Robert Boyd (pictured above) is the School of Business Internship Director who spends a majority of his time helping students prepare for their post-graduate careers. He urges Geneseo business students to start networking early and to take advantage of the events and opportunities given to them (Udeshi Seneviratne/Photo editor).
Lecturer and School of Business Internship Director Robert Boyd has been involved with the Geneseo community since 1996, where he worked at a firm that employed Geneseo students as interns. It wasn’t until 2007, however, that Boyd fully immersed himself into the Geneseo community and became a part-time lecturer.
As internship director, Boyd spends much of his time connecting with alumni to coordinate various networking events. Among these events, Boyd hosts many speakers and small networking lunches in order to open doors for Geneseo business students.
“I have the opportunity to work with some super students and I get a lot of satisfaction when students are successful,” Boyd said. “So that’s what gives me energy, is working with people who are driven, dedicated and who want to be more successful.”
Boyd communicates these networking events to business students via email throughout the school year and encourages them to take advantage of the plethora of opportunities that Geneseo has to offer.
“What frustrates me at times is that there are so many students who don’t seem to be that concerned about their own future,” Boyd said. “People don’t respond to emails, people don’t read them, they simply assume that somehow an internship or job will fall from the heavens.”
Boyd stresses the importance of alumni relations and encourages students to begin examining their careers early on in their college career in order to build a large network.
“So many of our alumni want to help, and students need to take advantage of that. If you want to go into a certain field and we have an alumnus there, working with them will get you an interview, but it’ll never get you the job,” Boyd said. “Because a lot of companies, when you come down to it, they are really looking for employee referrals. So, the more people you can know, the more successful you will be long-term.”
Throughout his career, Boyd’s dedication and drive has shone through various areas of his life. He prides himself on his curiosity to constantly learn and engage in new activities, discussing a recent example of this when putting together an intersession course.
During the 2019 intersession period, Boyd taught FNCE 311 Managerial Finance. Originally a six-week summer course, Boyd had to go back and restructure the curriculum to tailor it to a shorter time frame.
“I actually had to go back, relook at everything I did, make sure that it was clear, that the content was there, that there was clarity and that it was organized. So, I built my own skills and I was very pleased with it,” Boyd said. “We covered a massive amount of work in three weeks, but it took a lot of organization, thinking and relevance. I think it was actually a better course than ones that I have taught in person.”
Outside of the classroom, Boyd is a member of the president’s sustainability commission and is the advisor for the Student Managed Investment Fund.
Beyond his commitment to his student’s success, Boyd is also an active community member. He serves as treasurer of St. Peter’s Soup Kitchen in Rochester, runs a community garden and works at a farmer’s market. He is also a board chair of Delphi RISE, a not-for-profit behavioral health agency, where he deals with matters such as domestic violence, mental health, chemical dependency evaluations and reentry programs for prisoners.
Although Boyd’s path toward academia is a rather unconventional one, it allowed him to find his true passion. He is devoted to helping Geneseo students prepare for their futures and the real world. With all of his experience and inquisitive drive, he has truly had a strong impact on the Geneseo community.