Carmine P. Gibaldi, Ed.D. ‘77C, ’79 M.B.A.

As a child, Carmine P. Gibaldi, Ed.D. ’77C, ’79 M.B.A., Associate Professor of Administration and Economics, saw how much a job affects someone’s well-being. “I grew up around laborers,” he said, “and I saw how much their work environment influenced the way these people felt.  That’s how I started thinking about the application of psychology to the workplace.”

As an undergraduate at St. John’s University, the native New Yorker came to the discipline after “bouncing” between several majors. He began as a pre-med student, switched to art, and finally settled on Psychology. He went on to receive his M.B.A in Management at St. John’s, ultimately earning his doctoral degree at Columbia University.

“It all started at St. John’s,” said Dr. Gibaldi. “I’m a first-generation college student, and it meant a great deal to me that the University provided me with great faculty mentors and other wonderful opportunities.”

It was St. John’s, he added, that initially sparked his interest in becoming an educator. He never regrets his decision. “Every time I walk into a classroom,” he said, “there’s so much energy."

A highlight of his career was the Senior Specialist Fulbright Award he received in 2013. Running through summer 2016, the award allowed him to conduct his research in management and organizational behavior at the University of Bologna in Italy, one of the world’s oldest universities.

The Fulbright is a prestigious grant that allows US scholars and professionals to engage in short-term collaborative projects in more than 140 nations around the world. Recipients work with academic and professional counterparts at eligible institutions in their host countries.

In addition to conducting research from Mid-May to Mid-June 2016, Dr. Gibaldi taught graduate classes, provided lectures to faculty, reviewed doctoral proposals, and organized faculty development workshops for faculty at the University of Bologna. "Given the response by faculty to my workshops I was asked to meet with the Vice Rector of Staff and Faculty Development at the University.  My workshops were so well received that the Vice Rector asked me to provide further assistance and insights as he planned upcoming faculty development workshops."

Ultimately, Dr. Gibaldi said, these varied experiences not only benefit him, but also his students—the main focus of his work. “My students make me feel like one of the luckiest people on the planet,” he said. “They’re always appreciative, which is what I connect to. As a teacher, when you try, you get a lot in return.”