The Guttman Difference: The HUB
If you’re not from Guttman, you probably think of a trip to the bursar’s office or to the registrar with the same anticipation as a trip to your phone carrier or an appointment with the dentist. Luckily, a trip at Guttman is different. The HUB – Student Information Center is the place to go with questions about the admissions process, financial aid, paying your bill and registering for classes. Readily accessible on the third floor of Guttman South, someone at the HUB has answers. In fact, they guarantee it.
“We treat students like individuals—they are not a number to us. By personalizing our services, we don’t want to send them on a wild goose chase,” stated HUB Supervisor Shani Pierce. Enrollment Coordinator Shornalyn Baptiste added, “We answer questions about almost everything, and students understand that we can help them—they keep coming back!”
On any given day in the HUB, Pierce, Baptiste and generalist Angie Rosado interact with 50 to 70 students, field queries from parents and orient new students. Aided by a virtual queue system that reduces wait time, their jobs are more than concierge, more than triage specialists, more than switchboard operators for all incoming calls to the College. They’re the familiar face, the calming voice — solving problems and dispensing information when they can, while assuaging the fear, anger and confusion that can be part of the college-going process. When they don’t know the answer, they direct students right to their HUB colleagues who do, in the offices of admissions, bursar, financial aid and the registrar, all located just steps away from the HUB desk.
For example, when students and family members begin to fill out the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), it’s not uncommon that they frequently experience technical glitches or confusing guidelines.
“We offer them personalized support through the HUB,” said Dr. Cristina Ortiz-Harvey, director of financial aid. “Our fantastic financial aid team is dedicated to helping students and their families maximize their aid options so they can achieve their college goals. Students can get help with everything from walk-in financial aid assistance to help with submitting their financial aid applications and one-on-one advisement with our team.”
For Bursar Jeanne Schlosser, clear and proactive communication is key.
“I am responsible for making sure that every student’s tuition charges are accurate and that any questions are answered as quickly as possible,” said Schlosser. “Students need to know where they stand financially and be are aware of their options. I try to make sure that our students do not incur a debt that they cannot recover from.”
It’s not what our professionals do; “the Guttman difference” is in the way they do their jobs. From the beginning of the day to the end, it’s all about the students.
