Life as a business student at Villanova keeps getting better and better.

Students of the College of Commerce & Finance now have access to an office focused solely on internships and advising. Essentially, they will have their very own career services office, focused exclusively on C&F student advising and business-related internships.

The Center for Student Advising and Professional Development is in Bartley Hall, Suite 023, which is located adjacent to The Exchange.

Brenda Stover, formerly of the Career Services office, is the director of the newly created center.

“We’re striving for this center to be a true student services office,” Stover said.

“We want students to realize the value of taking advantage of opportunities.”

One of the staff’s primary goals is to oversee the advising process for C&F students. It supervises the peer-advising program, which assists incoming freshmen until they declare majors during sophomore year. The office will serve as an advocate to students having problems with the advising process. Stover advised students to contact Chris McGlinn or Claudia Takla, co-presidents of the peer-advising program, with any concerns about advising.

Stover said the staff will assist C&F students through every step of the internship process, from verifying that administrative requirements are met to networking with businesses across the country.

“We’ll look at the bigger picture of the internship process,” Stover said. “With students, we’ll make contacts. We’ll develop relationships with employers. We’ll promote how beneficial it will be to have a Villanova intern working for them.”

Accepting the new position as director of the C&F student services office has been a painless transition for Stover. Instead of starting from scratch, Stover plans to extend the networking and recruiting capabilities of the Career Services office to the college. This continuation will allow students to access Career Service’s e-recruiting software among other resources.

“Our goal is to have a seamless offering of opportunities between the two offices,” Stover said. “We’ll be able to work complimentary with Career Services and provide additional leads to all students.”

“Both offices and the College of Commerce & Finance are working toward a common goal,” Stover said. “Our ultimate, long-term hope is that every student at Villanova can have an internship.”

For more information on how the Center for Student Advising and Professional Development can help you, contact Brenda Stover, Carol Mitchell or Julie Freedman. Carol Mitchell is the advising coordinator and Julie Freedman is the internship coordinator. The are working to fully integrate the process.