Bob Bell’s recent election as the adviser of the St. Ben’s Senate is one more item to add to his list of experiences.
Bell, an SJU alumnus, is a CSB/SJU professor of accounting and finance. Following his graduation from SJU, Bell became a certified public accountant for Arthur Andersen and thus obtained a law degree from the University of Minnesota. He later moved to Washington, D.C. to work at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and then moved to New York to fulfill his dream of working on Wall Street.
Bell returned to his roots at SJU after being gone for more than 15 years. He is now taking on a new experience of advising the Senate.
“I am excited to have a new faculty adviser who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience,” President of the CSB Senate Anna Martin said. “Being an SJU alumni, Bob is extremely passionate about these two institutions and it already shows in his few weeks as our adviser. In the meetings I have had with him, I can already tell that he is committed to helping the St. Ben’s Senate to the best of his ability by showing the women that if you set a goal for yourself, if you really want it, you can achieve it.”
As an attorney, Bell has grown accustomed to the role of an adviser. Bell finds that the senate acts as a “board of directors” over the CSB student body. Acting as previous adviser for lawyers, accountants, investment banks, company managers and numerous others on both Capitol Hill and Wall Street has provided Bell a perspective unlike one the CSB Senate has experienced before.
“Advising in the legal field involves an analysis of what the facts say we should do, and what the law says we should do,” Bell said. “On the Senate when we’re talking about the facts, we’ll discuss how we should apply our constitution, our bylaws and our mission, and then we’ll determine how we want to proceed. I would like to think that my legal training and work experience in these areas will help to guide them in that way.”
As an adviser, Bell looks to be a conduit from the faculty to the Senate, and in turn, from the Senate to the faculty. In working with members of the Senate, Bell hopes to better understand the students concerns and challenges in order to then bring awareness to the faculty.
On the other hand, Bell intends to help Senate members understand faculty perceptions and positions on issues as well.
“We’re looking for someone that could act as a liaison between us and the rest of the faculty, by representing the faculty to us, and then in turn, representing us to the rest of the faculty,” CSB Senate Underclass Representative Erin Noel said. “Bob (Bell) will bring us another viewpoint. The Senate is really excited to have him.”
Bell knows the integral workings of the CSB/SJU community and is committed to carrying on the traditions as adviser of the CSB Senate. As a freshman at St. Johns, Bell was involved in a tragic accident that left him a quadriplegic. However, Bell persevered through adversity to become who he is today.
Bell’s understanding of making and sticking to decisions will provide guidance to the CSB Senate in helping the greater community.
“I am a true believer in CSB/SJU,” Bell said. “I want the best for St. Ben’s. I want to advise them. I want them to soar. I want everything good that can happen to them to happen to them, because as things go better for St. Ben’s, they go better for St. John’s; just like as things that go better for St. John’s, they go better for St. Ben’s.”
Members of the CSB Senate who selected Bell for the position looked to provide stability by choosing an adviser who currently holds a faculty position. As Senate members change positions and move through their terms, Bell will remain a consistent mentor, by advising on behalf of ventures that have worked well in the past, as well as those that have not.
“These are motivated, ambitious women that are looking to make a difference themselves. I am thrilled to work with the current members, the ones that follow them and the future members to come,” Bell said. “I have a lot of passion for these schools, and I want to see them get better. These women have that same passion. To the extent that I can motivate them, I hope to, and they will continually be motivating me.”
Bell acknowledged that while he chose to transition from various jobs in the past, the decision to return to SJU is one of returning home.
Bell fails to recall truly loving a job before taking his place at St. John’s over a year ago and is looking forward to an additional opportunity within the community as CSB Senate Adviser.
“I love this job. I love coming to work every day, because right now, I can’t think of anywhere else that I would rather be,” Bell said. “It all goes hand in hand. The decisions made by the governments of these institutions translate into what’s going on in the classroom. It is an honor to be a part of this.”