Jeffrey Pittman, Staff Writer

Utica College has complimented its expansion with yet another addition to its campus. Opened to students this fall, the Robert Brvenik Center for Business Education has blended downtown Utica with our very own college aura.

Located at the Clark City Center on Genesee Street, the Robert Brevnik Center has been a well thought out vision for many years, generated into a lively business school for students with interests in career paths such as Risk Management, Economics, Management and many more.

With a great location downtown, the Business Center is a short driving distance from campus for students with personal vehicles.

For students with no mode of transportation, UC has created a shuttle system that will run from the UC Student Center to the front step of its newest addition. This allows equal education for all students who are interested in fields that relate to business and management, giving them the ability to be educated in a pristine environment.

Professor and Chair of Management, Thomas A. Rossi, expressed his personal thought on the move.

“It’s a revitalization of downtown – part of a rebirth,” Rossi said.

UC has planted itself amongst multiple successful businesses. This enables possibilities of local internships and jobs for students to increase tremendously.

“It felt like a cleansing,” Rossi said.

Although many professors had to clean their offices out and move this past summer, the end result has been visually, personally and educationally rewarding.

“It boosted my morale; makes me want to come to work,” Rossi said.

With a sudden change of this magnitude, the move had to be beneficial for not only professors but students as well.

“I enjoy the atmosphere. The move helped open my eyes to all the different types of businesses we are surrounded with,” senior Brickman House said. “It has been a shift from a traditional routine but I think it’s a great move so far.”

As for every college, student satisfaction is vital.

Patrick Mulligan, in his final semester at UC, has all of his classes in the new Business Center. His adjustment to the environment is different from most students’ because he has to commute more frequently.

“Besides the minor parking issues for students and faculty, the idea to create a Business Center was genius,” Mulligan said.

The ability to blend a loving town like Utica with an upbeat college style is something that not every student will experience. The move downtown enables students to interact and become educated in a small business environment.

“To walk down the street and see Utica College represented next to the big businesses in town should make students feel proud,” Mulligan said.

The vision and ability for UC to expand into downtown Utica is an accomplishment on its own. To be a part of an atmosphere where eager young adults gain experience and education in a revamping town is something that – as a college – we should honor as we move into the future.