Executive MBA Students Give Rio Businesses an NYC Perspective

Fordham Westchester's Executive MBA Program take on Rio.

Last week students from Westchester’s Executive MBA program presented findings from a survey of New Yorker’s perceptions of Rio de Janeiro to the Rio Visitors's Convention Bureau in Brazil.

The consultation was the capstone project of a summer session led by Professor John Hollwitz, Ph.D. The consult focused on how Rio could increase visitors through tourism and business development. Students presented their findings and a strategic plan on August 20 to professionals from the Visitors and Convention Center system, which included representatives from Rio and several other Brazilian cities.

The legwork for the project was done in New York as preparations for the World Cup were well underway. Students found that while New Yorkers are open to traveling to new places and learning about different cultures, there is substantial reticence of going to Rio due to personal safety concerns.

However, EMBA student Joseph Pirraglia said of 150 New Yorkers the group surveyed, most of those who’d already travelled to Rio would recommend visiting the city and would also like to return for another visit.

In a telephone interview from the conference, Pirraglia said that as a first time visitor to Brazil, he too would like to return. He added that he found Rio’s personal safety issues similar to those in New York.

“You have to watch yourself when you walk around New York at night and that’s pretty much the same in Rio,” he said.

Pirraglia said the group advised the Visitors Bureau that they should attempt to draw parallels between two cities whenever possible and to promote the aspects of the city that New Yorkers might not be aware of.

“Like New York, the community in Rio is more open to people of different nationalities and sexual orientation,” he said.

He said that Rio’s open-minded atmosphere creates niche business opportunities that city should take advantage of, like marketing to the gay and lesbian community.

The study more or less confirmed the findings of previous research.

“The overall impressions I got from many people, including the hotel managers, is that although we were telling them some things they already knew, it was helpful to hear it from a New York perspective,” said EMBA student Kirsten Hase.

Others were impressed that students who had never been to Rio provided such spot-on analysis.

“For a consulting group who is foreign to Brazil, the research and recommendations presented by Fordham were of professional quality and demonstrated a through analysis of the situation we are facing,” said Milton Longobardi, chairman of the Latin American Advisory Board for the Chief Marketing Officers Council.

Fordham MBA Programs Ranked 'Top-Tier' by CEO Magazine

For the third year in a row, Fordham University’s MBA programs have been ranked in the upper echelons by CEO Magazine.

As with last year, both the MBA and EMBA programs were ranked in the tier one category in the magazines’ Spring 2012 issue. 

The MBA program was included with 39 others in the North American regional ranking, along with the likes of Princeton, Georgetown and Vanderbilt Universities, in that category. The Executive MBA program is ranked within the Global EMBA Rankings.

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

In addition, Francis Petit, Ed.D. associate dean for executive MBA programs, wrote an article for the magazine, "The Moment of Truth for Executive MBA Programs." In it, Petit identified three market indicators that are presenting a challenge to EMBA programs:

-Decreasing corporate sponsorship;

-Changing EMBA student expectations and program perceptions;

-Geographical shifts for new program opportunities

He suggested business schools respond by:

-Promoting students’ return on investment

-Changing internal mindset away from attitudes that treat EMBAs as “cash cows.”

-Reposition the offering to include programs such as Fordham’s “Wellness Initiative,” which emphasizes a well-rounded approach.

“Executive MBA programs are at a crossroads. Recent trends indicate an industry that is changing and evolving,” he wrote. “Business schools must not only understand these trends and developments but must also be proactive and strategic in moving the industry forward. The time is now.”

—Patrick Verel

Executive MBA Program Ranks Among Best in North America

The Fordham Executive MBA (EMBA) program has been ranked No. 27 in North America by Poets and Quants, a new website devoted to Executive MBA education.

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.

—Nina Romeo

CEO Magazine Gives Business Graduate Programs High Marks

Three times, CEO Magazine has ranked MBA and EMBA programs around the world, and just as it did last year, the editors there put Fordham’s programs in the highest echelon.

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.

—Patrick Verel

EMBA Program Offers New Professional and Personal Development Initiative, Executive Certificate

Fordham’s Executive MBA program has launched two exciting initiatives that will make the entire experience more "Jesuit" in nature.

“We have been tirelessly focusing on how we can increasingly instill the Jesuit ideals within the Fordham Executive MBA experience,” said Francis Petit, Ed.D., associate dean for EMBA programs. “These initiatives focus on the education of the ‘whole person’ as well as building the global mindset and the importance of social responsibility.”

In addition to the required academic coursework, EMBA students will have the option of participating in a “Professional and Personal Development Initiative” within the Jesuit tradition. It is based on the following themes:

Career Management

This includes executive coaching, career life planning, goal setting, career enhancing skills and networking opportunities. Executive students will have the option of working with a coach/mentor throughout their studies and have access to career enhancing skills workshops, the Fordham University Alumni Database and other resources within the Office of Career Management.

Wellness

This includes areas such as health, nutrition, balance, meditation and spirituality. The goal is to enhance the creation of a well-rounded individual within the three pillars of the mind, body and soul. This initiative involves a working relationship with the NYU Langone Medical Center and Exhale (mind/body) on 59th Street in Manhattan.

Social Skills

This includes various social skills that are essential for business including wine tasting events, a golf clinic and other activities.

The second initiative is an Executive Certificate Option.

In addition to the academic degree requirements and required international capstone trip, Fordham EMBA students and alumni have the option of participating in a week-long international "Gateway" program that has a focus on strategy, business development, and social responsibility within a specific region of the world in the context of the Jesuit Tradition.

“Each ‘Gateway’ will incorporate class sessions, corporate visits, government appointments and a cultural component,” Petit said. “In order to qualify and obtain an Executive Certificate, current EMBA students and alumni must participate and complete one international Gateway program.”

Trip options include an executive certificate in global strategy on “Doing Business in South Africa” from June 19 through the 25th at the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science in Johannesburg.

A Gateway program for London, England, at Fordham’s London Centre at Heythrop College in Kensington Square is in the works for January 2012. Details are forthcoming.
“With these new offerings we are not only trailblazers in the Jesuit EMBA market but also in the entire industry as no other programs are offering such initiatives,” Petit said.

For additional information, contact Francis Petit at petit@fordham.edu and/or (914) 367-3271.

Also visit the following links:

Professional and Personal Development Initiative

Executive Certificate Option

—Gina Vergel

New Executive MBA Class Starts Classes

The calendar may still say summer, but for Fordham’s top-rated Executive MBA program, Thursday, Aug. 6 signals the start of another intensive two-month session.

According to Francis Petit, Ed.D., assistant dean and director of executive programs at the Graduate School of Business Administration (GBA), the class of 2011, which will be the program’s seventh cohort, consists of 36 students.

As with past classes, the class is notable for its diversity and work experience. The mean age of the class is 33, the mean experience is 11 years, and the companies represented include Deloitte Services LP, Credit Suisse, McKinsey, KPMG, AT&T, BMW of North America, Hyperion Publishing, The Embassy Suites Hotel, Source Media, MTV Networks and Ann Taylor.

The student’s personal backgrounds are just as diverse, as they hail from Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, and Pakistan. Also notable is the fact that it has its’ first student from the Fordham Vets Initiative, a veteran who has served two tours of duty in Iraq.

—Patrick Verel

Inaugural Fordham Westchester EMBA Class

The inaugural Fordham Westchester Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) cohort of 2010 started classes on January 8. The vibrant, dynamic and diverse class consists of 22 executive students (see details below).

The intensive 22-month program is growing in popularity: in Fiscal Year 2005, it generated 1,392 credit hours (AEMBA Cohorts 1 and 2); in Fiscal Year 2009, the EMBA program will generate 2,352 credit hours (AEMBA Cohorts 5, 6 and Westchester Cohort 1). This represents a 69 percent increase in credit hours in a four-year period. GBA anticipates the credit hours to grow in Fiscal Year 2010, as it will have four EMBA cohorts running concurrently for the first time.

Cohort Statistics
Number of Executives in Cohort: 22
Program Tuition: $80,000
Mean Age: 35
Mean Years of Work Experience: 13
Percent Male: 59
Percent Female: 41
Percent Full Financial Sponsorship: 16
Percent Partial Financial Sponsorship: 58
Percent Self Sponsored: 26
Mean Salary: $125,000

Industries Represented in Cohort: finance, insurance, utilities, sports, non-profit, media, medical, pharmaceuticals, banking and packaged goods.

Titles Represented in Cohort: senior director, vice president, associate executive director, content director, sales consultant and chief construction inspector.

Organizations Represented in Cohort: ESPN, Medco Health Solutions, Mastercard, Con Edison, Crossfire Consulting, Academy of Management and WFUV.

Academic Institutions Represented in Cohort: New York Medical College (MPH), University of Maryland, Fordham University, Manhattan College, DePaul University, City College of New York, St. John’s University and Penn State University.