By the start of the next school year, students would be required to disconnect from their devices during school hours, “bell to bell,” the governor said, citing Pew research that found 72% of high school teachers report cell phones are a major problem in their classrooms. Implementation would be left up to the schools, which could use the allotted funding to purchase equipment, like pouches or cubbies, and to train personnel to enforce the ban. 

New York School Cellphone Ban

New York is the latest state to push for banning phones in schools, a movement that’s gaining ground in both red and blue states. Ohio, South Carolina, Virginia, California, Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, and Louisiana have all put measures in place to restrict cellphone use during the school day. Proponents, including a major New York teacher’s union, say the bans not only remove a source of distraction, they also give students a much-needed break from addictive devices that can stunt their social skills, their attention spans, and their emotional well-being. 

“Our kids will finally be free of the endless distraction of social media and all the mental health pressures that come with it,” Hochul said Tuesday. 

Opposition from Parents

But not everyone is pleased. According to Elizabeth Stosich, associate professor and associate chair of the Division of Educational Leadership, Administration, and Policy at Fordham’s Graduate School of Education, some parents would prefer their kids to be a call or a text away, especially given concerns over gun violence. Teachers and administrators who create no-phone policies in a piecemeal fashion often find themselves in conflict with these parents. Stosich is in favor of the move from Albany to ban phones in schools statewide.

“Teachers don’t want to police cell phones. They want to teach kids. I think this can shift norms and expectations to be—We don’t use cellphones in schools. And it’s not just me as a teacher saying this.  It’s not just me as a principal who has to fight parents, or even as a superintendent with angry parents at my school board meetings. This is a statewide policy,” she said. 

Inside a Phone-Free Classroom

According to Xiaying “Summer” Li, a high school foreign language teacher in New York City and a Ph.D. student at the Graduate School of Education, banning phones in school has benefits. She’s had a “no phones” rule for about three years now and says it has transformed the dynamics of her classroom for the better. 

“In the beginning, students gave me lots of push-back. After two weeks, the first thing students would do was turn in their phones to me,” said Li. Rather than seeing kids texting or scrolling TikTok in class, she now sees them watching, listening, and engaging with the material. 

“That is the reason I support this policy. I believe we will see a tremendous change in academic performance and discipline,” she said. 

“These rankings reflect both the high quality of our program and Fordham’s commitment to making advanced data science education accessible,” said Yijun Zhao, the program’s director.

Fortune’s ranking methodology takes into account eight key data points, including factors like graduation rates, one-year retention rates, total program cost, acceptance rates, and the average undergraduate GPA of admitted students. 

A Rapidly Growing Field 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job market for data scientists is expected to grow 36% by 2033—far surpassing the 4% average growth rate for U.S. industries. Data science is also more lucrative than the average career path, with the median annual salary for data scientists reported at $108,020 in 2023. 

A master’s in data science can serve as the foundation for a variety of possible careers, including data engineer, data architect, chief information officer, and statistician. 

Fordham’s Data Science Master’s Program 

Fordham’s program is designed to prepare students for successful careers in this growing field. Students gain hands-on experience with in-demand skills, such as machine learning, natural language processing, and cloud computing. Students also have the opportunity to explore specialized areas of interest, including artificial intelligence, data security, and computational finance. 

The program consists of 10 courses totaling 30 credits, designed to be completed in one to two years. Evening classes are available to accommodate working professionals. Because of the program’s STEM designation, international students can apply to extend their stay in the U.S. for an additional two years after graduation on an Optional Practical Training visa. 

In addition to its data science master’s program, Fordham offers a M.S. in data science and quantitative economics, which is the first and only program of its kind on the East Coast, as well as a dual M.A./M.S. in data science and economics. Both of these programs blend data analysis with economic theory to prepare students for careers in fields such as finance, government, healthcare, and more. 

Students have the opportunity to transition from the M.S. in Data Science program to either of these degree paths. According to Zhao, this flexibility “represents a positive gain for Fordham and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences by strengthening our offerings and addressing the growing demand for interdisciplinary expertise.”

Poets&Quants calculates its scores based on a weighted average of rankings from five major sources: U.S. News & World Report, The Financial Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, LinkedIn, and The Princeton Review. These rankings take into account factors such as long-term career outcomes, student experience, admission statistics, starting compensation for graduates, campus environment, and professor quality.

STEM-Designated Fordham MBA Program Offers Tech Skills

The full-time MBA program is STEM-designated, helping students to develop the technical and analytical skills they’ll need to succeed in an increasingly tech-dominated economy. The program features a “Gabelli Launch Month,” a month-long pre-semester initiative where incoming students participate in workshops, networking events, and projects designed to prepare them for the academic and professional challenges ahead.

“Over the past year, we’ve focused on enhancing key aspects of the program, such as experiential learning opportunities, career outcomes, and global exposure,” said Alex Markle, the full-time MBA program’s director. “I’m proud of this momentum and excited to see how we continue to build on this success.”

Both Gabelli School MBA programs offer a Jesuit business education in the heart of New York City. Admissions are selective, with the full-time MBA enrolling approximately 60 students each year, and the EMBA enrolling cohorts of approximately 30. This small cohort size allows for more personalized attention and a closer-knit student community, faculty said. 

A Focus on Values

Francis Petit, the EMBA program’s director, says the program’s success is a product of Fordham’s Jesuit values. 

“Our goal has always been, as the Jesuit EMBA Program of New York, to offer a cura personalis approach to our students that is unique, personalized, and transformative,” said Petit. “We are very proud of our dynamic EMBA students and alumni, along with our committed faculty and staff.”

Fordham rose to number 32 for study abroad among U.S. doctoral-level institutions, according to this year’s Open Doors report on undergraduate study abroad participation. Approximately 40% of Fordham undergraduate students participate in a study abroad program.

For Joseph Rienti, director of the university’s international and study abroad programs, it’s exciting to see the participation rate begin to recover after the pandemic. Before international travel paused, around 50% of Fordham undergraduates took part in a study abroad experience. 

Global diversity is a longstanding value in Jesuit education, Rienti said, and study abroad programs help fulfill the University’s mission. 

“Study abroad broadens student perspectives and deepens their knowledge. We do that in our classrooms in New York, but there’s no better way to do that than to leave your comfort zone and learn from professors and students in another country,” Rienti said. 

A Study Abroad Option for Every Student

The wide variety of study abroad programs available to Fordham students makes it easier to participate, Rienti said. 

Fordham has major study abroad outposts in London, U.K., and Granada, Spain, and offers access to study abroad programs in over 50 countries on six continents. In the 2024-25 academic year, over 1,000 undergraduate students are studying abroad in 30 different countries.

Students can choose immersive “direct enroll” programs, where they learn alongside locals at esteemed universities across the globe, or “island programs” with classes designed to cater to American study abroad students. The university also offers short-term study abroad opportunities, typically ranging from one to four weeks, and special focus programs that integrate a central theme or academic topic, such as the 14-week theater intensive at the London Academy of Dramatic Arts, or the CNN Academy journalism intensive at University College Dublin. 

Now that federal, state, and University financial aid dollars can be applied to study abroad expenses, participation is more accessible than ever for students of all backgrounds. Students who qualify for financial aid such as a Pell grant, student loan, or tuition remission can use that aid to fund a study abroad experience. For those who do not receive financial aid, there are study abroad-specific scholarships available. 

The Open Doors Report includes data from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State, and the Institute of International Education.

The iconic Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan is making a stop at the Rose Hill campus Sunday, Nov. 24. This event is free and open to the community, offering holiday cheer and free photos with Santa for kids of all ages. 

Sit beside Santa on his festive throne and capture the moment in digital and print photos. You can have your photo printed as a postcard, then add a holiday message and drop it in the “Magic Mailbox” for free delivery to your family and friends. 

The event will feature a charitable merchandise store with holiday-themed apparel designed by members of the Boys & Girls Club. All proceeds will go to the organization. 

And what’s a Coca-Cola event without a beverage? Guests can enjoy complimentary Coca-Cola products to sip on while soaking in the festive atmosphere.

Mark your calendars and don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate the season and get your free picture with Santa. Bring your friends, family, and your holiday spirit!

Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan will be at Fordham’s Rose Hill campus in the Bronx on Nov. 24 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. 

For prospective students, sustainability is a significant concern. Of the nearly 8,000 high school students surveyed by The Princeton Review in 2024, 61% said their college decision would be swayed by information about the school’s commitment to the environment. “We are seeing substantive interest among college applicants in attending green colleges,” said Rob Franek, the publication’s editor-in-chief.

What Makes a ‘Green College?’

The list cited a few sustainability highlights at Fordham, including its sustainability committee and dedicated sustainability officer as well as its process for tracking and reporting on greenhouse gas emissions. Fordham has made substantial investments in reducing its emissions. As of December 2023, the university had nearly 3,000 solar panels generating renewable energy. 

Fordham’s investments in updating its dining options also has an eye on sustainability. The dining halls offer plant-based options, and feature water-saving, food-waste reducing hydroponic gardens where workers snip fresh herbs for use in meals.

Fordham students can gain valuable experience in sustainable practices through internships, including one internship geared toward lowering Fordham’s carbon footprint, as well as through their coursework. Students can earn degrees in sustainable fields like environmental science, or pursue other academic paths with an environmental focus. For example, the Gabelli School of Business offers a sustainable business minor, and Fordham students can work directly with the community on environmental issues through the Center for Community Engaged Learning. 

One such opportunity came last year when the city’s Department of Transportation awarded the center a $25,000 grant to gather community input on how best to fix the Cross Bronx Expressway. Emissions from the busy roadway have long been blamed for poor health outcomes in the Bronx. Julie Gafney, the center’s director, said she envisions multiple opportunities for students to get involved with the project, from city planning to architecture to visual arts.  

Fordham also received a $50 million grant from the EPA in 2023 to partner with community groups serving people disproportionately impacted by pollution, climate change, and other environmental stressors. 

The Green Colleges List 

The Princeton Review chose the colleges on its Green Colleges List based on surveys of administrators about sustainability-related policies, practices, and programs, and student surveys about “green” campus experiences. 

As a group, the colleges on the list derived 28% of their energy from clean or renewable sources and diverted 46% of their waste from incinerators or landfills. 

The editors of Commonweal, an acclaimed journal of religion, politics, and culture, said they chose to honor Tetlow because of her trailblazing lay leadership and commitment to justice.

“Her attention to forming and informing the next generation of Catholics and all people of goodwill, and her spirit of knowledge-seeking and creativity exemplify the values Commonweal continues to embody,” they said. 

For Tetlow, receiving an award from the renowned publication was an honor. “Commonweal embodies the best of the Catholic intellectual tradition, asking the critical questions, pushing on assumptions, seeking truth for a century,” she said. It “continues to lovingly push our church to read the signs of the times and to keep striving towards the truth of the Gospel.” 

Tetlow is the first woman and the first layperson to lead Fordham, and according to Commonweal editor Dominic Preziosi, that’s part of what made her an ideal candidate for the Centennial Award.

“She’s an inspiring example who really aligns with Commonweal’s mission, and our belief in the importance of laypeople in matters of faith and leadership,” said Preziosi, a Fordham alumnus. He said Tetlow, who recently appeared on the Commonweal podcast, is “the perfect expression of the kind of community we’re building around as we launch into our second century.”

Fordham Board Chair Armando Nuñez and Kim Bepler, a Fordham trustee, were co-chairs of the dinner. “Tania is a gifted and charismatic leader who is both entrepreneurial and a fierce advocate for Fordham and Jesuit traditions,” said Nuñez. “As president, she is a faith-first leader, called to the service of the University community every day.”

Several other friends of Fordham were on hand for the ceremony. Timothy Shriver, the disability rights activist, presented Tetlow with the award. Shriver received an honorary degree from Fordham in 2019 and delivered the keynote address at that year’s commencement.

Elizabeth Johnson, C.S.J, professor emerita of theology at Fordham and an award-winning author, delivered the invocation and touched on Tetlow’s unique role as a layperson leading a Jesuit institution. 

“Thank God for the laity,” she said. “Thank God that in an era when the expected lay role was to pay, pray, and obey, some few decided to raise their distinct lay voices to explore how Catholic faith could intersect with culture and politics—critically and fruitfully.”

Commonweal, which was recently profiled in the New York Times on the occasion of its centennial, produces a print magazine, podcasts, live and virtual events, and local community gatherings centered on reflective discussions of faith, public affairs, the arts, and the common good. Its past contributors include Dorothy Day, W.H. Auden, Hannah Arendt, John Updike, and Graham Greene. 

The 11 new items include antiquities from Roman Spain—a fascinating and under-studied area of the ancient Mediterranean basin, according to the museum’s curator, Jennifer Udell. There are also new pieces of Greek and Roman sculpture from the Brooklyn Museum.

A Welcoming Space for All  

Udell said the museum has attracted some “regulars”—students who stop by often and help out around the space. Some have even helped to install the objects, getting the rare opportunity to unbox and arrange pieces of pottery and glass created by human hands thousands of years ago. 

One such student is senior Grace Monteith. When the museum reopened in 2022 after the pandemic, she helped with the reinstallation. “The unpacking was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. Dr. Udell took a picture of me and it’s everywhere on my social media. It’s the coolest,” she said. 

First-Hand Encounters with Antiquities

The museum is a teaching collection that creates unique experiential learning opportunities. Professors in several academic departments bring their classes to the museum, and Udell herself teaches courses in museum studies and other subjects. Like business students who gain experience on the Gabelli School trading floors, students who take a museum studies class with Udell get to work with the objects, make decisions about how they’re presented, and curate a group exhibit at the end of the semester. 

One group of students, Udell’s interns for this semester, are at work on an interactive new development: a mobile app through Bloomberg Connects that will offer museum visitors a guided tour of the collection. They’re putting together audio and video content that will provide historical context and highlight points of interest. 

Udell says the tour will not just be for art history students. The app will have information about theatrical masks for theater majors, ancient glass objects for those interested in organic chemistry, and even something for students studying finance. “We have a cuneiform tablet that’s a receipt for a bundle of reeds. It’s not crypto, but it is ancient economies,” she said. 

New Wonders with Each Visit 

For senior Ryan Moore, visiting the museum never gets old. “Every time I come I notice something new that I’ve never seen before,” said Moore, who helped to reinstall the objects for the reopening in 2022. He pointed to a case he’d helped to arrange, noting the way a sculpture’s wings parted to create the perfect opening through which the object in the background could be seen unobstructed. 

“That’s an arrangement I happened on by chance,” he said. “It’s something I’m still proud of to this day.”  

But according to New York Times-bestselling author and Fordham President’s Council member Adriana Trigiani, author of 18 books with numerous producing and directing credits to her name, our only limitations are the ones we place on ourselves. That’s the message she delivered to a room of approximately 200 women — many who identified themselves as aspiring writers — at the eighth annual Fordham Women’s Summit on Oct. 16. 

‘Find Out What the Men Are Making’

During the summit’s keynote session, Trigiani took part in an inspiring and often hysterical conversation with Fordham’s Mary Bly, chair of the English department and author of bestselling romance novels under the pen name Eloisa James. Trigiani offered advice on topics spanning from how to keep to a writing schedule, how to handle the naysayers, and most of all, how to get paid what you deserve. 

“The number-one job of getting paid properly is finding out what the men are making,” said Trigiani, who is also a Fordham parent. “It doesn’t take much. Sometimes just half a cocktail and I can get the numbers out.”

Her tell-it-like-it-is delivery sent one wave of laughter after another through the crowd of career and philanthropy-focused women, many of whom were Fordham alumni or current students. She also offered words of encouragement and reassurance that touched on the real obstacles writers are facing today. 

‘You Cannot Create Without Engaging the Soul’

One such moment came when Trigiani addressed the looming specter of the new AI text generators that threaten the craft with occasionally convincing imitation. 

“Everybody’s worried about AI, but something’s missing there. That’s our secret — they don’t know, but the Jesuits would know. It’s that you cannot create without engaging the soul. It can look like it. It can walk like it. But it’s like one of them handbags in the street. It looks like a Birkin, but if you put two things in it the handles fall off,” said Trigiani. 

Giving with a Purpose

The attendees were encouraged to join Fordham Giving Circles, a form of collective philanthropy where groups of individuals donate to a pooled fund. Emmy Award-winning content creator Isabel Rivera, FCRH ’90, who served as the summit’s emcee, highlighted the Fordham Women’s Summit Scholarship Giving Circle, created to make a Fordham education accessible to students of all backgrounds. Since 2017, more than 100 Giving Circle members in 20 circles have joined forces to give more than one million to Fordham, Rivera said. 

For Trigiani, who along with Bly pledged to join a Giving Circle during the keynote session, it’s a worthy cause. 

“I like that I’m looking at the world at Fordham,” said Trigiani. “It’s not just privileged people … Every country in the world is represented. Every religion. Those Jesuits are sharp, because they know the meaning of the word Catholic. It means everybody.”

Coco de Marneffe and Ian Muir Smith, both FCLC ’22, were the lead organizers of this year’s Local Conference of Youth (LCOY USA), an annual event that brings together over 125 young people from across the country carefully selected for their leadership in the climate movement. Ashira Fisher-Wachspress, FCLC ’23, and current Fordham student Kenny Moll were also part of the 15-person organizing team for the event, which took place in Tempe, Arizona in September.

De Marneffe, who majored in theology, served as the conference’s general coordinator. She said a “Religion and Ecology” class she took her senior year, taught by Christiana Zenner, Ph.D., started her down this path. She hopes LCOY will inspire other young people to get involved in climate advocacy. 

“You don’t have to be a Nobel Prize-winning scientist to contribute to this work. You just have to find your place in your community,” she said. “For me, it started with one class I took in college. Thanks, Fordham.”

The National Youth Statement

The centerpiece of the conference is the National Youth Statement, a list of climate-related policy demands that the young delegates draft together. Smith describes the statement as a democratically-crafted tool that advocates can use to push policy makers further on climate change. Once complete, the statement is shared with local governments and incorporated into the Global Youth Statement, the official youth stance on climate change presented at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Conference of Youth and Conference of Parties, which will be held in November in Baku, Azerbaijan.  

Smith acknowledges that some of the statement’s demands may seem radical — such as disbursing at least $446 billion annually in climate finance to the Global South, or increasing federal investment in public transportation to reduce car dependency by 50% by 2030 — but he says that’s as it should be. “It’s the responsibility of youth in some ways to push our policymakers to consider what is radical. Really, it only seems radical because what we’re doing now is so inadequate,” he said. 

Climate Week in NYC

De Marneffe, Smith, Moll, and Fisher-Wachspress also organized a NYC Climate Week event, which coincides with the U.N. General Assembly in New York City. There, they presented the National Youth Statement to U.S. climate negotiators from the State Department as well as to other young climate organizers. 

“A lot of this work is unglamorous,” said de Marneffe. “What makes it worth it is the people around you who are encouraging you, and who believe in the same things you believe in.”

The Calder Center is a 113-acre property in Armonk, New York, where Fordham faculty and students conduct ecological research in a relatively undisturbed area of wilderness, just 25 miles north of New York City. Chomri Khayi arrived at the center in February, and ever since she’s been hard at work mentoring students, forging partnerships with local conservation groups, and developing a land management plan for the property.

Before joining Fordham, Khayi worked in land management and conservation at Yale. There, she conducted field research on the ecological recovery of dry tropical forests, developed a plant identification resource for a national park in Ecuador, and helped to manage the health and resilience of over 8,000 acres of forest in Connecticut and New Hampshire.  

Khayi sat down with Fordham Now to discuss her new role. 

What does a typical workday look like for you? 

I usually have volunteers or interns come in. Right now we’re doing an inventory of the forest. We have a brief meeting, gear up, then we head out into the woods. 

What does it mean to do an inventory of the forest? 

In order to manage a particular woodland, you need to know what’s there in terms of the plants and the wildlife, as well as the stressors in that environment.

We have around 37 plots all across the property, and in each plot, we collect data on the mature trees, the smaller trees, the understory vegetation, and also invasive species. We also check the light availability to see if there’s a big canopy opening.

Then we extrapolate data from those small plots to the whole property to understand species diversity and distribution, and use that knowledge to develop management strategies. 

What are some of the challenges related to conservation at Calder? 

The biggest challenge ecologically is the non-native invasive species. 

Not all non-native species are invasive, but the ones that are can get really aggressive, and they can out-compete the native plants since they don’t have natural predators. 

You can’t eradicate all non-native species, and some of them have benefits, but the challenge is managing them. And that’s difficult, considering we’re about 25 miles away from New York City, a big hub of international trade. We have a lot of things coming into the ports, outdoor recreationists that may inadvertently aid seed dispersal, and residential areas where they may bring in seeds and ornamentals (decorative garden plants) that may prove to be aggressive.  

What impact will your work have beyond the Calder Center?

We’re part of several regional partnerships, like PRISM, EMMA, the New York Botanical Garden, Vassar College, and others. We’re not just looking at our own land. We’re collaborating with other sites in the lower Hudson Valley to exchange knowledge and create a network for early detection and monitoring. 

Calder also creates a good opportunity for students to try out different interests and see what they like, or simply provides a green space for students to enjoy. If they really commit and spend a summer or a year at Calder, they would have a very unique, boots-on-the-ground experience. In his role, I really want to continue building this community of students that nurtures their relationships with natural areas and with each other.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.