Poets&Quants calculates its scores based on a weighted average of rankings from five major sources: U.S. News & World Report, The Financial Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, LinkedIn, and The Princeton Review. These rankings take into account factors such as long-term career outcomes, student experience, admission statistics, starting compensation for graduates, campus environment, and professor quality.

STEM-Designated Fordham MBA Program Offers Tech Skills

The full-time MBA program is STEM-designated, helping students to develop the technical and analytical skills they’ll need to succeed in an increasingly tech-dominated economy. The program features a “Gabelli Launch Month,” a month-long pre-semester initiative where incoming students participate in workshops, networking events, and projects designed to prepare them for the academic and professional challenges ahead.

“Over the past year, we’ve focused on enhancing key aspects of the program, such as experiential learning opportunities, career outcomes, and global exposure,” said Alex Markle, the full-time MBA program’s director. “I’m proud of this momentum and excited to see how we continue to build on this success.”

Both Gabelli School MBA programs offer a Jesuit business education in the heart of New York City. Admissions are selective, with the full-time MBA enrolling approximately 60 students each year, and the EMBA enrolling cohorts of approximately 30. This small cohort size allows for more personalized attention and a closer-knit student community, faculty said. 

A Focus on Values

Francis Petit, the EMBA program’s director, says the program’s success is a product of Fordham’s Jesuit values. 

“Our goal has always been, as the Jesuit EMBA Program of New York, to offer a cura personalis approach to our students that is unique, personalized, and transformative,” said Petit. “We are very proud of our dynamic EMBA students and alumni, along with our committed faculty and staff.”

“As much as you think your career is going to last forever, eventually one day it’s going to end,” Fox said. “I wanted to be prepared for life after football.” Fox enrolled in an MBA program designed for athletes at the University of Miami and eventually retired from football. He said that the advanced degree provided the foundations for him to become an entrepreneur. “It gave me the tools and network to launch a tech startup,” he added. After a year in the making, Earbuds, his new social music platform, will go live this fall.

A similar version of the MBA program Fox completed is coming to the Gabelli School of Business. The program, which caters to athletes and artists, was introduced at an August 2 event at the Gabelli School, which included panel discussions by top CEOs and athletes-turned-business professionals.

An Opportunity for Reinvention

“Overall, this segment is looking to reinvent themselves and reinvention is often times arduous,” said Associate Dean Francis Petit, who will oversee this niche Executive MBA. “This program will provide the necessary tools.”

The first cohort is expected to begin in winter 2019, following a curriculum similar to the existing Executive MBA program. Modular in format, it will include team projects, career coaching, presentations, and site visits to companies in the New York area, along with a capstone project.

“In essence, they will travel this academic journey together, similar to their team experiences throughout their playing days,” Petit said, adding that the program will eventually include artists, celebrities, and other creative professionals. “Artists and celebrities have, in one sense, a similar profile to other MBA students,” he explained, in that “they have a skillset that makes them thrive in a particular area. However, in order to have a more comprehensive skillset for creating value in today’s economy—the MBA can be that launchpad.”

The new MBA program is the result of a collaboration with Jack Brewer, who launched the Miami program Fox attended after a career in the NFL playing for the Minnesota Vikings, the New York Giants, and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Education has always been a priority to Brewer, who said he grew up watching his father teach himself to read. Though Brewer earned a master’s degree before he started playing, he saw many of his former teammates struggling after retirement and realized the need for a specialized program. At the Gabelli School, he will help recruit students and serve as a mentor.

“This program is about taking athletes and artists—people who never thought about getting an MBA—and giving them a support system and teaching them how to excel off the field,” Brewer said in his opening remarks at the launch event, pointing out that athletes and artists often have nontraditional educations and many never even have had to apply to college.

Transition Can Be Difficult

Panelists at the event included Fox News sports analyst Jared Max, sports attorney Steve Silton, and several Fordham alumni—such as William Catucci, FCRH ’58, former CEO of AT&T Canada, Malachy Fallon, GABELLI ’83, ’90, ’15, executive director of the Xavier Society for the Blind, and Mark Celani, GABELLI ’90, president and CEO of FICEL Transport. All discussed the importance of the MBA for career development.

Silton pointed out the assets athletes bring to the business world. “They are so good at recognizing and seizing opportunities,” he said. “That is unique and special. The MBA tempers their enthusiasm to take risks and prepares them to do the full analysis to determine what truly are the best opportunities.”

A second panel discussion revealed insights from athletes themselves about going into business after retiring from sports. Julie Hansson, a former Olympic gymnast from Norway, said she needed to redirect the energy she devoted to intense training throughout her life.

“When you stop, there is an empty space that needs to be filled with something else,” she said. Today, Hansson works for the NBA and her sister Katherine Hansson, also a former Olympic gymnast who spoke on the panel, is an assistant vice president at DNB, a Norwegian bank.

Garrett Klugh, a former Olympic rower, talked about retiring from sports at the age of 29. “The transition from athlete to real life is very difficult,” he said, adding that he returned to school nearly ten years later to earn his MBA. “I didn’t want to be the person in a firm who is a collectible,” he said. “Here’s our Olympian on the shelf.” Klugh felt it was important to separate his athletic background from his business career at a venture capital firm, and the MBA program helped him accomplish that.

Traits that Transfer to the Business World

Serving as a panelist, Fox reiterated that athletes possess many characteristics that, with proper direction, can successfully transfer to the business world. “We are very competitive and forward thinking,” he said, emphasizing the value of working alongside like-minded high achievers in the MBA program. “It created such a great ecosystem. Everyone was willing to collaborate and help each other.”

Gabelli School Dean Donna Rapaccioli, Ph.D., said the new MBA program exemplifies the Gabelli School’s mission to prepare students for careers in “business with purpose and community.” She also noted Fordham’s long history of educating athletes and artists, including football legend Vince Lombardi, FCRH ’37, baseball great Frankie Frisch, actor Denzel Washington, FCLC ’77, and bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark, FCLC ’79, among others.

“These individuals succeeded because they know the meaning of determination and hard work,” she said. “We’re very excited to help former athletes and artists transition into successful business careers.”

–Claire Curry

Football injuries have forced athletics departments to reconsider the dangers of the sport. How will schools adjust and what is the future of football?

According to USA Football, there has been a 27.7 percent drop in tackle football participation from 2010 to 2015 among children ages 6 to 14. This trend has led to a change of strategy among high school and college programs. For 2017, expect to see less hitting drills in practice, and less “honing of their craft” so that players can avoid injuries such as concussions.
Players who sustain concussions will also be out of active play longer due to new concussion protocols. This could impact financials, especially if a star player is injured. This is a scenario that can lead to less football and entertainment value, and possible drops in fan interest. Gate receipts, concession revenue, viewership, and social media activity may all be affected.
Expect to see a stronger kicking game in 2017, thanks to the fact that kickers now are not only former soccer players but former gaelic football and rugby players as well.

–Frances Petit, Ph.D., director, Gabelli School EMBA program and professor of business with concentration in sports marketing

Following the recent election, what you think the prospects are for start-ups and for small businesses?

Since Trump is a businessperson and an entrepreneur himself, I think he’s going to do a lot for small business. He’s going to focus on minimizing the tax and healthcare burdens on startups, which will give small business owners some breathing room (financially speaking). Another thing the Trump administration can (and likely will) do is vastly update the space where education and entrepreneurship collide. This would involve collaboration between the Department of Education and the Small Business Administration. Hopefully they will be able to do away with costly, outdated systems/processes and hone in on providing future-forward resources, support, and education for startups, the lifeblood of our economy. I am not only hopeful for the future of startups and small business under the Trump administration, I am excited that we will see some major restructuring that will benefit all of the innovators in this country.

Christine Janssen-Selvadurai, Ph.D., director of the entrepreneurship program in the Gabelli School of Business

Identity politics turned out to be polarizing in 2016. Are we facing more of the same?

In 2016, people on both right and left used code words which erased the complexity of people’s experiences. On the left, one can see this with the term “white privilege,” which has been used to dismiss the complaints of working class whites who have experienced downward mobility, and whose communities have been hit by drug epidemics. On the right, we see it with the term “illegals” as applied to undocumented immigrants. This erases the very real courage and sacrifice that many of the undocumented displayed in coming to America, and display every day in putting food on the table for their families. I would like to say that we will see less polarizing discourse in 2017, but I see no signs we have learned our lesson. I expect many more years of polarization and division before we come to our senses and recognize one another’s common humanity across lines of race, religion, and politics.

Mark Naison, Ph.D., professor of history and African and African-American studies

Has Hamilton inspired a new era of Broadway theater?

With 11 Tony Awards from a record 16 nominations, Hamilton has influenced everything from nontraditional casting in the way it embraced black and Hispanic actors to play historically white figures to presidential politics, using the stage as a modern day soapbox (in a message to Vice-President-elect Pence during a post-election performance). Theatrical ventures in the future are also sure to take note of Hamilton’s fierce social media outreach: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s final curtain call was streamed live on Facebook and his avid use of twitter connected famously with the show’s super fan contingency. Also influential are its inventive offshoots–the Hamilton Mixtape (in which the show’s songs are re-vamped by some of today’s brightest stars) and the Ham4Ham stage door outings–so popular they brought traffic to a screeching halt near the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Hamilton has inevitably become the gold standard in its triumphant ability to connect with theater goers on stage and on line.

–Stefanie Bubnis, associate director of Fordham’s theatre program

What will a U.S. shift in relations with Taiwan mean?

There are two possibilities. First, if president-elect Trump simply got caught violating a longstanding diplomatic principle and is not serious about this–if Beijing is clear-eyed, it will keep its responses pretty minimal, let the storm die down, and business will go on as usual.
If Trump is serious, then he’s possibly using Taiwan (and even Russia) to build leverage against the Chinese, hoping to extract a better long-term “deal.” If that is the case, this could be the the beginning of a chain of confrontational stances that draw in greater American military and economic power.
Expect a test of China within the first 100 days of the new administration, or the reverse.  Both sides will have an interest in escalation to demonstrate commitment, resulting in increased conflict–especially in places like the South China Sea, Taiwan, and perhaps the Koreas–but probably not war.

Raymond Kuo, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science

Is fake news a fad, or here to stay?

Sadly, I don’t think “fake news” is going away anytime soon. Juicy and provocative headlines meant to induce “clicks” are often too good for readers to pass up.  But there will be some new initiatives to fight it in 2017. For instance, Facebook users will have the ability to flag fake news content, so that others will be able to see quickly that some posts may not be truthful.  But that’s only addressing part of the problem.  Another issue is that Americans are not as media literate as one might hope. People don’t always look closely at who is creating the content they enjoy, to see if the source is legitimate–and they should. This is why we focus on critical thinking skills and analysis from the very first class in all our communication and media studies majors–to create the well-trained, ethical, truth-seeking journalists that our democracy needs to serve its citizens.

Beth Knobel, Ph.D., professor of communication and media studies

With a new administration more open to fossil fuels, where do you see green energy going in 2017?

It is unlikely that U.S. coal production, consumption, and employment will reverse their downward trends in 2017. Both the market-driven replacement of coal by natural gas and an increased focus on the environmental and human health concerns associated with fossil-fuel combustion in the wake of the Paris Climate Agreement make it likely that coal has peaked in the U.S. Technological advances in batteries for electric vehicles, spurred by federal funding, may lead to increased market penetration for these products, as well as the potential for greater reliance on renewable energy in coming decades.

The incoming administration seems intent on relaxing existing federal pollution regulations and eager to promote increased extraction of natural resources from federally-owned lands in the West. Without counterbalancing action at the state level, this myopic perspective would increase the environmental and health risks from economic activity and energy production, and remove the United States from a position of leadership on the issue of climate change.

— Marc Conte, Ph.D., assistant professor of economics

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Now that the celebratory dust surrounding commencement is finally settling, the Graduate School of Business Administration (GBA) deserves a shout-out for some impressive recognition it received recently.

Each year Fordham’s Executive MBA program is recognized by Poets and Quants magazine, as the program climbs its way up the magazine’s ranking of rankings list.

“It’s based on performance on other rankings so it’s very interdependent,” explained Francis Petit, Ph.D., associate dean of executive programs. “So if you keep doing well on other rankings, like Financial Times or Bloomberg, it’ll have positive effect.”

Poets & Quants ranked the program 39th worldwide, up from 41 in 2013, and 42 in 2012. Petit cited the program’s international emersion elective as key to its success.

In addition, CEO Magazine ranked Fordham’s EMBA as a tier one program.

Another big win for GBA came directly from one of its students. MBA student Michael Hartigan took first place in this year’s All-America Student Analyst Competition sponsored by Institutional Investor magazine.

The competition brought together more than 2,100 students from over 81 universities, to trade $100,000 in virtual money. The four-month contest scored students in the same manner as any major investment house would to assess their own employees.

“Michael took a very solid approach from constructing a sound portfolio of three stocks that he felt were uncorrelated and took calculated risks,” said Robert Fuest, an adjunct professor at Fordham and the faculty advisor for students in the competition.

“He understands the difference between a good company versus a good stock; sometimes it could be a good company, but it’s a bad stock. And he gets that.”

In addition to Hartigan, seven other MBA students made it into the top 100 contenders, making Fordham the leading school in the competition.

“Part of what we’re doing is giving students practical experience and discussing business as it is in real life, not just theoretical,” said Fuest, who is also the COO of Landor and Fuest Capital.

“I think that taking a clinical aspect to learning is critical. They do it in law, they do it in medicine, and they do it in some business schools. This competition helps us to do that here.”

Aditi Bagchi,

associate professor of law, LAW,

“ESPN Accused in Dish Case of Giving Comcast Better Terms,” Bloomberg, February 11

Tom Beaudoin, Ph.D.,

associate professor of practical theology, GRE,

“Woodford and the Quest for Meaning,” ABC Radio, February 16

Mary Bly, Ph.D.,

professor of English, A&S,

“How do Bestselling Novelists Court Cupid on Valentine’s Day?,” Washington Post, February 14

James Brudney,

professor of law, LAW,

“Nutter Seeks High Court’s OK to Impose His Terms on City Workers,” Philly.com, March 1

Charles C. Camosy, Ph.D.,

assistant professor of theology, A&S,

“Drone Warfare Faces Barrage of Moral Questions,” Catholic San Francisco, February 20

Colin M. Cathcart, M.F.A.,

associate professor of architecture, A&S,

“New York City Traffic Ranked the Worst Among the Nation: Study,” AM New York, February 6

Saul Cornell, Ph.D.,

The Paul and Diane Guenther Chair in American History, A&S,

“After Newtown: Guns in America,” WNET-TV, February 19

Carole Cox, Ph.D.,

professor of social service, GSS,

“Boomer Stress,” Norwich Bulletin, February 19

George Demacopoulos, Ph.D.,

associate professor of theology, A&S,

“Pope Resignation,” ABC, World News Now, February 28

Christopher Dietrich, Ph.D.,

assistant professor of history, A&S,

“Bad Precedent: Obama’s Drone Doctrine is Nixon’s Cambodia Doctrine (Dietrich),” Informed Comment, February 11

John Entelis, Ph.D.,

professor of political science, A&S,

“John Brennan,” BBC Radio, February 9

Howard Erichson,

professor of law, LAW,

“High-Stakes Trial Begins for 2010 Gulf Oil Spill,” Amarillo Globe-News, February 25

Laura Gonzalez, Ph.D.,

assistant professor of finance, BUS,

“Recortes al Presupuesto Podrían Afectar el Seguro Social y Medicare,” Mundo Fox, February 8

Albert Greco, Ph.D.,

professor of marketing, BUS,

“Why Would Anyone Want to Buy a Bookstore?,” Marketplace, February 25

Karen J. Greenberg, Ph.D.,

director of the Center on National Security, LAW,

“Alleged Sept. 11 Plotters in Court, but Lawyers Do the Talking,” National Public Radio, February 11

Stephen R. Grimm, Ph.D.,

associate professor of philosophy, A&S,

“Grants from Foundations and Corporations of More Than $100,000 in 2013,” Chronicle of Philanthropy, February 28

Tanya Hernandez, Ph.D.,
professor of law, LAW,

“Brazil’s Affirmative Action Law Offers a Huge Hand Up,” Christian Science Monitor, February 12

J. Patrick Hornbeck, Ph.D.,

assistant professor of theology, A&S,

“Vatican Conclave,” Huffington Post, March 4

Robert Hume, Ph.D.,

associate professor of political science, A&S,

“USA: Supreme Court Case Update – DOMA/Prop 8 Briefs Streaming In,” Gay Marriage Watch, February 28

Clare Huntington,

associate professor of law, LAW,

“Sunday Dialogue: How to Give Families a Path Out of Poverty,” The New York Times, February 9

Nicholas Johnson,

professor of law, LAW,

“Neil Heslin, Father of Newtown Victim, Testifies at Senate Assault Weapons Ban Hearing,”Huffington Post, February 27

Michael E. Lee, Ph.D.,

associate professor of theology, A&S,

“Tiempo: Watch this Week’s Show,” WABC 7, February 17

Joseph T. Lienhard, S.J.,

professor of theology, A&S,

“Remembering Benedict — the Teacher, the Traditionalist,” The Saratogian, March 1

Dawn B. Lerman, Ph.D.,

director of the Center for Positive Marketing, marketing area chair, and professor of marketing, BUS,

“Study: Google, Facebook, Walmart Fill Consumer Needs,” Tech Investor News, February 12

Paul Levinson, Ph.D.,

professor of communication and media studies, A&S,

“Will Oscar Host Seth MacFarlane Be Asked Back? Probably Not,” Yahoo! News via Christian Science Monitor, February 26

Hector Lindo-Fuentes, Ph.D.,

professor of history and director of Latin American and Latino Studies, A&S,

“Escaping Gang Violence, Growing Number of Teens Cross Border,” WNYC, December 28

Timothy Malefyt, Ph.D.,

visiting associate professor of marketing, BUS,

“On TV, an Everyday Muslim as Everyday American,” The New York Times, February 8

Elizabeth Maresca,

clinical associate professor of law, LAW,

“Poll: 87 Percent Say Never OK to Cheat on Taxes,” KWQC, February 26

Carlos McCray, Ed.D.,

associate professor of education leadership, GRE,

“Cops Nab 5-Year-Old for Wearing Wrong Color Shoes to School,” Take Part, January 18

Micki McGee, Ph.D.,

assistant professor of sociology, A&S,

“Do Self-Help Books Work?,” Chicago Sun Times, February 21

Mark Naison, Ph.D.,

professor of African and African American Studies and history, and principal investigator of the Bronx African American History Project (BAAHP), A&S,

“Professor: Why Teach For America Can’t Recruit in my Classroom,” Washington Post, February 18

Costas Panagopoulos, Ph.D.,

associate professor of political science, A&S,

“Analysis: Obama to Republicans – Can We Just Move On?,” WHTC 1450, February 13

Kimani Paul-Emile,

associate professor of law, LAW,

“Some Patients Won’t See Nurses of Different Race,” Cleveland Plain Dealer via AP, February 22

Michael Peppard, Ph.D.,

assistant professor of theology, A&S,

“Big Man on Campus isn’t on Campus,” Commonweal, February 20

Francis Petit, Ed.D.,

associate dean and director of Executive Programs, BUS,

“Marissa Mayer Takes Flak for Gathering Her Troops,” E-Commerce Times, March 1

Rose Perez, Ph.D.,

assistant professor of social work, GSS,

“Education Segment,” Mundo Fox, January 21

Wullianallur “R.P.” Raghupathi, Ph.D.,

professor of information systems, BUS,

“¿Qué Tiene Silicon Valley para Producir ‘Frutos’ Como Steve Jobs?,” CNN, February 24

Joel Reidenberg, Ph.D.,

Stanley D. and Nikki Waxberg Chair and professor of law and founding academic director of the Center on Law and Information Policy, LAW,

“Google App Store Policy Raises Privacy Concerns,” Reuters, February 14

Erick Rengifo-Minaya, Ph.D.,

associate professor of economics, BUS,

“Noticias MundoFOX 10PM Parte II,” Mundo Fox Noticias, February 8

Patrick J. Ryan, S.J.,

The Laurence J. McGinley Professor of Religion and Society, A&S,

“Pope Resignation,” WNBC, Sunday “Today in NY,” March 13

Susan Scafidi,

professor of law, LAW,

“Diamonds: How $60B Industry Thrives on Symbolism,” CBS This Morning, February 21

Christine Janssen-Selvadurai, Ph.D.,director of the entrepreneurship program at the Gabelli School of Business and co-director of both Fordham’s Center for Entrepreneurship and the Fordham Foundry, BUS,

“NYC Embraces Silicon Valley’s Appetite for Risk,” Crain’s New York Business, February 6

Ellen Silber, Ph.D.,

director of Mentoring Latinas, GSS,

“Mentoring Program Serves Young Latinas Aiming Higher in New York City,” Fox News Latino, February 25

Janet Sternberg, Ph.D.,assistant professor of communication and media studies, A&S,

“What are You Supposed to Do When You Have, Like, 106,926 Unread Emails?,” Huffington Post, February 25

Maureen A. Tilley, Ph.D.,professor of theology, A&S,

“Pope Resignation: Interview with Maureen Tilley of Fordham University,” WPIX, February 17

Terrence W. Tilley, Ph.D.,

Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., Professor of Catholic Theology and chair of the department, A&S,

“As Conclave to Select New Pope Begins, English-Speaking Cardinals Lead Charge to Reform Vatican,” Daily News, March 4

Peter Vaughan, Ph.D.,dean of the Graduate School of Social Service, GSS,

“Ceremony Held for NASW Foundation Award Recipients,” Social Work Blog, February 28

More features in this issue:

People

In Focus: Faculty and Research

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Copyright © 2013, Fordham University.

There will be little cavorting for the fifth cohort of Fordham Westchester’s Executive MBA (WEMBA) program. The Class of 2014 began the intensive program just after New Year and will spend the next 22 months hunkering down.

“Part of my job is to keep them sane through the process,” said Francis Petit, Ed.D., associate dean for executive programs at the Graduate School of Business Administration (GBA).

Petit said that the rigorous program is a good fit for the 22 new students, most of whom are already working in business and are seeking to further their careers with a Fordham MBA.

Executive MBA (EMBA) students tend to be a bit older, with this group’s average age coming in at 36. A more senior cohort means a more senior salary, with the average salary for this year’s group coming in at $125,000.

Petit was charged with putting together like-minded execs who will spend one weekend a month together on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 9 to 5.

“The classmates make up a big part of the experience, so we recruit a higher level,” said Petit.  “They survive the process together.”

Petit said that corporate sponsorship, once a given for working executives, has waned in recent years. But, in general, companies still want general managers to have an MBA.

“It is a changing market and one of the things that happens is that since students are paying more out of pocket, their level of commitment is that much stronger,” he said.

As Dean David Gautshi, Ph.D., pointed out in his webinar last month, GBA has been well known for its part-time MBA program for over 40 years.

On November 14-16, Fordham Westchester will host the Fordham Forum on Leadership and Growth, a new intensive three-day program for executive decision makers. Westchester’s retreat like campus is expected to foster a think-tank atmosphere for senior executives, managers, and specialists, said Francis Petit, Ed.D., associate dean of executive programs.

The Graduate School of Business Administration (GBA) sponsored event will feature an all-star lineup, including retired General Peter Pace, the former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Bill Baker, Ph.D., Fordham’s Claudio Acquaviva S.J. chair and president emeritus of WNET, will discuss his new book written with Michael O’Malley, Every Leader is an Artist (McGraw-Hill, 2012). And John Tognino, PCS ’75, chairman & CEO of Pepper Financial Group, will discuss ethics on Wall Street.

“Every top rank business school has an active executive education program and this will act as our flagship,” said Petit. “This program is positioned to present diverse ideologies, so that participants can take away at least one or two new ideas from each session.”

Participants will also be taking away armfuls of books, including Noble Enterprise: the Common Sense Guide to Uplifting People and Profits (Cosimo, 2008). The book by Darwin Gillett uses the turnaround of ailing ATT Canada as case study. Bill Catucci, the company’s former CEO responsible for the rescue, will be at the forum to give his own firsthand account.

Fordham Distinguished Visiting Scholar Dominique Moïsi will bring a geopolitical perspective to the program with his book The Geopolitics of Emotion: How Cultures of Fear, Humiliation, and Hope are Reshaping the World (First Anchor Books, 2010). Jonathan Story, Emeritus Professor of International Political Economy at INSEAD, will analyze the business climate in China through his book China Uncovered: What you need to know to do business in China (Financial Times Series, 2010).

With the worlds of geopolitics converging with the worlds of broadcast, Wall Street, and the military, the diversity and scale promises to bring the participants up close with a variety of successful leaders.

“The overall concept of the program is that no matter what the economic condition, leaders have the chance to grow,” said Petit.

To apply to the conference click here. For more information contact Dean Francis Petit at (914) 367-3271 or [email protected].

In Poets and Quants’ ranking of the top 50 EMBAs, Fordham tied with the University of Western Ontario in Canada and is just behind the University of California at Irvine at No. 26.

The Poets and Quants ranking measures the overall reputation of EMBA programs by combining equally weighted ratings from BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times and U.S. News & World Report.

The new ranking also takes into account an array of additional data to assess the quality of the programs, from surveys of student satisfaction to increases in income attributed to the degree.

“We are, of course, always delighted and thankful to be positively recognized for our Executive MBA program and for our dynamic and spirited EMBA students and faculty,” said Francis Petit, Ed.D., associate dean for Executive MBA programs in the Graduate School of Business Administration.

“We also believe this recognition adds to the continued momentum of our program,” he said.

The Poets and Quants’ ranking maintains the high profile of Fordham’s EMBA program, which last year was ranked 25th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and was among the top 25 global MBA programs as ranked by CEO Magazine.

Launched in 2010 by John Byrne, the former editor-in-chief of BusinessWeek.com, Poets and Quants has received wide coverage by The Wall Street Journal, Fortune and BusinessWeek, and has reached 500,000 page views per month.

In its annual ranking of MBA programs, the magazine, which is published in London by the Callender Media Group, ranked the Graduate School of Business Administration in its tier one category for both its MBA and EMBA.

The big change from last year was that Fordham’s Executive MBA program was included in Tier I in the global category, something that Francis Petit, Ed.D. Associate Dean for Executive MBA Programs said reflected especially well on the school.

The MBA program, which had been unranked previously, was included in the North American regional category, putting it in the company of universities such as Columbia, Duke, Harvard and Stanford.

“This is, of course, positive news for our program and it continues the momentum we are building,” he said. “What is nice to see is that last year Fordhams’ EMBA program was ranked tier one within the North America region, and now we have made it to tier one within the global rankings.”

Both Petit and David Gautschi, Ph.D., Dean of the Graduate School of Business Administration, were interviewed in a Q&A article for the magazine, “Take a Swing at This: The World’s Jazziest Institution, The Fordham MBA.”

In it, Dean Gautschi emphasized four themes the college has embraced as part of its commitment to its Jesuit heritage:

—Advancing understanding of business in the global economy.

—Advancing the understanding of business in a money center such as New York City.

—Advancing understanding of business in a media center; an element with a technological spin.

—An explicit drive to increase the societal understanding of business.

“These elements align together and all are anchored on the fourth and follow certain practice guidelines that in so doing reveal our Jesuit stripes,” Dean Gautschi said.

He also touted the creation of the Fordham Consortium, a gathering of 45 people from different walks of life, who come together to form discernment and to discuss ‘what is the purpose of business’, regardless of one’s global position.

“This organization is neatly reflected in the vision and construction of the MBA program where we are keen to bring different ideas and people together, not to drive unilateral thought but, to cover a range of different contexts. We need to understand these differences and celebrate them,” he said.

Fordham’s EMBA program is designed for business professionals and managers on the fast track toward challenging managerial and global assignments. The program focuses on building each student’s personal portfolio in management development with tools that can be implemented immediately in the workplace.

Fordham University’s Executive MBA program has been ranked in top tier (Top 25) by CEO Magazine.

Inclusion in “tier-one” status means the Fordham program “demonstrates a high level of innovation and thought leadership; class sizes are moderate, senior faculty are used and the make up of students is diverse,” according to the magazine.

It is the second annual ranking of Global MBA programs for CEO magazine, which is published in London by the Callender Media Group.

“This is very positive news as it allows for the continued positive momentum of our program,” said Francis Petit, Ed.D., assistant dean and director of executive programs in the Graduate School of Business Administration (GBA).

The Fordham EMBA program is ranked in the Spring 2010 issue within the North America/Global EMBA Rankings. Programs are listed alphabetically and include Columbia, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, New York University and Wharton.

The magazine also highlighted Fordham’s program under its “Innovation at Work” section, with a detailed question and answer interview regarding the EMBA’s program initiatives with Petit and Mary Kate Donato, program associate for the EMBA program in Westchester.

“Her strategic efforts were tremendous in making this ranking list as well as having our program focused,” Petit said.

In the article, Petit and Donato pointed out that the goal of the Fordham EMBA is to “instill knowledge, skill and necessary tools for the functional areas of business, now and in the future;” while developing the “executive of the future,” who is conscious of and sensitive to ethical, social and environmental concerns within the world and planet; and who have the right balance between “the mind, body and soul and who are centered and proactive with in the challenging business paradigm.”

The Jesuit Philosophy of Education is key in this respect, Petit and Donato added.

Fordham’s EMBA program is designed for business professionals and managers on the fast track toward challenging managerial and global assignments. The program focuses on building each student’s personal portfolio in management development with tools that can be implemented immediately in the workplace.

This top-tier ranking marks the latest honor received recently by the EMBA program.

In April, U.S. News & World Report ranked Fordham 25th in the nation for its EMBA program.

-Gina Vergel