Below are sentiments they have shared as Fordham begins this critical and historic work.

“This first-of-its-kind effort, that I made sure we amply funded in the historic Inflation Reduction Act, to directly invest in grassroots environmental justice groups is critical to fighting the carbon pollution worsening asthma, driving climate change and increasing the likelihood and severity of devastating extreme weather events,” said U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer. “This $50 million for Fordham University to fund environmental justice projects is the kind of program that can help our disadvantaged communities effectively fight the pollution that harms them. I am proud of Fordham University and I’m so excited to see how the vibrant network of New York and Puerto Rican grassroots environmental justice organizations access and activate this federal funding. I remain laser-focused on implementing the IRA so that we can ensure it lives up to its transformative potential to clean our air and combat climate change.”

“EPA’s Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking program is a vital new program that will advance environmental justice and help communities disproportionately impacted by climate change, pollution, and other environmental stressors,” said U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “I am thrilled to see that Fordham University has been selected as the Grantmaker for EPA Region 2, which will allow organizations in New York, other communities within the Region, and Puerto Rico to apply for funds to support a range of different environmental project activities that will help the communities most in need. I am proud to have worked with and supported Fordham University to help secure its selection as a grantmaker and look forward to seeing communities that have long faced underinvestment gain access to federal environmental justice funding.”

“Fordham University’s commitment to environmental justice through its Flourishing in Community program and Climate Action Summit 2024 has been exemplary,” said U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres (NY-15). “By investing $40 million in grants to community-based organizations with a prioritization on marginalized communities, Fordham is not just talking about change — they’re actively implementing it. Initiatives like these, focusing on participatory governance and community-led solutions, are crucial for a sustainable future for the Bronx and the nation. I commend Fordham for their leadership and hope more institutions follow their example.”

“Fordham University’s resounding call to action comes in the form of their EPA Grant, which will facilitate climate justice initiatives for environmentally disadvantaged communities in the Bronx,” said City Council Member Oswald Feliz. We are constantly working to provide accessibility to communities disproportionately affected by pollution and climate change. With Fordham’s Climate Action Summit, we will witness new insights on sustainability and environmental justice for our Bronx community.”

Calling the immigration issue “the new civil rights movement of the 21st century,” Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, wrote to the governor on March 27, saying that the issue must be addressed, and that universities have a role to play in doing so.

Educational access and opportunity are “the keys to future success,” Father McShane wrote, and he called on the governor to pass the Dream Act to “help to alleviate the costs that arise from not addressing the issue of immigration in a comprehensive and compassionate manner.”

The bill, originally championed by the New York State Youth Leadership Council and introduced by Senator Bill Perkins and Assemblyman Guillermo Linares, was first introduced on March 22. The proposed law is supported by a large coalition of immigrants’ rights groups, the New York Board of Regents, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the City and State universities of New York, and a number of private universities.

Since the federal Dream Act (which Fordham also supported) stalled in Congress, some states have passed their own versions of the bill to make college more affordable to undocumented students. Thirteen, including New York, allow undocumented immigrants to qualify for in-state tuition rates. Only three states allow them to receive state government tuition aid: Texas, New Mexico, and California.

“Since 1841, Fordham University has been the institution of the new immigrant experience,” Father McShane wrote. “Not only was Fordham built by immigrants, its very presence enduringly represents the collective dreams of the immigrant experience…. We recognize that the face of the immigrant movement has changed and that the movement itself has shifted and evolved with the developments of the 21st century.  Despite those changes and shifts, the collective dream of the immigrant movement remains the same: to do better, to thrive and to succeed once given the chance and opportunity to compete.”

Fordham Westchester participated as one of several nonprofit sponsors of the event, which linked volunteer and professional leaders in the nonprofit sector.

Participants had the opportunity to:

• identify emerging challenges and opportunities;
• shape new leadership strategies; and
• build organizations that excel.

Keynote speakers included U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and futurist Andrew Zolli, executive director of PopTech. Moreover, real-time electronic polling pointed to how the economy is impacting the industry.

Rob Jacobson, Ph.D., associate vice president, academic affairs and executive director, Fordham Westchester, is pictured here with Senator Gillibrand.

The event’s principal sponsors included the United Way of Westchester and Putnam Counties, ArtsWestchester and the Westchester Community Foundation.