Students needing professional clothing have a new place to go at Alfred State College (ASC). The Career Development Center in partnership with the Kappa Sigma Epsilon fraternity have teamed up to open Professional Pioneers Place.
Professional Pioneers Place, located in the Student Leadership Center, has clothing for ASC students to wear when they interview, attend a career fair, or need to update their professional photos. The space has racks of clothing to outfit students. Items include suit jackets, dress shirts and blouses, pants, and ties.
Senior Career Development Associate Maureen Sibble is excited to see the space open. “This is an expansion of the services we offer our students. On top of students working on their resumes and interviewing skills with our office, now we can provide them with clothing to make a great first impression. Many college career centers offer a professional clothing closet for students – what makes ours unique is this space is truly an extension of our office. We have plans to utilize this area for students to have their LinkedIn photos taken. Continuing and building on our relationship with Kappa Sigma Epsilon was a natural fit.”
Professional Pioneers Place is an extension of Kappa Sigma Epsilon’s Teach Impact Empower (TIE) program. Started as a philanthropy project by Jerome Thomas in 2016, TIE has grown into its own club on campus. The goals of TIE are to provide professional attire to all students on campus and to provide students with professional services to prepare them for postgraduate education or their career.
Kappa Sigma Epsilon President Shaheim Green looks forward to having students experience and benefit from the space. “Our goal is to get current students to visit Professional Pioneers Place and get them ready for their future careers. We hope in future semesters to expand the program to local youth and incoming students.”
Spencer Peavey, Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs echoes the excitement of Sibble and Green. “One of the main reason’s this space is so special is its student organizational philanthropy in collaboration with our professional Career Development Office. ASC’s continued commitment to leadership through civic engagement is a critical part of our student’s path to career readiness. The space is a great physical representation of this, plus it looks great and the students will love the selection of clothes!”
The Professional Pioneers Place is open weekdays from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
