By Ainsley Bombard
The Newburgh Business Club is a student organization at SUNY Orange that started in 2012 to bring together those students studying in the business programs at the Newburgh campus. The club is advised by professors Terree Angerame and Josephina Vondras. Members meet weekly to discuss business-related topics such as finance, marketing and management. Meetings also allow students to enhance their professional skills and build upon the material presented in classes. Students organize events, workshops, meetings and business trips each semester, all with the underlying themes of broadening the members’ understanding of the business world and helping to develop their professionalism. The skills and experiences derived from being a member of the Newburgh Business Club will help set these students on their paths to success.
A significant advantage club members have over other students is they are able to develop fundamental skills before venturing into the professional world. They also prepare for their future by experiencing different business-related scenarios and that they are likely to encounter during their careers.
Members of the club learn to strengthen ideas as a team and execute plans efficiently, similar to the business environments they will enter upon graduation. They build their leadership skills, learn to communicate with confidence and clarity, and develop versatility by adapting to unforeseen circumstances. Classes can teach a student all aspects of the business culture, but Business Club members acquire additional skills that cannot be learned from a textbook, lecture or Power Point presentation.
Students coordinate events each semester in order to become proficient in business routines and cultivate an air of professionalism. This April, the club is organizing a resume workshop available to all students who would like to improve their resumes. Staff members from SUNY Orange’s Career and Internship Services Office have agreed to participate in this event by showing students unique layouts for their resumes, what to include or omit, and language that will impress an interviewer.
Members will also be orchestrating a business etiquette dinner to learn all elements of comporting oneself at networking events. The dinner host will cover every detail from cocktail hour to dessert, teaching everything from what to order to how to butter a dinner roll. In the past, the club organized speed-interview events in which local professionals analyzed students based on five-minute mock-interviews. These events show students how they portray themselves from the interviewer’s perspective. Knowledge gained from these events benefits all students, regardless of their major, because professional conduct is a requirement in any career.
Business Club members also enjoy membership in the Orange County Chamber of Commerce, which allows them to network with business leaders from throughout the county. These interactions are invaluable to members as they build relationships that could pay dividends in the future.
Membership in The Business Club looks great on a resume, but that is not the only reason students want to be a part of this organization. Some want to get more involved in the college community by organizing events. Some want to practice their communication skills in a peer setting. They may not all join for the same reasons, but they all share one common trait: they want to be successful. These students are committed to taking advantage of everything they can to reach their goals, including the knowledge and experience gained from the Newburgh Business Club. Each student will go in a different direction after graduation, but as members of the Newburgh Business Club at SUNY Orange, they have elected to prepare for their futures together.