Fordham Westchester a Sponsor of Leadership Summit

Fordham Westchester was a participant and sponsor of the Not-For-Profit Leadership Summit VII, held in Tarrytown, New York, in May.

This year's gathering, "Navigating Through the Crisis," featured keynote speakers David A. Patterson, governor of New York, and Thomas A. McLaughlin, director of consulting services for the Nonprofit Finance Fund.

Pictured at right is Ron Jacobson, Ph.D., executive director of academic programs at Fordham Westchester, with Governor Patterson.

Fordham’s Barnum Twins Are Blogging

Fordham College Rose Hill twins April (left, wearing a Fordham visor) and Kimberly Barnum, both rising juniors majoring in biology, have been selected from among the DAAD RISE U.S. scholarship recipients to blog about their upcoming summer research experience in Germany (the only other U.S. blogger chosen is a student from Yale.)

DAAD, a German academic exchange service, sponsors Research Internship in Science and Engineering (RISE) students each summer in biology, chemistry, physics, earth sciences and engineering. April, a chemistry minor, will be working in a University of Bayreuth lab studying chemical formations from arsenic-sulfur minerals. Kim will be in a nearby lab, working in the area of biogeography.

The twins, who will alternate blog entries, leave in late May for Germany. The Campion Institute plans to maintain a link to the twins’ blog on its site.

- JS

GBA Grad Student Wins Entrepreneurship Competition

A team led by Amanda Allen (GBA ‘10) has been selected as the first place winner in the Traditional Track of the 2008-2009 Baruch College and Merrill Lynch Invitational Entrepreneurship Competition. The team won for Pandora’s Wish, a New York City-based online bridal registry.

The award comes with a $10,000 prize, which Allen accepted on May 19. That award capped a grueling process that started in September with 102 submissions. Over three rounds, the entries were narrowed to three in each of the Traditional and Social Entrepreneurship tracks.

Allen conceived the idea for Pandora’s Wish during her own engagement, during which she discovered that stores with which she wished to register lacked online registries. After leaving her job as a federal bank examiner in January 2008, she enrolled at GBA with the express purpose of starting her own business. She continued to refine the idea throughout the course of her studies.

“There are four parts to this,” she says. “Brides create a wedding registry that reflects their style and personal taste; merchants gain an additional stream of revenue, access to an online marketing channel and a new set of customers; gift givers will have a more memorable impact on the bride with their unique gift; and (the business) is great for our local economy by keeping money local and supporting the city’s rich array of independent, brick-and-mortar retail and service providers.”

In addition to the first prize award, the judges have allocated $20,000 in seed money for the business. Allen said that she plans to launch the site in November.

This year’s Competition was the first in its 10-year history that was open to other schools than Baruch. In addition to Fordham, students from all the CUNY senior colleges, Columbia, Cooper Union, Manhattan College, NYIT, NYU, Pace, SVA and Yeshiva were invited to compete.

Commencement Coverage Roundup

Below are the links to all of our commencement coverage: speeches, news coverage, photos and video.

Fordham University 164th Commencement

Joseph M. McShane, S.J., President, Remarks

Hon. Michael R. Bloomberg Remarks

Tom Brokaw Commencement Address

News: One Hundred Sixty Fourth Annual Commencement

Video Coverage

News Blog Coverage

The Calm Before Commencement

Commencement Day

Staff Outnumber Guests at This Point

Commencement Before the Ceremony

Legacy Parents Gather at Pre-Commencement Breakfast

Commencement Excitement Builds at Honorary Degree Breakfast

Rain? Bah!

Commencement Photos

Commencement Photos

The photos in this entry were all taken by Bill Denison

Rain? Bah!

A brief rain shower sent people running for cover but it soon stopped . . . and gave way to the procession of graduates.

Commencement Excitement Builds at Honorary-Degree Breakfast

In Duane Library, Fordham’s honorary degree recipients gathered for a pre-commencement breakfast with Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, and trustees. Above, honorees Tom Brokaw and Mayor Michael Bloomberg paused to sign Fordham’s honorary degree guest book. The signing tradition dates back to 1930, and the book includes the signatures of past recipients such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John F. and Robert Kennedy, Richard Nixon, actors Helen Hayes, Bill Cosby and Liam Neeson, former Irish President Mary Robinson, Muppets creator Jim Henson, soprano Leontyne Price, and sports legend Willie Randolph, among others.

Legacy Parents Gather at Pre-Commencement Breakfast

The fourth annual legacy breakfast in the William D. Walsh Family Library was held prior to commencement for Fordham alumni with family members in this year's graduating class. Over orange juice and bagels, more than 170 students, parents and family members toasted the day. Below, Alumni banner bearer Nelson Gonzalez, CBA '75, poses with daughter Jeannette Gonzalez, CBA '09.



Above, Gregory Costa, FCLS '82, embraces daughter Morgan Costa, FCRH '09, prior to her commencement. Below, Arthur Chin, CBA '09, joins his family: from left to right, Benjamin Chin, Constance Fung, Sylvia Chin, LAW '77, and Edward Chin, LAW '77.



Above, Dora Williams, FCRH '81, gets some help with her ceremonial sash from son Ronald Williams, FCRH '09. Below, Father Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, explains to Devin McNamara, FCRH '09, how to put on his academic hood, as Paul McNamara, FCRH '72, proudly watches on.