A Message From the Dean
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or the Frank G. Zarb School of Business, the 2011-2012 academic year was one of tremendous accomplishments. Our part-time M.B.A. program was ranked in the top five in the northeast and top 50 nationally by Bloomberg Businessweek. This is a remarkable achievement and a testament to the hard work and dedication of our faculty, staff, alumni and students. It is because of your collective efforts that we have achieved this profound recognition – one that we embrace with great Hofstra pride! On October 16, the eyes of the world turned to Hofstra as the University hosted the second presidential debate of the 2012 campaign. Hofstra is one of only three universities that have hosted more than one presidential debate. Another momentous occasion was the involvement of the Zarb School of Business and Hofstra’s School of Education in the NASDAQ closing bell ceremony on April 2, 2012. This event officially launched the Minds on the Markets 1.0 program, a curriculum sponsored by the NASDAQ QMX Foundation, which was funded to teach high school students about financial markets. The Zarb School has also launched an online M.B.A. program, which, in addition to Bloomberg Businessweek, has been ranked by U.S News & World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. New dual degree programs have also been created, saving students time and money in obtaining both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in five years. The alumni association has also increased its collaboration with current students through resume prep workshops and mock interview sessions. A pivotal conference titled US-China: Opportunities for New Business Partnerships was organized by the Zarb School of Business and the Center for International Financial Services and Markets this past May. This conference reviewed various aspects of future business collaboration between companies in China and the United States. Some of the organizations represented
included the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Morgan Stanley Asia, The Hain Celestial Group, the U.S. Department of Commerce and China Daily USA. On November 8, 2012, the Wilbur F. Breslin Center for Real Estate Studies and Frank G. Zarb School of Business collaborated to present a conference titled Real Estate and Alternative Investments: 2012 and After, offering faculty and students perspectives from some of the most outstanding members of the real estate and financial communities. Participating companies included S&P Dow Jones Indices; the Chicago Board Options Exchange; Venture Capital Maxim Group LLC; Knights Investment Group; ING Financial; TPG-Axon Capital; Rock Center Capital Partners, LLC; TIAA-CREF; The Beechwood Organization; Triple Five Worldwide Organization; Renaissance Downtowns LLC; and the Ackman-Ziff Real Estate Group. I am also pleased to acknowledge two longtime Zarb faculty members – Dr. Harold Lazarus, former dean and distinguished professor, and Dr. Esmeralda Lyn, former vice dean and distinguished professor – who recently retired. We are grateful for their dedicated efforts and wish them all the best in their future endeavors. We also welcome Dr. George Papaioannou to his new role as vice dean. As we continue in this academic year, our focus will be on building internships and study abroad opportunities that will enhance the Zarb experience for our students and equip them with the tools they need to succeed in our global marketplace. Sincerely,
Patrick J. Socci, Ph.D. Dean Frank G. Zarb School of Business 3