Tetlow is the first layperson and woman to lead the University in its 181-year history. She is a former law professor and past president of Loyola University New Orleans who has deep ties to the Jesuits and New York. 

“I can’t thank you enough for the welcome you’ve given me. I’ve spent these first few months meeting as many of you as I can, listening really hard and learning so much,” Tetlow said in her first State of the University address, describing in detail her encounters with the Fordham community. “It all makes me so glad I came.”

Inauguration week will begin at the Lincoln Center campus on Tuesday, Oct. 11, with a discussion among four faculty members on how Fordham is uniquely positioned to shape students who will one day make a difference in the world. The panel, titled Fordham: Hope in a Fractured World, will be held at 4 p.m. in McNally Amphitheater, followed by a 5 p.m. reception in Platt Court. 

The next day, there will be an evening showcase at the Lincoln Center campus, featuring performances from students in the Ailey/Fordham B.F.A. in Dance program, Fordham Theatre, and the Fordham Lincoln Center Jazz Ensemble. The showcase, The Movement, Melodrama, and Melodies of NYC, will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 12 at 6 p.m. in the Costantino Room, followed by a 7 p.m. reception in the Soden Lounge and Bateman Room. Registration for this event is now at full capacity, but the performance will be livestreamed. 

Inauguration Day will be on Friday, Oct. 14, at the Rose Hill campus. The day will begin at 10 a.m. with a Missioning Mass at the University Church to confirm Tetlow’s mission as director of Fordham’s apostolic work. The Mass will be followed by an 11:30 a.m. lunch on Martyrs’ Lawn. 

The main event—the official installation of Tetlow as the 33rd president of Fordham—will take place at 2 p.m. on Edwards Parade. At 4 p.m., the inauguration ceremony will transition to PrezFest, a celebration with food and entertainment at the same location. The final event of the evening, an inauguration concert, will begin at 6 p.m. on Walsh Family Library Lawn. The concert will also celebrate the 75th anniversary of Fordham’s public media station, WFUV. All events are open to everyone. 

To view the full inauguration week schedule and register for the festivities, including live streamed events, visit fordham.edu/inauguration/. 

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“Universities are challenged in an urgent way by the questions that are now posed, questions that are after all existential, that are of the survival of the biosphere, of deepening inequality, of a return to the language of hate, war, and fear, and the very use of such science and technology yet again for warfare rather than in serving humanity,” he said.

The Sept. 30 lecture was part of the Ireland at Fordham Humanitarian Lecture Series, a partnership between the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations and Fordham’s Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs. (Watch the full lecture here.)

Higgins, a poet and former professor, said the Irish lost at least one million lives to starvation during the Great Potato Famine and saw more than 2.5 million emigrate. Therefore, the nation holds a collective memory that resonates with today’s crisis.

“We have known what it is to be hungry,” he said in his lecture, “Humanitarianism and the Public Intellectual in Times of Crisis.”

He noted that the Irish famine was editorialized in some newspapers as “an act of God.” The difference today, he said, is that the constant drumbeat of the news cycle desensitizes the listener.

“[Today,] we’ve become accustomed to narratives of how men and women throughout the world as refugees find themselves, through extended periods of time in unsuitable accommodation, confined to forced idleness, without even control over their daily diet,” he said.

Eugene Quinn, director of the Jesuit Refugee Service in Ireland, he noted, has said that children grow up “without the memory of their parents cooking a family meal.”

He lamented that millions of refugees spend years stranded in semipermanent camps around the world, while world leaders discuss the “internationalism and interdependency” of international trade.

“In fact [the conversation]nearly always begins with trade. This has devalued everything, really, in relation to intellectual life, and it has devalued diplomacy very seriously.”

He said that people’s loss of citizenship is so much more than a loss of a homeland. The rights of displaced humans become distinct from the rights of “the citizen.” Without citizenship, refugees lose their inalienable rights as a person, as well as their voice, he said, referencing Arendt.

“To be stripped of citizenship is to be stripped of words, to fall to a state of utter vulnerability with avenues of participation closed off, and thus new futures disallowed,” he said.

Given their past, he said that it falls to the Irish, at home and abroad, to be exemplary to those seeking shelter, especially since it is a crisis that will continue, fostered by climate change and exacerbated by precarious political situations.

“This is a deepening, if you like, of what I call the intersecting crisis of ecology, economy, and society,” he said.

But unlike the welcome that many European refugees received in the wake of World War II, today’s refugees have been shunned.

“The relatively small number of refugees reaching our borders [in the West]  has brought forth the type of narrative about ‘the other’ that we in the humanitarian tradition had hoped was assigned to the chronicles of the past,” he said.

“Countries whose citizens have often benefited from international asylum and migratory flows are reneging on their commitments with the aim of discouraging or inhibiting refugees from seeking the international protection to which they are entitled.”

It is here, he said, that public intellectuals and universities must play a crucial role to alter a discourse “soured by hateful rhetoric.” However, he added that today’s charged atmosphere has not made it easier for the academy to exert influence, with some in the community seduced by corporate power, and others complacent with current economic models as the only way forward, he said.

He asked what is being taught in Economics 101 in North America, and questioned how much of it was game theory and how much was real political economy, to say nothing of the coursework’s moral content. He worried that an emphasis on funding beyond the state has had a disjointed effect on the career structure of young scholars.

“I believe public intellectuals have an ethical obligation as an educated elite to take a stand against the increasingly aggressive orthodoxies and discourse of the marketplace that have permeated all aspects of life, including within academia,” he said.

Edward Said said it best when he stated that an intellectual’s mission in life is to advance human freedom and knowledge, he said.

“This mission often means standing outside of society and its institutions and actively disturbing the status quo. Yet it also involves placing a strong emphasis on intellectual rigor and ideas, while ensuring that governing authorities and international intermediary organizations are well-resourced. To quote Immanuel Kant, ‘Thoughts without content are empty, intuitions without concepts are blind.’”

Dear Members of the Fordham Family,

I write to you this morning about two troubling incidents at Fordham in the last several days, and about the state of our campus community in general. But first, let me assure you that I have heard and continue to hear your concerns and frank critiques of University culture and our response to incidents of bias and sexual assault (among others). I believe that these are among the most serious issues we face, and so do the University personnel who deal with them on a day-to-day basis. If the processes we must follow sometimes seem cumbersome or too slow, they may be, but do not mistake that for indifference. Everyone here wants to get it right.

That leads me to the first of the incidents to which I referred above. Last night I read the open letter of a Fordham student who alleged she was mistreated by staff from the Department of Public Safety, and by student volunteers of FUEMS. The alleged behavior is deeply troubling, and certainly not consistent with the values Fordham promotes, nor the values that we hold in common. Accordingly, I have asked for a review of the incident by independent professionals. This may not be a short process, but I guarantee you it will be a thorough one. I ask that you have some patience with us in the interim: the absence of announcements is not the absence of progress in these investigations.

The second incident occurred on Friday night, and I was briefed on the preliminary investigation yesterday. Two Fordham students living off campus heard loud, repeated racist language and chants from a party in the apartment below them, also occupied by Fordham students (this is non-University housing, incidentally). The students reported it to Public Safety, and the NYPD was brought in. If the behavior in question is confirmed, the students in question will face University disciplinary proceedings.

I cannot convey to you how disappointing such incidents are, not least because I understand the lasting hurt they cause. Most of you have heard me speak on these issues, or read my previous messages to the Fordham community, and know where I stand: I make no apologies for racism, misogyny, homophobia, nor indeed any kind of bigotry nor act that devalues another person or group. Again, those in the University community who commit such acts will face the appropriate disciplinary proceedings, in addition to whatever criminal charges are brought, when appropriate.

Fordham also devotes significant time, effort, and funds to education around these issues, and we are always looking for ways to improve our efforts and use our resources more effectively. We talk about “building” a better campus community, but that is really the wrong metaphor: what we do is really gardening. We grow, we feed, we nurture. It is a slow and continuous process.

We are, all of us, in the midst of a national conversation about race, gender, sexual identity, the weight of history, and the ways in which we can grow as a community. I understand—I believe we all understand—why voices are raised in anger over these issues. For too many of you, the weight of inequity and oppression has been longstanding and real. You deserve better, not just from Fordham and the University community, but from the larger society; not just soon, but now. Of the many concerns I have as a University president, these are among the most intractable, and give me the most sleepless nights.

I ask, finally, that you believe that people of good will are hearing your voices and are working to make things better. I ask you not to believe this for my sake, or for Fordham’s, but for your own. I am too old and too experienced to believe in the perfectibility of the human family, but I have seen great improvements in my lifetime, and I imagine many more will occur in yours. That is a thought to hold close, and a basis for optimism as you move through your Fordham careers and your lives.

You are all in my thoughts and prayers today and every day.

Sincerely,

Joseph M. McShane, SJ

Like a true harbinger of spring, the 14th annual Fordham Founder’s Dinner arrived at the Waldorf Astoria on March 23, bringing with it crisp weather and more than $2.1 million for the Founder’s Undergraduate Scholarship Fund.

The perennial event brings out the University’s stalwart supporters and celebrates student scholars.

“I would not be standing here tonight had it not been for your generosity and your belief in me,” said senior theater student Anna Abowd, who spoke on behalf of the 16 Founder’s Scholarship recipients. “I have discovered more about myself and what I love through Fordham’s environment, spirit, and people—and will hold onto and share this love as I go out into the world.”

In addition to cheering on the scholars, the University honored four of its most accomplished, loyal supporters with the Fordham Founder’s Award: Edward M. Stroz, GABELLI ’79, and Sally Spooner, and William J. Toppeta, Esq., FCRH ’70, PAR, and Debra J. Toppeta, PAR. Both couples have established scholarships and faculty chairs at Fordham.

Joseph M. McShane, SJ, president of Fordham, said Stroz and Spooner embody the Jesuit ideal of being “men and women for others,” noting that Stroz’s career as an FBI agent and Spooner’s work for animal welfare are about “protecting and serving others.”

Stroz said that after he left the FBI to establish Stroz Friedberg, a global digital risk management company, he sought to “carry out the mission.”

“With the time that I spent in public service for 16 years, and when I started a company, I found that I did not need to compromise the values [I learned at Fordham] or change things in any way.”

He recalled that during his time at the University most of the students were commuters, like himself.

“My head was down low,” he said. “I wasn’t a particularly good student. But I loved the fact that I could get the quality education that was both liberal and something practical.”

He said he continues to draw from lessons he learned both “inside and outside the classroom.”

“There’s a real palpable feeling when you talk to people [from Fordham], there’s a comfort level that you feel,” he said. “Fordham is a school with a soul.”

Father McShane then introduced Bill Toppeta, a Fordham trustee and former president of MetLife International, and his wife, Debra Toppeta, publisher of Woman Around Town, an award-winning website covering New York City and Washington, D.C.

Bill Toppeta said that while Archbishop John Hughes may have founded the University in 1841, the lion’s share of the credit goes to the Jesuits, the “true founders,” who came to the University five years later and have understood the value of global education since the 16th century. He recalled a meeting of international business leaders who were congratulating themselves on establishing business in India and China.

“But St. Francis Xavier established missions in India, China, and Japan in 1540, before the Jesuit order was even established,” he said.  “Now that is real long-term global vision.”

He said that Fordham has long been home to immigrants and first-generation Americans, including his father, who was born in Italy and came to Fordham in 1940. His mother was among a “handful of women” to graduate from the Law School in 1946. In 2013, she presented her granddaughter Kristin with her Fordham Law diploma.

“So our family has been part of the Fordham family for seventy-five years,” he said. “I don’t tell you this story because we are unique—in fact, on the contrary, I tell you because we are typical of thousands of Fordham families.”

He said today Fordham students hail from Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, as well as from the United States.

“Many of those students are making a transition—regardless of their place of origin, these immigrants share a common humanity and a common goal,” he said. “It is the American dream and it is alive and well at Fordham.”
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Following two consecutive Founder’s Dinners that were “giddy” and “wildly joyous” events, Father McShane said that the evening could almost be a billed as a “return to business as usual.” He reminded the crowd that in 2013 the event took place a mere five days after the election of Pope Francis. And last year’s dinner marked the close of Excelsior, the University’s successful $540 million capital campaign, and became a “boffo affair, complete with conga lines.”

But the University’s business, he said, is anything but “business as usual.”

“I believe that nothing merely usual, commonplace, or ordinary goes on at Fordham because our mission is anything but commonplace or ordinary. Far from it. Fordham’s mission is quite simply extraordinary. Noble, sacred, transformative.”

He listed some of the past year’s accomplishments: four athletic championships—in football, women’s basketball, softball, and men’s soccer; the opening of McKeon Hall and the dedication of the new law school building; the unification of the undergraduate and graduate business programs as the Gabelli School of Business; and a bevy of scholarships earned by students, including a Truman, a Gates-Cambridge, and a harvest of Fulbrights.

“And, by the way, over the weekend, we learned that we have already won seven new Fulbrights this year,” he said, noting that the University has been a top producer of Fulbright recipients for three years running.

He said much of the success was accomplished because Fordham students are “cared for, watched out for, and fretted over.” He concluded by noting that students in the past academic year gave more than 1 million hours to service projects both at home and abroad.

“And so I ask you,” he said, “is this mere business as usual? This is business as miracle!”

Check out the evening on Storify.

I am writing to give you an overview of how the University fared in the hurricane that has devastated the New York Metropolitan Area, and an update on our efforts to recover—and help our neighbors recover.  I am happy to be able to report that, through the grace of God and the hard work of our staff, we came through the ordeal relatively unscathed: we sustained no injuries and no building damage on any of our campuses. We lost about a dozen trees at Rose Hill and a handful at the Westchester campus, and our research facility at Armonk sustained some slight damage and lost power.

In addition, on orders from the City we had to evacuate approximately 50 graduate students housed in a residence that Fordham rents around the corner from a construction site on West 57th Street, just east of 7th Avenue at which a construction crane failed, with the boom dangling above the street. (The city is currently working on stabilizing the boom preparatory to removing the crane from the site.) We were able to relocate all of the students in the nearby residence hall to McMahon Hall on the Lincoln Center campus. This incident also necessitated evacuating University administrative and academic departments renting space at 888 7th Avenue and 1790 Broadway. As of today the evacuation order has been lifted and all of those facilities have reopened.

On the advice of the mayor, and the city’s Office of Emergency Management, we did not hold classes on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday of last week.  In addition, since the problems associated with the region’s mass transit systems were so grave, we opted not to resume classes until today.

On behalf of the entire Fordham community, I would like to thank those members of our staff who worked so hard to get us through the hurricane and its aftermath.  In a special way, I would like to thank the members of the Facilities, Safety and Security, Student Life, and Food Service staffs who worked literally around the clock to make sure that our students were safe and that our buildings and campuses were secure when the hurricane hit.  We are all in their debt, a debt that I am more than happy to acknowledge.

I should tell you that, with typical Fordham generosity, our students, faculty, and staff have already asked what we can to do to help alleviate the suffering of those whose lives have been most affected by the storm—within the University community and in the Tri-State area. Among other measures, we have:

• Set aside our limited available space for temporary housing to shelter students, faculty, and staff most affected by the storm.
• Counseling is available to all students as a matter of routine, and was available throughout the storm and in its aftermath.
• Established a Hurricane Relief Fund to collect donations that will be send to low-overhead organizations that already have operations up and running in the areas most affected by the storm. In addition, I have asked our Campus Ministry staff on all of our campuses to take up Hurricane Relief collections at all Masses and interfaith services for the rest of the semester.
• The University’s Community Service programs have also begun to work with agencies and volunteer organizations throughout the Metropolitan Area to organize outreach efforts in which members of the Fordham programs can participate.

More detailed information on all of these measures, and further resources, can be found in the accompanying update. In addition, if you or any member of the University community, are suffering from any difficulty because of the storm, please do not hesitate to bring it to the attention of the appropriate area:

Students:

• Rose Hill: Kelly Breiner (718) 817-3080 or [email protected]
• Lincoln Center: Vickki Massy (212) 636-7100 or [email protected]

Faculty and Staff:

• Campus Ministry at Lincoln Center: (212) 636-6267
• Campus Ministry at Rose Hill: (718) 817-4500

Although the University proper came through the storm in very good shape, the Fordham community has shared in the sufferings that have marked the lives of many people in the area: some have sustained severe flooding in their homes; others have lost their homes; still others have suffered from (and in some cases continue to suffer) the loss of power, heat and hot water; and all have had to wrestle (and in some cases are still wrestling) with the challenges posed by dealing with a mass transit system that has been severely crippled.

I know I speak for our extended Fordham family when I say that we hold all of you in our thoughts and prayers this week. I would ask, then, that you hold out just a little more compassion for one another, and for yourselves, as we struggle to recover from the storm.

Sincerely,

Joseph M. McShane, S.J., President
Fordham University

Post Hurricane Sandy Update V | Monday, November 5, 2 p.m.

Fordham University Response to Hurricane Sandy: Since last week, Fordham has been mobilizing resources to assist members of the University community and our neighbors in the Tri-State area in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The following is a snapshot of where our efforts stand as of today.

Emergency Housing

Students: Student Affairs staff are coordinating outreach to students who need help in the aftermath of the hurricane: anyone who knows of students who need emergency housing or assistance should contact the following staff:

• Rose Hill: Kelly Breiner (718) 817-3080 or [email protected]
• Lincoln Center: Vickki Massy (212) 636-7100 or [email protected]

Faculty and Staff: The University has some single rooms in Loyola Hall on the Rose Hill campus that are available for up to five days to individual faculty and staff members most affected by the storm.

The accommodations are very spartan—no phone, Internet, nor television—but they are clean and dry and have power, heat, and hot water. The rooms come with a bed and clean linens, and access to community restrooms and showers. Members of the University community who have need of temporary housing should contact Jay Bartlett at (718) 817-3080 or [email protected].

Counseling Services: Services have been available to students at Rose Hill and Lincoln Center throughout the emergency, and will continue to be available on both campuses.

Emergency Contacts
For any mental health-related emergency during business hours, please contact the appropriate dean of students:

• Rose Hill: Christopher Rodgers, dean of students: (718) 817-4755;
• Lincoln Center/Westchester: Keith Eldredge, dean of students: (212) 636-6250).

After hours and on weekends, call Fordham’s Safety and Security Department at (718) 817-2222.

Non-Emergency Contacts
Lincoln Center: Students, faculty, and staff with non-emergency concerns can contact Counseling and Psychological Services at (212) 636-6225 or Keith Eldredge, dean of students at Lincoln Center, at (212) 636-6250 with any questions about counseling services. Likewise, for pastoral counseling, please call Campus Ministry at Lincoln Center at (212) 636-6267.

Rose Hill:Students, faculty, and staff with non-emergency needs can contact Counseling and Psychological Services at (718) 817-3725 or Christopher Rodgers, dean of students at Rose Hill, at (718) 817-4755. For pastoral counseling at Rose Hill, please call Campus Ministry at (718) 817-4500.

Resident students at Rose Hill and Lincoln Center may also contact resident assistants or resident directors for assistance.

Federal Relief: The Federal Government has a website that allows people to apply for assistance online:http://www.disasterassistance.gov

This website consolidates the application process across several Federal agencies, including FEMA and the Small Business Administration. The website also reduces the number of forms applicants must ultimately have to fill out, shortens the time it takes to apply, and allows applicants to check the progress of their applications online.

Those who want to apply by phone can call 1-800-621-FEMA—(800) 621-3362.

Hurricane Sandy Relief Funds: Fordham has established a relief fund to collect donations for several organizations that already have operations up and running in the areas most affected by the storm. These organizations have low overhead costs, ensuring that almost all of the money collected on campus will reach those for whom it is intended.

The University is taking up Hurricane Relief collections at all Masses and interfaith services for the rest of the semester, the donations to which will be put toward the Hurricane Sandy Fund:

Fordham Disaster Relief Fund
Office of the President
Fordham University, Bronx, NY  10458

Volunteer Opportunities: Fordham’s Community Service programs have begun to work with agencies and volunteer organizations throughout the metropolitan area to organize outreach efforts in which members of the Fordham programs can participate. The main point of contact for these programs is Campus Ministry: http://www.fordham.edu/mission/mission_and_ministry/campus_ministry/index.asp

Mr. Tognino, Mr. Brokaw, Mayor Bloomberg, Ms. Wylde, Dr. Lin, Dr. Macchiarola, members of the Board of Trustees, the faculty and administration, parents, honored guests and members of the Class of 2009.

My friends, for generations Edwards Parade has played a rich, if varied, role in the life of the University.  In fact, it has served as a soccer field, a parade ground on which the men and women of Fordham trained before marching off to serve our nation in World War I and World War II, and a grassy beach on which Fordham students have played frisbee, caught a few rays between classes, and honed their skills in the fine art of flirtation.  It is also here, on the manicured grass of Edwards Parade, that the University traditionally gathers in solemn convocation to honor its own and to welcome dignitaries into the Fordham family.  It is also from here, this ground made sacred by the hopes, dreams, loves and heroic figures of our shared past, that the University sends its newest sons and daughters out into the world.

My friends, this is the most solemn day on the University’s calendar, for this is the day on which we celebrate achievements and honor heros.  Therefore, once again we ring the Victory Bell, drape Keating Hall in banners and bunting and gather on Edwards Parade in solemn convocation.  Decked out in our academic finery, we welcome our newest honorary degree recipients into the Fordham family and recognize the contributions they have made to the life of our City, the nation and the world.  I hope that you will not mind if I single out two of our honorees for special mention: Mr. Brokaw and Mayor Bloomberg.  The Mayor first: last week I heard the Mayor speak at a Jesuit fund-raising event in Manhattan.  In the course of his typically gracious remarks, he noted wistfully that he had not had the benefit of a Jesuit education.  Mr. Bloomberg, this is your lucky day: you are now a Fordham graduate and thus a member of the Jesuit family!  (The Development Office will call you on Monday about your contribution to the Annual Fund.  I couldn’t resist.)  As for Mr. Brokaw: I cannot tell you how honored we are that you served as our Commencement Speaker this year.  Throughout your rich career as a commentator on current and world events, you have taught us to expect great things of you.  This morning, however, you exceeded even our highest expectations and gave us not a good speech, but a spectacular speech, rich in wisdom and insight.  Therefore, on behalf of our graduates, their parents, and their guests, I would like to thank you for making this year’s Commencement ceremony an event that we will all remember and cherish.

Of course, our honorary degree recipients are not the only heros whom we toast this morning.  Far from it.  Members of the Class of 2009, this is above all your day.  This is the day on which we celebrate you and all you have done and achieved at Fordham.  Therefore, we celebrate hopes that have been realized, dreams that have come true, loves that have blossomed and lives that have been changed–changed utterly.  Fordham has honored presidents on Edwards Parade.  Today, it honors you in the same setting.  The University has hailed cardinals and foreign ministers on the Terrace of the Presidents.  Today, it honors you on the same site.  Fordham has toasted mayors, governors, visionaries, artists and Nobel laureates on this sacred ground.  Today, it honors you too.  You too are our heros.  You too are worthy of praise.  You too. U2.  (You knew that was coming.)

When U2 appeared on Edwards Parade in the early morning hours of March 6th of this year, you were delirious with pure joy.  You pulled an all-nighter to make sure that you got a good place on Edwards Parade for their concert.  5,000 strong and drawn from Fordham College at Lincoln Center, CBA, Fordham College at Rose Hill and all of the graduate schools, you stood patiently in long lines along Constitution Row and wondered if the sun would ever come up.  Of course, you put your time on line to good use.  You texted your friends at other colleges and claimed bragging rights by reminding them that U2, the greatest band on the planet, was appearing only at Fordham.  Then, as dawn broke over Keating Hall, you welcomed the band with full-throated cheers.  For Bono and the lads, it was love at first sight.  And the feeling was mutual.  You fell under their spell.  You sang along with them.  You swayed to their rhythms.  That magical morning, you played Edwards Parade and shared the stage with U2.  And the world took notice.  You were splashed across the Jumbotron in Times Square.  You were beamed into four and a half million American households.  It was the experience of a lifetime.  It was an experience that you will brag about to your children and your grandchildren all your lives.  It was an experience that you will recount (with some embellishment) and relive every time you come back to celebrate your reunions in the company of your friends.

Caught up in the wild excitement of the moment, when he introduced “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight”, Bono said that he had written it just for you.  Imagine!  Written for you–and you alone.  You roared with delight as Bono, The Edge, Larry McMullen, Jr. and Adam Clayton launched into their ode to youth.  In the blur of the moment, however, I wonder if Bono’s flattery caused you to miss the words, words that are as challenging as they are consoling.  At the very heart of the song, hidden right in the middle of a little light-hearted ditty about young love, Bono and the lads sang out: “Every generation gets a chance to change the world.” “Every generation gets the chance to change the world.” Heady stuff.  Heady indeed.  Then, at the stroke of nine, it was over.  The band disappeared into Keating Hall.  The stage was struck.  You hurried off to class.  You settled back into business-as-usual– till now.

My dear friends, this morning, you play Edwards Parade once again.  Of course, a few things are different this time around.  For starters, this time, you are the headliners.  Second, this time, the crowd on the Edwards is far larger: U2 drew only 5,000 fans; you, however, have drawn 16,000, all of whom are here out of love, and not merely out of the curiosity spawned by rockstar celebrity.  Finally, this time around your emotions are more mixed.  That sweet March morning, pure unadulterated joy reigned supreme.  This morning, however, you are torn between joy and grief.  Victory is yours, and that victory is sweet.  You have conquered the core.  You have mastered your majors.  You have covered yourselves with glory.  And yet.  And yet, you cannot savor your triumphs quite as much as you would like because you know in your hearts that when this ceremony ends, things will be different.  You will be different.  You will no longer be Fordham students.  You will be Fordham graduates.  And you will be facing a new and different kind of world, a world that changed dramatically during your graced time in our midst.  Faced with these sobering realities, you may want to curse your bad luck, the bad luck of being born into challenging times.  You may even be tempted to spend just a little time reliving the past few years and replaying the soundtrack of your college years as a way of keeping the world and its challenges at bay.

Believe me, I will more than understand if you find these temptations to be all but irresistible.  I urge you, however, not to give in to them.  In fact, whenever the challenges that await you in your lives-after-Fordham tempt you to retreat to a comfortable remembrance of the sweet times that you had here, remember this: no generation gets to choose the world that it is born into.  And you are no different.  You didn’t choose the world that you now inherit.  Every generation, however, does “get a chance to change the world”.  In this also you are no different.  You have a chance to change the world, and a very specific world at that.  You have a chance to change the suffering and complex world that awaits you–and to change it for the better.

But how?  How can you possibly change the world?  Well, my friends, you may recall that when he looked out at you when he was a pilgrim in our midst, Bono blurted out: “I joined a rock and roll band so I could get out of going to college.  Maybe if it looked like this, and felt like this, things could have been different.” Therein lies the answer to the question, “How can you possibly change the world.”  For you see, my friends, for you, college did feel like this.  In fact, for you, college was not merely like this, college was this.  For you, College was Fordham.  Therefore, things have been different.  And you are different for having been here.  It was here that you built homes for your hearts.  It was here that those hearts were stretched and schooled.  It was here that you were formed for service.  It was here that you were trained to be prophets for our time, men and women who feel the joys and sorrows of the human family with attentive tenderness.  It was here that you were challenged to respond to those joys and sorrows with urgent, active, transforming love.  It was here that you were told — over and over again that Jesuit graduates must always seek the higher things: a better world, more effective service of others, and the greater glory of God.  It was here that you were prepared to change the world.

Therefore, my friends, as we gather on this, Fordham’s field of honor, I urge you to seize your chance to change the world.  No.  I take that back.  Rather, seize your graced chance to transform the world.  Redeem the suffering world that God places in your hands through your discerning, restless, urgent love.  Do not shrink from the future.  Its challenges will, I assure you, tease out of you a greatness that you don’t even know you have.   And, for the love of God, embrace the world.  Do not fear it.  Rather, engage it.  Do not condemn it.  Rather, transform it with that perfect love that drives out all fear.  Dare to be honest.  Cherish the poor.  Champion the voiceless.

And now, my friends, class is out. The next phase of your life has begun.  Be bold in all your dreams.  Be ethical in all your actions.  Be what you are called to be and what we expect you to be: men and women with a difference.  Be quick on your feet, but steady in your hearts.  Be gentle in friendship, but fierce in your defense of principle.  Above all, be men and women whose lives are marked by competence, conscience, compassion and commitment to the cause of the human family.  In other words, change the world.  And may God prosper the works of your hands and bring you to the greatness that is your destiny and His desire for you.