16. Mass Transit Helped Us Grow
This panoramic image of Rose Hill, taken in 1916, shows the New York and Harlem Railroad (now Metro-North) and the Third Avenue Elevated line. The railroad was extended to the Fordham area in 1841, just a few months after the college opened, and the El reached Fordham in 1901. The proximity of both lines to the western edge of campus helped drive Fordhamâs growth from a small college in a farming village into the Jesuit University of New York in its first six decades.
17. New York Grew Up Around Us
At 175 years old, Fordham has been around longer than some of the cityâs most venerable landmarks and institutions, including the Brooklyn Bridge (opened in 1883) and the Statue of Liberty (dedicated in 1886). Since 1841, Fordham faculty, students, and alumni have helped endow the city with the restless energy, the sense of urgency and purpose that have come to define what it means to be a New Yorker.
18. Father OâHare Was Named One of the Cityâs Most Powerful People
As president from 1984 to 2003, Joseph A. OâHare, S.J., GSAS â68, helped transform the University from a strong regional, largely commuter school into what The Wall Street Journal called âa hard-charging institution.â He challenged Fordham to join âthe dialogue with genius and passion that goes on every dayâ in the city. And he led by example, as the founding chair of the New York City Campaign Finance Boardâa role that earned him a spot on a 1997 list of âNew Yorkâs 50 Most Powerful People.â
19. Sister McGeady Revitalized Covenant House
When Fordham alumna Mary Rose McGeady, D.C., GSAS â61, was named president and chief executive officer of Covenant House in 1990, the New York-based shelter for homelessâ¨and runaway youths was in the middle of a financial and institutional crisis. She stared down a staggering $38 million debt and inspired a frustrated staff of 1,200 people to breathe new life into the agencyâs programs and services.
By her retirement 13 years later, she had revitalized Covenant House and helped transform the lives of hundreds of thousands of children in 21 cities, including New York.
20. One Alumnus Helped Stem the Black Monday Crisis
As president of the New York Federal Reserve from 1985 to 1993, E. Gerald Corrigan, Ph.D., GSAS â65, â71, acted swiftly following the Black Monday stock market collapse in October 1987. His actionsâincluding personal phone calls to jittery bankers, investors, and elected officialsâare widely credited with keeping the crisis from spreading beyond Wall Street to other financial sectors.
In 1994, he joined Goldman Sachs, where he was a partner and managing director. He has credited his ability to work through problems and act decisively to his Jesuit educationâ first at Fairfield University, then at Fordham, where he earnedâ¨a doctorate in economics. While it emphasizes the liberal arts and humanities, Jesuit education âputs even greater emphasis on simple, straightforward propositions of trying to teach you how to think,â he said. âThatâs the genius of it.â
21. Our Bronx Black History Project Gives Voice to the Boroughâs Rich Cultural Heritage
In November 2015, Fordhamâs Bronx African American History Project made public a digital archive of more than 300 oral histories recorded by current and former Bronx residentsâfrom 1950s homemakers to hip-hop pioneersâwho have helped define the boroughâs character.
22. On St. Patrickâs Day, One of Fordhamâs Own Will Lead the March Up Fifth Avenue
Next March, Michael Dowling, GSS â74, president and CEO of Northwell Health (formerly North Shore-LIJ Health System), and a former professor and assistant dean at the Graduate School of Social Service, will serve as grand marshal of the 2017 New York City St. Patrickâs Day Parade.
23. Students Thrive in CSTEP
For nearly 30 years, students have thrived in Fordhamâs chapter of CSTEPâa New York state-sponsored program designedâ¨to propel underrepresented and economically disadvantaged scholars into careers in the sciences, health fields, and other licensed professions. In March 2012, scores of alumni returned to campus for a 25th anniversary dinner, eager to reunite and share success stories. One alumnus recalled, âCSTEP offered that feeling of community, of support, of being understood.â
Above from left: Asmaou Diallo with her fellow CSTEP graduates Amaidani Boncenor and Angel Melendez at commencement in 2012.