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Dean McKay, Ph.D., ARTS AND SCIENCES, professor of psychology, published the chapters “Anxiety Disorders” and “Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder” in the book Science-Based Therapy: Raising the Bar for Empirically Supported Treatments, published by Cambridge University Press on Jan. 10.

He also testified before the Washington State Senate on Feb. 13 in opposition to a bill to permit psychologists to prescribe medications, a result of a critical commentary paper he lead-authored titled “Suicide Risk, Psychosocial Interventions, and the Proper Role of Psychopharmacological Agents: A Comment on Hughes et al.” (2023) to be published in Professional Psychology: Research & Practice.

Michele Prettyman, Ph.D., ARTS AND SCIENCES, assistant professor of communication and media studies, published her article “Woman, Alone? Camille Billops, Self-Possession, and Older Women and Love (1987)” in the winter issue of the Feminist Media Histories Journal on Jan.1. 

Samantha Stone, ARTS AND SCIENCES, adjunct professor of English, published a children’s picture book, The Kitchen Magician, on Jan. 30.

Support for this programming comes from the Flannery O’Connor Trust, which endowed the Curran Center in 2018 with a grant to promote the scholarship of O’Connor and other Catholic writers who have contributed significantly to the American canon. 

The center’s associate director Angela Alaimo O’Donnell, herself a distinguished Flannery O’Connor scholar, is at the center of these efforts, planning multiple events and speaking on many panels about the writer’s profound Catholic faith, the enduring resonance of her fiction, and the ways she wrote about race in her short stories versus her personal letters.

In advance of a sold-out panel discussion on February 23 at the Flannery O’Connor Childhood Home in Savannah, Georgia, O’Donnell recalled how she first fell under the spell of O’Connor’s writing in an interview with the Savannah Morning News.

“I learned that she’s a Catholic in the South, which is a very odd thing to be…because she’s southern and very much fits in, but she doesn’t fit in terms of this Catholicism—which most Southerners at the time regarded with a great deal of suspicion…So, I began to have an affinity for her because of the sense of being both of the place and also not of the place.”

On O’Connor’s actual birthday, March 25, 2025, Fordham will be screening Everything That Rises Must Converge, a film of the play based on O’Connor’s short story about a Black woman and a white woman on a bus in the newly desegregated South. A panel discussion will follow featuring director Karin Coonrod; several actors from the play; Mark Chapman, associate professor of African and African American Studies; and O’Donnell, whose multiple books on O’Connor include Radical Ambivalence: Race in Flannery O’Connor, Flannery O’Connor: Fiction Fired by Faith and a book of sonnets that channel O’Connor’s voice, Andalusian Hours: Poems from the Porch of Flannery O’Connor.

This summer, Fordham’s London campus will also host a conference sponsored by the Curran Center, “Flannery Abroad: A Conference in Celebration of Flannery O’Connor’s Centenary” from June 5 through 8.

O’Donnell will also be discussing O’Connor’s legacy on May 5th at the Cultural Center of Milan via Zoom and on May 23 at the American Literature Association Conference in Boston.

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Sameena Azhar, Ph.D., GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SERVICE, associate professor of social work, had her article, “‘I Would Prefer to Be Dead Than to Live This Way’: Lived Experiences of Stigma and Discrimination Against Khwaja Sira in Swat, Pakistan” highlighted in Cambridge Prisms Global Mental Health as one of 10 noteworthy articles in its 10th anniversary special collection. 

Christopher Koenigsmann, Ph.D., ARTS AND SCIENCES, associate professor of chemistry, is a co-author on the 12th edition of General Chemistry by Ebbing, Gammon, Koenigsmann, and Wu. The book will be published by Cengage on March 7.

Joshua Schrier, Ph.D., ARTS AND SCIENCES, professor of chemistry and Kim B. and Stephen E. Bepler Chair in Chemistry, co-authored the research paper “Explainable Synthesizability Prediction of Inorganic Crystal Polymorphs Using Large Language Models,” published in Angewandte Chemie on Feb. 13. 

Nicholas Tampio, Ph.D., ARTS AND SCIENCES, professor of political science, became an associate editor of the Journal of Politics on Jan. 1.

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Rufus Burnett, Ph.D., ARTS AND SCIENCES, associate professor of theology, provided the introduction for the lecture Faith Seeking Liberation: Xavier University of Louisiana’s Contribution to Theology at Xavier University on Jan. 30.

Elaine Congress, Ph.D., GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SERVICE, professor and associate dean for special programs, published a new chapter titled “The Role of the Culturagram in Medical Education: Emphasis on Documented and Undocumented Migrant Families” in a Teaching Cultural Competence and Cultural Humility in Medical Education: A Practical Guide.

She also presented at the UN NGO Committee on the Status of Women. The title of her presentation was “Indigenous Women: Education and Poverty.”

Dora Galacatos, LAW ’96, FORDHAM SCHOOL OF LAW, adjunct professor of law and executive director of the Feerick Center for Social Justice, was one of two Fordham Law professors honored at the 2025 Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Annual Meeting, held last month in San Francisco. In recognition of her commitment to public service, Galacatos received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the AALS Section on Pro Bono and Access to Justice.

Susanne Hafner, Ph.D., ARTS AND SCIENCES, assistant professor of German, recently taught a workshop on codicology, the study of manuscrips, for the New York Classical Club Winter Conference at NYU on Feb. 1.

Sertan Kabadayi, Ph.D., GABELLI SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, professor of marketing, coauthored the research paper “From Theory to Practice: A Collaborative Approach to Social Impact Measurement and Communication,” published in the European Journal of Marketing on Feb. 10.

Ela Lesham, FORDHAM SCHOOL OF LAW, associate professor of law, won the 2025 Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Section on Aging and the Law Emerging Scholar Award at the AALS conference.

Lance Strate, Ph.D., ARTS AND SCIENCES, professor of communication and media studies, published the book Not A, Not Be, &c, (Institute of General Semantics, 2024). 

He also published the book chapter, “Imagining a New Ashkenazi Motherland: Alternate History in Simone Zelitch’s Judenstaat” in Jewish Women Science Fiction Writers Create Future Females: Gender, Temporality—and Yentas, edited by Marleen Barr.

Akane Zusho, Ph.D., GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, professor of school psychology, was recently appointed Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Experimental Education (JXE). JXE is a highly regarded journal that publishes articles focused on expanding the understanding of how instructional, motivational, and social processes affect education outcomes for all students in the United States and beyond.

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Orit Avishai, Ph.D., ARTS AND SCIENCES, professor of sociology, hosted a webinar, “Holy Rebellion or Religious Egoism? The Achievements of Religious Zionist Feminism and the Rabbinic Illiberal Backlash in Israel” on Jan. 23 with her co-authors Tanya Zion-Waldoks and Ronit Irshai. They discussed their groundbreaking research and their new book, Holy Rebellion: Religious Feminism and the Transformation of Judaism and Women’s Rights in Israel (Brandeis, 2024).

G. Lawrence Farmer, Ph.D., GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SERVICE, professor of social work and Doctoral Program Director, was named a Society for Social Work and Research Fellow. He attended the SSWR Annual Conference held from Jan. 15 – 19 in Seattle, Washington.

James Fisher, Ph.D., ARTS AND SCIENCES, professor emeritus of theology, won the 2024 Distinguished Teaching Award at the American Catholic Historical Society Annual Meeting, held from Jan. 3 through 5 in New York City. 

In addition, he presented the paper “Saving St. Peter’s: Parochial Education and Irish South Brooklyn, 1875–90” on the “Catholic Education in the Diocese of Brooklyn” panel and served on the panel titled “Haunted by the Ghost: An(other) Irish Turn in Catholic Studies.”

Jeannine Hill Fletcher, Th.D., ARTS AND SCIENCES, professor of theology, served as a panelist on the “Warp Catholicism: Fantastic Voyages in Space and Time” panel at the American Catholic Historical Society Annual Meeting held from Jan. 3 through 5 in New York City. 

Lauri Goldkind, Ph.D., GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SERVICE, professor of social work, had her article, “Introducing Generative Artificial Intelligence Into the MSW Curriculum: A Proposal for the 2029 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards,” named a top article of 2024 by the Council on Social Work Education. The list was released on Dec. 26.

Yuliya Komarova, Ph.D., GABELLI SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, associate professor of marketing, co-authored the paper “Lighting the Fire of Curiosity: How Agents of Transformation Can Ignite and Sustain Transformative Consumer Journeys,” published in the Academy of Marketing Science Review on Jan. 14.

Jenn Lilly, Ph.D., GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SERVICE, assistant professor of social work, won the 2024 Best Early Career Scholar Article award from the journal Families in Society for her article “‘I Learned to Bottle Up My Feelings From a Young Age’: A Narrative Analysis of Latina Young People’s Family Mental Health Socialization.” 

Jim McCartin, Ph.D., ARTS AND SCIENCES, associate professor of theology, chaired and presented as a commenter on the panel titled “American Catholicisms: New Directions for Religious History” at the American Catholic Historical Society Annual Meeting held from Jan. 3 through 5 in New York City. 

Brenna Moore, Th.D., ARTS AND SCIENCES, professor of theology, chaired the “Reimagining Catholic History” panel at the American Catholic Historical Society Annual Meeting held from Jan. 3 through 5 in New York City. 

John Seitz, Ph.D., ARTS AND SCIENCES, associate professor of theology, chaired the “Beyond Archival Silences: Clergy Abuse and Catholic History” panel at the American Catholic Historical Society Annual Meeting held from Jan. 3 through 5 in New York City.

Father Massaro said he has known of “the prestigious McGinley Chair since I was in my 20s,” in part because of the semiannual public lectures the chair historically delivers.  

This tradition, said Massaro, “is one of the ways that Fordham reaches out and plays its role as a center of theology in the broadest, pluralistic circles of New York City life.”

Tracing the Legacy of the McGinley Chair

The McGinley Chair takes its name from Fordham’s 26th president, the Rev. Laurence J. McGinley, S.J., who deepened Fordham’s ties to New York City life and culture by establishing its Lincoln Center campus and serving as a founding director of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Upon McGinley’s retirement in the 1980s, colleagues in New York’s civic and arts communities contributed generously to endow the chair.

As the third person to serve as the McGinley Chair, Father Massaro said he is “very conscious of walking in the footsteps of the first two occupants.” Inaugural chair Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., was the first and still only American theologian to be named a cardinal of the Catholic Church. The second chair, former Vice President for Mission and Ministry at Fordham, Patrick Ryan, S.J., was widely known for his expertise on Islamic political thought and fostered mutual understanding between followers of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He served as the McGinley Chair from 2009 until his retirement in 2022 and now lives at Murray-Weigel Hall, the Jesuit retirement home outside Fordham’s Bronx campus.

Father Massaro, whose area of theological scholarship is social ethics, has written extensively on Catholic social teaching and its recommendations for public policies. He has published 150 articles to date and authored 11 books, including United States Welfare Policy: A Catholic Response (Georgetown University Press, 2007) and Pope Francis as Moral Leader (Paulist Press, 2023).  

“A moral theologian like myself is well positioned to hold this chair and to leverage its publicity to address a broader audience,” he said, “one that includes not just people of faith, but people who don’t think often in terms of religious belief or practice.”

A Fresh Take on American Exceptionalism

As part of his installation ceremony, Father Massaro will deliver his first McGinley Chair lecture on Wednesday, April 9, 2025 in the Keating Hall first floor auditorium at Rose Hill. The topic will be the problematic and ambiguous concept of “American exceptionalism” as seen through a Catholic lens. 

“Catholics have hardly ever spoken about this notion of America as inherently unique and morally superior compared to other nations,” said Father Massaro, “leaving a void of perceptive assessments regarding America’s potential contribution to the global pursuit of political values. So I’ll be offering a fresh perspective. This research project has been percolating in my mind for many years now.”

When the Association of International Educators opened nominations for its lifetime achievement award this summer, Salvatore “Sal” Longarino quickly became the clear front-runner. 

The number of letters that poured in for Fordham’s director of international services was so impressive, the New York and New Jersey chapter of the organization closed submissions once they received the first 15—triple the typical number.  “A tremendous mentor,” “a trusted resource and advisor,” and “an authentic role model to us all” were among the praises heaped upon Longarino by his past and present colleagues. 

For over 20 years, Longarino has made it possible for international students to study at Fordham by overseeing the complex documentation required to host them in the U.S. He has also relayed his expertise to younger colleagues, a number of whom have gone on to work at other institutions, including NYU, Seton Hall, Yeshiva University, Columbia University, Tufts, and Saint Peter’s.  

A Big Turnout of Protégés and Peers 

At the October awards ceremony in Atlantic City, Longarino’s network of supporters from Fordham and other universities showed up in matching T-shirts. Printed on each was a picture of Longarino and the slogan: “The Big Daddy of Int’l Education,” a testament to the number of people he has nurtured over his 40-year career.

“As a parent, when you look at your children, you just bask in their success,” Longarino said. “And that’s my life now, just looking at the people that [I have mentored], and being able to pass on the baton to them.”

Supporting Fordham’s 3,000 International Students

Longarino, who said he has always been drawn to international affairs, entered the field of international education as an assistant foreign student advisor at NYU in the late 1970s. When he joined Fordham in 2000, he was a team of one assisting 300 international students. Today he leads a staff of seven associate and assistant directors and international student advisors who support 3,000 international undergraduate and graduate students, as well as researchers and faculty. 

Giving students an opportunity to receive “the greatest education” in the “greatest city” in the “greatest nation” benefits the student, Fordham, and the world, says Longarino. 

“When my students graduate, I say: Go out and make a better planet,” he said.

Navigating temporary legal status for students during their college years and their first job a year or more after graduation is no small feat. All of the things that are easy for U.S. students to do—flying home for the holidays or for a family emergency, applying for jobs, attending a conference in another country—require precise, time-consuming documentation for international students. And Longarino’s office makes them possible at a moment’s notice and in the face of ever-changing U.S. policies. 

“We are given the responsibility to give legal status to our students,” said Longarino of the work that his office performs. “And they have to maintain that status. They have to study a certain way, they can work only a certain way, travel only a certain way, stay here for a certain length of time. So when you have 3,000 [international students]on top of that, every case is different. It’s a challenge, but it’s rewarding to make it happen.”