Rose Hill Student Wins National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship

Navena Chaitoo, FCRH '13, has received a
National Science Foundation
Graduate Research Fellowship.
Photo courtesy of Navena Chaitoo

Navena Chaitoo, a Fordham College at Rose Hill senior, has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship, making her the fourth Rose Hill student in two years to earn the fellowship, and the first in the social sciences.

But for Chaitoo, winning the prestigious fellowship to pursue her studies of persons with disabilities is much more than an academic triumph.

“I was diagnosed with a severe-to-profound hearing loss when I was about 5 years old, and at the time, my audiologists relied on the latest medical studies to determine that I would probably never graduate high school,” said the Brooklyn native.

“Ultimately, my parents knew better and saw to it that I had all the accommodations necessary to offset my hearing loss, which allowed me to be as successful as I am today.”

A Matteo Ricci scholar and a member of the Hearing Loss Association of America’s New York Board of Trustees, Chaitoo graduates May 18 with a double-major in economics and political science. Her NSF fellowship will fully fund her graduate education at Carnegie Mellon University, where she will begin a master’s of science in public policy and management this fall.

These prestigious fellowships are awarded annually to foster scientific research and support outstanding graduate students in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Fellows receive a three-year annual stipend of $30,000 along with $12,000 in education allowance toward the graduation institution of their choice. The allowance funds fellows’ tuition and fees, opportunities for international research and professional development, and the freedom to conduct their own research.

Chaitoo will continue research she began at Fordham on the economic wellbeing of persons with disabilities in the United States, particularly the indirect as well as direct medical costs of persons with disabilities—a topic in which she has been personally invested.

“When I first came to Fordham, I was told that accommodations are awarded based on the student’s potential contribution to the school. Thus, I had to secure independent funding for CART captioning [Communication Access Realtime Translation] from the NYS Department of Education to maximize my potential,” she said. “But, in the process, I went without very much needed assistance during my freshman year.”

The experience inspired Chaitoo to study whether disabilities are indeed linked with financial hardship. In a study on disability and multidimensional poverty in the United States that she co-authored with Sophie Mitra, Ph.D., associate professor of economics, Debra Brucker, Ph.D., a researcher at the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability, and Joseph Mauro, a graduate research assistant in the Economics Department, Chaitoo found that persons with disabilities are more likely to be poor, regardless of the measures used to assess their poverty level.

“I wanted to see if the disparities I observed on a micro-level manifested themselves at a macro-level, and if so, I wanted to start working on solutions,” she said.

Since its creation in 1952, the highly competitive NSF graduate fellowship has been awarded to less than 9 percent of more than 500,000 applicants. This year, the NSF received 13,000 applications for 2,000 awards.

“Navena's NSF Graduate Research Fellowship is a tremendous accomplishment—a reflection of her steadfast dedication and commitment,” said Michael Latham, Ph.D., dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill. “It also demonstrates what Fordham's talented students can achieve with the support of the outstanding teachers and scholars on our faculty. We are very proud of Navena, and wish her all the best as she begins her graduate career.”

— Joanna Klimaski

Fordham's Ram Vans Go Green

Marc Canton shows off one of the new arrivals

With the arrival of three new vans on April 15, more than half of Fordham’s Ram Van fleet is now powered by bio diesel fuel. 

Marc Canton, director of intercampus transportation, said the total number of vehicles running on the fuel, which is more efficient and generates less carbon dioxide, now stands at 20—16 that ferry passengers between the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses, two that are used by Campus Ministry, and two ambulances used by the Fordham EMS. 

The 14 remaining gas-powered Ram Vans that are used by the athletics department may be converted next year, provided they can all be converted simultaneously. 

The transition away from traditional gasoline to bio diesel began in earnest in 2008, when Fordham accepted a challenge from Mayor Michael Bloomberg to cut its greenhouse emissions by 30 percent by 2030. A pilot vehicle was delivered on January 30, 2010, and after a year of testing, more were gradually converted.

As a result of the change, Canton said they’ve doubled the vans’ miles per gallon while reducing the amount of carbon emitted. It hasn’t been an entirely hassle free transition though. For starters, it takes an hour to drive from the Rose Hill campus to and from Schildwachter & son Inc., the closest dealer of bio fuel, whereas gas-powered vans can be filled up right on Fordham Road. 

“In the busy times of the year, when athletics are at its peak and are using their entire fleet, it feels like we’re constantly refueling vans, because we can’t get the vans fueled only in the allotted hours that we’re scheduled. It’s just not flexible enough,” he said.

What offsets that inconvenience is the low cost of the fuel.

 “When you calculate the expenses of the vehicle with the savings from fuel, we pretty much break even. We do a little bit better with the diesels, just using those factors,” Canton said.

In the end, Canton says it’s worth the effort, because studies show that van-pooling is one of the most efficient means of transit available. He’s keeping an eye on compressed natural gas as a future option, and even briefly looked at a retrofitted van with rooftop mounted solar panels.

 “We’re Fordham. We should be pushing. We should be at the forefront; we should be leading the way, not waiting for somebody else to find the answer and jumping on that,” he said. 

“That’s not what I learned as a student here, and that’s not what I want to be as an administrator.”

—Patrick Verel

Fordham at the Forefront: Restoring Trust in Business

Thousands of people put their financial trust in Bernie Madoff and his wealth management business. In December 2008 that trust was shattered when Madoff was arrested for running a $50 billion Ponzi scheme. Why did these people trust Madoff? How can we make better decisions about the leaders and companies we trust? Robert Hurley, Ph.D., professor of management at Fordham’s Schools of Business, delved into this topic during a Fordham at the Forefront presentation in Manhattan.

Nearly 100 alumni—representing all 10 schools of Fordham University—filled a room at the Roosevelt Hotel on May 1 for Fordham at the Forefront of Business Ethics: How to Make Smart Trust Decisions and Create High-Trust Organizations.

“We are at an all-time low in trust in Congress; trust in CEO credibility is at an all-time low; trust in banks—or restoring trust in banks—is at an all-time low,” Hurley said. “We have a trustworthiness problem.”

Low trust creates a snowball effect of subsequent challenges for businesses, Hurley said, including higher employee turnover, lower profits, less information sharing, and less innovation. “Companies become dysfunctional.”

Robert Hurley, Ph.D.

The good news is that when these trust violations are “systemically produced, we can understand how to prevent them, how to detect them, and how to manage them,” said Hurley. “There will always be bad apples and rogue employees. That’s not the problem; the problem is bad barrels.”

Hurley offered a three-part solution: become better trust decision makers, develop more trustworthy leaders, get those trustworthy leaders to engineer trust into their organizations.

How can trustworthiness be assessed and built? Pulling from his book The Decision to Trust: How Leaders Create High-Trust Organizations (Jossey-Bass, 2012), Hurley outlined six factors: similarity, alignment of interests, benevolent concern, capability of competence, predictability and integrity, and communication. High-trust leaders, he asserted, are transparent, dependable, and care for others.

Some companies are setting the standard for trustworthiness, Hurley said, like Zappos, the SAS Institute, and GE, “by creating value within their organizations. All high-trust organizations are value-driven companies. All of these values—competence, integrity—can be embedded into companies and leaders.”

Hurley said Fordham is contributing to the solution through its Consortium for Trustworthy Organizations, which he directs and which the Schools of Business founded in August 2012 to provide research, tools, and solutions for leaders to build trustworthy organizations.

“We care as a Jesuit university about producing leaders that are ethical and trustworthy, and making the world a better place. In some ways, a lot of the Jesuit philosophy is encapsulated in this notion of trust and being trustworthy and benevolent; those things that are essential in the values at Fordham,” Hurley said. “Hopefully you’re agents of that.”

The Office of Alumni Relations hosts several Forefront events throughout the year in the New York City metro area and around the country, highlighting Fordham faculty members’ expertise in such areas as elections and campaigns, sustainability, and healthcare reform.

—Rachel Buttner

Inside the Executives Studio

Inside the Executives Studio panelists (l to r): Vince Cappucci,
Herb Granath, Jeff Fitzgerald, Alberto Sanchez, and Karen Parrish

Fordham took a page from James Lipton’s book when a panel of four distinguished alumni shared their thoughts on life and success—Inside the Actors Studio style.

Like Lipton, moderator Vince Cappucci, GSB ’81, LAW ’84, came prepared with a stack of questions on index cards for the Young Alumni Spring Executive Leadership Series event, held May 2 at Banco Santander in Manhattan.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask you what your favorite curse words are,” Cappucci told the panelists, referencing one of the Bravo show’s famous 10 questions. But he did prompt them to share their tips for success during an evening of easy laughs, anecdotes, and career advice.

Cable TV pioneer Herb Granath, FCRH ’54, GSAS ’55, chairman emeritus of ESPN, said successful people all seem to have a certain restlessness. “Most are peripatetic; they don’t sleep at night,” he said. “But God bless them for it, because they are the ones that ask the questions that make the next important thing happen.”

Granath was a physics major at Fordham who took a job working nights as an NBC page to help put himself through school. After four years of working in television, he said, when graduation came around, “physics seemed a little dull.”

Granath said almost everyone he knows can point to one or two things—like that page job—that changed their lives.

“You have to be prepared to recognize an opportunity and have the ability to take advantage of it,” he said.

Karen Parrish, FCRH ’82, a vice president at IBM, agreed that young people should be open to the unexpected in their careers.

“I don’t think you can have a long-range plan,” said Parrish, a leader in the multinational corporation’s public service industry solutions division. When she first started at the company, the career path to certain executive positions was literally typed up and handed out to employees. Now, with so many different avenues to pursue, she said, “Why would you want to plan it?

“The key is to have some sense of what you love and to be able to take some risks.”

Other panelists included Jeff Fitzgerald, FCRH ’95, executive director at ABC News Radio; and Alberto Sanchez, GSAS ’96, managing director and head of investment strategies for the Americas at Banco Santander.

In a direct nod to Inside the Actors Studio, Cappucci asked the panelists what their least favorite word was. The results were unsurprising.

“No,” said Granath.

“Complacency,” said Fitzgerald.

“Can’t,” said Parrish.

And Sanchez, as an executive at one of the world’s largest banks, drew the biggest laugh with his response: “Bankruptcy.”

A lively Q&A session followed the panel discussion. Young alumni and a few current students asked the panelists about topics ranging from mentors to doing business in China.

Guest Sara Kugel, FCRH ’11, an associate producer at CBS Sunday Morning, said Young Alumni events like this benefit everyone, “even if you have your dream job.” Networking is crucial, said the former WFUV student reporter, adding that Fitzgerald gave her her first job out of college. “You have to plant the seeds before you need the fruit.”

—Nicole LaRosa

Fordham Alumni Company Seeks Submissions for Summer Arts Festivals

Every summer since 2008, the Fordham Alumni Theatre Company has produced works that give alumni actors, directors, writers, designers, and others an opportunity to practice and hone their craft with support from the Fordham Theatre Program. This year, the group is expanding its horizons, aiming to become a University-wide alumni arts project that showcases the work of Fordham graduates in all artistic fields, including dance and film.

The new group—now called the Fordham Alumni Company—is gearing up for an exciting summer celebrating alumni contributions to the arts. The celebration begins at the Lincoln Center campus on Monday, June 17, with the group’s ReBoot Launch Party, and continues with two festival weekends at the Lincoln Center campus that will bring together multiple generations of alumni across all artistic disciplines.

The “Fresh Art” Weekend (Aug. 2 to 4) will highlight works that are in development—“live” projects such as new play readings and dance workshops.

The “Canned Art” Weekend (Aug. 9 to 11) will feature completed works—primarily film projects of all types, lengths, and genres.

The company is seeking submissions from all alumni who have a theatre, dance, or film project that they’d like to present at this year’s festivals.

Submission requirements are as follows:

Film projects: A brief synopsis plus two DVDs or a digital copy of your complete project.

Theatre projects: A brief synopsis, a 15-page sample, and a full copy of the script.

Dance and other projects: A brief synopsis outlining the goals of the project and any supporting materials that help describe what you would like to present—for example, photos, artwork, video samples of choreography, etc.

Please send all submission materials to fordhamalumnicompany@gmail.com. Or mail them to:

Fordham University
Department of Theatre and Visual Arts, Room 423
Attn: Elizabeth Margid
113 West 60th Street
New York, NY 10023

The submission deadline is May 31, 2013.

For more information about the Fordham Alumni Company, the June 17 ReBoot Launch Party, and the summer festival weekends, visit the group’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/FordhamAlumniCompany).

Alumni Spotlight: 1973 Graduate Is Stirring Up the Spirit of Jubilee

For Mark O’Connor, FCRH ’73, Jubilee 2013 (May 31 to June 2) is sure to be a story-filled weekend. The Long Island native is full of memories from his days on campus during the late 1960s and early ’70s, and now, as a Fordham parent, he’s creating new memories—and a deeper Fordham pride—with his sons Mark Joseph, a junior in the Gabelli School of Business, and John Thomas, a sophomore in Fordham College at Rose Hill. O’Connor, vice president and general counsel at Hatch Mott MacDonald, is also leading the charge for his 40th reunion.

Mark O'Connor, FCRH '73, in the St. Patrick's Day Parade

Why did you go to Fordham? Did the fact that your father [Lester T. O’Connor, FCRH ’36] was a graduate motivate you to apply?
Absolutely. It’s the only school I applied to. My father went there and I also had to have a place that was in striking distance of where I was working at the time. I was orphaned at an early age and I did anything and everything I could to make enough money to put myself through four years at Fordham. I was working a couple of jobs at a golf club and I was working at a pizza parlor on weekends, so I needed to get back to the Long Beach area in order to meet those obligations. Those were the two reasons I went to Fordham.

What did you think about your time at Fordham? What sticks with you from those days?
I loved it. I thought it was great—the camaraderie, the exposure you had to other people and their lives. I count 20-plus guys and gals with whom I remain in meaningful contact who attended Fordham with me. It’s that and also the idea that you have to help other people. That’s a real Jesuit underpinning and I really enjoy doing it.

What does it mean to you to have two sons at Fordham?
I am enormously proud of that fact! It’s a huge thrill for my wife [Lorraine] and me. I am so proud to tell people that both our boys are currently Fordham undergraduates. And they are now the third generation of O’Connors who have attended Fordham University. That’s another fact of which I am hugely proud. My youngest boy commutes down to Fordham [from our home in New Rochelle] every day. It takes him maybe 10 to 15 minutes. MJ has a really nice place over in the Little Italy section with three of his buddies from grade school (who are also attending Fordham). He’s within a stone’s throw of the campus so it’s worked out well. They’re both doing very well academically. So I couldn’t be happier about that. It gives me unlimited chance to return to the beautiful Rose Hill campus and admire how much it has improved visually and academically.

When did you reconnect with Fordham?
I could kick myself in the rear end for this but it’s only in the last couple of years. I really started at the 35th Jubilee, which was five years ago. And since then, because I think my boys are now there, I’ve done more things every year. My latest and bestest interest is doing all things Fordham. The first thing I did was join the President’s Club. I went to the Founder’s Dinner this year. I joined the mentoring group. It’s been so much fun. I am having an absolute ball working with Brianne Laurin [Assistant Director for Reunions] in stirring up interest in and attendance at Jubilee.

How did you get involved with Jubilee?
Five years ago, for our 35th reunion, there were only seven people from my class there. I was upset by that because I was really looking forward to seeing so many people. Rich Brautigam [FCRH ’73] and I got together and said we’ve got to call everyone we went to school with and get them to come to our 40th Reunion because it really is a wonderful weekend. That dinner that they throw? It’s like a first-class wedding with a thousand of your best friends.

Last September, I was on the Fordham website and I saw they had a marker for Jubilee 2013. I contacted Brianne and volunteered our help in contacting fellow classmates. So over the past couple of months I’ve been calling or e-mailing everybody I could get a hold of who was a member of the Class of 1973. I’m up to almost 100 contacts. It’s so much fun to talk with these guys about what we did back then and what we’ve been doing since.

The Fordham alumni relations office has many fun activities planned for the Jubilee weekend; what can your classmates expect?
Rich is going to focus on the 1973 NBA Champion New York Knicks. It was an extremely colorful team, just a terribly interesting bunch of guys. Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusherre, Earl Monroe, Phil Jackson, Bill Bradley, Dick Barnett [who played nine seasons with the Knicks and went on to earn a doctoral degree from Fordham’s Graduate School of Education in 1991]. I caddied for Dick Barnett one time in the summer before my junior year when I was working at Lido Golf Club on Long island. He was a hell of a golfer, and absolutely wonderful to caddy for. My part is going to be a “stand-up” comedy routine about how much things have changed—and how much they have stayed the same—up at Rose Hill. It’s going to be an event to remember, rest assured!

What does it mean to you to give back as an alumnus?
I think it’s great. I think of it as a labor of love. A key Fordham tradition is giving back to the University; its campus, staff, and alumni base. Like doing this [conversation], I had a ball doing this because it brought back all those memories.


To find out more about Jubilee and to register, click here.

—Rachel Buttner

Outgoing Graduate School of Social Service Dean Honored at Conference

Elaine Congress, Peter Vaughan and Allan Luks

Fordham’s Center for Nonprofit Leaders, a joint venture between the Graduate School of Business Administration (GBA) and the Graduate School of Social Service (GSS), honored GSS Dean Peter Vaughan for his vision and leadership at a conference on Wednesday, May 1.

The gathering, which was held at the Lincoln Center campus, attracted over 100 attendees.

In a speech, Vaughan  who is retiring at the end of the year, explored the eight skills of nonprofit leaders coined by Dennis Young, Ph.D., the Bernard B. and Eugenia A. Ramsey Professor of Private Enterprise and Director of the Nonprofit Studies Program at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University.

They are:

- Developing a Sense of Mission;
- Problem Solving;
- Applying Creativity and Ingenuity;
- Identifying Opportunities and Good Timing;
- Analyzing Risks;
- Consensus and Team Building;
- Mobilization of Resources, Persistence.

Since 2010, over 300 students from the fields of business, social work, law, education, and public administration have graduated from the center’s intensive certificate program, which is overseen by Elaine Congress, Ph.D., Associate Dean of the Graduate School of Social Service, and Francis Petit, Ph.D., Associate Dean of the Graduate School of Business Administration.

Allan Luks, executive director emeritus of Big Brothers, Big Sister, and a visiting faculty member at the Graduate School of Social Service, serves as director.

The center’s certificate programs are offered three times a year—two times at the Lincoln Center campus and once a year at the Westchester campus. Its newest initiative is a 30-credit masters degree program in nonprofit leadership.

For more information about the center, visit www.fordham.edu/nonprofitswww.fordham.edu/nonprofits. 

—Patrick Verel

Bringing About a Revolution of the Heart

Acquiring knowledge is one great human endeavor; cultivating compassion and action for those who are less fortunate is another.

On May 2, the Dorothy Day Center for Service and Justice celebrated those graduating seniors who have done both: earned four-year degrees while doing service for those in need in New York area communities.

Citing the “amazing work” that Fordham students have taken part in, Sandra Lobo-Jost, director of the Day Center, recognized more than 80 students who have participated in projects ranging from tutoring Bronx youth, to fighting for a fair wage, to rebuilding homes destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. 

Students in attendance received Spirit of Service awards, hugs, and words of encouragement from Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, as they steadied themselves for the transition to post-college life.

Through the efforts of the Day Center, said Father McShane, 4,600 undergraduates gave a million hours of service around the city and across the globe in the course of just one academic year, “to build a more just and loving world.”

“You make Fordham truly a place where the Gospel is lived.”

Lobo-Jost singled out two standout projects that the efforts of students had made possible:

• Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts: the Day Center, in collaboration with the Office of Mission and Ministry and other University departments, created a sustained schedule with Habitat for Humanity-Westchester of sending students to Breezy Point from January to the end of April. The volunteer response was so great, she said, “we literally had to turn volunteers away.”

• Kingsbridge Armory Development: in conjunction with the Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition, students worked to make certain the “empty castle” building so coveted by developers went to the Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC). The KNIC signed a Community Benefits Agreement guaranteed to benefit Bronx residents with living-wage jobs, free community space in the development, free ice center access for schools, and more.

“It’s a great symbol of how Fordham can serve as a strong partner to our neighbors in the Bronx,” she said of the Armory project.

Seven students were recognized for their outstanding service (pictured top, l to r): Christopher Cepeda, Thomas Haskin, Ashley Davis, Catherine Nwachukwu, Cori Ring-Martinez, Jillian Abballe, and Stephen Erdman. 

Lauren Brodsky

Cepeda, a commuter student who grew up in the Bronx near Yankee Stadium and attended Mott Haven public schools, was recognized for his work spearheading the Bronx College Town Program. The program introduces middle-school students to the idea of attending college and lays the groundwork.

“Growing up, I never thought I’d end up at Fordham—it’s a privilege to be here,” he said. “I want to give back to students who might not think about college, or think they can’t go, to see the possibility.”

Students also heard from Lauren Brodsky, (pictured left) site manager of Jumpstart Bronx at Fordham University, a program that trains college students to help Bronx preschoolers develop language and literacy skills. This year, 34 Fordham students volunteered in District 10 and 12 classrooms twice weekly during the academic year.

Brodsky said that the Jumpstart program honors five “core values” in its work—determination, learning, connection, kindness, and joy. “The work you’ve engaged in within the community . . . has reflected these values.

“Take them with you as you embark.” 

Immigrant Students DREAM Big

Fordham's Leslie A. Massiah-Arthur spoke at a rally supporting the NY State DREAM Act.

Standing in front of a group of documented and undocumented immigrant students at Lehman College, CUNY, Lesley A. Massiah-Arthur, Fordham's associate vice president for government relations, reiterated the University's support of the New York State DREAM Act, which provides undocumented immigrants access to financial aid and scholarships.

Massiah-Arthur was joined by José Magdaleno, Lehman's vice president for student affairs, and State Assemblymember Francisco P. Moya, the bill's sponsor. The New York DREAM Act Coalition organized the rally.

Magdalano evoked the college's namesake, former New York State Governor Herbert Lehman, reminding listeners that Lehman was a child of immigrants who believed "the doors of opportunity should be open to all who walk through it."

Massiah-Arthur also evoked New York history saying that she was there to speak on behalf of an institution whose founder, Archbishop John Hughes, understood that "that the new immigrant experience was the American Experience."

It was sentiment shared by Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, who issued a statement which said, "We agree with State Senator Jeffrey Klein and Assembly Member Moya that access and opportunity remain the keys to future success and opportunity remain the keys to future success. The issue of immigration may in fact be the new civil rights movement of the 21st century. There can be no dispute that education for immigrants must be addressed, and addressed in a way that guarantees secure funding for the DREAM Act. "

At the rally Massiah-Arthur acknowledged the bravery of several of the students gathered, who stood, undocumented, in front of television cameras.

"Not too many of us would have the courage to do what they are doing, which is to put a face to a problem that needs to be addressed," she said.

She added that the DREAM Act is appropriately named because it is only though a higher education that "student on this campus, our campus, and campuses throughout the state can make this world a better place."

Massiah-Arthur was followed by Dream Team President Janet Perez who thanked her fellow students "who have owned their status." Perez was brought to the U.S. at six months old.

"Yes I am undocumented and yes I am unapologetic," she said. "Does being undocumented mean that I am less worthy of being invested in?"

-Tom Stoelker

DeLillo Wins Inaugural Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction

Fordham alumnus Don DeLillo, FCRH ’58, has earned some of the literary world’s top honors: a National Book Award, a William Dean Howells Medal, and a PEN/Saul Bellow Award for Achievement in American Fiction, to name a few.

Now he can add to that list the inaugural Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction.

On April 25, the world’s largest library announced that DeLillo will receive the new prize, which “seeks to commend strong, unique, enduring voices that—throughout long, consistently accomplished careers—have told us something about the American experience.”

DeLillo will be honored at the library’s 13th annual National Book Festival, set to take place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 21 and 22.

“When I received news of this award, my first thoughts were of my mother and father, who came to this country the hard way, as young people confronting a new language and culture,” DeLillo said in written statement. “In a significant sense, the Library of Congress prize is the culmination of their efforts and a tribute to their memory.”

Born and raised in the Bronx, DeLillo graduated from Fordham University in 1958 and worked as an advertising copywriter before his first novel, Americana, was published in 1971. Since then, he has published 14 novels, including White Noise (1985), Libra (1988), Underworld (1997), and, most recently, Point Omega (2010); a collection of short fiction, The Angel Esmeralda: Nine Stories (2011); and three plays.

Librarian of Congress James H. Billington praised DeLillo’s work: “Like Dostoyevsky, Don DeLillo probes deeply into the sociopolitical and moral life of his country. Over a long and important career, he has inspired his readers with the diversity of his themes and the virtuosity of his prose.”

More good news for fans of DeLillo’s work: The author, who has agreed to speak at the National Book Festival in September, recently told The Washington Post that he is “working hard on a very challenging novel.”