I consider it an honor to attend the Sy Syms School of Business. Now, it’s official. For the first time, The Sy Syms School of Business has instituted the Sy Syms School of Business Honors and Entrepreneurial Leadership Program. The Sy Syms Business Honors and Entrepreneurial Leadership Program emphasizes academic excellence in business, liberal arts and Judaic classes, with a strong focus on advanced entrepreneurship opportunities. This strong connection between academics and the business world will be apparent in the Syms honors classes. This new Syms honors program gives academically and entrepreneurially motivated students access to the Sy Syms Business School’s premiere faculty and analytical, real-world business courses.
Dean Pava, the Dean of the Sy Syms School of Business, explains, “As part of our re-energizing the Sy Syms School of Business, while enhancing academics across the board, and our new focus on entrepreneurship; the Sy Syms School of Business Honors and Entrepreneurial Leadership Program plays an essential role. We are putting our best foot forward in utilizing some of our top faculty. It is exciting working hand in hand with the Yeshiva College and Stern Honors Program as we move forward on this exciting new project.”
The course work for the Syms Honors Program consists of different components. Dr. Avi Giloni, the director of the Sy Syms Business Honors and Entrepreneurial Leadership Program, as well as the Associate Dean of the business school, explains that this program is for 3 types of student interests; academic, entrepreneurial and quantitative. To target the distinctive strengths, the Syms honors requirements can be individually tailored to each student. All the Syms honors students are required to have a high SAT score and a 90+ High School GPA. What sets these students apart are their drive for entrepreneurship and leadership capabilities that is demonstrated by their substantial extracurricular activities.
The Sy Syms honors students will begin with an “Honors Business in a Global Environment” course in their first semester, taught by Dr. Galit Ben-Joseph. This course is a microcosm of the Syms honors program as a whole: analytical academics with a strong focus on entrepreneurship in the global business market. Dr. Ben-Joseph’s real world experience, which includes; 8 years at Goldman Sachs, 6 years at JP Morgan and currently working at Neuberger Berman for 4 years, will bring the class to life by incorporating her personal experiences and current events. This course is unique in the sense that there will be fewer lectures, and instead more case study analysis and oral presentation, both crucial skills to learn for any business. Dr. Ben-Joseph states, “today it is very important to challenge students and give them exposure to real life experiences and not just lectures,” ultimately internalizing those lessons to be successful in the global business environment.
In addition, Syms honors students will be required to enroll in five additional honors courses. Of those courses at least two must be from the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein or S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program and at least two must be Sy Syms honors courses. Some Syms honors courses include Honors Accounting Principles II, which will be taught in the 2013 spring semester by Dr. Martin Leibowitz, a highly esteemed accounting and finance professor. Other Sy Syms’ Honors courses include; Honors Quantitative Methods for Management, Honors Principles of Marketing and Honors Kukin Lecture Series. The Sy Syms Honors Program is open to any major, since the honors classes are all core business requirements not specific to any major. Dean Pava “hope[s] that Yeshiva College and Stern Honors students will take advantage of the Sy Syms Honors Program when appropriate.”
The Syms honors students will then be required to apply their in-class experiences to the outside world. They will be obligated to either complete an entrepreneurship project or a top-notch internship. The Associate Dean of the Sy Syms School of Business, Professor Michael Strauss, expresses how the “entrepreneurial internship is a main component of the Sy Syms Business Honors and Entrepreneurial Leadership Program. We expect the Syms honors students to roll up their sleeves and be involved in a real world business environment.” Associate Dean Giloni explains, “what differentiates the Sy Syms Business Honors and Entrepreneurial Leadership Program from other business school honors programs is the faculty support and commitment to mentoring the students’ project or internship. We want to meet the needs of the students personally and hope that they will utilize the lessons they learn, in combination with the close personal relationship with an adviser, to succeed in the project or internship they choose, ultimately leading to success in corporate America.”
Sy Syms honors students will also have the benefit of attending an entrepreneurial leadership seminar. These seminars will delineate the multiple applications of the analytical academics and business perspectives taught in the Sy Syms Honors Program. The Syms honors students will also be obligated to take part in Sy Syms honor’s events with high-powered businessmen. Sy Syms honors students will also be able to attend Yeshiva College and Stern’s honor’s events. Also, Sy Syms offers a variety of clubs, lectures and entrepreneurship opportunities.
The new Sy Syms Honors and Entrepreneurial Leadership Program is one of the business school’s biggest accomplishments. It could not have been done without the help of Dr. Gabriel Cwilich, director of the Yeshiva College honors program, and Cynthia Wachtell, director of the Stern College honors program.