And then there were all the people who inspired and challenged him athletically, like track coaches Ed Kilkelly, Arthur O’Connor, and Jack Brown—to say nothing of Fordham track’s most famous alumnus, two-time Olympic gold medalist Tom Courtney, FCRH ’55.

Courtney enjoyed “a certain degree of royalty” at Fordham, said Ostling, who met him during one of his many visits to campus.

These and other recollections come up as Ostling discusses his recent major gift to Fordham’s track and field and cross country programs in honor of coaches O’Connor and Brown.

By giving, he seeks to help today’s student-athletes have the best possible experience—like he did.

“I thought it was time to try to help make a difference” for them, Ostling said.

A Lesson in Giving

Ostling, who retired as chief operating officer at EY, formerly Ernst & Young, earned his bachelor’s degree from Fordham’s former Undergraduate School of Education before enrolling in Fordham Law School. A longtime generous donor to the school, he is quick to praise all the people who made a mark on his personal and professional growth—from coaches to classmates to colleagues in his legal career.

Those who inspired his philanthropy include a past dean of the law school, Joseph M. McLaughlin, FCRH ’54, LAW ’59, who made a lasting impression with a quick act of generosity. It happened when Ostling was being interviewed by McLaughlin after first arriving at the law school as a recently commissioned military officer, wearing his U.S. Marine Corps uniform.

Expressing concern about Ostling’s ability to pay for a more diverse wardrobe, McLaughlin turned around and wrote him a generous check, only asking that Ostling pay it back when he could.

“I can’t tell you what that meant to me,” Ostling said. “I guess he knew a lot about my financial background and that sort of thing from my application. That moment of him without any need to, or request, turning around and doing that just made a huge [difference].”

He noted that his gift to Fordham track followed Courtney’s death last fall, so in a way it helps continue Courtney’s unstinting support for the program.

“My aspiration is that the young men and women at Fordham who participate in track and cross country have the chance to feel the same experience I felt,” Ostling said. “I had a great academic experience, a great social experience, a great athletic experience at Fordham.”

Athletics fundraising is one of the pillars of Fordham’s $350 million fundraising campaign, Cura Personalis | For Every Fordham Student. Learn more and make a gift. 

The Ramses Challenge was announced Aug. 31 by Fordham athletics, just in time for the fall season. Donors are asked to pledge an amount they’ll give for every touchdown or defensive sack by the football team; every goal scored by the water polo or men’s or women’s soccer teams; each set won by the volleyball team; or each top-20% finisher in the cross country program. All gifts are tax deductible and go directly to the donor’s sport of choice.

So far, all of the fall teams have received donations through the challenge, which will eventually be expanded to all varsity sports and, likely, to Fordham’s club sports as well. “We want our supporters to feel like they are a part of the team, in that we want them to feel just as excited as our student-athletes about every touchdown or goal scored,” said Ed Kull, Fordham athletics director.

The donated funds will advance Fordham’s $350 million fundraising campaign, Cura Personalis | For Every Fordham Student, by supporting recruitment, team travel, gear and equipment, tutors and academic support, and other things important to teams’ success and players’ growth and development.

Stronger Bonds

The programs’ coaches hailed the initiative for its potential to strengthen bonds that sustain their programs.

“This is such a great opportunity to reconnect with our alumni and support Fordham volleyball,” said Ian Choi, the program’s head coach. “The landscape of college athletics is changing so rapidly, but our program has never wavered in our dedication and regard for the student-athlete.”

Joe Conlin, head football coach, expressed gratitude for the challenge, calling it “a great way to engage our former players who played on the offensive and defensive lines, and also have parents support their players.”

The football Rams have made a strong start to the season and to the Ramses Challenge—they scored six touchdowns and three field goals in the Sept. 17 Homecoming game, prevailing over the University at Albany 48-45 for a 3-0 record to date. That night, the men’s soccer team, four-time Atlantic 10 champions, played the University of Rhode Island to a 2-2 draw in their opening Atlantic 10 contest. The next day, the water polo team completed a perfect 4-0 weekend at the Bison Invitational.

Achievements Beyond the Playing Field

In other recent highlights, in July the volleyball team earned a 2022 United States Marine Corps/American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic award, the third straight year the Rams have earned that honor. Also, 12 of the team’s student-athletes were among the 290 Rams who earned placement on the Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the 2021–2022 academic year.

On Sept. 14, the cross country and track and field program announced that it earned a Tara VanDerveer Fund for the Advancement of Women in Coaching grant, making Fordham one of only 10 colleges and universities to receive that honor this year. The grant is awarded by the Women’s Sports Foundation to support women coaches’ professional development.

“We recognize the critical importance of closing the gender gap in the coaching ranks,” said Brian Horowitz, FCRH ’10, GSE ’11, head coach of Fordham men’s and women’s cross country and track and field teams, “and seeing more women in these influential roles helps inspire our female student-athletes.”

He said the program’s VanDerveer Fellow, Assistant Coach Nickeela Austin, is vital to the program, “and this grant will allow her to continue to grow both as a coach and as a professional.”

See below for links to join the Ramses Challenge or make a one-time donation to a program:

Football
Water Polo
Volleyball
Men’s Soccer
Women’s Soccer
Cross Country

Mulkeen, a member of the Bronx Borough Anti-Crime Unit, was struggling with a man who had fled when he and other officers stopped to question him while patrolling near the Edenwald Houses on East 229th Street, according to police. Mulkeen was shot three times at approximately 12:30 a.m. and pronounced dead at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx.

“The Fordham family has lost one of its own to senseless violence today,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham.

“Brian Mulkeen went out into the world to do exactly what we expect of our alumni—be a man for others—and he was slain in service to the local community.

“Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and loved ones, and to his fellow officers. I know the Fordham community joins me in prayer for the repose of Brian’s soul, and for his family and loved ones as they mourn his untimely death.”

A wake is set for 1 to 4 and 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3, at Smith, Seaman & Quackenbush Funeral Home at 117 Maple Ave. East in Monroe, New York. The funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at the Church of the Sacred Heart at 26 Still Road in Monroe. Cardinal Timothy Dolan will celebrate the Mass and Father McShane will be a concelebrant.

Fordham flags will be flown at half-mast until after services.

Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered flags flown at half-mast, as did Westchester County Executive George Latimer, FCRH ’74, according to CBS New York. Mulkeen lived in Westchester County’s Yorktown Heights with his girlfriend, also a New York City police officer. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, FCRH ’79, also commented on the shooting, saying Mulkeen “put his life on the line and … lost it in service to the people of this city,” according to the Associated Press.

Going Above and Beyond for Others

Mulkeen was “just a tremendous human being,” quick to put aside whatever he was doing to help someone else, said Brian Horowitz, FCRH ’10, head coach of the cross country/track and field program. “[His] first thing was to care about everyone else, put aside whatever he’s doing and really step up.”

In fact, Horowitz, who knew Mulkeen as an undergraduate, said he had recently asked Mulkeen if he would return as a volunteer throwing coach. “He was quick to say ‘yes’ and was very excited about the opportunity,” despite his busy schedule, Horowitz said.

Mulkeen was going to start as soon as next week, Horowitz said. He spoke to Mulkeen on Saturday, when Mulkeen said he had to work and wouldn’t be able to make it to the Fordham football game that day, where recently retired cross country/track and field head coach Tom Dewey was to be honored.

In the program, “it’s been really difficult for everyone to really wrap their heads around” what happened, Horowitz said, describing Mulkeen’s contagious enthusiasm and care for others. “If you met Brian, you fell in love with him.”

A two-year captain in the program, Mulkeen was a multiple-time scorer at the Atlantic 10 Championship in the weight throw for indoor track and the hammer throw for outdoor track. As a senior, he earned a bronze medal at the Atlantic 10 Indoor Track and Field Championship in the weight throw. He was a member of the Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll, and helped the Rams win the 2008 Metropolitan Outdoor Track and Field Championship for the first time in program history.

Horowitz described Mulkeen as a hard worker who “went above and beyond,” both on the playing field and in the classroom. He worked on Wall Street after graduating, but turned to police work to find something more fulfilling.

“He always wanted to do better for the people around him,” he said.

Mulkeen “was a remarkable human being. Everybody loved him,” Mulkeen’s father, also named Brian Mulkeen, told the New York Post.

An Officer’s Sacrifice

Mulkeen was patrolling near Edenwald Houses because of recent gang activity in the area, said NYPD Chief Terence A. Monahan, FCLC ’85, in prepared remarks on Sept. 29. The man that Mulkeen was struggling with was shot by police and died at the scene. Monahan identified him as a 27-year-old man on probation for a narcotics-related arrest last year who had been arrested several times before.

“Tonight is a vivid example of the dangers New York City cops face every day.”

UPDATE (Oct. 10): Fordham University has established the Brian Mulkeen, GABELLI ’08, Memorial Endowed Scholarship, which will go to an undergraduate student at the Gabelli School of Business. The Office of Student Financial Services, in consultation with the dean of the Gabelli School of Business, shall award the scholarship to academically high-performing students who might be unable to stay at the University without financial support. Gifts in support of the scholarship can be made here.