Personal and Professional Development

Personal and Professional Development Center

The Gabelli School of Business's Personal and Professional Development (PPD) Center offers a comprehensive slate of programs and activities to help students develop into global business leaders.

All students at Fordham have access to the University-wide Office of Career Services. On top of that, Gabelli School students have an additional advantage in our Personal and Professional Development Center, which offers business-specific career-development programs and direct industry connections. The PPD Center's offerings include:

  • One-on-one advising, including résumé reviews and mock interviews, with industry-specific advisers
  • Field-specific programming in accounting, finance, and marketing
  • Workshops, networking events, corporate on-site visits, and speaker series
  • Industry competitions
  • Outreach to target employers and alumni who may choose to hire Gabelli School students
  • Online career resources
  • Collaboration with business student clubs and organizations

In addition, all major personal and professional development events are listed on the Gabelli School's online calendar. Students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the center from their first year onward.

All PPD offerings are part of the Gabelli Progress Status (GPS) Checklist, a four-year sequence designed to help Gabelli School students discover their full potential and tap into it for the benefit of themselves and others. We recognize that the business world is a challenging place, and that a little extra support during a student's college years can make all the difference in succeeding in it. The checklist is designed to give our students that extra lift toward their personal and professional goals and wraps together elements of self-discovery and self-awareness, career development, and service to others. Students emerge prepared to handle anything that life after graduation might bring their way.

Current students can make an appointment with a PPD team member via GabelliAccess.

The Alumni Network

Finding an alumni community more loyal than Fordham's isn't easy. Gabelli School of Business graduates have an uncommonly strong belief in the power of a Fordham education—and in the potential of current students. Alumni and students connect through an extensive networking program, both online and in person.

Students can find out about alumni networking opportunities through the Gabelli School's online calendar. These events span a very wide range and vary by semester, but examples include

  • The Alumni/Student Supper Club: An alumnus or alumna holds a networking dinner with current students who aspire to work in his or her business field. Supper Club dinners take place at restaurants in the Bronx or Manhattan; either the host or the school picks up the check, so that students are not responsible for the cost of the meal. This small-group format, of perhaps six people total, is the best way to get to know an alumnus or alumna one-on-one.
  • Boardroom Series: Alumni visit Hughes Hall to meet in a conference-style format with a small group of students, typically no more than 25. This allows students the chance to approach the alumni afterward to make a personal connection.
  • Young alumni panel discussions: Coordinated by the Personal and Professional Development Center, these panels bring together up to a dozen recent graduates to speak with students about what it was like to start their careers.
  • Fordham sporting events: Student groups such as the Dean's Council may sponsor halftime celebrations for Gabelli alumni at basketball games and other contests.

In addition, because Fordham's alumni network is global—our graduates live from Manhattan to Melbourne to Munich—the Gabelli School of Business offers ways for alumni and students to connect online. Please note that you will need to type or copy-paste these URLs into your web browser; if you are looking at the online version of this course bulletin, the links will not work directly because they are external websites.

For more information about getting to know our alumni, please visit the Personal and Professional Development Center web page.