Donna M. Rapaccioli Photo by Spencer Lum
Donna M. Rapaccioli
Photo by Spencer Lum

Donna M. Rapaccioli, Ph.D., dean of the Gabelli School of Business and dean of the business faculty, will assume the role of interim dean of the Graduate School of Business Administration effective July 1, the Office of the Provost announced in May.

The appointment precedes the yearlong process of unification of the two business schools that Dean Rapaccioli will oversee beginning in September.

Rapaccioli said she’s excited at the prospect of working with the faculty of the business schools to implement newly approved master’s in business administration and doctoral curriculums. Bringing together the alumni of both schools is also very exciting.

The hallmarks of the school will be applied learning, global perspectives, and business with purpose.

“It allows us to fulfill our responsibility to educate the next generation of business educators, and to do it in a way that’s cutting edge and really meets the needs of the next generation of learners,” she said.

She joined the Fordham faculty in 1987 and was appointed dean of the Gabelli School of Business in 2007. In 2010, she expanded her responsibilities to also serve as the dean of the business faculty.

“In her decanal roles, Dr. Rapaccioli’s proactive leadership is grounded in a strategic vision that recognizes the great promise of business education at Fordham as a world-class center of excellence in research and teaching in the heart of New York City,” said Stephen Freedman, Ph.D., provost of the University.

David A. Gautschi, Ph.D., who is stepping down as dean of the Graduate School of Business Administration, is taking a one-year sabbatical, after which he will return to the University with the title of dean emeritus and will hold the Joseph Keating, S.J., Chair as a tenured professor.

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Patrick Verel is a news producer for Fordham Now. He can be reached at Verel@fordham.edu or (212) 636-7790.