“We know that 2020 has brought unprecedented challenges—but you have shown that your commitment to trees is unwavering,” Dan Lambe, president of the Arbor Day Foundation, wrote in a recent letter to the University. “Now more than ever, thank you for contributing to a healthier planet for all of us.”
Fordham is among approximately 400 colleges and universities recognized for their commitment to trees in 2019 by Tree Campus Higher Education, a national program launched in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation. Formerly known as Tree Campus USA, the program honors schools that meet five core standards: establishment of a tree advisory committee, creation of a campus tree-care plan, annual funding for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance, and sponsorship of student service learning projects. Fordham has participated in the program since 2015.
The University is home to hundreds of trees, including one of the oldest American elm trees in New York City. For more than 270 years, the tree has towered over Cunniffe House at the Rose Hill campus. It lost a large limb after Tropical Storm Isaias swept across the East Coast, but the tree should heal normally, said Marco Valera, vice president for administration. The damaged limb was properly cut back, and the tree will be monitored more frequently.
]]>“It’s one of the best preventative ways to try and stop the transmission. That’s been demonstrated not only here but everywhere else,” said Michael Dowling, GSS ’74, in an interview with IrishCentral posted March 25, as hospitals were facing increasingly dire conditions because of the influx of patients.
It was one of many recent media appearances related to Dowling’s new role as co-leader of a statewide council tasked with expanding hospital capacity to cope with the coronavirus pandemic.
Dowling has long played a prominent role in New York healthcare as president and CEO of Northwell Health, the state’s largest health system, comprising 23 hospitals and more than 750 outpatient facilities. He took the helm at Northwell in 2002 after a long career in state government, in the healthcare industry, and on staff at Fordham, where today he serves on the Board of Trustees.
In another interview, Dowling emphasized New York hospitals’ ability to accommodate more patients but also acknowledged the unknowns, like the eventual number of patients afflicted with COVID-19—the disease caused by the novel coronavirus—and the availability of supplies like masks, gloves, and gowns for hospital workers.
“We’re working unbelievably hard to make sure that we access as much supply as we possibly can,” he told WCBS Newsradio 880 in New York City in a March 17 interview.
Dowling joined the council on March 16 at the request of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a 1979 graduate of Fordham College at Rose Hill. Cuomo is “driving the ship in a big, big way, and he’s looking at every possibility,” Dowling told WCBS. “So nothing is off the table here.”
Communicating in a Crisis
Dowling stressed the need to be “creative and adaptable” during a crisis in an interview with HealthLeaders, posted March 25, about his approach to running Northwell Health. Also key to his leadership style, he said, is communication. “You’ve got to be calm. You have to be upbeat. You must also give people data,” he said.
In December, Northwell Health entered into an agreement with Fordham to develop new programs to train health professionals. And Northwell’s research arm is taking part in three clinical trials for drugs to treat COVID-19.
While the trials offer hope, he stressed the importance of the public’s behavior. “If they’re not compliant with the public policies, then we’re going to prolong [the pandemic] longer than we should,” he told HealthLeaders.
Dowling is co-leading the council with Kenneth E. Raske, president of the Greater New York Hospital Association and himself the father of a 2008 Fordham graduate, and also working with New York State Commissioner of Health Howard A. Zucker, M.D., a 2000 graduate of the Fordham School of Law.
Here are four things to know about Dowling’s life and career:
He’s no stranger to challenges. Dowling grew up in rural Ireland, the oldest of five children, in a home with mud walls and a thatched roof and without electricity, heat, or running water. He helped support his family and raise money for college by working summers on the New York City docks starting at age 17.
He held leadership roles at Fordham. After graduating from University College Cork, he returned to New York to earn a master’s degree in social work at the Graduate School of Social Service (GSS) in 1974. Five years later he joined the Fordham faculty, serving as a professor of social policy, assistant dean of GSS, and director of the Westchester campus.
He held leadership roles in state government. Dowling spent 12 years in New York government, including seven years as state director of health, education, and human services and deputy secretary to the governor.
He remembers his roots. Every year, Dowling brings 20 students from Ireland to gain work experience at Northwell. The company gives employees tuition reimbursement for attending college, and Dowling is known for making time to meet new employees every Monday morning.
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For the fourth year in a row, Fordham has achieved national recognition for its devotion toward Mother Nature.
Since 2015, Fordham has participated in Tree Campus USA, a national program that honors colleges and universities for promoting tree conservation across their campuses. Participating institutions complete five tasks: creating a tree advisory committee, developing a campus tree-care plan, annually dedicating funds toward a campus tree program, celebrating Arbor Day, and sponsoring related student service-learning projects.
A week ago, the University celebrated Arbor Day with some special guests—nearly 120 second graders from P.S. 205. On April 30, the second graders, Fordham students, and University staff gathered at the Rose Hill campus for a giveaway, a poetry reading, and a series of speakers. Together, they planted a holly tree in a grassy patch bordered by Keating Hall, Spellman Hall, and John Mulcahy Hall.
The young tree joins the Arbor Day Foundation’s initiative of planting 100 million trees and engaging five million tree planters by 2022.
“This year, Tree Campus USA schools have collectively planted 32,204 trees and engaged 31,682 students—helping us work toward these critical goals and the large-scale impact we seek,” wrote Dan Lambe, the president of the Arbor Day Foundation, in a letter to Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham. “And your continued dedication to trees will help to create lasting change for future generations.”
]]>The autumn images below were taken by professional photographers as well as University staff and students.
[doptg id=”132″]Photos by Argenis Apolinario, Alissa Perrone, Tom Stoelker, Chris Taggart, Camden Thorngate, and Patrick Verel.
]]>A Tree City/Campus/Line Recognition Ceremony will take place on March 29 in Albany, New York.
The University earned the distinction by meeting five core standards for a sustainable campus: Establishment of a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance, and the sponsorship of student service-learning projects.
“If ever there was a time for trees, now is that time. Communities worldwide are facing issues with air quality, water resources, personal health and well-being, and energy use,” said Lauren Weyers, program coordinator for the Arbor Day Foundation.
“As a result of your commitment to effective urban forest management, Fordham is helping to provide a solution to these global challenges.”
Related Articles:
A Toast to Fordham’s Trees
Fordham Honored for Tree Care
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Due to anticipated snowfall in the New York Metropolitan area, all campuses of Fordham University will be closed on on Thursday, January 4. We anticipate all campuses opening and operating on their normal schedules on Friday, January 5.
There will be no Ram Van service on Thursday: service will resume Friday at 7 a.m. Personnel with reserved parking spots at Rose Hill are asked to move their vehicles to the indoor parking facility so that snowplows can operate freely on campus.
Dining Facilities
Rose Hill: the Faculty Dining Room and Starbucks will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Lincoln Center: the Ram Cafe will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
University Health Services will be closed on Thursday: students requiring medical attention should call Fordham Public Safety at (718) 817-2222.
The Lombardi Center, and fitness centers at the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses will be open on their normal schedules.
The Quinn and Walsh Libraries will be open on their normal schedules, as study zones only; the Law Library will be closed.
As always, members of the University community should take local conditions into account when traveling to or from campus. Faculty, students and staff should call any of the following numbers for the latest campus weather-related information:
(718) 817-5555
(212) 636-7777
(800) 280-7669 [(800) 280-SNOW]
(877) 375-4357 [(877) 375-HELP]
In an emergency, please call Fordham Public Safety at (718) 817-2222.
This message will be updated as necessary during the storm.
Thank you for your cooperation and understanding,
John Carroll, Associate Vice President
Fordham University Public Safety
Joanna Mercuri
Jeannie is receiving the #EloquentiaPerfecta award from the Graduate School of #Religion.
Meet Oedipus Tyrannosaurus Rex. (a.k.a., Devin D’Agostino, FCRH ’20) 
A scene from the annual Classics Department #Halloween party — dress as your favorite Homeric figure. • #happyhalloween
#classics #oedipusrex #TRex #trexcostume #toga
Oedipus Tyrannosaurus Rex: Sheer. Brilliance.
Tanisia Morris
Photo by @fordhamramblers • #Fordham #cunniffefountain #rosehill #bronx #snow
This photograph of the Rose Hill campus after a snowfall is ethereal.
Here’s the view of #LincolnCenter from the 12th floor of #Lowenstein. • #NewYorkIsMyCampus #Manhattan #NYC #citylife #cityviewsI like the backdrop of this image of Lincoln Center from the Lowenstein building. It really captures the stillness of the city.
Rachel Roman
Photo via @louiscaldercenter • #Fordham175 #caldercenter #fordhaminthefall
Nothing beats fall foliage at Fordham (like the alliteration?), and I love when we showcase the Calder Center.
This photo is beautiful. I’m making a Christmas card out of it.
Janet Sassi
There are no truer words of wisdom than the advice for new freshmen from this real New Yorker: Shop at the Dollar Store, where you can wander aimlessly for hours buying things you may or may not need, and still come out ahead.
With four years behind them, we asked 2016 graduates to recall the song that summed up the overall sentiment of their college experience.
Tom Stoelker
#RCCup #GoRams #fordhamfootball
One of many touchdowns scored this season by the Rams, but this one is at Yankee Stadium for the Ram Crusader cup—which we won.
A late fall sunset over Fordham’s Westchester campus highlights the modernist gem by architect Victor Bisharat.
Patrick Verel
May 20, 2016: Twas the night before commencement, and under a vibrant full moon, you could practically feel the energy of graduations past amidst empty seats on Edwards Parade.
The Ram is the official mascot of the University, but for my money, the black squirrel rules the roost at Rose Hill.
Gina Vergel
Fordham offers so much to its students, but I love seeing when young people from NYC and beyond can enjoy our beautiful campuses!
Father McShane reading to little children? Instant favorite.
]]>The event was billed as the Fall Gratitude Reception, and it honored the campus’ many Westchester partners—like Kevin Mahoney, PCS ’00, senior vice president for investments at Raymond James Financial.
Like so many nontraditional graduates from the School of Professional and Continuing Studies (PCS), Mahoney has a colorful backstory. He spent two years at Rose Hill on a football scholarship before dropping out.
“I was an immature kid, I was an athlete, I got hurt, I got mad, and I dropped out,” he said.
Even with just two years at Fordham, he said he ended up doing okay. He landed a job in the financial sector at Merrill Lynch. But his mother remained disappointed that he didn’t finish college.
“She grew up in the city and, to her mind, the best Irish Catholic kids went to Fordham,” he said.
On falling ill, she reminded him of his promise “to finish up at Fordham.” He did, and today he chairs the PCS Dean’s Advisory Board.
“I lived on campus, off campus, commuted,” he said. “I lived every experience Fordham had to offer. It was one of those things: I didn’t need it for my career, but I made a promise.”
Mahoney was one of 12 honorees. The Graduate School of Social Service (GSS) honored Kevin McGuire, commissioner of Westchester County Department of Social Service. In addition to his professional connection to the University, his wife, Joan McGuire graduated from PCS (as Joan Candela) in 1974 and from the Graduate School of Education in 1979. Fordham’s Walter Jaskiewicz, S.J. married the two. And when her family’s apartment caught fire in nearby Belmont, then-Fordham President Laurence McGinley, S.J., allowed the family to live on campus till they could find a new home.
“My connection to the University is more than just passing,” said McGuire. “It’s personal.”
On a professional level, McGuire said that Fordham’s Ravazzin Center has been integral to Westchester’s Building Futures program, which helps foster care teens and other teens avoid homelessness.
“Fordham was an essential partner who could do the research and validate the work we were doing,” said McGuire.
Honoree Patricia Langan, principal of the Patricia A. DiChiaro School in Yonkers, praised the “professionalism that Fordham’s Graduate School of Education brings into a building.”
“Fordham comes to our school and works with our teachers, they work with the children, provide workshops for our staff, they’ve helped build a professional learning community,” she said. “They … make our educators better.”
The benefits of Fordham Westchester seem to go well beyond the campus’s 32 acres, noted Harrison Mayor Ron Belmont. He credited the University with economic revitalization of the office park neighborhood.
“Fordham has been a catalyst for the entire strip of Westchester Avenue,” he said. “This was a ghost town. Office parks were fading, and Fordham had the insight to do this at a very early stage nearly 20 years ago.”
Belmont said the University got the ball rolling; now, a soon-to-open 400-unit apartment complex with restaurants and a major supermarket on its way.
“It’s all thanks to Fordham,” he said.
The reception was sponsored by Fordham Westchester, the GSS, the PCS, the Fordham University Alumni Association of Westchester, and the Fordham University Association.
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Using a MAACL-R instrument, an instrument that measures quick changes in mood, Scott’s class will be measuring the impact of interaction of the dogs with students and others who will be at Fordham’s Westchester campus. Anyone from the Fordham community can participate. Volunteers will be asked to take a pre-test to measure their moods. Then, they can play with the dogs for up to an hour. After interacting with the dogs, participants will take the same test again to see if their moods have changed.
In GSS research courses, master’s students are introduced to the research process by being immersed into a class project picked by the professor, said Scott. As her research interests include animal-assisted interventions, a class project on the benefit of therapy dogs in a campus setting was a natural fit.
Scott said that colleges frequently bring therapy animals on campus during midterms for students to interact with, but no one has actually done a study to see if it’s helpful.
Scott said that the class project may become a research project for her in the future.
To interact with the therapy dogs, drop into Room G12 at the Westchester campusbetween 12:40 – 1:40 p.m. There will be eight therapy dog teams present. Each team consists of a volunteer handler and his/her own dog. Both the handler and dog have been trained and certified by therapy dog organizations.
The dogs have been tested to make sure they enjoy their jobs as “canine therapists”. These handler/dog teams normally work at hospitals with psychiatric patients, children, or developmentally disabled individuals.
The event is sponsored by the GSS’s Research II Class. For more information, email [email protected].
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Photos by Dana Maxson
“Call it my 15 minutes of fame,” said Finsilver, now in her 80s and an artist and art teacher at one of Westchester’s Jewish Community Centers. “Andy was an inspiration to me.”
Like other artists in Fordham Westchester’s Matters of the HeART show, which celebrated its opening on June 6, it took Finsilver, a former dancer, a while to get around to putting her passion to canvas. The exhibit featured the works of 37 Westchester artists over age 55, many of whom harbored a lifelong love of art but only began painting and drawing later in life.
For Madge Scott, it was the stress of family illnesses and other conflicts that inspired her, in the late 1990s, to rescue a paint set her daughter had just thrown out.
“I put it aside, and when I had difficulties, I turned to the painting,” said Scott, who started by teaching herself to draw dresses and who now makes a living with her historic and folk art. In January, she received Westchester County’s Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award.
Now in its fifth year, Fordham Westchester’s Matters of the HeART provides a unique opportunity for older artists and the public to celebrate and support creative aging through the arts. It is co-sponsored by the University, the Helen Andrus Benedict Foundation, and Greenburgh Arts and Culture, which also sponsors the show at two other Westchester venues.
While many of the artists were first-timers in the juried show, Phil Wallace, FCRH ’54, was back for a fifth year to display his works. His painting of the Cliffs of Mohr situated on the West coast of Ireland, was meant to “capture the emotion of being there.”
“It is a great form of expression,” said Wallace, who took up painting when he retired 25 years ago. “When I am painting I can’t think of anything else but what I am doing, so it takes me away from all my surroundings, I get completely absorbed. It’s a good thing.”
Another late bloomer, Peter Diaferia, 85, did his first watercolor when he got out of the Marines in 1946. He did his second in 1986.
In between, he worked as a graphic and animation artist, creating the opening segments for shows like Monday Night Football. He recalled hand-lettering movie titles and doing animation, which required 24 drawings for each second.
“Everything was so exact in graphics and animation. Now I am trying to get loose,” said Diaferia, who likes the “technique of using a wet piece of paper, and water colors.”
Creating art may be a solitary experience, but Paula Masterson, 73, makes it a community-building and comfort-bearing activity. Masterson said she gives most of her paintings away. Her Funky Rooster, on display, was a gift to a sister-in-law going through one of life’s rough patches.
“It made her smile,” said Masterson. “We had a good laugh over it.”
Grant Grastorf, Westchester campus academic operations administrator, said that sponsoring Matters of the HeART helps realize the University’s mission of building bonds within the surrounding communities.
“And our diverse body of students appreciate seeing the grace of age through creative arts when they walk through the door.”
The exhibit ran through June 14.
]]>The most current information can be found on the Emergency Information Line: (877) 375 HELP (4357); the Severe Weather Line, (800) 280-SNOW (7669).
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