Mike Oates, president and CEO, Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp., in a recent statement said, “Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh quietly delivers one of the Hudson Valley’s most practical and regionally vital business educations. As our region works to grow good-paying jobs and attract companies that value local talent, the Mount’s undergraduate and graduate business programs are doing exactly what an effective regional workforce pipeline must: educating students in applied skills, connecting them to employers early and often, and giving both students and businesses measurable return on investment.”
At the undergraduate level the Mount’s Bachelor of Science in Business degree (and closely related degrees such as sports management and health-care management) blend a strong liberal-arts core with hands-on business training — from accounting, finance and marketing to information systems, law and ethics. The curriculum intentionally emphasizes communication, problem solving and experiential learning; every business major completes a capstone that requires students to work with real organizational clients and integrate finance, marketing, management and legal insight. Those features matter to employers who increasingly demand both technical competence and the capacity to translate analysis into action.
Return on investment is more than a slogan at the Mount; it’s backed by outcomes. Recent institutional reporting shows extremely strong early career results — the Class of 2024 was roughly 95% – 96% employed or in graduate school within six months, with recent graduates reporting average starting compensation in the roughly $70,000 range. Those kinds of outcomes matter for families weighing college choices and for employers who want confidence that hires from the Mount arrive ready to contribute. They also translate into regional economic strength: higher early earnings support local spending, homebuying and long-term retention of talent.
What kinds of employers hire Mount graduates? Practically speaking, the Mount’s graduates feed a broad cross-section of the Hudson Valley economy. Health-care systems, financial services firms, small and midsize manufacturers, hospitality and tourism businesses, nonprofit organizations and growing tech and professional services firms — as well as public sector employers — regularly recruit from the Mount. The college’s emphasis on applied learning, internships and employer partnerships means students are frequently moving from campus projects and internships into full-time roles with the very organizations that guided their training. The Career and Academic Services center actively supports placements, internships and networking that begin in freshman year and continue through graduation.
“As the Hudson Valley competes to attract new investment,” said Oates, “We must think not just about sites and incentives but also about human capital. Colleges like Mount Saint Mary are quietly doing the heavy lifting: producing disciplined communicators, analytically fluent problem solvers and managers who understand the ethics and realities of 21st-century business. The Mount’s business programs are a pragmatic, high-value engine for regional prosperity — and a partner that local employers and economic development organizations should deliberately align with as we build the next chapter of the Hudson Valley economy.
If we want companies to choose our towns and stay, we need steady pipelines of talent that match their needs. Mount Saint Mary College’s business programs are exactly that kind of pipeline — smart, affordable, and connected to the real economy,” said Oates.
