The role was created to bring together the work of Fordham’s government relations team and the Center for Community Engaged Learning (CCEL), helping to drive major public initiatives, such as the $50 million EPA grant, and make the University a catalyst for positive impact, locally and globally. Proulx will leverage his expertise in local, state, and federal government relations to secure funding for Fordham’s academic initiatives and amplify the University’s civic engagement at home and abroad.

“Fordham is a unique institution in New York City—it’s just part of our mission to serve the city,”  said Tokumbo Shobowale, Fordham senior vice president, CFO, and treasurer, to whom Proulx will report. “But we could do even more, and part of that is creating better relationships and more coordination with various organizations, public and non-public, across our communities in the city and beyond.”

Shobowale said Proulx intimately understands a university’s dual role in educating students and serving their communities. “He’s done exactly this kind of work for many years in different contexts and he’s very Fordham. He really understands the role that higher education—and government support for higher education—can play for our students.”

Proulx said he’s always known Fordham to be “an exceptional institution.”

“I think amongst all of New York’s colleges and universities, Fordham puts mission at the forefront of its work. A lot of universities share these values but have struggled with how to operationalize them. Fordham is a standout in this area—it’s an institution that’s continually trying to do better. And that’s why I’m so excited to have this opportunity.” 

He said he is particularly excited by the current leadership, namely President Tania Tetlow and Shobowale, who joined Fordham 15 months ago from The New School, where he served for 10 years after spending more than a decade working in city government.

“This leadership team sends the message that they recognize and respect Fordham’s excellence and they want to do more.”

A Personal Commitment to Creating Opportunity

Proulx spent six years at the nation’s largest public university system, the State University of New York (SUNY). There he served as vice chancellor for agency and community engagement, overseeing government relations, policy development, budget and research advocacy, community engagement, and marketing across the system’s 64 campuses. 

As the first in his family to go to college, Proulx is deeply committed to making college more attainable and affordable. New York’s Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) gave him the financial and personal support he needed to graduate from St. Lawrence University in the Adirondacks. He’s also an alumnus of the CUNY Graduate Center. He said he’s proud of his work at SUNY in helping to expand the income threshold and eligibility requirements for New York State’s Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). 

“It’s important to me to be able to create those opportunities for others who come from similar backgrounds and similar struggles. … That commitment to serving and helping others lift themselves up has been the common thread throughout my career. I would never want to work someplace that wasn’t committed to doing better for others.”

Proulx has also worked on multiple initiatives to address climate change, from creating a statewide plan for agriculture innovations such as vertical farming to the $15 million EV charging network he helped secure for SUNY. Prior to his service at SUNY, he helped lead communications and organizing in support of New York’s 2014 ban on fracking.

He said he admires the exceptional work already happening at Fordham, and plans to build on it—first and foremost with a commitment to being accessible to the campus community. 

“I want people to know that they can reach out to me if they have an idea,” he said, “So we can talk through how to bring in new opportunities and resources for Fordham.” 

Hosted by the Archdiocese of New York’s Office of Black Ministry, led by Br. Tyrone A. Davis, C.F.C., the awards dinner recognized President Tania Tetlow and two Fordham scholars for their leadership and commitment to their communities.

The annual event supports the Pierre Toussaint Scholarship Fund, named for the once-enslaved Haitian-American entrepreneur who devoted his life to charitable work. Hundreds of attendees gathered in the landmarked Manhattan restaurant Guastavino’s to honor the scholarship recipients and this year’s Pierre Toussaint Medallion awardees, Grammy-winning saxophonist Kirk Whalum and President Tetlow. 

Tetlow spoke about the inspirational life of Toussaint, who was emancipated in 1800s New York. 

“As we think about leadership and how to lead with love, we remember the example of a man who escaped such profound pain and injustice and oppression. It would’ve been very human of him to lean into hatred and resentment,” she said. “And instead … he came to this city and was so incredibly generous …  if we can, any of us, have a fraction of what he achieved every day, the world will be a better place.”

‘Service Is Love’

Two of the three Pierre Toussaint Scholars featured at the event were Fordham students: Angel Madera Santana, a Fordham junior studying English and pre-law (and the executive vice president of communications and marketing for Rose Hill’s United Student Government), and Fordham senior Joseph Giraldi, who plans to apply his engineering physics degree toward designing medical devices for patients in need.

Emcee Rev. Kareem R. Smith, a pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in the Bronx and the senior chaplain for the scholars program, asked the students about its impact on their education. 

For Giraldi, it “helped us become leaders in the sense that we view everyone with worth and we understand that we have a duty to serve,” he said.

Madera Santana said the program inspired him to serve others: “Service is love, and if we all share just a little bit of what we have, of our gifts and our talents, we would see the greater impact that love has on our community.” 

Established in 1983, the Pierre Toussaint fund provides mentorship as well as spiritual and financial support to students of diverse backgrounds from public, private, and parochial schools throughout the Archdiocese of New York. Of the 88 current Pierre Toussaint Scholars across 45 universities, five of them attend Fordham, including sophomores Erika Grullon and Carol Riaz, first-year student Sofia Morales, and Madera Santana and Giraldi. 

Pierre Toussaint is considered by many to be the father of Catholic Charities in New York. A hairdresser to well-heeled clients like Eliza Hamilton, he donated and raised money to open the first Catholic orphanage in New York and the original St. Patrick’s Cathedral, began the city’s first school for Black children, and cared for the sick. Pope John Paul II proclaimed him “venerable” in 1997, moving him further along the path to sainthood. 

A University Worthy of Toussaint Scholars

Archbishop of New York Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan awarded Tetlow the Pierre Toussaint Medallion, recognizing her commitment to academic excellence, social justice, and service to young leaders.

“I am honored to accept this award on behalf of Fordham University,” she said, “which has for 183 years brought together brilliant faculty, like Bryan Massingale, and an incredible staff and administration, to create a university worthy of the student scholars that you got to hear speak tonight.”

In her remarks, Tetlow celebrated Fordham’s strides in increasing diversity against steep odds. “In this year when the Supreme Court banned us from considering race in admissions, our students of color went up to 50%,” she said to applause.

Cardinal Dolan then awarded the second Medallion to Kirk Whalum, who punctuated his thanks with a performance of the Whitney Houston song he famously soloed on, “I Will Always Love You.”  

As the evening came to an end, Cardinal Dolan told attendees that more and more students come up to him now and say they are former Toussaint scholars. “And that brings such satisfaction and joy and gratitude to my heart … We couldn’t do it without folks like you.”

As always, football will be the centerpiece. Hot off a stellar 2022 season, the Rams have won three of their first four games and are ranked No. 15 in this week’s FCS Coaches Poll. They’ll take on the Lehigh Mountain Hawks. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m., but the festivities begin bright and early, with the 12th Annual 5K Ram Run at 9 a.m., campus tours, and much more.

Here are five things you won’t want to miss at Homecoming this year.

1. The New McShane Campus Center Arcade

The four-story McShane Campus Center opened in early 2022 and has been at the heart of an ongoing campaign to support students’ wellness and success. Last month, the University unveiled the latest addition—an airy, sun-filled arcade with a sparkling glass entrance that links the campus center to the Lombardi Center and the historic Rose Hill Gym.

See it on the 9:30 a.m. tour, led by a current Fordham student and starting in front of the McShane Center—or stroll through anytime throughout the day.

2. Coffee and Conversation with President Tetlow

At her recent State of the University address, President Tetlow talked about Fordham’s “three sources of power”—research, Jesuit teaching, and opportunity—and explained why the University isn’t chasing status and rankings. Hear more from her on all things Fordham at this event on the third floor of the McShane Center at 10:30 a.m. And grab a cup of joe to fuel up for the day!

3. Moglia Stadium

The University will officially name its football and soccer stadium in honor of Joe Moglia—a 1967 Fordham Prep and 1971 Fordham College at Rose Hill graduate, award-winning football coach, and transformational business executive.

Planned renovations to the stadium include a state-of-the-art video board, seating and press box upgrades, new lighting, and more to enhance the game day experience. Moglia Stadium is part of the Jack Coffey Field complex that also includes Houlihan Park, the University’s baseball venue.

Check out the new signage for Moglia Stadium above the stands, and join us in honoring Joe Moglia at a special ceremony during the game.

4. Jesuit Gems, ‘Hidden in Plain Sight’

Take a campus walking tour with Robert Reilly, FCRH ’72, LAW ’75, former assistant dean of Fordham Law School, as he brings Fordham’s Jesuit history and mission to life—and encourages even the most devoted alumni to see Rose Hill with new eyes.

The tour, “Hidden in Plain Sight: Discover the Jesuit Presence at Rose Hill,” kicks off outside the McShane Campus Center at 11:30 a.m. Reilly will highlight statues and lecture halls, stained-glass windows and architectural details—like those on the stunning wrought-iron doors of Dealy Hall. The 10 panels forming the sidelights of Dealy’s western entrance depict the arts and sciences—philosophy, chemistry, mathematics, rhetoric, and more—that the Jesuits included in their Ratio Studiorum (Latin for plan of studies), originally published in 1599.

“The curriculum that the Jesuits created has become the curriculum of all universities throughout the Earth,” Reilly says. “That is a great tribute to Jesuit education worldwide.”

5. Family Fun

Homecoming has something for everyone—including the kids! Check out the Family Tent, adjacent to the main tent. It features caricature and balloon artists, coloring pages, and a shorter line for food and drink for busy parents.

This year’s celebration under the tents is now a fully ticketed event, and the Office of Alumni Relations is encouraging people to buy their tickets at a discount by Oct. 3. Check out the full Homecoming schedule and ticket options at forever.fordham.edu/homecoming.

—Nicole LaRosa and Ryan Stellabotte

“When we have groups missing [from campus], we know we’re missing some of our best and brightest… [diversity]is something our own students demand, but also is such a big part of their education.
“There’s something very particular about growing up in this country, dealing with the ways that you were underestimated, the educational opportunities you were denied—when a student comes to us having overcome all of that, and succeeding in a way that means they belong at Fordham, we’re even more eager for them to be here. And the idea that we’re supposed to ignore that, I just don’t understand.”
Tania Tetlow, President
Fordham University

Her interview, along with that of brothers German and Yariel Ortega—who are students at Fordham and Baruch College, CUNY, respectively—and David Wu, Baruch’s president, can be viewed here.

In his podcast, Malcolm Gladwell described being surprised at the writings of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Expecting only limited insights from 500-year-old work, instead, to his delight, he found Ignatius “breathtakingly relevant.”

There are many saints who inspire us to have the courage to do the right thing, those who lived dramatic lives or died bravely as martyrs. Ignatius devoted his life to God in a different way. He translated the messages of the Gospel to the messy uncertainty of life, providing a roadmap for discernment. He found God while building universities, in thousands of bureaucratic decisions where the moral answer was far from clear.

And he did so in ways that remain remarkably sophisticated and relevant. Centuries before Freud and modern psychology, Ignatius focused on the critical need for self-knowledge, and change rooted in self-forgiveness.

His principles of discernment we might now label “design thinking.” He taught us how to be innovative and nimble, because we hold onto what matters, fiercely, and let go of our attachment to the rest.

His teachings about how to run the enormous and far-flung Jesuit “company” could be reprinted today in any business school journal–only because management theory eventually came around to the idea of leadership grounded in purpose and empathy.

Fordham, today we celebrate Ignatius Day with special urgency as the University makes the transition to lay leadership. We are part of an extraordinary heritage, full of centuries of accumulated wisdom and purpose. It is up to us to keep it. It is our fuel. It is what makes us special.

Prayers and blessings,

Tania Tetlow
President