TYLER STOVALL
Revolution of One
The Nation 12-11-21
Tyler Stovall was a professor of history and the dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Fordham University. His most recent book is White Freedom: the Racial History of an Idea. He died last week, on Friday, December 10, at the age of 67. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.

ARNALDO CRUZ-MALAVE
Many Latinos say ‘Latinx’ offends or bothers them. Here’s why.
NBC News 12-14-21
Latinx proponent Arnaldo Cruz-Malave, a professor at Fordham University, says the use of Latinx “has only picked up momentum with the struggles for queer and trans rights in the past decade both in Latin America and the U.S.”

Denzel Washington Isn’t Afraid To Say “Macbeth” Out Loud In A Theater
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert 12-15-21
“… And starting years ago, when you were in college at Fordham.. [Colbert shows Denzel a photo of him in a Fordham Theatre play] there’s your first production in college, right?”

FORDHAM UNIVERSITY

Pilot program offers free access to the internet in Yonkers
News 12 Westchester 12-14-2021
The Westchester County Association [along with partners organizations and institutions, such as Fordham University]is spearheading this pilot project, with a $450,000 grant from a nonprofit called U.S. Ignite.

Spikes in COVID cases among young people hit some hospitals, schools hard
CNY Central 12-15-21
Fordham University has just announced that all faculty, staff and students will now be required to get a booster shot before returning to campus in the spring. More than 20 colleges now require them.

A Trove of Artifacts Officials Call ‘Stolen’ Are Returned to Italy
The New York Times 12-15-21
The Museum of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Art at Fordham University surrendered roughly a hundred items, including this hydria, or water jar, depicting the deeds of Hercules.

SCHOOL OF LAW FACULTY

BENNETT CAPERS
The inequality, frustration, suffering and work that led to 2020’s protests
The Washington Post 12-10-21
Bennett Capers is a professor of law at Fordham Law School and the director of the Center on Race, Law and Justice. He is the author of the forthcoming book “The Prosecutor’s Turn.”

ZEPHYR TEACHOUT
Zephyr Teachout exits race for New York attorney general
AP News 12-12-21
Fordham University law professor Zephyr Teachout has officially dropped out of the race to be New York’s attorney general, days after incumbent Letitia James decided to seek reelection.

ZEPHYR TEACHOUT
Look Out, Big Tech, We’re Coming for You
New Republic 12-10-21
Zephyr Teachout is a professor at Fordham University School of Law, and the author of Corruption in America (2014) and Break ‘Em Up: Recovering Our Freedom From Big Ag, Big Tech, and Big Money (2020).

KAREN GREENBERG
Here’s How We End America’s Forever Wars
The Nation 12-13-21
Karen J. Greenberg is director of the Center on National Security at Fordham Law School. She is the author of The Least Worst Place: Guantanamo’s First 100 Days, Rogue Justice: The Making of the Security State, and most recently, Subtle Tools: The Dismantling of American Democracy from the War on Terror to Donald Trump.

LAWRENCE BRENNAN
Navy hearing will decide if a sailor should face court martial for ship fire
NPR 12-13-21
Lawrence Brennan is a former naval officer and a law professor at Fordham University.
“If the accused is truly guilty of igniting a fire that caused damage and intended to do it, that’s a crime. But is the captain, the executive officer, the command duty officer – are they culpable in a criminal sense?”

GABELLI SCHOOL OF BUSINESS FACULTY

KEVIN MIRABILE
Inside Alts, an Email Community Dedicated to the Fascinating World of Alternative Assets
Money.com 12-10-21
“Millennials think about investments that are more aligned with lifestyle,” Mirabile says. “That has put a lot of these asset classes on the map.”

ARTS & SCIENCES FACULTY

ARNALDO CRUZ-MALAVE
New ‘West Side Story’ by Steven Spielberg lessens racism in the original, but not enough
NBC News 12-11-21
“No Puerto Rican of a certain age can watch it without cringing,” says Arnaldo Cruz-Malave, a Puerto Rican professor of Latin American and Latinx Studies at Fordham University.

CHRISTIANA ZENNER
EarthBeat Weekly: ‘Pursuit of climate justice is inextricable from the pursuit of racial justice’
Earthbeat Weekly 12-10-21
In matters of environmental and climate justice, words matter, as biologist and ethicist Christiana Zenner of Fordham University said in a presentation about humanitarian action and climate change in October at Fairfield University in Connecticut.

TYLER STOVALL
Revolution of One
The Nation 12-11-21
Tyler Stovall was a professor of history and the dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Fordham University. His most recent book is White Freedom: the Racial History of an Idea. He died last week, on Friday, December 10, at the age of 67. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.

ARNALDO CRUZ-MALAVE
Many Latinos say ‘Latinx’ offends or bothers them. Here’s why.
NBC News 12-14-21
Latinx proponent Arnaldo Cruz-Malave, a professor at Fordham University, says the use of Latinx “has only picked up momentum with the struggles for queer and trans rights in the past decade both in Latin America and the U.S.”

ATHLETICS

Kevin Decker discusses installing Josh Heupel’s offense at Fordham
USA Today 12-10-21
Kevin Decker has served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Fordham since 2019.

Coach Gregg Popovich took over the Spurs in a controversial move 25 years ago
MySanAntonio.com 12-10-21
As for Bob Hill, he went on to coach at Fordham University before reentering the league to coach the Seattle Supersonics in 2006. He was most-recently the Phoenix Suns assistant coach in 2016.

STUDENTS

From schools to sports, a new wave of COVID-19 disrupts U.S. life
Reuters 12-16-21
Chris Johnson, a sophomore at Fordham University, said he would wait as long as it takes. “I gotta get a test to take my final tomorrow,” he said.

ALUMNI

From Litigation to Salivation: Long Time New York Attorney Publishes Cookbook Featuring Over 70 Original Recipes
Fox 40 12-10-21
She [Danielle Caminiti] is a seasoned legal professional who graduated from Fordham University School of Law and New York University undergraduate, both with honors.

Here’s What a Lot of College Grads Don’t Know About Their First Job Offer
CNBC 12-11-21
Mattathia Komla, a current MBA candidate at Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business, said after she got her undergraduate degree, she was just happy to get a job. “I didn’t even know what a typical starting salary would be,” Komla said. “I was naïve to the fact that I could negotiate my salary.”

10 Dividend Stock Picks of Billionaire Mario Gabelli
Insider Monkey 12-12-21
Billionaire Mario Joseph Gabelli graduated from Fordham University’s College of Business Administration in 1965 with a summa cum laude. He founded GAMCO Investors, formerly known as Gabelli Asset Management Company, an investment hedge fund based in Rye, New York.

Ocean Power Technologies Appoints Robert Powers As New CFO
The Street 12-13-21
He [Robert P. Powers] received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting degree from Fordham University and an MBA in Business Administration from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and he is a Certified Public Accountant.

tarte cosmetics appoints General Counsel
PR Newswire 12-13-21
A graduate of Fordham University School of Law, Iuliano specializes in corporate transactional work and has more than 20 years of experience working at Stone Point Capital, SG Cowen and Dewey Ballantine.

Summer House: Everything To Know About New Castmate Alex Wach
ScreenRant.com 12-11-21
He [Alex Wach] graduated from Fordham University with a degree in economics and mathematics.

Seaman Dankner and the African-American Role in the WWII Coast Guard
The Maritime Executive 12-12-21
One only needs to remember Petty Officer 3rd Class Olivia Hooker, a yeoman and later professor at Fordham University.

Posse Foundation Welcomes New Director to Lead New York Chapter
PR.com 12-13-21
Michell [Tollinchi] received a B.A. in Psychology and Spanish from the State University of New York at Albany, a Master’s of Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and she attended Fordham University where she obtained her Ph.D. in Social Services.

Forthcoming book is a thrilling exploration of policing sex workers in Johannesburg
Human Rights 12-14-21
[India] Thusi earned a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in New York, and Ph.D. in Social Anthropology and Law & Society from University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Edwards bests D’Ambrosio in special state Senate primary, earns 95% of Cambridge vote
WickedLocal.com 12-14-21
[Lydia] Edwards graduated from Fordham University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and legal policy, American University Washington College of Law with a juris doctorate and the Boston University of Law with a masters of law in taxation.

Skanska Promotes Clark and Doherty to Vice President, Field Operations
ACPpubs.com 12-14-21
She also holds an executive Master of Business Administration in transitional management from Fordham University.

Maple Gold Adds a Second Drill Rig at Douay, Prepares for Phase I Drilling at Eagle, and Announces Board Changes
DMNnews.com 12-14-21
Ms. [Michelle] Roth earned her MBA in Finance from Fordham University.

Matt Lewis returns for third season with Kansas City Comets
The Examiner 12-14-21
Lewis was a three-time Atlantic 10 all-conference selection for Fordham University, where he set program records for starts and appearances.

Denzel Washington’s Next Act Isn’t an Act
Relevant Magazine 12-14-21
He cut his teeth in the title role of Othello while at Fordham University and attended graduate school at San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater.

Information Regarding the Sub-Adviser
StreetInsider 12-14-21
Owen [Fitzpatrick] earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and his MBA from Fordham University.

Italy’s Cesena FC Is Set To Be Acquired By American Private Equity Manager Robert Lewis
Forbes 12-14-21
A Georgetown University and Fordham University School of Law graduate, Lewis is fluent in Italian, which will come in handy during his meetings as a new Cesena FC board member.

Michelle Jubelirer Named First Female CEO in 80-Year History of Capitol Music Group
EDM.com 12-15-21
She graduated from Fordham University School of Law with her Juris Doctorate in 1999, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Gov. Mills nominates attorney from Yarmouth as next public advocate
Sun Journal 12-15-21
Harwood, a graduate of Harvard University and Fordham University, lives in Yarmouth with his wife, Ellen, and has five grown children.

OUI the People: A black-woman-owned beauty brand that prioritizes black women
The Grio 12-15-21
“Each OUI The People razor is a modern version of a timeless tool, hand-crafted in Germany with a weighted handle and a special non-aggressive angle,” explained [Karen Young] the Fordham University graduate.

OBITUARIES

John J. O’Connor
Cape Cod Times 12-11-21
He grew up in Manhattan and graduated from Fordham University and went on to earn an MBA.

Brother Thomas P. Lydon C.F.X.
Legacy 12-12-21
Brother Thomas received his bachelor’s degree in 1957 from Catholic University and in 1966 received a master’s degree from Fordham University, both in biology.

James P. Dugan,1929-2021, Former Assemblyman, State Senator, Democratic New Jersey State Party Chair, and Influential Attorney
Insider NJ 12-11-21
Jim was the model of a Jesuit education with St. Peter’s Prep and Fordham Law School in his life. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri. Fordham recognized him with the Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Annetta E. Ducato – Charleroi
The Mon Valley Independent 12-13-21
Annetta also spent one summer studying fashion design at Fordham University in New York City.

Jere Hayden Davis, obituary
Penobscot Bay 12-15-21
During this time, Jere also attended Fordham University and earned a Master of Science Degree from Long Island University.

“He came to Fordham in July 2020, and during his too-brief tenure brought tremendous intellectual acumen, energy, and gravitas to the role. He was an experienced and capable administrator and a highly regarded historian and public intellectual with a fierce commitment to social justice and the advancement of minority scholars,” Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, wrote in an email to the University community. “We have lost a great soul in Tyler.” 

Stovall was a longtime leader in higher education on both the East and West coasts. He started his career as a high school history teacher at the Nichols School in Buffalo, New York, in 1978. He worked his way up in various roles—teaching assistant, instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, professor, and provost—at universities in Wisconsin, Ohio, and California. His most recent positions before Fordham include dean of the Humanities Division and a distinguished professor of history at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the dean of the Undergraduate Division of Letters and Science at the University of California, Berkeley. 

Stovall was a respected historian who inspired scholars with his research and witty, accessible lectures. He was president of the American Historical Association, the oldest and largest society of historians and professors of history in the United States. He authored 10 books and numerous articles in the field of modern French history, and he was particularly interested in race and class, Blackness, postcolonial history, and transnational history. In his latest book, White Freedom: The Racial History of an Idea (Princeton University Press, 2021), which was published just before the Capitol riot of January 6, 2021, he reflected on how our ideas about freedom are shaped by our views of race. For Americans, freedom has always been nearly synonymous with whiteness, he said in a Fordham News interview about his book. In his final published piece—written for The Nation, the oldest weekly magazine in America that was founded by abolitionists in 1865—he wrote about the relationship between democracy and authoritarianism.

On his personal website, he wrote about the importance of history in shaping a better future. 

“For me, history is the record not only of how things change, but how people make things change, how they act individually and collectively to create a better world,” he wrote. 

In an announcement to the Fordham community, Provost Dennis Jacobs wrote about Stovall’s own place in history.  

“Among the first African Americans in the U.S. to achieve prominence in European history, he has provided encouragement and mentorship for other minority scholars to follow in his stead,” Jacobs wrote when Stovall was appointed in 2020. 

Stovall arrived at Fordham on July 1, 2020. As dean of GSAS, Stovall encouraged student-faculty collaboration and worked with alumni to strengthen career and mentorship networks. He enhanced existing programs, including GSAS Futures and Preparing Future Faculty, and developed new ones, including an alumni mentoring network, said Eva Badowska, Ph.D., dean of the faculty of arts and sciences and associate vice president for arts and sciences. In addition, he worked on strengthening the undergraduate and graduate 4+1 programs, in collaboration with the deans of Fordham College at Rose Hill and Fordham College at Lincoln Center. 

When he first arrived at Fordham, he immediately focused on student needs, especially funding opportunities for students who were experiencing food insecurity and income scarcity during the pandemic, said Joanne Schwind, assistant dean of GSAS’s office of academic programs and support. Stovall also strived to make the University a more welcoming place, especially for students and alumni of color. 

“I was literally hired the same week that George Floyd was murdered,” Stovall said in a 2020 online discussion with other deans about anti-racism efforts at Fordham. “For me, being an African American dean at Fordham has called up both opportunities and responsibilities. It has meant that I have to think about what other members of the African American community are experiencing and the ways in which my position can be an asset to that community and, through that community, an asset to Fordham as a whole.”

Seven months later at a follow-up forum, Stovall contributed to a conversation about changes in the curriculum, the recruitment of more faculty and students of color, and other efforts to address racism on campus. In addition, he helped to educate the Fordham community about the significance of Juneteenth in a short video and reflected on the value of diversity in a university community in another video last summer.

“People often talk about diversity as being important for marginalized communities … But I want to emphasize that certainly at Fordham University and I think in our society as a whole, diversity is something that benefits all of us. Being exposed to people from different backgrounds, being able to interact with people with different experiences is something that we all learn from and makes all of our lives better,” he said in the video.  

Stovall worked closely with Rafael Zapata, Fordham’s chief diversity officer, on several anti-racism and diversity initiatives.

“We collaborated on co-hosting a University-wide Faculty of Color and Allies gathering last spring that had about 85 attendees and generated a great deal of excitement, with a planned follow up for late January 2022. We were also working on BIPOC administration and staff development within Arts and Sciences,” Zapata said.

“We were doing a lot, and I just remember him saying, ‘Whatever you need, count me in.'”

Zapata said he and Stovall become neighbors in Hamilton Heights and enjoyed numerous lunches and dinners together. “I even ran into him with his son, Justin, at a spot near City College I’d taken him to previously—the way you run into good people at your favorite spots.”

In one of Stovall’s last messages that was set to go out to the University community, he reflected on his time at Fordham. 

“Having spent my first year at Fordham on a nearly deserted campus in 2020, it has been deeply gratifying to see life return to the classrooms, lawns, and buildings of Rose Hill and Lincoln Center. At the same time, however, this fall has made it abundantly clear that the coronavirus will not disappear so easily … In spite of these challenges, our GSAS students and alumni have continued to display the perseverance and innovation that so attracted me to Fordham,” Stovall wrote in an email to GSAS alumni this December. “We will always face challenges, but I am confident that the members of the GSAS community will play an important role in meeting and overcoming them, now and in the future.”

Stovall was born in Gallipolis, Ohio. His father, Tyler Edward Stovall, was a child psychologist; his mother, Barbara Fuller Stovall, was the director of the South Side Settlement House, a social and economic justice-focused community center. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Harvard University and two separate degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison—a master’s degree in European history and a Ph.D. in modern European/French history. In a well-detailed online biography, a former mentee chronicled the most telling details of Stovall’s life and said Stovall taught him that “history can and should be a political act, essential to our struggles to make the world a better place.” 

His impact at Fordham is clear, said Schwind, although his time at the University was short. 

“Tyler was a wonderful leader, boss, and dean who inspired his staff to pursue their goals with a focus on equity and inclusion, and a vision toward the future of GSAS and its students,” she said. “Even though his time with GSAS was brief, Tyler’s kindness and compassion toward his colleagues, staff, and students will have a long-lasting impact on us all.”

Stovall is survived by his wife, Denise Herd, their son, Justin, and a sister, Leslie Stovall. Information on services will be provided when available.

“Diversity and excellence are not contradictory values, they are values that go together,” he says.

The April 29 event was the deans’ second forum for alumni on their commitment to furthering the University’s action plan for addressing racism and educating for justice. Fordham announced the plan in June 2020 after nationwide protests against police brutality and racial injustice prompted members of the Fordham community to describe their own experiences of discrimination on campus.

“We’re asking hard questions, addressing proposals that have come forward, and moving forward indeed with hope and confidence into a future … that is marked by greater inclusivity, greater diversity, and greater commitment shared to building a much more just world as we educate for justice and seek to eradicate racism,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, in opening remarks.

Father McShane and the four deans were joined by moderator Valerie Irick Rainford, FCRH ’86, a Fordham trustee who is spearheading anti-racism training efforts within the University, and Rafael Zapata, Fordham’s chief diversity officer.

The panelists spoke of changes underway in the curriculum, recruitment of faculty and students, new programs, and other efforts to embed anti-racism in the University and effect permanent change.

“For students to come here from different backgrounds, it is vitally important that they feel that this institution represents them, that they do not feel like … they are here on sort of sufferance, that they feel that their communities are a part and parcel of what makes Fordham tick, what makes Fordham an excellent place,” said Tyler Stovall, Ph.D., dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Faculty Diversity, Community Connections

Stovall emphasized the importance of forging links between the University and the diverse, vibrant communities surrounding the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses. Zapata noted current efforts like a collaboration with the Bronx Book Festival and a speaker series focused on Bronx writers facilitated by faculty. “We are an institution of this wonderful borough, and I think that’s something we need to talk about a little bit more,” he said.

In efforts to diversify the faculty, Eva Badowska, Ph.D., dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and associate vice president for arts and sciences, said 50% of the arts and sciences faculty members recruited to begin this academic year are people of color. In addition, Fordham announced the creation of the Margaret Peil Distinguished Chair in African and African American Studies and is currently recruiting for a newly created postdoctoral fellowship in critical race studies in the sociology and anthropology department, as well as a new position in the English department—a rhetoric specialist—to support the faculty’s work on revising the composition program toward anti-racist learning objectives and pedagogy.

Arts and Sciences also announced the creation of a new affiliate program in African and African American studies to elevate that department’s visibility and foster an interdisciplinary approach to anti-racism, Badowska said. Fifteen faculty members across departments have committed to joining the initiative.

On the point of hiring diverse faculty, Rainford noted that “once you hire those individuals, I think it’s also about inclusion and access.”

Stovall said a newly formed group of Fordham faculty members of color would be meeting soon to discuss diversity among faculty and at the University generally. “I think these leaders are going to have an awful lot to say, and it’s going to be up to us to listen,” he said.

He pointed out the importance of integration, “one of the terms we tend not to talk about.”

“Ultimately, what we are all about in this endeavor is producing an integrated educational experience and ultimately an integrated society,” he said. “Study after study has shown, in despite of people’s fears of integration, that actually integrated education benefits not just students of color but all students, and makes them stronger students.”

“This is a major pathway towards the ultimate goal of Fordham University,” he said.

Zapata said his office is offering a grant program titled Teaching Race Across the Curriculum to help academic departments integrate questions of race within their courses, particularly those that all students take.

“Students want to see themselves in the people that teach them, that they encounter throughout [the University], but they also want to see themselves in the curriculum. They’ve talked a lot about that,” he said.

Expanding Scholarship and Internship Opportunities

Laura Auricchio, Ph.D., dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center, pointed to the Office of Undergraduate Admission’s “above-and-beyond” efforts to increase diversity among incoming students. Changes this year include an effort “to appreciate and value a wider range of student experiences in the admissions process,” she said, as well as new events for prospective students of color who would be part of the fall 2021 entering class.

Also important, Auricchio said, is the recently created Trustee Diversity Scholarship Fund, which grew out of a scholarship fund that Rainford founded. “Before we could even announce it, we were starting to get donations,” Rainford said.

A new Cultural Engagement Internships program, funded by Fordham College at Lincoln Center and Fordham College at Rose Hill, has created paid internships that place students with New York nonprofits and cultural organizations that mostly serve communities of color or advance the work of anti-racism. “This opens up the internship opportunities to students who might not otherwise be able to afford” to take unpaid internships, Auricchio said.

And diversity in the yearlong Matteo Ricci Seminar for high-achieving students on both campuses has grown by opening it up to all students who want to apply, rather than relying on a select pool of students recommended by faculty, she said; she also cited the importance of bringing on Assistant Dean Mica McKnight, a woman of color, as co-leader for the Fordham College at Lincoln Center program.

Supporting Students

In other efforts on the undergraduate level, Maura Mast, Ph.D., dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill, said administrators on both campuses are developing a program to support first-generation students—61% of whom are students of color—and their families as the students navigate college life. At Rose Hill, the college is expanding access to undergraduate research opportunities by developing a one-credit course on the ins and outs of conducting research, such as developing a proposal and finding a mentor, Mast said.

“It’s … so important that we intentionally support students as they are and who they are, when they get to Fordham and when they’re at Fordham—that we are transparent and effective in this work,” she said.

In a culmination of longstanding efforts to increase diversity in the college’s Honors Program, 60% of students offered admission this year are either BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, or people of color) or first-generation students, Mast said.

The University has also secured a planning grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to join a national learning community aimed at building capacity for developing inclusive, equitable, anti-racist approaches to STEM education—in first-year “gateway” courses, in particular—to support students who are underrepresented in these fields, she said.

The panelists took questions, including one about why the University doesn’t have an Asian American studies program with a major and minor offered. Badowska said she had met with members of the faculty—which would have to propose any new program, according to University statutes—about surveying the existing classes and resources to see what might be offered immediately while they work on developing a program.

“It is the curriculum that reveals who we are, and it is our academic programs that say we’re an anti-racist university or we are not an anti-racist university,” she said. “So that’s one of the reasons why an Asian American studies program is so critical for us to develop at this moment.”

Eradicating Racism

In response to another question—“Do you really believe that racism can be eradicated at Fordham?”—Rainford spoke of a long-term effort.

“There are some that still believe that racism doesn’t exist,” said Rainford, who is Black. “But the fact of the matter is, it’s in the fabric of everything in the country.”

“It will take time and effort, and we will not eradicate racism in our lifetime, but we certainly can help advance racial equity,” such as through the efforts the deans described, she said.

Zapata responded, “It’s going to take courage, the courage to … listen to the experiences of people who don’t always feel they have a chance to voice their experiences.”

Stovall said, “We currently live in a world where scientists are literally talking about creating human immortality in less than a century. So in that kind of world, I think all sorts of things are possible, including eradicating racism.”

Hurdles to Surmount

Asked about obstacles the University faces, Mast mentioned funding—for staffing, on-campus housing, and financial aid, for instance.

Badowska spoke of the challenges that would be inherent in changing the University’s culture to a point where everyone in the arts and sciences community would possess the five competencies that the deans have proposed:

• Knowledge about racism, white privilege, and related topics;
• Self-knowledge and a commitment to self-work and continuous learning in these areas;
• Commitment to disrupting microaggressions and racist dynamics in the classroom, the workplace, and beyond;
• Commitment to systemic change through examining policies and practices to make sure they support racial equity; and
• Reimagined community and allyship, or a capacity to form equitable partnerships and alliances across racial lines.

“We know that we have a long road before we can say that everyone has these five capacities, but we’ve identified them,” she said.

The event drew 64 attendees, nearly all of whom stayed nearly a half-hour beyond the event’s one-hour allotted time.

“That, I think, shows the great hunger and thirst that the people of Fordham have for this great work that we’re about together,” Father McShane said. “One of the things we have to remind ourselves is that this is a beginning, and that’s an important observation and an important thing for us to own. We have a long journey ahead of us, but we are up for it and will keep at it.”

Less than a century later, the country erupted in a bloody civil war over one side’s assertion that they should continue to be free to own those slaves.

During World War II and the Cold War era, the U.S. fought the threats to freedom posed by the Nazis and Communism, while Jim Crow laws and segregation made life for many Black Americans nearly intolerable.

And even in 2021, the Confederate battle flag is embraced by some Americans as a symbol of freedom.

Misguided? Yes? But hypocritical? According to Tyler Stovall, Ph.D., dean of Fordham’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, not necessarily. These examples from history, Stovall says, show that for Americans, freedom has always been nearly synonymous with whiteness.

“In many ways, our idea about freedom are shaped by our views of race. To be white is to be free, and to be free is to be white, in essence. This idea has been shaped by this racial history, from the Enlightenment to the present day,” he said.

Stovall, a historian who came to Fordham this summer from the University of California, Santa Cruz, tackles this concept in White Freedom: The Racial History of an Idea (Princeton University Press, 2021), which was released on Jan. 20.

Stovall began working on the book in 2014, but the introductory chapter took on a special resonance when a mob attacked and occupied the Capitol while Congress was ratifying the win of President-elect Joseph Biden. Stovall wrote one inspiration for the book was the 2008 naming of Emancipation Hall, a section of the Capitol that was dedicated to the enslaved Black people who helped build the complex.

“It was a wonderful event, but it did beg the question, why would you call something Emancipation Hall to honor people that weren’t emancipated when they worked there? Why not call it Slave Hall? What does the fact that you couldn’t do that say about the relationship of this history to American history in general?” he asked.

He also couldn’t simply dismiss as a paradox the fact that the 18th century was considered an Age of Enlightenment in the United States and France, and yet also the height of the slave trade. In fact, the Declaration of Independence makes more sense, he said, when you understand that one of the biggest demands of the colonists was the right to do with their property whatever they saw fit.

“The biggest kind of property at the time was Black slaves,” he said, noting that it came up 85 years later as well.

“In the beginning of the Civil War, it’s really the Southern rebels who talk about freedom, not the North. Even more forthrightly than in 1776, you had people saying, ‘We’re fighting this war to preserve our freedom—our freedom to own slaves.’”

The Statue of Liberty, which has a more complex history than many understand, gets its own chapter. Although it’s often considered a sort of patron saint of immigration, its creation was rooted more in ideas of liberty. It was conceived by French scholar Édouard de Laboulaye, an abolitionist who was pleased that France has once again become a republic and that the U.S. had finally renounced slavery with the end of the Civil War.

It only became a welcoming symbol of immigration, Stovall said, after Americans began to see European immigrants as white—a perception that happened gradually, and not until well into the 20th century. And the immigrants felt it as well.

“Those immigrants who gazed rapturously at the magnificent statue upon their arrival in New York harbor may have seen a symbol of freedom and prosperity, but they also saw a vision of whiteness, of what they ultimately could become in America.”

Stovall titled the last chapter of the book “Freedom Now? The Fall and Rise of White Freedom during the Cold War.”

“A really powerful assertion emerged in the mid-20th century that freedom had to be universal and could not be just white freedom. In many ways, those struggles were defeated—not entirely, by any means—but they suffered major reverses and major losses,” he said.

He noted that the Supreme Court issued the ruling Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954, and decades later, public schools are arguably just as segregated as they were back then.

The events of the last two months have felt made the book seem especially prescient. Stovall noted in his conclusion that “white freedom” has never been just about race, but it advocates racial distinction and white privilege as a way of achieving the ability to live in security and peace, have adequate food and shelter, and raise children with confidence for their futures.

“There’s a basic material level of assurance and prosperity that has been lost. The prosperity may happen, but it may very well not in a world where most of the profits are going to a very small group of people who are in no mood to share,” he said.

“That’s what’s driving a lot of this anger, and it’s racialized because it’s also connected to the growing racial diversity of the U.S. People are really angry, and they’re willing to believe things that have no foundation in reality whatsoever, like this idea that the election was stolen.”

Nonetheless, Stovall is optimistic, because extending freedom to all people is an idea that he thinks a majority can rally around. Anti-racism work has again taken center stage in the American public sphere thanks to the success of the Black Lives Matter movement, and, he noted, the attack on the Capitol has been called out by prominent commentators as a “white riot.”

“The issue of how to make people freer is ultimately something that I think is possible to mobilize all people around. The problem with white freedom is, it ultimately doesn’t persevere. If everybody isn’t free, then ultimately nobody is free,” he said.

“Freedom means the freedom of families and individuals to enjoy all sorts of things in life, and you can’t have that unless everyone is entitled to have it. I do believe [people understand that]and I do believe people will see this through.”

With these words, Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, introduced an online discussion with Fordham’s deans of the arts of sciences on Tuesday evening, Oct. 13. The event, titled “Eradicating Racism in Arts and Sciences at Fordham University,” was moderated by Valerie Rainford, FCRH ’86, a member of the University’s Board of Trustees and the founder and CEO of Elloree Talent Strategies.

“The purpose of today’s session is to open a dialogue with the Fordham community,” said Rainford, a former managing director and head of Advancing Black Leaders strategy at JPMorgan Chase. A Fordham graduate, she began working with the deans this past summer to address issues of racism and inequity, and she is spearheading anti-racism trainings within the University as part of Fordham’s action plan for addressing racism. “We see this as a series of conversations, and today is just the start.”

Eva Badowska, Ph.D., dean of the faculty of arts and sciences and associate vice president for arts and sciences, said the four deans’ efforts unite undergraduate and graduate programs at the University. “We as a leadership team in arts and sciences have committed ourselves to the work of anti-racism,” she said.

During the event, the deans addressed several questions that had been submitted in advance, including one from someone who asked why such a discussion was necessary at Fordham.

Laura Auricchio, Ph.D., dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center, responded by noting that this past spring, after the May 25 killing of George Floyd galvanized nationwide protests against racial injustice, Fordham “started hearing an outpouring of testimonials” from students and alumni of color who described their experiences of discrimination on campus. She cited two Instagram accounts, in particular: Black at Fordham and Let’s Talk About It Fordham.

“Hundreds of stories were told on these Instagram accounts, and my fellow deans and I read every single one of them,” Auricchio said. “These social media posts were a wake-up call. They prompted us to start having conversations that we might never have had before … with an ear to learning where there might be opportunity for change.”

Tyler Stovall, Ph.D., became dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in July, and said that anti-racism work “was part of my introduction to Fordham University.”

“I was literally hired the same week that George Floyd was murdered,” Stovall said. “For me, being an African American dean at Fordham has called up both opportunities and responsibilities. It has meant that I have to think about what other members of the African American community are experiencing and the ways in which my position can be an asset to that community and, through that community, an asset to Fordham as a whole.”

Maura Mast, Ph.D., dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill, noted that Stovall, in the deans’ first training session together, had challenged his colleagues: “He said, ‘Why now? Why are you committed to this now? And how do I know that you’re going to carry through that commitment?’”

“It was an opportunity to be humble,” Mast said.

She told the audience that she and her fellow deans have heard from Fordham’s students that they want Fordham to commit to combating anti-Blackness and racism at the University. To that end, deans and faculty have engaged in brainstorming sessions and role-playing activities “to discern, perceive, and disrupt racism,” she said, using a phrase that Badowska coined to describe the deans’ approach to the problem.

“We’re reckoning with ourselves, with our history of being indoctrinated with racism,” Mast said. “We need to educate ourselves so we can educate others.”

As part of that reckoning, the four deans and their staffs have undertaken a joint self-education, working with two consultants, Kathy Obear, Ed.D., and Michelle Loyd-Paige, Ph.D. The deans noted that Rainford has been instrumental in pushing them to engage in this process in a way that will benefit the Fordham arts and sciences community as a whole.

Several people in the audience wanted to know how anti-racism would be reflected in the University’s curriculum, and Badowska described some of those efforts.

“There is an initiative to really review and explore the existing core curriculum,” she said, noting that while that process will take some time, departments are already exploring pilot-level curriculum initiatives with the assistance of Rafael Zapata, Fordham’s chief diversity officer, special assistant to the president for diversity, and associate vice president for academic affairs. And since faculty are central to any curricular initiatives, she also described broad efforts to recruit and retain diverse faculty, stating that of 26 arts and sciences faculty members hired this year, 46% reported their race as non-white.

The deans, in recent communications to arts and sciences faculty, also highlighted initiatives like the formation of the Deans’ Anti-Racism Advisory Committee, and efforts to develop and implement anti-racism trainings for faculty and first-year students.

Throughout the conversation, the panelists made clear that while work has already started to bring anti-racism to the forefront of Fordham’s arts and sciences education, there is much more to be done, and that these must be ongoing conversations with and among all members of the Fordham community, including alumni.

“We are learning now from one another in ways that are very important, and sometimes very hard, very uncomfortable,” Father McShane said at the close of the discussion. “But they are necessary for us. This endeavor is mission-central, mission-critical, mission-essential.”

Stovall arrived at Fordham on July 1 from the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), where he was dean of the humanities division and distinguished professor of history. Before arriving at UCSC in 2015, he served as dean of the undergraduate division of letters and science at the University of California, Berkeley.

During the town hall, which was introduced by F. Jay Breyer, Ph.D., GSAS ’81, chair of the Dean’s Leadership Committee, and moderated by committee member Immac “Casey” Thampoe, Ph.D., J.D., FCRH ’80, GSAS ’82, LAW ’94, Stovall said he was attracted to the strong sense of community at Fordham, the University’s location in New York City, and the idea of cura personalis, or “care of the whole person,” which is central to Fordham’s academic mission.

As dean of GSAS, Stovall is the chief academic officer of a school that offers degrees in more than 20 different fields of study. He said his priorities include plans to promote student-faculty collaboration, work closely with alumni to strengthen career and mentorship networks, focus on support systems for students through counseling and advising, emphasize job placement both within and outside of academia, and make sure faculty and students know that the administration “has their back.”

To learn what that kind of support means for graduates, in mid-July, Stovall wrote to GSAS alumni and asked them to complete a brief survey to let him know “what you need and want from your alma mater.” Based on the responses to that survey, Stovall related, many GSAS graduates are eager to reengage or stay involved with the school, and they are particularly interested in institutional anti-racism efforts. Along those lines, Stovall said GSAS and Fordham as a whole need to look beyond the gates of the University to a deeper engagement with the community, and as he stated in the letter to alumni, “examine the dead weight of racism in our lives and the best ways to free ourselves from it.”

Although Stovall will not be teaching any courses this academic year, he said he hopes to teach a graduate seminar in the near future. He earned his Ph.D. in modern European/French history from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and has authored 10 books and numerous articles in the field of modern French history, specializing in transnational history, labor, colonialism, and race. His latest book, White Freedom: The Racial History of an Idea, will be released by Princeton University Press in 2021.

Asked about the common research ground between him and Fordham College at Lincoln Center Dean Laura Auricchio, who holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University in art history and archaeology with a specialty in 18th-century France, Stovall joked that it was no coincidence.

“No one makes a better dean than a French historian.”

Stovall is currently the dean of the Humanities Division and a distinguished professor of history at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Before he joined UCSC in 2015, he was dean of the Undergraduate Division of Letters and Science at the University of California, Berkeley. From 2016 to 2017, he served as president of the American Historical Association, the oldest and largest society of historians and professors of history in the United States.

“I am thrilled to come to Fordham, a great university in a great city. I look forward to working with our graduate students in arts and sciences as well as the other deans of the university,” said Stovall.

“Most of all, I look forward to learning more about what makes this university so special; getting to know its faculty, staff, and students; and becoming a part of the Fordham community.”

Fordham Provost Dennis Jacobs, Ph.D., praised Stovall’s scholarship, leadership, and dedication to lifting up minority scholars and calling out injustice.

“In Dr. Stovall, Fordham has found a world-renowned scholar, an experienced administrator, and a public intellectual with a fierce commitment to social justice. A key theme in his professional life—as both a historian and an administrator—has been equity and inclusion,” Jacobs said in an announcement to the Fordham community. He noted that Stovall has challenged not only racial barriers but also those that separate academics from the broader society.

“Among the first African Americans in the U.S. to achieve prominence in European history, he has provided encouragement and mentorship for other minority scholars to follow in his stead,” Jacobs said.

Stovall earned a Ph.D. in modern European/French history from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He is the author of 10 books and numerous articles in the field of modern French history, with a specialization in transnational history, labor, colonialism, and race. His latest book, White Freedom: The Racial History of an Idea (Princeton University Press, 2021), is forthcoming from Princeton University Press. Others include Transnational France: The Modern History of a Universal Nation (Westview 2015) and Paris and the Spirit of 1919: Consumer Struggles, Transnationalism, and Revolution (Cambridge University Press, 2012).

In his new role as dean of GSAS, Stovall will serve as chief academic officer of a school that offers degrees in 29 different fields of study. He’ll work in close partnership with the dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill, and the dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center.

Stovall will succeed Melissa Labonte, Ph.D., associate professor of political science, who has served as interim dean of GSAS since January 2019. Former GSAS Dean Eva Badowska, Ph.D., now serves as dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.