Sertan Kabadayi has visited 107 countries and 44 U.S. states, but spends most of his time in his office at 140 West 62nd Street.
“Every morning, I arrive around 7 a.m. Sometimes, I spend 10 to 12 hours a day here,” said Kabadayi, who teaches marketing and directs the full-time and part-time MBA programs at the Gabelli School of Business. “It’s my second home.”
A Bunny From Berlin
On a shelf, Kabadayi keeps a chocolate bunny from Berlin, the city where he was born and raised until he was 4 years old.
He has returned to the city many times since then, including shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, a concrete barrier that separated communist East Berlin from democratic West Berlin for nearly three decades. He remembers when things like chocolate first became available to East Berliners.
“Since East Berlin was run by the communist system, a lot of things were controlled. People did not have much access to ‘luxury items’ like bananas and chocolate,” said Kabadayi, who grew up in West Berlin. “After the wall fell, you couldn’t find those things in grocery stores because they were all sold out.”
A Reminder of Home
Kabadayi moved from Berlin to Istanbul, Turkey, where he spent most of his childhood. Years later, his partner gifted him a framed photo of Istanbul to remind him of home.
Istanbul is a multicultural metropolis that served as the capital for the ancient Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires. The city is also uniquely located in both Asia and Europe.
“Growing up, I lived in Asia, but my university was on the European side. Every morning, I took the 20-minute ferry from Asia to Europe,” recalled Kabadayi, who visits Istanbul twice a year to see family and friends.
New Mug, New Chapter
This Disney mug was the first birthday gift that Kabadayi received after moving to New York in 2000. It takes him back to the days when he was a young doctoral student at Baruch College who didn’t have a lot of time and money, but made good use of his unlimited MetroCard.
“Every Friday morning, I rode the subway to a random station, explored the neighborhood, got coffee or lunch, and talked with people. I covered so much of New York City,” Kabadayi said. “Now I suggest doing the same thing to my students. I tell them, ‘The best way to do marketing is to get to know people. Don’t get stuck in Manhattan. There is life beyond this borough.’”
A Classic Book for New Yorkers
Displayed on his bookshelf is a copy of Humans of New York, a collection of street portraits and intimate stories about everyday New Yorkers.
“This is a book that I’ve given to so many friends around the world. When they imagine New York, they think about big buildings, Broadway, and the Empire State Building,” said Kabadayi. “But what makes New York really special is the people.”
Souvenirs From More Than 100 Countries
About a decade ago, Kabadayi became a U.S. citizen, but he continues to pursue his love of travel, especially at Fordham. He has taken Gabelli School graduate students to cities like Barcelona, London, and Madrid on global immersion trips. Students visit international companies, interact with business leaders, and even learn how to cook local cuisine.
“Last October, we visited Lisbon. They took a cooking class and prepared an eight-course dinner. That was the best dinner I ever had in Lisbon, and I’m not saying that just because they were my students,” said Kabadayi, who has visited the city eight times.
Kabadayi himself does not enjoy cooking.
“When I was a doctoral student, we wrote a paper about a theory that reflects ourselves. Mine explained why I should eat out, rather than cooking, by using transaction cost theory,” he said. “I got an A.”
A One-Of-A-Kind Coca-Cola
Among his souvenirs is a Coca-Cola bottle from a gift shop in Puerto Rico.
“As a marketing professor, I like to collect different bottles of Coca-Cola because it is one of the largest brands in the world,” Kabadayi said. “This is an old bottle that was turned into art. It represents Puerto Rico, but it’s also about sustainability, recycling, and repurposing.”
The Evil Eye
Kabadayi keeps a collection of Turkish objects on a shelf above his desk, including an evil-eye amulet that protects its owners against negative energy.
“I’m normally not a superstitious person, but I believe in the energy of the evil eye. This is a very Turkish thing,” said Kabadayi. “Also, the older I get, the more I feel like my mom, who also believes in this.”
A Paws-itively Fun Book
Sitting on his desk is a booklet with different dogs and phrases, including “Wasn’t me,” “On a break,” and “Get me out of here.” The booklet is flipped to a page that Kabadayi occasionally resonates with.
“Teaching is the easy part. I consider it my therapy session. But sometimes, I need to attend eight different meetings on the same day,” he said.
A Custom Catchphrase
As a thank-you gift, a group of former MBA students designed a custom poster for Kabadayi.
“I used to tell them, ‘The world is crazy. Things are changing. Just keep calm, and you will find the solution to any problem.’ I also told them, ‘Don’t be a loser. Don’t whine and complain. Do something about it.’ So they combined my two phrases and had this specially made,” said Kabadayi. “This is not the nicest [phrase], but my students get it.”
Kabadayi’s First Teaching Award
Ever since he was 15, Kabadayi knew he wanted to become a professor.
“What I really like is seeing that sparkle in students’ eyes, knowing that they learned something new,” said Kabadayi, who has taught at Fordham for more than two decades. “It’s the best thing when I run into successful businesspeople around the world who used to be my students.”
Among his many awards, the one that is most precious is his first-ever teaching award.
“During my final year in my doctoral program, I was selected as the best student teacher. I’m lucky to have received many different awards over the years,” said Kabadayi, “but this one is special.”
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
