Zicklin School Launches Business Co-op Program for Undergrads

Many Zicklin undergraduates work their way through college, scrambling to make ends meet with gigs as baristas, dog walkers, babysitters, and other odd jobs. These hardworking students must not only balance their schoolwork with paid work, but also seek out internships and opportunities in their chosen professions if they hope to compete in the post-graduation job market. Without a support network, some even leave school temporarily to work full time in order to earn enough money for tuition.   

Now, a support network has arrived. The Zicklin School recently launched the Business Co-operative Program, whose aim is to help students stay on track to graduate in four years by providing them with well-paying, career-relevant positions. The initiative was spearheaded by Paquita Davis-Friday, PhD, a professor in the Stan Ross Department of Accountancy and the former interim dean of the Zicklin School, and Sonali Hazarika, PhD, an associate professor in the Bert W. Wasserman Department of Economics and Finance and Zicklin’s executive director of undergraduate programs.   

With the Co–op Program, students in the first semester of their junior year take a leave of absence from the classroom to spend four to six months devoting themselves exclusively to full-time work at one of the program’s corporate sponsors (currently, Consolidated Edison, Deloitte & Touche LLP, and Northwell Health). Coursework completed during the winter and summer sessions can compensate for the lost classroom time, and students earn at least $21 per hour working 35 to 40 hours per week. 

“The idea is to let students take one thing off their plate while they make money to help pay for school,” explained Dr. Davis-Friday. “They get experience working in a professional environment in a field they may want to pursue after graduation, then come back to Zicklin to concentrate fully on their studies.” 

Before they can interview for a co–op position, students must enroll in a special one-credit professional development course during the prior semester. The course, created by Clemente Diaz, associate director of the Starr Career Development Center and taught by Catherine Law, the Starr Center’s assistant director, imparts career-readiness competencies that prepare students to put their best foot forward at the interview and in their co-op position. 

“We’re proud to partner with Zicklin on this exciting new initiative,” said Ellen Stein, PhD, director of the Starr Career Development Center. “The program extends our reach and is aligned with the Starr Center’s long-term vision of helping our diverse students get the experience they need to transition happily and successfully to the world of work.”  

The Co-op Program could not have launched without the enthusiastic support of its corporate sponsors: Consolidated Edison, Deloitte & Touche LLP, and Northwell Health. 

“Through our partnership with colleges like Baruch, we are not just shaping careers but energizing the future of the energy industry,” said Joan Jacobs, vice president of learning and inclusion for Consolidated Edison. “Experience is the greatest teacher and we are proud to offer students the chance to learn on the job.  Con Edison and Baruch College’s partnership provide students the opportunity to invest in themselves, ignite their potential and illuminate a path to success.”  

“When Dr. Davis-Friday came to us with this brilliant idea and asked us to be a corporate sponsor, we agreed without hesitation,” said Danny Wang (BBA ’01, MS ’05), a Deloitte & Touche LLP Audit & Assurance managing director who leads tri-state area recruiting for the Audit & Assurance business. “I myself had to drop out of college for a year to work, so I sympathize with the challenges students face.”  

For more information about the Business Co-op Program, please contact Stefano Verdesoto, associate director of the program at the Zicklin School of Business: Stefano.Verdesoto@baruch.cuny.edu 

Categories: Alumni News, Current_Students, Faculty, News, Student News