Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business

College’s Student Advisory Board delivers as promised

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The 2018-19 edition of the Student Advisory Board walked the talk on its agenda.

Student Advisory Board members meet at year-end dinner with Dean Wendy York
Student Advisory Board members join Dean Wendy York for an end of school year get together.

As a result, College of Business students were, and will continue to be, better informed about more opportunities and resources that will enrich their experience at Clemson.

“Our agenda this academic year was ambitious and focused on as many ways as possible to engage students in all that the business school has to offer,” said Parker Tilley, graduating senior and outgoing chair of the advisory board. “We worked closely with Student Enrichment and the dean’s office in stepping up communications, starting new programs, and laying a foundation for engaging more students.”

The Student Advisory Board serves in large part as a sounding board for student concerns. It works with the dean and faculty to improve student learning and to enhance the student experience.

Helen Diamond Steele, board advisor and the college’s director of Student Enrichment, called the board’s accomplishments “innovative and collaborative.”

“This board used many of the resources it had available to them in achieving the goals they set out to accomplish. For starters, there was a strong partnership with Student Enrichment and the dean’s office,” she said. “The board tapped from their own experiences in creating new and innovative student programs and events that would benefit students who will follow them. They brought the college’s student organizations together and implemented other changes that will eventually bring more voices to the board and create a better experience for business students.”

Among the board’s accomplishments:

-New programs were developed, including a pre-career fair symposium that helps students get the most from the career fair and lessen the stress. A mini-Tiger Prowl exposed students to the different clubs and organizations within the College of Business. And, a summit brought together advisory boards from each major to meet Dean Wendy York and provide her feedback.

-In an effort toward engaging more underclassmen, the board will be expanded to 18 members next fall. Recently, sophomore representatives were added and in the fall two freshmen will join the board to represent the incoming class.

-Trained student ambassadors will assist in university events such as the fall and spring blitzes and Experience Clemson. In working with Student Enrichment and the dean’s office, these ambassadors, under direction of the Academic Advising Center, will provide prospective students and their parents with a consistent message from a business student’s perspective. Previously, volunteers were randomly recruited.

-The board disbursed $20,000 to College of Business student organizations in a variety of ways, including toward speakers, team trips, travel scholarships and industry career visits.

Parker, who graduated in three years with a double major in finance and accounting, will be employed at SunTrust in Atlanta as a portfolio management analyst. He credits those on his board and the college’s leadership for the Student Advisory Board’s successes this academic year.

“I can’t imagine a more dedicated group putting their best foot forward in advocating for students,” Parker said of the 16-member board. “And the receptiveness of the dean, Student Enrichment and faculty enabled us to deliver on what we set out to accomplish. This board should be proud of its achievements. I hope next year’s board will continue to receive the feedback from students that we did. That kind of two-way communication is what can enrich the Clemson experience for those who follow us.”

Will Niesen, a rising senior marketing major, will be the Student Advisory Board’s incoming chair in the fall.

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