Webinar Series
Please join Dean Bruce Weber, our benefactor Larry Zicklin, faculty members, and special guests for these webinars, featuring business executives and faculty discussing current business topics. This webinar series is offered by the Office of Executive Programs.
The Danish Difference: Rethinking Fixed-Rate Mortgages in America
Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Why do high mortgage rates leave so many American homeowners feeling stuck? In the United States, borrowers with low fixed-rate mortgages often postpone moving because selling their homes would mean giving up the value of their existing low-rate debt.
Could a different mortgage design reduce this lock-in effect? Denmark offers an intriguing idea. Danish fixed-rate mortgages resemble those in the United States, but with one important difference: borrowers can repurchase their mortgages at market value when rates rise, allowing them to capture the gain on their lower-rate debt rather than forfeiting it when they move or refinance.
What would it take to adapt this model to the U.S. mortgage market? Could Danish-style buy-back rights preserve household mobility without significantly raising mortgage rates or undermining housing affordability?
In this Zicklin Talks Business webinar, Larry Zicklin (BBA, ’57, left) leads a timely conversation with Fabrice Tourre (top left), professor in the Zicklin School of Business’ Bert W. Wasserman Department of Economics and Finance.
Dean Bruce Weber (Right) will offer introductory remarks, and Associate Dean Gwendolyn Webb (top right) will moderate the audience Q&A.
Why Are America’s Healthcare Costs So High?
June 16, 2026 11 am
Healthcare spending accounts for about 18% of U.S. GDP—far higher than the roughly 10% average among other OECD countries. For many Americans, those costs are not just a policy concern; they are a source of financial distress, with medical debt a major factor in consumer bankruptcy.
Why does healthcare cost so much in the United States? Are hospital costs the main driver? How much do labor-intensive care, limited price competition, regulatory complexity, and payment systems that reward volume over value contribute to the problem?
And what comes next? As large hospital systems continue to consolidate, will patients and insurers face even less pricing competition? Can price transparency rules help consumers make better choices, or are hospital pricing systems too complex to be useful? What role do regulation, reimbursement rules, and the country’s complicated multi-payer system play in keeping costs high?
In this Zicklin Talks Business webinar, Larry Zicklin (BBA ’57, left) leads a timely conversation with Gretchen Morgenson (top left), Senior Financial Reporter, NBC News Investigations, and Alex Mills (top center), professor in the Zicklin School of Business’ Narendra Paul Loomba Department of Management.
Together, they will examine why hospital costs have become such a powerful force in U.S. healthcare spending, how medical debt affects consumers and families, and what policy or market reforms might make care more affordable.
Dean Bruce Weber (right) will offer introductory remarks, and Associate Dean Gwendolyn Webb (top right) will moderate the audience Q&A.
Distressed and Bankruptcy Investing: Opportunity in Adversity
May 12, 2026 11 am
What would make an investor willingly buy the debt of a company in distress?
When a firm is struggling, its bonds often trade far below par, clouded by uncertainty about the company’s future. The risk of further losses can be significant, making this corner of the market seem, at first glance, like a place for only the boldest investors.
And yet, distressed investing is a well-established and often highly successful strategy.
What separates opportunity from danger? What signals real value in a troubled company’s business, assets, or capital structure? How can carefully selected investments generate returns even in the shadow of bankruptcy?
In this Zicklin Talks Business webinar, Larry Zicklin (BBA ’57, left) leads a conversation with Dov Gertzulin (BBA ’01, top left), Managing Principal of DG Capital Management, LLC, an experienced investor with deep expertise in distressed and special situations investing and William Organek (top center), assistant professor in the Zicklin School of Business’ Department of Law.
Together, they will explore how investors evaluate distressed firms, navigate risk, and identify opportunities in some of the market’s most uncertain environments. Dean Bruce Weber (right) will offer introductory remarks, and Associate Dean Gwendolyn Webb (top right) will moderate the audience Q&A.
Reputational Risks for Organizations
April 14, 2026 11 am
A strong reputation may be a large corporation or non-profit organization’s most valuable asset — and its most fragile.
In today’s environment of tight regulation, instant social media, operational complexity, and heightened public expectations, reputational problems rarely stay contained. A service outage, data breach, conduct failure, or misaligned incentives can rapidly escalate into a full-blown financial, regulatory, and leadership crisis across any industry.
So how are reputations in large organizations actually built, damaged, and restored? Does trust translate into stronger performance and long-term success? And what can leaders do to manage reputational risks in ways that are practical, measurable, and woven into everyday decisions?
This Zicklin Talks Business webinar takes a hard look at the real-world drivers of reputational harm, from cyberattacks and governance failures to poor customer treatment and problematic incentive structures. We’ll also explore how organizations can move beyond vague concerns about “brand image” by adopting early warning indicators, embedding reputational risk into enterprise risk management, and building stronger accountability throughout the organization.
We’ll close by wrestling with a central question: when a crisis strikes, does trust make an institution more resilient? Or simply give it more to lose?
Larry Zicklin (BBA ’57, left) leads this engaging, evidence-based discussion with two Zicklin School of Business faculty members from the Narendra Paul Loomba Department of Management whose research and teaching focus on these issues: Professor Lauren Aydinliyim (top left) and Professor Naomi Gardberg (top center). Dean Bruce Weber (right) offers introductory remarks, and Associate Dean Gwendolyn Webb (top right) moderates audience Q&A.
Is Shareholder Democracy Enhanced or Diminished by the New Executive Order on Proxy Voting?
March 10, 2026 11 am
Shareholders traditionally control major corporate issues through the voting of proxies.
For low-fee passive funds holding many stocks, as well as smaller active funds, that model is less clear. Since these funds can’t afford to research countless proxy items, they rely on proxy advisors’ recommendations instead.
A presidential Executive Order (Dec. 11, 2025) entitled “Protecting American Investors from Foreign-Owned and Politically-Motivated Proxy Advisors,” upends this system by instructing agencies of government to prioritize investment returns as they increase oversight and regulation of proxy advisory firms. The order also deemphasizes DEI and ESG, stating that “investor returns should be the only priority.”
If this new order narrows, delays, or reduces access to proxy research, how can both passive and smaller funds vote thoughtfully across their portfolios? What might this mean for stocks, governance, and efficiency—and what happens to DEI and ESG?
Larry Zicklin (BBA ’57, left) leads the conversation with Sonali Hazarika (top left) and Leonard Kostovetsky (center), Associate Professors in the Bert W. Wasserman Department of Economics and Finance, Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College/CUNY. Dean Bruce Weber (right) offers introductory remarks, and Associate Dean Gwendolyn Webb (top right) moderates the Q&A.
How Can We Build More Affordable Housing?
February 10, 2026 11 am
Affordable housing is a national priority, yet bringing new units online remains complex and costly. Join us for an open, solutions-focused conversation on what it takes to produce more affordable housing today, and how to scale development to meet tomorrow’s needs.
We will discuss the key barriers of financing and land costs, approvals and construction constraints, as well as the reluctance of many to accept changes in zoning regulations.
In addition, we will offer suggestions as to practical strategies that developers and investors are using to move projects from concept to delivery.
Larry Zicklin (BBA ’57, left) leads the discussion on these issues with two business leaders on the frontlines of housing development: Victoria Gousse (MS in Real Estate, ’15) (top left), Principal, AWC | Real Estate Investment Management, New York City, and Darren Smith (BBA, ’08) (top center), President, Smith & Henzy Affordable Group, Delray Beach, Florida.
Dean Bruce Weber (right) offers introductory remarks, and Associate Dean Gwendolyn Webb (top right) moderates audience Q&A.
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ZICKLIN TALKS BUSINESS 2023 Webinars (Archived)
ZICKLIN TALKS BUSINESS 2022 Webinars (Archived)
ZICKLIN TALKS BUSINESS 2021 Webinars (Archived)
The New Normal In Business 2020 Webinars (Archived)