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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.”

Senior managers at Amazon's Staten Island Fulfillment Center took part in an Executive Education Program offered by the Gabelli School.
Senior managers at Amazon’s Staten Island Fulfillment Center took part in an Executive Education Program offered by the Gabelli School.
Earlier this year, the Gabelli School and PVH Corp., the global fashion company behind popular brands such as Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, collaborated to create and launch a co-branded badge program. Business Finance 101, led by Gabelli School Professor Kevin Mirabile, PhD, provided finance and economics training for non-finance PVH employees, including those in marketing, technology, and sales. The course covered how to read and understand financial statements, how stocks and bonds are valued, and the influence of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices on a company’s return.

Finally, in collaboration with the Westchester County Association, the Gabelli School delivered a new executive course, Developing a Sustainable Business Strategy. The eight-week program featured several speakers who offered association members practical tips for creating and implementing a sustainable business strategy. Professor Michael Pirson, PhD, who taught the course, said the need for long-term sustainability practices and knowledge has never been greater.

“There’s a need to skill people up at all levels on how to manage better in sustainable business,” he said.

Opportunities for the Gabelli School to partner with industry also extend to the faculty. PVH Corp. and other organizations often put out calls for scholarly research papers on timely topics and offer thought leadership awards to faculty and research teams. To date, PVH Corp. has funded nine research fellowships for Gabelli School faculty and two top scholars have been awarded Gabelli School-PVH Corp. Global Thought Leadership Grants.