The SUNY New Paltz chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA) earned at Top 30 rating at the 39th annual AMA International Collegiate Conference, extending an impressive winning streak for one of the College’s most active and high-performing student groups.
“This is a great accomplishment for our outstanding AMA chapter,” said School of Business Dean Kristin Backhaus. “Congratulations to Faculty Adviser Russell Zwanka and to the entire student Executive Board for their hard work and excellent performance.”
At the annual AMA conference, members are invited to attend development lectures and workshops with experts in various facets of marketing. The premier event is the presentation of Collegiate Chapter Award Winners, the culmination of a year-long effort in which hundreds of member college and university chapters compete in categories including community service, chapter planning, fundraising, communications and student professional development.
In 2017 the SUNY New Paltz chapter finished as a top chapter in four of the six judged categories, which resulted in an overall Top 30 finish – from among more than 350 participating AMA chapters.
New Paltz’s chapter has grown accustomed to having to punch above its weight at AMA Conferences, where they compete against some of the largest and most prestigious business programs from across the country.
This year’s team had to overcome additional challenges, as the previous year’s class of 2016 saw more graduations of AMA Executive Board members than any year in recent memory.
“This year we were faced with an unprecedented transition of E-Board leadership, which required a renewed focus on value of programs as opposed to the funding spent on each event,” said AMA chapter President Katherine Maglione ’17 (Marketing). “Our ability to succeed at the conference in the face of this adversity shows true leadership from the entire AMA leadership team, and I am extremely proud of what we were able to accomplish.”
Founded in 1987, the New Paltz AMA has grown every year of its existence, while staying true to its mission of creating and sustaining networks of students, alumni, faculty and professionals in the marketing industry.
“The AMA exists to help our members and the greater student population develop the skills and abilities to help each and every School of Business graduate stand out amongst the competition,” Zwanka said. “From business development to consulting work to dining skills, our students are better off because of what the AMA contributes.”
More information about the New Paltz AMA chapter is available online.
