“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.”

The Graduate School of Education (GSE) and the Diocese have jointly created the Catholic School Accreditation Association (CSAA), the establishment of which was marked at a signing ceremony at the diocesan offices on May 25.

“The purpose is to bring the credibility of a major Catholic university into the process of accrediting Catholic schools… We are focusing on the Catholic identity of schools and also focusing on academic excellence,” said James J. Hennessy, Ph.D., dean of GSE. “[It will also] help communicate more broadly about the high academic quality of accredited schools, thus boosting enrollments and perhaps reversing the trend of closing schools.”

Characterized by its dual attention to academics and Catholic identity, CSAA provides parochial schools with an alternative to the Middle States Accreditation process.

“Principals were dissatisfied with the accreditation process from Middle States,” said the Most Rev. Nicholas DiMarzio, GSS ’80, bishop of Brooklyn. “We want academic excellence—that’s what our schools are about—but we also want them to be Catholic schools. We want to make sure these… are in concert with one another.”

CSAA will develop accrediting standards for Catholic nursery, elementary, and secondary schools. Though it will be geared initially toward Brooklyn schools, the group foresees having a wider scope.

“This is a visionary response to really look at accreditation practices and pave the way for other organizations to model,” said Thomas Chadzutko, Ed.D., superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Brooklyn. “CSAA fully understands what it means to be urban and Catholic, and understands what it means to be a diocese in a diverse city… It will allow for growth and will in turn allow for other dioceses and archdioceses throughout the country to participate.”

Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, and Bishop DiMarzio presided over the signing ceremony, which was witnessed by Chadzutko and Hennessy. In his remarks, Father McShane noted that by centering on the preservation of Catholic education, the partnership promotes a higher cause.

“We’re not fighting just for the future of Catholic education, as much as we see that as valued. The schools have been the way of ensuring the Church’s future in the United States,” Father McShane said. “This partnership will enable us to help one another in very significant ways. Fordham is delighted to do it, honored to do it, and committed to the work.”

Bishop DiMarzio and Father McShane signed a Memorandum of Understanding on May 15, officially establishing the Catholic School Accreditation Association. Photo by Bruce Gilbert

“This is a great opportunity for Fordham to ‘live’ its commitment to Catholic schools,” Hennessy said. “With our support and endorsement, those schools may once again thrive, assuring, then, a steady flow of parochial school students to Catholic high schools, and eventually on to Catholic universities such as Fordham.”

Both city and state representatives gathered at the Lincoln Center campus for the event, which was sponsored by GSE’s Center for Catholic School Leadership and Faith-Based Education.

“Catholic schools are the models of successful schools,” said James J. Hennessy, Ph.D., dean of GSE. “Catholic schools set the standards for what good schools look like, how good schools run, and what good schools can accomplish… [This event] is to celebrate Catholic schools and the leaders who make them such great schools.”

Merryl H. Tisch, Ed.D., chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents, offered words of encouragement to Catholic school leaders during her keynote address.

“What I’ve learned here today is that the things that bind us together as a community of parochial school advocates is a very strong bond,” Tisch said. “It is a bond that could make us formidable if we could be politically astute.”

Tisch, who in 2009 became the Board of Regents’ first female chancellor, recounted her own experience in a Jewish parochial school, to which she was granted a full scholarship from kindergarten through high school.

“For our family, the ability to access outstanding parochial school education—values-based education—would open the door to our family to live the American dream,” she said. “Everyone should be able to live the American dream, and I believe that parochial schools open doors for families.”

Parochial schools should not fear that they are “under attack,” Tisch told the group, even in the face of waning budgets and other challenges. On a practical side, the parochial school system is so substantial in New York City that incorporating these students into public schools would be virtually impossible.

More importantly, she said, parochial schools are valuable to the students and communities they serve.

“I am here to say on behalf of the Board of Regents that the 191,000 youngsters who find themselves in the Catholic school tradition are important to us. They are important to us every day. How their schools are funded, how their education is conducted, and the quality of professional development in their schools are key to us.”

This year, GSE recognized James Cultrara, executive secretary for the Catholic School Council of the New York State Catholic Conference, for his contributions to Catholic education. Cultrara, who has lobbied on behalf of Catholic education for more than 15 years, said he felt “blessed . . . to be a small part of Catholic education in this state and in this country.”

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Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, reflected on the importance of Catholic school education.

“At times we can wonder whether or not it is worthwhile—the sacrifices that we ask of families, the sacrifices that we ask of everyone in the Church to support these schools, which, let’s be honest, are money-losing operations—but grace-generating operations.

“Are the sacrifices worthwhile? Absolutely. The work of grace is accomplished in and through the hearts of teachers—inspired teachers and inspiring teachers.”

CLAIR, a vanguard interdisciplinary research doctorate, is a three-year program designed to involve students in cutting-edge research as they pursue one of four specialization areas. These areas—contemporary literacy, learning sciences, special education, and language, culture, and equity—are specifically designed for learning and schooling in the 21st century.

In addition to taking courses within their areas of specialization, students will take two courses outside of their specialization.

“A lot of times [in academia], we don’t learn to talk each other’s language,” said Karen Brobst, Ph.D., assistant professor of school psychology and coordinator of the CLAIR program. “The idea here is to create scholars who have an area of specialty, but also can work together in teams, which we think is an important piece… to building better schools,”

Students will also enroll in three one-credit modules offering condensed lessons on a variety of topics relevant to 21st century education—for example, classroom technology. The modules, Brobst said, allow the program to adapt with the changing discipline.

Graduates of the CLAIR program will be qualified to assume a variety of roles, including instructional leaders, teacher educators, program evaluators, and educational researchers, among others.

GSE has also unveiled two new programs targeted at school leaders. A.M.P.E.L., an accelerated master’s program condenses the existing two-year program in school administration and supervision into a one-year program.

“In this economy, there are a lot of people who are really interested in getting their master’s degree, but they don’t feel they can spend two years,” said John Lee, Ed.D., vice chair of GSE’s division of Educational Leadership, Administration, and Policy (ELAP). “This [program]is for highly motivated individuals, people who are willing to make that commitment for a year, but who may not be able to make a two-year commitment.”

The program, which is open to anyone in New York City and the tri-state area, involves a unique schedule that kicks off with two weeks of daily summer classes in July. Students will then begin an internship in the fall, and continue taking classes Friday evenings and Saturdays.

By May, candidates will have completed the program, and be eligible to take the New York State School Building Leader Certification Examination.

“We’re looking for ways to meet the very real needs of students,” Lee said. “People have busy lives and limited resources, so this is a way that we can help them.”

The SDL advanced certificate program comes in response to a change in the New York State Department of Education’s certification exams. Before, graduates who passed the exam were certified for both school building and school district leadership levels. Now, the state has created two separate exams.

In response, the 15-credit SDL program prepares students for this exam, which certifies leaders on the district level, for example, as superintendents.

Dean Hennessy said that, in September, the Department of Education would be opening 100 new schools.

“One hundred new schools require 100 new principals and assistant principals,” he said. “I’m hoping [our new programs]will be the pipeline programs that will staff the openings that are coming up.”

The GSE celebrated the successes of its Long Island/Westchester Bilingual Education/ESL Teacher Leadership Academy (LI/W BETLA) on June 28 at the University’s Westchester campus in West Harrison, N.Y.

Now embarking on its third session, BETLA helps teachers become better instructional leaders, staff developers and mentors so they can build successful professional learning communities for English-language learners.

In welcoming the graduates and newcomers, James J. Hennessy, Ph.D., dean of GSE, noted BETLA’s place in a larger, ongoing mission to bring the school closer to the educational community—“basically to move us out of our building and into the schools,” he said.

Pedro Ruiz, Ph.D., coordinator of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Bilingual Education, explained why programs such as BETLA are so crucial.

“It’s not only about education,” Ruiz said. “It’s about being an advocate.”

“Beyond educating children, it’s about bringing them into this society, which in many ways rejects our kids, doesn’t give them the opportunity to succeed academically, socially and professionally.”

Ruiz said that the number of English-language learners who go on to earn higher education degrees remains unacceptably low. Through the work of these teachers, English-language learners will be given more options to choose what they want to do, he added.

“With the experience you are going to have here, you are going to be able to take care of all the kids in the school that you are going to be working with, to focus on their needs and help them achieve to their maximum potential, whatever that is,” he said.

Vernard Dezil, an eighth-grade bilingual math teacher who is part of the graduating cohort, reflected on the greater influence he and his fellow teacher-leaders will now be able to have.

“As teachers, we’ve always envisioned the classroom as the place where we could see the biggest impact. But as we went through the program, we realized that to assist a community, it’s best to be at the table as leaders,” he said.

Also present to formally present completion certificates to Cohort II and welcome Cohort III were:

• Anita Vasquez Batisti, Ph.D., associate dean of GSE;
• Nancy Rosario-Rodriguez, director of LI/W BETLA;
• Gerald Cattaro, Ed.D., chair of the Division of Educational Leadership, Administration and Policy at Fordham; and
• Michael T. Gillan, Ph.D. associate vice president of Fordham Westchester.

“You came to us as teachers, and today you leave as teacher-leaders,” said Rosario-Rodriguez, addressing the graduates.

To all the teachers she emphasized the need for a shared vision and a steadfast mission, and she implored them to continually practice and develop their leadership craft.

“I want to applaud you for the great work, the mission and the journey that you’ve embarked on,” she concluded.

Through a grant of $4 million over four-and-a-half years from the state Education Department, BETLA participants earn as many as 15 graduate credits and are also eligible to receive tuition reduction from Fordham to complete a 30-credit master’s degree in administration and supervision.

– Nina Romeo

“You as teachers must know more than anyone else that every child should have an opportunity, but you know that children have different capabilities,” she said to prolonged applause. “Roots and Shoots does one thing for young people, for those young people particularly who will never succeed in the success terms of western culture. They’re not going to be successful business people; they’re not going to be pop stars. But what about being decent human beings?”

Goodall’s speech, in the grand ballroom of the Hilton New York, occurred on the first day of the two-day conference, which was sponsored by public television stations Thirteen/WNET and WLIW21. The event, which featured 90 hands-on workshops and more than 100 vendors, was  also sponsored by Fordham’s Graduate School of Education (GSE).

The University was represented by an information booth directly next to that of the Bronx Zoo, with which it recently entered into a joint master’s of science degree program, as well as a classroom where Fordham professors gave lectures such as “Pressures on Suburban Adolescents” and “Teaching for Creative Problem Solving.”

James J. Hennessy, Ph.D., dean of GSE, also participated in the first panel of the day, “Effective Classroom: What Matters Most.” Sitting to his left, Joel Klein, chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, cited Fordham’s recent partnership with New York City schools as an example of reforms he is overseeing to make classrooms more effective.