The Queens College School of Business is one of the newest ventures on campus, launched in Spring of 2022, that is still working on getting on its feet in full.
The Queens College School of Business offers an array of programs for both undergraduate and graduate degrees in economics, finance, and accounting. According to the School of Business’ Strategic Plan for 2024-2029, the school’s vision is to prepare students and give them “a competitive advantage in their chosen careers” through internships.
Since its launch, there have been many new developments in the School of Business in relation to the appointment of important figures and academic programs that are offered.
To begin with, Patricia Price, interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs said that the school is in the search for a dean for the school. In order to sustain a dean’s salary, administration within the college is “working to create an endowment from philanthropic sources.”
Price stated the college does not intend to appoint an interim dean. The national search for a permanent inaugural dean will be launched in Fall 2024, she said. The search committee consists of four Social Sciences faculty members and four Social Sciences students.
“While there is not currently a dedicated Dean of the Queens College School of Business, Social Sciences Dean Kate Pechenkina has provided executive-level support for the early stages of its development, alongside Associate Dean Schiro Withanachchi,” Price said.
Other than the search for the new dean, the School of Business has had lots of active initiatives, programs and events.
“Thanks to the generous support of Congresswoman Grace Meng, our Small Business Initiative has received close to $1.5 million, enabling us to embark on an innovative endeavor to enhance career readiness and support the small business community in Queens,” said Kate Pechenkina, the dean of faculty for the Social Sciences program.
Furthermore, she said that the goal of this project is “expanding internship experiences and fostering increased student engagement with startups and small enterprises in Queens.” In order to do that, the School of Business is working in collaboration with the college’s Small Business Development Center.
Together, they have a new curricular track in the Business Leadership and Management initiative. The school is also in the process of recruiting a full-time student career program manager with the help of alumni and the Queens College Foundation board.
Other than that, there were more programs that the School of Business had overseen.
The School offered ‘My Path’ Program to students for Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 . This program was developed in partnership with Morgan Stanley Internal Audit department. Another mentorship program offered to students by the School of Business was made in collaboration with Binder Dijker Otte, an international network of public accounting, tax, consulting, and business advisory firms.
Additionally, there was one free tax preparation services event hosted by The Department of Accounting and Information Systems from February 2024 to April 2024. Pechenkina said that some of the other events include a BBA Open House, Monthly Business Breakfasts, QC Pitch Competition, Career Workshops, and the Trading Competition. The latter three were organized by the Blackstone LaunchPad entrepreneurship program.
In addition to this, students of the Business School have already gathered noteworthy achievements.
“Our Queens College Fed Challenge team achieved regional finalist status, ranking among the top 18 out of 107 college teams nationwide and the top three on the East Coast. Our stellar team included Sujal Kumar, Abhinandan Gaba, Andreia Duarte, Pavel Tchigirinski, Aviel Seltzer, John Eliscu, and Professor Dorian Abreu as their faculty advisor,” said Pechenkina.
There have been numerous advancements in the QC School of Business that is reflected within the School of Business community and its initiatives.
To find out more about the programs and events visit the School of Business’ website.
