Alumni/Student Supper Club launches at the graduate school

Graduate | Feb 10, 2015 | Nicole Gesualdo

On the theory that mentoring is better over manicotti, the Gabelli School’s popular Alumni/Student Supper Club concept made the leap to the graduate level last week, matching 105 MBA and MS students with Fordham alumni mentors. The alumni and students will meet twice a semester to discuss job-hunting, industry trends, and current events—over dinner, of course.

Overall, 25 alumni are involved in this graduate-level pilot program. Most are in financial services, but accounting and marketing are in the mix, too.

The graduate version of the Supper Club works a bit differently than its undergraduate counterpart.

Whereas undergraduate Supper Club dinners are one-time opportunities that any Gabelli School students can apply for, the graduate Supper Club is a recurring phenomenon. The mentoring groups—three to five students and one alumnus or alumna “host”—remain together for a full school year, allowing everyone to really get to know one another.

This feature is aimed to fulfill a special request the graduate students had: Because many of them live off campus and some work demanding full-time jobs, only coming to Lincoln Center for their class meetings, they wanted a venue to network and connect with their fellow students just as much as with Fordham alumni.

“We designed this program to meet as many student needs as possible,” Dean Donna Rapaccioli said. “At last fall’s open forum for graduate students, MBA and MS candidates talked about their need for mentoring, access to alumni, and ties to one another. We heard you.”

The 105 students will be asked for their opinions as the program gets rolling. Their feedback will be used to shape the future of the graduate version.

Graduate students who have questions about the Supper Club may e-mail the organizing team at supperclub@fordham.edu. New undergraduate Supper Club opportunities will be posted soon.