Whether you are an incoming freshman interested in business or already a student, Baruch College has a variety of events, workshops, programs and other business-related resources.
The Ticker reached out to these centers and prepared a guide of what each has to offer, what they have planned for the new academic year and how students can get involved.
These centers work to see students succeed by design — both in the classroom and in their ventures. These resources can be useful in figuring out where to begin in professional development, learning more about your desired industry and getting real-world experience while in college.
Here are the current and upcoming opportunities for Baruch students for the fall 2023 semester.
The Lawrence N. Field Center for Entrepreneurship | Newman Vertical Campus 2-140
Offering services for entrepreneurial students, the people at The Lawrence N. Field Center for Entrepreneurship have shifted their focus from solely enhancing entrepreneurship skills to what was described by the Chair of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Scott Newbert as “developing an entrepreneurial mindset.”
The Ticker reported on Baruch’s new entrepreneurship department and its newest course offerings in the summer issue.
One of the center’s programs, MakerHub, helps students with creative projects. Its workshops help with coding, web design, presentations, 3-D printing, virtual reality and more.
Some of the center’s annual programs include “PitchPREP,” a six-week program that prepares students to pitch small business ideas for entrepreneurial-centered competitions in the spring, as well as the “Baruch Marketplace” on Dec. 8, where entrepreneurial students can promote and sell their products.
The deadline for the PitchPREP application is Sept. 16, and the vendor application deadline for the Baruch Marketplace is Oct. 28.
Students may register and attend five interactive “Entrepreneurial Lunch & Learn” webinars this semester featuring real-world industry professionals. They may also join and network with Baruch’s chapter of the Collegiate Entrepreneurial Organization, which holds its meetings in the suite.
The center also shared its StartupTree, where students can connect to network and receive advice and assistance.
Interested students can attend its open house this year on Sept. 12, where students can learn more about the different entrepreneurial sectors offered at Baruch.
CUNY Startups | Newman Vertical Campus 2-140
Hosted at The Lawrence N. Field Center, CUNY Startups serves all students throughout the CUNY system through mentorship and training.
“CUNY Startups’ mission is to dramatically improve the social mobility of CUNY students through entrepreneurship,” according to Associate Director Adia Johnson. Befittingly, CollegeNET has ranked Baruch No. 1 for social mobility for several years.
CUNY Startups holds its two-part “New Venture Accelerator” program during the academic year.
In the fall, any CUNY student may join “NVA1,” moving through stages of ideation, modeling ventures and launch preparation. In the spring, these students develop a product prototype in NVA2 and work to perfect a pitch.
The deadline to apply for NVA1 passed on Aug. 31 while the application for NVA2 opens on Oct. 1.
This year, CUNY Startups partnered with CEAS Investments to bring a SaaS Startup Pitch Bootcamp, or “software as a service,” over the summer.
The center will host its third annual “CUNY Clash” tournament, a three-round pitching competition. Last spring, the competition had a cash prize of up to $20,000 for finalists. The contest seeks innovative solutions to unique problems; applications will open in the spring.
CUNY Startups’ open house will be on Sept. 20, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and will feature a special contest for interested students.
Starr Career Development Center | Newman Vertical Campus 2-150
The Starr Career Development Center encourages students to discover available avenues to achieving their career goals, from first steps to gaining real industry experience.
The center “advances the mission and goals of Baruch College by providing leadership on, and delivery of, diverse and inclusive career and professional development programs and services for undergraduate students,” according to Associate Director Clemente I. Diaz.
At the heart of the center’s services is Starr Search, which is powered by Handshake, where students can get in touch with recruiters and begin exploring job openings.
The Starr Center has several programs, some of which include the Fall Virtual Accounting Fair on Sept. 8 and the Fall Undergraduate Job and Internship Fair on Sept. 29 on Handshake, Bloomberg Certifications, LinkedIn Learning, career prep modules and much more.
The center also gives Baruch students access to Vault through Handshake, where they can receive “in-depth intelligence on what it’s really like to work in an industry, company or profession — and how to position yourself to land that job.”
Diaz also told The Ticker about a new partnership with the NY Jobs CEO Council that will bring “more internship and job opportunities, training, and networking events to students.”
In addition to Handshake, the center invites students to take advantage of other job portals including Interstride, an interactive career platform designed to enhance the career exploration and job-search experience for international students — students can sign up using their Baruch email address. Another job portal is Talent Exchange, which currently offers over 700,000 positions across the US and as remote opportunities. With Talent Exchange, students can register using the reference code “baruch2020”.
Students also have access to JobScan.co, which compares your resume or LinkedIn profile to job descriptions of target jobs and generates a list of keywords students should incorporate.
Students can see all of the Starr centers’ upcoming events and programs on its website and its LinkTree.
