Each year Fordham faculty, students, alumni, and friends make significant achievements that bring attention to the University and its mission of educating men and women for others. The Fordham stories that were viewed most often this year were no exception. Whether the subject was a Hollywood movie of espionage and intrigue, a Jesuit dedicated to bringing laughs to his students, or an alumnus inventing his life’s gift to humanity, the stories below touched our readers’ hearts and minds, inspiring “shares” and “likes” far beyond the University community. Thanks to all who visited Fordham News this year.

Starting with No. 10, here are the most viewed stories of 2015.

10. Pope Francis: Video Messages from the Fordham Community (By News and Marketing Staff)

In recognition of Pope Francis’ historic visit to New York City, Fordham created videos of welcome, and members of its faculty and Jesuit community offered extensive commentary in the media about the visit. Pope Francis’ addresses to the U.S. Congress and to the United Nations were streamed live on campus, Fordham staff covered his public events, and students offered their questions for the pope via Fordham Instagrams.

9 . University President Joseph M. McShane, SJ, on University Culture and Bias Incidents (By Joseph M. McShane, SJ)

In a strongly worded statement, Father McShane made clear that those in the University community who commit acts of racism, sexism, homophobia, or bigotry “will face the appropriate disciplinary proceedings, in addition to whatever criminal charges are brought, when appropriate.” Father McShane’s comments were in response to two incidents in which students reported being subjected to mistreatment or the use of racist language.

8. Law Alumna Gives Backstage Scoop on Hamilton (By Tom Stoelker)

Vanessa Nadal, LAW ’10, the wife of Hamilton playwright and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, gave a group of lucky theatergoers an insider’s view of the Broadway hit show, as part of the Fordham Alumni Culture and Entertainment (FACE) series. Nadal said she encouraged her husband to make sure that a female lead character got a rap of her own in the smash hip-hop musical. “Lin is attuned to the female roles, but I did push him a little bit,” she said.

7. Truth about Mary Magdalene Could Open Doors to Women in Church (By Joanna Mercuri)

In a lecture, Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ, Distinguished Professor of Theology, said that Mary Magdalene’s important apostolic acts have been overshadowed by Pope Gregory’s mistaken characterization of her, in 591 a.d., as a repentant prostitute. Mary of Magdala, likely a well-off independent woman, was one of Jesus’ most influential apostles, whose true story can reclaim the role of women in the church, said Sister Johnson. Today, theologians are returning to scripture to uncover more evidence of women’s contributions to Christianity.

6. Apparel Designed by Gabelli Student Makes Life Easier for Diabetics (By Joanna Mercuri)

Lacrosse player Corinne Logan, a junior in the Gabelli School of Business, found that using an insulin pump to manage her Type 1 diabetes offered her lots of freedom to move, but that it was bulky. The athlete-entrepreneur founded Pumpstash, LLC, a company which creates spandex shorts for active diabetics who use an insulin pump and a glucose monitor. Ten percent of the profits from the sale of of each pair go to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

5. This Tremendously Popular Quiz Show Host has Endowed a Million-Dollar Scholarship (By Bob Howe)

Alex Trebek, host of Jeopardy!, said that attending Fordham proved to be a transformative experience for his son Matthew, FCRH ’13. To make a Fordham education possible for others, especially students from underrepresented populations, Trebek created a $1 million scholarship for students from Harlem. The first Trebek Scholar, Estefania Cruz, is a history major who plans to become a social worker.

4. Fordham’s Funniest Jesuit Bids Adieu (By Patrick Verel)

Longtime communications professor Michael V. Tueth, SJ, retired from Fordham this year, but not without having earned a reputation as “master of mirth and the sultan of sass” among students he taught over the course of two decades. His firm belief that religion makes things funnier, coupled with his own brand of humor, led one well-known Jesuit, James Martin, SJ, to describe him as “one of the funniest people I know.”

3. Cancer Survivor Invents T-Shirts With a Purpose (By Nicole LaRosa)

In the final year of his life, entrepreneur Alex Niles, GABELLI ’11, (1983-2015), devoted his energies to founding CureWear, an apparel brand for cancer patients and their families, featuring a signature T-shirt that patients can wear during chemotherapy treatments. Although Niles succumbed to cancer in April, his spirit lives on in his family, friends, and in CureWear, which is still going strong and has given back a portion of its profits to cancer patients.

2.  2015 Commencement (By Fordham News Staff)

For the first time, Fordham created a dedicated web page for this year’s graduation and highlighted a drone video of the May 16 ceremony, Commencement 2015 From Above. Also featured on the page was coverage of the commencement speech, delivered this year by Nana Lordina Dramani Mahama, First Lady of the Republic of Ghana.

1. Metadiplomat: The Real Life Story of Bridge of Spies Hero James B. Donovan (By Ryan Stellabotte)

A FORDHAM Magazine cover story on alumnus and Cold-War-era lawyer James B. Donovan, FCRH ’37, was published on the same day that a Steven Spielberg movie about Donovan (who is portrayed by Tom Hanks) was released in theaters. The espionage thriller, in which Donovan is asked to defend a Russian agent in court and undertake a risky “spy swap,” is still playing on the big screen and looks likely to be among the Oscar-nominated films of 2015.

The Lincoln Center campus was abuzz Friday evening as alumni from the three schools gathered in and around the Lowenstein Center Atrium, the Robert Moses Plaza, and, for the first time, in the Law School’s Skadden Conference Center, to reunite, reminisce, and network on a warm summer evening.

The events got started with a final lecture delivered by Michael Tueth, SJ, associate professor of communication and media studies. Titled “A Jesuit on Movies and Meaning,” Father Tueth used the occasion of his retirement to show clips from four movies, including On the Waterfront and Dead Man Walking, that highlight examples of faith, hope, and charity.

He cited the First Principle and Foundation of St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises, which says that all the things in this world are gifts of God, given to us to know God better.

“I count movies as one of those gifts that God, Thomas Edison, and a few others have given us,” he said.

In the White Box Studio, actor/musician Van Hughes, FCLC ’05 celebrated his 10th reunion with an electrified acoustic guitar set of his own songs and songs from the Broadway play American Idiot, in which he played the lead role on the touring production.

His final number was a song he’d written with lyrics lifted directly from a love letter from a high-school acquaintance.

“In high school, I really got into writing music with other people’s words, because I knew mine weren’t really good,” he said. Today he’s “still not very good because I’m still doing the same thing,” he joked.

In his welcoming address, Robert Grimes, SJ, dean of FCLC, remarked how different the campus feels now that freshmen are living in McKeon Hall above the law school. The new living arrangements will enable the college to admit the largest class in its history next year—an estimated 570 students, compared to 450 just two years ago.

Outside on the plaza, alumni celebrated the memories. Suzanne Matthews Foye, FCLC ’81, GSE ’82, reminisced about how she met her husband Patrick Foye, FCRH ’77, LAW ’81, while she was on the debate team that he coached. They got married in 1984 and had three daughters—one of them, Heather Foye, FCLC ’14, was also there.

“If it wasn’t for Fordham, you wouldn’t have been born!” Suzanne told her daughter.

Rocco Adriola, FCLC ’79, looked on in amusement. Adriola, a former president of the debate team himself, knew Patrick Foye in high school and recruited him to join the team.

Across the plaza at the law school, Joseph M. McShane, SJ, president of Fordham, praised the GSS as a great mission-driven school.

“I hear about you in glowing terms from people in city and state government, from people in hospitals, for everything you do to make sure that the forgotten are not forgotten, that the poor are lifted up, and that the desperate have a word of hope given to them,” he said. “You are in many ways, all saints.”

Among those in attendance was Steven L. Herbst, GSS ’13, a psychiatric social worker who counsels clients who are sentenced to serve time in rehabilitation facilities rather than prisons. Herbst (who had a copy of a Hunter S. Thompson’s book on outlaw motorcycle gangs poking out of his vest pocket) said a few of his clients are former members of the Hell’s Angels.

“After helping people in an amateur fashion, I wanted to do it professionally,” said Herbst, who returned to school for a master’s degree to gain employment as a counselor.
“I like working with adults and I feel it’s [my]mission to support people in recovery from drugs, alcohol, and nicotine.”

Directly across the hall in the Costantino Room, Donna Rapaccioli, PhD, dean of the Gabelli School of Business, directed the alumni’s attention to 140 W. 62nd St., the former home of the law school. The building, currently under renovation, will be the future location of the business school, scheduled for occupancy in 2016.

The unification of the two schools of business under the Gabelli name has already helped graduates leverage their degrees, Rapaccioli said. She noted that there are now 35,000 business alumni who can further help each other, as well as current students, foster their careers.

“We really need your help with expanding our ability to use New York as our campus,” she said.