“It was a chance to get away, a different environment,” he said. “I was working five days a week, 12 to 13 hours a day. When it was time for me to go to school, I was ready to go. It was awesome.”

Besides taking technology courses to buttress his career as a computer programmer, there were other benefits of attending Marymount. It was there that he met Michele Holmes Chavers, MC ’99.

“I decided to stay in the dorms that fall, and who stepped off the elevator in the science building but my future husband,” recalled Holmes Chavers. “And that’s how we met. We had classes together at different times, grabbed a slice of pizza, a cup of coffee, and it went on from there.”

By 1985, Chavers’ career hit high gear and he was off to other cities. When he returned to Marymount, its transition to becoming a part of Fordham had already begun, so he transferred his Marymount credits to Fordham and took classes at the Westchester campus on the weekends through the School of Professional and Continuing Studies (PCS). He would go on to take classes with PCS at Rose Hill and finally at Lincoln Center—making him one of the very few to take classes at all four campuses.

“I really got a charge out of it. I was the first male student that helped create the ambassador program for career services [at Marymount]. I volunteered because I felt so good in my heart about Fordham,” he said, adding that he hopes to become more involved with the alumni community in the future.

“I contribute because they gave me a lot, especially having a program where I could go back to school as an adult. I was a man in my 50s and I got my [college]  degree.”

Ram Van service from Rose Hill to the Calder Center will begin with the 1 p.m. shuttle on Tuesday. All other Ram Van and Public Safety shuttles will operate on their normal schedules.

Dining Facilities
Rose Hill: The Marketplace will open at 7 a.m.; all other food service venues will operate on their normal schedules.
Lincoln Center: The Ram Cafe will open at 7 a.m.; all other food service venues will operate on their normal schedules.

University Health Services, Counseling and Psychological Services, the Lombardi Center, and fitness centers at the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses, and the the Quinn, Walsh and Law Libraries will be open on their normal schedules.

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

Ram Van service will resume Friday at 7 a.m.

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.

The Lincoln Center and Rose Hill campuses will be open and operating on their normal Saturday schedules.

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.

The program is set to start in the spring semester. An information session will be held at the Westchester campus on Oct. 25. The 36-credit master’s takes a multidisciplinary approach with a focus on the finance aspects of the industry while offering students the opportunity to develop skills in other areas, such as law.

The program is designed for working professionals. Classes will be held during the evenings, weekends and online. It can be completed in one year of full-time study, but is also offered to part-time students.

Hugh Kelly, Ph.D., has been selected to head up the curriculum committee of the program. Kelly comes to Fordham with more than three decades of lecturing on real estate and economics, as well as running his own consultation practice. His most recent book, 24-hour Cities: Real Investment Performance, Not Just Promises (Routledge/Taylor & Francis, 2017), received the year’s Gold Award from the National Association of Real Estate Editors.

He said that a strong advisory council of investment, data, development, and labor experts has helped guide the design of the new program.

“There are not too many programs like this out there because of the way the academic aspect of the industry has evolved; programs usually come out business or architecture schools,” said Kelly. “Our program will break apart the silos—and the institute is on the same campus as the law and business schools.”

With its vast range of development—from Hudson Yards to the World Trade Center to million-dollar condos to micro apartments—New York City has no shortage of academic and industry experts from which to find faculty for the curriculum, he said.

“Mega projects will be an important focus, but they’re just one element in New York City, and we won’t just focus on bright shiny objects,” Kelly said.

“The degree gives professionals in the field tangible knowledge that can be immediately applied to their careers and can help them get to the next level professionally,” said Anthony Davidson, Ph.D., dean of PCS. “This program bridges the divide between academia and practice with a rigor that only Fordham can provide.”

The program will also have a suburban focus, which will treat New York City as a regional center where developments in Yonkers and White Plains carry as much weight as a midtown high rise.

“With campuses in Westchester, the Bronx, and Manhattan, Fordham is a hub for real estate research and industry,” he said.

Robert Morgenstern, director of the institute, said another strength of the new master’s will be the ability of students to “tap into the loyal alumni network that Fordham already has.”

But most importantly, Morgenstern and Kelly expect that students will gain practical knowledge that helps in decision making.

“When you think of the biggest losses that came from the 2008 financial crisis, it didn’t happen because those investors know math, it’s because they didn’t exercise good judgment,” said Kelly.

“That’s what we want to teach our students—good judgment.”

He was getting through college the same way, until he took a course on cognitive behavior. There, he began to explore the possibility that his ADHD might be something more.

Through therapy, Browne realized that his attention deficit coupled with social anxiety placed him on the autism spectrum, and that he had been misdiagnosed earlier.

“ADHD is connected to attention domains, but in my case I literally didn’t want to talk to my classmates, not because I felt rejected by them, but because I found no motivation to talk to them,” Browne said.

Browne is earning a master’s in social work from the Graduate School of Social Service. He has already begun a career through the Mental Health Association of Westchester as a recovery specialist for people diagnosed or labeled with mental health conditions from across the autism spectrum. He works at the Sterling Community Health Center in White Plains, New York.

“Part of me is very glad for the degree of independence I had in college so that I could figure it out, but I had some very difficult years before that,” he said. “I had to ‘study’ what some kids just ‘do.’”

In his work with autistic clients, he said he sees symptoms that can be very extreme, like repeating a sentence or phrase until it’s said perfectly. Often he recognizes such symptoms in himself.

“I can relate to those folks; I get where a lot of that’s coming from,” he said. “But once I went through treatment I recognized my own dysfunctional thoughts. Now I look for alternatives that push me out of comfort zones that I used to be confined to.”

While Browne says his diagnosis is more nuanced than some of the cases he encounters at work, he has publicly embraced the autism moniker as a way to fight the misperceptions of mental illnesses in general.

“Autism is classified as a developmental disorder, though many who have it don’t love the label because they say labels help others pigeonhole them,” he said. “But I like the label because it explains my quirkiness and because I’ve learned not to be held back by my symptoms.”

Unfortunately, he said, “there’s a profound fear of people with these disorders, and society treats them with suspicion. I see the role of any social worker as working to dispel that fear.”

Schmeltzer Dining Hall, on the second floor of the Law School, at Lincoln Center, will be open to all members of the university community from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

University officials will continue to monitor the weather throughout the day, and members of the University community will be notified of any changes in schedule by email as quickly as possible. Any changes will also be posted to Fordham’s website and social media channels.

Faculty, students, and staff can also 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 weather emergency. Members of the University community should take local conditions into account when traveling to or from campus.

#

Thursday, March 9 | 5:30 p.m.

The Calder Center and Fordham Westchester will be closed tomorrow, Friday, March 10, due to severe weather forecast for the region.

University officials will make the decision to open or close the Lincoln Center and Rose Hill campuses no later than 6 a.m. on Friday, March 10. Members of the University community will be notified by email as early as possible, and the information will be posted to Fordham’s website and social media channels.

Faculty, students, and staff can also 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 weather emergency. Members of the University community should take local conditions into account when traveling to or from campus.

Due to icing conditions in the northern areas of the City, the Rose Hill and Westchester campuses will delay opening until 11 a.m. on Friday, February 10. The Lincoln Center campus will operate on its normal schedule.

Ram Van service will resume at 9 a.m. at Rose Hill, and at 10 a.m. at Lincoln Center. (Note: this is a change in the previously announced schedule.)

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 weather emergency.

Thursday, Feb. 9. | UPDATED 5:30 p.m.

All campuses of Fordham University will operate on their normal schedules on Friday, February 10. Ram Van service will resume at 6:15 a.m. at Rose Hill, and at 7:15 a.m. at Lincoln Center. (Note: this is a change in the previously announced schedule—Ram Vans will not resume service at 8 p.m. this evening due to hazardous travel conditions.)

Wednesday, Feb. 8. | UPDATED 4:30 p.m.

All classes at Fordham University will be cancelled and all campuses closed on Thursday, February 9, due to severe weather forecast for the region.

Ram Vans will conclude service at Midnight tonight, Wednesday, February 8, and resume service at 8 p.m. on Thursday, February 9.

On Thursday, February 9:

Community Dining at Lincoln Center and the Marketplace at Rose Hill will open at 7 a.m.; Urban Kitchen, the Ram Café, and other retail venues will open as staff are available.

University Health Center offices at Rose Hill and Lincoln will be open on their regular schedules, as will Counseling and Psychological Services offices.

Walsh and Quinn Libraries will be open as study zones on their normal schedules; the Law Library will be closed.

The Recreation Center and Lombardi Center at Rose Hill be open on their normal schedules.

The Women’s Basketball Game at the Rose Hill Gym will take place as scheduled at 7 p.m., The Women’s Basketball Game in the Rose Hill Gym at 7 p.m. will go on as scheduled, as will the Fashion Show at the Law School at 9 a.m.

All Fordham other events are canceled, including the 7 p.m. Senior Night event: The Mighty Nineties, in the Cafeteria Atrium, Lincoln Center; and the 9 p.m. Senior Night event: 100 Nights, in the McGinley Center Ballroom, Rose Hill, both of which will be rescheduled.

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 weather emergency.

Photo courtesy of Allie Marshall, Gabelli ’16

YONKERS – A new mosquito that can cause Zika is raising concern Friday in the Hudson Valley.

Fordham University’s Louis Calder Center in Armonk has been tracking the Asian Tiger Mosquito that can transmit the Zika virus.

“It came to the U.S. in the tire trade in Texas and since 2005 we have had it here in Westchester County,” Fordham University’s Dr. Thomas Daniels says.

He says his team has been setting up traps to catch adult mosquitos and sample their larvae.

“The Asian Tiger Mosquito is a container breeder,” Dr. Daniels says. “It can breed in flower pots, buckets, pools, anything that allows standing water to be sitting for a while.”

Dr. Daniels says to use repellents and dump any containers that hold water in order to protect yourself. Doctors have not found any Zika in the mosquitos that were tested.

Watch a video report at News 12 (subscription may be required).