Sy Syms School of Business ONLINE AND ON-CAMPUS IN NEW YORK CITY Apply to undergraduate program Artificial Intelligence Biotechnology Computer Science Cybersecurity Data Analytics and Visualization Digital Marketing and Media Mathematics Occupational Therapy Physician Assistant Physics Speech-Language Pathology FIRST ONLINE COHORT GRADUATES FROM SY SYMS!Christopher Regalado '24SB (MBA) receives his diploma from Sy Syms' Dean Noam Wasserman at 麻豆传媒映画's 93rd annual Commencement on May 29, 2024. Our Programs Undergrad Programs Our Programs Undergrad Programs Our Mission The mission of the Sy Syms School of Business is to develop Torah-grounded professionals who excel in the workplace and in the community. The Sy Syms School of Business is dedicated to creating the business leaders and innovators of tomorrow. It is a vibrant community of students and faculty working in tandem to provide a stellar, comprehensive education in business fundamentals and practice. Sy Syms provides a business education that is distinct from other schools because of its unique mission and values, and its focus on practice. Our Focus The school鈥檚 focus is on integrating ethics in every course, incorporating meaningful values while celebrating the spirit of entrepreneurship across the curriculum. Syms has built a comprehensive program plan designed to foster an environment that encourages and inspires students to have a positive impact on the business world, intellectually, creatively and ethically. Our programs include the most coveted degrees in business today - accounting, business analytics, entrepreneurship, finance, marketing, real estate and strategy. Our Leadership Dean Noam Wasserman was an award-winner professor at Harvard Business School (HBS) and the founder of a center at the University of Southern California. He has written two bestselling and award-winning books, The Founder's Dilemmas and Life Is a Startup, and a dozen bestselling HBS case studies. At Sy Syms, he has focused on strengthening the undergraduate program by growing the tenure-track faculty 25% in his first year, focusing on teaching and research excellence, making significant enhancements to the Honors program, and adding a minor in Real Estate; consolidating and scaling the graduate program, including launching an MS in Real Estate; and founding post-graduation bootcamps for alumni and others. He also leads the university-wide Presidential Task Force on Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Board of Overseers Undergraduate Jewish Values curriculum Difficult dilemmas emerge when we transition from college into the workplace and into the community. How can we excel professionally while adhering to our Torah Values? How can we resolve conflicts between our work demands and our priorities as religious Jews? How can we tap our talents and business knowledge to contribute to our most important communal institutions, or help launch new ones? These questions are at the heart of our Jewish Values curriculum and our ability to achieve our mission at Sy Syms.Click here for Dean Wasserman鈥檚 鈥淔rom the Dean鈥檚 Desk鈥 newsletter about the launch of the Jewish Values curriculum About The Sy Syms School of Business was established through a generous gift by Sy Syms, entrepreneur, philanthropist and businessman, in 1987. From its inception, with Mr. Syms鈥 vision, the school pledged to offer a unique and comprehensive curriculum in business and a deep grounding in meaningful values. True to our dedication to innovation, three of our programs are now offered online. Innovation Lab Our Faculty About The Sy Syms School of Business was established through a generous gift by Sy Syms, entrepreneur, philanthropist and businessman, in 1987. From its inception, with Mr. Syms鈥 vision, the school pledged to offer a unique and comprehensive curriculum in business and a deep grounding in meaningful values. True to our dedication to innovation, three of our programs are now offered online. Innovation Lab Our Faculty Upcoming Syms Events Dean Wasserman will be a featured keynote speaker at upcoming TribeWorks Ignite event | 12/11/24 Dean Wasserman will share insights on starting or scaling a business or non-profit. Dean Wasserman will be a featured keynote speaker at upcoming TribeWorks Ignite event | 12/11/24 LA Alumni Chanukah Shiur Webinar with Dean Wasserman | 12/17/24 8:00 p.m. PT ZOOM WEBINAR. Register here. LA Alumni Chanukah Shiur Webinar with Dean Wasserman | 12/17/24 8:00 p.m. PT What a Trump Administration Could Mean for Federal Tax Reform | 12/18/24 3:00 p.m. ET ZOOM WEBINAR. Register here. What a Trump Administration Could Mean for Federal Tax Reform | 12/18/24 3:00 p.m. ET Dean Wasserman Scholar-in-Residence Shabbos at Boca Raton Synagogue | Shabbos, 12/20 - 12/21 Dean Wasserman will be in Boca Raton, FL with possible events happening in neighboring towns. For more information Dean Wasserman Scholar-in-Residence Shabbos at Boca Raton Synagogue | Shabbos, 12/20 - 12/21 For more information, contact Roz Beberman at roz.beberman@yu.edu Florida Alumni Melave Malkah & Fireside Chat | Motzei Shabbos, 12/21 8:15 p.m. ET IN-PERSON EVENT with Dean Wasserman and Sy Syms alum Moshe Popack '02SB, Chairman & CEO of YMP Real Estate Management. Register here. Florida Alumni Melave Malkah & Fireside Chat | Motzei Shabbos, 12/21 8:15 p.m. ET Dean Wasserman will be a featured keynote speaker at upcoming TribeWorks Ignite event | 12/11/24 Dean Wasserman will share insights on starting or scaling a business or non-profit. Dean Wasserman will be a featured keynote speaker at upcoming TribeWorks Ignite event | 12/11/24 LA Alumni Chanukah Shiur Webinar with Dean Wasserman | 12/17/24 8:00 p.m. PT ZOOM WEBINAR. Register here. LA Alumni Chanukah Shiur Webinar with Dean Wasserman | 12/17/24 8:00 p.m. PT What a Trump Administration Could Mean for Federal Tax Reform | 12/18/24 3:00 p.m. ET ZOOM WEBINAR. Register here. What a Trump Administration Could Mean for Federal Tax Reform | 12/18/24 3:00 p.m. ET Dean Wasserman Scholar-in-Residence Shabbos at Boca Raton Synagogue | Shabbos, 12/20 - 12/21 Dean Wasserman will be in Boca Raton, FL with possible events happening in neighboring towns. For more information Dean Wasserman Scholar-in-Residence Shabbos at Boca Raton Synagogue | Shabbos, 12/20 - 12/21 For more information, contact Roz Beberman at roz.beberman@yu.edu Florida Alumni Melave Malkah & Fireside Chat | Motzei Shabbos, 12/21 8:15 p.m. ET IN-PERSON EVENT with Dean Wasserman and Sy Syms alum Moshe Popack '02SB, Chairman & CEO of YMP Real Estate Management. Register here. Florida Alumni Melave Malkah & Fireside Chat | Motzei Shabbos, 12/21 8:15 p.m. ET The Latest from Syms Faculty News: Dr. S. Abraham (Avri) Ravid featured in WalletHub Sy Syms Professor of Finance Dr. S. Abraham (Avri) Ravid discussed the best credit cards for fair credit. Faculty News: Dr. S. Abraham (Avri) Ravid featured in WalletHub Dean Wasserman delivers shiur, "饾槢饾槹饾槼饾槩饾槱 饾槣鈥欚潣夝潣娥潣答潣潣潣︷潣答潣: 饾槗饾槮饾槾饾槾饾槹饾槸饾槾 饾槯饾槼饾槹饾槷 饾樀饾槱饾槮 饾槏饾槹饾樁饾槸饾槬饾槳饾槸饾槰 饾槢饾槮饾槩饾槷 饾槹饾槯 饾樀饾槱饾槮 饾槥饾槹饾槼饾槶饾槬" at Wilf Dean Wasserman delivers shiur, "饾槢饾槹饾槼饾槩饾槱 饾槣鈥欚潣夝潣娥潣答潣潣潣︷潣答潣: 饾槗饾槮饾槾饾槾饾槹饾槸饾槾 饾槯饾槼饾槹饾槷 饾樀饾槱饾槮 饾槏饾槹饾樁饾槸饾槬饾槳饾槸饾槰 饾槢饾槮饾槩饾槷 饾槹饾槯 饾樀饾槱饾槮 饾槥饾槹饾槼饾槶饾槬" at Wilf Sy Syms Dean Noam Wasserman to Become Head of School at Ramaz Dean Noam Wasserman will be leaving Sy Syms after a five-year tenure to become Head of School at Ramaz. Sy Syms Dean Noam Wasserman to Become Head of School at Ramaz Sy Syms Alumni Newsletter: Issue 6, November 2024 The latest from Sy Syms including school news, faculty research, events and more!| Sy Syms Alumni Newsletter: Issue 6, November 2024 Dr. Fred Fontaine from Cooper Union visits for Syms Faculty Seminar Series Read more Dr. Fred Fontaine from Cooper Union visits for Syms Faculty Seminar Series 鈥淔inTech: Engineering for Applications in Finance鈥 Fred L. Fontaine, Ph.D.Jesse Sherman Chair and Professor of Electrical EngineeringThe Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science & ArtNew York, NY Seminar: October 31, 2024 Abstract Many college students majoring in electrical and computer engineering choose careers either in finance or in the technological infrastructure that supports the financial industry, i.e., "FinTech". Here we survey cases where the knowledge and skills acquired by students who study electrical and computer engineering prepare them well for financial applications. First, we review the prevalence of artificial intelligence and machine learning for finance, and discuss how advances in computer architecture and hardware design are revolutionizing the field. These advances are driven to no small extent by the needs of the financial industry. Next, we illustrate financial signal processing with several examples. This field is built on the direct line from signal processing, a core area within electrical engineering, to quantitative finance. Finally, we consider the importance of latency in the distribution of financial information, and how latency as a constraint impacts design choices made by communication engineers. Congratulations to Dean Noam Wasserman on reaching the five-year mark at Sy Syms! Read about the dean's half-decade at Syms including the school's accomplishments and innovations in the dean's latest newsletter. Read here. Congratulations to Dean Noam Wasserman on reaching the five-year mark at Sy Syms! From the Dean's Desk Newsletter (11/6/24) - Syms Facts: Our Booming Half-Decade Read about our initiatives and record enrollment over the last five years in the latest newsletter from Dean Noam Wasserman. Read here. From the Dean's Desk Newsletter (11/6/24) - Syms Facts: Our Booming Half-Decade Adam Lewis, Founder & CEO of Apploi, speaks to Professor Mark Finkel's Startup Strategy class Topics included initial customer attraction, building out an MVP and more. . Adam Lewis, Founder & CEO of Apploi, speaks to Professor Mark Finkel's Startup Strategy class Annie Garofalo, CEO + Founding Team Relationship Expert at Confidante, speaks to Dr. Tamar Avnet's marketing students She discussed growing Confidante and working with founding partners. Annie Garofalo, CEO + Founding Team Relationship Expert at Confidante, speaks to Dr. Tamar Avnet's marketing students Hispanic Heritage Month at Sy Syms! We celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month by recognizing several individuals who made an impact. Hispanic Heritage Month at Sy Syms! Rabbi Ari Wasserman and Rabbi Naftali Horowitz discuss 鈥淪urviving & Thriving in our Antisemitic World: Lessons for Elul and Beyond鈥 Rabbi Ari Wasserman and Rabbi Naftali Horowitz discuss 鈥淪urviving & Thriving in our Antisemitic World: Lessons for Elul and Beyond鈥 From the Dean's Desk: New Research, Part 2: Finance, Real Estate, and Supply Chains Read the latest from Dean Noam Wasserman for exciting faculty research. From the Dean's Desk: New Research, Part 2: Finance, Real Estate, and Supply Chains Malia (Weiss) Reichmann '14SB becomes youngest and first Jewish judge in Municipal Court of Edison Township Congratulations to Judge Reichmann, husband Tzvi and the Weiss and Reichmann families! Malia (Weiss) Reichmann '14SB becomes youngest and first Jewish judge in Municipal Court of Edison Township Professor Gil Appel Presents Research on AI to Sy Syms Faculty Professor Gil Appel from GWU recently presented his paper, "AI Literacy Predicts AI Receptivity" to our faculty as part of the Sy Syms Research Seminar Series. Professor Gil Appel Presents Research on AI to Sy Syms Faculty Syms alum Aaron Tuchman '24SB shares his story! Tuchman, Co-Founder & CEO of Noble Custom Suits, gave a guest lecture to Professor Mark Finkel's Start-Up Strategy class. Syms alum Aaron Tuchman '24SB shares his story! Dr. Avi Giloni and Dr. Vladimir Kovtun co-publish paper in NRL! Dr. Avi Giloni and Dr. Vladimir Kovtun co-publish paper in NRL (Naval Research Logistics) Dr. Avi Giloni and Dr. Vladimir Kovtun co-publish paper in NRL! Dr. Jannine Lasaleta featured on NBC's TODAY Show Dr. Jannine Lasaleta, Associate Professor of Marketing, shared insights into nostalgia and school supplies. Dr. Jannine Lasaleta featured on NBC's TODAY Show Syms Alumni Newsletter: Issue 5, September 2024 The latest from Sy Syms including school news, faculty research, events and more! Syms Alumni Newsletter: Issue 5, September 2024 Syms Alumni Spotlight: Aaron Tuchman '24SB 鈥 Co-Founder & CEO, Noble Custom Suits From Sy Syms and Bergenfield, NJ to custom suits entrepreneur. Read Aaron's full spotlight here. Syms Alumni Spotlight: Aaron Tuchman '24SB 鈥 Co-Founder & CEO, Noble Custom Suits Syms Alumni Newsletter: Issue 4, May 2024 37th Syms Awards Dinner, 麻豆传媒映画 Roller Hockey Team's first championship and more! Syms Alumni Newsletter: Issue 4, May 2024 麻豆传媒映画 ranked #3 in New York for Marketing by College Factual 麻豆传媒映画 ranked #3 in New York for Marketing by College Factual 麻豆传媒映画 ranks #4 in Best Colleges for Accounting and Finance in New York 麻豆传媒映画 ranks #4 in Best Colleges for Accounting and Finance in New York Founder's Bootcamp with Dr. Noam Wasserman For founders and their startups, early decisions about people... Learn more... Founder's Bootcamp with Dr. Noam Wasserman For founders and their startups, early decisions about people 鈥 cofounders, employees, investors, and board members 鈥 are vital to the founders' and startups' long-term success. Yet these decisions are often made without the benefit of a roadmap of the most important early decisions, when these decisions should be made, which options to consider, and the likely long-term consequences of those decisions. As a result, preventable people problems are the biggest reason (by far) for the high failure rate of high-potential startups.Without a solid roadmap, founders are at an increased risk of making poor people decisions and thus increasing the chances that the founding team will splinter, growth will be harmed, or the founder will be replaced as CEO. In contrast, with a solid roadmap, founding teams can increase their stability and achieve better growth.Founder's Bootcamp provides this roadmap for founders and potential founders.To bring the lessons to the people who can most benefit from them, OurCrowd will host an intensive bootcamp for the founders of early-stage startups. The bootcamp will feature interactive talks, personalized self-assessment exercises, and appearances by case protagonists via video.Click through to learn more and apply 麻豆传媒映画 ranks #28 in Best Colleges for Business in New York 麻豆传媒映画 ranks #28 in Best Colleges for Business in New York Syms faculty seminar hosts stars from Stanford, Harvard, Oxford Universities and a former chair and current member of the Nobel Economics prize committee Learn more... Syms faculty seminar hosts stars from Stanford, Harvard, Oxford Universities and a former chair and current member of the Nobel Economics prize committee Syms faculty seminars are run once a week during the semester and host a variety of scholars in different fields from around the country and the world. Seminar coordinator Dr. S. Abraham Ravid said that this year, as seminars went virtual, they were able for the first time to host two stars in a joint seminar. Dr. Josh Lerner from Harvard and Dr. Nick Bloom from Stanford, probably the most well known economists in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship presented a joint paper, and Syms faculty were honored to provide comments and feedback on an early version of the study that will for sure make a big splash in the academic community.Dr. Per Stromberg, a former chair and a current member of the Nobel committee in economics also shared his work with the Syms community, and discussed the process of awarding the economics prize.Dr. Renee Adams from Oxford University, one of the most prominent women in finance, also presented a paper on how personal values affect the decision of corporate directors around the world. Dr. Ravid Publishes Papers and Comments and Gives National Interviews Learn more... Dr. Ravid Publishes Papers and Comments and Gives National Interviews Dr. S. Abraham Ravid, professor of finance and chair of the finance department, and Dr. Shu Han, associate professor of management information systems, both at , co-published a paper in the Management Science, considered a top journal in all business disciplines. The paper looked at actor replacements in long-running theater shows. Unlike replacements of employees in top positions in other organizations, in theater, the replacement is a clean experiment since all other conditions (the play, the lines, other actors, the physical theater) remain the same鈥攊n short, an excellent measure of the economic value of human capital. The authors found that actors who won prestigious theater awards, as opposed to movie stars or celebrities, drive the value of the show. [鈥淪tar Turnover and the Value of Human Capital- Evidence from Broadway Shows,鈥 Management Science, 66, #2, February 2020, 958-978]Dr. Ravid along with Drs. Suman Basuroy, Richard Gretz and B.J. Allen from the University of Texas considered the question of whether professional critics are still relevant in an era of omnipresent user reviews in a paper published in the Journal of Cultural Economics. They found that professional reviewers matter much more to the success of motion pictures than users鈥 posts, suggesting that consumers still view reviews from unknown users with some suspicion. [鈥淚s Everybody an Expert? An investigation into the Impact of Professional vs. User Reviews in the Internet Age,鈥 March 2020, volume 44, 57鈥96]Dr. Ravid and Dr. Naciye Sekerci, assistant professor of finance at the University of Utrecht, published a paper based on Swedish data that shows that investors who hold a significant amount of company shares in their own portfolio work harder to improve firm value. (This study cannot be done in the United States since data on portfolios are not available.) [鈥淟arge Investors鈥 Portfolios and Firm Value,鈥 Journal of Corporate Finance, volume 41, April 2020, Article 101404.]Dr. Ravid and Dr. Gabriela Coiculescu, assistant professor of finance at Sy Syms, and Dr. Yehuda Izhakian, assistant professor of economics and finance at Baruch College, co-authored a paper presented by Dr. Ravid at the 47th Annual Meeting of the European Finance Association (virtual from Helsinki) in late August and WEFI, an international entrepreneurship conference, in December. The paper shows that ambiguity is important to investments in innovation.Commentary/Interviews鈥淣o Easy Answers to Coronavirus Disruptions: Economic development is tied to health outcomes, and a recession usually leads to adverse health consequences,鈥 (March 19, 2020 )鈥淟ockdowns aren鈥檛 working if we鈥檙e laying off healthcare workers,鈥 (May 5, 2020)鈥淐OVID-19 pushes business bankruptcies higher in an already tough year,鈥 (June 19,2020)鈥淨uarterly earnings will show how Disney is weathering the pandemic economy,鈥 (Aug. 3, 2020)鈥淢ulling Joe Biden鈥檚 Capital-Gains Tax Hike,鈥 (Aug. 18,2020)鈥淪chool鈥檚 Out, But It鈥檚 Not About the Children: The decision to close schools in New York is far from a 鈥榙ata-driven, science-driven鈥 decision,鈥 (Nov. 30,2020)鈥淥n Joe Biden鈥檚 economic policy,鈥 (Israeli national radio network) (Nov. 2020)Presidential AddressDr. Ravid ended his term as President of the Midwest Finance Association (MFA) and delivers at the MFA annual conference (postponed from March and presented in August 2020 as a virtual conference). The conference attracted 1,000 registrations. In his presidential address, Dr. Ravid discussed his work on human capital in the context of the entertainment and media industries, including valuation of human capital, discrimination and technological change. The papers discussed were with Dr.Han and Dr. Filippo Mezzanotti, assistant professor of finance at Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management. Research by Syms faculty Jannine Lasaleta cited on Forbes Learn more... Research by Syms faculty Jannine Lasaleta cited on Forbes 鈥淎 study published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that nostalgic feelings made participants more willing to spend money on consumer goods and services." Read . Find out more about Syms faculty Dr. Jannine Lasaleta and her research. Dr. Shu Han and S. Abraham Ravid publish their paper in a top business journal Learn more... Dr. Shu Han and S. Abraham Ravid publish their paper in a top business journal Dr. Shu Han and S. Abraham Ravid published this year their paper in the prestigious journal Management Science. Management Science is considered a top journal in all business disciplines. Prior to publication, the paper was presented by Dr. Ravid in conferences and in top universities, including Harvard Business School and N麻豆传媒映画.The paper looks at actor replacements in long running theater shows. Unlike replacements of employees in top positions in other organizations, in theater the replacement is a clean experiment, since all other conditions remain the same. The play, the lines, other actors and event the physical theater. Therefore, there is no better measure of the economic value of human capital. The authors indeed find that the value drivers are actors who won prestigious theater awards, as opposed to movie stars or celebrities.鈥淪tar Turnover and the Value of Human Capital- Evidence from Broadway Shows鈥 (with Shu Han) Management Science, 66, #2, February 2020, 958-978 Syms Faculty and Scholars Publish in the Journal of Cultural Economics Learn more... Syms Faculty and Scholars Publish in the Journal of Cultural Economics Dr. Ravid and colleagues from the University of Texas considered the question of whether professional critics are still relevant in an era of omnipresent user reviews in a paper published this year in the Journal of Cultural Economics (a top field journal). They found that professional reviewers matter much more to the success of motion pictures than users鈥 posts, suggesting that consumers still view reviews from unknown users with some suspicion.鈥溾 (S. A. Ravid with S.Basuroy, R. Gretz and B. J. Allen, Journal of Cultural Economics March 2020, volume 44, 57鈥96. Faculty Fast Facts: Dr. Maria Blekher, Director of the 麻豆传媒映画 Innovation Lab Dr. Maria Blekher is a Director of 麻豆传媒映画 Innovation Lab... Learn more... Faculty Fast Facts: Dr. Maria Blekher, Director of the 麻豆传媒映画 Innovation Lab Dr. Maria Blekher is a Director of 麻豆传媒映画 Innovation Lab and an Academic Program Director for the Master in Marketing. She is also a Clinical Associate Professor of Digital Strategies, teaching at the Sy Syms School of Business. Upon joining 麻豆传媒映画, Dr. Blekher developed the unique course Business in the Israeli Environment for the Sy Syms School of Business.Dr. Blekher is also the founder of MadeInIsrael.Info鈥攁n online educational platform that connects the American Jewish community to Israel by providing information about Israeli business and brands. Dr. Blekher holds an MBA and a PhD in Marketing from the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel.1. What profession did you think you would go into when you were a student?I鈥檝e always been entrepreneurial, a 鈥榞o-getter鈥. I also was curious about the interaction between people technology and their environment. So, I knew I wanted to work in a field that combines; business or law.2. What aspect of your job with 麻豆传媒映画 do you most enjoy?I enjoy the interaction with students, who are bright and creative thinkers. I learn from them a lot, and often students are the best teachers. I enjoy working with Israeli startups, helping them to explore the opportunities in the American market and connecting them to the eco system. This is a natural fit for me, as a marketing expert and Israeli.Overall, I enjoy the creative part of my work, creating value. I joined 麻豆传媒映画 about 4 years ago to develop a course about the Israeli Business Environment for SySyms School of Business. Since then I鈥檝e been a key founding partner in three innovative initiatives; MS in Marketing (which I鈥檓 still leading) and the AS in Management, who鈥檚 first cohort will be graduating this May. The 麻豆传媒映画 Innovation Lab is my newest startups inside 麻豆传媒映画.3. What are you most excited for in the new 麻豆传媒映画 Innovation Lab?Seeing the students exploring, thinking, and creating value for startups. I鈥檓 excited about the opportunity the lab creates for 麻豆传媒映画 students to gain hands on experience and developing entrepreneurial skills and about the value Israeli startups gain from working with us. When a CEO of a startup says to me that he/she learned something they didn鈥檛 know before after working with us, it鈥檚 exciting. When students are able to make an impact, that鈥檚 also exciting.4. What are some of the goals you have for what students take out of your classes?My goal is for students to develop creative thinking and critical mindset. To question, to ask, to think like there is no box. I also believe that one of the best ways to learn is by doing. Having the opportunity to experience the real world as part of the curriculum develops a unique set of skills and an entrepreneurial mindset. Faculty Fast Facts: Mark Finkel, Director of the Sy Syms MBA Program Mark Finkel has been deeply... Learn more... Faculty Fast Facts: Mark Finkel, Director of the Sy Syms MBA Program Mark Finkel has been deeply involved in early stage entrepreneurial enterprises for the past 25 years. Over that time, Mark has worked as an executive or active board member of numerous high-growth technology companies on the East Coast, in Silicon Valley, and in Israel. Mark has had significant international operational experience, having set up distribution channels and operations in both Europe and Asia. Mark was also the founder and Chairman of RightAnswers, an enterprise software company, which was sold to Upland Software in 2017.Many of the companies he has been involved with have had successful exits. He has taken four companies public as Chief Financial Officer and many other companies have had M&A exits. Most recently, Mark served at the Board level for JUMP Bikes, which was bought by Uber in May 2018.Mark has been involved in numerous social entrepreneurship ventures as well. As Chairman of the Special Kids Fund, he has pioneered the concept of a charity gift card. He has also been involved in economic development work overseas.Mark鈥檚 academic interests revolve around helping students understand and apply the skills and concepts underlying successful entrepreneurship. These include understanding the dynamics of nascent markets, as well as those of disruptive entrants into existing markets. Of particular interest to Mark are the management skills needed to scale the entrepreneurial venture through its growth phases. Also important to Mark is understanding the characteristics of the products or services offered by the early stage enterprise that are more likely to lead to success.Mark serves on the Board of Directors or Advisory Board of a number of companies and charities. Mark holds a BA (Oberlin College), an MBA (N麻豆传媒映画) and a JD (University of California, Davis 鈥 Managing Editor of the Law Review).1. What profession did you think you would hold when you were a student?I majored in Government as an undergraduate and thought I wanted to go into public service. I did work in the public sector when I first got out of school but, in the end, switched to the private sector.2. How has your past work experience prepared you for your current position?I have spent over twenty-five years in numerous entrepreneurial ventures in Silicon Valley, in Israel and in the NYC area. I have set up distribution and operations in both Asia and Europe. Additionally, I have help build a number of social entrepreneurship ventures, so have learned a bit about how entrepreneurship applies in the non-profit sector. I still sit on board of for-profit and non-profit organizations, which helps me keep up with the ever-changing entrepreneurial world. Daily, in class, I am able to draw on so much of what I have had the privilege to be exposed to. (Having said that, I do try to complement that real-world knowledge with academic and empirical information, which is valuable, as well.)3. What are some of your goals for the Sy Syms School of Business MBA program and what progress have you made?The Sy Syms MBA Program is an extraordinary program, offering a small learning environment, led by our most senior faculty. We have been able to attract first-rate students from a diverse business and professional background. I would hope we can build on this base to grow the number of students over the next few years. Additionally, we have a strong group of alumni and I would like to grow the programming for that group and be able to draw on the experience of the alumni to help our current students.4. What aspect of your job with 麻豆传媒映画 do you most enjoy?The students and my colleagues. Each day, I feel challenged by the students and enjoy my day-to-day interactions with them. The faculty at Sy Syms are first-rate. They are smart, driven, and dedicated, and have been terrifically welcoming of me.5. What would your colleagues be surprised to learn about you?I have tried to grow in my life by challenging myself to get outside my comfort zone. So, among other activities, I have spent time working on an Indian Reservation in Utah and have spent time doing economic development work in places like Afghanistan. That might surprise them. I don鈥檛 think it would surprise them that I am a die-hard Yankee fan and season ticket holder, since I talk about the Yankees much of the time. Faculty Fast Facts: Professor Leonard Fuld Leonard Fuld is Clinical Assistant Professor of Accounting... Learn more... Faculty Fast Facts: Professor Leonard Fuld Leonard Fuld is Clinical Assistant Professor of Accounting, Tax and Entrepreneurial Business Management at the Sy Syms School of Business of 麻豆传媒映画. He has lectured extensively on U.S. and International tax and business issues throughout the world. Prior to joining 麻豆传媒映画, Professor Fuld was a highly rated adjunct professor for many years in the graduate schools of Baruch and Queens College.In addition to his academic background, Professor Fuld鈥檚 business experience comprises over 38 years of accounting and tax practice, technical tax research, administration, and compliance, including more than seven years in the public accounting arena, in both audit and tax, with PricewaterhouseCoopers. His thirty plus years in industry led to ever increasing senior tax officer responsibilities, within major global businesses, including Schlumberger Ltd, Citigroup, and most recently with Griffon Corp, where he was the Vice President of Taxes of this $1.8 billion New York Stock Exchange multinational. He has been a member of the American Institute of CPAs, New York State Society of CPAs, International Tax Institute, and the Tax Executives Institute. Len has also served on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations and is the Chairperson of his town鈥檚 Ethics Committee.Len鈥檚 hands-on experience includes all types of business transactions, ethics, mergers and acquisitions, government lobbying, individual tax controversies, audit and U.S. tax legislation.1. What is your favorite aspect of your job at 麻豆传媒映画?I love teaching altogether, but having the opportunity to engage, advise, educate and wish a Good Shabbos to my students, with whom I relate to on such a connected basis, does make 麻豆传媒映画 a special place for me.2. Tell us a bit about the new MS in Taxation Program that you are running.The Masters of Science in Taxation reflects the creative programming that Sy Syms is encouraging across the board in all business fields. We recognized that our students, as well as some of the more experienced working professionals, were interested in furthering their technical knowledge, skills and academic credentials in taxation and we strived to fulfill that need by creating an innovative, very economical Tax Masters that will be taught by extremely experienced, highly qualified professors in a one year program. The small classes will be taught at Beren, 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 midtown campus, two evenings a week, so that students will have the ability to work or study for the CPA exam during the day, conveniently achieve the MS Tax in the evenings and still have time to enjoy life as it should be. Amongst the tax courses offered and taught by CPAs, JD/LLMs, and IRS agents, will be International Tax, Ethical Tax Practice & Procedures, State Tax, Contemporary Tax Issues, Estate Tax, Deferred Compensation, and Reorganization/Liquidations. It is an exciting program that employers are already interested in partnering with in order to get a first crack at our well educated future graduates. And there鈥檚 still some time left to apply.3. What profession did you think you would one day hold when you were a child?Given that my birthday is April 15th, I should have known early on that I鈥檇 be a CPA. As a child (which I still am) I was going to be a spy for the Mossad (still would like that), Chief Rabbi of Israel (definitely not these days), or Professor & Director of the Masters in Tax program at 麻豆传媒映画, so I worked real hard, brushed my teeth, said my prayers and lo and behold, my dream came true.4. How do you stay connected with students once they graduate?Email is the easiest and I continue to send out relevant, and that I think are, interesting tax articles but most enjoyably is running into them at various events or countries and catching up with what they鈥檙e up to, professionally and personally. I love hearing how they passed the CPA exam or accomplished some major technical hurdle and giving me credit for having made it possible. True or not, it always feels great.5. What would your colleagues be surprised to learn about you?I was a 9/11 1st responder.I am a shochet (ritual slaughterer).I am really a nice, quiet guy who is never critical or cynical- now that would really surprise everyone!And the rest we鈥檒l keep under wraps. Faculty Fast Facts: Dr. S. Abraham (Avri) Ravid Dr. S. Abraham (Avri) Ravid is Sy Syms Professor of Finance... Learn more... Faculty Fast Facts: Dr. S. Abraham (Avri) Ravid Dr. S. Abraham (Avri) Ravid is Sy Syms Professor of Finance at the Sy Syms School of Business of 麻豆传媒映画. A Yom Kippur War veteran and war correspondent, Dr. Ravid has spoken on national Israeli and American radio about his experiences.He has close to 50 refereed publications, in various journals including the Review of Financial Studies and the Journal of Finance as well as book chapters, monographs and other publications. His current research interests include corporate finance (mergers, bankruptcy, and corporate debt), contracting theory and venture capital as well as the entertainment industry. He has received several awards and prizes for his research.Dr. Ravid has presented at major conferences as well as in Universities including Yale and Wharton, and many others around the world. He has consulted to governments in Israel and the US as well as to private industry.Dr. Ravid鈥檚 work has been covered by the press around the world, including the NYTimes, Wall Street Journal, the BBC, Yedioth, IDF radio and many others in the US and around the world. His most recent interview was April 4, which will be broadcast on NPR later in the month.Prior to receiving his PhD from Cornell University, Ravid was a full time professional journalist in Israel as well as a documentary film maker.1. What is your favorite aspect of your job at 麻豆传媒映画?I like and respect my students. I have taught in many universities, from top Ivy League schools such as Yale and Cornell to state schools such as Rutgers and I spent much time teaching at Haifa University in Israel. Syms students make the top of the list for me. They are eager to learn, have a respectful attitude towards the professors and work hard. The dual curriculum helps much in that respect as I have learned with my own kids. And in real life hard work is the only predictor of success one can control.I also like my colleagues and because Syms and 麻豆传媒映画 are small, you get to work closely with people in other disciplines. In my roles in university committees and as VP (and incoming president) of the faculty council I also get to interact with colleagues in entirely different disciplines. The Jewish calendar is of course a plus- since you never have to reschedule classes because of Jewish Holidays as was the case when I taught in other universities.2. What type of careers do your students have upon graduation?Some of the students end up on Wall Street broadly defined, most often in banks. Others work in real estate and a significant proportion goes on to graduate schools, sometimes the best 鈥 this year I have a student who is continuing at Penn Law and Wharton; Former students ended up in Harvard law school and similar high quality universities3. What profession did you think you would one day hold when you were a child?I have always been interested in various areas from math and physics to acting public speaking communications and literature, so I have changed my mind often. I worked on documentary movies when I was a teenager, considered going to the Technion for Physics, and ended up as a professional journalist as my first real job after the army. However, I found reporting with a daily deadline not sufficiently fulfilling, and thus decided to try for a PhD at Cornell. And the rest is history.4. What research are you working on now?One of the main aspects defining your professional life in a top level university is research. Although I have been an academic for more than three decades, I am still excited about new ideas and about in depth exploration of various topics. For example, we (colleagues from Cornell and the University of Texas) have just published a paper which debunks the myth that internet reviews have replaced professional reviews, in determining which movie consumers will go to see. Another paper provides a new look at firm hedging policies. Another just accepted paper (which is co-authored with colleagues at the University of Chicago NJIT and the University of Texas) looks at intellectual property contracts, a very hot topic these days.I am now working with my colleague Shu Han at Syms on a project (with some funding from the New York City Mayor鈥檚 Office of media and entertainment) which tries to assess whether women have equal opportunities in the movie business; another project looks at the value of human capital in the theater.We are also working on a project (with Gabriela Coiculescu at Syms and a colleague at Baruch) which looks at the determinants of innovation in firms and finally some work in progress with a colleague at N麻豆传媒映画 looks at the fundamentals of value creation in firms.5. What would your colleagues be surprised to learn about you?When I was a teenager, I met the US secretary general and appeared on several coast to coast TV shows on CBS. This was when I represented Israel in a youth leadership conference organized by the state department. Later, I tried to find copies of these shows, but CBS does not have them and all I have are low quality shots of the TV screen. However, I cherish the experience and I am grateful for the many interesting people I met during that first enchanted visit to the US. They include for example, Erkki Liikanen, who represented Finland in that conference. We were roommates in an orientation offered to the delegates from over 40 countries, and he went on to become an MP in Finland, then finance minister and now the head of the central bank. We are still in touch, many decades later. Faculty News: Dr. S. Abraham (Avri) Ravid featured in WalletHub Sy Syms Professor of Finance Dr. S. Abraham (Avri) Ravid discussed the best credit cards for fair credit. Faculty News: Dr. S. Abraham (Avri) Ravid featured in WalletHub Dean Wasserman delivers shiur, "饾槢饾槹饾槼饾槩饾槱 饾槣鈥欚潣夝潣娥潣答潣潣潣︷潣答潣: 饾槗饾槮饾槾饾槾饾槹饾槸饾槾 饾槯饾槼饾槹饾槷 饾樀饾槱饾槮 饾槏饾槹饾樁饾槸饾槬饾槳饾槸饾槰 饾槢饾槮饾槩饾槷 饾槹饾槯 饾樀饾槱饾槮 饾槥饾槹饾槼饾槶饾槬" at Wilf Dean Wasserman delivers shiur, "饾槢饾槹饾槼饾槩饾槱 饾槣鈥欚潣夝潣娥潣答潣潣潣︷潣答潣: 饾槗饾槮饾槾饾槾饾槹饾槸饾槾 饾槯饾槼饾槹饾槷 饾樀饾槱饾槮 饾槏饾槹饾樁饾槸饾槬饾槳饾槸饾槰 饾槢饾槮饾槩饾槷 饾槹饾槯 饾樀饾槱饾槮 饾槥饾槹饾槼饾槶饾槬" at Wilf Sy Syms Dean Noam Wasserman to Become Head of School at Ramaz Dean Noam Wasserman will be leaving Sy Syms after a five-year tenure to become Head of School at Ramaz. Sy Syms Dean Noam Wasserman to Become Head of School at Ramaz Sy Syms Alumni Newsletter: Issue 6, November 2024 The latest from Sy Syms including school news, faculty research, events and more!| Sy Syms Alumni Newsletter: Issue 6, November 2024 Dr. Fred Fontaine from Cooper Union visits for Syms Faculty Seminar Series Read more Dr. Fred Fontaine from Cooper Union visits for Syms Faculty Seminar Series 鈥淔inTech: Engineering for Applications in Finance鈥 Fred L. Fontaine, Ph.D.Jesse Sherman Chair and Professor of Electrical EngineeringThe Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science & ArtNew York, NY Seminar: October 31, 2024 Abstract Many college students majoring in electrical and computer engineering choose careers either in finance or in the technological infrastructure that supports the financial industry, i.e., "FinTech". Here we survey cases where the knowledge and skills acquired by students who study electrical and computer engineering prepare them well for financial applications. First, we review the prevalence of artificial intelligence and machine learning for finance, and discuss how advances in computer architecture and hardware design are revolutionizing the field. These advances are driven to no small extent by the needs of the financial industry. Next, we illustrate financial signal processing with several examples. This field is built on the direct line from signal processing, a core area within electrical engineering, to quantitative finance. Finally, we consider the importance of latency in the distribution of financial information, and how latency as a constraint impacts design choices made by communication engineers. Congratulations to Dean Noam Wasserman on reaching the five-year mark at Sy Syms! Read about the dean's half-decade at Syms including the school's accomplishments and innovations in the dean's latest newsletter. Read here. Congratulations to Dean Noam Wasserman on reaching the five-year mark at Sy Syms! From the Dean's Desk Newsletter (11/6/24) - Syms Facts: Our Booming Half-Decade Read about our initiatives and record enrollment over the last five years in the latest newsletter from Dean Noam Wasserman. Read here. From the Dean's Desk Newsletter (11/6/24) - Syms Facts: Our Booming Half-Decade Adam Lewis, Founder & CEO of Apploi, speaks to Professor Mark Finkel's Startup Strategy class Topics included initial customer attraction, building out an MVP and more. . Adam Lewis, Founder & CEO of Apploi, speaks to Professor Mark Finkel's Startup Strategy class Annie Garofalo, CEO + Founding Team Relationship Expert at Confidante, speaks to Dr. Tamar Avnet's marketing students She discussed growing Confidante and working with founding partners. Annie Garofalo, CEO + Founding Team Relationship Expert at Confidante, speaks to Dr. Tamar Avnet's marketing students Hispanic Heritage Month at Sy Syms! We celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month by recognizing several individuals who made an impact. Hispanic Heritage Month at Sy Syms! Rabbi Ari Wasserman and Rabbi Naftali Horowitz discuss 鈥淪urviving & Thriving in our Antisemitic World: Lessons for Elul and Beyond鈥 Rabbi Ari Wasserman and Rabbi Naftali Horowitz discuss 鈥淪urviving & Thriving in our Antisemitic World: Lessons for Elul and Beyond鈥 From the Dean's Desk: New Research, Part 2: Finance, Real Estate, and Supply Chains Read the latest from Dean Noam Wasserman for exciting faculty research. From the Dean's Desk: New Research, Part 2: Finance, Real Estate, and Supply Chains Malia (Weiss) Reichmann '14SB becomes youngest and first Jewish judge in Municipal Court of Edison Township Congratulations to Judge Reichmann, husband Tzvi and the Weiss and Reichmann families! Malia (Weiss) Reichmann '14SB becomes youngest and first Jewish judge in Municipal Court of Edison Township Professor Gil Appel Presents Research on AI to Sy Syms Faculty Professor Gil Appel from GWU recently presented his paper, "AI Literacy Predicts AI Receptivity" to our faculty as part of the Sy Syms Research Seminar Series. Professor Gil Appel Presents Research on AI to Sy Syms Faculty Syms alum Aaron Tuchman '24SB shares his story! Tuchman, Co-Founder & CEO of Noble Custom Suits, gave a guest lecture to Professor Mark Finkel's Start-Up Strategy class. Syms alum Aaron Tuchman '24SB shares his story! Dr. Avi Giloni and Dr. Vladimir Kovtun co-publish paper in NRL! Dr. Avi Giloni and Dr. Vladimir Kovtun co-publish paper in NRL (Naval Research Logistics) Dr. Avi Giloni and Dr. Vladimir Kovtun co-publish paper in NRL! Dr. Jannine Lasaleta featured on NBC's TODAY Show Dr. Jannine Lasaleta, Associate Professor of Marketing, shared insights into nostalgia and school supplies. Dr. Jannine Lasaleta featured on NBC's TODAY Show Syms Alumni Newsletter: Issue 5, September 2024 The latest from Sy Syms including school news, faculty research, events and more! Syms Alumni Newsletter: Issue 5, September 2024 Syms Alumni Spotlight: Aaron Tuchman '24SB 鈥 Co-Founder & CEO, Noble Custom Suits From Sy Syms and Bergenfield, NJ to custom suits entrepreneur. Read Aaron's full spotlight here. Syms Alumni Spotlight: Aaron Tuchman '24SB 鈥 Co-Founder & CEO, Noble Custom Suits Syms Alumni Newsletter: Issue 4, May 2024 37th Syms Awards Dinner, 麻豆传媒映画 Roller Hockey Team's first championship and more! Syms Alumni Newsletter: Issue 4, May 2024 麻豆传媒映画 ranked #3 in New York for Marketing by College Factual 麻豆传媒映画 ranked #3 in New York for Marketing by College Factual 麻豆传媒映画 ranks #4 in Best Colleges for Accounting and Finance in New York 麻豆传媒映画 ranks #4 in Best Colleges for Accounting and Finance in New York Founder's Bootcamp with Dr. Noam Wasserman For founders and their startups, early decisions about people... Learn more... Founder's Bootcamp with Dr. Noam Wasserman For founders and their startups, early decisions about people 鈥 cofounders, employees, investors, and board members 鈥 are vital to the founders' and startups' long-term success. Yet these decisions are often made without the benefit of a roadmap of the most important early decisions, when these decisions should be made, which options to consider, and the likely long-term consequences of those decisions. As a result, preventable people problems are the biggest reason (by far) for the high failure rate of high-potential startups.Without a solid roadmap, founders are at an increased risk of making poor people decisions and thus increasing the chances that the founding team will splinter, growth will be harmed, or the founder will be replaced as CEO. In contrast, with a solid roadmap, founding teams can increase their stability and achieve better growth.Founder's Bootcamp provides this roadmap for founders and potential founders.To bring the lessons to the people who can most benefit from them, OurCrowd will host an intensive bootcamp for the founders of early-stage startups. The bootcamp will feature interactive talks, personalized self-assessment exercises, and appearances by case protagonists via video.Click through to learn more and apply 麻豆传媒映画 ranks #28 in Best Colleges for Business in New York 麻豆传媒映画 ranks #28 in Best Colleges for Business in New York Syms faculty seminar hosts stars from Stanford, Harvard, Oxford Universities and a former chair and current member of the Nobel Economics prize committee Learn more... Syms faculty seminar hosts stars from Stanford, Harvard, Oxford Universities and a former chair and current member of the Nobel Economics prize committee Syms faculty seminars are run once a week during the semester and host a variety of scholars in different fields from around the country and the world. Seminar coordinator Dr. S. Abraham Ravid said that this year, as seminars went virtual, they were able for the first time to host two stars in a joint seminar. Dr. Josh Lerner from Harvard and Dr. Nick Bloom from Stanford, probably the most well known economists in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship presented a joint paper, and Syms faculty were honored to provide comments and feedback on an early version of the study that will for sure make a big splash in the academic community.Dr. Per Stromberg, a former chair and a current member of the Nobel committee in economics also shared his work with the Syms community, and discussed the process of awarding the economics prize.Dr. Renee Adams from Oxford University, one of the most prominent women in finance, also presented a paper on how personal values affect the decision of corporate directors around the world. Dr. Ravid Publishes Papers and Comments and Gives National Interviews Learn more... Dr. Ravid Publishes Papers and Comments and Gives National Interviews Dr. S. Abraham Ravid, professor of finance and chair of the finance department, and Dr. Shu Han, associate professor of management information systems, both at , co-published a paper in the Management Science, considered a top journal in all business disciplines. The paper looked at actor replacements in long-running theater shows. Unlike replacements of employees in top positions in other organizations, in theater, the replacement is a clean experiment since all other conditions (the play, the lines, other actors, the physical theater) remain the same鈥攊n short, an excellent measure of the economic value of human capital. The authors found that actors who won prestigious theater awards, as opposed to movie stars or celebrities, drive the value of the show. [鈥淪tar Turnover and the Value of Human Capital- Evidence from Broadway Shows,鈥 Management Science, 66, #2, February 2020, 958-978]Dr. Ravid along with Drs. Suman Basuroy, Richard Gretz and B.J. Allen from the University of Texas considered the question of whether professional critics are still relevant in an era of omnipresent user reviews in a paper published in the Journal of Cultural Economics. They found that professional reviewers matter much more to the success of motion pictures than users鈥 posts, suggesting that consumers still view reviews from unknown users with some suspicion. [鈥淚s Everybody an Expert? An investigation into the Impact of Professional vs. User Reviews in the Internet Age,鈥 March 2020, volume 44, 57鈥96]Dr. Ravid and Dr. Naciye Sekerci, assistant professor of finance at the University of Utrecht, published a paper based on Swedish data that shows that investors who hold a significant amount of company shares in their own portfolio work harder to improve firm value. (This study cannot be done in the United States since data on portfolios are not available.) [鈥淟arge Investors鈥 Portfolios and Firm Value,鈥 Journal of Corporate Finance, volume 41, April 2020, Article 101404.]Dr. Ravid and Dr. Gabriela Coiculescu, assistant professor of finance at Sy Syms, and Dr. Yehuda Izhakian, assistant professor of economics and finance at Baruch College, co-authored a paper presented by Dr. Ravid at the 47th Annual Meeting of the European Finance Association (virtual from Helsinki) in late August and WEFI, an international entrepreneurship conference, in December. The paper shows that ambiguity is important to investments in innovation.Commentary/Interviews鈥淣o Easy Answers to Coronavirus Disruptions: Economic development is tied to health outcomes, and a recession usually leads to adverse health consequences,鈥 (March 19, 2020 )鈥淟ockdowns aren鈥檛 working if we鈥檙e laying off healthcare workers,鈥 (May 5, 2020)鈥淐OVID-19 pushes business bankruptcies higher in an already tough year,鈥 (June 19,2020)鈥淨uarterly earnings will show how Disney is weathering the pandemic economy,鈥 (Aug. 3, 2020)鈥淢ulling Joe Biden鈥檚 Capital-Gains Tax Hike,鈥 (Aug. 18,2020)鈥淪chool鈥檚 Out, But It鈥檚 Not About the Children: The decision to close schools in New York is far from a 鈥榙ata-driven, science-driven鈥 decision,鈥 (Nov. 30,2020)鈥淥n Joe Biden鈥檚 economic policy,鈥 (Israeli national radio network) (Nov. 2020)Presidential AddressDr. Ravid ended his term as President of the Midwest Finance Association (MFA) and delivers at the MFA annual conference (postponed from March and presented in August 2020 as a virtual conference). The conference attracted 1,000 registrations. In his presidential address, Dr. Ravid discussed his work on human capital in the context of the entertainment and media industries, including valuation of human capital, discrimination and technological change. The papers discussed were with Dr.Han and Dr. Filippo Mezzanotti, assistant professor of finance at Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management. Research by Syms faculty Jannine Lasaleta cited on Forbes Learn more... Research by Syms faculty Jannine Lasaleta cited on Forbes 鈥淎 study published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that nostalgic feelings made participants more willing to spend money on consumer goods and services." Read . Find out more about Syms faculty Dr. Jannine Lasaleta and her research. Dr. Shu Han and S. Abraham Ravid publish their paper in a top business journal Learn more... Dr. Shu Han and S. Abraham Ravid publish their paper in a top business journal Dr. Shu Han and S. Abraham Ravid published this year their paper in the prestigious journal Management Science. Management Science is considered a top journal in all business disciplines. Prior to publication, the paper was presented by Dr. Ravid in conferences and in top universities, including Harvard Business School and N麻豆传媒映画.The paper looks at actor replacements in long running theater shows. Unlike replacements of employees in top positions in other organizations, in theater the replacement is a clean experiment, since all other conditions remain the same. The play, the lines, other actors and event the physical theater. Therefore, there is no better measure of the economic value of human capital. The authors indeed find that the value drivers are actors who won prestigious theater awards, as opposed to movie stars or celebrities.鈥淪tar Turnover and the Value of Human Capital- Evidence from Broadway Shows鈥 (with Shu Han) Management Science, 66, #2, February 2020, 958-978 Syms Faculty and Scholars Publish in the Journal of Cultural Economics Learn more... Syms Faculty and Scholars Publish in the Journal of Cultural Economics Dr. Ravid and colleagues from the University of Texas considered the question of whether professional critics are still relevant in an era of omnipresent user reviews in a paper published this year in the Journal of Cultural Economics (a top field journal). They found that professional reviewers matter much more to the success of motion pictures than users鈥 posts, suggesting that consumers still view reviews from unknown users with some suspicion.鈥溾 (S. A. Ravid with S.Basuroy, R. Gretz and B. J. Allen, Journal of Cultural Economics March 2020, volume 44, 57鈥96. Faculty Fast Facts: Dr. Maria Blekher, Director of the 麻豆传媒映画 Innovation Lab Dr. Maria Blekher is a Director of 麻豆传媒映画 Innovation Lab... Learn more... Faculty Fast Facts: Dr. Maria Blekher, Director of the 麻豆传媒映画 Innovation Lab Dr. Maria Blekher is a Director of 麻豆传媒映画 Innovation Lab and an Academic Program Director for the Master in Marketing. She is also a Clinical Associate Professor of Digital Strategies, teaching at the Sy Syms School of Business. Upon joining 麻豆传媒映画, Dr. Blekher developed the unique course Business in the Israeli Environment for the Sy Syms School of Business.Dr. Blekher is also the founder of MadeInIsrael.Info鈥攁n online educational platform that connects the American Jewish community to Israel by providing information about Israeli business and brands. Dr. Blekher holds an MBA and a PhD in Marketing from the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel.1. What profession did you think you would go into when you were a student?I鈥檝e always been entrepreneurial, a 鈥榞o-getter鈥. I also was curious about the interaction between people technology and their environment. So, I knew I wanted to work in a field that combines; business or law.2. What aspect of your job with 麻豆传媒映画 do you most enjoy?I enjoy the interaction with students, who are bright and creative thinkers. I learn from them a lot, and often students are the best teachers. I enjoy working with Israeli startups, helping them to explore the opportunities in the American market and connecting them to the eco system. This is a natural fit for me, as a marketing expert and Israeli.Overall, I enjoy the creative part of my work, creating value. I joined 麻豆传媒映画 about 4 years ago to develop a course about the Israeli Business Environment for SySyms School of Business. Since then I鈥檝e been a key founding partner in three innovative initiatives; MS in Marketing (which I鈥檓 still leading) and the AS in Management, who鈥檚 first cohort will be graduating this May. The 麻豆传媒映画 Innovation Lab is my newest startups inside 麻豆传媒映画.3. What are you most excited for in the new 麻豆传媒映画 Innovation Lab?Seeing the students exploring, thinking, and creating value for startups. I鈥檓 excited about the opportunity the lab creates for 麻豆传媒映画 students to gain hands on experience and developing entrepreneurial skills and about the value Israeli startups gain from working with us. When a CEO of a startup says to me that he/she learned something they didn鈥檛 know before after working with us, it鈥檚 exciting. When students are able to make an impact, that鈥檚 also exciting.4. What are some of the goals you have for what students take out of your classes?My goal is for students to develop creative thinking and critical mindset. To question, to ask, to think like there is no box. I also believe that one of the best ways to learn is by doing. Having the opportunity to experience the real world as part of the curriculum develops a unique set of skills and an entrepreneurial mindset. Faculty Fast Facts: Mark Finkel, Director of the Sy Syms MBA Program Mark Finkel has been deeply... Learn more... Faculty Fast Facts: Mark Finkel, Director of the Sy Syms MBA Program Mark Finkel has been deeply involved in early stage entrepreneurial enterprises for the past 25 years. Over that time, Mark has worked as an executive or active board member of numerous high-growth technology companies on the East Coast, in Silicon Valley, and in Israel. Mark has had significant international operational experience, having set up distribution channels and operations in both Europe and Asia. Mark was also the founder and Chairman of RightAnswers, an enterprise software company, which was sold to Upland Software in 2017.Many of the companies he has been involved with have had successful exits. He has taken four companies public as Chief Financial Officer and many other companies have had M&A exits. Most recently, Mark served at the Board level for JUMP Bikes, which was bought by Uber in May 2018.Mark has been involved in numerous social entrepreneurship ventures as well. As Chairman of the Special Kids Fund, he has pioneered the concept of a charity gift card. He has also been involved in economic development work overseas.Mark鈥檚 academic interests revolve around helping students understand and apply the skills and concepts underlying successful entrepreneurship. These include understanding the dynamics of nascent markets, as well as those of disruptive entrants into existing markets. Of particular interest to Mark are the management skills needed to scale the entrepreneurial venture through its growth phases. Also important to Mark is understanding the characteristics of the products or services offered by the early stage enterprise that are more likely to lead to success.Mark serves on the Board of Directors or Advisory Board of a number of companies and charities. Mark holds a BA (Oberlin College), an MBA (N麻豆传媒映画) and a JD (University of California, Davis 鈥 Managing Editor of the Law Review).1. What profession did you think you would hold when you were a student?I majored in Government as an undergraduate and thought I wanted to go into public service. I did work in the public sector when I first got out of school but, in the end, switched to the private sector.2. How has your past work experience prepared you for your current position?I have spent over twenty-five years in numerous entrepreneurial ventures in Silicon Valley, in Israel and in the NYC area. I have set up distribution and operations in both Asia and Europe. Additionally, I have help build a number of social entrepreneurship ventures, so have learned a bit about how entrepreneurship applies in the non-profit sector. I still sit on board of for-profit and non-profit organizations, which helps me keep up with the ever-changing entrepreneurial world. Daily, in class, I am able to draw on so much of what I have had the privilege to be exposed to. (Having said that, I do try to complement that real-world knowledge with academic and empirical information, which is valuable, as well.)3. What are some of your goals for the Sy Syms School of Business MBA program and what progress have you made?The Sy Syms MBA Program is an extraordinary program, offering a small learning environment, led by our most senior faculty. We have been able to attract first-rate students from a diverse business and professional background. I would hope we can build on this base to grow the number of students over the next few years. Additionally, we have a strong group of alumni and I would like to grow the programming for that group and be able to draw on the experience of the alumni to help our current students.4. What aspect of your job with 麻豆传媒映画 do you most enjoy?The students and my colleagues. Each day, I feel challenged by the students and enjoy my day-to-day interactions with them. The faculty at Sy Syms are first-rate. They are smart, driven, and dedicated, and have been terrifically welcoming of me.5. What would your colleagues be surprised to learn about you?I have tried to grow in my life by challenging myself to get outside my comfort zone. So, among other activities, I have spent time working on an Indian Reservation in Utah and have spent time doing economic development work in places like Afghanistan. That might surprise them. I don鈥檛 think it would surprise them that I am a die-hard Yankee fan and season ticket holder, since I talk about the Yankees much of the time. Faculty Fast Facts: Professor Leonard Fuld Leonard Fuld is Clinical Assistant Professor of Accounting... Learn more... Faculty Fast Facts: Professor Leonard Fuld Leonard Fuld is Clinical Assistant Professor of Accounting, Tax and Entrepreneurial Business Management at the Sy Syms School of Business of 麻豆传媒映画. He has lectured extensively on U.S. and International tax and business issues throughout the world. Prior to joining 麻豆传媒映画, Professor Fuld was a highly rated adjunct professor for many years in the graduate schools of Baruch and Queens College.In addition to his academic background, Professor Fuld鈥檚 business experience comprises over 38 years of accounting and tax practice, technical tax research, administration, and compliance, including more than seven years in the public accounting arena, in both audit and tax, with PricewaterhouseCoopers. His thirty plus years in industry led to ever increasing senior tax officer responsibilities, within major global businesses, including Schlumberger Ltd, Citigroup, and most recently with Griffon Corp, where he was the Vice President of Taxes of this $1.8 billion New York Stock Exchange multinational. He has been a member of the American Institute of CPAs, New York State Society of CPAs, International Tax Institute, and the Tax Executives Institute. Len has also served on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations and is the Chairperson of his town鈥檚 Ethics Committee.Len鈥檚 hands-on experience includes all types of business transactions, ethics, mergers and acquisitions, government lobbying, individual tax controversies, audit and U.S. tax legislation.1. What is your favorite aspect of your job at 麻豆传媒映画?I love teaching altogether, but having the opportunity to engage, advise, educate and wish a Good Shabbos to my students, with whom I relate to on such a connected basis, does make 麻豆传媒映画 a special place for me.2. Tell us a bit about the new MS in Taxation Program that you are running.The Masters of Science in Taxation reflects the creative programming that Sy Syms is encouraging across the board in all business fields. We recognized that our students, as well as some of the more experienced working professionals, were interested in furthering their technical knowledge, skills and academic credentials in taxation and we strived to fulfill that need by creating an innovative, very economical Tax Masters that will be taught by extremely experienced, highly qualified professors in a one year program. The small classes will be taught at Beren, 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 midtown campus, two evenings a week, so that students will have the ability to work or study for the CPA exam during the day, conveniently achieve the MS Tax in the evenings and still have time to enjoy life as it should be. Amongst the tax courses offered and taught by CPAs, JD/LLMs, and IRS agents, will be International Tax, Ethical Tax Practice & Procedures, State Tax, Contemporary Tax Issues, Estate Tax, Deferred Compensation, and Reorganization/Liquidations. It is an exciting program that employers are already interested in partnering with in order to get a first crack at our well educated future graduates. And there鈥檚 still some time left to apply.3. What profession did you think you would one day hold when you were a child?Given that my birthday is April 15th, I should have known early on that I鈥檇 be a CPA. As a child (which I still am) I was going to be a spy for the Mossad (still would like that), Chief Rabbi of Israel (definitely not these days), or Professor & Director of the Masters in Tax program at 麻豆传媒映画, so I worked real hard, brushed my teeth, said my prayers and lo and behold, my dream came true.4. How do you stay connected with students once they graduate?Email is the easiest and I continue to send out relevant, and that I think are, interesting tax articles but most enjoyably is running into them at various events or countries and catching up with what they鈥檙e up to, professionally and personally. I love hearing how they passed the CPA exam or accomplished some major technical hurdle and giving me credit for having made it possible. True or not, it always feels great.5. What would your colleagues be surprised to learn about you?I was a 9/11 1st responder.I am a shochet (ritual slaughterer).I am really a nice, quiet guy who is never critical or cynical- now that would really surprise everyone!And the rest we鈥檒l keep under wraps. Faculty Fast Facts: Dr. S. Abraham (Avri) Ravid Dr. S. Abraham (Avri) Ravid is Sy Syms Professor of Finance... Learn more... Faculty Fast Facts: Dr. S. Abraham (Avri) Ravid Dr. S. Abraham (Avri) Ravid is Sy Syms Professor of Finance at the Sy Syms School of Business of 麻豆传媒映画. A Yom Kippur War veteran and war correspondent, Dr. Ravid has spoken on national Israeli and American radio about his experiences.He has close to 50 refereed publications, in various journals including the Review of Financial Studies and the Journal of Finance as well as book chapters, monographs and other publications. His current research interests include corporate finance (mergers, bankruptcy, and corporate debt), contracting theory and venture capital as well as the entertainment industry. He has received several awards and prizes for his research.Dr. Ravid has presented at major conferences as well as in Universities including Yale and Wharton, and many others around the world. He has consulted to governments in Israel and the US as well as to private industry.Dr. Ravid鈥檚 work has been covered by the press around the world, including the NYTimes, Wall Street Journal, the BBC, Yedioth, IDF radio and many others in the US and around the world. His most recent interview was April 4, which will be broadcast on NPR later in the month.Prior to receiving his PhD from Cornell University, Ravid was a full time professional journalist in Israel as well as a documentary film maker.1. What is your favorite aspect of your job at 麻豆传媒映画?I like and respect my students. I have taught in many universities, from top Ivy League schools such as Yale and Cornell to state schools such as Rutgers and I spent much time teaching at Haifa University in Israel. Syms students make the top of the list for me. They are eager to learn, have a respectful attitude towards the professors and work hard. The dual curriculum helps much in that respect as I have learned with my own kids. And in real life hard work is the only predictor of success one can control.I also like my colleagues and because Syms and 麻豆传媒映画 are small, you get to work closely with people in other disciplines. In my roles in university committees and as VP (and incoming president) of the faculty council I also get to interact with colleagues in entirely different disciplines. The Jewish calendar is of course a plus- since you never have to reschedule classes because of Jewish Holidays as was the case when I taught in other universities.2. What type of careers do your students have upon graduation?Some of the students end up on Wall Street broadly defined, most often in banks. Others work in real estate and a significant proportion goes on to graduate schools, sometimes the best 鈥 this year I have a student who is continuing at Penn Law and Wharton; Former students ended up in Harvard law school and similar high quality universities3. What profession did you think you would one day hold when you were a child?I have always been interested in various areas from math and physics to acting public speaking communications and literature, so I have changed my mind often. I worked on documentary movies when I was a teenager, considered going to the Technion for Physics, and ended up as a professional journalist as my first real job after the army. However, I found reporting with a daily deadline not sufficiently fulfilling, and thus decided to try for a PhD at Cornell. And the rest is history.4. What research are you working on now?One of the main aspects defining your professional life in a top level university is research. Although I have been an academic for more than three decades, I am still excited about new ideas and about in depth exploration of various topics. For example, we (colleagues from Cornell and the University of Texas) have just published a paper which debunks the myth that internet reviews have replaced professional reviews, in determining which movie consumers will go to see. Another paper provides a new look at firm hedging policies. Another just accepted paper (which is co-authored with colleagues at the University of Chicago NJIT and the University of Texas) looks at intellectual property contracts, a very hot topic these days.I am now working with my colleague Shu Han at Syms on a project (with some funding from the New York City Mayor鈥檚 Office of media and entertainment) which tries to assess whether women have equal opportunities in the movie business; another project looks at the value of human capital in the theater.We are also working on a project (with Gabriela Coiculescu at Syms and a colleague at Baruch) which looks at the determinants of innovation in firms and finally some work in progress with a colleague at N麻豆传媒映画 looks at the fundamentals of value creation in firms.5. What would your colleagues be surprised to learn about you?When I was a teenager, I met the US secretary general and appeared on several coast to coast TV shows on CBS. This was when I represented Israel in a youth leadership conference organized by the state department. Later, I tried to find copies of these shows, but CBS does not have them and all I have are low quality shots of the TV screen. However, I cherish the experience and I am grateful for the many interesting people I met during that first enchanted visit to the US. They include for example, Erkki Liikanen, who represented Finland in that conference. We were roommates in an orientation offered to the delegates from over 40 countries, and he went on to become an MP in Finland, then finance minister and now the head of the central bank. We are still in touch, many decades later. Keep up with everything Sy Syms!Social media News | |