NEW YORK, NY, Dec 19, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Fordham University announces the appointment of Lerzan Aksoy, Ph.D., as dean of the Gabelli School of Business, effective Jan. 1, 2023.

A Fulbright scholar, prolific author, and award-winning professor of marketing, Dr. Aksoy has served as interim dean of the Gabelli School since July 1, 2022. From 2015 to 2022 she served as associate dean of undergraduate studies and strategic initiatives within the school.

The announcement was made by University President Tania Tetlow and Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Dennis C. Jacobs on Monday.

Dr. Aksoy began her academic career as a marketing professor in the College of Administrative Sciences and Economics at Koç University (Istanbul, Turkey). She joined Fordham’s marketing faculty in 2008 and is the managing director of the Responsible Business Coalition at the Gabelli School. Dr. Aksoy has published over 70 journal articles and is co-author of the New York Times bestseller The Wallet Allocation Rule and co-author/co-editor of four other books on customer loyalty. In 2022, she received the American Marketing Association’s Christopher Lovelock Career Contributions to the Services Discipline Award. This is the highest award presented in the field of service marketing and recognizes exemplary teaching, research, and service. Dr. Aksoy currently sits on the Academic Council of the American Marketing Association (AMA) and will serve as president of the Academic Council beginning in 2024.

Dr. Aksoy is an outstanding teaching scholar and accomplished administrator who will bring to the deanship a broad, strategic, and global vision for the school. She possesses a rare combination of intelligence, generosity of spirit, humility, and ambition for advancing Jesuit approaches to business education. As dean, Dr. Aksoy will ensure the Gabelli School continually offers innovative and relevant degree programs; helps students thrive as future business leaders in a diverse, inclusive community; and produces high-impact research.

The Gabelli School of Business serves just over 2,700 undergraduate students and 1,600 graduate students, and boasts a global network of 40,000 alumni. It is a flagship institution for responsible business strategy; integrating business connections; environmental, social and governance (ESG) research; and expertly designed curricula to develop leaders who are change agents and critical thinkers prepared to act in the service of the greater good.

Dr. Aksoy received her Ph.D. in marketing from the Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; an M.B.A. from George Mason University; and a B.S. in business administration from Hacettepe University (Ankara, Turkey).

The search committee, chaired by Matthew Diller, dean of the Fordham School of Law, conducted a comprehensive national search that included extensive interviews of 11 semi-finalists and four finalists. From this very talented pool of candidates, Dr. Aksoy emerged as the clear leader best prepared to take the Gabelli School of Business to new heights.

The scholars and journalists are part of a multi-year $700K project seeking to understand the relationship between Orthodox Christianity and multiple forms of human rights that brings together historians, political scientists, religious anthropologists and theologians.

Within this group of 25 scholars, nearly half have expertise in Russia/Ukraine/Balkan regions and/or understand the ways in which Putin’s instrumentalizing of religion has built transnational networks reaching even into the United States.

This unique project, funded by the Henry Luce Foundation with additional support by the Leadership 100, brings together a collection of elite scholars who understand religious dimensions of the situation in Ukraine. Read more about this group of scholars and journalists here.

The Center’s co-directors are also available for interviews.

Read “The Orthodox Response to Putin’s Invasion,” by George E. Demacopoulos, our Fr. John Meyendorff  & Patterson Family Chair of Orthodox Christian Studies and a co-founder and director of our Orthodox Christian Studies Center.

About the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham:
The Orthodox Christian Studies Center facilitates, finances, and publishes scholarship on the history, thought, and culture of the Orthodox Christian world. Through lectures, scholarly publications, and student initiatives such as the Orthodox Christian Fellowship and the Orthodox Christian studies minor, the center promotes serious scholarship and lifelong learning. The center’s work paints a broad picture of Orthodoxy’s history, religious traditions, and geographical, geopolitical, and cultural reach.

CONTACT:
Aristotle Papanikolaou, [email protected]
George Demacopoulos, [email protected]
Gina Vergel, 646-579-9957, [email protected]

Contact:
Gina Vergel
Senior Director of Communications
[email protected]
(212) 646-6534

Fordham University has partnered with the Westchester County Association, the City of Yonkers, STEM Alliance, Yonkers Partners in Education (YPIE), and Westhab, to help launch the Yonkers Zone (Y-Zone). By utilizing Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum, the newly deployed, digital opportunity zone provides free internet access to approximately 250 to 400 need-based households in downtown Yonkers.

Y-Zone is a digital ecosystem that incorporates three core principles. The first is establishing digital equity driven by a coalition of committed local stakeholders, including residents and program youth. Next, the project will aim to achieve widespread adoption through community input and engagement. Lastly, it plans to advance digital fluency by providing device ownership and tech education as well as connectivity.

“This is a fabulous opportunity,” said Jane Bolgatz, Ph.D., associate professor at the Graduate School of Education.  “Fordham is supporting the project by researching how getting free WiFi helps people improve their experiences with education, employment, and healthcare.  We are also working with the terrific high schoolers at YPIE, who are so creatively figuring out ways to tackle the problem of the digital divide.”

The project was made possible through support from US Ignite, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and Schmidt Futures. The Westchester County Association was selected as a Project OVERCOME grant recipient in March 2021. The Project OVERCOME grant provided awards to seven communities in a $2.7 million effort designed to connect the unconnected through novel broadband technology solutions. The U.S. NSF conceived of and provided $2.25 million in funding for the project, and Schmidt Futures provided an additional $450,000. US Ignite managed the selection process and continues to oversee these projects along with multiple efforts to connect the benefits of emerging technology with some of our community’s people in need.

“Now more than ever, there is a growing need to bridge the digital divide that exists in communities across the country,” said Mike Spano, mayor of the City of Yonkers. “I am so proud Yonkers families will be given an equitable solution to technology that supports the education of our students. Many thanks to our Y-Zone partners … for recognizing that affordable connectivity is vital to the success and future of the city.”

In order to qualify, residents must live in the service zone, which reaches from Glenn Park to Park Hill Avenue, and from downtown Yonkers to Nodine Hill. Click HERE to complete the application.

Access the latest information on Y-Zone at: YZone.Info. For more information on Project OVERCOME, please visit: www.US-Ignite.org

Contact:
Gina Vergel
Senior Director of Communications
[email protected]
(212) 646-6534

A new article by Jordan Devylder, Ph.D., associate professor at Fordham’s Graduate School of Social Service, asserts that police violence takes a toll on people’s mental well-being and proposes a new way to study the relationship between police violence and mental health.

Published on Sept. 17 in the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) with co-authors Lisa Fedina, Ph.D., and Bruce Link, Ph.D., the study, “Impact of Police Violence on Mental Health: A Theoretical Framework” is the first such article exploring why police violence differs from other types of violence in terms of its impact on health and mental health, Devylder said.

Devylder, whose research specializes on the impact of police violence on the health of the general population, said while there is now substantial national attention directed at the issue of police violence, and police killings in particular, there has been relatively little research on the community-level mental health impact of police violence.

“Both direct and vicarious exposure to police violence may be more impactful than other forms of violence and should be studied as its own unique exposure and public health issue,” he said.
“This article identifies eight factors that may affect the relationship between police violence and mental health, including those that increase the likelihood of overall exposure, increase the psychological impact of police violence, and impede the possibility of coping or recovery from such exposures.”

Read the article in AJPH here.

Read about Devylder’s 2018 study, which found that “Police Violence Corresponds with Mental Distress Among City Dwellers,” here.

And, here, listen to Devylder discuss how psychological distress can linger after an encounter via The Academic Minute.

Download ‘Primates in Peril: The World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates 2018-2020’

Biological Anthropologist Reiko Matsuda Goodwin contributes to New List of World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates

Bronx, New York, Oct. 9 – The Tapanuli orangutan, the indri, and the white-thighed colobus are listed among the World’s 25 Most Endangered primates. The list includes seven species from Africa, five from Madagascar, seven from Asia and six from the Neotropics. Twelve of the species in the 2018-2020 report were not in the previous report, with eight of those appearing on the list for the first time. 

The biennial Primates in Peril report is a collaborative effort of the IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group, the International Primatological Society, Global Wildlife Conservation and the Bristol Zoological Society. 

Reiko Matsuda Goodwin, a faculty member at Fordham University, whose areas of expertise include primate behavioral ecology and conservation, contributed significant research about the population size of the white-thighed colobus to the report. The white-thighed colobus is distinguished by the silvery-white thighs and a white ruff around its face. 

For more information on Goodwin’s work see Anthropology Professor Tracks Critically Endangered Monkeys in Africa.

Fordham University

Fordham University offers exceptional education distinguished by the Jesuit tradition across nine schools. Fordham awards baccalaureate, graduate, and professional degrees to approximately 15,000 students.

Global Wildlife Conservation

GWC conserves the diversity of life on Earth by safeguarding wildlands, protecting wildlife and supporting guardians. We maximize our impact through scientific research, biodiversity exploration, habitat conservation, protected area management, wildlife crime prevention, endangered species recovery, and conservation leadership cultivation. Learn more at https://globalwildlife.org

Bristol Zoological Society

Bristol Zoological Society is a conservation and education charity that runs and operates Bristol Zoo Gardens and its sister attraction, Wild Place Project. Its vision is a sustainable future for wildlife and people and its mission is to conserve wildlife through conservation action and engaging people with the natural world. It does this by managing sustainable animal and plant populations, conserving wild populations, carrying out conservation research both in captivity and in the wild, integrated learning, communication and through its partnerships and community involvement.

International Union for Conservation of Nature

IUCN is a membership Union composed of both government and civil society organizations. It harnesses the experience, resources and reach of its more than 1,300 Member organizations and the input of more than 15,000 experts. IUCN is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.

Contact

Ayesha Akhtar

347-340-8584

[email protected]

Consumers Rate Auto Manufacturers as the Most Socially Innovative Brands, but Social Innovators Also Include Service Providers like Navy Federal Credit Union, Aflac, and Chick-fil-A

New York, New York, Sept. 4– Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business, along with the Norwegian School of Economics, and market research firm Rockbridge Associates, Inc., announced the top social innovators from the American Innovation Index (Aii), the only survey in the US measuring company social innovativeness based on customers’ experiences. To date, the Aii is the only large scale, scientifically vetted measure of social innovation in the U.S. that is based on customer ratings.  

Auto Companies claim most of the top spots, with Honda, Toyota, Ford and General Motors ranking #1, #2, #4 and #6 respectively out of 174 companies covered in the study. Service companies rounded out the list of top social innovators. The nation’s largest credit union, Navy Federal, ranked #5, insurer Aflac ranked #7, and Chick-fil-A ranked #8.  Customers feel these companies offer products and services that benefit the social good, innovate to benefit society and the environment, and make social innovation a priority. The tech sector is not the most socially innovative, according to this study, but two tech firms made the top 20: #17 Google and #18 Apple.  

The top 20 Social Innovation Index leaders will receive awards at the 2nd annual American Innovation Conference on October 3 at Fordham University, and include:  Honda, Toyota, John Deere, Ford, Navy Federal Credit Union, GM, Aflac, Chick-fil-A, Trader Joe’s, GE, USAA, Stanley Black and Decker, Weber, Ikea, Nissan, Hyundai, Google, Apple, Whirlpool, and LG. 

“Companies that are viewed as socially innovative by their customers achieve unique advantages in loyalty and word of mouth that ultimately contribute to long-term marketplace success,” said Lerzan Aksoy, Ph.D., Professor of Marketing at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business.  “Because the Social Innovation Index is based on customer perceptions, it has a high level of objectivity and market validity that complements approaches that look at internal metrics to evaluate companies.” 

According to Gina Woodall, President of Rockbridge, “Companies not only need to be innovative in the eyes of their customers but should be viewed as socially innovative.  That is the difference between a transformative brand that is viewed as helping society and one that causes more social disruption than good.”  

About the American Innovation Index:

The Aii scores and ranks the customer-perceived innovativeness and social innovativeness of U.S. companies based on their customers’ experiences. The 2nd annual study was conducted in May 2019, and covers 174 firms from 21 industries, such as airlines, hotels, car rental companies, banks, TV and Internet service providers, wireless phone providers, manufacturers, retailers and utilities. The study surveyed 8,863 consumers and covered over 38,000 customer-company relationships. 

For more information about the Aii and a full list of company rankings, visit www.americaninnovationindex.com 

About Fordham University:

Fordham University offers exceptional education distinguished by the Jesuit tradition across nine schools. Fordham awards baccalaureate, graduate, and professional degrees to approximately 15,000 students.  

About the Norwegian School of Economics:

NHH Norwegian School of Economics, one of the leading business schools in Europe, launched the Norwegian Innovation Index in 2016 and partnered with Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business and Rockbridge Associates to replicate the methodology in the US.

About Rockbridge Associates, Inc.:

Rockbridge Associates, Inc. is an outcome-based market research firm that has been advising  Fortune 500s, mid-sized firms and non-profits on their innovation and marketing strategy for over two decades.  www.rockresearch.com

Contact:
Gina Vergel
[email protected]
(646) 579-9957

Consumers Pick America’s Most Innovative Companies and not all are Tech 

Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business, along with the Norwegian School of Economics, and market research firm Rockbridge Associates, Inc., announced the top innovators from the American Innovation Index (Aii), the only survey in the US measuring company innovativeness based on customers’ experiences. The study also tracks customer perceptions of social innovativeness to give a complete picture of how companies impact customers and society. The Gabelli School will recognize the top companies with an innovation award to be presented at the 2nd annual American Innovation Conference to be held in October in New York.

Conducted in May 2019, the survey found Apple was rated the most innovative company in America by its customers for the second year in a row.  Innovation leadership is not confined to tech firms. Automakers Honda and Toyota claimed the #2 and #4 spots respectively, while Ford and GM make the top 20. Weber, the 126-year-old manufacturer of grilling equipment, ranked #3 on customer-perceived innovation. Retailers Amazon and Ikea made the list of top 10 for the second year, ranking #5 and #6 respectively. The nation’s largest credit union, Navy Federal, made the top 10 and was rated higher in innovation by its customers than all leading banks.   

The top 20 leaders on the American Innovation Index will receive awards, and include: Apple, Honda, Weber, Toyota, Amazon, Ikea, Google, Netflix, Navy Federal Credit Union, Samsung, Ford, GM, John Deere, Airbnb, Trader Joe’s, Chick-fil-A, Stanley Black and Decker, Aflac, Microsoft, and Southwest Airlines.

“In a competitive consumer market, innovation propels companies to the top of their industry and drives their growth and financial performance,” said Lerzan Aksoy, Ph.D., professor of marketing at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business.  “The American Innovation Index recognizes the companies with the highest innovation index scores based on consumer ratings. These companies have been able to mobilize resources in a manner that makes customers notice they are creative, pioneering and shapers in their industry.” 

The Aii scores and ranks the innovativeness of U.S. companies based on their customers perceptions. The Aii covers 174 firms from 21 industries, such as airlines, hotels, car rental companies, banks, TV and Internet service providers, wireless phone providers, manufacturers, retailers and utilities. The study surveyed 8,863 consumers and covered over 38,000 customer-company relationships.

The American Innovation Index identifies certain innovation leaders that challenge traditional consumer manufacturing and services companies. Besides the obvious example of Amazon, which is rated higher on innovation than all other retailers, Netflix ranks #8 in customer innovation ratings, exceeding all the traditional cable companies, while Airbnb ranks #14 and exceeds all hotel chains.   

“Companies can provide the highest levels of satisfaction, but if they do not deliver an innovative customer experience, they face becoming obsolete,” said Gina Woodall, President of Rockbridge Associates, Inc.  “We have found that your industry does not determine how innovative customers think your company is. For example, in the airline industry, Southwest is an innovation leader ranking 20 out of 174 companies, while United is near the bottom with 169.”

The Social Innovation Index

The survey also measures social innovation through the Social Innovation Index (Sii), which is the degree to which customers of companies perceive them to innovate in ways that benefit society and the environment. Three of the top 10 most innovative companies on the American Innovation Index are also in the top 10 on social innovation according to customers, including Honda, Toyota and Navy Federal Credit Union.  

The top 20 companies on the Social Innovation Index will also receive awards from Fordham, including: Honda, Toyota, John Deere, Ford, Navy Federal, General Motors, Aflac, Chick-fil-a, Trader Joe’s, General Electric, USAA, Stanley Black and Decker, Weber, Ikea, Nissan, Google, Hyundai, Apple, Whirlpool and LG.  

Another key finding from the Aii is that tech-driven firms that are rated high in customer innovation are not always leaders in social innovation.  Example: Netflix ranks in the top 10 on the American Innovation Index for customer innovation, but its ranking on the Social Innovation Index is 76. 

Why Does Innovation Matter?

The American Innovation Index methodology is based on years of research by the Norwegian School of Economics that found that consumers are sensitive to company efforts to innovate, including in their products, value delivery, customer treatment and interaction space.  These innovation efforts, when moved “downstream” where they affect the customer experience, trigger positive emotional responses that translate into greater customer loyalty and attractiveness toward the brand. Many studies attempt to rank companies on innovation through external indicators such as patents, R&D spending, productivity, and experts, but only the American Innovation Index captures innovation through what customers actually experience. To date, no large scale, scientifically vetted measure of customer-perceived innovation exists in the United States. The Aii was created to address this gap in the body of knowledge.

Customers not only expect companies to innovate to meet their needs, but to innovate for a greater good.  The Social Innovation Index also correlates with customer loyalty and with perceptions of brand attractiveness.  The research to date reveals that the most successful companies achieve high customer scores on both customer experienced innovation and social innovation. 

For more information about the Aii, visit www.Americaninnovationindex.com 

About Fordham University:

Founded in 1841, Fordham is the Jesuit University of New York, offering exceptional education distinguished by the Jesuit tradition across nine schools. Fordham awards baccalaureate, graduate, and professional degrees to approximately 15,000 students from Fordham College at Rose Hill, Fordham College at Lincoln Center, the Gabelli School of Business (undergraduate and graduate), the School of Professional and Continuing Studies, the Graduate Schools of Arts and Sciences, Education, Religion and Religious Education, and Social Service, and the School of Law. The University has residential campuses in the Bronx and Manhattan, a campus in West Harrison, N.Y., the Louis Calder Center Biological Field Station in Armonk, N.Y., and the London Centre in the United Kingdom.

About the Norwegian School of Economics:

NHH Norwegian School of Economics is one of the leading business schools in Europe.  They launched the Norwegian Innovation Index in 2016 and partnered with Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business and Rockbridge to replicate their methodology in the US.

About Rockbridge Associates, Inc.:

Rockbridge Associates, Inc. is an outcome-based market research firm that has been advising  Fortune 500s, mid-sized firms and non-profits on their innovation and marketing strategy for over two decades.  www.Rockresearch.com

Contact:
Gina Vergel
[email protected]
(646) 579-9957

‘In Your Eyes I See My Words’ by Pope Francis Jorge Mario Bergoglio

New York, N.Y., Sept. 17—When Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church in March 2013, stories of his humility were everywhere. News circulated about the fact that he returned to the boarding house where he had been staying to pay his bill personally, rather than send an assistant, and that he chose to live in a simple two-room apartment rather than in the luxurious papal accommodations in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. 

These actions gave the public a chance to learn something about the nature of the new pontiff.  But what can be learned from his words? Readers of English will soon find out as Pope Francis’s collection of homilies and speeches from Buenos Aires from 1999 to 2004 will be released on Sept. 24, 2019, by Fordham University Press. 

In Your Eyes I See My Words is the first of a three-volume translation of Pope Francis’s theological, pastoral, anthropological, and educational thoughts. It is the first time these homilies and speeches have been printed in English.

The book provides insights into the mind and theological unfolding of a beloved spiritual leader who has challenged politicians, culture-makers, the media moguls—even his own ordained and lay church ministers—to live a life of faithfulness marked by justice, equality, and concern for the needs of everyone.

“We must advance toward an idea of truth that is ever more inclusive, less restrictive; at least, if we are thinking about God’s truth and not some human truth, however solid it may appear to us. God’s truth is unending; it is an ocean of which we can barely see the shore. . . . The truth is a gift that is too big for us, and that is precisely why it makes us bigger, amplifies us, raises us up. ”—Pope Francis

“The homilies and public lectures in this volume introduce us to the serious but also lighthearted intellectual background of the first Jesuit pope and the first pope to bear the name of Francis of Assisi. This Franciscan-crossed Jesuit has much to teach us.”——Patrick J. Ryan, S.J.

About Fordham University Press

Fordham University Press not only represents and uphold the values and traditions of the University itself but also furthers those values and traditions through the dissemination of scholarly research and ideas. The Press publishes boundary-breaking print and digital books that bring recognition to itself, the University, and authors while balancing the need to publish in new formats and work collaboratively on and off campus. Its regional imprint, Empire State Editions, and location in New York City’s Lincoln Center neighborhood reinforce the university’s motto, New York is My Campus, Fordham is My School.

About Fordham University

Founded in 1841, Fordham is the Jesuit University of New York, offering exceptional education distinguished by the Jesuit tradition across nine schools. Fordham awards baccalaureate, graduate, and professional degrees to approximately 15,000 students from Fordham College at Rose Hill, Fordham College at Lincoln Center, the Gabelli School of Business (undergraduate and graduate), the School of Professional and Continuing Studies, the Graduate Schools of Arts and Sciences, Education, Religion and Religious Education, and Social Service, and the School of Law. The University has residential campuses in the Bronx and Manhattan, a campus in West Harrison, N.Y., the Louis Calder Center Biological Field Station in Armonk, N.Y., and the London Centre in the United Kingdom.

Contact:

Ayesha Akthar
[email protected]
347-340-8584

President Michael D. Higgins will speak as part of Fordham’s Humanitarian Lecture Series