Bene Merenti – Fordham Now https://now.fordham.edu The official news site for Fordham University. Tue, 19 Nov 2024 17:37:59 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://now.fordham.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/favicon.png Bene Merenti – Fordham Now https://now.fordham.edu 32 32 232360065 Convocation Marks Milestones for Faculty and Staff https://now.fordham.edu/university-news/convocation-marks-milestones-for-faculty-and-staff/ Tue, 12 Mar 2019 19:50:41 +0000 https://news.fordham.sitecare.pro/?p=116156 Faculty and staff at the 2019 spring Convocation ceremony Father McShane giving Father Lombardi his medal Shortly after the Fordham Rams women’s basketball team won the Atlantic 10 Conference championship in Pittsburgh, fellow members of the Fordham community gathered back in New York City on March 10 to celebrate the enduring contributions of long-serving University faculty, administrators, and staff.

The 2019 Convocation, held in the School of Law’s Costantino Room at the Lincoln Center Campus, paid tribute to the recipients of the Bene Merenti medal and the Archbishop Hughes medal, awarded to faculty and staff, respectively, to mark 20 and 40 years of service at Fordham.

The event also honored three recipients of the Sursum Corda award, given in recognition of outstanding contributions to the life and mission of the University: James Higgins, foreperson of facilities operations at Lincoln Center; Gregory Pappas, assistant vice president for student affairs and dean of student services; and Nancy Perri, senior executive secretary in the controller’s office.

Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, prefaced his Convocation remarks by acknowledging the accomplishment the women’s basketball team—“among the most wonderful and interesting students we have”—before turning to the achievements of the day’s honorees.

“You are our treasure,” Father McShane said to the recipients. “The treasure that makes it possible for us to form young women and men to be women and men for others.”

“You make the routine miraculous, and you make everything at the University an occasion of grace because of the way in which you go about your work and the generous hearts you have,” he continued.

Nicholas J. Lombardi, S.J., adjunct instructor of computer and information science, drew a rousing cheer from his fellow Jesuit scholastics as he accepted his Bene Merenti Medal for 40 years of service. Father Lombardi first came to Fordham in 1958 as a freshman at Fordham Prep, where he later returned to teach classics before joining the University faculty in 1996.

“It’s great to see that so many of my friends are still here, alive and thriving,” Father Lombardi said.

Father McShane lauded the awardees for not only touching every aspect of life at Fordham, but for also extending their good works to the world at large.

Byron E. Shafer, Ph.D., associate professor emeritus of theology, has exemplified this commitment over his long and varied career. Shafer joined Fordham in 1968 as one of the first Protestants in his department, and later became well known to New York City radio listeners as a co-host of Religion on the Line, a program on religious and social issues featuring a priest, a rabbi, and a minister.

In addition to directing the University’s Middle East Studies program and focusing his scholarly energies on Ancient Egypt, Shafer also found time over the years to serve as pastor at Rutgers Presbyterian Church on the Upper West Side and as a visiting scholar at United Theological College in Bangalore, India.  But he always returned to Fordham, where he continues to teach senior citizens in the College at 60 program.

“Although I’ve been around more or less for 51 years, I finally made it to 40,” he said with a laugh upon receiving the Bene Merenti Medal.

Reflecting on her four decades at Fordham, Mary Chilton Callaway, associate professor of theology, observed a special quality present in both the theology department and the University as a whole. “It’s the willingness to learn and grow and change,” she said.

One change, she said, are the ever-growing challenges her students face—and not just from her lessons on the Hebrew Bible and the Book of Jeremiah. Callaway, a Bene Merenti Medalist, has cherished the opportunity “to help students with things beyond just the Old Testament—navigating their lives. For me, that’s a wonderful part about being at Fordham: when they come to my office and can open up about things,” she said.

“That’s what has kept me here for 40 years. I feel like I’m doing something helpful and worthwhile.”

Bene Merenti Medal | 40 Years
Mary Chilton Callaway
William Conlon
Celia B. Fisher
Richard Fleisher
Anne Golomb Hoffman
D. Frank Hsu
Nicholas Lombardi, S.J.
Julia H. Mueller
Byron E. Shafer
Elizabeth Stone

Bene Merenti Medal | 20 Years
Maureen P. Benej
Mary Bly
Richard S. Carnell
Martin Chase, S.J.
Christopher M. Cullen, S.J.
John Drummond
Margo A. Jackson
Duncan R. James
Gyula Klima
Ji Seon Lee
Michael W. Martin
James McCann
Marjorie R. Saltzberg
Mark S. Silver
Lyn K. Slater
Gemma Solimene

Archbishop Hughes Medal | 40 Years 
Serafina De Gregorio

Archbishop Hughes Medal | 20 Years
Maria Aponte
Jedd S. Applebaum
Marianna Balquiedra
William J. Campbell
Damarie Cardona
Jim Castillo
Vincenza Corcoran
Lois D’Amore
Fleurin Eshghi
Monica Esser
Leslie I. Gillette
Helene Jacoby Madigan
Francis C. Katai
Ruben Mendez
Stephanie Milizia
James O’Hara
Ramón Pérez
Lewis Price
Lucille I. Santos
William R. Schneider
Matthew Schottenfeld
Joanne Schwind
Michael Tavas
Timothy W. Zay

Sursum Corda Award
James Higgins
Gregory Pappas
Nancy Perri

–Michael Garofalo

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Spotlight Shines on Longest-Serving Faculty and Staff https://now.fordham.edu/inside-fordham/lectures-and-events/spotlight-shines-longest-serving-faculty-staff/ Mon, 05 Mar 2018 20:00:48 +0000 https://news.fordham.sitecare.pro/?p=86360 Fordham celebrates longest-serving employees at the 2018 Convocation. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham University. Elaine P. Congress (L), a recipient of the Sursum Corda Award with Father McShane. Robert J. Parmach (L), Freshmen Dean, Fordham College at Rose Hill, receives the Archbishop Hughes Medal. Fordham celebrates longest-serving employees at the 2018 Convocation. Fordham celebrates longest-serving employees at the 2018 Convocation. 2018 Convocation Honorees

While Hollywood came together on March 4 to celebrate the Academy Awards, Fordham rolled out the red carpet in honor of its own stars: longtime faculty, administrators, and staff.

The 2018 Convocation, held in the McGinley Center Ballroom on the Rose Hill campus, recognized more than 40 employees with the Bene Merenti medal or the Archbishop Hughes medal. The honorees have dedicated 20 years or 40 years of service to the University. 

Three staff members, Elaine P. Congress, D.S.W, associate dean of the Graduate School of Social Service (GSS), Radek Kloucek, licensed electrician and foreman of the electrical shop, and Patricia Upton, deputy emergency manager of public safety, were honored with the Sursum Corda Award for their contributions to the life and mission of Fordham.

“Today we honor true stars who have been indications of grace and occasions of grace in our midst,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham University. “[They are] men and women who have spent themselves in service of others and who have believed in, hoped for, and loved our students to a greatness they never knew they had.”

Father McShane took a moment to also reflect on the memories of four late faculty members: Ray Grontkowski, “a lion of the philosophy department” who was a staple at the University for 58 years; Kathy Schiaffino, associate professor of psychology; Edgar Tyson, assistant professor of social work; and Misha Zigelbaum, adjunct professor of mathematics.

“Together they devoted over 100 years of loving service to Fordham, and especially to their students and colleagues,” said Father McShane.

Among the recipients who were commended for being “visionary transformers” of the University was Spyros Efthimiades, Ph.D., associate professor of physics. As a physicist, the Bene Merenti medalist developed a theoretical model of weak interactions deprived of ultraviolet divergences. But his most extraordinary undertakings over the span of four decades happened inside the classroom, he said.

“I know that everything I share with my students doesn’t always appear in a visible way but it can transform their lives,” said Efthimiades. “[Mentoring] is a ritual that I will never get tired of doing.”

Congress, who was recently a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Social Workers (NASW-NYC), said she aims to incorporate social work values and ethics into her interactions with students, faculty, staff, and administrators.

“The social work profession, as well as my personal and professional orientation, supports the values of promoting social justice and respecting the inherent worth and dignity of each individual,” she said.

A co-founder of the Fordham Center for Nonprofit Leaders, the Certificate Program for Executive Leadership, and the Master of Science degree in Nonprofit Leadership, Congress has been one of Fordham’s greatest champions.

“I am happy to report that a number of our graduates [from our programs]have moved into top leadership positions while continually demonstrating ongoing attention to social justice both in their internal activities with staff, as well as in their external relationships with communities, other agencies, and legislative bodies,” she said.

When they weren’t inspiring students with their hard work and dedication, recipients like Mathilde Fava, Ph.D., adjunct professor of communication, were blazing a trail at home. Favas’ daughters, Doreena, GSE ’96, Palmina, LAW ‘97, and Joanna, GSAS ‘13, said Fava’s passion for education was a fundamental factor in their success.

“Her passion for education motivated us to further our education and pursue Fordham,” said Dorenna.

“Fordham was a part of the fabric of our family,” added Palmina. “It was never an option that we weren’t going to get the highest degrees that we needed in our fields.”

An immigrant of Benevento, Italy, Fava described teaching as a childhood dream that was fully realized in her 40-year role at Fordham. She remembers commuting from Mount Vernon to Fordham’s Manhattan location, where she graduated in 1969 with a degree in education.

“It was not an easy task,” she said. “I was doing my homework on the subway. But if you have a dream or a goal, you have to have the determination and will to achieve it.”

Bene Merenti Medal | 40 Years

Diana Bray | Professor Emerita of Chemistry

Brian J. Byrne | Vice President for Lincoln Center

Spyros Efthimiades | Associate Professor of Physics

Matilde Fava | Adjunct Professor of Communication

Hugh C. Hansen | Professor of Law

Lawrence Kramer | Distinguished Professor of English and Professor of Music

Maria L. Marcus | Joseph M. McLaughlin Professor of Law Emerita

Ronald S. Méndez-Clark | Associate Professor of Spanish and Latin American Literature and Associate Chair of Modern Languages and Literatures

Philip Sicker | Professor of English

Larry Stempel | Professor of Music and American Studies

Harold Takooshian | Professor of Psychology, Urban Studies, and Organizational Leadership

Bene Merenti Medal | 20 Years

Michael Baur | Associate Professor of Philosophy

Mary C. Burke | Senior Lecturer of Economics

John J. Davenport | Professor of Philosophy

George W. Drance Jr., S.J. | Artist-in-Residence

Moshe Gold | Associate Professor of English

Paul Levinson | Professor of Communication and Media Studies

J.D. Lewis | Professor of Biological Sciences and Chair of Biological Sciences

Chad McArver | Assistant Professor of Theatre and Chair of Theatre and Visual Arts

Bartholomew Moore | Associate Professor of Economics

Wullianallur Raghupathi | Professor of Information Systems

Martha Grace Rayner | Clinical Associate Professor of Law

Stuart Sherman | Professor of English

William B. Thornhill | Professor of Biological Sciences

Cynthia Vich | Associate Professor of Spanish

Sevin Yaraman | Senior Lecturer of Art History and Music

Sarah M. Zimmerman | Professor of English

Archbishop Hughes Medal | 40 Years

Ginger Calder | Assistant General Manager, WFUV

Gerard Cariffe | Associate Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Fordham IT

Gregory J. Pappas | Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Student Services

Archbishop Hughes Medal | 20 Years

Betty Butler | Director of IT Operations Management, Fordham IT

Ann Delaney Chillemi | Assistant Vice President for Lincoln Center

Linda Duhaime-Candeias | Office Manager and Executive Assistant, WFUV

Richard Eberhardt | Director of Innovation and Change Management, Fordham IT

Yvanne Grandoit | Technology Support Engineer, Gabelli School of Business

Michael S. Hayes | Payroll Manager

Lisa Kelly | Senior Assistant Director and Academic Skills Coordinator, Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP)

Bernard Matthews | Director of Information Systems and Planning, School of Law

Michael Charles Mineo | Executive Director, Human Resource Management

Cesar Nau | Assistant Director of Network Operations, Fordham IT

Robert J. Parmach | Freshmen Dean, Fordham College at Rose Hill

Peter Patten | Reference and Instructional Services Librarian, University Libraries

Patricia Peek | Dean of Undergraduate Admission

Alissa Perrone | Assistant Director of the Louis Calder Center

Maritza Rivera-Garcia | Health Insurance Compliance Administrator

David Vassar | Reference Librarian, University Libraries

The Sursum Corda Award

Elaine P. Congress | Associate Dean, Graduate School of Social Service and Professor of Social Work

Radek Kloucek | Licensed Electrician and Foreman of the Electrical Shop

Patricia Upton | Deputy Emergency Manager, Public Safety

 

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Fordham Celebrates its Own at the 2016 Convocation https://now.fordham.edu/university-news/fordham-celebrates-its-own-at-the-2016-convocation/ Mon, 07 Mar 2016 21:07:39 +0000 http://news.fordham.sitecare.pro/?p=43617 Each year at the Fordham University convocation, the University honors its longest-serving employees with the Bene Merenti medal or the Archbishop Hughes medal, for 20 or 40 years of service.

And each year Joseph M. McShane, SJ, president of Fordham, asks the award recipients to stand and face the crowd, and asks their families to stand.

“Of course, the men and women whom we honor would remind us that they could not have served the University and transformed the world without the faith, support and love of their families,” said Father McShane.

Cammarosano
Joseph Cammarosano celebrated 75 years on campus and 60 years of teaching.

This year, from the back of the McGinley Ballroom, Kevin Mulcahy hoisted his daughter up to see her mother, Julie Fissinger, who had just received the Archbishop Hughes medal for 20 years of administrative service as the director of the President’s Council. Fissinger’s two older children tilted their heads to get a glimpse of their mom.

“We do this sort of thing for kids all the time, so it’s kind of nice to see the adults get recognized,” said Mulcahy.

Fissinger said that Fordham has been always been a “good fit” for her because she was able to leave and take care of her kids when they were young, and then come back.

“It’s allowed me to balance my career in a family-friendly place,” she said.

Dozens of relatives celebrated alongside the 49 recipients, in what Father McShane called, “a family celebration.” Many said that Fordham was a place where one could explore life beyond the University gates and still be welcomed back.

Aleksa Mardjonovic’s family also stood and waved their hands as he received the Sursum Corda award, which recognizes members of the staff who made outstanding contributions to the University. Marjonovic, an HVAC mechanic, said he started at Fordham in the early 1970s, but left during the 1980s to “try other things.” and came back in 1990s. Like Fissinger, he returned because “Fordham has been good for me,” he said.

While most recipients celebrated 20 and 40 years of service, one notable exception—at 60 years of service—was Joseph R. Cammarosano PhD, professor emeritus of economics. He came to Fordham as a freshman in 1941. He is the second person in Fordham’s history to have received the Bene Merenti medal, which recognizes faculty Cammarosano2service, three times.

And while this year marked Cammarosano’s 60th year of teaching at Fordham, it was his 75th year on campus.

“It’s been a blur,” said Cammarosano. “But after 75 years, I still feel as though I’m freshman coming up the Elm Road for the first time to see the dean.”

Cammarosano recalled a time on campus when “there were more squirrels than students” and a faculty “that was largely Jesuits.”

“There was more cohesion in those days because we all marched in step,” he said. “You had the same student sitting next to you in freshman year as you had in sophomore year. It was a good place to develop camaraderie.

“Those were great days. The landscape was such that you wouldn’t want to leave this place—and I didn’t!”

The camaraderie continues today, said Sarah Beer, the daughter of 20-year Bene Merenti awardee Robert Beer, PhD, associate professor and chair of the chemistry department.

“Everybody comes together and works hard on keeping the college a very safe and great place,” she said. “And I’m telling the complete truth—because I’ve seen how hard everybody works.”

Faculty Senate Prez

Bene Merenti Medal | Sixty Years

Joseph R. Cammarosano | Professor Emeritus of Economics

Bene Merenti Medal | Forty Years

John D. Feerick | Sidney C. Norris Professor of Public Service Law
Gerard F. Iwantsch | Associate Professor of Biological Sciences
Lawrence King | Assistant Professor of Marketing
Henry Putzel III | Adjunct Professor of Law
Clara E. Rodríguez | Professor of Sociology
Allen Schiff | Professor of Accounting and Taxation
Jack Spalding | Associate Professor of Art History

Bene Merenti Medal | Twenty Years

Albert Auster | Professor of Communication and Media Studies
Robert H. Beer | Associate Professor and Chair of Chemistry
Doron Ben-Atar | Professor of History
Karen E. Brobst | Associate Professor of Education
Benjamin Crooker | Associate Professor of Physics and Engineering Physics
Hooman Estelami | Professor of Marketing
Raymond T. Franzem | Adjunct Associate Professor of Social Work
Elisabeth Frost | Professor of English and Women’s Studies
Abby Goldstein | Associate Professor of Visual Arts
Albert N. Greco | Professor of Marketing
Judith Green | Professor of Philosophy
William J. Greene III | Adjunct Associate Professor of Law and Ethics
Meredith Hanson | Professor of Social Work
Leah Aileen Hill | Associate Dean for Experiential Education, School of Law
Sharon M. Livesey | Associate Professor of Management
Dean McKay | Professor of Psychology
Dana Miller | Associate Professor of Philosophy
James McNulty Mitchell | Adjunct Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Barbara E. Mundy | Professor of Art History
Harry Newman | Professor of Accounting and Taxation
Martin A. Sanzari | Assistant Professor of Physics and Engineering Physics
Marcella Silverman | Clinical Associate Professor of Law
Judith R. Smith | Associate Professor of Social Work
Lawrence Michael Wolk | Visiting Instructor of Computer Science

Archbishop Hughes Medal | Twenty Years

Irene F. Badaracco | Director, Institute of American Language and Culture
Kimberly J. Carr | Assistant Director, Office of International Studies
Ann Marie Ciaramella | Assistant Dean, Graduate School of Education
Michael Considine | Director of Information Technology Services, University Libraries
Keith Eldredge | Dean of Students, Lincoln Center
Christine Engongoro | Director of Student Financial Services, Rose Hill
Angela Epstein | Assistant Director of University Procurement
George Evans | Director of Technical Operations, WFUV
Julie Fissinger | Director of the President’s Council
Eleanor McKenna | Manager, Student Financial Services
Evgheni Sandu | Systems Engineer, University Libraries
Stefano A. Terzulli | Bursar and Director of Student Accounts
Paul I. Thyagaraj | Senior Manager of Campus Operations, Lincoln Center
Rebeca Velazquez | Manager of Faculty Administration

The Sursum Corda Award

Sylvia Heichel | Executive Secretary, Office for Student Involvement
Aleksa Mardjonovic | HVAC Mechanic
Angela Van Dekker | Associate Vice President for Student Financial Services

 

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Fordham’s Most Loyal Celebrated at Convocation https://now.fordham.edu/university-news/fordhams-most-loyal-celebrated-at-convocation-3/ Mon, 03 Mar 2014 16:48:25 +0000 http://news.fordham.sitecare.pro/?p=29015 With the threat of yet another snowstorm bearing down on New York City, Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, was reminded once again of the many unsung heroes it takes to run the University.

“During this snow-laden year, I have heard them working through the night to clear the paths around the campuses,” he said.

 

GSE Dean Hennessy received the Bene Merenti medal.

Father McShane made the remarks on March 2 at the 2014 convocation honoring the University’s longstanding employees. Fourteen members of the faculty received the Bene Merenti medal for 20 or 40 years of teaching service. Ten administrators and staff received The Archbishop Hughes medal for 20 or 40 years of service. And three employees received theSursum Corda award for outstanding contributions to the life and mission of the University.

This year’s Sursum Corda winners are: Michael A. Molina, director of the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program; Ann Delaney Chillemi, assistant to the vice president for Lincoln Center; and Carlos Beltre, custodial services at Lincoln Center.

It’s quite possible that over the years, Beltre was a member of one of the crews Father McShane heard working through the night, having begun his time at Rose Hill as a part-time weekend cleaner. Beltre, who emigrated from the Dominican Republic, eventually advanced to lead the McMahon custodial crew at Lincoln Center—all while pursing his bachelor’s degree in the evening. He said that working at Fordham not only changed the direction of his life, but that of his children’s lives as well.

“It changed my family 360 degrees,” said Beltre. “The vision that Fordham has with education I can pass that to my kids, and all of my family. That I appreciate a lot.”

Beltre’s son, Carlos Beltre, Jr., is currently a junior at St. John’s University and said he hopes to continue on to get his doctorate degree in psychology.

James J. Hennessy, Ph.D., dean of the Graduate School of Education and recipient of the 40 year Bene Merenti medal, said that he too has been changed by Fordham.

“It’s aged me considerably,” he said with a smile.

Conversely, WFUV Program Director and Host Rita Houston, winner of the 20-year Archbishop Hughes medal, she said that being at the University has kept her young.

“I’m 52 going on 19,” she said, and then—gesturing to the glass of wine in her hand, added—“Make that [going on]22.”

WFUV’s Rita Houston celebrates 20 years at Fordham.


Houston said that while she always wanted to work in radio, working at WFUV, the noncommercial, member-supported station at Fordham, vastly changed the course of her career than if she had worked at a commercial venue. She said that the non-profit nature allowed for a better focus on the listener, raising the level of artists presented. And then there are the students, she said.

“Working here keeps you young,” she said. “Being surrounded by young people every day really keeps you hip and so much more ahead of the curve in terms of technology. That’s been a big part of WFUV’s success.”

Ending the ceremony, Father McShane asked the award winners to turn and face the crowd of family, friends, and co-workers.

“You are our heroes; never forget or doubt that,” he said. “You are the men and women who redeem the University’s promise and dream of educating men and women for others.”

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Fordham Celebrates its Longest-Serving Employees https://now.fordham.edu/university-news/fordham-celebrates-its-longest-serving-employees-2/ Mon, 25 Mar 2013 18:28:44 +0000 http://news.fordham.sitecare.pro/?p=30020 Fordham University honored 31 of its most dedicated staff and faculty members at the 2013 Convocation on March 3, saluting the group’s collective 700 years of loyal service to the University.

At a ceremony held in Lincoln Center campus’ Pope Auditorium, 14 staff members received the Archbishop John Hughes Medal for Service, honoring administrative employees who have been at Fordham 40 or 20 years, and 14 members of the faculty received the Bene Merenti medal for 40- and 20-year service to the University.

The Sursum Corda award, which recognizes staff who have made outstanding contributions to the life and mission of the University, went to Paul Thyagaraj, manager of custodial services and facilities management at the Lincoln Center campus; Judy Kelly, administrative assistant in the dean’s office at Fordham College at Lincoln Center; and Karl Mitchell, a carpenter in facilities operations at Rose Hill.

“I’m a Fordham guy,” said Thyagaraj, who, before taking the stage to receive his award, had worked tirelessly with his team to hang banners and set out chairs for the ceremony. “I couldn’t see myself working anywhere other than Fordham.”

For some medalists, the ceremony marked an opportunity to express their gratitude to Fordham, as well as to celebrate their longstanding service.

“It’s heartwarming—I have always thought of Fordham as my extended family,” said 40-year Bene Merenti recipient Margot Nadien, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology. “There is a feeling of connection and caring for the University and for its principles. They are my principles as well.”

A musical prodigy who left her family as a child to study music composition in New York, Nadien made Fordham history in 1980 by becoming the first psychologist tenured at Fordham College at Lincoln Center. And though her four decades of research in development, aging, and the psychology of women have earned her numerous accolades, Nadien remains humble about what the experience has meant for her.

“I don’t know if I can say I feel pride,” she said. “I care most of all for the students and for my interactions with them. They have enriched my life.”

For others, the ceremony was a reminder that time flies.

“It’s one of those things that creeps up on you,” said Nicholas Johnson, professor of law and a recipient of the 20-year Bene Merenti medal. “You think it doesn’t mean much, but it was actually a great thing. I was happy to be part of [the ceremony].”

Addressing the award recipients and their friends and family members, Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, said that the last decades have brought “anything but peaceful and uneventful business” for these faculty and staff.

“The faculty members have been about the world-changing work of helping their students develop those habits of heart and mind that will help them transform the world,” he said. “They have, in short, been about the work of educating men and women for others—men and women with a deep sense of mission.”

Father McShane called the administrators “the quiet strength of the University.”

“From the first moment that they arrived in our midst, they have cared for us, nurtured us, protected us from harm, heat, and cold,” he said. “They have been valued and graced colleagues in all of our attempts to fulfill the mission that Archbishop Hughes left in our hands.”

The Fordham University Choir, led by choir director Robert Minotti, enriched the afternoon’s event with their performances of Eric Whitacre’s “With a Lily in your Hand” and the University Alma Mater.

The annual event was sponsored by the Office of the President.

(To read more on Sursum Corda awardee Paul Thyagaraj, see At Work.)

The 31 recipients of the Archbishop Huges Medal for Service, the Bene Merenti medal, and the Sursum Corda award, were recognized at the 2013 Fordham University Convocation on March 3. (All honorees are listed below.)

 

Photo by Bruce Gilbert

Convocation Honorees 2012-2013

Bene Merenti Medal (20 years)

Cathy S. Berkman, Ph.D., associate professor of social work

Vassilios Fessatidis, Ph.D., department chair and professor of physics

Maryann Forgey, Ph.D., associate professor of social work

Nicholas J. Johnson, professor of law

Frank Retzel, adjunct instructor of music

Natalie Riccio, Ph.D., adjunct associate professor of social work

Rita Seidenberg, adjunct clinical associate professor of literacy education

Patricia Shea-Bischoff, Ph.D., clinical professor of education

Susan R. Wabuda, Ph.D., associate professor of history
Bene Merenti Medal (40 years)

Mark Caldwell, Ph.D., professor of English

Edward Dowling, S.J., professor of economics

John C. Houtz, Ph.D., professor of educational psychology

Margot B. Nadien, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology

Gerard C. Reedy, S.J., University Professor of Humanities in the Office of the Provost

Archbishop Hughes Medal (20 years)

Juan I. Fernandez, manager of document delivery and interlibrary loan at the law library

Donald Gillespie, Ph.D., associate vice president for Institutional Research, Office of the Provost

Seth L. Knight, assistant manager of duplicating, ID, and mailing services at Rose Hill
Jorge A. Martinez-Santiago, associate director of the TRIO programs

Lesley A. Massiah-Arthur, associate vice president of government relations and urban affairs

Julia Olivo-Rodriguez, administrative assistant in the Office of the Provost

Shannon L. Ortiz, director of IT security

Fernando Ospina, manager of duplicating of ID and mailing services

Stephen J. Potsklan, head men’s and women’s swimming coach in the Department of Athletics

Wei V. Shen, conservation librarian in the William D. Walsh Family Library

Frances J. Tiburcio, administrative assistant in the Department of Biological Sciences
Leslie Timoney, resident manager at the Lincoln Center campus
Archbishop Hughes Medal (40 years)

Thomas E. DeJulio, general counsel for the Office of the President

Carol J. Rizzuti, Ph.D., assistant dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill

 

Sursum Corda Award

Judy Kelly, administrative assistant of the Dean’s Office at Fordham College at Lincoln Center

Karl Mitchell, craftsman of the carpentry shop in facilities operations at Rose Hill

Paul Thyagaraj, manager of custodial services and facilities management

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