Photo courtesy of Rebecca King
The expansion of the Pathways Program of the Salameno School of Humanities and Global Services, also known as SSHGS, is designed to equip undergraduates with the necessary support and guidance needed for life after college.
“We in SSHGS really want to support you in studying what you are interested and love doing,” said Stephen Rice, Dean of SSHGS. “We just are so sure that there are so many opportunities out there for you that we just want to help you find that pathway to whatever you will be doing next, even if it’s not what you expected to be your career.”
The Pathways Program, housed in the Anisfield School of Business, was officially launched Wednesday during an informative group discussion outlining what students can expect from the initiative. Students will be able to identify their strengths and interests, making them confident to pursue their aspirations. Mentors within the program will be able to guide the students through the process of identifying the next step after graduation, whether it is a career path, work option or special project.
“This program is designed to help you look at who you are a little bit, look at your experience, look at your skill sets, look at your strengths and see if we can put together a picture of patterns and themes that run through these different areas and come up with something that is specially tailored to your aptitudes and interests,” said Dian Schons, SSHGS Career Pathways Coordinator.
Funded by a grant awarded to the college three years ago, the Pathways Program will be instituted at the other schools in the future. Ramapo is one of the select colleges that offer this type of program to its students, proven to be effective in terms of the success in both the academic world and after college.
“I think the pros are that it takes a wide variety of resources that may or may not exist on campus and collects them into one location, one program,” said Robert Piper, senior. “Instead of having to go to many different offices or websites to find an internship or mentor, you can go to one centralized location, meet with one advisor and take care of all these diverse needs.”
Majors and minors of SSHGS can participate in the Pathways Program by contacting Schons. Walk in appointments are available on Wednesday afternoons from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
“For me, because I have no idea what I want to do, this program can give me some idea so I’m not a nervous wreck when I’m graduating,” said Cristina Macari, senior.
mladha@ramapo.edu
