Q&A with John Rapanos, DPS, CFP, Dean, The School of Business

John M. Rapanos, DPS, CFP
Dean, The School of Business

What was your experience before Berkeley College?

I had over 30 years of management experience within the financial services industry.  Most of my career was with Merrill Lynch.  I had management positions in a number of functional areas of Merrill, including technology, finance & administration, marketing, and human resources.  My last position at Merrill Lynch was Director of Strategic Sourcing and HR Information Systems.  I was responsible for developing recruitment strategies for the Private Client Group, as well as developing metrics to assess the firm's use of human capital. 

How did you come to Berkeley College?

I have always wanted to be a professor.  While at Merrill Lynch, I took advantage of their generous tuition reimbursement policy and went into the doctoral program at Pace University in New York City.  After I retired from Merrill Lynch, I decided to fulfill my life-long ambition to become a college professor.  I was doing some internet research on local colleges in the New York/New Jersey area, and stumbled across Berkeley College.  It seemed like just the type of institution of higher education that would be a fit with my academic credentials as well as my industry experience.  I sent in my resume and got a call a few days later to meet with the chair of the management department.  Two weeks later, I was a fulltime faculty member teaching a wide range of management courses.

What is your role at Berkeley, and what has your experience been like so far?

My current position at Berkeley College is Dean of the School of Business.  I have been in this position since July, 2009.  As the founding dean of the school, it has been a rewarding opportunity and challenge to develop something from the ground up.  What is most interesting about this position is the number of people with whom I come into contact, and the variety of projects in which I am engaged.  As dean, I have found it important to make time for all constituents, including students, faculty, staff, academic administrators, and other individuals and entities outside the college.

What are some of your priorities for the upcoming year?

This upcoming year we will be conducting major reviews of our Marketing and Information Systems curricula.  These major reviews provide an opportunity to scan the environment and see what changes may be needed in our curriculum.  What is really important about these reviews is that it helps us align our curriculum with labor market dynamics.  We are very keen on providing our students with up-to-date skills which will help them in their career choices.

In addition to our curriculum review activities, we are also working on development of Berkeley College's first M.B.A.  As you might imagine, this requires a lot of preparation work with many constituents, including faculty and staff, as well as the New York State Department of Education, and our regional accreditation body.  This is just one example of why it is an exciting time to be at Berkeley College.

Do you see alumni as a vital part of your work?

We are always interested in the views of our alumni.  Many of our alumni are working in industries where we are working hard to place our graduating students.  Alumni can play a vital role in providing feedback to our curriculum review teams, helping our students get internships and fulltime positions, and of course, providing a pool of candidates for our M.B.A. program.

What kind of programs do you think alumni might be interested in?

Today, life-long learning is critical to any individual's success in their chosen career.  That may mean coming back to Berkeley College for further graduate education once we implement our M.B.A. program, or it may mean choosing a continuing education program.  We currently offer a certificate program for individuals who wish to take the Certified Financial Planner exam administered by the CFP Board.  We are also working on a number of other certificate programs and seminar type programs to provide continuing education opportunities for certain professionals.  Whether at Berkeley College or elsewhere, our alumni should constantly seek to enhance their skills.  The more skills an individual can offer an organization, the more valuable they become.