BY GIRISH SWAMINATH

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Donna Rapaccioli, dean of the Gabelli School of Business, formally announced the initiation of the Gabelli School of Business in the Lincoln Center campus at the fall GSB Town Hall meeting on Sept. 23. Rapaccioli discussed details about the newly formed Lincoln Center program.

“[The Gabelli School of Business] has experienced tremendous growth in its curriculum, Businessweek rankings and competitiveness in the admissions process, with 440 enrolled freshmen out of the 8,105 students who applied,” Rapaccioli said. “We definitely felt that establishing a program in the Lincoln Center campus was the next step in the growth of the Gabelli School of Business.”

The GSB program at the Lincoln Center campus will be a Bachelor of Science in Global Business with four new concentrations: digital media and technology, global finance and business economics, management with a focus on healthcare and marketing with a focus on consumer insight. The program will share the Integrated Business core, undergraduate core and some common faculty with the Rose Hill campus.

“The [Gabelli School of Business] program at Lincoln Center will be a strong fit with Fordham College at Lincoln Center’s academic program,” Rapaccioli said. “[The faculty] developed the major, discipline and concentrations based on growing job market opportunities, the higher prevalence of internship programs and faculty expertise and strength.”

The proximity of Lincoln Center to various companies and internship programs was also another driving factor in establishing the GSB program at the Lincoln Center campus.

“[The faculty] felt that the Midtown Manhattan setting would open doors to numerous professional opportunities for students, especially with an intensified global focus,” Rapaccioli said. “The program is multidisciplinary, since it ties to the liberal arts program of Fordham College Lincoln Center and is planned to include only approximately fifty students in the first class.”

In the application process for the Class of 2018, students will be able to select their desired campus. Transferring between campuses within GSB will not be permitted until the program is further developed. As of now, coursework is planned only for the Class of 2018’s freshman year and curricula for future academic years will be incorporated as the program continues.

GSB at Rose Hill will serve as the home of the entrepreneurship program and specialty programs, such as the Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF), Fair Trade, Value Investing, Sports Business, Alternative Investments and similar programs. It will also be the only campus at which students can pursue a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Finance, Marketing or Business Administration.

Rapaccioli mentioned that the development of GSB at Lincoln Center was designed to enhance interaction and involvement among students from the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses.

“[GSB] is certainly organizing events and programs in such a manner that Rose Hill students would go to the Lincoln Center campus and vice versa,” Rapaccioli said. “Organizations like Smart Women’s Securities do that now. We are also hoping to enhance the interaction between the Gabelli students at Lincoln Center and Fordham College at Lincoln Center just as GSB students interact with Fordham College at Rose Hill.”

Student response towards the introduction of the Gabelli School of Business at the Lincoln Center campus has been extremely positive.

“I think it will open up new opportunities for students to get more exposure into the business world,” Maria de Jesus, GSB ’14, said. “Professors will be able to recruit employees from major companies in the city to come in and give lectures about their experiences.”

“[GSB at Lincoln Center] could give students an edge if they decide to pursue a master’s degree at Fordham itself,” Avanika Kirpalani, GSB ’14, said. “Students will also have more convenience with regards to accessing internships in the city.”

Other developments in the Gabelli School of Business discussed in the Town Hall meeting include the introduction of four new concentrations into the Rose Hill program: Alternative investments, International Business, Sports Business and Value Investing. In addition, according to Businessweek rankings, 93 percent of senior actively seeking full-time employment after graduation were able to successfully obtain employment. Rapaccioli mentioned that improvements were being made to the Fordham Foundry program, wherein student entrepreneurs may apply to receive training to run their own small businesses and have access to microloan opportunities, mentors and office space on Fordham Road.