A film star.  A man whose life inspired a movie.  A groundbreaking African-American dean.  An Olympic champion.  Recipients of the Medal of Honor and the Medal of Freedom.

“These are our heroes,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham.

Father McShane was reflecting on the latest Hall of Honor inductees, who were celebrated at reception following a Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Oct. 1.

It was a heady evening, which saw well over a dozen members of the Fordham family inducted into the Hall of Honor, the Magis Society—and one very singular Founder’s Award going to His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan.

In addition, the Mass also represented the fall opening celebration of the University’s Dodransbicentennial year.

“We present these honorees to the world as examples of what a Fordham education produces: men and women of exceptional talent who have pursued excellence in all they did, and who have devoted their lives to the service of others,” said Father McShane.

At the cathedral Cardinal Dolan celebrated the “grand marriage” of faith and reason, represented by the education many have received at Fordham. He said that, back in 1841 Fordham founder Archbishop John Hughes fully understood that Catholic education would provide the “intellectual wattage” needed in the then-young city.

Cardinal Dolan also said that knowledge obtained at the University, whether in philosophy, theology, math, chemistry, business, art, literature, or science, “speaks in some way of Jesus the word made flesh.”

At the reception held at the University Club following Mass, Fordham launched the brand new Magis Society. The society recognizes individuals and groups whose support to the University exceeds $15 million. The inaugural class included: Stephen E. Bepler, FCRH ’64; Kim B. Bepler; Maurice J. Cunniffe, FCRH ’54; Caroline Dursi Cunniffe, Ph.D., GSAS ’71; Mario J. Gabelli, GABELLI ’65; Regina M. Pitaro, FCRH ’76; Thomas A. Moore, LAW ’72, PAR ’15; Judith Livingston Moore, PAR ’15; the Jesuits of Fordham; the McKeon Family; and the Walsh Family.

A few guests noted that having the reception at the club, once solely the province of Ivy League universities, is yet another reminder of how far Fordham has come. And when film actress and honoree Patricia Clarkson, FCLC ’82, entered in a blue gown it brought its own brand of sparkle to that august institution as well.

In accepting her Hall of Honor award, Clarkson said a Fordham education had carried her through her 31-year acting career. She grew emotional when recalling her acting professor, Joseph Jezewski, who she said was the first to tell her that her “talent was limitless” and taught her how to live a “true artistic life,” which had little to do with fame and all to do with “love, passion, compassion, and truth.” Clarkson is the winner of two Emmy Awards and has been nominated for an Academy Award.

“I don’t need an academy award; I’m in your Hall of Honor,” she said.

Clarkson set the emotional tone for other acceptance speeches, which were largely delivered by family members of Fordham alumni who had passed away, including the daughter of honoree James B. Donovan, FCRH ’37. Donovan, a lawyer and naval officer, was the protagonist of the recent Steven Spielberg film, Bridge of Spies.

Mary Ellen Donovan Fuller said her dad loved to hang out with the Jesuits at Rose Hill because “everybody knew the Jesuits were the intelligentsia, and dad loved that.”

J. Donald Dumpson, nephew of honoree James R. Dumpson, the former dean of the Graduate School of Social Service and first black commissioner of the New York City Department of Welfare, said that his uncle taught him how to “dream big” and how to “love those you don’t know.”

The extraordinary valor of two World War II heroes, honorees John Fidelis Hurley, S.J., FCRH 1914, and Thomas J. Kelly, UGE ’56, LAW ’62, brought gravitas to the room. Father Hurley received the Medal of Freedom from General Douglas MacArthur for his work in Philippine internment camps, where he more than once risked his life to ease the suffering of others. Kelly was awarded the Medal of Honor for rescuing 17 men on a battlefield in Germany.

John J. F. Mulcahy, Sr., of St. John’s Class of 1894, rounded out the list of honorees. He was the founder of Fordham’s rowing club, and winner of the gold and silver medals at the 1904 Olympics. Despite being active on campus well over a century ago, Mulcahy, like all the inductees, should serve as an inspiration to today’s students, said Father McShane.

“We hold these men and women up to our students to say: Here are your older sisters and brothers who have done great things. Extraordinary things. Emulate them.”

Father McShane spoke to an audience of faculty and administrators at the Rose Hill and at Lincoln Center campuses on Sept. 19. He reminded audiences of the University’s roots, noting that Fordham founder Archbishop John Hughes had experienced prejudice as an Irish immigrant and founded the institution, in part, as a hand up for the less fortunate.

“He founded the college to help immigrants break out of the cycle of poverty and to become people who could believe that the American Dream could be theirs,” said Father McShane, adding that this continues to be the mission of Fordham today.

The address focused on the past, present, and future. He recalled the first six students greeted by the archbishop in 1841, as well as the 15,500 students attending today. From Archbishop Hughes’ visionary purchase of a 106-acre farm, to the recently completed Fordham Law School building and the soon-to-be renovated Lowenstein Center, the talk covered 175 years.

Father McShane delivered welcome news of the Middle States Association’s accreditation of the University. The Middle States steering committee took a rare step in not issuing recommendations, and waived the need for follow up visits—something that only 33 percent of schools up for reaccreditation achieve.

On admissions and enrollment, Father McShane reported an increase in applications to the University of 5 percent, bringing the total to 44,776 for the three traditional-age undergraduate colleges. The University met its enrollment goals with 2,172 students.

Father McShane didn’t shy away from discussing challenges facing the institution, saying many reflected national and fiscal trends.

In response to what he referred to as the “second phase of the Civil Rights Movement,” Father McShane announced that a Task Force on Diversity created last spring had issued findings, and that the University is working on an October response..

He said the law school, the Graduate School of Social Service, and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences are “experiencing gains or are in a steady state,” while the Graduate School of Education, the Gabelli School of Business’s graduate program, and the Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education face challenges affecting similar schools throughout the region.

And yet, in an environment where 38 percent of the private colleges and universities failed to meet enrollment targets, Fordham continues to fare well. The University has raised $82 million toward a $175 million goal in a new capital campaign aimed at strengthening financial aid.  The University has hired 30 new tenure-track faculty. The University’s ranking in U.S. News and World Report rose to 60, and three of the graduate schools placed in the publication’s top 50. Fordham remains a top Fulbright producer, sending nine student winners abroad this year.

Regarding facilities, Father McShane said that the old law school, now dubbed “140 West,” welcomed students after a renovation made space for the Quinn Library, the Division of Student Affairs, and the Gabelli School of Business. A total of 570,000 square feet was added to the Lincoln Center campus. He said future facilities projects are planned for the Rose Hill campus.

Amidst planning for the future, the University will continue celebrate its Dodransbicentennial, which began on June 24 with a Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The coming year will be filled with symposia, a football game at Yankee Stadium, and a much larger St. Patrick’s Cathedral Mass that is open to the public, to be held on Sat., Oct. 1.

“It’ll be at 5:30 on Saturday afternoon, so it counts for Sunday,” joked Father McShane.