NEW PALTZ — State University of New York at New Paltz School of Business students and their advisor earned top honors this month at the American Marketing Association’s International Collegiate Conference in New Orleans. Ted Clark, faculty advisor of the New Paltz student chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA), earned the Hugh Wales Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award and SUNY New Paltz students won first place honor for the best Marketing Week Program.
In announcing the honors, School of Business Dean, Hadi Salavitabar, had high praise for both the faculty and the students involved. “We had to compete against 110 other school chapters, including Penn State, Ohio University, Loyola, Indiana State, the University of Texas and California State University-Fullerton,” said Salavitabar. “To have our students win a top prize for their work, and to have an advisor win the top award of the year for his work, is a remarkable achievement. It is a testament to the depth of our program, the commitment of our faculty and the quality of our students. We are very, very proud.”
Awards at the AMA’s 25th Annual Conference were presented in seven categories for outstanding achievement: Marketing Week Activities, Membership Activities, Chapter Planning, Communications, Community Service, Fundraising Activities and Professional/Student Development. The New Paltz chapter received Best Marketing Week Activities award based on the excellence and quality of programs offered to New Paltz students. The autumn Marketing Week featured such workshops as Networking, Dining Etiquette and a Business Fashion Show. In October, the AMA presented a series of workshops entitled, Seize the Opportunity, focusing on available careers in Finance, Marketing, Accounting and Management. The AMA also sponsors an annual Business Day Conference each spring for students from across the Hudson Valley region.
Three SUNY New Paltz students attended the New Orleans conference with Clark: Meredith Phalen, AMA President; Cherette Furr, Vice President of Programming; and Julia Makaruitch, Vice President of Market Research. Phalen, an MBA student who hales from Oceanside, NY, has led the local chapter for two years. Furr, a junior from Brooklyn, and Makaruitch, a junior from Bayside, NY, were instrumental in helping the chapter earn its award.
The New Paltz students nominated Clark for his award. To win the honor, his nomination competed against those of all other advisors nominated from around the country. A double-blind process, undertaken by a panel of student executive board members from different schools, analyzed materials in each nomination without knowing any nominee’s name, college or affiliations.
In addition to advising the New Paltz AMA Student Chapter, Clark is a lecturer at the School of Business, teaching Marketing and Strategic Management, and is a co-director of the school’s Business Institute. His work with the AMA and the Business Institute has provided students with numerous opportunities to execute marketing strategies first-hand with local companies such as Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. Through the Business Institute, Clark and his students have undertaken nearly a dozen marketing projects for organizations and businesses such as the Kingston Regional Health Care Network and Vassar Brothers Hospital.
Clark said that he was more pleased with his students’ honors than with his own. “These are top students who can compete with those from any other business school in this country,” said Clark. “The work they’ve done on campus and the work they’ve done for businesses in the community bodes well for the future of our region.”
Dean Salavitabar echoed Clark’s comments and spoke about the importance of connecting the university to the business community. “These honors should really give business leaders in the valley confidence that when they use our Business Institute they’ll get top quality students ready to accept serious challenges,” he said. “That, in turn, will show them that when they hire our graduates, those new employees will hit the ground running and be able to produce quickly.”
More information on the SUNY School of Business is available by calling (845) 257-2930 or on the Web at www.newpaltz.edu/schoolofbusiness. More information on the Business Institute programs and services is available by calling (845) 257-2675 or via e-mail at business_institute@newpaltz.edu.
