Situated on the second floor of J. Walter Wilson, the Brown Business Center will begin offering key business services at the heart of campus Oct. 3. These functions include I-9 verification, onboarding, foreign nationals processing, Bear Bucks deposits and notary services for undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty members.
The Brown Business Center was created in order to facilitate access to key financial and human resource services on College Hill, said Elizabeth Gentry, assistant vice president of business and financial services. Many of the offices previously offering these services on campus, such as the Bursar’s Office and the Human Resources Office, will be moved to the South Street Landing office building in the Jewelry District.
Recognizing the inconvenience of the new location, the University decided to establish a central and compact space for core business services, Gentry said. Furthermore, staff was retrained to ensure flexibility and proficiency across multiple business functions. While both locations will functionally offer the same services, the South Street Landing offices’ emphasis is on support work, while the J. Walter Wilson office will concentrate on directly interfacing with students and faculty members.
In addition to being situated at the heart of campus, the office’s proximity to other services in the J. Walter Wilson building, such as Mail Services, Office of International Student and Scholar Services and Counseling and Psychological Services will be a welcome benefit, Gentry said.
Physically, the Brown Business Center is divided into two sections, both on the second floor. One is a larger space, which will handle the bulk of the services, and the other is an annex of the Bursar and Loan Offices, conveniently situated near the Financial Aid Office.
The Brown Business Center will take the place of the Writing Center, which has moved to the Sciences Library, said David Paine, associate provost and professor of engineering. But the University has not decided what will replace the offices previously housed in the Brown Office Building, he added.
