Last week, Villanova’s School of Business (VSB) held its annual Major Declaration Celebration on Jan. 24 in the Curley Exchange. It was held to celebrate the day in which all VSB students were finally able to declare their majors and minors.
After a year and a half, students were excited to finally make their major choices official. Many VSB faculty members were in attendance, congratulating their students on their choice of major. Assistant Dean of Student Advising in VSB, Kelly Gregg, explained the importance of the step beyond the mere celebration.
“VSB students declare their major in January of their sophomore year,” Gregg said. “The declaration process is an important step in a VSB student’s academic journey because it’s a culmination of what they’ve learned about the different disciplines throughout their experiences in and out of the classroom.”
The celebration provided a respite from the daily mundane, with food, games and prizes for students declaring. This was something Gregg thought was beneficial both academically and socially.
“Each year, the Clay Center advisors host [the] big event to celebrate this milestone with the sophomores,” Gregg said. “It’s also an opportunity for sophomores to mingle with faculty mentors and other newly declared students in their major.”
This year’s event was also connected to the VSB Mentor Program, celebrating its 10th year this month. The program is designed to pair VSB students with alumni volunteers in a one-on-one relationship to support the student’s professional development goals. Sophomores declaring were eligible to join the program for the first time after the event, learning about it throughout its course.
In addition, this year’s event also contained a “lo-fi” version of the event, which was meant for students who wanted to celebrate in a more relaxed environment.
“We were excited to see students utilize the lo-fi space this year and look forward to continuing to offer that option in the future,” Gregg said.
Sean Holcomb, Assistant Director and Advisor for Transfer Students, also praised what a wonderful opportunity the event was for students, but especially transfer students, who the event was designed to be more inclusive towards.
“I think the event and declaration time is extremely exciting and impactful for students,” Holcomb said. “From working with my advisees, this is a time where they are able to narrow in on their interests and begin long term planning with their passions and goals in mind. As an advisor, I find it extremely rewarding to see our VSB students excited about their areas of study and curriculum. The entire advising team also loves the opportunity to celebrate our students and have these interactions outside of our appointments.”
