“There is so much that I could say about John and his legacy at Fordham. He gave of his time and energies as a member of the Board of Trustees from 2000 to 2012, including eight years as chairman, guiding us through a pivotal period of institutional striving and growth,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham.

“He was a constant presence in the life of the University—taking part in our events, supporting our students, and sharing advice from his distinguished career in the securities industry. He was warm and kind, always. His presence added joy to our events and our endeavors.”

During his tenure as board chair from 2004 to 2012, Tognino helped usher Fordham into a new era of preeminence, advocating for an increase in international academic programs and partnerships while anchoring the University’s transformative $500 million capital campaign, Excelsior | Ever Upward | The Campaign for Fordham.

The campaign, which kicked off in 2009 and concluded in 2014, was the University’s most ambitious and daring fundraising campaign in its history at the time, raising $540 million. That success enabled Fordham to increase endowed chairs and scholarships, expand academic and programmatic initiatives, and build much-needed facilities such as world-class residence halls for 800-plus students, a new Fordham Law School building, and a new home for the Gabelli School of Business.

Tognino was born on September 20, 1938, and grew up in the Jerome Park section of the Bronx, in the shadow of Fordham’s Rose Hill campus. His father, Gennaro, was a bus driver and his mother, Catherine, was a homemaker. He had a brother named Alexander, who died in 2008.

He graduated from Dewitt Clinton High School in 1956 and went directly to work in the financial sector, with a job in the mailroom at Merrill Lynch. He worked there for more than 35 years, retiring in 1993 as managing director of global equities. He went on to serve as executive vice president of global sales and members affairs at NASDAQ, and later, chairman of the Pepper Financial Group.

His path to success involved many treks from his workplace in downtown Manhattan to Fordham’s Rose Hill campus in the Bronx. It was there that he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1975 by attending classes at night twice a week and all day on Saturdays. In 2013, when he was honored at Fordham’s annual Founder’s Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, he reflected on those years in the early-1970s.

“It’s a short distance from the Bronx to this stage, but it is a long journey,” he said.

“Fordham opened their doors to me and gave me a chance. Attending Fordham at night and working full time on Wall Street during the day was not without its challenges, but I can tell you honestly, sincerely, that I would not have graduated, nor would I have been standing here, had it not been for one person, my wife, Norma.”

Norma Tognino, whom he referred that night to as “the real chairman of the board,” died in 2018. Together, the couple supported Fordham both financially and with their time, appearing at nearly every major University event. In 1997, they established the Tognino Family Endowed Scholarship to support nontraditional students enrolled in the Gabelli School of Business and Fordham School of Professional and Continuing Studies, and the Tognino Endowment for Disability Services, which supports special-needs students. 

In 2007, on the cusp of the Excelsior | Ever Upward campaign, the couple made a gift of $3.5 million to Fordham to support the great hall in Duane Library. In recognition of their generosity, the hall was renamed in their honor.

Upon his retirement in 2012, John Tognino was appointed Trustee Emeritus and awarded an honorary degree at the University’s 168th commencement for exemplifying “in his personal and professional endeavors, the spirit of service and commitment to the human family that lies at the heart of the University.”

Michael A. Tognino, GABELLI ’92, said it was hard to overstate how thoroughly his father lived and breathed the ideals of service. When his mother died, he said, Michael found himself on the phone with his father and a friend who was also going through a rough patch. His father, he said, turned the conversation to the friend’s needs.

“I’ll never forget it because it was a conference call, and the person was like, ‘John, your wife just passed.’ And he said ‘I know, but you’re going through what we just went through. What can we do to help you?’” he said.

Gerald R. Blaszczak, S.J., FCRH ’72, an assistant to the president and alumni chaplain at Fairfield University who rejoined the Board of Trustees this year after serving from 1998 to 2004, echoed the sentiment, calling Tognino a man “of loyalty, warmth, and skill.”

“John Tognino was a friend you could go to at any moment with any sort of problem, and he was there for you,” he said, noting that he solicited Tognino’s counsel when he left Fordham in 2005 to become rector of St. Ignatius Church in Manhattan.

“It was normal to turn to John Tognino. He had his Rolodex in his head, and he was never afraid to turn to people and say, ‘I know how to solve this,’ or ‘I know who you need.’ He wasn’t arrogant to think he could solve everything himself.”

Patricia McGlynn Nazemetz, TMC ’71, GSAS ’89, PAR ’04, a member of the board from 1997 to 2017 who was appointed vice-chair the same year that Tognino became chair, called him “the great connector.” In 2006, for instance, a group of trustees traveled to Rome together for what would become the first of several trips that served as bonding exercises for the group.

“John always put his best leadership foot forward, in terms of the way he brought people into the conversation, the way he engaged with people,” she said.

Working together with Father McShane, she said he used his background in business to transform the way the board operated, making it more productive and collaborative.

“You were expected to participate on committees, and you were expected to attend extracurricular activities,” she said, noting that John and Norma led by example.

“He inspired the rest of us on the board to do the same. Lots of people will attend ball games and sporting events, but this was every assembly, every graduation, every building opening, Founder’s dinner—he was always present. You always felt you needed to be there too,” she said.

“He made you feel like a partner in building the university community.”

Peter Howe, GABELLI ’70, served with Tognino on the board from 2008 to 2013. He got to know him well on the executive committee and stayed friends with him and Norma after their terms were up.

“He not only knew all the trustees well, he knew the faculty, the deans, the administrative staff, he knew the maintenance people at Fordham. He was the kind of person who just attracted people, and he would make these unusual connections, introducing you to people you might have never met,” he said.

That ability to connect with people is ultimately what made him successful at Fordham, Howe said.

“There were periods of time on the board when difficult decisions were made, and he was able to balance the interests of as many as 40 trustees to get things accomplished. I felt he was a mentor to me, but if I asked anyone in that room, they would say the same thing,” he said.

Rosemary Berkery, who worked at Merrill Lynch for 25 years, said Tognino stood out not only for his business acumen and as a pioneer in NASDAQ, but also for his ability to bring people together. She accepted his invitation to join Fordham’s board and served for six years.

“I knew him by the floor he was on, depending on what building we happened to be in at the time, whether it was the World Trade Center or the World Financial Center. His area was always called ‘the Tog Shop.’ Everybody would say, ‘I’m going down to the Tog Shop, or I’m going up to the Tog Shop,’ and we would say, ‘Oh, I wish I could go with you,’” she said.

“He built a great team in London, and they called themselves the ‘Across the Pond Tog Team.’ He just engendered such loyalty, such respect, and such affection.”

Tognino is survived by his daughter, Katherine Albanese, and her husband, Mark; his son John Jr. and his wife, Teri; his son Michael Tognino, GABELLI ’92, and his wife, Jennifer Daddino, GSE ’19; and five grandchildren: Christopher, John III, Michael Jr., Joseph, and Isabella.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 29 at 10 a.m. at the University Church on the Rose Hill campus. Out of an abundance of caution, the Mass is limited to family members. It will be live-streamed here.

Notes of condolence can be sent to Michael A. Tognino, 4 Fairview Court, Cross River, NY 10518.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to either the Tognino Family Scholarship Fund at Fordham or the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Institute in the Weill-Cornell Department of Neurology.

“Our hearts go out to John and the Tognino family. It was a great gift to know Norma Tognino. She was a woman of deep faith, deep strength, and great warmth,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham. “Norma was beloved by the Fordham community, and indeed by anyone who had the great good fortune to know her. She was generous, funny, and a great friend to Fordham. We will all miss her, and she—and the Tognino family—will be in our prayers always.”

Together with her husband, Norma was among the University’s most significant donors, making major gifts to support scholarships and special-needs students. In 2007, Fordham named Tognino Hall in Duane Library in the couple’s honor.

A Warm, Reliable Presence

Norma could always be counted on to attend Fordham functions and enliven the festivities with her joyful spirit. Many in the Fordham community recalled her warmth, her down-to-earth attitude, and her penchant for making them laugh. But Norma has been missed for the last year and a half; in July 2017 she was involved in a car accident, and since then had suffered through a series of ailments.

“Until she was hospitalized, Norma never missed a Fordham event; she was a treasured member of the Fordham family,” said Robert D. Daleo, chair of the Board of Trustees. “We will miss her warmth and kindness, and her unflagging support for the University and its students, faculty, and staff. The Board of Trustees sends its love and profound condolences to the Tognino family, and hopes that Norma’s memory will forever be a comfort.”

Bronx Roots

Norma was born on July 1, 1940, to Ernestine and Ralph Borrelli, a barber. She grew up on Burke Avenue in the Bronx with three brothers, Paul, Anthony, and Ralph, all of whom worked for IBM, and all of whom predeceased her.

She and John met at a dance at St. Phillip Neri church, his parish. They married in November 1959. Later, when he was attending Fordham’s School of Professional and Continuing Studies in the evenings, she was “extremely” supportive and played an “intricate role” in his success, said John, a trader who currently owns Pepper Financial Group. His career included 36 years at Merrill Lynch, as well as terms as president and chief executive officer of the Security Traders Association and executive vice president and head of Global Sales and Member Affairs at Nasdaq. He was Fordham’s board chair from 2004 to 2012 and is a current trustee emeritus.

“Norma had a deep affection for Fordham,” he said, that began during his years as a student and continued until her death.

‘A Great Enthusiast’

Throughout her life, Norma nurtured a love for the piano. She took lessons as a young girl and later studied at Juilliard and the London School of Music when she and John lived in London from 1988 to 1991.

“She was very shy and she would never play to show off; she would enjoy playing when no one was around,” John said. “She played mostly classical music.”

John and Norma had three children: Katherine; John Jr.; and Michael, a 1992 Fordham Gabelli School of Business graduate. When they were young, Norma was very active in their public schools in Ardsley, New York, where the Togninos had moved after spending their first six or seven years of married life in the Bronx. Norma also served as a member of the women’s auxiliary at Our Lady of Perpetual Help church in Ardsley. The couple eventually made their home in Bronxville, and when her children were grown, Norma worked as a furniture buyer in Westchester.

“She was devoted to her family,” John said. “She was a great enthusiast with great respect for everyone.”

A Love of Travel

That enthusiasm was evident on the many international trips–several to Italy– that the couple took with Fordham’s Board of Trustees, when Norma would often gather the group for fun dinners and lead the way on shopping excursions.

“You could always count on her and John for a great time and a lot of warmth and hospitality and genuine friendship,” said former trustee Pat Nazemetz, TMC ’71, GSAS ’89, who, together with her husband, Jim, socialized with the Togninos in Westchester and traveled with them as well.

“When we traveled, Norma could always be relied on for finding the best shops and doing lots of power shopping when we had any kind of breaks from sightseeing,” said Nazemetz.

Patrick Ryan, S.J., Laurence J. McGinley Professor of Religion and Society at Fordham, accompanied the Togninos on a trip to the Amalfi Coast.

“They were my hosts. We had an awful lot of fun,” he said, adding that Norma “was very unpretentious, very warm, had not lost the common touch at all.”

Father Ryan also played a part in toasting the couple for their 50th wedding anniversary, which they celebrated with a party in Tognino Hall in 2009.

“I made up a song for that,” he said. “It was sung to the tune of Ode to Joy.”

It began: “Sing with me a song of Norma:/ Fifty years ago today/ She was wed, not just pro forma/ To the guy she brought to bay.

And a later verse, calling out the unassuming nature for which the couple was known:

“Keep us mindful, God our Father/ Of the way their parents toiled/ Making sure, for all the bother/ Each grew straight and was not spoiled.”

Nazemetz, now a trustee fellow, said that in the nearly 20 years that she has known the Togninos, Norma “has always been [John’s] rock.”

“She was a kind, caring, giving person. I think of her as the big sister we all like to have,” she said. “She was sensitive and thoughtful, but she also had a toughness about her.”

Whatever struggles she might have been going through—a fall or an illness, for example, “it never wore her down,” Nazemetz said.

One time, Nazemetz and Norma were discussing whether they should go to Las Vegas, which Norma loved, or travel to Italy.

“Her comment to me was, ‘I want to do it all.’ She had a very can-do attitude and spirit, and always made people feel welcomed.” Though the Togninos were people of means, Nazemetz said, “you never got any of that vibe.”

“It was just, ‘I’m that kid from the Bronx who met my husband in the Bronx, and those are our roots, and we’re proud of them and we’re proud to be part of the team.’”

In addition to John, Norma is survived by her children, Katherine Albanese and her husband, Mark; John Jr. and his wife, Teri; and Michael and his partner, Jennifer, and the Togninos’ five grandchildren, Christopher, John III, Michael Jr., Joseph, and Isabella.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, Dec. 7, at 11 a.m. at the University Church on Fordham’s Rose Hill campus. There will not be a wake. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Tognino Family Endowed Scholarship Fund at Fordham or to the Alexander Tognino Foundation, 547 Saw Mill River Road, Ardsley, NY 10502.

Thanks to a new app created by Fordham’s Graduate School of Education (GSE) and Department of Computer and Information Sciences, parents of children who are in distress will have an easier time finding resources in New York City.

The app is being introduced to three Bronx Community schools that have partnerships with the GSE. It will provide the schools’ social workers and guidance counselors with quick access to services that parents might need if their children are facing domestic challenges—an eviction, or other household unrest.

“If a child has pressing problems—say they spent a night in a shelter, or are living in an abusive situation—they’re not exactly going to be the first one raising their hand to answer questions,” said Anita Batisti, Ph.D., associate dean for educational partnerships at the GSE.

“Do they need a shelter that can accommodate a pet? Do they need shelters just for single mothers or for a family? Do they have health needs? The app offers more specifics than what we’ve been doing in the past, which is sending parents the contact person and hours for facilities,” Batisti said.

Harnessing the Power of Data

The app’s development began in 2015 with a $10,000 grant from Lilian Wu, Ph.D., a former member of the Fordham Board of Trustees and program executive for IBM Global University Programs. When former Board of Trustee Chairman John Tognino told her about Batisti’s partnership, Wu suggested they harness the power of the company’s Watson Blue Mix platform to help.

“There are so many real-world problems that have a three-way piece to it,” said Wu, an expert on data analytics who delivered the Clavius Distinguished Lecture at Fordham in 2011.

“The faculty wants to research problems and develop solutions, and students need to learn how to find solutions. And then there are residents—in this case the families with so many needs that the elementary school can’t possibly produce these answers with a handful of staff persons. It’s not easy to find good projects, but this is a good one.”

Students working with Frank Hsu, Ph.D., Clavius Distinguished Professor of Science and Professor of Computer and Information Science, interviewed social workers and principals to get a sense of what kinds of questions the app would need to answer. Hsu’s Laboratory of Informatics and Data Mining has been conducting research on cognitive computing for several years using IBM Watson system through the cloud.

A Community in Need

Dawn Johnson Adams, the center’s director of the community school program at Community School PS85X, and Cesarina Javier, the center’s social worker, also worked closely with the staff of the school, just south of the Rose Hill campus, on the project.

The school has 1,116 students who attend pre-k through fifth grade. Poverty is a significant issue; last year, 93 percent of students received free or reduced lunch. Many parents work two or three jobs, so she said that if they come to see her, they really need help because they’ve taken off from work. It’s hard to set up follow-up meetings to connect them to food pantries, mental health services, clothes, or the nearest emergency room. Nailing down accurate information quickly can be a challenge.

“I’ve tried to help a family with food stamps. I called the general number, they gave me another number, and when I called that number, they told me to call the general number.  You would be amazed how difficult the system is,” said Javier, who works as a bilingual social worker there.

“If I get a parent in for 15 minutes, I want to be able to actually help them. I don’t want them to leave feeling worried or that they wasted their time.”

PS 85X principal Ted Husted said that things get particularly challenging when students, 16 percent of whom live in temporary shelters, are dealing with multiple issues at once. On top of an unstable housing situation, a student might have family member who is incarcerated or living in another country.

He hopes artificial intelligence will be better at weaving all these issues together.

“I was impressed with the Fordham students when they interviewed us,” he said. “They had an opportunity to do something with their education that really has an impact on society.”

“Even when my social workers work as a team, giving good advice is very labor intensive. My expectation with this app is, they’ll be able to serve more parents because they’ll be able to get the information faster.”

The app is still in beta mode. And although it is designed to be a hyperlocal resource oriented toward specific New York City schools, Hsu and Batisti are hopeful that it will eventually be scaled up and expanded.

“This kind of collaboration is what Fordham is striving for,” Hsu said.

“If we ask these questions, what kind of answers are we going to get? In the course of working on this project, we found out that some of the websites in New York City are not as good as they should be. We can improve that with this kind of research. That’s the significance of this project.”

Click Here for Full Commencement Information

Richard Engel

John Tognino

Paulette LoMonaco

Dion DiMucci

Preet Bharara

Sally J. Bellet

Patricia E. Harris

Kaushik Basu

The University Commencement ceremony is broadcast live over radio station WFUV (90.7 FM) on the dial or at www.wfuv.org. Video of the ceremony is also streamed live on Cable Channel 10 on the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses and online atwww.fordham.edu/media.

As part of its 2013 commencement ceremony on May 18, Fordham University will award honorary degrees to eight people of distinction in fields ranging from public service and government to journalism and the arts.

This year’s commencement speaker, NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel, will receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters at the University’s 168th commencement, to be held at the Rose Hill campus.

That degree will also be awarded to Paulette LoMonaco, R.G.S., executive director of Good Shepherd Services; John Tognino, PCS ’75, chairman and chief executive officer of Pepper Financial Group and former Fordham trustee; Dion DiMucci, the famous and influential Grammy-nominated musician; New York City First Deputy Mayor Patricia E. Harris; and Kaushik Basu, chief economist and senior vice president for development economics at the World Bank.

Two honorees will each receive an honorary doctorate of laws: Sally J. Bellet, Esq., LAW ’76, president of the Stein/Bellet Foundation, and Preet Bharara, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, who will give the keynote address at the 106th diploma ceremony for the Fordham School of Law, to be held at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, May 19.

Basu will give the keynote address at the diploma ceremony for the Graduate School of Business Administration, also to be held Sunday, May 19, at Avery Fisher Hall at the Lincoln Center campus. Peter Vaughan, Ph.D., who is retiring as dean the Graduate School of Social Service, will speak at the school’s diploma ceremony on Monday, May 20, also at Avery Fisher Hall.

Richard Engel, widely known as one of today’s top foreign correspondents, has won multiple awards for his coverage of wars, revolutions and political changes in the Middle East over the past decade. He is one of the few Western journalists to cover the second Iraq war from beginning to end, and he has also covered the war in Afghanistan, the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah conflict, the uprisings in Egypt and Libya, and the current conflict in Syria, where he and his production team were kidnapped in December. He is the author of two books, A Fist in the Hornet’s Nest: On the Ground in Baghdad Before, During & After the War(Hyperion, 2004), and a follow-up, War Journal: My Five Years in Iraq(Simon & Schuster, 2011).

John Tognino, PCS ’75, chairman and chief executive officer of Pepper Financial Group and a former executive at Merrill Lynch and NASDAQ, has been one of the most steadfast and generous supporters of Fordham for more than a decade. He has served for 12 years on the Board of Trustees, including eight years as chairman, and has given abundantly of his time and energies in the cause of the University’s advancement. He and is wife, Norma, created the Tognino Family Endowed Scholarship, which supports nontraditional students, and the Tognino Endowment for Disability Services. In 2007 they made a planned gift of $3.5 million to name Tognino Hall in Duane Library.

Paulette LoMonaco, R.G.S., has served since 1980 as executive director of Good Shepherd Services, a social service agency that provides a variety of services to vulnerable youth, children and families. Under her leadership, the agency has dramatically expanded and become nationally recognized for its innovative service models. Today it helps 27,000 people in New York and serves as a leading example for excellence not only in providing direct services to the disadvantaged, but also in advocating on their behalf. Under Sister LoMonaco’s tenure, Good Shepherd Services also began operating transfer schools in partnership with New York City that give truant students a second chance at high school graduation.

Dion DiMucci, a native of the Bronx, found fame as lead singer of Dion and the Belmonts in the 1950s. In the decades since, he has built a following as one of the most soulful and influential musicians of his time. He has received two Grammy nominations and has been cited as a formative influence by Paul Simon, Lou Reed, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Dylan. DiMucci is known for his range and versatility, having developed an early style that melded R&B, blues, doo-wop, and rock and roll, and having recorded a number of gospel albums as well. His greatest hits include “Runaround Sue,” “The Wanderer,” and “Abraham, Martin and John.” He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.

Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York since 2009, was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World byTime magazine in 2012, which also featured him in a cover story, “This Man is Busting Wall Street.” He has put new focus on financial crimes as well as other complex and sophisticated offenses, forming units to focus on cybercrime as well as the often-linked areas of terrorism and narcotics. His new civil fraud unit has collected nearly $500 million in settlements for faulty lending practices and other crimes. Other victories on his watch include prosecution of key members of the computer hacking groups Anonymous and LulzSec, and more than 70 convictions for insider trading.

Sally J. Bellet,Esq., LAW ’76, former vice president of real estate development for Amtrak, is president of the Stein/Bellet Foundation and a philanthropist who has given generously in support of education, medical research, and the arts. She established the Edward and Marilyn Bellet Chair in Legal Ethics, Morality and Religion at Fordham Law School in 2006, as well as the Bellet Scholars Program for students with a particular interest in ethical leadership. She serves on the advisory board for the law school’s Louis Stein Center for Law and Ethics, founded by her grandfather, Louis Stein, LAW ’26.

Patricia E. Harris, first deputy mayor of New York City, plays a pivotal role in city government by overseeing numerous departments and initiatives and making sure the various parts of city government work well together. Twice named one of the top five most powerful women in New York City by Crain’s New York Business, she is Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s closest aide. Among other duties, she oversees the departments of cultural affairs, landmarks, and parks, and serves as board chair for the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. She created NYC Service, the city’s service initiative, and also represented Mayor Bloomberg on the 9/11 Memorial Jury, responsible for selecting the final design of the 9/11 Memorial.

Kaushik Basu, Ph.D., chief economist and senior vice president for development economics at the World Bank, is an internationally respected thought leader with a reputation for ideas that are inventive and sometimes provocative. He previously served as chief economic adviser to the government of his native India, at the Ministry of Finance, and has held visiting positions at top universities including Harvard, Princeton, MIT, and the London School of Economics. Basu has written more than a dozen books and 160 scholarly papers, as well as numerous popular articles. He is on leave from Cornell University, where he is a professor of economics and the C. Marks Professor of International Studies.

“First and foremost, I thank our generous donors,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham. “Their generosity, and their devotion to Fordham and its mission, have been nothing short of spectacular.

“I must also thank the campaign co-chairs, Jim Buckman, Darlene Jordan and Jack Kehoe, for their remarkable and energetic leadership,” Likewise the University owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to the entire Board of Trustees, chaired by John Tognino, and all of the campaign volunteers. Their wise counsel and tireless efforts have achieved more than we could possibly have hoped for this year,” Father McShane said.

The campaign total for scholarship support is now at 115 percent, and academic support at 101 percent of their respective goals. Alumni participation in the Annual Fund—a key indicator of support for University priorities—continued to increase, reaching 28 percent this year. The campaign total does not include a $1 million gift for scholarships from the Bloomberg Foundation, received on July 1. Before the campaign ends, the University will have to raise another $85 million for unmet needs in endowed professorships and several crucial building projects.

“I think the year we’ve had speaks to tremendous support Fordham’s mission enjoys from its alumni and friends,” said Roger A. Milici Jr., vice president for development and University relations. “We’re gratified at the amount we’ve raised this year, but its impact is more important than the number itself. Our donors care deeply about what we do here, about the students we educate—like Abraham Mercado, Fordham’s eighth Truman Scholar, and Cristina Vignone Fordham’s first Beinecke Scholar. What these numbers mean is that we can educate more students—many of whom could not otherwise afford a Fordham education—in greater depth and with cutting-edge tools and facilities.”

As the campaign total climbs, the University is seeing its tangible results: this year Fordham opened Campbell-Conley-Salice Halls; broke ground on the most ambitious capital project in its history, the first stage of which is a new Law School and undergraduate residence hall; and began the renovation of the future home of the Gabelli School of Business.

“I know the Board of Trustees joins me in congratulating Roger Milici and the entire Development and University Relations team for a year of impressive achievements—our annus mirabilis, if you will,” said Father McShane. “At the same time, we now focus on the year to come, and the work still to be done to achieve the ambitious goals that we have set for ourselves. I have every confidence that the Fordham family is up to the challenge.”

• A terracotta patera (shallow bowl) with knob handles, ca. 340 B.C.;
• A kylix (drinking cup with two handles), attributed to the Painter of Berlin 2268, a vase painter of the late sixth century B.C.;
• A portrait of Julia Aquilia Severa, the second and fourth wife of Emperor Elagabalus, A.D. 220-222; and
• A portrait of the emperor Hadrian from the second century A.D.

The collection was donated by Fordham alumnus William D. Walsh (FCRH ’51), and his wife Jane, longtime benefactors of the University.

Among those who were in attendance were Walsh, President Joseph M. McShane, S.J., John Tognino, chair of the Fordham Board of Trustees, and Jennifer Udell, curator of University art. Other invited guests included all members of the Board of Trustees and the President’s Council; representatives of New York City cultural and political institutions; and additional members of the Walsh family.

A Bronx native, Walsh is the founder and general partner of Sequoia Associates, a private investment firm in Menlo Park, Calif. He amassed his collection over a period of three decades, keeping it at his home until donating it to the University in the spring.

A special media preview of the new Museum took place on Dec. 5. Articles about the collection appeared in the New York Times  and the New York Sun.

Information about visiting the Museum can be obtained by calling 718-817-3590.