Successful Participants

Jim Fornaro wanted to teach the next generation of students. But this investment banking executive didn't think he wanted to be one of them.

"When I joined the program, I had almost 20 years of experience and limited time, I needed an environment where my business experience would have value," says the 2003 graduate, who recently became a member of the faculty and director of graduate programs at SUNY College at Old Westbury. "At Pace, all my counterparts were senior-level people who could speak with a real-world perspective."

That practical environment helped Fornaro choose Pace. What's even better, though, is how his real-world perspective was affected by what he learned while he was there.

"I realized I could truly merge theory into practice," he says. "I did not have an appreciation for the breadth and depth of academic research in my field. But I gained respect for it—I clearly have the ability to do higher-level accounting research as a result of my education."

And now that he's made the transition from student to professor?

"Pace prepared me to be a well-rounded faculty member," he says."It gave me the education and ability to do quality research, which is required in academia. And now I'm working with students, teaching at the master's level, helping students learn how to become successful.

"I get a lot of satisfaction out of that."