Father McShane to MBA Students: NYC is the World in a Microcosm

Featured Events Gabelli100 | Oct 28, 2019 | Cynthia Ramsaran

In his welcome to the Gabelli School of Business full-time MBA students last week, Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham University, addressed the group, who hail from over 30 cities around the world.

Father McShane began his talk with questions about where each student came from, comparing and contrasting each of their backgrounds. He did so, he said, to bring the group closer together, noting that their differences are valuable assets to Fordham’s NYC-based MBA program.

“It’s to our benefit that you’re here, and it’s to your benefit that this is such a varied place,” said Father McShane. “When I was younger, diversity was either Brooklyn or Queens and Bronx or Manhattan. We were a very local school. We are much different now, and we are different because of you.”

Father McShane continued by calling out the advantages that both international and American students bring to the MBA program.

“International students, you bring to the table of life and business great assets and skills,” he said. “With linguistic skills and an adventurous spirit, you bring a willingness to step outside your comfort zone. For Americans students, you, too, bring to the table a lot of skills and assets. All of you are teachers to one another.”

Aside from the group’s diversity, Father McShane encouraged the students to take advantage of the opportunities they will have by studying business in the heart of New York City. He described it to be a “world in a microcosm.” He advised each student to seek various internships inside and out of their concentrations.

Concluding his welcome conversation, he reminded the group why Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business offers a unique advantage in comparison to other business schools. The Jesuit university experience provides students a holistic education where they are “challenged and cherished,” in a place where no one, regardless of where they came from, feels like a stranger.

“There are 800 languages spoken in the city and over 20,000 restaurants,” he said. “This truly is the place where everyone feels at home.”