By Erin Shanahan
Marisa Totino, a Bronx native, is now the current Gabelli assistant dean for freshmen. Ram Archives
As Dean Greer Jason takes on the newly created position of senior assistant dean of undergraduate studies in the Gabelli School of Business, Marisa Totino has stepped in as the new assistant dean for freshmen.
The new position was created in order to address the more logistical side of undergraduate studies, according to Jason. This includes coordinating business aspects of the Gabelli core curriculum and acting upon student feedback. For example, she said that many students reported feeling that the IP 2, professional development class, was placed too late within the Gabelli core timeline. Students reported that the class material would be more helpful during their freshman year. As a result, with the help of other deans, Jason is working to move that class into Gabelli students’ schedule for freshman year.
In addition to coordinating business aspects of the Gabelli core curriculum, Jason is tasked with keeping students engaged outside of the classroom. For example, Jason works to organize the freshman, sophomore, junior and senior overnight retreats for Gabelli students. Dean Jason is also working to organize a “Women in Business” Retreat. In regards to student engagement, Dean Jason also oversees the Gabelli Book Club and other special projects.
While Jason is working as the senior assistant dean, Dean Marisa Totino is working as the new assistant dean for freshmen. Totino is a Bronx native who lived just 15 minutes away from the Rose Hill Campus. “I spent a lot of my childhood taking advantage of the amazing things the Bronx has to offer and decided to stay in the Bronx and attend Fordham,” Totino said. After graduating from Fordham College at Rose Hill, Totino obtained her masters from Fordham’s Graduate School of Education. Before arriving at Fordham, Totino worked at Columbia Business School where she developed a global engagement strategy for the school.
Totino decided to apply to Fordham because of her connection to the Bronx and the university. “Coming back to Fordham was about coming home,” Totino said. “I always knew I wanted to return here because of the values that were instilled in me during my academic career. The assistant dean for freshmen position in the Gabelli School of Business allows me not only to come back to Fordham but also to work with students in business education- something I am extremely passionate about.”
In addition to business, Totino is also very interested in politics. “My first love was (and still is) politics,” she said. “I am a political junkie and for a short time I served on one of the Bronx’s local community boards. It was an absolutely phenomenal experience to participate in local government and work with my community in such a positive way.”
Totino hopes to help freshmen in the Gabelli School better understand their academic and professional goals. She also looks forward to introducing students to all the possibilities that business education has to offer. “Fordham has the ability to change your life in ways you do not even realize,” Totino said. “Throughout your time here, say yes to all the opportunities the University has to offer, meet new people and reflect daily. The decisions you make and the people you meet here will stay with you and will enrich your life every day.”
