Law and Ethics – The Powerful Combination that Sets The Gabelli School Apart

In the ever-evolving landscape of business regulations, understanding and adhering to the law remains crucial. However, to truly make a meaningful impact, it is equally important that these laws are built upon a strong ethical foundation. At the Gabelli School of Business, we pride ourselves on being one of the leading business schools in the nation that intertwines legal education with ethical insights. This approach is aligned with our Jesuit values and also underscores our strong belief that business and law can and should be forces for positive societal change.

In this issue, we explore the intricate relationship between law and ethics through various lenses—how they shape the research of our faculty, influence the curriculum, and enhance the learning experiences of our students at the Gabelli School of Business.

We are also excited to share news of a generous donation from the Segalas family, which has enabled us to plan a new facility dedicated to supporting our undergraduates’ career development. This edition also celebrates the innovative research of our faculty, the achievements of our alumni—including the M.B.A. Class of 2021—and the impressive accomplishments of our students. Highlighted are the Stanford Fellows and Responsible Business Fellows, and stories of those who are igniting innovation, diving into entrepreneurship, and digging deep into the roots of responsible business from North Carolina to Rwanda.

As you read through these stories, I hope you find inspiration in the dedication and passion that define the Gabelli School of Business community. Our commitment to fostering an educational environment that encourages innovation, celebrates success, and cultivates a strong community spirit is at the heart of everything we do.

The Gabelli School of Business is at the forefront of business education because of its deep commitment to staying ahead of the changes occurring across industry in the U.S. and around the world. From developing new courses to introducing cutting-edge degree programs, the School is continuously evolving to meet the needs of its students and ensure they are prepared for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Two new academic programs will make their debut this spring, with a third awaiting approval from New York State.

Dual Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)/Master of Studies in Law (M.S.L.)

In collaboration with Fordham Law, the Gabelli School of Business has launched a new Dual Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)/Master of Studies in Law (M.S.L.), which allows students to acquire a graduate-level credential that combines a comprehensive business education from a nationally ranked business school with a specialized concentration in legal compliance from a nationally ranked law school. The program is perfect for working professionals because it can be completed part time, in as little as two years. The application for the inaugural Fall 2024 cohort is now open.

Explore this new program by clicking the QR code.

This is a major accomplishment and a testament to the quality of the teaching, and the breadth and depth of the courses, which include an Introduction to Fintech, and classes on Blockchain, Digital Currency, Blockchain Tech & App Development, and Blockchain: Industry Disruptor and Creator.

A pioneer in growth investing and founder of Jennison Associates, an equity management firm, Sig Segalas was instrumental in building Jennison from a large cap growth specialist manager into a top institutional investment management firm with world-class equity and fixed income capabilities, and clients around the globe. In addition to the business prowess that made him so successful, Segalas deeply embraced the values of inclusion, independent thinking, and diversity of perspectives and experiences, making them an essential part of Jennison’s corporate culture and ensuring they played a prominent role in the company’s hiring and promotion practices.

Segalas’s global business mindset, his understanding of the important role that higher education plays in preparing the next generation of leaders, and his deep commitment to mentoring those just starting out in their careers, inspired the charitable trust to make a gift that will touch the lives and influence the professional outcomes of thousands of students in the years to come.

Four Gabelli School Students Named Stanford University Innovation Fellows

Responsible Business Center Announces 2024 Fellowship Recipients

The CTD connects those who make, design, and sell clothing to a reliable, domestic supply chain that includes local patternmakers, printers, fabric finishers, and dye houses, among others, in order to produce quality products in the area. It is a part of The Industrial Commons (TIC), which empowers local workers and supports local communities by providing secure, meaningful jobs. This mission closely aligns with the Gabelli School’s focus on business serving as a catalyst for lasting and impactful change and ties directly into what students are learning about in their classes.

Dennis Jacobs, Ph.D., provost, senior vice president of academic affairs, and professor of chemistry, Fordham University, delivered opening remarks that set the stage for the day’s discussions on the challenges facing the healthcare industry and the potential for AI to revolutionize our healthcare systems. He was followed by Falguni Sen, Ph.D., director of the Global Healthcare Innovation Management Center and professor of strategy and statistics at the Gabelli School, who introduced two areas at the frontier of AI technology integration: drug discovery and healthcare delivery. The day’s presentations were inspirational, but also revealed the enormity of the ethical challenges that will need to be addressed as AI becomes the norm in the rapidly evolving healthcare environment.

Leadership Panel on AI and the Future of Work and Finance

• Didem Un Ates, Operating Advisor, Goldman Sachs Asset Management & AI/Generative AI Council
• Andrew McLennan, Ph.D., Managing Director, Global Head of Technology & Product Management – Private Alternative, Nuveen, a TIAA company
• Greg Minson, FCRH ’98, Vice Chair, Fordham London Advisory Board; Global COO, MBD Real Estate, Goldman Sachs
• Jamie Woodcock, Ph.D., Fordham Faculty Member, Ethics in Business

Listen to a podcast: https://apple.co/3IWR8al

COLLEEN FARRELL, GABELLI ’24
Incoming Assurance Associate, PricewaterhouseCoopers

At first, Farrell was concerned about the new format, but when she began studying, her apprehension was quickly replaced with confidence.

“My biggest fear was that I was going to go in knowing absolutely nothing, and that could not have been further from the truth,” she said, adding that so far, “every single accounting class” she’s taken at the Gabelli School is reflective of the new exam content.

Farrell took the exam’s Financial Accounting and Reporting section in March, and has three more sections to go. In December 2023, she completed her bachelor’s degree in accounting information systems and is now working toward her master’s in professional accounting. She enrolled in the Gabelli School’s 4+1 program to complete both degrees in under five years.

MEET PATEL, GABELLI ’24
Project Manager, VTC NC LLC

“I thought I should get proper professional experience and a business school education,” Patel said, adding that he gained even more than he imagined when he began his M.B.A. experience. “I learned how to work as a member of a team, and I would have to participate and present in a class. This was very new to me. I was put into situations that I would not normally be exposed to, and [that] has boosted my confidence. I learned about everything in such a structured and precise manner, exactly how it should be.”

Patel earned his undergraduate degree in geology at the M.G. Science Institute at Gujarat University, a typical field that interested him and would prepare him to join the civil services in India. However, after working at Shree Umiya Developers, the company his father established, his vision for his future changed. Serving as general manager, Patel assisted in the completion of a luxury bungalow project and, when each of the 21 properties sold, he knew the experience was the first step toward his new career journey.

Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business is one of only a few business schools in the country to not only house law and ethics in a single department, but also to holistically engage with legal and ethical questions across the business spectrum. Gabelli School faculty members are shaping the conversation in academia, industry, and legal circles on subjects ranging from securities regulation, to director responsibility, to sports. Their distinctly diverse backgrounds, years of experience, and ability to connect the dots between what is lawful and what is ethical converge to create an academic environment that is uniquely positioned to address today’s most pressing issues and to instill in students the fundamental premise that law and ethics are intrinsically intertwined.

In that vein, it’s not so much the classroom content but principles that will stick, said Professor Ken Davis, J.D., which is why he focuses on challenging his students to reason and process information in an evenhanded way in case studies he discusses in the classroom. It’s more than likely, Davis asserts, the students won’t recall many of the granular details of what they learn in his class, absent active use of the knowledge.

Ying Hong, Ph.D.

Deviant workplace behavior—such as gossip, absenteeism, production slowdowns, and theft—is motivated by employee greed, self-interest or the desire to purposely harm a business. It is counterproductive and can threaten a company’s success. However, according to Ying Hong, Ph.D., associate professor of the Leading People and Organizations area at the Gabelli School, it doesn’t necessarily have to spell the downfall of a business. She argues that implementing an effective human resource management (HRM) system can help companies discourage such behaviors and achieve a higher ethical standard and better output among employees.

Navid Asgari, Ph.D.

Navid Asgari, Ph.D., associate professor and Grose Family Endowed Chair in Business in the Gabelli School’s Strategy and Statistics area, turned to a novel assistant in his study of how cooperative strategies among pharmaceutical firms influence their communication language styles: a large language model (LLM). Large language models are artificial intelligence systems that process massive data sets to predict and generate human language.

“The margin for error when manually processing vast datasets is significantly high,” Asgari remarked. “My engagement with AI evolved from using it as a mere analytical tool to considering it an indispensable research partner, a ’research copilot,’ if you will.”

The Credit Investor’s Handbook

His passion for teaching began when he was a credit analyst and head of Global New Entry Training at Citibank. At the time, Citibank was just breaking into investment banking, and Gatto was tasked with revamping its training program in the fundamentals of credit analysis for new hires. He later taught credit analysis for other financial institutions around the world as an independent consultant. He filled a knowledge gap in organizations whose employees had not had such training at the undergraduate or graduate level.

When Life Hands You Lemons, Throw Tomatoes

“The overlap between the joy of accounting and the joy of cooking is now a constant in my life,” she commented. “Both are part art, part science. Each sometimes requires rule-based action with absolute precision—such as calculating earnings per share or baking a delicate cake—and other times more interpretive judgment and estimation, such as determining the useful life of an asset or deciding between baking versus frying meatballs (frying is my preferred method).”

In her newly published book, When Life Hands You Lemons, Throw Tomatoes: Lessons in Life and Leadership, Rapaccioli dives deep into the interconnectedness between her successful career in academia, during which she has mentored hundreds of students and served at the helm of the Gabelli School of Business, and her passion for cooking and feeding her family, friends, and colleagues.

Peter Mueller, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Finance

Decentralized finance, or DeFi, instead relies on blockchain technology to facilitate trustless transactions between users. Peter Mueller, Ph.D., assistant professor of finance, examines the potential applications of this emerging technology and what it could mean for the future of finance, and says the story of the FTX scandal was an early inspiration for his research.

“I’m an empiricist, which means I write papers with data that I collect, and I use that data to tell a story, to test a hypothesis, and find solutions,” he explained. “I like compiling data, testing my hypothesis, and having a eureka moment.”

Masthead

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