Student survey results favor Buff State

The services of Financial Aid and the Weigel Health Center at Buffalo State were rated the highest among SUNY colleges in the 2012 Student opinion surveys.

The surveys are questionnaires administrated to undergraduates every three years about the quality of life for students. The faculties within both the Weigel Health Center and the Financial Aid office have been given credit for going above and beyond expectations, while giving students the best service that they can provide.
 

"The staff is what makes it great and what's going to make it great in the future," said Mark Petrie, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management.  "We hire good people, we keep good people, and that's going to make the students lives a lot better."

Petrie said Buffalo State is able to maintain a high quality of service by implementing "Initiative 1.3" which is based off the college's strategic plan. Initiative 1.3 promotes student, faculty and staff interaction to enhance learning and to support student progress toward graduation.

In the beginning of the semester, financial aid offers increased staffing at the service counter to handle student traffic.
 

Connie Cooke, Director of Financial Aid said, "Don't do it on your own; we are assessable and you can make an appointment with us at any time. The main thing is that we are approachable and we are assessable. You'll find we do a very quick turnaround because we treat students the way we want to be treated. If you have a problem, we will solve it right away."
 

The main priority for the Weigel Health Center staff is to focus on the best possible student health care, so they can remain healthy and succeed in college, said Tammy Kresge, Assistant Director of Health Promotions.
 

"The biggest challenge is trying to help students navigate their new found freedom giving them the resources to make healthy decisions," she said.
 

The health center uses a student advocacy program--if a student has a complaint they can speak directly to the director of the health center, she would meet with the students and make sure everything is to their satisfaction.

Kresge said, "The Director [Dr. Theresa Stephan Hains] is top notch. She listens to the students. She mentors and supports the staff that works for her, which allows us to be the best we could be so we can provide the best services."