Those Bronx River Rats are Back on Campus

What do higher education and bar room blues have in common?

The Bronx River Rats, of course.

Fordham's unofficial faculty band will be back at it for their Fifth Anniversary of Dr. N's Rhythm Review on Saturday, April 2 at 7:30 p.m. in the McGinley Center Ballroom. The event is a fundraiser for the University’s Bronx African American History Project (BAAHP).

Who can resist coming out for an event that promises rock, rhythm & blues, and old soul favorites by actual Tenured Professors? This year there is even a dance contest.

You won't want to miss this:




Or this:

So far, those faculty performing include Mark "Notorious Ph.D." Naison, Ph.D., professor of African and African-American studies, Paul "Dr. Blues" Cimbala, Ph.D., professor of history, Christophe “Daddy” Chalamet, Ph.D., associate professor of theology and Asif "Punk" Siddiqi, Ph.D., associate professor of history, but there are likely to be some other add-ons (perhaps even a dean, who knows?)

Fordham's student acappella group, the Satin Dolls, will open the set. For an idea of what you are in for, read a review here. Tickets are $10, $5 with student i.d., and all proceeds go to the BAAHP.

--Janet Sassi

Fordham Theatre Takes Manhattan

The Great White Way shines with a distinct shade of maroon these days, as several Fordham Theatre alumni are currently performing in Broadway shows, with another set to star off-Broadway in Shakespeare in the Park.

Heather Lind, FCLC ’05, (right) is acting opposite Al Pacino, as Jessica in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. Van Hughes, FCLC ’05, is playing the lead role in Green Day’s American Idiot. And over at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, a stone’s throw from Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus, Ian Lassiter, FCLC ’06, is featured in Nick Stafford’s acclaimed drama War Horse.

“It gives me such fantastic satisfaction to see our artists get work,” said Matthew Maguire, director of the theatre program at Fordham. “To see them so swiftly move to the top of the profession is an amazing thrill.

“We must be doing something right.”

Regarded as one of the most outstanding B.A. theatre training programs in the country, Fordham Theatre combines the intimacy of a small conservatory, a traditional liberal arts education, and New York City’s rich resources and artistic opportunities. Theatre majors specialize in performance, playwriting, directing, or design and production, and produce four mainstage productions and more than 20 studio productions every season.

Lind landed the role of Jessica in spring 2010, while completing her M.F.A. in acting at New York University. She also took on the role of Perdita in The Winter’s Tale. Produced by the Public Theater, both plays ran in repertory in June and July at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. The Merchant of Venice is now on stage at the Broadhurst Theatre.

Recently, the Public Theater announced its plans to cast a repertory company of actors in its 2011 Shakespeare in the Park production—and for the second consecutive year, it has turned to a Fordham theatre alumna to play a big role. Annie Parisse, FCLC ’99, (above) has been cast as Helena, the lead female character in All’s Well That Ends Well, and Mariana in Measure for Measure.

Meanwhile, Van Hughes (right) has been starring as Johnny in American Idiot since early March, after previously serving as understudy for the musical's three lead characters—Johnny, Tunny and Will.

“It's about people searching for meaning, like all shows,” said Hughes, whose Broadway credits include 9 to 5: The Musical and Hairspray. “It’s about these kids trying to figure out the next steps forward in a post-9/11 world.”

Most recently, Ian Lassiter (left) made his Broadway debut as part of a 35-member ensemble in the Lincoln Center Theater production of War Horse. He also understudies three roles in the play.

Lind, Hughes and Lassiter join a Playbill-length list of Fordham College of Lincoln Center alumni currently showcasing their talents on Broadway. They can be seen in The Lion King (Charity DeLoera, FCLC ’08, and James Pierce, FCLC ’08); In the Heights (Jennifer Locke, FCLC ’08); and Memphis (Ephraim Sykes, FCLC ’07).

—Miles Doyle, FCRH ’01

Walsh Residence Hall Gets Into the Recycling Spirit

As Recyclemania enters the final days of a eight week-long competition, Walsh Hall's Resident Assistant Thomas Brown shared with us an example of how the competition, which for the first time pitted residence halls against each other at Fordham's Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses, also brought out a little creativity too.

Armed with little more than packing tape and their imaginations, and fueled by pizza and soda, roughly a dozen residents transformed plastic, cardboard and aluminum into, well...maybe we should just let the picture tell the story.




Keep up the great work guys!

For more information, visit http://www.recyclemania.org/

—Patrick Verel

Fordham Alumnus Wins Irish-American Good Guy Award

When John Cirillo, organizer of the annual Halligan-McGuire Irish-American Good Guy Awards, called William J. “Bill” Burke to tell him he was one of this year’s recipients, Burke assumed he was calling about reserving a table. The annual event, now in its second year, helps raise money to support scholarships for Fordham students.

“The markets were falling [that day],” recalled Burke, FCRH ’65, LAW ’68, managing director of investments at Wells Fargo Advisors. “I said, ‘John, I’m taking a table. But I’ll call you back after the market closes.’”

A few days later, Cirillo, FCRH ’78, tried his fellow Fordham alumnus again.

“I told him, ‘John, you can count on me. I’m taking a table,’” Burke said. “That’s when he told me, ‘Bill, it’s a bit more complicated than that. You’re one of the honorees this year.’”

Despite the initial miscommunication, Burke received his Halligan-McGuire Irish-American Good Guy Award at a luncheon at Gallagher’s Steak House in Manhattan on March 22.

“This really is a great honor,” said Burke, who received the award alongside former New York Rangers coach Mike Keenan, New York Times sportswriter Dave Anderson and National Basketball Association public relations executive Brian McIntyre.

The Halligan-McGuire Irish-American Good Guy Award is named after former New York Knicks star Dick McGuire and John Halligan, FCRH ’63, a longtime publicist for the New York Rangers and the National Hockey League.

Halligan started with the Rangers as a publicist in 1963, after graduating from Fordham. Eventually, he worked his way up to vice president of communications and business manager of the team. In 1983, Halligan left the Rangers for a public relations position with the NHL, before returning to the Rangers in 1986. Four years later, he returned to the league offices, where he worked until his retirement in 2006. He is the author of 100 Ranger Greats: Superstars, Unsung Heroes and Colorful Characters (Wiley, 2009) and Game of My Life: New York Rangers (Sports Publishing, 2006). He passed away in January 2010.

Upon receiving his award, Burke recalled Halligan showing him around Madison Square Garden when Burke, then a student at Rose Hill, was the sports information director at Fordham and the Rams were set to play a few games at the arena.

“He introduced me to everyone in the chain of command at the Garden,” Burke said. “He didn’t have to do that, but he was such a lovely and kind man. I’ll never forget that.”

More than 100 people attended the luncheon, which was put together by Cirillo Management, a sports and entertainment company specializing in public relations, marketing and promotion, community relations, and special event management. Sal Marchiano, FCRH ’63, served as master of ceremonies.

“There wasn’t a cause closer to John’s heart than Fordham,” Marchiano said. “He would have been proud of today’s event.”

Proceeds from the event help fund the John Halligan Memorial Scholarship, awarded each year to a Fordham junior or senior majoring in communication and media studies. A committee—Friends of John Halligan—determines its recipient.

“That’s what it’s really about,” said Burke. “If you’re given something in life like I was, you have to give back. You want to do the right thing for Fordham.”

For more information and to make a gift to support endowed scholarships, visit www.fordham.edu/campaign.

—Miles Doyle, FCRH ’01

Photo Caption: William J. "Bill" Burke, FCRH ’65, LAW ’68, (right) with New York Times sportswriter Dave Anderson at the second annual Halligan-McGuire Irish-American Good Guy Awards. Image courtesy of Cirillo Management.

London Dramatic Academy News

Fordham's London Dramatic Academy Newsletter | Spring 2011

Download Newsletter (PDF)

Fordham Ranks in Top 10 for Internship Placement

Fordham has placed fifth on a U.S. News & World Report ranking of universities that produce the most interns.

According to the magazine, 75 percent of the 1,885 students in the Class of 2009 completed at least one internship during their time at the University.

Fordham tied with Duke University on the list of top 10 institutions.

U.S. News tabulated the statistics by using internship data for the Class of 2009 submitted by 692 schools.

Internships have become a particularly important part of the college experience, the magazine noted, as the increase in people with college degrees outpaced U.S. population growth by more than threefold over the past decade.

Gaining career-development experience as an undergraduate is one way that a student can stand out. Fordham was ranked with other high-performing institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania (No. 1), University of Pittsburgh (No. 7) and Johns Hopkins University (No. 9).

One common thread for many of the schools in the top 10 is an urban setting; George Washington University and American University are in Washington D.C., for instance, while Seton Hall University is near New York City.

For more information, visit U.S. News & World Report website.

—Patrick Verel

Fordham Student Produces Video for American Heart Association Luncheon

As the American Heart Association (AHA) holds its annual Go Red Luncheon and Learning Session in Greenwich, Conn., on Thursday, March 24, a little bit of Fordham will have played a part in its success.

The AHA’s Go Red Luncheon committee was able to use meeting space at Fordham’s Westchester campus. Fordham often provided breakfast as well.

The collaboration was part of Fordham Westchester’s ongoing commitment to the local community and area organizations, said Lynne O’Connell, assistant dean of admission for Fordham College of Liberal Studies.

O’Connell, a member of the Go Red luncheon committee, helped plan the event, which raises funds for “Go Red For Women”—a social initiative designed to empower women to take charge of their heart health. And that's not all.

“This past February, one of our newly admitted students, Nick Mathis, volunteered to produce a video, which will be shown at the luncheon. Approximately 620 attendees will see the video,” O’Connell said. (See the video by clicking on this link.)

Fordham’s Westchester campus has worked with several area organizations. The Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson recently honored the campus with a community service award.

—Gina Vergel

Fordham Students Earn Spots in Prestigious Summer Program in Athens

Facade of the Gennadius Library
(Photo via www.ascsa.edu)

Two Fordham doctoral students have earned full scholarships to a distinguished summer program at the Gennadios Library, which is part of the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Greece.

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences students Matt Briel and Jon Stanfill were the only two students who received scholarships for the entire program, said Nancy Busch, Ph.D., dean of GSAS and Chief Research Officer/Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs for Fordham.

“It is the most prestigious opportunity to study Medieval Greek,” Busch said.

In the month-long Medieval Greek Summer Session, Briele and Stanfill will partake in daily analysis and translation of Byzantine texts; paleography; introduction to the bibliography of Byzantine philology and collections of the Gennadius Library; visits to area museums, libraries, sites, museums and monuments outside Athens. The pair will also get individual tutorials and assignments determined by their specific needs and field of study.

The objective the summer session program is to familiarize students who have a sound foundation in Classical Greek with Medieval Greek language and philology by exposing them to primary sources, different kinds of literary genres and electronic tools, drawing on the resources of the Gennadios Library. The library houses 117,000 volumes and archives and is devoted to post-classical Hellenic civilization.

—Gina Vergel

GSS Conference Explores Women and Arts-based Social Work

In conjunction with Women’s History Month, the Graduate School of Social Service (GSS) sponsors its Seventh Annual Women and Girls Symposium on Wednesday, March 23rd at 6 p.m. on the Lincoln Center campus in the 12th Floor Lounge Lowenstein Center.

This year’s symposium is "Social Work and the Arts for women and Girls: Innovations from the Field.” FROM THE FIELD looks at new outcomes from arts-based care and creative social work for women and girls. Its three keynote speakers are:

—Sandra Bennett-Pagan, LSCS, regional women’s health coordinator for the United States Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Women’s Health;
—Drena Fagan, LMSW, LCAT, a social worker and certified arts therapist at New York Creative Arts Therapists PLLC; and
—Nathaly Rubio-Torio, executive director and co-founder of Voces de Latinas.

Since the emphasis is on healing and the arts, this year’s celebration also features a musical performance by Las Hermanas Marquez.

For a full schedule of events or to RSVP go to the website.

The mission of the Fordham Institute for Women and Girls is to promote the well-being of women and girls who experience poverty, violence, health problems and workplace discrimination.

—Janet Sassi

New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade 2011

Fordham University enjoyed pride of place at the 250th New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark, FCLC ’79, served as Grand Marshal, while more than 500 Fordham alumni, students, family and friends marched up Fifth Avenue as one of the largest collegiate contingencies in attendance.

“When you march along Fifth Avenue,” said Paul Reilly, FCRH ’80, “the crowd just loves you. You’re like a rock star. The warmth you feel coming from the sidewalk is amazing. Everybody on Fifth Avenue knows someone who either went to Fordham, or knows somebody who wishes they went to Fordham.”

Richard S. “Dick” Colt, FCRH ’67, and Edward H. Winkler, FCRH ’67, LAW ’72, served as University banner bearers during the parade.

For the former classmates, it was a return to form. They marched in the parade four years straight as members of Fordham’s ROTC program.

“We’re really just continuing what we did back then,” said Winkler, a retired colonel in the U.S. Army and a 2008 inductee into the Ram Battalion Hall of Fame. “But it’s still a great honor.”

Earlier that morning, alumni gathered at the Princeton Club for a pre-parade brunch, hosted by the University’s Office of Alumni Relations. Christopher Maginn, Ph.D., director of Fordham’s Institute of Irish Studies, and Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the University, addressed the group before a performance by the Broome County Celtic Pipes and Drummers, which included Fordham alumnus Paul Sweeney, FCRH ’84, and his son, Patrick, a sophomore at Fordham College at Rose Hill.

“This morning, after I delivered the homily at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, I prayed at the crypt of [Fordham’s founder, Archbishop] John Hughes and thanked him for the crazy notion of a dream he had 170 years ago,” Father McShane said. “I thanked him for the great grace of Fordham.”

With this grace in mind, Fordham alumni throughout the tri-state area traveled to New York for a chance to march with their alma mater.

Denis Dineen, FCRH ’74, drove all the way down from Albany. “It’s long day, but it’s worth it,” he said, before marching in his third parade. “It’s a chance to get down to New York City and be among some of my Fordham friends and fellow alumni.”

Though he only traveled across town, Matt Sheehan, a third-year student at Fordham Law School, appreciated the significance of marching with Fordham.

“I just wanted to be a part of the day,” he said. “I’m happy to represent Fordham and celebrate the day with friends, Fordham alumni and my fellow Irishmen and Irishwomen.”

—Miles Doyle, FCRH ’01

Some more images from the day, courtesy of Chris Taggart.

A Fordham Voice Among the March Madness

If you’re watching the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, keep an ear open for a familiar Fordham voice.

Spero Dedes, FCRH ’01, the radio play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers, will call four early-round games in the tournament’s Southwest region.

On Friday afternoon, Dedes, who got his start at WFUV (90.7 FM, wfuv.org ) will announce the Notre Dame- Akron game followed by the Texas A&M game against Florida State. Later that evening, Dedes will return to the air as the No. 14-seed Saint Peter’s Peacocks try to upset the No. 3-seed Purdue Boilermakers.

Dedes is also in line to finish a busy day behind the mic with the matchup between Georgetown and Virginia Commonwealth, who defeated USC in the tournament’s first round of play.

In 2001, Dedes received the inaugural Marty Glickman Award, given annually to the Fordham announcer who best exemplifies the standards set by the late sports broadcasting icon. Along with Bob Aherns, executive producer of WFUV sports, and John Cirillo, FCRH ’78, Spero credits Glickman for helping him perfect his craft.

“[Marty] would be very harsh on most of the kids’ [tapes],” Dedes told FORDHAM magazine in late 2005. “But he called me in my dorm room after I’d worked a weekend basketball game and told me he’d heard something in my tapes and that if I kept working on it, I had a bright future in the business. That gave me confidence.”

Dedes is one of a long line of Fordham-trained sportscasters, including Mike Breen, FCRH ’83; Michael Kay, FCRH ’82; Bob Papa, FCRH ’86; and Ford C. Frick Award winner Vin Scully, FCRH ’49, the longtime voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

—Miles Doyle, FCRH ‘01

(Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Lakers.)

GSE to Sponsor Early Childhood Development Conference

Fordham’s Graduate School of Education (GSE) will co-sponsor the 2011 Young Child Expo & Conference on April 7 and 8, in the Hotel Pennsylvania in Manhattan.

The conference, organized by Los Niños Services, brings together top leaders to provide the latest information about essential topics in early childhood development. Early childhood professionals and parents will also learn about services, resources and products to help all children reach their full potential. In one unique event, this conference integrates learning about typically developing children as well as those with special needs, including autism.

James Hennessy, Ph.D., dean of GSE, will present the Excellence in Early Childhood Award, to Ami Klim, Ph.D., director of the Autism Program at Yale University. The award recognizes early childhood professionals who are extraordinary champions and advocates for young children and their families. Klim has conducted groundbreaking research in the area of early assessment of autism.

Klim will deliver the keynote speech on Thursday, April 8, at 8:30 a.m.

For more information on program and speakers, or to register to attend the conference, please visit http://www.youngchildexpo.com/

Los Niños Services is a multilingual agency serving the developmental needs of young children and their families.

Founded in 1841, Fordham is the Jesuit University of New York, offering exceptional education distinguished by the Jesuit tradition to approximately 14,700 students in its four undergraduate colleges and its six graduate and professional schools.

-Gina Vergel

RecycleMania Taps Enthusiasm for the Environment

Six weeks after joining a nation-wide contest to see who can best keep their bottles, cans and cardboard out of landfills, the residents of Queen’s Court, Salice-Conley Hall and McMahon Hall are in the lead for Fordham's biggest recycler.

According to statistics compiled weekly, the Rose Hill campus’ Queen's Court has recycled the most paper and cardboard, at five pounds per person. Nearby Salice-Conley Hall is leading the charge with glass, metal and plastic, at 6.70 pounds per person.

When it comes to keeping trash out of the system though, students at the 10 residence halls in the Bronx have nothing on their Manhattan brethren. Residents of McMahon Hall, which is on the Lincoln Center campus, have generated 9.75 pounds of trash per person.

RecycleMania, an annual contest between colleges around the country to see who can recycle more during an eight-week period, started in 2001 as a competition between Miami University of Ohio and Ohio University, and now features 630 schools.

This is the first year Fordham has participated in the contest, in the informal “Benchmark” division. In both the formal and informal divisions, schools submit weight data for paper, cardboard, cans and bottles, food waste and general trash each week, and are in turn able to see how they measure up against each other.

Since the competition began, a total of 45 tons of material have been collected from Fordham residence halls. The contest runs through April 2, so there is still time left to earn bragging rights as the greenest among them all.

For more information, visit http://www.recyclemania.org/

—Patrick Verel

Kevin Rooney Jr., GSB '07, to Fight, Flack

Boxer Kevin Rooney Jr., GSB ’07, will step into the ring for the first time as a professional on April 22 at the Mohegan Sun resort in Uncasville, Conn.

The son of Mike Tyson's former trainer, Kevin Rooney Sr., Rooney posted a 9-2 record as an amateur. Last year, he reached the quarterfinals of the New York Golden Gloves before deciding to turn pro. He is expected to fight at 154 pounds, about 10 pounds less than his amateur fighting weight.

When not in the ring, Rooney is director of media relations for Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing. DeGuardia—a former boxer turned promoter who also served as a Bronx assistant district attorney—is a 1986 alumnus of Fordham College at Rose Hill. He established Star Boxing in 1992.

Fittingly, Star Boxing is promoting the April 22 card, and Rooney will work the media after he’s through working his opponent.

"I'll go in the back to the dressing room after my fight to change," Rooney recently told ESPN. "I'll put my suit back on and be back working as the publicist for the show."

—Miles Doyle, FCRH ’01

Voices Up: Songs for James Joyce & Hart Crane

The Voices Up premiere of Songs for Joyce by Samuel Barber and Victoria Bond, and Songs for Crane by Elliott Carter, Lawrence Kramer and Alexander Nohai-Seaman.

Friday, March 11, 2011 | 7:30 p.m.
Lowenstein Center | 12th-Floor Lounge
Fordham University, Lincoln Center Campus
Free and Open to the Public

Joyce, Crane, and Fordham University Press
This event is held in collaboration with Fordham's Poet's Out Loud program and will (as all Voices Up events do) feature live readings of the texts set to music. This year's event commemorates the publication, by Fordham University Press, of the first critical edition of Hart Crane's epic of America, The Bridge, edited by Lawrence Kramer, professor of English at Fordham, and the 2011 edition of Joyce Studies Annual, edited by Moshe Gold and Philip Sicker. Books will be available at the concert.

Vote for Cassandra, Vote for Fordham

Fordham College at Rose Hill junior Cassandra Lombardi, a communications and media studies major, has been selected as a finalist in the national University Language Service Photo Contest for her artistic perspective of Rome’s famous Via Del Corso as it stretches, endlessly, to the horizon.

Lombardi took the photo while she was a study abroad student in Rome during the Fall 2010 semester. If Lombardi’s photo is voted as one of the top two, she has a shot at a $500 college scholarship.

Lombardi is up against some stiff competition from five other student photographers. If you would like to support Lombardi, you can vote for her in the contest at the ULS website. It only takes a few seconds to support a member of the Fordham community by clicking here (or at the url below), checking the circle next to Lombardi’s name, and then submitting your choice on the Vote icon.

www.universitylanguage.com/finalists

Winners of the scholarship contest will be announced on or around April 25, 2011.

—Janet Sassi

Fordham Students Take Home Design Award

Shane Moan and Andrew Koudlai may call different Fordham campuses home, but when it came to a recent design competition, they won as fellow Rams.

Moan, a sophomore theatre design major at Fordham College at Lincoln Center, and Koudlai, a senior pre-architecture major at Fordham College at Rose Hill, took home honorable mentions on Tuesday, March 2 in “Revealing Shadows,” a contest sponsored by the New York City section of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America.

They were chosen along with four other prize-winners from a field of 135 entries from schools such as Parsons The New School for Design, Pratt Institute, New York University’s Tisch School of Arts and New York School of Interior Design.

Their light studies and those from other Fordham students who entered will be on display starting Thursday, March 10 at the Push Pin Gallery, on the ground floor of the Lowenstein Center, at the Lincoln Center campus.

"The Heart of a Confident Man" by Shane Moan

"Perspective Counts" by Andrew Koudlai

—Patrick Verel

Big Trucks at Lincoln Center

A short clip of the construction work at the Lincoln Center campus. This clip, shot on Tuesday, March 8, 2011, shows a bucket loader filling a dump truck with rocks and earth from the excavation to be carted away.

In the early part of the clip you can see a worker on the right side of the screen cutting rebar with a torch. Notice as the truck rocks on its springs when the bucket loader is tamping down the dirt in the truck bed. Though it's difficult to see on the video, the truck driver is grinning hugely—an e-ticket ride at the Lincoln Center campus.

Video by Jon Roemer.

From the Hollywood Hills to Rose Hill

The basketball team’s 77-73 win over UMass on Saturday had fans seeing stars.

Well, one star in particular.



Sitting courtside at the Rose Hill Gym was indie filmmaker Edward Burns, whose hits include The Brothers McMullen, Sidewalks of New York and Nice Guy Johnny.

Burns, a friend of Head Coach Tom Pecora, brought his son to watch the team in action. The Rams rewarded him by posting their first Atlantic 10 victory in more than two seasons.

He tweeted after the game, “Courtside in the Bronx. Big win for Coach Pec,” and posted a photo he took from his seat.

Burns recently announced that he will star in a new HBO series called 40, which focuses on four friends in their forties whose lives are at varying levels of success.

—Joe McLaughlin

Congratulations to Fordham's Longtime Employees

Yesterday's Fordham University Convocation recognized the service of 20 and 40-year employees at the university. Below is a complete list of those honored:

Archbishop Hughes Medal | (40-Year Award)

Melba F. Chamberlain | Associate Director for the Masters of Law Program | School of Law
Estelle Fabian | Assistant Dean of the Masters of Law Program | School of Law
Joan Mastrangelo | Director of University Collections
Michael Wares | Assistant Director for Technical Services | University Libraries

Archbishop Hughes Medal | (20-Year Award)

Robert Allen | Deputy Director | Quinn Library
Garrett Barker | Assistant Director of Custodial Services at Rose Hill
Biswa P. Bhowmick | Assistant Dean/Associate Director Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP)
Michele C. Burris | Associate Vice President | Student Affairs
Margaret “Peggy” Cuskley | Administrative Assistant | Department of English
Gene Fein | Director of Academic Services | Enrollment Group
Kenneth J. Lau | Program Director for the Children and Families Institute for Research, Support and Training (Children FIRST) | Graduate School of Social Service
Edward Peter Mix | Science Reference Librarian
Cornelius “Corny” O’Connell | WFUV Radio Host
Joseph Scaltro | Senior Project Manager | Office of Facilities Management
Maria G. Terzulli | Administrator | The Francis and Ann Curran Center for
American Catholic Studies

The Bene Merenti Medal | (40-Year Award)

Susan Fahrenholtz | Adjunct Professor | Department of Natural Sciences
Fordham College at Lincoln Center
Rowland Hughes | Professor of Education
Mary Bradley McElligott | Lecturer | Department of English
Robert J. Penella | Professor of Classics and Chair | Department of Classics

The Bene Merenti Medal | (20-Year Award)

Christopher R. Blake | Joseph Keating, S.J., Distinguished Professor of Business
Fordham Schools of Business
Janet DiLorenzo | Clinical Assistant Professor of Marketing | Fordham Schools of Business
Kevin T. Jackson | Professor of Law and Ethics | Fordham Schools of Business
Deborah W. Denno | Arthur A. McGivney Professor of Law
Marlene Cooper | Associate Professor | Graduate School of Social Service
Thomas S. DeLuca Jr. | Professor of Political Science | Director of International Studies Program
Kenneth E. Dupuy | Adjunct Instructor of Philosophy | Fordham College of Liberal Studies
Susan Celia Greenfield | Associate Professor of English
Elizabeth A. Johnson, C.S.J. | Distinguished Professor of Theology
Judith Jones | Associate Professor of Philosophy
Héctor Lindo-Fuentes | Professor of History
Edward John Van Buren | Professor of Philosophy | Director of Environmental Policy

Sursum Corda Award

Georgina Calia Arendacs | Director of Equity and Equal Opportunity
Steven Madigan | Electrician

Congratulations to the employees and their families.

Van Hughes, FCLC '05, Stars in "American Idiot"

Van Hughes, a 2005 alumnus of Fordham University’s Theatre Program, has landed the role of Johnny in the Broadway production of American Idiot, the theatrical adaptation of Green Day’s rock opera of the same name.

“I’d been waiting in the wings, as they say, for about a year,” said Hughes, who had been an understudy for the musical's three lead characters—Johnny, Tunny and Will—and whose Broadway credits include 9 to 5: The Musical and Hairspray. “It really taught me a lot about rolling with the punches, and never knowing what you’re going to get."

In the show, Johnny is a disaffected youth, fed up with the trappings of modern suburbia. He moves to the city and quickly loses himself in sex, drugs and rock and roll, while his friend, Tunny, enlists in the military. A second friend, Will, languishes in the trio’s hometown, Jingletown, USA, raising a child with his girlfriend, Heather.

“It's about people searching for meaning, like all shows,” he said. “It’s about these kids trying to figure out the next steps forward in a post-9/11 world.”

After studying musical theater at the Governor’s School for the Arts in Norfolk, Va., Hughes wanted to explore the craft of acting in full—which is how he ended up at Fordham.

"One of the main things I learned at Fordham,” he said, “was the importance of physical actions. You have to use your body to tell a story. Someone in the back row needs to understand the story by the way your body is positioned. I have to show [my character] is working something out while singing lyrics that aren’t necessarily expressing that.

“I combine what I learned at both schools for what I do every night on stage.”

In addition to his Broadway credits, Hughes has appeared in the films Sex And The City: The Movie, Sex and the City 2, Tenure and Rachel Getting Married.

His first official performance as Johnny was Tuesday, March 1, at the St. James Theatre.

For tickets or more information, click here.

—Miles Doyle, FCRH ’01

Vote for Fordham’s Funded Research Scholar Award

Do you know someone at Fordham who’s doing amazing research in the humanities, sciences or social sciences and professions? If so, the Office of Research wants to hear from you.

The first ever “Funded-Research Scholars” award will be presented at a ceremony on March 29, at “Growing Research at Fordham Day & Night” a series of panels, displays, presentations and receptions that will be held in McNally Amphitheatre and the Law School Atrium at Lincoln Center.

Participants will see a snapshot of research being conducted by colleagues and collaborators, student research assistants, administrators and support staff.

To see the list of eligible faculty and submit a nomination(s) in any or all of three areas that will be awarded, visit

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FundedResearchScholars2011

Voting closes at noon on Friday, March 4. For more information, visit the event website.

—Patrick Verel

The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything

Meet James Martin, S.J.
Wednesday, 2 March | 7 p.m.
Campbell Hall Commons, Rose Hill Campus
Free and Open to the Public

James Martin, S.J., graduated from the Wharton School of Business. He worked for General Electric. He's the culture editor of America magazine and the New York Times bestselling-author of numerous books, including The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything. He is also the author of My Life with the Saints (Publishers Weekly named it one of the Best Books of 2006). Father Martin is a frequent commentator on faith and values in a variety of media, including The New York Times; NPR’s Fresh Air; The Newshour with Jim Lehrer on PBS; The Colbert Report; and The Wall Street Journal.

See Father Martin in Action

Father Martin Part I



Father Martin Part II



Father Martin Part III