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

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 the Sursum 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 has been 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 completely,” said Beltre. “The vision that Fordham has of 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 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 smiled.

Conversely, WFUV Program Director Rita Houston, winner of the 20-year Archbishop Hughes medal, 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.”

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—more than if she’d settled on a commercial station. She said that the nonprofit 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.”

Father McShane asked the award winners to face the crowd of family, friends, and co-workers, and he then proclaimed them “our heroes.”

“You are the men and women who redeem the University’s promise and dream of educating men and women for others,” he said.

2014 Convocation

Archbishop Hughes Medal, 40-year Award

Jerry Green | Director of Media Services

Archbishop Hughes Medal, 20-year Award

Rita Houston | Program Director and Host | WFUV Radio

Nitza Milagros Escalera | Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Adjunct Professor | School of Law

Shonda Nesbitt | Contract Specialist | Department of Procurement

Nigel Quailey | Technical Coordinator of Teaching Labs and Smart Classrooms

Hector M. Ramos | Custodial Supervisor | Rose Hill

Christopher N. Rodgers | Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students at Rose Hill

John Spaccarelli | Director of Facilities and Special Projects

Anisa Torres-Sanchez | Director of Financial Aid and Budgets | Graduate School of Education David Whitney | Director | Computer Services

Bene Merenti Medal – 40-year Award

James J. Hennessy | Dean of the Graduate School of Education | Professor of Education
Toby Tetenbaum | Professor of Education  

Rosemary Santana Cooney | Associate Dean, Fordham College at Rose Hill | Professor of Sociology

William M. Singer | Professor ofMathematics | Fordham College at Rose Hill and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Bene Merenti Medal – 20-year Award

Jeffrey M. Colon | Professor | School of Law

Abner Greene | Leonard F. Manning Professor | School of Law

Linda Sugin | Professor | School of Law

Amelio A. D’Onofrio | Clinical Professor | Graduate School of Education

Joanna Kellogg Uhry | Professor of Literacy Education | Graduate School of Education

Brian Davies | Distinguished Professor of Philosophy | Fordham College at Rose Hill and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Craig Frank | Associate Professor of Biology | Fordham College at Rose Hill and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences | Co-Director of Environmental Science

Richard F. Gyug | Professor of History and Medieval Studies | Fordham College at Rose Hill and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Elizabeth Margid | Head of the Directing Program | Department of Theatre and Visual Arts Fordham College at Lincoln Center  

Daryl McGowan Tress | Associate Professor | Department of PhilosophyFordham College at Rose Hill and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Sursum Corda Award

Michael A. Molina | Director, Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program

Ann Delaney Chillemi | Assistant to the Vice President for Lincoln Center

Carlos Beltre | Custodial Services | Lincoln Center  

American higher education is threatened by a reductionist perspective that is rightly concerned with tuition and costs, but wrongly focused on certain kinds of outcomes, Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham said during the 15th Annual Faculty Convocation on Sept. 12.

“The public, the media, and the government value higher education for two basic reasons: as an instrument for workforce development, and as a force for stabilizing weak economies,” he said in a State of the University address to faculty and administrators that touched on every facet of University life.

“There is utterly no appreciation of the work that higher education does to create an educated, involved, and moral citizenry. There is, moreover, very little appreciation for the value of basic and advanced research, and the power that that research has for shaping the future of the human family. Finally, there is scant regard for the humanizing work that the arts do for the human family.”

Watch lists, report cards, and new methods of assessments are going to be a part of higher education’s near future, he said. Additionally, pressure to add MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) and other forms of distance learning to the curriculum is growing.

As part of Fordham’s response, Stephen Freedman, Ph.D., provost of the University, will head task forces to articulate, in a persuasive way, what is the value of a liberal arts education, and how to integrate MOOCs into the curriculum in a way that’s consistent with Fordham’s culture.

“We are entering into a more competitive, more financially challenging, and more closely watched period in the coming years,” Father McShane said. “Therefore, we will have to be ever more creative in the ways in which we educate our students and go about our work.”

Among the achievements Father McShane said Fordham can claim is the near-completion of its capital campaign, Excelsior | Ever Upward | The Campaign for Fordham. After a year in which the University raised $44 million, the total amount raised stands at $498 million. Fundraising will continue until the Founder’s Award Dinner in March 2014, with a goal of raising at least $520 million, he said.

Of the four priorities set forth for the campaign, the University has exceeded the goals set for supporting scholarship endowments and academic programs, but fell short of its goals for capital projects and endowed professorships.

Even so, Father McShane noted that “10 years ago, we had 23 endowed professorships at the University . . . . Right now we stand at 67 endowed professorships.”

The University has also greatly upgraded its physical plant, he said. At the Rose Hill campus, a $38 million gut renovation of Hughes Hall was completed and a brand new pipe organ was installed at the University Church, paid for with generous alumni donations. At Lincoln Center, the new $250 million Law School building and dormitory is scheduled to open on time, in the fall of 2014, and on budget.

The University’s endowment has hit an all-time high at $621 million, up from $548 million. Father McShane noted that, in spite of a highest-ever endowment and a conservative financial approach, for the first time in recent history the University had to stretch to balance its budget.

One factor was a drop in enrollment in the professional and graduate schools. A contraction in the legal profession and a hesitancy on the part of students to shoulder substantial debt contributed to a 40 percent drop in application activity at the Law School; likewise, the Graduate Schools of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) has struggled with enrollment.

Although demographic changes in the Northeast—where Fordham has traditionally recruited high school students—are making things challenging, Father McShane noted that undergraduate admissions is still strong. The average SAT/ACT score of the incoming freshman class of 1,955 students this year is 1268, up four points from last year.

“Every year, I greet the entering class by saying, ‘Welcome to Fordham; you’re the brightest class in the history of the University.’ I’ve done this 11 years in a row, and I’ve never told a lie,” he said.

This year’s incoming class boasts six Presidential Scholars, 119 Dean’s Scholars, 83 National Merit caliber students, 54 National Merit Scholars, 22 National Hispanic Scholars and seven National Achievement Scholars. Father McShane said that 34 percent of this year’s freshman class hails from traditionally underrepresented groups in American society.

“That is, for us, a point of great pride,” he said.

Taken as a whole, Father McShane pronounced the state of the University good, thanks to the hard work of the faculty and staff.

“As we go forward, we will work together to make sure that a university that is good, that is strong, that is distinguished in its aims and its work, continues to grow ever stronger.”

Other Fordham achievements include:

• Several schools rose or retained places in this year’s U.S. News & World Reportrankings. The Graduate School of Social Service (GSS) retained its No. 11 ranking in the country, while the Law School rose one place to No. 38 and received solid rankings for several of its programs. In addition, Businessweek named the Gabelli School of Business the 40th best undergraduate business program inthe nation, up from No. 49. The Graduate School of Business Administration likewise moved in U.S. News from No. 89 to No. 79.

• Last year students won 11 Fulbright awards, for a total of 88 in the last decade, one Boren award, one National Science Foundation fellowship, two NYC Urban Fellowships, one Lilly Fellowship for graduate study, one White House Fellowship, one State Department internship, and four DAAD RISE awards.

• Faculty grant activity and publications continue to boast impressive numbers. Fordham faculty carry $59 million in multiyear grant funding, up 16 percent over last year. The Graduate School of Education, GSS, and GSAS had the largest increases. Across the schools, faculty members published 187 books and 329 articles, and made 1,036 presentations at scholarly conferences.

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.)

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

The 2011-2012 academic year was marked by steady progress in the face of challenges, Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, told faculty and administrators during the 14th Annual Faculty Convocation on Sept. 10.

In his State of the University address, Father McShane reported that among Fordham’s achievements is a record-high endowment of $548 million.

“This is the highest that our endowment has ever reached, surpassing the $513 million that it had reached just before the economic downturn,” he said.

A robust endowment, Father McShane explained, is crucial to providing students with financial aid, supporting academic operations, and securing the University’s reputation. In the spirit of reaching ever upward, the University will continue toward its endowment goal of $1 billion, Father McShane said.

Other capital projects at Fordham have also shown marked growth. Following the successful completion of the $104 million, 460-bed residence hall complex at the Rose Hill campus in 2011, this year’s capital projects carry on the impressive trend. The $38 million renovation of Hughes Hall, the new home of the Gabelli School of Business, finished on time and has opened for the new academic year. Also on schedule is the construction of the new Law School and residence hall at Lincoln Center. The building, which is scheduled to open in the fall of 2014, will cost $250 million when completed, making it the largest capital project in the history of Jesuit education, he said.

Fordham’s capital campaign, Excelsior | Ever Upward | The Campaign for Fordham, exceeded its goal of raising $45 million last year, bringing in $49.5 million for the University. Specific goals within the capital campaign, including scholarship endowments and support for academic programs, also exceeded the prior forecast.

Father McShane, however, remained adamant about boosting other areas of the campaign, such as endowed professorships and capital projects, as well as making sure the campaign overall continues to move upward, calling it his number one priority.

“We will continue our work in these areas and will continue to welcome gifts for the oversubscribed
categories as we make the final push to raise the remaining $50 million,” he said.

Stephen Freedman, Ph.D., provost of the University and professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, said the launching of the Bronx Science Consortium will continue to be a priority in the upcoming year. A partnership among Fordham, the New York Botanical Garden, the Bronx Zoo/Wildlife Conservation Society, Montefiore Medical Center, and the Albert Einstein School of Medicine/Yeshiva University, the consortium will undertake research and education initiatives to address critical scientific and medical issues.

“The recently launched Bronx Science Consortium offers a new model of research, education, and community engagement,” said Freedman. “It brings together five dynamic institutions with deep historical ties to The Bronx and growing collaborative ties to each other. They will work very closely this coming year to develop its enormous potential as a central hub of scientific excellence with local, national, and global impact.”

Commenting on admissions, Father McShane announced that Fordham welcomed its most talented class in the University’s history, and one in which 32 percent of the class came from underrepresented backgrounds. The average SAT/ACT score for the incoming class of 1,849 students is 1264, an 11-point gain over last year. In addition, the class comprises 11 President Scholars, 78 National Merit caliber students, 51 National Merit Scholars, 24 National Hispanic Scholars, three National Achievement Scholars, and one United States Presidential Scholar in the Arts (one of only three recipients in the country). Some 93 percent of its members received some form of financial aid.

Nevertheless, this announcement came with a cautionary note: Intensely shifting demographics and a slow, uneven economic recovery mean that increased competition among colleges, especially in the Northeast, will make next year a challenge.

Moreover, acute media scrutiny on the value of higher education and potential cuts from both the state and federal governments will inevitably have an impact on institutions of higher education.

“We are entering into a more competitive, more financially challenging, and more closely watched period in the coming years,” he said. “Therefore, we will have to be ever more creative in the ways in which we educate our students and go about our work.”

Other Fordham achievements include:

• Several schools rose in last year’s U.S. News & World Report, most notably the Graduate School of Social Service (GSS), which leapt to No. 11 from No. 18. The Law School rose one place to No. 29 and received solid rankings in several of its programs. In addition, BusinessWeek named the Gabelli School of Business the 49th best undergraduate business program in the nation, up from No. 52.

• Last year students won eight Fulbright awards, four Boren awards, three National Science Foundation fellowships, two NYC Urban Fellowships, and one Lilly Fellowship for Graduate Study.

• Faculty grant activity and publications boast impressive numbers. Fordham faculty carry $51 million in multi-year grant funding, up 52 percent in five years. Across the schools, faculty members published 203 books and 304 articles, and made 1,168 presentations at scholarly conferences.