Fordham has and will continue lending full cooperation to the NCAA during their investigation, including following the NCAA’s bylaws to maintain confidentiality. Therefore, we’re unable to share any more details on the matter at this time.

“I want to thank Ed for his service to Fordham Athletics, and especially to the student athletes, who thrived under his leadership,” said Tania Tetlow, Fordham’s president. “He has been a highly capable leader and fundraiser, and we wish him the best of luck at St. John’s.”

Kull’s final day at Fordham will be Friday, September 13, 2024. President Tetlow has named deputy athletic director Charlie Elwood, as the interim athletics director. The University will commence a national search for a permanent athletic director immediately.

Dear Members of the Fordham Community,

The University has completed a thorough assessment of our campuses following the 4.8 magnitude earthquake in the greater New York City area. No members of the community were injured, and there was no damage to any of Fordham’s campuses. If you notice any damage, or need assistance, please call Public Safety at 718-817-2222.

Please see the Fordham News story for details about the earthquake, including commentary and a seismograph reading from Stephen Holler, professor of physics at Fordham and head of the William Spain Seismic Observatory at Rose Hill.

We don’t anticipate further updates.

Sincerely,

Robert Fitzer
Associate Vice President for Public Safety

Dear Members of the Fordham Community,

The greater New York City area experienced an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.7, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The earthquake was centered in Lebanon, N.J., about 45 miles west of the city. If you see any damage, or need assistance, call Public Safety at 718-817-2222 immediately.

There may be aftershocks, but they will be weaker tremors. If you are outdoors, do be aware of possible falling objects if you are near buildings or other structures.

Our initial assessment indicates no apparent damage to Fordham’s buildings, but we are continuing to survey all campuses for any breakages or damage. Campuses remain open and are operating as scheduled. We will update the community as necessary.

Robert Fitzer
Associate Vice President for Public Safety

At 8 p.m. on March 19, law enforcement officers were pursuing a suspect in a motor vehicle on Hughes Avenue. The suspect crashed the vehicle on the dead end at the Rose Hill campus, then fled southbound (away from campus) toward Fordham Road, then turned east on Fordham Road.

The suspect never entered campus, and no Fordham personnel were involved in the incident. There is presently no threat to the campus community. The University will update the community if and when there is any new information.

If you have any information regarding the incident, please call Public Safety at (718) 817-2222, and ask to speak with a duty supervisor.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Robert Fitzer, Associate Vice President
Fordham Public Safety

All classes that begin before 10 a.m. are cancelled. The University otherwise remains on its normal schedule, but members of the University community should exercise caution while walking on campus, and avoid walking near or under large trees. Facilities staff will be on hand to clear snow from campus walkways and roads by opening time.

The Office of the Provost is in contact with all deans to provide instructions for students and faculty affected by the delayed opening or weather. Staff who are affected by the delayed opening or weather should check with their supervisors for direction.

The first Ram Van departs Rose Hill at 8 a.m. Tuesday, and from Lincoln Center at 9 a.m. The first Ram Van departs from Rose Hill for the Calder Center at 1 p.m. Transit time between campuses may be longer than usual.

• University Health Services at Rose Hill will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and at Lincoln Center from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Counseling and Psychological Services will be open on its normal schedule.
• Fordham Libraries will be open on their normal schedules.
• The Fitness Centers at Rose Hill and Lincoln Center will be open at their normal hours.
• Resident Dining will open at 7:30 a.m. at RH and LC; retail outlets will open as soon as possible thereafter.

As always, members of the University community should take local conditions into account when traveling to or from campus. Faculty, students, and staff should call any of the following numbers for the latest campus travel-related information:

• (718) 817-5555
• (212) 636-7777
• (800) 280-7669 [(800) 280-SNOW]
• (877) 375-4357 [(877) 375-HELP]

In an emergency, please call Fordham Public Safety at (718) 817-2222.

The last Ram Van departs Rose Hill at 11 p.m. this evening, and from Lincoln Center at 12 a.m. Contractors have been advised to secure all loose materials and custodial staff will be available for any potential flooding. Campus dining venues are operating on their normal schedules. Fordham Libraries are operating on their normal schedule.

The Office of the Provost is in contact with all deans regarding alternative class modalities for students and faculty affected by the weather. Staff who are affected by the weather should check with their supervisors.

As always, members of the University community should take local conditions into account when traveling to or from campus. Faculty, students and staff should call any of the following numbers for the latest campus travel-related information:

• (718) 817-5555
• (212) 636-7777
• (800) 280-7669 [(800) 280-SNOW]
• (877) 375-4357 [(877) 375-HELP]

In an emergency, please call Fordham Public Safety at (718) 817-2222.

We perform these tests at least twice every school year to ensure that the systems essential for your safety are working properly, and that both the staff responsible for sending emergency messages and the members of the campus community are acquainted with their operation. Feel free to call the Department of Public Safety at 718-817-2222 if you have any questions or concerns.

Today is the Feast of St. Ignatius, when we celebrate our founder, the intellectual and moral genius who left us an extraordinary legacy. But rather than brag about Ignatius himself, we serve his legacy better by remembering his teachings.

Every day at Fordham, we struggle with difficult decisions – the agonizing kinds that leave us so exhausted with decision fatigue we can’t possibly decide what to eat for dinner that night. Most of us, without really knowing it, reach for aspects of the Jesuit principles of discernment, the practice that Pope Francis deems the most important contribution of his Jesuit order.

I can only scratch the surface of discernment here, but I’ll tell you what strikes me most. First and foremost, to make a good decision, you must stop and give it the time it deserves. (By that, I don’t mean forming a committee to talk endlessly about the simplest of choices, but to recognize when a decision really matters and avoid rushing to judgment.)

Second, we also must really dig into the problem itself. Fr. Joseph Tetlow, S.J. (now permanently known around here as Uncle Joe) always tells me, “the solution to the crisis can be found inside the crisis.” It doesn’t work to apply the general principle – the outside answer – to complicated problems. We examine the specifics of our situation and learn from the problem itself, in all its thorny complexity.

In other words, before we can find the answers, we need to seek out more information and insight. To listen, really listen, requires that we:

• stop talking so that we can listen (a struggle for me sometimes);
• seek out information from more than just our usual echo chambers – to bravely reach out to the truth-tellers who will be blunt and honest with us;
• be self-aware – learn the filters and biases that keep us from learning what we hear;
• remain open, try not to let our defenses get triggered and shut down;
• and finally – to seek out different kinds of facts and arguments than we’re used to. If you are an analytical person, listen to the impact on people. If you’re an empath, consider the data and hard facts.

How do we avoid having all of that input create an endless committee meeting inside your own head? How, then, do you decide? Much of Jesuit discernment comes down to this – once you’ve listened hard, gathered insights, and spent time prayerfully considering the options, trust your gut. Try on each possible option in your mind and measure how it feels. Ignatius believed, in a way that was very counterculture centuries ago, that there is real value in the instincts of our hearts. The Jesuits use the word “consolation.” The right thing to do also feels right. It consoles us.

As a community, we make hard decisions for Fordham every day. I hope we can always do it with patience, courage, and wisdom.

Prayers and blessings,

Tania Tetlow
President

That would be the best case scenario, but even then there would not necessarily be any survivors, said Lawrence Brennan, a professor at Fordham University’s School of Law.

The Titan’s hatch cannot be unlocked from the inside, “so they will have to open the hatch and the bolts from the outside and rescue the people in there. That’s the best scenario, and I’m not sure it’s likely,” said Brennan, a retired Navy captain who has been involved in investigating and prosecuting cases involving submarine rescue ships.

Lawrence B. Brennan is a member of the adjunct faculty at Fordham Law School who teaches the Admiralty and International Maritime Law Course. He has handled hundreds of admiralty and maritime cases in U.S. federal and foreign courts. He is a retired Captain, Judge Advocate General’s Corps, U.S. Navy and served at sea and ashore for more than 33 years.

I want to invite you to my favorite part of the academic year. For almost five centuries, since 1548 in Sicily, Jesuit universities have begun their fall semester with a Mass of the Holy Spirit. It is the moment we remind ourselves that the purpose of our work is so much bigger than the immediate tasks before us. And as we celebrate with 170 other Jesuit universities worldwide, we remember that we are part of an ancient and global tradition.

We have an exciting academic year ahead of us, and as I welcome you to campus—or back to campus—I invite you to two celebrations and hope you come to both. First, an interfaith prayer service at Lincoln Center on Wednesday, August 31, at 4:30 p.m. on the Plaza; and then the Mass of the Holy Spirit in the University Church at Rose Hill on Sunday, September 11, at 5 p.m. The University Choir will pull out all of the stops (that’s actually an organ metaphor, so it’s literally true here).

We are proudly a place of unabashed faith for people of every faith. We are a community that delights in the common themes of the world’s great religions—empathy and generosity, welcoming the stranger, celebrating fundamental human dignity. We do that not by diluting our different faiths into an ecumenical mush but by learning from each other’s rituals.

And for those of you not part of a religious tradition, or who have chosen otherwise, I hope you’ll come and be inspired by the rituals humankind have engaged in for millennia. We know that you come to many of the same values from a different source and appreciate your deep respect for what makes Fordham so special. We are grateful that, in an increasingly secular world, you connect with us as our full selves here, as people of goodwill of all faiths and none.

I hope to see you there, and to get to know you at the receptions thereafter.

All my best,

Tania Tetlow
President

All employees who work in the building should contact their direct supervisors about working from home, or from another campus location. The rest of the Lincoln Center Campus will remain open.

Thank you for your patience while we resolve these issues.

Robert Fitzer, Associate Vice President
Fordham Public Safety