Provost’s Report on the Graduate School of Business Administration

The Graduate School of Business Administration (GBA) launched three new master’s degree programs and expanded the number of collaborations involving the Master of Science in Global Finance and the Master of Science in Investor Relations.

A series of prominent events during the past academic year, anchored especially on the Fordham Wall Street Council, have contributed to the growing reputation of the school. Additional high-profile GBA events conducted in London, Istanbul, Jerusalem, and Beijing attracted business and government leaders, as well as growing numbers of Fordham alumni. Development activities are beginning to produce international donations and commitments to the school.

The three overarching goals of the GBA strategy remain as follows:

• Quality — revising, culling, and developing programs to assure quality enhancement, enrollment growth, and improved placement of GBA graduates

• Recognition — establishing a coherent global standing of GBA that is anchored on academic, industry, and alumni relationships

• Administrative Support — building an administrative infrastructure appropriate to support the academic enterprise of the school

GBA established three new master’s degree programs in fall 2012 and two new programs in fall 2013. An additional new program developed jointly with the Graduate School of Social Service (GSS) has been approved by both the joint council of business faculty and the faculty of GSS and is expected to begin in fall 2014.

Enrollments have exceeded targets for fiscal year 2013. A significant aspect of the enrollment growth is that the average credit-hour load per enrolled student has increased as GBA now has more full-time students than part-time students. The quality of enrolled students has improved significantly, as indicated by a rising average GMAT score for the MBA program and for the entire program portfolio of GBA. The use of digital technology to enhance the design and delivery of the curriculum offers new opportunities to advance academic excellence.

Negotiations conducted over the past year yielded collaborations with the Gordon Institute of Business Science at the University of Pretoria on the Master of Science in Global Finance and the 3 Continent Master’s of Global Management, to begin in summer 2014.

GBA developed a plan for fiscal year 2014 to integrate veterans of the United Kingdom with those of the United States, based on the model of the Fordham Accelerator for Business. Collaborators include retired Gen. Peter Pace and a select group of prominent individuals in London who are associated with the UK Veterans’ Aid, the Prince of Wales, the Church of England, and the Lady R Foundation.

In collaboration with Bilkent University, Petroturk, and the Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, a certificate program on the business of energy has been designed for launch in Turkey.

Fiscal year 2013 delivered rising enrollments in the collaborative programs, increased number of international conferences and seminars with international academic partners, growing participation in the alumni and special interest groups sponsored by the school, and agreement with a partner to collaborate on a new executive program.

The Fordham Wall Street Council has reached 400 members, and the Alumni-Student Career Alliance (ASCA) now has more than 400 members. Both groups hold regular events matching students, alumni, and friends from industry to assist in building community with the school. In close coordination with the director of development for GBA, well-known speakers have been secured to elevate the stature and visibility of the Fordham Wall Street Council, ASCA, and a series on Business and the City. Additionally, a documentary film has been prepared based on the four events of the Future of Business series.

As a direct result of these activities, contributions and the number of contributors to the GBA Annual Fund have increased markedly.