Binghamton University’s Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development’s (CCPD) newest branch is bringing advising straight to the residence halls.
Harpur and CCPA student advising opened a satellite branch in Mountainview’s Appalachian dining hall to provide students with easier access to advising.
Laura O’Neill, the academic program coordinator for the Fleishman Center, and the head of the branch at Mountainview, said the new office has many services it can provide for students.
“The list goes on and on, but basically we help with career paths, choosing your major, internships and professional programs,” O’Neill said.
According to O’Neill, the office’s presence in Mountainview will provide assistance with degree work audits and degree requirements like general education, Harpur writing requirements and major requirements. It also offers help with understanding academic policies and advice on course selection.
Although the CCPD does not offer advising for the School of Management or the Watson School of Engineering, it does offer help for Harpur, CCPA, graduate students, transfer students and veterans.
O’Neill said that the office is acting as a satellite office to represent the CCPD outside the University Union and is staying open longer than the Union office.
“We are coming up into the Residential Life communities to pull the students down to the Union office; we can give them information here, but they can get the full services in all the offices,” O’Neill said. “[We’re] glad to be collaborating with other student service offices here in Mountainview in order to accommodate our busy students.”
O’Neill said that the CCPD chose Appalachian because Mountainview faculty master Kevin Wright was the first to reach out when she introduced the idea. It is located on the ground floor of the Appalachian in the student success center.
She said students should begin their career portfolio as early as freshman year, and hopes that having a location closer to the dorms will encourage them to take advantage of the resources.
“We’re really just getting up and running this year, and we’ve taken it to a whole new level,” O’Neill said. “We’ll have more information for students to make it student friendly, to accommodate them and just push them to go into the offices.”
Liana Rodriguez, a sophomore majoring in psychology, said that she would be more likely to go with the location closer to her dorms.
“[A CDC in Mountainview will] be great, because then I could have help getting a job,” Rodriguez said.