes the center will continue to help students accomplish their goals, and that the center will grow as the School of Business continues to grow.

Tsai is very excited about the center, but there was one unfortunate thing about its location.

“We wanted to make it wider, but there was a utility closet in the way,” Tsai said.