“The first time I knew about the Climate Museum, I was just walking in SoHo; I saw the window and I went in and loved it,” said Salume, who recently graduated from Fordham College at Lincoln Center. “I thought, ‘Wow, it would be great to work at an organization like this, that combines art and climate action.’ It was right up my alley with my environmental studies and humanitarian studies majors.”

John van Buren, Salume’s major advisor and director of the environmental studies program, sent an email a few weeks later with internship opportunities that included one at the museum.

Salume said she “applied immediately.” She started in January as a development intern, working with companies to secure donations.

“Majo [her nickname]has been an incredible force,” said Saskia Randle, a design and curatorial associate at the museum—the first of its kind in the U.S. “As the Climate Museum looks to expand our impact, her research and organizational skills have been essential. Her sincere and enthusiastic work with visitors, particularly younger students, has reinforced our mission to offer opportunities for climate awareness and action to all.” 

Salume said that she became interested in sustainability at a summer camp when she was younger. At Fordham, courses, such as Art Design and Politics, have helped her connect art with environmental action. She also explored those two themes through another internship with the Chelsea Music Festival, which had an environmentally-focused theme last year.

Through working at the museum, Salume said that she saw how art helps younger people connect with complicated topics like climate change. 

“We have this mural, and I think it’s so visually appealing,” she said. “It has so much color, and it does a great job at envisioning a sustainable future. There is a section where it represents where we are now, which is a lot of protests …. And at the end of the mural, you can see a very green, very colorful, very lively world—the kids really resonate with that more than just plain facts.”

Salume was surprised to find she liked the fundraising aspect of her internships. 

“In my past two internships, I’ve been the development intern, which became an unexpected interest of mine,” she said. “But I’m doing my thesis on fast fashion, and the environmental and humanitarian impacts of that, and that has really pushed me to that sector as well.”

“[Tom] gave me guidance on how to carry myself, from looking at my cover letters to hearing me rant [about different issues],” said Harkins, a first-generation law student from New Jersey who plans on attending the Emory University School of Law. “It meant the world [to me].”  

Last fall, Harkins and Hughes—executive vice president and general counsel at Greater NY Mutual Insurance—were paired together through the Fordham Mentoring Program. Since then, they have met nearly every week. In a Q&A and video, the pair discuss their relationship, their favorite moments at Fordham, and advice for soon-to-be graduates. See their conversation in the video above and read more below. 

What is one of your most special memories at Fordham? 

William: My orientation took place on the Plaza. I was a transfer student from the Community College of Rhode Island. Looking at all the skyscrapers, cars, and people around me, I had this moment when I realized that Fordham was bigger than the school itself.

What makes you emotional when you reflect on your time at Fordham? 

Tom: My father attended Fordham for a year and a half. When I was born, he was just under 20 years old and needed to support our family. He took a job in construction and went on to work in the New York City Police Department. Decades later, my daughters Kathleen and Brittany completed their undergraduate and master’s degrees at Fordham. They both said that they completed his degree for him. 

How has Fordham changed your life? 

William: As a first-generation law student, I feel like the academic and emotional support I received have pushed me to expand my goals and try things that I wouldn’t have tried. Fordham also awarded me a merit scholarship that not only allowed me to attend undergrad, but also look forward to law school without worrying about immense debt.

Tom: At Fordham, I developed an intense interest in philosophy. Because of my experience at Fordham, I ended up going to Columbia, where I studied philosophy at the graduate level, and pursued my Ph.D. nearly 25 years later. 

William, what advice would you give to your freshman year self? 

Be more bold. In my first year, I was a little afraid of putting myself out there. It wasn’t until my junior year that I started to feel like I should say yes to every opportunity. That took effect with the mentorship program. You may try and fail, but you’re always going to learn something. 

Tom, what advice do you have for William as he graduates from Fordham and enters the next stage of his life? 

You have an amazing ability to raise issues and think through them. Take advice from people who give good advice. You have an intense interest in the law that you will continue to cultivate, but you also have a good perspective on work-life balance. Keep that balance, and practice the law honestly and courageously. And most importantly, stay true to yourself. Be William. 

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Remember, on the evening of May 18, New York’s Empire State Building will be illuminated in Fordham maroon for our graduates.

Students present their research on the impact of the invasive spotted lanternfly on urban ecology. Photos by Taylor Ha

More than 40 students presented their research at ARS Nova, Fordham College at Lincoln Center’s annual arts and research showcase, on April 18. 

Finding Her Biological Grandmother

Among them was Christine Irlbeck, a senior psychology major who wrote a 100-page memoir about her search to find her biological grandmother.

Irlbeck with her mother and adoptive grandmother: “[Adoption] led to my mother being able to have a stable and beautiful life with her adoptive family.”Irlbeck’s mother, an adoptee from Illinois, had never tracked down her biological mother. But Irlbeck had many questions.

“We’ve always dealt with these overhanging questions about what my mother’s family looks like. When people asked us about our family history at doctor’s appointments and family discussions, we didn’t know it. I also wanted to know whether my biological grandmother had dealt with a lot of life experiences that all of us had shared,” Irlbeck said, referring to the “grief” and “guilt” that can be associated with adoption. 

Irlbeck eventually discovered that her biological grandmother passed away from COVID-19. But she plans to meet her mother’s other biological relatives in person for the first time later this spring. 

“[This journey] gave me … a deeper appreciation for motherhood, in all senses of the word,” said Irlbeck, who interviewed her family and completed a literature review on different adoption processes as part of her research. 

The Subway’s Social Code 

Joseph Cook, a junior urban studies major, studied the social behavior of New York City subway passengers. 

“I’ve been a train nerd my whole life, and I’ve also been taking a lot of sociology and anthropology classes here at Fordham, so I thought it would be a great idea to combine two of my passions,” said Cook.

Last summer, Cook rode 30 train lines and more than 400 trains, observing each route—from beginning to end—at every time of day. He used computer programs to analyze trends in behaviors, including where people chose to stand or sit, the most common behaviors on each line, and different behavioral patterns on weekday trains compared to weekend trains. 

“Somewhat expected was the unspoken social code to keep to yourself. But it’s … not just not talking to other people. It’s where you stand, where you sit, where you grab onto the poles,” said Cook. “Another interesting finding is that post-COVID, the social code doesn’t specify responses to a lot of situations, so a lot of people are left doing nothing in a situation that could be potentially dangerous for other riders. I talk about this more in my documentary on YouTube.”

Cook said his research can help people stay safer on the subway. 

“It can help people stick to that social code and keep themselves safe, and also helps us propose possible solutions, such as expanded cell coverage in the tunnels to record incidents that we can propose to the MTA,” said Cook, who aspires to become an urban planner.

‘Just an Artist’s Dream’ 

Morgan Gregory, a senior dance and African & African American studies double major, directed a documentary that reflects her Black identity as a person and an artist. The film portrays the stereotypes that exist within the Black narrative and the ways that the Black body can transcend these stereotypes and labels, said Gregory, adding that it complements her senior thesis on Afrofuturism. 

“When I first started my research, it was very hard to find anything like what I produced. I think it’s important for work like this to be out there and talked about because everyone needs a voice,” Gregory said. 

“Because I’m in New York, I have the option and opportunity to try out different things, put myself out there, and see what happens,” said Gregory, who aspires to become a professional dancer. “You know, just an artist’s dream.” 

Learn more about each student and their research.

Photos by Cason Doyle. Videos by Franco Giacomarra and Kelly Prinz

Exactly how much work goes into a theater production? To find out, we went behind the scenes with the cast and crew of Fordham Theatre’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, last fall’s mainstage show, just before opening night.

138 Hours of Rehearsal

After auditions were held and parts cast, Fordham student actors began conducting research and learning lines before starting a month of rehearsals. Working alongside acclaimed director Ryan Quinn and a team of student stage managers, the 13 actors spent about 5 hours a night for 5 nights a week crafting the show. Then they moved on to 28 hours of technical rehearsals and 10 hours of dress rehearsals before the show opened.

“Our director Ryan Quinn was really amazing and receptive to ideas. … Not everything made it! But we all had a chance to contribute something,” said Tyler Bey, a senior at Fordham College at Lincoln Center, who played Bottom in the production. “Just that opportunity for possibility, where the director and the actors come from a place of willingness and openness to just play, is really freeing and makes the whole thing much more fun.”

11 Days to Build

All technical elements—lights, sound, video, scenery, and costumes—were carefully designed and built as efficiently as possible during this short but crucial window of time. Students worked under the mentorship of faculty and industry professionals, such as Brittany Vasta, the show’s set designer, to create high-quality designs.

“Working with Brittany was a huge leap in what I have done in the past,” said Sam Deetjen, a junior at Fordham College at Lincoln Center and the show’s assistant set designer. “I haven’t really worked with any professionals in the set design world.”

190 Lighting Units and 11 Loudspeakers

These critical technical elements work in tandem to help create the audiovisual world of the production and support the scenery, costumes, and performers. Each of these units is individually hung, focused, and circuited to create specific moments throughout the show—and they must be checked and adjusted accordingly for each performance.

16 Green Carpets

To create a seamless stage floor, these carpets were sourced, measured, and connected together manually by student workers. The design concept for the show—set in both a nursing home and a magical forest—utilized these green carpets to tie the two worlds together.

“That moment when the curtains open and you reveal the whole upper area of the set, there was a little bit of an ‘ooh’ from the audience,” said Tim Zay, Fordham Theatre technical director. “It was nice because it really did open up this big vast expanse. It’s always good to see the design work get appreciated.”

500 Fairy Lights

Student workers and designers embedded these tiny lights throughout the set and costumes to create the magic of the fairy characters and the world they inhabit.

The production featured 35 different costumes, powered by 7 personal battery packs.

249 Cues

Individual cues from departments including lights, sound, scenery, and costume are built and tested throughout technical rehearsals under the leadership of Production Stage Manager Skyler Purvis, a senior at Fordham College at Lincoln Center.

The production featured 80 sound cues, 34 video cues, and 135 lighting cues, each one triggered by a specific operator on Purvis’s “go.”

7 Performances

Fordham Mainstage productions run for 7 public performances over the course of 10 days, not including the several full show runs, dress rehearsals, and brush-ups throughout the week. This professional-level workload is a challenging but invaluable experience for student technicians and actors.

“I’ll have to see if the vocal training kicks in when we have the 2 p.m. and the 8 p.m. show,” said Bey with a laugh. “I’ve never really done that, but my friends and I said, ‘If we want to do this, we better be ready for eight shows a week.’”

In their Feb. 21 talk, Anne Williams-Isom, FCLC ’86, deputy NYC mayor for Health and Human Services, and Catherine Blaney, FCLC ’86, development lead at Bloomberg Philanthropies, encouraged students to consider opportunities in government, nonprofits, and more.

The pair, both of whom are members of Fordham’s President’s Council, spoke in Keating Hall at Rose Hill to more than 150 students in the symposium, part of Fordham’s pre-law offerings, which also include advising, programming, and clubs. The symposium brings in speakers to help students learn about careers, prep for the LSAT, and analyze mock cases.

Though Williams-Isom has spent much of her career in government and nonprofits, she said the training she got in law school was “very important” to her work.

“I wanted to be a good writer, I wanted to increase my analytical skills [and] be able to synthesize information quickly,” she said.

Williams-Isom, previously the CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone, said that she often pairs those skills with values she learned at Fordham.

“Through all of this, the decision to go to Fordham and to want to focus on justice, and to want to focus on service—I do think I have come full circle in what I’m doing … and how I’m able to lead at this moment,” she said.

Blaney said that “law school is a place that allows you, when you graduate, in whatever job you take, to think five steps ahead.”

That way of thinking helped her develop a close connection with her boss, Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor.

“He is a very precise, analytical, driven human being, and he wants to put action and results together, and he wants you to quickly analyze the problem and come up with a decision,” she said.

Thinking about Public Service and Law

For students, learning about the different paths and skills that law school can provide made an impact.

“I want to become a lawyer, but more the public service route—I want to be helping communities do better,” said Vincent Brandy, a first-year Fordham College at Rose Hill student, who plans to major in international studies.

Sinclair McKinney, a first-year Fordham College at Rose Hill student studying environmental studies, said that she appreciated learning about the role Fordham played in the speakers’ careers.

“The most interesting for me was … how Fordham’s focus on social service and helping others has followed them throughout their lives and led them to where they are,” she said.

Jade Belliard, a junior at Fordham College at Rose Hill majoring in history, said that she appreciated their message that students can “do anything with a law degree,” and that they spoke about balancing their careers and family.

“Especially for women, I feel like you have to choose between a career or starting a family—especially being in law,” she said. ”It was kind of a relief that they were like, ‘just go for it.’”

Additional reporting by Franco Giacomarra.

The enhanced advising and tutoring programs at Fordham College at Rose Hill and Fordham College at Lincoln Center aim to provide more tailored support for students across academic fields.

“I think that we’re meeting students where they are now in a much better way,” said Laura Auricchio, FCLC dean. “Students have different needs now than they might have had a generation or two ago.”

More Advisors

FCRH and FCLC unveiled their new advising system for first-year students at the start of the 2022-2023 school year, called the Fordham College Advising Center. This year, they added more advisors for all first-year and sophomore students, and all the advisors have office space together on both campuses, allowing students to walk in if they have a question.

“This way students always have access to someone; there’s a place you could just walk in and ask your question,” said Rachel Annunziato, professor of psychology and associate dean for strategic initiatives at FCRH

Auricchio said that the current slate of advisors have skills that will support students beyond academics.

“A lot of [our current advisors]have background experience in career development, some in mental health counseling—they bring a wide variety of expertise and they really work as a team,” she said.

One key addition, Auricchio noted, was hiring a director of transfer students to specifically work with that population.

“Transfer students have historically had a really tough time—systems were set up around the four-year experience, and that’s something that’s changed,” she said.

The next step for the program is hiring the next set of advisors for juniors and seniors, Annunziato said.

“When you are a junior, you’ll switch to a new advisor and have that person for two years, and those folks will come in with more experience on helping you transition to the next place after Fordham,” she said.

Both Annunziato and Auricchio said that by having advisors take on responsibilities like making sure students meet their core requirements, faculty will be freed up for deeper mentorship opportunities.

“I’ve been able to prepare seniors in psychology for graduate school applications and take more students into my research lab than I have been because my advising load has lessened,” Annunziato said.

A ‘Knack’ for Tutoring

In addition to academic advising support, both colleges also have expanded tutoring options through Knack, a company that helps connect students who need tutoring with Fordham student-tutors. Students can access the platform online at fordham.joinknack.com.

Annunziato said that the experience is a win-win for both the students who need tutoring, since they can be matched based on schedule and subject, and the student tutors who get paid for their efforts.

Auricchio also said that paying the tutors allows for more students to work on campus which helps with “getting them engaged and also building their own self-confidence, self-esteem, and skill sets.”

“Students taking classes across the broad range of our undergraduate curriculum—from music, theater, and media to political science, theology, and more—saw their coursework come to life through the Met’s world-renowned productions,” said Laura Auricchio, Ph.D., dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center. 

First-Timers at the Opera 

Most recently, nearly 200 students attended X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, a musical interpretation of the life of the iconic civil rights leader. Among the students was Cambria Martinez, a senior at Fordham College at Rose Hill who studies communications and culture. The Nov. 14 performance was her first time at an opera. 

“The closest I’ve ever gotten is listening to one song from The Phantom of the Opera,” she said, chuckling. 

Martinez attended the performance as part of the course Photography, Identity, Power. “It’s about visuals and how we can use specific artistic mediums to tell a deeper, more powerful story,” she said. “[In X] I think of the scene … an empty stage with just the chair that had fallen, and we all knew that was a symbol of [Malcolm’s] anger, his rage. … How does that simple visual mean something greater to the rest of us?” 

For Allison Anwalimhobor, a junior at Fordham College at Lincoln Center who majors in political science and minors in music, the event was an opportunity to experience not only her first opera, but one that pushed the boundaries of the art form.

“Musically, it was very different because the opera wasn’t very traditional, from what I understand,” said Anwalimhobor, who attended the opera as part of a classical vocal instruction course. “It was nice to get acquainted with a new genre and style of music.”

A Longstanding Relationship

Fordham has long held ties to the Met Opera. Ever since the famed opera house opened its doors at Lincoln Center in 1966, scores of students and staff have attended its shows, including the men’s basketball team. Others have participated in conversations surrounding the performances, including President Tania Tetlow, who recently welcomed members of the Met’s Dead Man Walking to a poignant discussion about the opera, art, and faith. In addition, former members of the Fordham community have worked with the opera house, including Tony Award winner Clint Ramos, dancer Erin Moore, FCLC ’05, director Michael Mayer, and Bronx Arts Ensemble founder William Scribner.

Through a new initiative, hundreds of members of the Fordham community were able to  experience the grandeur of the Met Opera this year. Using funds from Fordham College at Lincoln Center’s endowment from the Mellon Foundation, the FCLC Office of the Dean, Center on Religion and Culture, and the Office of Government Relations and Urban Affairs worked together to purchase group tickets for four productions, including Dialogues de Carmélites and Champion, and distribute them to courses whose curriculum intersects with the opera. 

This fall, for example, students saw a dress rehearsal of Dead Man Walking, which is based on a bestselling memoir written by a nun who tries to save the soul of a condemned murderer. The tickets were given to courses that touch on the topic of capital punishment or faith. Students were also given copies of the original bestselling book by Sister Helen Prejean. 

Encouraging Students to ‘Embrace the Arts’ 

For Samuel Scriven, a junior at Fordham College at Rose Hill, attending the Met Opera was nothing new. (He had already attended the Met twice.) What was different this time around was the contemporary nature of X—the avant-garde musical choices, jazz elements, and political commentary—and the groundbreaking nature of the performance itself, he said. 

“Now we have the Met making intentional choices to put the work of Black composers on stage. That hadn’t happened in Met history until 2021,” said Scriven, a music major who attended X through the course Music in the Modernist Age. 

“I was really glad that [Fordham] wanted to take advantage of the fact that the opera is right next door to us—and arguably one of the best performance stages in the world for this kind of thing,” Scriven said. “I’m glad to know that they want to encourage us students to embrace the arts.”

“We would like to bring students into the Islamic world and introduce them to important aspects of faith and philosophy, history, politics, all of it,” said Kathryn Kueny, Ph.D., professor of theology and director of Fordham’s Middle East studies and religious studies programs, who helped launch the minor.

Sarah Eltantawi, Ph.D., associate professor of modern Islam in the Department of Theology, said that one of the main goals of the interdisciplinary minor is to get students to understand all parts of Islam.

“Islam is not just a religion, it’s a civilizational complex. So when you learn Islam, you’re learning a whole different approach to the world and a whole different history, a whole different way of experiencing things,” she said.

Eltantawi said that she believed the minor would help students learn how to “look at things from different paradigms,” which is a translatable skill.

Minor Requirements

The minor, which started this fall, will require students to take six courses. They must take at least one on Islamic sacred texts and foundations; one on Islamic theology, history, or philosophy; and one on Islamic arts, culture, and politics. Students can choose their remaining three courses from any of these areas or take an Arabic language class as an elective.

Courses offered include Classic Islamic Texts; Islamic Art; Medicine and Healing in Islam; Women, Gender, and Islam; and Islam, Art, and Resistance.

“So we tried to provide opportunities for students to experience Islam from cultural or political, linguistic, theological, philosophical perspectives, so they would get kind of a taste of all those different areas,” Kueny said.

Eltantawi said that there were a lot of existing courses at Fordham that fit these areas.

“I felt like a lot of our work was a matter of just seeing what already exists at Fordham, what classes already are being taught, already in the bulletin. And we have many faculty, many of whom were very hungry to do this, so it was a matter of us really organizing them,” she said.

Both Eltantawi and Kueny emphasized the student support for this program.

“It was student-driven, so students have approached us both saying, ‘We’re taking all of these classes in Islamic studies, but there’s no way to earn a degree or formalize it in any way,’” Eltantawi said.

About 5% of Fordham undergraduate students said they were Muslim. Eltantawi said that she had both Catholic and Muslim students approach her and ask her to “take action and create more of a formalized Islamic studies at Fordham.”

The Minor as a First Step

Eltantawi called the minor a “first big step” toward giving students the opportunity to engage with Islamic Studies, both locally and globally.

“There’s a pretty thriving Islamic Studies scene in New York. We’re just getting started, there’s really a lot we can do,” she said.

Kueny noted that some of the classes eligible for the Islamic studies minor are community engaged learning courses that allow students to work with and learn from partner organizations, and she hopes more like this can be added. She also noted that one of the goals is to help students get a global understanding of Islam.

“Muslims live all over the world—in China, in South America, in Mexico everywhere—so [we hope]to bring that kind of global approach to Islamic studies as well, that it’s not just something that’s located in the Middle East but all over the world,” she said.

Eltantawi said that there will be welcome events for the minor in both the fall and spring semester to give students more information.

“I didn’t expect to become a Global Transition Assistant and see so many other students come in and enjoy their first day for the very first time, like I did,” said Lamba. “I’m emotional, but also happy to have come this far.” 

Adjusting to American Education  

Lamba arrived at Fordham as a shy teenager from India. She attended a Catholic high school, Holy Child Auxilium School in New Delhi, even though she is Hindu. (In her home country, attending a Catholic school is considered prestigious, she said.) 

Last fall, Lamba joined the Fordham community. She wasn’t familiar with the American style of education—a liberal system where she could freely explore and incorporate her own thoughts and ideas, she said. 

But in time, things fell into place. Lamba found a major that felt right—economics—and was elected vice president of the newly founded economics club at Lincoln Center. Lamba, an aspiring entrepreneur, said she hopes to host discussions about global economic events and invite well-known economists to campus as guest speakers. 

Holding Onto Her Heritage Abroad

Lamba also learned how to celebrate her heritage abroad while embracing new cultures. She was elected event planner and board member of Desi Chai, a student club that celebrates South Asian culture with events like the Bollywood Ball, where students dress up as Bollywood characters. (Lamba cosplayed as Kareena Kapoor Khan from the movie “Jab We Met,” wearing a traditional kurta and jeans.) She also helped to plan a mock wedding or “shaadi” at the Rose Hill campus, in collaboration with Fordham University South Asian Entity and the Rose Hill Bengali Student Association. The wedding featured a bride and groom voted on by the students (who are not dating in real life), as well as traditional rituals and performances.

“India is known for its big fat Indian weddings,” Lamba explained. “It’s a fun way to celebrate the culture—and it’s not just India. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka—all the South Asian countries celebrate weddings with a lot of [fanfare].”

Over time, Lamba became closer with other international students on campus, including those from Azerbaijan, Morocco, and Norway. She was also touched by the kindness of the entire campus community, from the faculty, to the security guards, to the public safety officers. By the end of her first semester, she wasn’t as homesick as she thought she would be. 

Lamba largely credits Global Transition with making Fordham feel like her second home. Through tours, presentations, and community-building events, she figured out practical things, like where to buy a SIM card and how to open an American bank account, and more complex things—finding friendship in a new and unfamiliar place. 

“You’re an 18-year-old coming into a new country where you don’t know anything. Global Transition and the people were so nice—and focused on you,” she said. 

Now Lamba is a mentor to six incoming students from Kazakhstan, Philippines, Switzerland, Vietnam, and her native India. She said she hopes that they maintain a positive and open mind. 

“I was a very introverted person. Not very, but closed off, and I was trying to be someone I was not,” said Lamba. “Fordham helped me to be more direct—to be more of me, rather than someone else.” 

The minor is part of Fordham’s new Asian American studies program, which faculty members hope to continue to expand.

“The student population is really diverse,” said Stephen Hong Sohn, Ph.D., English professor and Thomas F.X. and Theresa Mullarkey Chair in Literature. “Not only do we want Asian American students and Asian students to have a place to explore their backgrounds and identities, but it’s really important for all students to take these types of classes because they need to learn about other cultures, other identities.”

Coursework

The minor will require students to take six courses: Introduction to Asian American Studies; four electives, such as Asian American Art and Representing Asians in Journalism and Media; and one course in another race and ethnic studies area such as African & African American studies.

Students will pay particular attention to themes such as race, gender, sexuality, capital, and empire.

Faculty said the minor will help provide students with skills and knowledge they can utilize for future graduate studies as well as careers in law, education, health care, government, journalism, and more.

“Being able to give students greater vocabulary to contextualize the things that are actually going on—and the currents that are going on with Asian American populations—and to think of them with more complexity, that’s the key,” Sohn said. “It’s always about thinking more broadly, thinking more expansively, so that you’re not in a rush to make sort of surface-level judgments.”

The program involves faculty from a variety of disciplines, including literature, journalism, and history.

“No one discipline, or even set of disciplines, is really adequate to understanding Asian America as a political project, Asian America as a social relation, Asian America as an identity,” said James Kim, Ph.D., associate professor of English and comparative literature, who helped lead the efforts to launch the program. “You need all these disciplines—and the conversations that get generated between these disciplines.—in order to have any type of understanding of Asian America.”

A New York Education

Kim said that New York City will be a large part of the learning experience for students, through partnerships and experiences with local organizations, like the Museum of Chinese in America or the Asian American Writers’ Workshop.

“One thing that’s going to make us distinctive is we’re in New York,” he said. “This is home to the largest Asian American population in the continental United States, so we’ll be able to create a bunch of learning opportunities for our students.”

Kim also said that they’ll be working closely with Fordham Law School’s Center on Asian Americans and the Law.

“One of the founders [of that program]is the Hon. Denny Chin [senior judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit], and he’s very eager to collaborate with the minor, do things like guest lectures, co-teaching, maybe event programming,” Kim said.

A Better Understanding of History and Culture

Faculty members who had been developing the program said it became even more necessary in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which increased discrimination against Asian Americans, as well as the 2021 shooting of Asian American women in Atlanta spas.

“There was a clear need on campus for spaces and conversations around Asian American identities and backgrounds,” Sohn said.

Kim said that having an Asian American Studies program is essential to helping students understand the “larger social, historical, and political forces that are producing these kinds of crises,” particularly because these types of “traumatic events change communities.”

Both Kim and Sohn said there was strong interest in and support for the program, both from current students and alumni.

“Asian American communities have been going through a pretty traumatic time for the past few years, and I would love for students to gain a sense of historical perspective that we have been here before, this has happened before,” Kim said.

“We are so honored and excited to have the incomparable visionary artist Tonya Pinkins at Fordham Theatre. Her presence will have a transformational impact on the program and within Fordham University,” said May Adrales, director of the Fordham Theatre program.

The endowed chair was established in 2011 by acclaimed actor and alumnus Denzel Washington, FCLC ’77, to connect students with well-known industry professionals. Every fall semester, the chair teaches and works closely with students on performances and productions. Past chairs include Golden Globe-winning actress Regina Taylor, Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon, and, most recently, Tony award-winning set designer Mimi Lien. 

Pinkins, the 13th chair holder, is no stranger to the stage. She has “won or been nominated for nearly every award there is in the American theater,” according to her IMDb profile. She was nominated for three Tony Awards, winning one in 1992 for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, Jelly’s Last Jam. She also earned Clarence Derwent, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, Lucille Lortel, Obie, and AUDELCO awards, and has been nominated for numerous other honors. 

Pinkins’ talents span the entertainment industry. She is an actress with more than 20 years in daytime television, appearing in popular television shows like Fear the Walking Dead, Madam Secretary, and Gotham, and performing in nine Broadway shows. Pinkins is also a filmmaker. Her award-winning debut feature film Red Pill was named an official selection at the 2021 Pan African Film Festival, won the Best Black Lives Matter Feature and Best First Feature at the Mykonos International Film Festival, and is nominated for festival awards worldwide. As an author, she has written two books, Get Over Yourself! How to Drop the Drama and Claim the Life You Deserve (Hachette Books, 2006) and Red Pill Unmasked: A Movie Making Memoir (Red Pill Movie 2020 LLC) and essays that have received international attention. She is also a podcaster, a singer who is performing in Manhattan this summer, an activist, and a mother of four. 

Pinkins is also a longtime educator. She has taught young artists at institutions across the world, including American University in Beirut, Old Globe London, the National Theater, Yale, ACT, UT Austin, Rutgers, UCSD, USD, University of Louisville, City College in New York, and New York University. 

Beginning this fall semester, Pinkins will become an integral part of the Fordham Theatre program, attending and offering feedback for student performances and leading workshops that center on building resilience, learning through failure, and taking creative risks. She will also teach an advanced course in her discipline, Creating a Character, where students will develop the skills necessary to breathe life and imagination into their performances.

“I am looking forward to learning how my work and experience can be of service to the architects of the future of the arts in our world,” said Pinkins.