Panjwani was born in India and raised in Dubai and Kuwait. At 18 years old, she moved to the United Kingdom, where she became a British citizen. She is now a Shakespeare expert who has contributed her research to journals and film festivals and has been invited to deliver talks at prestigious institutions, including the Royal Shakespeare Company and the University of Oxford. She is also host and creator of the podcast Women and Shakespeare and author of the book Podcasts and Feminist Shakespeare Pedagogy (Cambridge University Press, 2022), both of which include work from Fordham students. She is currently working on a new introduction for the Oxford World’s Classics edition of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream. 

For the past eight years, Panjwani has served as an adjunct faculty professor at Fordham London. In addition to teaching a Shakespeare course there, Panjwani teaches at Boston University and New York University. 

In a Q&A with Fordham News, Panjwani explained why Shakespeare’s work is important to the average person and how she involves Fordham students in her scholarly work. 

How did you become interested in Shakespeare? 

I grew up watching Bollywood adaptations of Shakespeare. I also had a fantastic teacher—a fellow woman of color, Dr. Amina Alyal, who made me feel like people like me could own Shakespeare. 

Why is Shakespeare important to the average person? What can we learn from him? 

When most people think of him, they imagine an old, balding, middle-aged, historical, costumed guy on a pedestal who is not relevant to their lives. This is what some of my students imagine before they come to my class. But that is not how we teach Shakespeare here. In London especially, there are multiple histories of Shakespeare. You of course have the Globe, a reconstruction of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, which has been putting on plays since 1977. You have the British Asian company, Tara Arts, which has been doing Shakespeare since before then. There is also a Black theater company called Talawa Theatre, which has been doing Shakespeare since 1991, when they put on Antony and Cleopatra. All of these intersecting histories are important to note. I think students also realize how diverse people’s histories intersect with Shakespeare when they see a woman of color in London teaching them Shakespeare. 

But apart from these several legacies, I also think that Shakespeare is important for the average person because of the conversations that his work enables. A couple of weeks ago, my class went to see an amazing queer adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The Shakespeare and Race Festival is opening at the Globe very soon. And our students want to have these conversations: How is Shakespeare relevant to our lives? So we talk about how he is making an appearance in social justice issues, in agency, in issues about gender that are happening today. My focus is always on what Shakespeare can do for us, what he has done for us, and how we can shape Shakespeare to talk about what is important for us today.

What is your favorite Shakespeare play? 

That is such a difficult question for me because there are many favorites, depending on my mood. My current favorite is A Midsummer Night’s Dream because it is overlooked quite a lot. People think it’s a silly play with fairies, but there are actually deeply embedded issues of consent to be explored there, as well as queerness.

In my Shakespeare course, the plays l teach vary according to what is being performed around London. This semester, we studied A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Antony and Cleopatra, and Hamlet. We also saw a queer production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a production of The Tempest at Shakespeare’s Globe, and engaged with a Bollywood movie of Romeo and Juliet in the seminar.

What do you love about Fordham London?  

We have a great community here, including Vanessa Beever, senior director of Fordham London; Mary Bly, chair of Fordham’s English department; our great support staff; and colleagues who make time for each other, despite being adjuncts.

Mary has been a part of this community for a long time, even though she is based in New York. She herself visited our campus to teach the Shakespeare course. Although this was around 8 years ago, she has a great grasp on what Fordham London students need. She has given me feedback on the course and assignment design from time to time. She is also a guest speaker on my podcast Women and Shakespeare.

I have especially found great leadership and collaborative support from Mary and Vanessa. It’s great to see women in these leadership roles because women are often not included in the rooms where decisions about their future are made. It’s a breath of fresh air for my students to see them in these positions, and it gives me hope to be working in an institution that respects women. 

You create podcasts about Shakespeare with your students. How does that work? 

My podcast Women and Shakespeare invites experts, local playwrights, academics, novelists, and actresses—the culture makers of the U.K.—to talk about how Shakespeare is used to amplify the voices of women today and how women are redefining him and his work.

One of my guests, Kathryn Pogson, talked about issues of consent in Richard III and how these are relevant today. Another guest, Doña Croll, told us how she imagined Cleopatra as a sharp political operator as opposed to just sexy and sultry and how the treatment of Cleopatra by the Romans can be compared to the way in which the British press treated Meghan Markle. So they provide nuanced perspectives not only on women characters, but also on how Shakespeare’s plays are pertinent to issues today.

On my podcast, students have a chance to be researchers, interviewers, or producers. They also receive credit on the podcast. I think it’s a very meaningful way for the students to engage with local culture makers. I firmly believe that to be a global citizen, you have to learn how to be a local elsewhere, and this helps them to not only meet local culture makers and learn from them, but also to co-create a resource that is useful for themselves and their communities. I also think this is a great way of decolonizing education because you’re not going somewhere with just the aim of what you can take from them, but also the aim of what you can give back to your academic and social communities. 

What do you hope your students take away from your course? 

Anyone can harness Shakespeare’s cultural power and bring it back to their communities. Shakespeare need not be inaccessible—his work should be made to work for everyone.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

“We are so delighted to have a new president with such deep and interesting connections within the U.K. and a commitment to continue to develop Fordham’s international impact,” said Fordham London’s senior director, Vanessa Beever, LAW ’94, a University alumna herself. “It’s fantastic to have a fellow female lawyer, mother, and dog owner as our president.” 

Fordham London opened in 2018. After nearly a decade of borrowing a building from another institution in London, the University signed a long-term lease for a space in the center of the city that it could call its own. The 17,000-square-foot facility has six floors that comprise a lounge, small library, classrooms, and a rooftop terrace that overlooks the trendy Clerkenwell neighborhood. Students from New York can swipe into the London campus with their original ID card. Inside the building, they take business and liberal arts courses that have taken them across the city—to British art museums, theaters, and even fashion shows. 

At a presidential alumni reception that also included current students and several Fordham board members and administrators, Tetlow said she’s been hard at work building on the many advantages Fordham offers its students—both in New York and in London.

“In this work of leading Fordham, I get to build on incredible strengths, on our location in the other capital of the world, in New York, and on the chance we have—with our amazing strengths in the humanities, in law, in business, and so much of what we do—to matter to the world, to model for our students what that looks like, to give them opportunities that come from being in New York and also in London,” she said. “To show them the kinds of jobs they can get, the kind of impact they can have on the world, and how they can stretch their imagination about what that looks like.”

Tetlow’s Longtime Ties to London 

Tetlow herself is no stranger to London and the United Kingdom. She is a longtime member of the British-American Project, an organization that promotes cross-cultural understanding among young leaders. Through this group, she made many friends in London and met her husband, Gordon Stewart, who is originally from the United Kingdom. She has a daughter who has American/British dual citizenship; a stepson who lives in Scotland; and a home in Fife, Scotland, with Stewart. 

When she first began visiting the United Kingdom, she was surprised by the similarities and nuanced differences between American and British culture, she said. Now, the country—and Fordham’s London campus—feel like home. 

“I am proudly bilingual. I drink a cuppa. I take out the rubbish. I feel chuffed from all this praise,” she said at the presidential alumni reception. “And I can, if I’ve had a couple of pints, even understand Geordie. That’s how local I feel.”

Connecting with the Catholic Church Abroad

Tetlow’s first trip to London as president of Fordham began with a visit to Westminster Abbey, a historic church that has witnessed coronations and burials for generations of British rulers. As the sun set below the London skyline, Tetlow sat in the same space where recently deceased monarch Queen Elizabeth II had once walked, and observed an evensong performance with colleagues from New York. 

On Oct. 25, her first full day in London, she attended a morning Mass at Farm Street Church, which has served as the Jesuits’ flagship church in London for nearly two centuries. She was introduced to Michael Holman, S.J., a prior Jesuit provincial of the United Kingdom, who gave her a tour of the sacred space and taught her about the history of London’s Jesuits. (Father Holman has a connection to Fordham, too. In 1989, he earned his master’s in education and administration from the Graduate School of Education and lived at the Rose Hill campus with the Jesuits for several years.) 

Meeting Fordham London’s Staff

In the afternoon, Tetlow visited Fordham’s London campus for the first time. Following in the footsteps of her predecessor, Joseph M. McShane, S.J., who last visited Fordham London in 2021, she toured the facilities and met its staff.  

Seated at a table with staff, Tetlow inquired about Fordham London. What are the academic programs and curriculum like? Where do the students live? And what are the students themselves like?  

Every year, there are about 500 students at Fordham London, she learned, most of whom are upperclassmen from the Gabelli of Business and liberal arts students. The majority are Americans from Fordham’s New York campuses, and they tend to come to Fordham London for a single semester. Students from other American universities studying abroad can also study at Fordham London. Through connections with study abroad housing partners, students are able to live in local apartments that offer a glimpse of post-graduate living. They commute to campus by taking the Tube, riding a red double-decker bus, or simply using their own two feet. 

Through partnerships with local universities, students are able to take one or two courses outside the campus, at the City University of London and other schools. But the bulk of their education takes place at Fordham. Through their faculty and coursework, liberal arts students have been able to perform in the iconic Tower of London and view versions of Shakespeare’s plays that appeal to a modern audience. Through school-sponsored trips, students from all disciplines travel across the United Kingdom to famous sites like Stonehenge. (They also use their free time to explore the whole European continent, including Paris, which is no more than three hours away by train.) And just outside the Fordham London campus is Leather Lane, a bustling food market that stretches across several streets and boasts a wide selection of cuisines, from Persian kebabs to Japanese hibachi to Yorkshire burritos—pudding wraps with sage stuffing, spinach, roast potatoes, and gravy.  

Armando Nuñez Jr., chair-elect of Fordham’s Board of Trustees, attended the meeting with Tetlow and Fordham London staff. 

“It’s so wonderful to be here in person with our new president and to be engaged in this conversation,” said Nuñez. “The University has a great opportunity here to expand its global footprint in a smart and strategic way.” 

After the meeting, Tetlow hosted a reception for the British-American Project at Fordham London. The next day, she welcomed more than 100 members of the Fordham family at the presidential alumni reception held in the Shard, the tallest building in Western Europe. And in private meetings paired with food and wine throughout her trip, she became acquainted with alumni who now call London home. 

William J. Loschert, GABELLI ’61, is a trustee fellow who grew up in Queens, New York, and now lives in London.

“Fordham London is a great hub for students,” Loschert said. “London has a lot more traditional history than New York. We also have a different form of government, which right now is kind of a mess with three prime ministers in two months, but it’s a different culture, and I think it’s good that students can get out of New York and America and see how the rest of the world lives.”

On Thursday—Tetlow’s final day in London—she met with the Fordham London Advisory Board and other senior members of the University’s administration to brainstorm ways to improve the study abroad experience for students; she also met Fordham London’s new head of experiential learning. At an evening reception held on campus, she was introduced to Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, the apostolic nuncio to Great Britain. 

A Luncheon with the ‘Future Generation of Fordham Leaders’

Finally, she ate lunch with visiting Gabelli School of Business students in Fordham London’s ground floor lounge. The students, who study in the Professional MBA Program, had flown to London as part of their course called The Tale of Two (Global) Cities. For one week, they studied the differences between American and British businesses through lectures, walking tours, and site visits at places like Goldman Sachs, Mercer, and TrueLayer. 

In attendance at the luncheon was Andrea Mennillo, Ph.D., chair of Fordham London’s Advisory Board, who thanked the business students for coming to the London campus. 

“At this table are my fellow members of the board,” he said, gesturing to his colleagues in the room. “We are available to help—to advise, to consult—because you are the future generation of Fordham leaders.” 

The students introduced themselves to Tetlow and the senior members of Fordham’s administration. Most of the students are in their final year in the MBA program and already hold jobs at prestigious companies, including Warner Bros, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and JPMorgan Chase. They work in a variety of industries, including advertising, fashion, law, cybersecurity, health care, media, investment relations, and private equity.

Tetlow told the students she was glad their business education at Fordham could include this international perspective. 

“This is an amazing city, and I bet a lot of you have gotten a taste of it and want to come back,” Tetlow said to the students. “So I’m glad, especially to those of you who are here just for a week, that you’re digging in, really listening hard, asking good questions, and learning in ways that will change your thinking forever.” 

The group, led by three members of the Gabelli School’s faculty—Tim Hedley, Ph.D.; Alex Markle, Ph.D., and Barbara Porco, Ph.D.—included Gabelli School business students from more than 40 countries who seized the opportunity to use London as a classroom. After the orientation week—held in August—the students returned to Fordham in New York City, where they will complete their studies.

The week centered on the theme of Business with Purpose, focusing on risks and opportunities associated with ESG (environmental, social, and governance).  Students were challenged to consider and analyze ESG issues from a comparative perspective while benefitting from a wide range of immersive study visits and speakers.

Students had the rare opportunity to visit the offices of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), the newly formed organization resulting from the International Financial Reporting Foundation (IFRS) merger with the Value Reporting Foundation (VRF), which is the host organization of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB). The group was also granted access to visit the international accounting standard-setting body known globally as Chartered Accountants Worldwide, which is the body representing the accounting profession that is tasked with providing guidance on such standards. Further site visits included Bloomberg and Datamaran, the leading provider of AI software that identifies and monitors material ESG risks.

Students also heard from multiple guest speakers, including Marco Casiraghi, an iconic figure and champion of sustainability in business in Europe, together with Marco Fasan of the University of Venice, who compared ESG reporting approaches of regulators in Europe and the United States. DDS+, a world-leading ESG consultancy, hosted an interactive session allowing the students to identify issues and consider solutions to the challenges presented by their ESG projects.

The week culminated with students working collaboratively to present proposals for the sustainable development of a range of business propositions for a variety of different corporations. The presentations were judged by Hedley, the Gabelli Business School’s executive in residence and expert in ESG, with the top three groups representing proposals for Pfizer, Hershey, and Ford.

Fordham London Advisory Board Chair Andrea Mennillo, together with Vice-Chair Greg Minson and board member Alison Maund, hosted an evening reception for the students at Fordham London, which Monsignor Claudio Gugerotti, the Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain, attended.

“We were honored by the presence of Monsignor and his recognition of the importance of a Jesuit approach to international education,” said Mennillo.

Henry Miller, chair of the Facilities Subcommittee of the Fordham Board of Trustees, also welcomed students to London and encouraged them to make the most of the international learning opportunities.

Vanessa Beever, senior director of Fordham London, said it was “wonderful that the group had this opportunity to think deeply about UK and European approaches on such key issues in international business today.”

“International immersion visits are an invaluable learning opportunity, and we hope to welcome many other groups in the future,” she said.

The visit was coordinated by Linda Agnew, MBA administrative manager, who also ensured the group found time for a bus tour of some of London’s top tourist sites.

Porco, professor of accounting at the Gabelli School, said the students “have had an exceptional time while in London with a wonderful program.”

“We are especially appreciative of the support from Andrea and Vanessa,” she said.

Hundreds of students from Fordham and other colleges and universities study at Fordham London each year. The London campus hosts study abroad programs in business and the liberal arts, with students living in flats conveniently located in residential neighborhoods within an easy commute of campus.

“In this new role, Vanessa will be a critical partner in implementing the shared vision and mission of Fordham University in London, which includes offering distinctive academic programs, developing strategic institutional partnerships, and establishing the London campus as a vibrant and visible hub for Fordham’s multifaceted activities in the region,” Provost Dennis Jacobs, Ph.D., said in a statement.

A Londoner and a Ram 

Beever is a Londoner living in the city’s Twickenham district. She served for nine years as the deputy head at the business school of another Catholic institution, St. Mary’s University. She last served at London South Bank University, which is comparable in size to Fordham; she had been director of education and student experience there since 2018. In addition to her experience in higher education, she holds significant legal experience in New York and London, where she worked for the firm Shearman & Sterling. She earned an LL.B in law from the University of Bristol and graduated magna cum laude from Fordham’s LL.M. program in International Business and Trade Law.

“I relish the opportunity to reestablish connections with Fordham and to make a significant contribution to its ongoing success and development,” said Beever.

Of her time as a student at Fordham she said, “The professors were very keen for us to share our experiences from our own countries—different legal traditions and approaches.”

She said that experience underpinned her work in corporate finance at Sherman & Sterling, where she worked as a transactional lawyer across a variety of cultures and jurisdictions. She’s confident that cross-cultural experience will serve her well in her new role.

“I was an English woman practicing U.S. and New York law, working with European clients and U.S. investment bankers. This project management expertise will help me as I am working across many functions at Fordham,” she said. “So, for example, I might have worked with a European company where the client had no familiarity with the Securities and Exchange Commission requirements in the U.S. Now, similarly, I’m sure I have colleagues in New York who won’t have any idea of the U.K.’s Quality Assurance Agency [for Higher Education]requirements, but I’m very confident I can guide them through.”

Indeed, one of the first items on Beever’s desk will be to usher potential master’s degree programs through that governing body, colloquially known as the QAA.  But, she said, her primary concern will rest with the undergraduate students already there, and the 300 or so undergraduates arriving this spring.

Fordham has offered programs in London for over 15 years. In 2018, the University moved its London offerings to a new campus in the Clerkenwell area. Fordham London’s programs are split between the Gabelli School of Business and the liberal arts, with liberal arts courses are open to all undergraduates from Fordham College at Rose Hill, Fordham College at Lincoln Center, the Gabelli School, and the School of Professional and Continuing Studies. Students take 15 credits a semester.

Changes at an Inflection Point

Among the many changes well underway at the campus is Beever’s very role itself, which replaces the British-inflected position of “head” with that of senior director, reflecting an emphasis on the many administrative realities of operating an overseas campus for a large New York-based institution like Fordham, said Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs Ellen Fahey-Smith, Ed.D.

Fahey-Smith chaired the executive search committee tasked with finding a leader who could work well with academic deans in New York and liaise with governing bodies like the QAA—while also ensuring that students, faculty, and staff adhere to U.K. health protocols in an ever-shifting post-pandemic landscape.

Other changes include physical renovations to the building. The pandemic opened up the opportunity to reconfigure former theatrical spaces into more classroom space while the building sat empty. The renovations, as well as robust online programming, were overseen in part by Mark Simmons, who was operating as the interim head after Richard P. Salmi, S.J., stepped down in June 2020.

Fahey-Smith said the provost’s office will also continue to work with the International and Study Abroad Programs Office to find ways to continue some of the innovative online opportunities that were created as a result of the pandemic.

“What we learned from the pandemic is that it’s not necessarily business as usual any longer, and that holds true for Fordham London,” she said. “Whether it’s through lectures or the Gabelli London speaker series, which was really a phenomenal success, the online programs really brought the two cities so much closer together.”

Fahey-Smith clarified that any continuation of online programming would require bringing a variety of stakeholders to the table in today’s new normal. She said that was a strength of Beever’s which impressed the Fordham London Advisory Board.

Andrea Mennillo, who chairs that board, said its members are excited to welcome Beever to the Fordham family.

“We are confident that Vanessa will bring talent and experience to support Fordham’s advancement internationally,” Mennillo said. 

Diversity of Thought

Greg Minson, FCRH ’98, the global COO of real estate at Goldman Sachs in London and vice-chair of the Fordham London Advisory Board, said that it’s a big plus to see a woman take the helm. Many on the board cited Beever’s background, both inside and outside of academia, as an important asset that will help move Fordham London forward.

“Vanessa hasn’t been in academia her entire career, and anytime there is significant change, like there is now, diversity of thought is hugely powerful,” Minson said. “She has a very fresh perspective and can react to a changing environment.”

Minson is an Irish Catholic from the New York tri-state area who graduated from Fordham when it was still more of a regional school filled with students from similar backgrounds. His first day on the job in downtown Manhattan was something of a culture shock, as he joined a large, diverse, international firm, and it took him time to adjust to the different cultures. He added that he hopes that students attending Fordham London won’t be coddled by a home-away-from-home environment. Rather, he’d like to see them challenged with international perspectives that prepare them for a diverse and global workforce.

An International Hub in an International City

Minson’s perspective gels with Beever’s view of her hometown.

“London is so well connected to Europe as well as to the rest of the world. It’s ideally located geographically, but also academically and intellectually to many different cultures,” she said. “It is also an extraordinarily diverse city,” she said. “I will be encouraging students to explore and go to different neighborhoods and eat the food, shop the shops, and to hang out and see what’s going on.”

She added that there will also be opportunities for Fordham to collaborate with other London-based institutions that will help enrich the students’ experience.

“Fordham was an absolutely transformative experience for me,” she said. “It had really good programming that allowed me to get a fantastic job in New York and make my career. I’m hoping that I can contribute to the success of students who come here.”