Mar 19, 2024  
2022-2023 University Catalog 
    
2022-2023 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Mario J. Gabelli School of Business


Mission Statement

The Mario J. Gabelli School of Business emphasizes excellence in classroom engagement and experiential learning opportunities to develop independent thinkers who understand the responsible and global application of theory to practice.

Overview

The Gabelli School of Business offers seven business majors, each leading to a Bachelor of Science degree: Accounting, Business Law (3+3), Economics, Finance, International Business, Management and Marketing. The school is accredited by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. In addition, an allied major is offered in Economics (BA).  The BA is also offered in Mathematical Economics.  Minor programs of study are offered in Accounting, Business, Business Analytics, Economics, Finance, Management, and Marketing.

The Gabelli School of Business was named in honor of Mario J. Gabelli, Wall Street investor and founder of The Gabelli Funds, Inc., of Rye, N.Y., in October 1995. Mr. Gabelli, Chairman and CEO of Gabelli Asset Management, Inc., is a member of the University’s Board of Trustees.

Classes in the Gabelli School of Business facilitate student learning through close and continuing interaction with faculty. The faculty conducts classes using a variety of pedagogical approaches: lecture, case analysis and discussion, team projects, simulations, visiting executive lectures, and student presentations. Faculty also provide academic and career advising.

Opportunities for semester-long internships and involvement with the Roger Williams’ Community Partnerships Center enable students to work with organizations where they apply classroom learning to business and other organizations and gain practical experience. Gabelli School of Business students participate in a wide variety of learning opportunities including participation in national, discipline-based competitions, direct interactions with business organizations, and semester abroad programs.

The student business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi, is a co-educational, professional organization that fosters the study of business and encourages scholarship, social activity, and service. The fraternity invites business leaders to speak on campus, performs community service activities, and is represented at regional and national fraternity conventions. Men and women are equally represented in Delta Sigma Pi.  Outstanding junior and senior business scholars may be inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, the official business honor society of AACSB International.  Students who excel in the areas of Accounting and/or Finance may be inducted into Beta Alpha Psi.

Facilities

The Mario J. Gabelli School of Business is housed in its own building. Faculty offices, classrooms and computer labs are located throughout the building; administrative offices can be found on the first floor. The Robert F. Stoico/FirstFed Financial Services Center is located near the building’s main entrance, and is available to all Gabelli students. The E.L. Wiegand Center for Advanced Financial Education is also on the first floor and hosts GSB’s student investing program, the C.A.F.E.  The University maintains state-of-the-art computing labs and is a leader in applying cloud-based computing to education through its r-Cloud initiative.

Mario J. Gabelli School of Business Faculty

The faculty is comprised of experienced academics and professionals serving as experts to business enterprises, government agencies and nonprofit organizations. They are dedicated teachers who have contributed to knowledge about business theory and practice, authored papers in academic and business practitioner publications and engaged in scholarship and professional development activities. Their practitioner experiences contribute to and enhance classroom learning. A strong cadre of practitioner faculty further enhances the student experience at the Gabelli School.  The practitioner faculty are drawn mainly from current or former “C” suite executives in business and other organizations who bring their special leadership experiences to their teaching.

Administration:

Susan M. McTiernan, D.B.A., Dean, Associate Professor of Management
Jason Oliver, Ph.D., Associate Dean, Professor of Marketing
Barbara L. Grota, Ph.D., Assistant Dean, Assistant Professor of Management

Catherine Hall, Ph.D. Director Assurance of Learning and Special Projects, Lecturer in Management

 

Professors:

Benjamin N. Carr, Marketing; Rupayan Gupta, Economics; Maria Kula, Economics; Thomas Langdon, Business Law; Thomas Lonardo, Business Law; Scott P. Mackey, Finance; Michael Melton, Finance; Jason Oliver, Marketing; Priniti Panday, Economics; Lynn Ruggieri, Accounting; Minoo Tehrani, International Business and Management; Miao Zhao, Marketing

Associate Professors:

Farbod Farhadi, Management; ; Alexander Knights, Management; Geraldo Matos, Marketing; John McQuilkin, Accounting; Susan McTiernan, Management; Mark Wu, Finance

Assistant Professors:

J. Dennis Ding, Finance; Benjamin Innis, Management; David Jorgensen, Management; Ruby Qin Saine, Marketing

Lecturers:

Scott Burke, Management

 

Visiting Faculty:

Sunil Kumar, Accounting

Special Academic Regulations

  1. Graduation GPA Requirement: In addition to meeting the overall University GPA of 2.0 required for graduation, students majoring in one of the areas offered by the Gabelli School of Business must earn a cumulative GPA of 2.0 in all Business Core courses and all courses taken in Accounting, Computer Information Systems, Economics, Finance, Management, and Marketing.
  2. Restrictions for non-majors and non-minors: Students who have not formally declared a major or minor in the Gabelli School of Business may only register for 100 or 200 level courses offered by the School. Exceptions to this restriction are made for students who have formally declared a major or minor which requires 300+ level business courses.
  3. Internal Transfer Policy: Students who are formally admitted to Roger Williams University, but who have declared a major other than one of the business majors (Accounting, Economics (BS), Finance, International Business, Management or Marketing) offered by the Gabelli School of Business or who have not yet declared a major are welcome to apply. You must be an enrolled Roger Williams University student in good academic standing to be eligible for transfer to the School of Business. The Gabelli School of Business has a selective internal transfer admission policy. A School faculty committee reviews each application for evidence of strong, consistent academic performance.

There are two admissions cycles each year as shown in the table below:

CYCLE DEADLINE NOTIFICATION EFFECTIVE
Fall 1 December 15 January Spring
Spring 1 May 15 June Fall

Applicants are encouraged to take the following courses prior to or during the semester they submit their application:

  1. MATH 141 - Finite Mathematics  (MATH 136, 207, or 213 may be substituted) and/or MATH 124 - Basic Statistics  (MATH 250 or 315 may be substituted)
  2. WTNG 102 - How Writing Works  
  3. BUSN 100 - Enterprise  
  4. ECON 111 - Principles of Microeconomics  and/or ECON 112 - Principles of Macroeconomics  
  5. CIS 105 - Data Analysis & Analytics with Excel  

The Gabelli School accepts students with strong academic records and good recommendations, but may need to deny admission because of enrollment limitations: The school reserves the right to refuse admission to any applicant.

The admissions decision may be positive (admission granted), negative (admission denied), or, in a limited number of instances, recommend reapplication. In the case of a recommendation to reapply, the admissions decision letter will spell out the steps the applicant should take to reinforce his or her candidacy (e.g., take an additional business course or courses).

Application forms for transfer to a major in Accounting, Economics (BS), Finance, International Business, Management, or Marketing in the Gabelli School of Business are available from the Deans’ Suite, Room 109, School of Business, or online at the school’s web site.

Programs

Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Science

Bachelor of Science/Juris Doctor

Master of Business Administration

Minor