Binghamton parents support Decker School peer-advising program
Chris Chang and his wife, Jenny Mark, see Binghamton as a place of opportunity.
While their children have received a Binghamton University education — daughter Cayla is
in Harpur College, with plans to transfer to Decker; son Tristan ’17, MBA ’18, is a consultant at Deloitte — the couple from Rye Brook, N.Y., feel strongly about providing opportunities for other students. It’s why they’ve made gifts to the Decker School of Nursing and the School of Management, even while paying two college tuitions.
“[Binghamton University] is a more diverse community than where our kids grew up,” Mark says. “We know some of Cayla’s and Tristan’s friends didn’t have the same opportunities they had. … We want to make contributions that help students in any way possible.”
“I went to Cornell University, which has a $6 billion endowment. That’s an unbelievable number,” Chang says. “Binghamton doesn’t have anywhere near the same level of resources, so it’s important for parents like us to provide support.”
In particular, Chang and Mark have supported Decker’s peer-advising program, through which upper-class nursing students share their experiences — both within Decker and the University at large — with prospective and current nursing students. Peer advisors, who work in Decker’s Academic Advising and Student Services Office, are well-versed in the admissions process, degree requirements, registration policies and campus-support services. The program launched in 2017.
“The nursing profession has really boomed, and we want to ensure there are enough resources to support new nurses coming into the field,” says Mark, a nurse for more than 30 years. “Cayla has been getting advising from both Harpur and Decker, but I feel that if students have peers who have gone through the process and share what they did, it is extremely helpful,” she adds.
“Tristan had tremendous support from his business fraternity in the School of Management. It is great to have that in the Decker School as well,” Chang says.
Mikala Ferry, senior academic advisor, oversees Decker’s peer-advising program, which expanded this fall to include seven peer advisors, creating unprecedented opportunities for Binghamton students to receive support.
“The additional coverage will allow for more walk-in advising opportunities and the addition of weekly tours of our facilities,” Ferry says. “This generous gift to our program, which already had a successful first year, makes it possible to offer more training opportunities for our peers and extra advising events on campus. We’re incredibly grateful and excited to provide our students with an even better advising experience.”