“When you’re out in the busy world, please be proud of Fordham, tell the Fordham story,” Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the University, told attendees. “What is the Fordham story? It’s your story, a story of the friendships you’ve made, the transformational nature of the education you received, and the great sense of community that was nurtured among you.”

That sense of community was on display across all of the Block Party events. From the separate cocktail receptions for five Lincoln Center-based schools to the open-air dance party uniting everyone on the plaza, alumni enjoyed the chance to recognize influential grads, faculty, and staff, and reconnect in person after last year’s virtual celebration.

For William Greene, a three-time Fordham graduate, this year’s Block Party was a chance to celebrate his many ties to the University. After graduating from Fordham College at Rose Hill in 1961, he earned a Fordham Law degree in 1965. Two decades later, he enrolled at the Gabelli School of Business, earning an M.B.A. in 1987.

“I always got more than my money’s worth at Fordham,” he said with a laugh. “I seemed compatible with the people—or at least they found me acceptable over a long period of time.”

Greene said that he practiced law for a number of years and served as executive director of the New York County Lawyers Association before deciding to make a career change. Earning a Fordham business degree, he said, helped him launch a career as a consultant.

Two Fordham undergraduates—saxophonist Will Harvey and pianist Miguel Sutedjo, who has written classical, jazz, and musical theater pieces for both Fordham and as part of the Juilliard Evening Division program—kicked off the festivities with a musical performance in Pope Auditorium.

Each of the five schools—Fordham College at Lincoln Center, the Graduate School of Social Service, the Graduate School of Education, the School of Professional and Continuing Studies, and the Gabelli School of Business—held receptions where alumni, faculty, and administrators mingled. (Fordham Law School, also based at Lincoln Center, held its annual alumni reunion in April, and the Fordham Law Alumni Association hosted its annual luncheon on June 2.)

Other groups, such as The Observer—the award-winning student newspaper at Lincoln Center—and Psi Chi, the Lincoln Center psychology association, held their own alumni gatherings. Psi Chi honored John C. Hollwitz, Ph.D., professor of psychology and rhetoric at Fordham, and Leonard Davidman, Ph.D., GSE ’82, with its 2022 Psi Chi Outstanding Achievement medals. Earlier this year, Davidman, a licensed psychologist and longtime president of the labor union that represents New York City’s public sector psychologists and mental health counselors, was honored by Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine for his contributions to the city.

Honoring Lincoln Center’s First ‘Golden Rams’

When Pat Friel started at Fordham College at Lincoln Center in fall 1968, the Lowenstein Center was still under construction. She and her classmates took their first classes in the old Fordham Law building at 140 West 62nd Street, which was completely renovated after the new Fordham Law building opened in 2014.

“It’s amazing to come back and see all the new renovations and even just floor by floor [in the Lowenstein Center], it’s just amazing. It really is beautiful,” said Friel, who graduated in 1972.

Friel and other members of the Fordham College at Lincoln Center Class of 1972 celebrated the 50th anniversary of their graduation, making them the school’s first-ever Golden Rams.

Friel said coming back and seeing the school in its current form, with two residence halls, additional classroom space, and a growing undergraduate population, makes her feel like the school has lived up to its initial goals.

“When we started, [there were] only 300 of us, and the idea behind the school was that it was supposed to represent the city,” she said. “It was supposed to be very diverse. … It was trying to be very reflective of the city. I am truly very glad that it became what it tried to be, and it continues to get better and progress.”

One of the people responsible for that progress was honored in a special ceremony at the reunion. Robert R. Grimes, S.J., FCRH ’75, dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center from 1997 to 2018, was recognized for his two decades of “leadership of and commitment to” the FCLC community. A conference room in the dean’s office suite will be named in his honor.

Block Party was a fitting place to honor Father Grimes, who helped inaugurate the alumni tradition in June 2001, when he worked with the alumni relations office to host a cocktail reception on the plaza.

“Graduates of every year of the college’s existence attended the event,” Father Grimes wrote in A History of Fordham College at Lincoln Center, a booklet he published in 2018 to mark the college’s 50th anniversary, “but unlike so many college reunions, large numbers of faculty also attended, renewing relationships forged in the classrooms of Lowenstein.”

In presenting Father Grimes with a framed version of the plaque that will be installed outside the conference room, Father McShane noted that the official date of the dedication is July 31—the feast day of St. Ignatius, founder of the Society of Jesus—calling it “a day on which Jesuits tend to celebrate real greatness.”

Elizabeth “Betty” Burns, FCLC ’83, a retired senior vice president of Capital Guardian and a Fordham University trustee fellow, credited her professors for helping her stay on track to graduate. At the time, she was working full days in the GM Building and attending school at night.

“One year I said I needed a semester off, and Clive Daniel, God rest his soul, said ‘Oh, no no no, you want to take one class; you can’t quit. If you take a semester off, we’ll never see you again,’” she recalled. She took her economics professor’s advice and earned her Fordham degree in 1983. “It’s just all the people at Fordham—they were just a part of this group that provided such camaraderie and such support.”

While some graduates were celebrating big milestone anniversaries, Laura Auricchio, Ph.D., was marking her first in-person Block Party as dean of the college. She took the time to thank and recognize Mark Botton, Ph.D., a professor of biology and co-director of the environmental science program, who retired this year.

“We’re inaugurating yet another new tradition—honoring retiring faculty at Block Party,” she said.

Auricchio said that Botton, internationally regarded as an expert on horseshoe crabs, has published numerous scientific papers and helped policymakers and scientists protect the vulnerable arthropods and their habitats. In 2019, he even had a horseshoe crab fossil named after him.

“Most impressively to me, at least, is that many of his articles were published in collaboration with FCLC student co-authors,” Auricchio said to a room full of cheers.

At Gabelli School Reception, Honoring a ‘True Ph.D.’

Block Party also gave alumni an opportunity to thank two cornerstones of Fordham: Father McShane, who is stepping down as president at the end of the month, and Donna Rapaccioli, Ph.D., GABELLI ’83, who served as dean of the Gabelli School of Business for the past 15 years.

“Donna is a true Ph.D.—and not because she [earned a doctorate in] accounting at NYU,” said Mario Gabelli, a 1965 graduate of the Fordham business school that now bears his name. “The reason is that she is what I call passionate, hungry, and driven—Ph.D.”

Gabelli said that Rapaccioli has been a true changemaker for students at the University, and now, as she steps back into teaching and research, students are going to “have to be summa cum laude to get into her class.”

“Donna, without you, we wouldn’t be here today,” he said.

In 2007, Rapaccioli was named dean of what was then the undergraduate College of Business Administration. During her tenure, Gabelli and his wife, Regina Pitaro, FCRH ’76, made two historic donations to the school—$25 million in 2010 and $35 million in 2020—giving the Gabelli School of Business its name and providing long-term support for academic programs, faculty research, scholarships, teaching excellence, and more.

In 2015, Rapaccioli led the unification of the University’s undergraduate and graduate business schools, one year after launching the school’s first B.S. program at the Lincoln Center campus. She later launched Gabelli’s first doctoral programs, and oversaw significant growth in enrollments and rises in rankings at the school.

“From that day, both the undergraduate and graduate divisions of what is now called the Gabelli School of Business—they took off,” Father McShane said. “There was a greater sense of purposeful education, of a purpose-driven career in business. She was adamant that a Fordham education was not going to be like any other business education. … She wanted men and women whose lives were marked by character. They had to be men and women of integrity.”

Gabelli thanked both Rapaccioli and Father McShane for their leadership at Fordham.

“Thank you for all you’ve done, and congratulations to both of you for your leadership, your wisdom,” he said. “Thank you [for helping] us motivate the next generation that’s here tonight.”

Recognizing Educators

This Block Party marked the first for José Luis Alvarado, Ph.D., who joined the Graduate School of Education as dean in July 2021. He presented GSE’s Lifetime Achievement Award to Aramina Vega Ferrer, Ph.D., GSE ’09, a member of the 12th Judicial District of the New York State Board of Regents.

“I can’t tell you how excited and honored I am to receive this award,” said Ferrer, who came to New York from Puerto Rico as a child. “Fordham has played a pivotal role in fulfilling the vision my parents held for me, my brother, and my sisters when we took that plane in 1952. They knew they had to seek to educate us in institutions that shared their values and religious beliefs.”

Ferrer, who spent more than three decades as an educator and educational leader before being elected to the Board of Regents in April, not only reflected on her family’s history but also looked to its future—and what education continues to mean to them.

“My three amazing grandsons are living proof that the richness of literacy and culture is transmitted across generations,” she told the attendees.

After Ferrer accepted her award, Father McShane spoke to the group of graduates, telling them, “You teach not only the skills that are necessary for students to succeed in life; you also teach values. … You spend your lives serving others. We cannot praise you enough. For me, you’re saints. You answer affirmatively to God’s invitation to help him build the human family up.”

GSS Introduces Alumni Awards

At the Graduate School of Social Service reception, Cassandra Agredo, GSS ’06, received the GSS Alumni Award, which “honors an individual who embodies professional social work values and meaningfully impacts the individuals and communities they serve.” Agredo is the executive director of Xavier Mission, which provides basic services as well as opportunities for empowerment and self-sufficiency to New Yorkers in need.

Mary Brennan, GSS ’83, received the GSS Alumni Service Award, which honors “an individual who is dedicated in their support of the Graduate School of Social Service and its mission.” Brennan is a social worker at 1st Cerebral Palsy of NJ, whose mission is to assist all students with special needs to lead more active and productive lives, and she has been a generous supporter of GSS.

Alumni from the classes of 1972 and 1997, who were celebrating their 50th and 25th anniversaries, respectively, also received special recognition at the event.

The Observer Launches New Prize

At a reception in Platt Atrium, Elizabeth Stone, Ph.D., professor of English and former adviser to The Observer, announced the creation of the Many Voices Prize, which will provide financial assistance to students from underrepresented backgrounds who contribute to the award-winning student paper.

“A couple of years ago, I noticed the editorial board [of The Observer] posted a notice saying that they were aware that as an organization, they didn’t have the diversity on staff they wished they could have,” she said. “That spoke to me, and it germinated in me the idea of wanting to do something to get historically underrepresented groups to the table.”

Stone said she hopes the prize will help more students find their calling as journalists.

“Right now, democracy is in big trouble, a trouble due to too many lies and too much silence, because not everyone who should be at the table is at the table,” she said. “And I believe journalism can help. To survive, we need robust conversation with many voices, at Lincoln Center and the world.”

Celebrating After Being Apart

The return of Block Party, which concluded with a night of dancing and celebrating out on the plaza, also gave more recent graduates a chance to reconnect with each other and their school. Some alumni said the pandemic helped them put their education and lessons learned at Fordham into practice.

Dan Nasta, FCLC ’19, said that he appreciated the liberal arts background that Fordham gave him as he navigated pandemic life.

“I just think a lot of what we encountered in the past two years with the pandemic was just empathy for other people and a willingness to put others before yourself,” he said. “I feel like I’m happy with how I’ve lived the past two years. I don’t have any regrets from a moral perspective, because Fordham gave me the ability to understand my actions and my responsibility for them and my connectedness to them as a part of the community.”

Chloe Djomessi Saikam, FCLC ’21, a former anthropology and music major, works as a UX designer, a role that helps create websites and products after considering how they will function and feel to those using them. She said that she tries to bring to her work the values and teachings of her liberal arts education.

“A lot of the concepts I learned about anthropology and music theory directly translate into design thinking—testing our own biases, really trying to understand people. and really just capturing the nuance, which is big in anthropology, and also big in UX,” Saikam said.

 Additional reporting from Adam Kaufman and Connor White. 

Crawley, who received an honorary doctorate during the ceremony, recalled his own experiences in the executive MBA program at the Gabelli School during another fraught period: the Great Recession.

“I was in a cohort that represented many of the banking institutions engulfed by the crisis,” said Crawley, who earned his MBA in 2009 and has since risen to a series of high-profile senior leadership positions at Morgan Stanley, including chief marketing officer and head of the firm’s private wealth management business. “My classmates and I relied on each other and got through that experience together.”

Indeed, this idea of building community through a tough shared experience was a common theme at the ceremony, present in nearly every speech the audience heard. Throughout the afternoon, the graduates—including 20 military veterans who were also feted at a special Victory Bell-ringing ceremony on May 20—were cheered on by hundreds of friends, family, faculty, and members of the Fordham community who had gathered on Edwards Parade.

The Value of ‘Strategic Persistence’ and the Gabelli Network

Donna Rapaccioli, Ph.D., GABELLI ’83, dean of the Gabelli School, told graduates that their time together at the University helped them hone a capacity for what two-time Fordham graduate Caroline Dalhgren, director of global consumer insights at Tiffany & Co., calls “strategic persistence.”

“What does that mean? Caroline says it’s that Fordham graduates are ‘scrappy’ in the best possible way,” Rapaccioli said. “You do not expect that anything will ever be handed to you on a silver platter. Instead, you are go-getters. You are solution-finders. You know what you want—and you come up with exciting plans to get there.”

Rapaccioli described Dahlgren as an ideal member of the alumni community, someone who has helped hire many Fordham graduates in her role at Tiffany & Co. and who always says yes when Fordham students and alumni reach out to her for career advice. Rapaccioli encouraged graduates to do the same as active members of the Fordham alumni network—more than 200,000 people worldwide, including 40,000 Gabelli graduates, she said.

“When they contact you asking for career guidance, or when they email you asking for help in their job search, say yes,” she said. “As Caroline puts it, ‘We only will be successful in building this alumni network if we all say yes.’” 

Graduate School in Turbulent Times

Addressing graduates at his final degree ceremony as president of Fordham, Joseph M. McShane, S.J., cited the challenges they encountered as they pursued their degrees: the COVID-19 pandemic and the financial instability it spurred, the country’s ongoing issues with race and inequality, and budding international political strife.

“My dear friends, let’s be honest: Your time in graduate school has not been an easy time,” he said. “You found yourselves in graduate business programs preparing to take on a world—and a global economy—at a time that both of them were seriously out of joint.”

He congratulated them on persevering, even as they “may have been a bit battered along the way,” and encouraged them to never forget the lessons they learned as Fordham students, namely how to be business professionals marked by competence, conscience, compassion “and deep commitment to the cause of the human family.”

A Heartfelt Tribute to Dean Rapaccioli

Father McShane also offered a special thank-you to Rapaccioli, who is stepping down at the end of June to return to teaching and research after a remarkable 15-year tenure as dean. He surprised her with a Magis Medal, making her the first-ever recipient of the award, established this year to honor longtime administrators who have strengthened the Fordham community “through their discerning wisdom, extraordinary leadership, and unstinting commitment to excellence in the service of others.”

“She has led the school with energy, vision, devotion, and love,” Father McShane said of Rapaccioli, who led the unification of the University’s undergraduate and graduate business schools in 2015, launched Gabelli’s first doctoral programs, and oversaw significant growth in enrollments and rises in rankings at the school. “In the process, she has transformed it and made it a leader not only in American business education, but a leader and trailblazer in international Jesuit business education. Therefore, we are all in her debt, a debt that is so great that I could never adequately thank her.”

Six faculty members were also recognized during the ceremony. Paul Kramer, GABELLI ’88, and Joseph Zirpolo, GABELLI ’98, each received the Dean’s Award for Faculty Excellence; Miguel Alzola and John Fortunato each received the Gladys and Henry Crown Award for Faculty Excellence; and Alex Markle and Iris Schneider each received the Stanley Fuchs Award, presented in memory of the former area chair of law and ethics who was a devoted teacher and student advocate.

A Framework for Fulfillment

In his remarks, Crawley, a native of Chicago’s West Side, spoke about his professional path. He has been working at Morgan Stanley for three decades, since he landed a work-study position with the company in high school.

“My journey was far from linear; it was quite circuitous,” he said. “I started out as a 17-year-old intern running errands for bond traders, earning a wage of $5 an hour, [and] worked my way across different parts of the Morgan Stanley ecosystem.”

He continued working on the firm’s municipal bond sales and trading desk in Chicago while attending Northeastern Illinois University at night, transferring to Morgan Stanley’s New York City headquarters once he’d earned his bachelor’s degree in economics. In 2004, he garnered his first management role, and in 2014, he was elevated to chief marketing officer, a position he held until taking over the company’s private wealth management business in 2017. He has been the firm’s global chief human resources officer since early last year.

Crawley shared two frameworks he uses to assess his professional progress—one to determine if it’s time to do something different, and one to determine what career he should be doing.

For the first, he told graduates to ask themselves four questions, suggesting that if the answer to any of them is ‘no,’ they may consider reevaluating their role: Am I learning? Am I growing? Am I having impact? Am I happy? Meanwhile, he said, graduates should ask themselves a second, broader set of questions: Am I interested in the work? Does it align with my core capabilities or superpower? Can I be useful?

Crawley used his love for basketball as an example of how interest doesn’t always align with capability. “I’m interested in the game. I’m a tall guy. Unfortunately, I wasn’t wired for it. The NBA won’t be reaching out to me anytime soon,” he joked. But he encouraged graduates to bring passion to their careers.

“The energy and enthusiasm you have right now? Do not lose it; let it drive you,” he said. “Channel it throughout what I know will be long and successful careers for all of you.”

Better Today Than Yesterday

The ceremony also featured two student speakers: Jason Gurtata, president of the Student Advisory Council and a graduate of the full-time MBA program, and Aaron Martins, who earned an M.S. in global finance.

Looking back to the beginning of his Gabelli journey, Gurtata remembered meeting his cohort for the first time—on Zoom.

He said that while they may not have fully understood what they were in for at the outset—”Did we have any idea of what it meant to immerse ourselves so deeply that all we did was dream about LinkedIn Premium features during our naps?”—he relished being on the other side and credited his Gabelli experiences for teaching him the “most important lesson”: Strive to be better today than yesterday.

As he and his classmates learned “not to chase dollars but to chase our dreams,” Gurtata said he not only gained a new family of Fordham Rams but he also learned the true meaning of success.

“Success is not a test score; it is not that job at a high-end bank, investment firm, or media company; it is not about your salary,” he said. “It is about who we are as individuals. We have learned to partake in business with a purpose, but I encourage each and every one of you to live your life with a purpose.”

Nowhere Near the End

Martins echoed the day’s theme of persevering through the pandemic’s “unchartered territory.”

“We showed that we will adapt and overcome whatever life will throw at us,” he said. “In difficult, uncharted territory we were still focused on our goals and aspirations, ready to keep moving forward.”

He stressed that while their Fordham education was concluding, the ceremony certainly wasn’t the end of the road.

“This may be the end of the chapter, but the book is far from over,” he said.

The ceremony, which brought family and friends to the McNally Amphitheatre, was the first held in person since 2019. The awards given out included those for admittance to honors societies, outstanding senior thesis, and the Dean’s Award, which was given to Stephanie Polakoski.

Polakoski, a Fordham Founder’s Scholar who was a member of the Dean’s Council and an orientation leader, was lauded for her good cheer, friendly manner, care for others, and enthusiasm.

Rapaccioli noted in her remarks that the students, all of whom were earning a Bachelor of Science in Global Business, were part of a program that has grown at a remarkable clip, from around 50 when it debuted in 2017, to 156 this year. What’s more, three of the students also earned second degrees in philosophy, psychology, and history, and 30 completed minors in the humanities.

“You really showed that Gabelli School of Business students are both well-rounded and globally oriented,” she said.

Reflecting back on her 15 years as dean, she said that for all the changes that have happened since 2007, one thing that hasn’t changed has been the feeling of pride in her heart for the students.

“I wanted my legacy to be that every Fordham business student graduates prepared to be a compassionate leader who contributes to society and also lives a balanced life,” she said.

“I’m so grateful that when I look at you, I have a great legacy.”

Alia Benabdeljalil, a member of the class of 2022 who was chosen to speak on behalf of the class, addressed the gathering via a taped greeting from Dallas, where she recently moved to accept a position with McKinsey & Company.

“For the first time in 18 years, our primary label of ‘student’ is going to fade, and we will have to reinvent ourselves. Some as analysts, some as associates, some as marketers. The list goes on,” she said.

“As we embark on this new challenging and thrilling adventure, please note that you have a village of people supporting you and rooting for you.”

The message delivered by Benabdeljalil—who was also the recipient of the school’s Alumni Chair award—was one that was echoed by Sihien Goh, GABELLI ’13, who was presented the 2022 Gabelli School of Business Alumni Inspiration Award.

Currently a vice president at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Goh spoke candidly about how to achieve professional success.

“For me, a kid that grew up in a fishing village in Singapore in a family that didn’t speak any English and barely even wrote in Chinese, having any job after graduation was a dream,” he said.

“Most would agree that to achieve success, you need to be hungry, driven, and willing to work hard. Most of you who are here today likely have those traits. That’s why you’re at Fordham. But today I want to add one more factor for you to consider, and that is that relationships matter.”

Although he has found success in the banking world, Goh said that when he graduated in 2013, he had no prospects, and as an international student, he had a visa that would expire if he didn’t find employment. Fortunately, a friend from Fordham who was a junior intern at JPMorgan Chase connected him to his manager in July and landed him a job there. Time and time again, he said, it was someone from Fordham that extended a helping hand and got him in front of the right people.

“Relationships matter because they open the right doors for you, but they also matter because they give you the foundation to stand on when you get knocked down once in a while,” he said.

“More importantly, your ability to empathize, your ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, and your ability to relate to someone else allows you to build real and lasting relationships, whether it is with your friends, your co-workers, or your family. Those are some of the intangible things that I learned in my four years at Fordham, that I now know are a big part of the reason why I’m here today in front of you.”

“We’re going to take a deep dive in the sports industry over the coming months and years, bringing together stakeholders and the professional, collegiate, amateur, and international sports arenas for a series of symposia, podcasts, lectures, and possibly more,” said Conrad, associate professor of law and ethics at the Gabelli School.

Speaking at the online 10th annual Sports Business Symposium on April 7, Conrad said the initiative will be a “mini center” that will tackle cutting-edge issues that impact the sports business landscape, both now and in the future.

Tackling Timely Issues in Sports

Conrad said the initiative plans to host at least one symposium on one of these topics: sports at a time of war; diversity, equity, and inclusion in sports; the professionalization of college sports; and a deep dive into sports betting, particularly the public health aspect.

The Sports Business Initiative will officially launch this summer with podcasts, a website, and a newsletter before moving into hosting symposia, lectures, and other programming in the fall.

“There will be lectures by Fordham faculty, professional and amateur athletes, league and Olympic officials, government representatives, grassroots groups—we’re looking for a broad group of stakeholders to participate in this initiative,” he said.

“We want to make this a real go-to place—and not just for New York City, not just for Fordham—but really for the nation and the world,,” Conrad said, adding that events will be hosted on Zoom to draw people from around the globe.

Conrad said the initiative will not only draw top sports professionals, but also Gabelli School students who are interested in sports business. Students in Fordham’s business school as well as the liberal arts colleges will have a chance to participate.

Conrad serves as the faculty adviser for the Business of Sports Society, which hosted the April 7 event. The society is one part of Fordham’s many sports business offerings, which include a sports business concentration; courses such as sports marketing, communications, law, and a new course on sports business and diversity; and internship opportunities.

A Hub for Forward-Thinking Ideas and Solutions

Conrad said that he’s currently gathering ideas for what topics should be examined in sports business, what issues need to be addressed, what solutions are available, and how can sports business become more diverse, accountable and transparent.

The idea has been in the works for about a year, Conrad said, and was supported by Gabelli School of Business Dean Donna Rapaccioli; associate deans Francis Petit, N.K. Chidambaran, and Elizabeth Cosenza; professors John Fortunato, Brent Horton, and Amy Aronson; and Athletic Director Ed Kull.

In addition to growing awareness about the initiative, Conrad said they’ll be working to grow their social media presence and work on fundraising for their efforts.

Mackenzie Cranna, a senior at the Gabelli School of Business and current co-president of the Business of Sports Society, told Conrad she knows the initiative will be great for Fordham..

“I think you’re providing the University with some really awesome sports business opportunities,” she said. “Everyone in this club has a lot to look forward to next year.”

At the University Club on March 15, the Gabelli School of Business officially launched the O’Shea Center for Credit Analysis and Investment. On hand to celebrate were the center’s co-founders: Bob O’Shea, GABELLI ’87, and Michael Gatto, as well as Gabelli School Dean Donna Rapaccioli and over 170 alumni, supporters, and friends. 

The center will be dedicated to educating students, supporting alumni, and collaborating with industry leaders across the global credit markets. It was founded with $2 million in gifts—$1 million from O’Shea and his wife, Michele, FCRH ’88, and $1 million from Gatto.

Rapaccioli said the center will enable the Gabelli School to “integrate credit analysis into the curriculum and to impact the credit industry by serving as a center of excellence.”

“Like all innovations at the Gabelli School—the center is industry-relevant and student-centered,” said Rapaccioli. “In terms of dollar value, credit markets are larger than equity markets, and it’s crucial for our students to learn how to become decision-makers in this field and to understand the important role that credit markets play in the overall economy.”

O’Shea—who became one of the youngest partners in Goldman Sachs history before establishing his own firm—told guests that the idea for the O’Shea Center dates back to his days at Fordham. 

“During those years, Fordham had a big impact on my life in so many ways. But one thing that always stood out to me was the Jesuit philosophy of living in service to others. During those four years, I thought deeply about what I wanted to pursue in terms of my career. I became fascinated by the field of finance and tried very hard to land in one of two jobs—my first choice, investment banking, or my second choice, to enter a credit training program at a bank,” O’Shea said in his remarks. 

He ended up starting in a credit training program that put him on a path to investment banking. It also left him thinking that there was an “opportunity there for undergraduate business schools,” he said.

O’Shea went on to introduce Gatto, an adjunct at the Gabelli School, as “a legend at Fordham University.” Gatto is an extremely popular professor, Rapaccioli said, having taught the Credit and Special Situation Investing course for the last seven years.  Many of the Fordham alumni present at the launch party were former students of Gatto’s.

Gatto, who will serve as the center’s director, said the vision of the center is threefold: to develop a secondary concentration in credit, to provide continued education and networking opportunities for alumni, and to link academic professors with “the street,” leading to cutting-edge published research that is meaningful to practitioners. 

“I feel very blessed to be named director of the center,” said Gatto, a partner at Silver Point Capital, a Connecticut-based investment firm co-founded by O’Shea. “I’m going to work incredibly hard to assist in building something that is genuinely differentiating and something that we all are proud of.”

“She’d always been strong-minded and determined in everything she did, but I saw a different side of her,” said her mother, Dawn Signorile.

“I saw a determination I’d never seen, almost like nothing was going to stop her, even though she was in pain so much. It was like she knew she had limited time, and she just wanted that to be her legacy, that she finished at a prestigious school.”

A native of Nutley, New Jersey, Signorile transferred to Fordham in the fall from the University of Maryland. She’d undergone intensive treatments in Chicago for fibrolamellar carcinoma, a cancer of the liver that affects teens and young adults with otherwise healthy livers. She was diagnosed with the disease in May 2020.

Signorile recovered and enrolled at the Gabelli School of Business, moving into an off-campus apartment in Belmont in fall 2021. She was only able to stay for a month and a half before the cancer returned, but Dawn said she made the most of her time in the Bronx.

“She loved the area around Arthur Avenue, loved the delis there. She went to the New York Botanical Garden, all while she had stage-four terminal cancer. She was living her life like she didn’t have cancer, and it was very difficult to do that,” she said.

When she first enrolled, Dawn said, she suggested that perhaps her daughter take only two courses, but Signorile insisted on taking a full course load lest she fall behind her peers. Academics were paramount to her; at Nutley High school she was a straight-A student and a member of the National Honors Society, and at the University of Maryland she was on the dean’s list.

At Fordham, Dawn said her daughter was inspired by professors such as Dennis Cappello, a clinical associate professor of law and ethics, and aspired to become a lawyer.

“She knew it was a great institution and she wanted to continue her studies. She didn’t want just any school; she wanted a school that had high standards, and when we visited Fordham, she just loved it.”

Cappello said that even in her short time in his class, she left an impression, and they shared laughs about growing up in Italian families. He learned about her illness after the midterm exam and last spoke to her via Zoom, just before Thanksgiving, from her parent’s home.

“Although tired, she was upbeat as we discussed a plan to complete the course. I e-mailed Gianna the first week of December, to which I did not receive a reply. That concerned me, but she later submitted her final exam, which gave me hope. When we last spoke, Gianna made me promise I would not show her any favoritism due to her illness. I kept my word,” he said.

“She was special, and we at Fordham were lucky to have her.”

Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, expressed his condolences on the occasion of her passing.

“It is heartbreaking to lose someone so young, and especially to such a cruel disease. Everyone who knew Gianna described her as determined, multitalented, and a natural leader. We grieve her death and the loss of so much potential,” he said.

Donna Rapccioli, Ph.D., dean of the Gabelli School, also lamented her loss.

“Gianna was a beautiful, kind soul, and we were honored to learn from her while she was at our school,” she said.

Like the life she lived, Signorile’s last month was filled with fun and hard work. She visited Nashville with friends but returned early when her health faltered. At the same time, Dawn said, she scheduled a CT scan so that it wouldn’t conflict with an interview for an online job. Given that she had to relearn in 2020 how to walk after a 16-hour surgery left her in intensive care for 89 days, it wasn’t surprising that she continued to work through the pain up until the day she died, Dawn said.

In addition to her mother, Signorile is survived by her father, John Signorile; her brother, John Thomas Signorile; aunts and uncles Vincent Signorile and his wife Dana Bonham, Sandra Valanzola and Pam Valanzola, Mildred Marciniak and her wife Robin, and Debbie Roberts and her husband Jimi; and her cousin Jaimi and her husband Mark. She is also survived by her beloved dachshunds, Paulie and Luca.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Dec. 27 at Holy Family Church in Nutley, followed by interment at Holy Cross Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral expenses.

“It was an honor to raise you into a beautiful young woman and I am grateful for every moment we shared through your childhood up until seeing you transform into an independent, smart, free-spirited beautiful adult,” Dawn wrote on the page when her daughter died.

“Rest well my Gigi.”

Gilmartin, a two-time Fordham graduate, is the CEO of MAG Partners, a woman-owned, urban real estate company. She previously served as the CEO of Forest City Ratner Companies, where, Crain’s noted, she was “the driving force behind some of the city’s most important developments” in recent decades, including “the Barclays Center and Pacific Park, which transformed Brooklyn, as well as the New York Times Building” in Manhattan.

After graduating from Fordham College at Rose Hill in 1986 with a degree in political science, Gilmartin earned two New York City Urban Fellowships. She chose to work in the city’s public development corporation and soon realized she’d found her passion.

“Senior economic development managers would literally say, ‘Here’s the west side of Manhattan, what should we do with it?’ It was remarkable,” she told Fordham Magazine in 2008. “Some of the most significant development initiatives, like Times Square, were seeded during those years. I felt blessed to be in government at that time, and I imagine I felt like I was adding value.”

Gilmartin is also a board member of New York Public Radio and an executive committee and board member of the Real Estate Board of New York.

Alemany, who earned her MBA at the Gabelli School of Business in 1980 and received an honorary doctorate from Fordham in 2019, is the chairwoman and CEO of CIT Group and the CEO of CIT Bank. In the five years since she “called it quits on early retirement” to lead CIT, Crain’s wrote, “she has sculpted the commercial finance company into a top-20 national bank.”

She also serves as chairwoman of Fidelity National Information Services’ Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee; and as a board member for the Center for Discovery, Catholic Charities of New York, and the Partnership for New York City.

Both women have shared their expertise with Fordham and Fordham students. Gilmartin, who earned a master’s degree at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in 1990, has been involved with the Fordham Real Estate Institute, speaking on multiple panels and returning to campus to mentor and support current students, particularly through the Smart Women Securities group. Alemany also has returned to speak with students, including at a 2019 fireside chat with Gabelli School of Business Dean Donna Rapaccioli, Ph.D., GABELLI ’83, where she offered five tips for anyone looking to “begin or advance in any industry.”

On Linkedin, Rapaccioli said that she was “delighted to see” her friends and fellow alumnae recognized for their achievements.

“I am proud to know them, and I am grateful for all that I have been able to learn from them through the years,” Rapaccioli wrote. “I know you will continue to create change and pave the way for other women who will come after you.”

“Even though there’s a lot of support for veterans today … there are still some things that aren’t covered,” such as off-campus housing, said Ken Rogozinski, GABELLI ’85. “If you hadn’t saved money above and beyond the military benefits that you got for continuing your education, it could be tough as a student transitioning from the military into a college setting.”

Rogozinski said that instead of being able to fully focus on their studies, some veteran students “have to worry about finding a part-time job or doing things like that, to be able to make ends meet.”

That’s what inspired him to make a gift to Fordham this summer to establish the Veteran Emergency Fund at the Gabelli School of Business. The dedicated fund will assist current Gabelli students who are veterans or dependents of veterans.

“Reflecting on the experience that I had and that my brother had, it made me think that there’s a need there,” said Rogozinski, who is the CEO of America First Multifamily Investors, L.P.

Gabelli School of Business Dean Donna Rapaccioli, Ph.D., said that this fund helps Fordham fulfill its mission and support its students.

“The Veteran Emergency Fund exemplifies the individual care we aim to provide to all Gabelli School students,” she said. “Ken’s generosity and willingness to help demonstrates to veterans that there is an extra support system for them at Fordham and a very grateful community that is ready to help them.”

The funds, which are to be used for housing, food, tutoring, mental health services, books, school supplies, transportation, and other expenses, would be distributed by the dean’s office on a case-by-case basis. Students can go directly to the dean’s office or can be referred from the Office of Military and Veterans Services.

One of Rogozinski’s biggest goals with establishing the fund is to help put student veterans in the best possible position to succeed.

“You’ve got veterans who haven’t been in the classroom for quite some time, who have been away for four to six years … and have to come back into an academic environment that can be challenging at times,” Rogozinski said. “And so to put people in the best possible position to succeed and not get behind and then have to play catch up—we’d love to see the funding be used for something like that.”

Rogozinski also said that he hoped the fund could help make the Gabelli School even more attractive to veteran students. As of fall 2020, more than 40 veteran students were enrolled in Gabelli undergraduate and graduate programs.

“My brother and I have a very strong connection to the school, and so we were really happy to be able to come up with something like this that I think really fits a need for a group that we’d like to see more represented on campus,” said Ken, noting that he and his brother established the fund together.

Alumni and other Fordham community members can also participate in supporting the fund. For more information, please contact Patrick Raftery at [email protected].

Gabelli, a philanthropist, investor, and Chairman and CEO of GAMCO Investors, Inc., returned to his alma mater to provide some inspiration for the new students as they begin their time at Fordham.

“I couldn’t be more excited to talk to you today; this is an exciting time in our lives,” said Gabelli to more than 500 students in the Fordham Prep auditorium at the Rose Hill campus. He noted that although the pandemic has created a difficult landscape, it has also provided valuable opportunities.

“You want to be learning how to create options for yourself in a time of uncertainty—it’s not as bad as last year—but really it’s a terrific time to learn.”

A native of the Bronx, Gabelli went from caddying at a local golf course and investing in stocks from the age of 13 to earning his bachelor’s at Fordham and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School in 1967. After working on Wall Street as an analyst for a few years, Gabelli launched his own firm in 1976, GAMCO Investors, which now manages more than $40 billion in assets. In addition to investing, Gabelli, a member of Fordham’s President Council, is passionate about supporting education; he often comes back to Fordham to talk with students and share his experience.

‘The 11th Commandment’

Gabelli emphasized that students should always keep in mind his “11th Commandment”—“If you don’t ask, you don’t get.”

He told a story about visiting an auto parts company in Toronto right after he launched his own firm. He was quizzing the head of the company to learn more about his current situation—what needs he might have, what challenges the industry was facing, etc. After about 30 minutes, the man turned to Gabelli and said, “Mario, I can’t answer any more questions about the Canadian auto market.”

Gabelli then turned to leave. But the man stopped him and said, “You forgot to ask [for the order].” He proceeded to write Gabelli a check and became his first client.

People often have innovative ideas or the motivation to get that next job, Gabelli said, but if they don’t ask for it, they don’t get it.

Pushing Yourself

Gabelli encouraged the students to push themselves to work harder than others and create options and flexibility for themselves.

“You want to have options—you want to do what you want to do, you don’t want to do what somebody else wants you to do,” he said.

He encouraged the students to “increase their flexibility” and to expand their abilities. He told them that they were all “Ph.D.s” already—passionate, hungry, and driven.

Looking to the Future

Gabelli said his company recently launched a new fund called Love Our Planet and People, based on the principles of ESG—environmental social governance, which evaluates a firm’s collective conscientiousness for social and environmental factors.

“Love Our Planet and People will reflect our mandate to invest in companies committed to sustainable practices such as renewable energy and the reduction or recycling of long-lived wastes such as plastics,” a statement about the fund reads.

One of the areas he said they were exploring is rechargeable car batteries for electric vehicles and how to make them better.

“This year we’re talking about batteries—how do you create batteries? How do you recycle batteries? How do you have storage, power, electricity? How do you do that in the car so that you can get it charged in 15 minutes?”

Gabelli School of Business Dean Donna Rapaccioli said it’s this kind of research and questioning that made Gabelli so successful.

“His defiance of conventional investing wisdom and this meticulous research on companies with high cash flow and no competition led to exponential growth,” she said.

‘Integrity, Integrity, Integrity’

When asked for the top three things students should learn during their time at the Gabelli School, Gabelli said, “integrity, integrity, integrity.”

“Your word is so important,” he said. “The notion of learning not only business principles, learning also a common sense of what morality is and what’s right.”

This message resonated with first-year Gabelli School at Lincoln Center student Mashu Nishi.

“I liked how he talked about integrity,” he said. “It’s something that’s been stressed my whole life and to go as a freshman into a school that stresses that so much—it’s comforting.”

Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill senior Eva Li, who interviewed Gabelli as a part of the talk, had her own advice to give. She said that she was grateful for events like these and clubs that allowed for networking, since that’s how she got some of her internships, which included Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse.

“This is advice I give to all freshmen—I joined clubs on campus and through these clubs, I networked with an alumni professional who came back to Fordham to speak,” said Li, a finance major. “From there, I expanded my network and applied [for an internship].”

“Wealth encompasses a caring workplace, quality products and services, and care for the environment,” said Stroz, a cybersecurity expert and former FBI agent who was awarded an honorary doctorate at the ceremony.

These days, he said, “it’s not just a ‘buy low, sell high’ world. Investors, customers, regulators, and employees are seeking businesses that function with purpose to serve a broader community while using a sustainable model.”

Stroz spoke at the Rose Hill campus on a sunny, mild afternoon before approximately 275 graduates who were seated on Edwards Parade in socially distanced chairs, an arrangement made necessary by the coronavirus pandemic that prompted the University’s pivot to virtual and hybrid education over the past year.

On the day of the ceremony, graduates seemed to shrug off the trials of the past year, savoring the moment as they were cheered on by family and friends (each graduate was allowed two guests).

In all, the Gabelli School celebrated 973 master’s and doctor-level graduates on May 25, with many opting for the virtual diploma ceremony that was videocast that morning. It featured an address by Fran Horowitz, a 1990 MBA graduate of the Gabelli School, who spoke about the lessons learned on her way to reaching her current position as CEO of the apparel company Abercrombie & Fitch.

Building the Right Culture

The importance of the Gabelli School’s culture and values was a common theme among speakers. In her own remarks, Donna Rapaccioli, Ph.D., dean of the Gabelli School, recounted the graduates’ many achievements, such as completing consulting projects; providing advice to major firms like Fidelity Investments or to nongovernmental organizations; and developing original research in auditing, capital markets, and other fields.

“But no matter which courses you chose … you all experienced and contributed to something in common, and that is the Gabelli School culture,” said Rapaccioli, a 1983 graduate of the school. “It values business with purpose. It values teamwork and lifting one another up, recognizing that we can achieve much more together than we can alone. It values questioning our outlook on the entire world. It values academic and professional excellence, and the strong belief that there is always a better way.”

“I challenge you to remember the role that you need to play in creating this kind of culture for others,” she said.

Delivering the invocation, Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, noted that none other than Pope Francis has said that business is a noble vocation, “provided that those engaged in it see themselves challenged by a greater meaning in life.”

“In the course of their time in our midst, these, the members of Gabelli’s Class of 2021, have come to believe that they … are called to be the kind of prophetic business leaders that the world always needs, but especially needs at this inflection moment in human history,” Father McShane said.

Jesuit Values in Action

In his remarks, Stroz—a Fordham trustee fellow—told his own story of pivoting from a career with the FBI to being an entrepreneur. Most new businesses fail, and “many people did not expect someone with my background to be able to run a successful business,” he said.

The firm he co-founded was Stroz Friedberg LLC, focused on cybersecurity and digital forensics. It did not fail; rather, it grew, and by the time it was sold to Aon PLC in 2016, it employed 500 people in 14 offices worldwide. Its “secret sauce” was the subject of a case study at Harvard Business School, where Stroz lectured about the firm.

What did his Fordham education have to do with this success? “Almost everything,” Stroz said.

“I took the Jesuit values to heart about care for the individual and aim to treat everyone with respect,” he said. “When I was growing my firm … I was able to identify and attract some of the best people. To this day, the aspect of my firm that I am most proud of is the quality of the people who elected to work for us and why they stayed.”

He mentioned the book My Billion Dollar Education: Inside the Mind of a Rogue Trader, published in 2014 by Toshihide Iguchi, whom Stroz arrested for fraud during his days at the FBI. The book contains this dedication: “To Edward M. Stroz. Without his compassion for humanity and dedication to fairness, I would not be here to write this book,” Stroz said.

“When I arrested [him], I wanted to ensure that he was treated justly and would respect how the American justice system worked so that he would tell us the truth about what he did,” Stroz said.

On Taking Risks

In her address during the virtual diploma ceremony, Horowitz urged the graduates to “challenge yourself and take risks,” giving the example of her own move to become president of Abercrombie & Fitch’s Hollister brand.

“My biggest risk, moving to Hollister when many said I could not revive the brand, yielded the biggest reward,” she said.

It was the opportunity of a lifetime “because of the chance to reinvent a global iconic brand,” she said. She became CEO of Abercrombie after three years in that role. “I firmly believe that the financial and leadership skills that I learned at Gabelli and everything I went through during all [my]career moves … got me to where I am today,” she said.

She noted that there were many who discouraged her from pursuing an MBA. “But I stuck to my guns and trusted my gut, and took what many thought to be a big risk, and I have never looked back.”

She spoke about attitudes and practices she learned along the way to becoming CEO at Abercrombie. Among them: push boundaries, stay curious, do more than is expected. These were especially important when store closures because of the pandemic presented the “unacceptable” prospect of Abercrombie losing 70% of its revenue, she said.

“We quickly pivoted and found new ways to cater to our customers and drive business forward, accomplishing in one year what we thought would have taken five,” she said. “We could have succumbed to the crisis and done the minimum to keep ourselves afloat. Instead, we used it as an opportunity to work stronger, smarter, and faster than ever before.

“Now it’s your turn to build on your experience and to get even stronger, smarter, and faster,” she said.

Her last piece of advice? “Stay balanced.”

Balance “makes us well rounded and better critical thinkers,” she said. “Even when it seems impossible, find time to step away from your desk to make meaningful memories with your friends and loved ones.”

A Unique Student Experience

One of the two student speakers, Anosh Ravikumar Iyer, an MBA graduate and president of the Student Advisory Council, joked that “it’s a pleasant change to address more than 20 people without a screen between us.”

“Our grad school experience wasn’t anything like what we imagined,” he said. “We had to treat Zoom like the best friend we never had. We made the phrase ‘Can you hear me now?’ part of our daily vocabulary,” he said.

“The struggle has been real, but the willpower and determination you have showcased through it all is second to none,” he said. “To our loved ones, your unwavering support is what we needed, and to our faculty, your guidance and mentorship is why we succeeded.”

The other student speaker, Omolola Kufile, who earned an M.S. in marketing intelligence, said it had been an “amazing” experience despite the challenges.

“I can remember walking through the doors of Lincoln Center for the first time, nervous and uncertain [about]what my experience will be, especially as an international student,” she said. “The warm welcome [and]smiling faces from faculty, administrators, and students quickly turned my anxiety to excitement, as I was immediately welcomed as a part of the Fordham family.

“At Gabelli, we learned the true meaning of service to others, which was built into every action, thought, and interaction,” she said. “Every day was a new opportunity to experience the spirit of Gabelli [and]see your fellow students selflessly supporting each other.”

One of those students, Joseph A. Micale, became the first graduate of the Gabelli School’s Ph.D. program. He was drawn to the program because of its rigor, among other things, and appreciated faculty members’ openness to its students’ input about additional things they wanted to study, such as machine learning and data science.

Moving on feels bittersweet, said Micale, who served as an adjunct faculty member at the Gabelli School and will be an assistant professor of accounting at the New Jersey Institute of Technology this fall.

“There’s just so many people who helped with everything,” he said. As the first graduate of the Ph.D. program, he added, “I’m just very happy … to be the first person to say ‘thank you’ to all of them. I could not have done any of this without them.”

Watch a video of the in-person diploma ceremony below and on YouTube:

Watch a video of the virtual diploma ceremony below and on YouTube:

On Feb. 3, four professors of finance at the Gabelli School of Business came together to try to make sense of it all.

“GameStop: Comedy? Tragedy? or Both?”—an hour-long virtual discussion—brought together Sris Chatterjee, Ph.D., Gabelli Chair in Global Security Analysis; James Russell Kelly, senior lecturer, finance and business economics; Kevin Mirabile, D.P.S., clinical associate professor, finance and business economics; and Steven Raymar, Ph.D., associate professor and area chair, finance and business economics.

The webinar, which was moderated by Gabelli School Dean Donna M. Rapaccioli, Ph.D., delved deep into the vagaries of the stock market that led to the GameStop saga, from call options to delta hedging and gamma squeezes. There was also discussion about whether the meteoric rise of GameStop’s stock price, which was driven by members of the Reddit forum r/wallstreetbets, was a one-off event or the start of a trend of market disruption.

From a historical perspective, it was unprecedented. On Jan. 15, Mirabile noted, approximately 62 million shares of GameStop shares were sold short, which occurs when an investor borrows stock shares and sells them on the open market, planning to buy them back later for less. This was unusual because the company only has 70 million shares, and normally only 5 to 25% of a company’s shares are sold short at any point in time.

Because prominent hedge funds such as Melvin Capital had taken a position that the stock would decrease, they lost billions when investors such as Reddit followers of r/wallstreetbets drove the price to an astronomical $483 a share on Jan. 28.

The story took another turn when Robinhood, the free app that the Redditors had used to make the trades, suspended trading in GameStop, enraging retail investors.

Raymar voiced skepticism that it’s necessary to impose new government regulations.

“Is it best for investors? Who would it penalize? Some of the free thinkers in Reddit? Just think how that would play out when everyone understands how courts as high as the Supreme Court have essentially made it impossible to prosecute insider trading,” he said.

Kelly said the chaos reminded him of a section of the book Pitch: The Perfect Investment (Wiley, 2017) where the authors note that the wisdom of the crowd can be transformed into madness when there is “a lack of diversity or independence of the participants.”

“What we have observed is both a bubble and a crash in GameStop over the past few weeks, caused by the madness of crowds. The Redditors are nothing more than speculators. They are the polar opposite of investors, which is what we teach our students to become at Fordham,” he said.

Kelly did also wonder how hedge funds’ risk management departments allowed them to take such spectacularly risky positions.

Mirabile pinned it on “a failure of the imagination.”

“When the Wall Street analysts were saying that the price of the stock was $14 a share, [hedge fund managers]perceived that the risk of new buyers entering the market was next to zero. What they failed to consider was that retail investors [using Robinhood]could act as a block, not as individuals,” he said.

Ultimately, Chatterjee said this is a warning that leaders should take seriously the genuine anger Americans have for the current status quo. He noted that just 10% of Americans control 80% of the market wealth, so it’s not surprising that the average American is not benefitting from the market.

“We all need an orderly capital market, but unless we’re able to convince everybody that this is to everybody’s benefit, we’re going to see more acts of ‘rebellion.’ The fact that we are having disruptions in the market, going back to 2008, means we are seeing the system show cracks,” he said.