Choosing Rider: A home with ‘something for everyone’
By Zyheim Bell
During a time of financial crisis, Rider’s open houses serve as a way for the institution to capture the attention of prospective students. Dean of the Norm Brodsky College of Business Gene Kutcher used the Nov. 7 open house as an opportunity to connect prospects with current students to help them make Rider their “home away from home.”
Kutcher set out for the business college panel to help prospects choose Rider, a school, he said, with “something for everyone.”
“You can’t make a bad decision,” Kutcher opened to the audience, “your success and happiness in college will be what you make of it. … But you can make a very good decision by deciding to study at Rider University.”
The panel consisted of three current Rider students: senior marketing major Marybeth Smith, and senior accounting majors Asia Adkison and Caitlin Hopkinson. The students answered questions about their growth at Rider, the diverse sets of leadership and networking opportunities opened to them, among a range of other topics to give prospective students a full overview on what it is like to be a Bronc.
Adkison and Hopkinson both started their academic career at Rider. Hopkinson shared she chose Rider because she was not just “a number” within her classes, instead she wanted a school that would allow her to develop lasting relationships with her professors and deans. Adkison chose her home at the university because it was “the place for her.”
“I’m guaranteed to get help to succeed as a student, whether it’s a job or professional development programs that [Rider] offer,” Adkison said.
Smith, unlike her other panelists, was a transfer student and athlete. When looking to continue her education, she was enticed by Rider’s smaller community and the proximity to her home. Above all, she wanted to have a place that felt right for her, and that place was Rider.
Along with students on the panel, Kutcher shared he believes Rider was the right choice for his career, saying, “I’ve been here since 2007, and having been at other schools and colleges … Rider is a special place.”
Within his role as dean, Kutcher said he is able to do the thing Rider is good at — connecting students to opportunity. The moment where a student can “roll up their sleeves” and get started at whatever career they are aiming toward, is substantial, even if that means changing courses from their original plan.
“Coming in thinking you’re going to do one thing, and then realizing that there’s something else that you can be passionate about,” Kutcher said, “Is what sets Rider apart due to the size of the school and willingness of the professors.”
“I feel like the open mindedness idea, we say ‘free to roam’ … I think that’s part of the ingredients of what makes [Rider] so special,” Kutcher said.
