Uniquely Fordham: Why the Portfolio MBA
Will Make You a Better Manager

Legendary money manager Warren Buffett advises that “an investor should act as though he had a lifetime decision card with just twenty punches on it.” If Buffett’s phenomenal returns are any indication, it’s not bad advice.

Fordham’s new portfolio-based approach to the MBA emphasizes just the sort of careful planning and consideration of long-term implications that über-investor Buffett practices on a daily basis—and as Fordham alumni would attest, the returns are indeed exceptional. Fordham career and academic advisors will help you select the right mix of personalized career assets—those crucial “twenty punches”—that will give you a unique competitive edge after graduation and throughout the rest of your career.

Why a portfolio? Success in today's hypercompetitive market requires approaching your business education the same way you approach your financial investments. To maximize return and minimize risk, you want to take a diversified portfolio approach, investing in knowledge, experience, and networks. Plus, you need to manage those assets wisely.

Here's how Fordham Business helps you do just that.

Competition is fierce, but the Fordham MBA gives you the skills you need to compete and win.

The market may be brutal, but you’re ready to take on and conquer any challenge. Using Fordham’s unique portfolio approach, you have identified your career goals and have a rock-solid game plan for meeting them.

Many MBA programs train their students to operate at specific points in their careers. Fordham, however, focuses on both long- and short-term return on investment (ROI). Your selection of short-term skills gives you a distinct advantage vis-à-vis other MBAs immediately upon graduation, and your long-term skills facilitate adaptation and continued improvement in a changing business environment.

When the rules change, you know how to adapt.

Fordham MBAs know how to exploit the highs and lows of the global market and turn formidable challenges into exciting opportunities. When life throws you a lemon, you open a highly profitable lemonade stand.

First-year Fordham student Alyona Teeter chose Fordham because of its flexibility. "You can take as many classes or credits as you want, you can go from part-time one term to full-time the next; this allows you to hold internships or jobs and choose exactly what's best for you." A native of Russia with private banking experience, Teeter hopes to enter the field of corporate finance or investment management upon graduation.

Many Fordham alumni have used their adaptive skills to better facilitate interaction in cross-cultural teams and adjust to new business environments. “My concentration was in management with an IB (International Business) designation,” says Katherine Kanes, Fordham ’00, who is now vice president for investment management at Brown Brothers Harriman. “I managed a large group of fifty people in Australia for two years. Fordham's global focus helped me adjust to my host country's business culture as well as prepared me for managing a diverse staff.”

Chance favors the prepared mind, and the Fordham MBA puts chance on your side.

Fordham’s rigorous and strategic career planning process prepares you for the ups and downs of the business world. The portfolio approach allows you to build knowledge across multiple disciplines, creating a useful hedge as the market values of specific skills and specialties fluctuate. Is the consulting industry experiencing a slide? Leverage your skills in product marketing or brand management. Fordham also allows dual concentrations so that MBAs can develop diverse areas of expertise. As a Fordham MBA, you’re well-positioned in any market.

Kenneth Tiongson, a first-year student at Fordham, is pursuing an MBA with concentrations in both finance and information systems. "I'm hoping that such an approach will enhance my personal portfolio," says Tiongson. "I used to work at a nonprofit, and I'm looking to work in finance after business school."

The Fordham MBA teaches you to continually evaluate your career options as well as your own performance.

Fordham’s portfolio program strongly emphasizes continual reviews of—and revisions to —your academic investment plan. This process includes a program of rigorous self-analysis as well as critical evaluation of the appropriateness of your chosen courseload. “In addition to legal and ethical components of management,” says Kanes, “I was able to better assess my strengths and weaknesses as a manager.”

Tiongson notes that Fordham's career advisors are especially adept at assisting students with each stage of the recruiting process, from evaluating employers to preparing for interviews.

Fordham’s program creates better managers—and better leaders.

Kanes says the Fordham MBA helped her “understand the difference between leading and managing, manage individuals as opposed to staff, and to modify my management style to get results.” Internships, field studies, and special programs allow Fordham MBAs to put what they’re learning into practice by giving them opportunities to demonstrate their leadership skills in real work situations.

Fordham’s approach to the MBA is designed to ensure that graduates leave feeling prepared, confident, and supported by a strong community of successful alumni. Each investment is carefully selected and re-assessed on a continual basis. Thus, each of the Fordham MBA’s “twenty punches” contributes to your bottom line—in B-school and beyond.

Return to Newsletter Index