November 2025 News & Updates | | RSBC’s Inaugural Celebration of Distinction Honors Alumni and Community Partners | |
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The Rutgers School of Business–Camden (RSBC) hosted its inaugural Celebration of Distinction at the Campus Center, bringing together faculty, staff, alumni, corporate, and community partners in a festive evening recognizing outstanding contributions to the university and broader community.
Dean Monica Adya emphasized the school’s role as a catalyst for transformation through academic excellence and engagement, noting that the honorees exemplify leadership and impact in business and society.
The event featured symbolic feather-adorned awards, representing honor, strength, and wisdom—qualities reflected in the recipients and the Scarlet Raptor mascot. Led by master of ceremonies Steve Selfridge SBC’79, the program celebrated individual achievements while reinforcing the collective spirit and mission of RSBC.
A full list of award winners is available on the RSBC website at: https://business.camden.rutgers.edu/celebration2025/
| | | | Introducing the Rutgers Leader Mentoring Program | | |
RSBC is proud to launch the Rutgers Leader Mentoring Program, connecting graduate business students with accomplished Rutgers alumni for one-on-one mentoring. This initiative offers a unique opportunity for mentors to share their expertise, guide the next generation of business leaders, and stay engaged with the Rutgers–Camden community—all while fostering leadership and professional growth.
👉 Interested in becoming a mentor? Click here to participate!
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Shaping the Entrepreneurial Mindset at RSBC | To shape the entrepreneurial mindset, RSBC has launched a new undergraduate major in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, designed to cultivate entrepreneurial thinking as a mindset, not just a skillset. Through intellectually rigorous and hands-on courses, like Managing Innovation and Venture Meets Mission, students learn to transform ideas into impactful ventures. The program also integrates real-world experiences—from business plan competitions to partnerships with local organizations—that bridge classroom learning with practical application. RSBC’s goal is to empower students to become resilient, mission-driven innovators who see opportunities where others see obstacles. | | | |
🌎✨ 2025 Sustainability Summit Recap ✨🌎
| | Student and Alumnus Spotlights | | |
Student Spotlight
Meet Sandra Musitelli, a driven student in our Online Master of Accountancy (MAcc) program, originally from Bergamo, Italy and set to graduate in Spring 2027. Pursuing a career change, Sandra aims to become a CPA and eventually co-found a business with her husband. Balancing full-time work, studies, and marriage, she emphasizes perseverance and staying focused on long-term goals. Her internship with Rutgers alumnus Gabriel Minasian helped her feel connected to the Rutgers community, and through overcoming early challenges, she’s grown in both confidence and capability
After graduation, Sandra's next big goal is to obtain her CPA license. We wish her the best of luck on her journey!
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Alumnus Spotlight
Ren Cicalese RSBC '78 of Medford is marking 50 years since his first class at Rutgers School of Business–Camden, where he earned a BA in Business Management with an Accounting concentration. As a student, he balanced academics, varsity baseball—earning the MVP Award—and work, completing 96 credits in just 30 months. Now, as a Managing Shareholder at Alloy Silverstein, Ren recently returned to campus to inspire future accountants at the Meet the Firms event. He credited RSBC for shaping his discipline and resilience, and emphasized the lifelong value of community and education.
“To the students beginning this journey: embrace the abundant opportunities, nurture your curiosity, and remember, each interaction can shape your future,” Ren said.
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| | | PEER Secures Contract for AI Training with Johnson & Johnson | | | | |
PEER continues to make progress in delivering training in the emerging field of artificial intelligence. They secured a contract with the Enterprise Quality Innovate Medicine Deployment (EQIMD) Office at Johnson & Johnson (J&J). The PEER Team will be delivering the program in two parts. The first part will address the basics of prompt engineering, tools currently employed, ethical considerations, and governance - generally how AI is being used in the workplace. The second part is directly related to the work of this J&J group. The PEER team will work with the EQIMD partner to integrate specifically how AI can leverage their proprietary J&J tools.
This engagement further exhibits the recognition of RSBC's positioning in the AI space as we are now being called into the competitive bidding process for large, Fortune 500 companies.
If you would like to find out how PEER can support your organizational training needs, reach out to Peter McAliney at peter.mcaliney@rutgers.edu or check out our website for more information: https://execed.rutgers.edu/programs-for-organizations/.
| | | Faculty Research and Engagement | | Entrepreneurship Beyond the Classroom | | |
In Dr. Tom Fewer’s course, Venture Meets Mission, business students partner with Camden-based organizations to identify local social innovation projects and develop real-world solutions. Using an AI-supported tool, students move through the mission venturing process—creating business plans and pitch decks that blend purpose with profit. The course builds on Dr. Fewer’s nationally recognized book, Venture Meets Mission, which explores the power of social entrepreneurship.
Meanwhile, in Dr. Supradeep Dutta’s Managing Innovations course, students are engaging directly with federal innovation labs through the FLEX program (federallabs.org/engage/flex-program). As part of this pilot initiative, RSBC students conduct market assessments on licensable technologies and develop strategic recommendations for labs that may not have the resources to do so internally. Rutgers School of Business–Camden is proud to be among the early adopters of this program, empowering students to apply classroom learning to groundbreaking, real-world innovation.
| Dr. Tom Fewer describes his course, Venture Meets Mission. | Dr. Supradeep Dutta outlines his Managing Innovations course. | |
Dr. Chet Spell Advances Community Health and Workplace Research
Dr. Chet Spell, Professor of HR/OB, continues to lead impactful work through Rutgers’ REACH initiative, addressing employment and health barriers in Camden, New Brunswick, and Newark. Current research explores treatment disparities in substance use recovery, while recent publications span diversity training, team dynamics under pressure, and the role of AI in workplace collaboration.
For more information on Dr. Spell's research, go to the post.
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The Marketing area at RSBC, led by Dr. Sam Rabinowitz, Area Head and Distinguished Service Professor, continues to excel in both research and teaching. With expertise spanning consumer behavior, marketing strategy, and global branding, the six-member faculty has published in top-tier journals and earned prestigious accolades, including Bright Idea and Best Paper Awards. Faculty members, including Dr. Yuliya Strizhakova and Dr. Iman Paul, both recipients of the New Jersey Bright Ideas Awards, have been recognized for impactful work on sustainability messaging and AI-driven consumer behavior. Beyond research, the team is deeply committed to student success through high-quality instruction, mentorship, and career development support.
For more information on the recent publications, teaching, and other activities of the Marketing faculty, check out the full post.
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In this edition of our Staff Spotlight, we are proud to highlight the dynamic team behind the Office of the Dean at RSBC. From strategic leadership and academic planning to event coordination and financial management, these professionals play a vital role in shaping the school’s operations and supporting its mission. Whether guiding small business development, managing faculty affairs, or driving innovation in executive education, each team member brings unique expertise—and a few fun surprises—to their role.
Under the leadership of Dean Monica Adya, Ph.D., the team is comprised of:
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Dr. Akeel Gaines, Regional Director for the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Rutgers–Camden
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Sharesse Jackson, Administrative Coordinator, Faculty and Staff Operations
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Nathan Levinson, Director of Academic Administration
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Dr. Peter McAliney, Director of Director of both Professional and Executive Education at Rutgers (PEER) and The Ragone Center for Excellence in Accounting
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Michelle Sudler, Administrative Coordinator, Office of the Dean
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Chris Sweeney, Business Manager
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Dr. Rachel Tomlinson, Director of Operations and Administration
Get to know the faces behind RSBC’s success and the stories that make them stand out in the full post.
| | Upcoming Events – Save the Date | |
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