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Fordham University Business Fall 2021

The Gabelli School’s Consumer Financial Well-Being Initiative
Fall 2021
from the office
of the dean
Donna Rapaccioli

Forever Focused on the Future

At the Gabelli School, our mission is inspired by a deep sense of responsibility to build the skills and mindsets to solve some of society’s most pressing problems. We challenge each of our students to look at the world and boldly ask, “How will I help to build a better future?”

The global pandemic and a heightened awareness of systemic inequities have shown us that this work has never been more urgent.

Our fall issue takes a critical look at the kinds of complex societal questions we are trying to answer as a community. “Dollars and Sense” highlights our new Consumer Financial Well-Being Initiative, which we hope will be a collaborative model that cultivates financial literacy in communities across the country. “The High Costs of Healthcare Inequality” explores the COVID-19 health crisis and shines light on two alumni who are seizing opportunities to impact the lives of racial and ethnic minority groups receiving disproportionate healthcare. This feature also examines the economic consequences of the nation’s healthcare disparities which are staggering—amounting to nearly $93 billion in excess medical care costs, according to recent reports.

Scholars And Practitioners Partner Up
PhD Program Celebrates First Graduate
Neha Coulon on the Growth of ESG Investing
Contents
Fordham Business / Volume 21 / Fall 2021
features
The High Costs of Healthcare Inequality
The High Costs of Healthcare Inequality
Nothing could reveal healthcare disparities and their human and economic impacts more squarely than the COVID-19 pandemic. Gabelli School alumni are committed to making healthcare accessible to all.
in every issue
  • Fordham entrepreneurs win $35,000 in seed money
  • Industry partnerships deliver executive courses, research fellowships, and grants
  • New programs pave the way for diversity and first-generation students
From planet-friendly household goods to reengineered electronic cars, Gabelli School alumni are leading sustainable businesses around the globe
A question of serving shareholders or stakeholders, and the impact of employee voices on corporate culture
The growth of ESG investing, Iran’s first Americans, and the people of the Gabelli School
Dollars and Sense
dollars and sense
Understanding money matters paves the way to a secure future, but not everyone has access to the information they need to make sound financial decisions. The Gabelli School’s new Consumer Financial Well-Being Initiative targets this issue with education, programming, and research.
Contents
Fordham Business / Volume 21 / Fall 2021
Scholars And Practitioners Partner Up
PhD Program Celebrates First Graduate
Neha Coulon on the Growth of ESG Investing
features
The High Costs of Healthcare Inequality
The High Costs of Healthcare Inequality
Nothing could reveal healthcare disparities and their human and economic impacts more squarely than the COVID-19 pandemic. Gabelli School alumni are committed to making healthcare accessible to all.
Dollars and Sense
dollars and sense
Understanding money matters paves the way to a secure future, but not everyone has access to the information they need to make sound financial decisions. The Gabelli School’s new Consumer Financial Well-Being Initiative targets this issue with education, programming, and research.
in every issue
  • Fordham entrepreneurs win $35,000 in seed money
  • Industry partnerships deliver executive courses, research fellowships, and grants
  • New programs pave the way for diversity and first-generation students
From planet-friendly household goods to reengineered electronic cars, Gabelli School alumni are leading sustainable businesses around the globe
A question of serving shareholders or stakeholders, and the impact of employee voices on corporate culture
The growth of ESG investing, Iran’s first Americans, and the people of the Gabelli School
Fordham Business Fall 2021
Editor-in-Chief
Donna Rapaccioli, PhD
Dean, Gabelli School of Business

Executive Editor
Michael Benigno

Managing Editor
Claire Curry

Creative Director
Ruth Feldman

Contributing Writers/Reporters
Joseph DeLessio, FCLC ’06
Jennifer Keeler
Chris Quirk
Gabrielle Simonson
Stevenson Swanson
Jennifer Woolson

Fordham University President
Joseph M. McShane, S.J.

Provost
Dennis C. Jacobs, PhD

This publication is published by the Office of the Dean of the Gabelli School of Business, with offices at 441 E. Fordham Road, Bronx, NY 10458 and 140 W. 62nd Street, New York, NY 10023.

Fordham Business welcomes your comments and suggestions. Email gsbnews@fordham.edu.

Does Fordham have your correct contact information? If not, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 800-314-ALUM or
alumnioffice@fordham.edu. Or update your profile at forever.fordham.edu.

Opinions expressed in this publication may not necessarily reflect those of the Fordham University faculty or administration. © 2021, Fordham University Gabelli School of Business

Editor-in-Chief
Donna Rapaccioli, PhD
Dean, Gabelli School of Business

Executive Editor
Michael Benigno

Managing Editor
Claire Curry

Creative Director
Ruth Feldman

Contributing Writers/Reporters
Joseph DeLessio, FCLC ’06
Jennifer Keeler
Chris Quirk
Gabrielle Simonson
Stevenson Swanson
Jennifer Woolson

Fordham University President
Joseph M. McShane, S.J.

Provost
Dennis C. Jacobs, PhD

This publication is published by the Office of the Dean of the Gabelli School of Business, with offices at 441 E. Fordham Road, Bronx, NY 10458 and 140 W. 62nd Street, New York, NY 10023.

Fordham Business welcomes your comments and suggestions. Email gsbnews@fordham.edu.

Does Fordham have your correct contact information? If not, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 800-314-ALUM or
alumnioffice@fordham.edu. Or update your profile at forever.fordham.edu.

Opinions expressed in this publication may not necessarily reflect those of the Fordham University faculty or administration. © 2021, Fordham University Gabelli School of Business

News

Foundry Invests $35,000 in Fordham Entrepreneurs

Fordham Foundry

A clever idea to develop an app moviegoers can use to find discounted tickets earned one Fordham student $15,000 to grow his venture when he was chosen as the first recipient of the Fordham Foundry’s Angel Fund, a newly established investment fund designed to support student and alumni entrepreneurs.

In March, more than 140 promising entrepreneurs competed for $20,000 in prizes in the Foundry’s Annual Pitch Challenge. It was the highest number of entrants since the competition began in 2017, with applicants representing all of Fordham’s nine schools and colleges.

Executive Director Albert Bartosic, BS ’84, said that the Angel Fund and Pitch Challenge are integral to The Foundry’s mission to support student entrepreneurs beyond the classroom.

PHD PROGRAM CELEBRATES FIRST GRADUATE

PhD '21 Program Graduate Joseph A. Micale smiles
Joseph A. Micale, PhD ’21
On May 25, Joseph A. Micale, PhD ’21, became the first graduate of the Gabelli School’s PhD program. He accepted a tenure-track position as an assistant professor of accounting at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, which he began in the fall.

“It is easy to see how Joe Micale is a model first graduate of the program,” said Iftekhar Hasan, PhD, University Professor and E. Gerald Corrigan Chair in International Business and Finance and Director of the PhD Program. “I foresee him as a successful researcher and a dedicated academic who will bring Fordham values to educating future generations of university students at prestigious institutions.”

As a doctoral student, Micale completed several academic papers on auditing and accounting regulation, including three that are currently under revision at the Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance, Accounting and Business Research, and Accounting Horizons. He decided to pursue a doctorate while he was working as a public accountant at RSM US LLP and chose the Gabelli School’s PhD program over those offered at several other business schools.

FASHION AND THE ESG LANDSCAPE

A fashion model posing on the sand
NO BUSINESS CONVERSATION can overlook the impact the year 2020 had on everything from supply chain management to advertising and marketing to finance and investing. As businesses pivoted to stay afloat when the pandemic hit, many expected the growing focus on ESG to lag, yet the opposite happened.

“In this year alone, global assets under management in the ESG category increased by an astounding 96%,” said Donna Rapaccioli, PhD, dean of the Gabelli School, in her opening remarks at the spring PVH 2021 Market Forces conference. “This unprecedented growth shows that our attitudes toward sustainability are changing more rapidly than we could have imagined.”

Helping First-Year Students Make a Smooth Transition

three students sit smiling at a First Generation College Students Network table
Tenzin Palkyi, FCRH ’22; Leslie Abreu, FCRH ’22; and Danna Rojas, FCRH ’24, distributed information on the First Generation College Students Network outside of Hughes Hall on Nov. 8, 2021.
As a Real Estate Investing Associate at Goldman Sachs, Walter Burnett, BS ’18, is involved in the recruiting process at the Fortune 500 firm and sees firsthand how early the hiring process begins—and how competitive it can be. Some job candidates have stacked résumés even before their sophomore year of college begins.

Burnett shared his perspectives on entering today’s job market with 18 students in a workshop hosted by the Gabelli School’s First-Year Diversity Scholars Program. Now in its second year, the program features workshops, networking events, and pathways toward internship opportunities for high-achieving students who self identify as African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, and Indigenous People (American Indian and Native Hawaiian).

It’s a Match:
Executive MBA Students Consult with the USTA

The capstone experience of the Gabelli School’s Executive MBA program is a field-study project that sends students around the globe to consult with top-tier leaders in organizations like Yamaha, BMW Financial Services, and Ogilvy China.

This year, the pandemic forced organizers to arrange an equally challenging and meaningful experience virtually. According to Francis Petit, EdD, associate dean and director of the Executive MBA Program, the partnership with the United States Tennis Association (USTA)—made possible with the help of alumnus Joseph Healy, EMBA ’14, the organization’s managing director and corporate controller—was a winning match.

“The USTA is a global organization and premier brand,” Petit said. “It operates one of the four coveted Grand Slams—the U.S. Open—and executes its grassroots strategy in growing the game of tennis nationally.” He added that dialogue between students and senior leaders is vital throughout these projects, but quality time can sometimes be difficult to schedule in person. “Because meetings were held virtually this year, we had even greater access to these wonderful touch points,” Petit said.

Scholars and Practitioners Partner Up

The reciprocal relationship between academia and industry has far-reaching mutual benefits, offering insight into scholarly research and real-world business practices and ultimately enhancing business education.

“Ideally, research informs industry practitioners as practitioners inform academic research,” said Barbara Porco, PhD, clinical professor of accounting and taxation and associate dean of graduate studies at the Gabelli School. “Our connections to industry leaders enable our faculty to continue to educate and enrich our students about the most pressing issues facing our society.”

Porco leads the Gabelli Center for Professional Accounting Practices (CPAP), which holds lectures and workshops and offers continuing professional education credits. Recently, CPAP hosted the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Hundreds of students and alumni attended the event, and leaders from each regulatory organization shared their perspectives on timely topics, including retail investing trends, online investing misinformation, and investing risks.

In October, the Gabelli School offered an Executive Education Program for senior managers at Amazon’s Staten Island Fulfillment Center. The leadership class, led by Professor John Hollwitz, PhD, included a jazz workshop with pianist, composer, and producer Eli Yamin.

“Professor Hollwitz has successfully incorporated a jazz simulation as a method to build high-performance teams,” said Francis Petit, EdD, associate dean of global initiatives and partnerships and director of the Executive MBA program. “Our alumni who work at Amazon who experienced this session as students in the Executive MBA program specifically requested this simulation for their senior management team.”

Business Perspectives
from Europe

Youtube Video Screenshot

Business
Perspectives
from Europe

Youtube Video Screenshot
Strategies to raise the bar for corporate consciousness and business with a purpose, such as developing carbon-neutral plans, managing digital ethics, and optimizing personal performance through self care, are among the topics experts explored in the Gabelli School’s new London Speaker Series. Beginning in the spring, the weekly virtual sessions have been connecting students with corporate executives and government officials throughout Britain, Italy, Ireland, and Germany.

Meghann Drury-Grogan, PhD, associate professor of communication and media management at the Gabelli School, developed the series to offer students an opportunity to engage directly with global leaders in industries such as healthcare, finance, data security, and government.

Alumni

Changing the World, One Generation at a Time

Alison Whritenour smiling
Photo by Shem Roose
Alison Whritenour, EMBA ’11, was honored to be invited to the White House in August to participate in a CEO roundtable hosted by Vice President Kamala Harris. Alongside leaders from Patagonia, Etsy, Gap, Chobani, Airbnb, and Microsoft, the CEO of the green consumer-products company Seventh Generation helped to shape a business case for the benefits of paid family leave.

“This company affords me the opportunity to sit at these tables,” Whritenour said. “Its mission is about creating a more sustainable, equitable world for the next seven generations. The magic is exploring how we can leverage business—our voices and our data—to prove that addressing big-picture changes we need in society really pays off financially.”

The White House invitation came on the heels of Whritenour’s July appointment to CEO at the Burlington, Vermont-based organization she joined nine years ago. That was when she made the life-changing decision to leave her brand-management post at Colgate Palmolive in New York City and relocate to begin a new chapter with the firm whose socially conscious mission aligns closely with her personal values. Seventh Generation is known for environmentally friendly household products like Free and Clear Baby Wipes and EasyDose™ Ultra-concentrated Laundry Detergent.

“As I step into this job, it’s not about changing or setting a different vision, but about how I can continue to be the steward for the work that we’ve set out over time,” said the New Jersey native, who was recently named among Fortune magazine’s “40 under 40” most influential emerging business leaders. “How are we going to continue to navigate this business and keep the overall mission of the company moving forward?”

A Decade of Risks and Rewards

Sujoy Sarkar smiling and looking to the side
Photo by Heather Lang
In 2017, Sujoy Sarkar, BS ’11, traded the East Coast for the West Coast when he accepted an offer to serve as director of corporate development at San Francisco-based electric car company Byton. Though it wasn’t an easy decision, he was drawn to the organization’s mission to help make the world more sustainable. “Byton was trying to completely reengineer the vehicle, and that’s what got me excited, both from a sustainability standpoint and also from a technology standpoint,” Sarkar said.

Since he graduated from the Gabelli School, Sarkar has rapidly ascended in his career, developing interests in the technology and automotive sectors. After starting his career in investment banking at JPMorgan, he moved to RBC Capital Markets and later helped launch Quantamize, a hedge fund and research company that was acquired by Forbes. Part of his role involved researching the automotive industry and the Chinese auto market in particular, and it was that expertise that made him a natural choice to lead Byton’s strategic investments, M&A, and strategic partnerships globally.

“I thought I could add more value than just building financial models and PowerPoints,” said Sarkar, referring to his move away from investment banking. He proved it: in less than four years, the New Jersey native helped grow the company’s valuation from $790 million to $2.2 billion at one point.

Dollars and Sense

Dollars and Sense

By Chris Quirk
“In the United States, we spend thousands of hours teaching our kids how to read, how to write, and what history is all about. Compared to that, most school systems do not even have two hours of financial literacy training for their high school students.”
Buy a car, enroll in college, rent an apartment, start a new job, contribute to a retirement account—so many important life events invoke our understanding of money and the financial system in some way. But it’s not just the big things. Every time you swipe to pay for a coffee, get cash at an ATM, or book an Uber on your cell phone, your financial savvy comes into play, and these actions all add up.

Even though money is the almost-exclusive, universal mechanism by which we satisfy our material needs of food, shelter, and overall well-being, people often lack the information and ability to make basic decisions to safeguard and use their financial resources wisely.

The ripple effect

Poor financial literacy and the lack of access to basic banking and credit services are widespread. The National Financial Capability Study, an online survey of 27,091 adults nationwide produced by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), found that only 7% were able to correctly answer six basic questions on finance about mortgages, inflation, and interest. A Morning Consult poll released in the summer reported that 10% of respondents were “unbanked,” with no checking or savings account, and a quarter were “underbanked,” using financial services very infrequently.
Dollars and Sense

Dollars and Sense

By Chris Quirk
“In the United States, we spend thousands of hours teaching our kids how to read, how to write, and what history is all about. Compared to that, most school systems do not even have two hours of financial literacy training for their high school students.”
Buy a car, enroll in college, rent an apartment, start a new job, contribute to a retirement account—so many important life events invoke our understanding of money and the financial system in some way. But it’s not just the big things. Every time you swipe to pay for a coffee, get cash at an ATM, or book an Uber on your cell phone, your financial savvy comes into play, and these actions all add up.

Even though money is the almost-exclusive, universal mechanism by which we satisfy our material needs of food, shelter, and overall well-being, people often lack the information and ability to make basic decisions to safeguard and use their financial resources wisely.

The ripple effect

Poor financial literacy and the lack of access to basic banking and credit services are widespread. The National Financial Capability Study, an online survey of 27,091 adults nationwide produced by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), found that only 7% were able to correctly answer six basic questions on finance about mortgages, inflation, and interest. A Morning Consult poll released in the summer reported that 10% of respondents were “unbanked,” with no checking or savings account, and a quarter were “underbanked,” using financial services very infrequently.
Little Figures on Coins
collage of W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Altarum
A report from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Altarum shows that healthcare disparities result in approximately $93 billion in excess medical care costs.
The High Costs of Healthcare Inequality title

The High Costs of Healthcare Inequality

By Stevenson Swanson
From the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, a disturbing pattern was clear: the new disease was hitting some groups of Americans much harder than others. It wasn’t just people 65 and older who were more susceptible. Black and Hispanic people, and other racial and ethnic groups had significantly higher rates of severe illness, hospitalization, and death than white Americans.

Statistics compiled by the COVID Tracking Project, for example, showed that Black people were dying at 1.7 times the rate of white people, and a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that Latinx, Hispanic, and American Indian or Alaska native people were nearly twice as likely as non-Hispanic white people to seek emergency room care for the disease.

Ideas

Faculty Research

illustration of business workers around a box full of money, graphs, documents, and a briefcase
Santiago Mejia, PhD, Assistant Professor of Law and Ethics
One of the foundational questions in business is: “Who should companies serve?” Should they serve shareholders and put profits first, or should they also serve employees, customers, suppliers, and the community before making decisions—even if the bottom line takes a hit?
Shareholder primacy is an organizational approach that posits that managers have a duty to serve the interests of shareholders. Its profits-first focus has long been viewed to be at odds with stakeholder theory—an approach that also factors in the interests of employees, customers, suppliers, and the community. In both cases, managers have certain minimal obligations, like abiding by the law and fulfilling contracts. However, some business theorists believe that only stakeholder theory incorporates other obligations that may not contribute to long-term shareholder value, such as providing help to an employee going through a rough patch or preventing certain types of profit-maximizing pollution.

Svenja Dube, PhD, Assistant Professor of Accounting and Taxation

After a particularly rough week at work, who hasn’t imagined telling their boss exactly how they really feel about being overworked or underappreciated? But even when employers ask for feedback, most employees don’t feel comfortable giving an honest answer for fear it will put their jobs at risk.
Now, however, many current and former employees are using the popular website Glassdoor to open up about their personal work experiences and provide honest company reviews—protected by complete anonymity. According to recent research by Svenja Dube, PhD, assistant professor of accounting and taxation at the Gabelli School, in addition to giving employees a safe venue to express their views, companies are using the feedback to improve workplace practices and increase workplace-related disclosure in their financial reporting.

The aim of the paper, “The Disciplinary Effect of Social Media: Evidence from Firms’ Responses to Glassdoor Reviews,” which Dube co-authored with Chenqi Zhu, PhD, assistant professor of accounting at the University of California Irvine, was to get a read on companies’ initial reactions to candid employee feedback. “All of a sudden, everyone can see what at least one employee thinks about that firm,” Dube said. “We were interested to see if employee disclosure by itself would trigger firms to become better.”

People
Q&A

Neha Coulon on the Growth of ESG Investing

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, many thought the focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria would wane as businesses struggled to survive. Instead, by the end of the year, global assets under management in ESG-focused funds skyrocketed, increasing by an astounding 96%.

At a spring Gabelli School Virtual Centennial Speaker Series webinar sponsored by the Gabelli Center for Global Security Analysis, Neha Coulon, partner and global head of ESG at Kirkoswald Capital Partners LLP in London, and former global head of ESG solutions at JPMorgan Chase & Co., said that ESG investing hasn’t seen a shift of that scale since the Paris Agreement in 2015. Only five years later and during a global pandemic, ESG soared, proving that it is a top priority for today’s investors.

Coulon shared her thoughts about the impact of ESG on business and investing with Fordham Business.

Neha Coulon
Photo by Corporate Photography Ltd.

Meet the Gabelli School Team

Opening the Gabelli School doors to 4,500 students each year, continually upgrading its facilities to ensure them access to the very latest business tools and resources, and delivering curricula that mirror the trends and demands of industry requires the expertise of a dedicated team of administrators, faculty, and staff.

This new column takes a behind-the-scenes look at the people who are the Gabelli School. Every day, they are making invaluable contributions to the future of business education at Fordham University.

The leadership team featured in this issue has the special responsibility of driving the school’s strategy and guiding academic programs, faculty research, fundraising, operations, technology, career development, and global connections.

Headshot of Francis Petit

Francis Petit, EdD

Associate Dean for Global Initiatives and Partnerships and Director of the Executive MBA Program

Joined Fordham in 2002

“Throughout my ‘Gabelli journey,’ I have led our Executive MBA Program and have worked with our dynamic stakeholders to formulate and execute the school’s international strategy. While we have witnessed unprecedented momentum, we still continue to be an institution with a soul. The spirit that resonates from our students, alumni, faculty, administration, and staff always makes us proud as there is a realization that business is much more than the bottom line.”

Headshot of Greer Jason-DiBartolo

Greer Jason-DiBartolo, PhD

Associate Dean for Academic Administration and Adjunct Instructor for Leading People and Organizations

Joined Fordham in 2000

“Remaining deeply committed to Fordham’s values and Jesuit pedagogy, I am devoted to the school’s mission to deliver a rigorous, industry relevant, globally oriented, and socially conscious academic experience. I work with the Academic Administration team to ensure excellence through undergraduate curriculum management, graduate admissions, online MS programs, accreditation maintenance, and data analytics. Recently, undergraduate core courses were revised to reflect the school’s ESG and DEI priorities; several master’s programs were updated to ensure industry relevancy; accreditation preparation has been enhanced to heighten faculty visibility; and our graduate admissions approach pivoted to reflect the transition to virtual recruiting.”

Books

The Americans of Urumia:

Iran’s First Americans and their Mission to the Assyrian Christians
Hooman Estelami, PhD
Professor of Marketing
cover of The Americans Of Urumia:  Iran’s First Americans and their Mission to the Assyrian Christians

The earliest known contacts between Americans and Iranians, dating back to the mid-1800s, reveals a considerably different picture of the relations between the two countries today.

In his book, The Americans of Urumia: Iran’s First Americans and their Mission to the Assyrian Christians (Bahar Books, 2021), Hooman Estelami, PhD, professor of marketing at the Gabelli School, paints a vivid picture of Americans who served as private citizens in Iran between 1834 and 1918. Using missionary memoirs, archival records, and vintage photographs, he profiles four influential Americans and their families who served in remote regions of northwestern Iran. Their humanitarian ambitions forged the earliest connections between America and Iran, and resulted in the establishment of Iran’s first medical college, a massive school system, and evangelical services for Persia’s Assyrian Christian population. However, the partnership came to an abrupt end due to World War I and, until the publication of this book, had received little scholarly attention.

The earliest known contacts between Americans and Iranians, dating back to the mid-1800s, reveals a considerably different picture of the relations between the two countries today.
cover of The Americans Of Urumia: Iran’s First Americans and their Mission to the Assyrian Christians
In his book, The Americans of Urumia: Iran’s First Americans and their Mission to the Assyrian Christians (Bahar Books, 2021), Hooman Estelami, PhD, professor of marketing at the Gabelli School, paints a vivid picture of Americans who served as private citizens in Iran between 1834 and 1918. Using missionary memoirs, archival records, and vintage photographs, he profiles four influential Americans and their families who served in remote regions of northwestern Iran. Their humanitarian ambitions forged the earliest connections between America and Iran, and resulted in the establishment of Iran’s first medical college, a massive school system, and evangelical services for Persia’s Assyrian Christian population. However, the partnership came to an abrupt end due to World War I and, until the publication of this book, had received little scholarly attention.
Profile

A Family Legacy in Finance

Gayané Hovakimian, PhD
Gayané Hovakimian, PhD
Gayané Hovakimian’s interest in finance began around the family dinner table. Her parents were both economists, and their conversations about Western economies versus theirs in the former Soviet Republic of Armenia sparked her curiosity.

“It was obvious that the centrally-planned economies where everybody ‘owned’ everything, or effectively, nobody really owned anything, were failing, and there was this gigantic economy-wide, agency problem,” Hovakimian said. “At the same time, the other extreme, where some people own everything and the rest are deprived, seemed unfair, too.”

That contrast, and possible solutions, fascinated her.

While she read every book she could get her hands on about economics, Hovakimian continued pursuing her passion for classical music throughout high school. An accomplished pianist, she said her love of music began early in her childhood- the first time she heard Chopin’s “Waltz in C-Sharp Minor.” “It was poetic, harmonious, melancholic, and intimate,” she said.

double
your
centennial
gift
impact

double
your
centennial
gift
impact

To learn more, please contact Rose McSween, Ed.D., Executive Director/Centennial Campaign Manager, at rmcsween@fordham.edu.
Fordham Gabelli School of Business Logo

A Century of Out-doing Ourselves.

For 100 years, we’ve been driven by the generosity of others. Now, two new Gabelli School Centennial Campaign matching gift options are inspiring our alumni community.

Join us for our next 100.

The Centennial Gabelli Challenge

Help Us Secure $14 million for MBA and PhD Scholarships

New gifts and pledges for MBA and/or PhD endowed scholarships of $75,000 or more qualify for a match from Mario Gabelli, BS ’65, and Regina Pitaro, FCRH ’76, up to a total of $7 million.

The Centennial Fitzmaurice Challenge

Help Us Unlock $100,000 for Scholarships from the Fitzmaurice Family

As co-chairs of the Gabelli School of Business Centennial Campaign, Christopher, BS ’84, and Alison Fitzmaurice will match first-time outright gifts of $1,000 or more to the undergraduate or graduate current-use scholarship funds.

A Century of Out-doing Ourselves.

For 100 years, we’ve been driven by the generosity of others. Now, two new Gabelli School Centennial Campaign matching gift options are inspiring our alumni community.

Join us for our next 100.

The Centennial Gabelli Challenge

Help Us Secure $14 million for MBA and PhD Scholarships

New gifts and pledges for MBA and/or PhD endowed scholarships of $75,000 or more qualify for a match from Mario Gabelli, BS ’65, and Regina Pitaro, FCRH ’76, up to a total of $7 million.

The Centennial Fitzmaurice Challenge

Help Us Unlock $100,000 for Scholarships from the Fitzmaurice Family

As co-chairs of the Gabelli School of Business Centennial Campaign, Christopher, BS ’84, and Alison Fitzmaurice will match first-time outright gifts of $1,000 or more to the undergraduate or graduate current-use scholarship funds.
To learn more, please contact Rose McSween, Ed.D., Executive Director/Centennial Campaign Manager, at rmcsween@fordham.edu.
Fordham Gabelli School of Business Logo

On Oct. 27, Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, returned to Fordham University in London for the first time since the global pandemic shuttered all study-abroad programming for the University.

In Spring 2022, more than 400 students—including Gabelli School undergraduates and nearly 100 full-time MBA students—are set to study and do consulting projects in London.

On Oct. 27, Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, returned to Fordham University in London for the first time since the global pandemic shuttered all study-abroad programming for the University.

In Spring 2022, more than 400 students—including Gabelli School undergraduates and nearly 100 full-time MBA students—are set to study and do consulting projects in London.

a Fordham University building located on a street corner
Fordham University logo
Thanks for reading our Fall 2021 issue!