Ticket Office practicum gives students a leg up in their careers

The purpose of education is to give the tools of success to future generations. For many students, college represents the very last step in the stairs to this goal. It is the culmination of over a decade of formal education and a successful college education provides a student many opportunities to gain experience in a field they are passionate about.

One such tool that’s provided through the Arts Administration program at Fredonia is the AADM 410 course, also known as Ticket Office Practicum. The course is taught by Raleigh Hawk, the acting Ticketing and Customer Support Manager at the Fredonia Campus Ticket Office.

This class operates uniquely from many college courses in that the “classroom” is a functioning ticket office providing a variety of services to the campus and the community.

Students taking the course serve as ticket agents and supervisors in the office. They participate in the day-to-day activities at the ticket office, essentially getting a first-hand experience in real practice.

Student responsibilities range from printing and facilitating the purchase of tickets for the public, working with clubs on campus to schedule and ticket events and working front of house at various on-campus events.

Many of the students who graduated from the Arts Administration program with Ticket Office experience have gone on to incredible career opportunities.

Among those graduates is Anthony Colón, who is now the box office manager for Symphony Space in New York City. Located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Symphony Space offers programs in theatre, film, literature, music, dance and family events.

 Mr. Colón recently took the time to talk about how the Ticket Office practicum at Fredonia helped him in his professional career.

Q: What specific procedures, programs, and/or terminology did Ticket Office Practicum teach you that, in your opinion, help you excel in your field?

A: I took the course during 2010-11 and then worked at the box office from 2011 to 2012. It was a huge jumping off point for me and really gave me my passion for box office work. That’s kind of funny to say out loud, because it’s not where I think anyone sees their career going until you’re really in it. Now I love it!  The program taught me everything I know, including key terminology, guest interactions and industry standards. The best thing I took away was my networking abilities. Being involved with Tytix (the ticket software system used at the Campus Ticket Office) opened doors for me into a whole new pathway.

Q: How would you say Fredonia’s Arts Administration program prepared you for working in the real world, in a way that other programs might not have?

A: Another thing that got me in the door was actually SUNY Fredonia in general. The box office manager told me, after she hired me, that she had only pulled my resume from the pile of 110 applications because she was also a SUNY Fredonia grad! I was honestly shocked by the number of working grads, even as far out New York City. Fredonia got me in the door, and my skills from practicum got me the job. Now I have her job, since she left for another organization.

Q: What advice would you give to current Fredonia  Arts Administration students looking to strike out on their own after graduation?

A: The most important piece of advice I can give to the up and comers out there is to be persistent, be respectful, and be diligent. There really isn’t a secret ingredient to success in any field, it all comes down to continuing to follow up every interview and not getting discouraged by rejections. It’s also important to know that working hard, no matter where you are, will get you noticed and get people talking. People will know if you care and you work hard, and those people will talk to other people. Especially in the realm of academia, word gets around if you work hard.

The Ticket Office practicum is offered on a regular basis. According to Mr. Hawk, the class has an average of 12 students per semester. The class is largely structured to emulate the working structure of arts administration offices one might find in the real world, honoring those who work hard and diligently.

“The practicum is really a situation of getting out of it, what you put into it,” Mr. Hawk said. “Those that take the class very seriously and try the best to learn not only the system, but how to make a patron’s experience the best that it can possibly be, really take the lessons to heart and most likely come on in a professional capacity to work in the office for the rest of their college career.”