All of these Ignatian programs have one thing in common: they bring faculty, staff, and students together while also making it easy to tap into Fordham’s Jesuit spirit. If you’ve considered joining one of these events, read on to see why attendees find them so valuable. 

Living the Mission IRL 

Director of Online Learning Veronica Szczygiel has sampled almost every type of Ignatian program at Fordham, from Storytime with Neighborhood Kids to the one-hour retreats that focus on topics like managing adversity.

“For me, what’s really reaffirming is that these events help me remember that I am connected to a greater community and a greater mission at Fordham University. And it’s a fundamentally Jesuit mission in which the emphasis is on social justice, and on the holistic care of the whole person, cura personalis. I mean, I can bring out all these buzzwords, but really when I feel like I’m being cared for and valued, I can pass that along to the faculty and students that I work with.”

All of the University’s Ignatian events, which take place during lunchtime, in the late afternoons, or on weekends, are planned by Director of Ignatian Mission Initiatives Robert Parmach, often with colleagues across the University like Campus Ministry. 

“Even if it’s for one hour or a brief period of time, you can still make a meaningful impact on the development of your interior life, sense of deeper connection at Fordham, and in helping others in practical ways,” said Parmach.

“As a Jesuit institution, I think it’s important that we learn from and challenge one another in order to be those women and men for others, grounded in thought, critical reflection and a discerning spirit. And you never know how someone can brighten your day. Gratitude is a gift as well.”

Some events draw more students overall, presenting a unique opportunity to impact the way that they see Fordham or what they choose to study. “Last year a student came up to me afterwards and said, ‘I’m a first semester, first-year student. I didn’t realize for the last half hour I was working with a law professor hand-in-hand making sandwiches. Halfway through it, I came to recognize that I have an interest in law.’” 

‘Everyone Is Welcome’

Though Fordham’s Ignatian events are inspired by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order, they’re nondenominational in practice, said Graduate School of Education Student Success Counselor Michael Taylor, who often attends these programs.

“One of the things that activities with Rob have taught me is that everyone is welcome, and that is the goal of creating a strong community,” said Taylor, who is Jewish. He said that Ignatian events at Fordham “transcend religious affiliation.” Last year for example, in partnership with Parmach, he helped coordinate a tour for staff, faculty, students, and alumni of Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan. 

Many Ways to Reflect

Elizabeth Gil, professor of educational leadership, administration, and policy at the Graduate School of Education, attended last year’s staff and faculty retreat in Goshen, New York (to be held on March 12 this year). She said there were lots of opportunities for inward reflection—through walks in the woods, listening to music, and artmaking—and for talking with faculty and staff she wouldn’t have met otherwise. But what really impressed her was how non-prescriptive the whole experience felt.

“There’s a sense that there are options—that there’s not just one way to reflect, that it doesn’t have to look one way. And I think that that’s important in terms of people being able to meet their needs in different ways.”

Upcoming Ignatian Events

Following is a selection of upcoming service projects and retreats for faculty and staff. You can find all of Fordham’s Ignatian events here.

Tuesday, Feb. 11: One-Hour Retreat: Many Faces of Love (1 – 2 p.m., Lincoln Center)

Wednesday, Feb. 12 Mission-in-Action Sandwich Making (11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Rose Hill)

Thursday, Feb. 13, Valentine’s Reflection with Jesuits (3 – 4 p.m., Rose Hill)

Sun., Feb. 24 Xavier Mission Welcome Table Service Project in Chelsea(11:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., Lincoln Center)  

Weds., March 12: Staff and Faculty Retreat in Goshen, NY (9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Ram Van rides from Rose Hill and Lincoln Center)

On Jan. 4, Rico Lucenti became one of the few student vets to receive the President’s Volunteer Service Award, administered by AmeriCorps and presented at the Student Veterans of America (SVA) annual convention in Colorado Springs. 

He said the award reflects well on Fordham, which he said has “some of the most talented student veterans in the entire country.”

“My accomplishments are one of many stories that are found on campus,” he said.

‘An Example for Others’

Lucenti spent more than two decades serving his country in the military—but launched into a whole new career of service when he came to Fordham.

He was a constant presence in the University’s Office of Military and Veterans Services, volunteering at events and helping other student vets. Last May, he took part in Fordham’s Global Outreach program, chaperoning a trip to El Paso, Texas, where he and other students learned about immigration issues. He was active in Fordham’s SVA chapter, and plans to stay involved as an adviser to future student vets—even though he finished his political science degree at Fordham’s School of Professional and Continuing Studies in December.

Matthew Butler, PCS ’17, Fordham’s senior director of military and veterans’ services, said Lucenti “exemplifies the best of our student veterans and is an example for others to follow” because of his leadership and dedication. 

‘Never More Nervous’

Lucenti is a New York City native whose mother, then named Larnice Thompson—his “greatest drill instructor,” he said—was an adjunct professor at the Graduate School of Education in the 1990s.

He roamed the hallways at the Lincoln Center campus as a teenager, and Fordham was his “dream school,” but he still felt trepidation upon entering its classrooms for the first time a few decades later.

He had spent 24 years in the Navy, serving in combat zones, working at the Pentagon, rising high in the enlisted ranks, but was “never more nervous” than when he first entered a Fordham classroom, worrying about being “the old guy” in class.

But instead, “I felt like my experiences were appreciated and celebrated by many of the professors,” as well as students, he said. “A lot of the public policy that we were studying—I actually lived that history.”

‘The Dream College Experience’

His academic achievements and SVA involvement “put me in circles with people who were like-minded, but very driven, very focused, and very much engaged in the Fordham community,” he said. “At 44 years old, I had the dream college experience.”

Last year, he was selected as an SVA Leadership Institute Fellow and traveled to Washington, D.C., where he and other fellows got to meet with the secretaries of defense, education, and veterans affairs, as well as First Lady Jill Biden. It was a great opportunity, he said, to advocate for support for veterans and military-connected families. “This isn’t just about veterans, it’s also the spouses and the children, especially children of the fallen,” he said.

A former cybersecurity manager in the Navy, Lucenti has moved on to a master’s degree program at New York University in cybersecurity risk and strategy. 

He praised Fordham’s SVA chapter and the Office of Military and Veterans’ Services for how they help student veterans make the transition to Fordham and harness new opportunities. “Fordham really opened my eyes,” he said. 

When it comes to opportunities to help the world’s most vulnerable populations, the field of humanitarian action is full of possibilities. Workers in the field can make a tangible difference in areas ranging from disaster relief and refugee assistance to long-term development projects.

What is a Humanitarian?

During and in the aftermath of man-made crises and disasters, humanitarian workers step in to ensure that the basic needs of the people affected are met and their human dignity is maintained. Humanitarians also undertake work to prevent, prepare for, and mitigate the impact of disasters.

The field is marked by a dedication to four principles embraced by the United Nations. Humanity, which says that humanitarians are motivated by a desire to save lives and alleviate suffering while upholding people’s dignity; impartiality, which stipulates that action should be based solely on need, regardless of race, nationality, gender, religious belief, political opinion, or class; neutrality, which forbids the taking of sides in wars and other conflicts; and independence, which requires workers to be autonomous, and free from control or influence by non-humanitarian objectives.

Humanitarian Careers

Humanitarian careers cover a range of positions, with some professionals responding to man-made catastrophes and complex emergencies such as conflicts, environmental disasters, and economic instability, and others addressing natural disasters such as floods, famines, and droughts, all of which have been exacerbated by climate change. 

These professionals can work for multilateral institutions such as the United Nations, non-governmental organizations such as the Jesuit Relief Services or Amnesty International, and international organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross.

At Fordham, several degree programs prepare students for humanitarian careers. The Institute for International Humanitarian Affairs (IIHA) offers both undergraduate and graduate-level degrees, including a certificate specially tailored for mid-career professionals. The Department of International Political Economy and Development (IPED) offers degrees that explore global economic relations and international development from multiple perspectives. And the Graduate School of Social Service (GSS) prepares students to promote social justice and improve the lives of marginalized populations at home and abroad. 

The following are examples of some of the positions available to humanitarian professionals, matched with some Fordham graduates working in the field.

Business Development

Humanitarian careers in business development include positions in program planning and conception, as well as fundraising for aid organizations.

Humanitarian Assistance Officer

Conducts rapid assessments to identify the most critical needs of populations in crisis, including food, water, shelter, health care, and security; coordinates between stakeholders; and advocates for the needs of affected populations.

Making an Impact: Many graduates of Fordham’s IPED and IIHA programs have held this position, including Hannah Fort, IPED ’20, at USAID.

Grants Specialist

Helps individuals, groups, and organizations identify and secure funding for projects, typically through grants distributed by foundations and government agencies.

Making an Impact: Brittany Hilyer, IIHA ’18, at the Center for International Environmental Law

Development Officer

Researches, prospects, cultivates and manages relationships with donors and raises funds for non-governmental organizations. Responsible for ensuring the organization has the funding necessary to carry out its mission.

Making an Impact: Paul Michael, IPED ’20, at Partners in Health

Communications Officer

Conveys an organization’s message and mission through newsletters, email campaigns, interviews, and social media campaigns. 

Making an Impact: Joseph Lowry, IIHA ’04, at the International Organization for Migration

Volunteer Coordinator 

Recruits and places prospective volunteers in both meaningful single-day opportunities and longer-term ones where volunteers share their professional or language skills. Works with community stakeholders to support the betterment spaces through recruitment, panels, fairs, campaigns, workgroups, and networking events. 

Making an Impact: Michela Fahy, IIHA ’23, at Catholic Charities

Operations

People in these positions are responsible for implementing programs in countries affected by humanitarian crises.

Diplomat

An appointed government official who works to restore peace while also dealing with issues of trade, economics, human rights, and more.

Making an Impact: Martine van der Does, IIHA ’08, ’17, the IIHA’s Helen Hamlyn Humanitarian Fellow & Global Program Director. Previously, she served as a diplomat in Afghanistan and Jordan for the Netherlands Foreign Service. 

Foreign Aid Worker

Provides general aid to an afflicted community or area. A catch-all title used to describe disaster response workers working outside of their home countries, they are similar to humanitarian assistance officers. Duties can also include conducting surveys and research to identify critical needs in a community, such as access to healthcare, education, clean water, and food.

Making an Impact: Naomi Gikonyo, IIHA ’09 ’17, an emergency officer at the United Nations World Food Programme

Epidemiologist

Deploys to areas to conduct a rapid assessment of current or potential disease outbreaks. These professionals determine the cause of the disease, who is at risk, and how to stop or limit the spread of infection. 

Making an Impact: Emily Faherty, IPED ’12, at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Social Worker

Provides assistance and support to victims, especially those who are at risk or most vulnerable. This can include emotional support and coping mechanisms for people experiencing trauma or distress, as well as advocating for policies that support the recovery process.

Making an Impact: Erica Vargas, GSS ’23, working with asylum seekers at Goddard Riverside Community Center

Doula

Delivers babies, helps pregnant women, and provides support after childbirth, often acting as a frontline provider in communities with limited access to healthcare facilities. May also educate and train others on best midwife practices.

Making an Impact: Synclaire Warren, current IIHA student, a certified doula, and human rights writer who is currently at the American Business Immigration Coalition.

Security Technical Advisor

Manages country-wide safety and security of humanitarian programs. Often tasked with assessing how to access vulnerable communities as well as risk management of emergency humanitarian employees. 

Making an Impact: Samantha Slattery, IIHA ’20, working in Yemen as an access and security coordinator for Solidarites International. 

Technical Advisers

Some aspects of humanitarian relief require knowledge in specialized areas.

Climate Resilience Global Practice Lead

Leads a team supporting technical advisors and country programs in designing and implementing climate resilience programming in humanitarian contexts, integrating climate and environment standards into programming, and conducting research and developing innovative solutions to increase climate resilience in fragile and conflict-affected contexts.

Making an Impact: Tara Clerkin, IPED ’13, at the International Rescue Committee

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) Officer

Responsible for the design, implementation, and technical quality of all monitoring and evaluation activities across an organization’s projects.

Making an Impact: Aya Kurdi, IIHA ’24, at the UN World Food Programme

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Program Manager 

Involved in programs, coordination of disaster response efforts, and pre-planning efforts in areas involving water, sanitation, and hygiene. 

Making an Impact: Owen Fitzgerald, IPED ’18, at Catholic Relief Services

Gender Integration Technical Advisor

Provides technical support for gender equality and social inclusion via short-term contracts to government agencies, non-profit organizations, and other public/private institutions.

Making an Impact: Laura Groggel, IPED ’14, at USAID

Additional Resources

Interested in learning more? Check out these guides:

Human Rights Careers: How to Become an International Aid Worker

United Nations: Humanitarian Agencies that Operate in the Field

UNICEF: Working in Humanitarian Emergencies

Read the full story on fordhamsports.com.

That’s the topic of a recent book by Richard Teverson, Ph.D., assistant professor of art history, who puts a spotlight on something that tends to be overlooked in histories of conquering powers: the hopes and dreams of the conquered.

Studying such “past futures” is growing more popular in the humanities and social sciences, said Teverson, author of Visions of the Future in Roman Frontier Kingdoms 100 BCE–100 CE, published in September by Routledge. “You can’t get a full picture of a decision that someone makes in the past,” he said, “unless you have a sense of what they thought could happen.”

Teverson gained this sense by examining public art created during the empire’s expansion. He got the idea for the book from his students—when they wrote in a midterm exam about the imagined futures reflected in the Arch of Constantine in Rome, he decided to apply this idea at the former empire’s edge and beyond it, to structures created by people who later came under Roman rule.

Nations or groups being taken over deserve to have their aspirations understood rather than being told to simply “get on board” with their new ruler’s vision, he said. 

“Even people who you might think are on the losing side of history have a future that they’re envisaging and, especially if it’s no longer feasible in some way, are engaged in a really complicated idea about how to fit their aspirations to reality,” he said.

Protecting Rights Through Art

In 14 BCE, as Alpine tribes were falling to Roman conquest, the local ruler Cottius made a deal with the Romans to absorb his kingdom into the empire and remain as magistrate.

To proclaim the new order, he commissioned an archway that, Teverson argues, was designed with the future in mind: As opposed to the Romans’ usual depictions of peacemaking, which might show a vanquished barbarian kissing the hand of a Roman general, the arch contains a relief of Cottius shaking hands with the Roman emperor Augustus.

It also shows tribes receiving citizenship tablets—a way of codifying certain rights and privileges in case they were later challenged, Teverson argues. “This seems, to me, pretty direct in its aspirations and its concern for documenting a ritual of political transfer,” he said.

‘A Divinely Ordained Future’

Another example comes from Kommagene, in modern-day Turkey, a kingdom conquered by Rome in 17 CE. Before that, as wars involving Rome and other powers clouded the kingdom’s future, its ruler, Antiochos I, built a hilltop complex containing icons and images meant to convey a glorious destiny for the kingdom.

That was also his goal, Teverson argues, when the king took the unusual step of including an engraving of his own horoscope so that worshippers would compare it with the night sky and be reminded, “‘Oh, we are working in a kingdom that has a divinely ordained future,’” he said.

Crafting ‘the Futures They Need to Survive’

Through this and other stories of artistic expression, Teverson illustrates how people “craft the futures they need to survive” in the face of uncertainty about what’s coming. It’s an idea that resonates from ancient Rome to today’s marginalized communities who may have a picture of their own future in mind—but face strong headwinds in making it a reality, he said. 

An example might be city planners envisioning a future for a neighborhood—like Harlem, where Teverson lives—without consulting with the residents, he said. “If you want to understand the problems of Harlem, you need to, in some ways, ask yourself, well, what does Harlem think its future is going to be?” 

While writing the book, he was thinking of the looming problem of climate change and the questions that future generations might ask about the future we’re trying to shape today.

“Maybe even in my daughter’s lifetime,” he said, “they’re going to look back and [say], what were you planning in 2024?”

Get involved now with these four service outings happening in January and February.

1. Help Provide School Supplies for Neighborhood Children

Monday, January 27, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Lowenstein Center, Room 1004

Join your fellow Rams on the Lincoln Center campus to wrap school supply care packages for neighborhood children. Participants can also include personal notes of affirmation.

2. Create Food Packages for Senior Citizens in Need

Saturday, January 25, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
239 West 49th Street

Fordham’s commitment to the Broadway community goes beyond excellence onstage and behind the scenes. This month, the University is joining Encore Community Services—a Catholic Charity partner just a short subway ride from the Lincoln Center campus—to create food parcels that will support neighborhood seniors in need, many of whom worked in the performing arts. Since 1977, Encore has provided seniors with a range of services to help them live independent and dignified lives in the midtown Times Square and Clinton communities. For this reason, and its focus on initiatives such as “aging gracefully through the arts,” Encore has earned a reputation as “Broadway’s Longest Running Act of Loving Care.”

This event is sponsored by the Office of Alumni Relations, as part of its For and With Others Volunteer Day, but it’s open to the entire University community.

3. Fight Food Insecurity in the Bronx

Friday, January 31, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
St. Ignatius Middle School

Wednesday, February 12, 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
McShane Campus Center Entrance

Among the issues affecting New Yorkers daily, food insecurity is one of the most pressing. According to the New York State Department of Health, about one in four New Yorkers report that they do not have sufficient access to food.

Two upcoming events give the Fordham community an opportunity to promote food security in its own backyard. Students and other volunteers will gather to make up to 200 meal packs for community fridges, and conclude the day with a brief Ignatian reflection. The first of these events will happen alongside students at St. Ignatius Middle School in the Bronx. The second will take place at the McShane Campus Center.

Both events are offered through Fordham’s Department of Mission Integration and Ministry, which is rooted in the Jesuit tradition of balancing reflection and action, a practice developed by St. Ignatius Loyola, the 16th-century founder of the Jesuits.

4. Connect with Those Experiencing Houselessness

Sunday, February 23, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Meet in the Lowenstein Center Lobby

Volunteers will join forces with students enrolled in the Philosophical Ethics course at the Lincoln Center campus and visit Xavier Mission, a nonprofit organization in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. Together they will share in conversation and serve a hot meal to people experiencing houselessness in New York City. Attendees will take the brief subway trip together, with MetroCards provided.

This experience is presented by Fordham’s Center for Community Engaged Learning, which connects Fordham with dozens of local and global partners to provide students with opportunities for experiential learning, research, and civic engagement.

It’s been called a venerable throwback, a hidden gem, a cathedral of college sports. Since its inaugural game in January 1925, ‘Rose Thrill’ has always been much more than a gym.

They don’t make them like they used to, you might say, and you’d be right. Consider Rose Hill Gym’s exterior walls. The builder’s “local gray stone” is likely a mix of Fordham gneiss and Manhattan schist—the ancient, gritty bedrock upon which much of New York City is built. Could there be a more symbolically apt building material for a Fordham icon?

Through the decades, the gym has been the site of countless athletic contests. It’s where students push themselves to excel—amid the roar of the crowd or just the echoey squeak of sneakers on hardwood. And it’s where generations have gathered for momentous events, from Fordham presidents’ welcome addresses (where many students and families first fall in love with the University) to unforgettable concerts, baccalaureate Masses, and award ceremonies.

As the gym turns 100, here’s a look at some of the many moments and people whose energy, camaraderie, grit, and grace have brought the building to life since 1925.

The strength of the Fordham athlete finds root in spirited competition, a strong will to win, forbearance in defeat, and tempered joy in victory.

John Francis “Jack” Coffey

Widely considered the father of Fordham sports, Jack Coffey, a 1910 grad, served as the graduate manager of athletics and baseball coach for nearly 35 years, overseeing the Rams’ rise to national renown, particularly in football.

When Coffey retired in 1958, Pulitzer Prize-winning sports columnist and fellow Fordham grad Arthur Daley wrote that Coffey always “seemed as much a part of the Fordham landscape as the university’s gymnasium.” He called Coffey “the soul of erudition,” not just a coach and administrator but “a friend, confidant, and advisor of … generations of athletes.”

Test Your Rose Hill Gym IQ

Rose Hill Gym has been the beloved stomping grounds of many a Ram. Do you know it well enough to knock out this quiz as quickly as the Fordham Flash* might have?

Check out the answers at the bottom of this story.

* Who’s the Fordham Flash? None other than Frankie Frisch, Class of 1920. Arguably the Fordham sports GOAT, he excelled in baseball, track, football, and basketball before going on to a Hall of Fame pro baseball career.

1. The gym was considered so big for its time that Rams called it …

• The Meadow
• The Prairie
• The Plains

2. When it opened, the gym boasted …

• Equipment for weightlifting
• Three 400-square-foot boxing rings in the basement
• A swimming pool, with cutting-edge machinery for filtering and purifying water

3. Which Fordham men’s basketball star was the latest to have his number retired and jersey hoisted to the gym’s rafters?

• Ken Charles
• Ed Conlin
• Charlie Yelverton

4. What did Cindy Vojtech do for a Rose Hill Gym encore after her stellar volleyball career?

• Sang the national anthem
• Joined the WFUV broadcast team
• Delivered a valedictory address

5. Which women’s basketball star’s buzzer-beater against Rhode Island inspired a SportsCenter anchor to kick off the night’s highlights from the “Boogie Down Bronx”?

• Anna DeWolfe
• Mobolaji Akiode
• Abigail Corning

Highlights in the History of the Rose Hill Gym

1925 Brought a Flurry to Fordham

Fordham was in the midst of “a million dollar year” when the Rose Hill Gym opened in 1925, declared the Maroon yearbook staff. In addition to the gym, they cited a new campus bookstore and seismic lab along with a new library that was halfway to completion.

But it was the gym that dominated the team’s attention: “The sight of its huge, though artistically proportioned bulk is quite enough to instill in every Fordhamite a full-grown superiority complex.”

Fordham leaders clearly had great confidence in the gym’s architect, Emile G. Perrot, who also designed what would become Duane Library. “Architecture,” Perrot once said, “is the incarnation in stone of the thought and life of the civilization it represents.”

Keepsakes Lie Behind the Cornerstone

When the gym’s cornerstone was laid on a Sunday afternoon in early November 1923, a copper box of treasures from those times was buried alongside it. A list in the Walsh Library archives documents the contents.

Some items speak to Fordham’s Catholic and Jesuit ties, among them a medal of St. Ignatius and St. Francis Xavier. There are U.S. stamps, coins, and a flag bearing 48 stars along with copies of New York newspapers from the day.

There is no mistaking the school pride of the collection’s curators. Included are the Fordham catalog, University seal and colors, a copy of The Fordham Ram, and photos of campus buildings and grounds.

Finally, recognizing the gym’s calling as a home for sports and community, the copper box boasts Fordham athletics schedules, popular University songs, and the athletic association’s constitution.

A treasure trove, indeed—one now more than a century old.

1925: The new gym opens, hosting its first basketball game on January 16. The Rams beat Boston College 46-16 in a contest refereed by former four-sport star Frankie Frisch, the Fordham Flash, then a second baseman for the New York Giants.

Coach Ed Kelleher’s “Wonder Fives” go on to win 85 games and lose only nine between 1924 and 1929, christening the gym in spectacular fashion.

1927: A record 6,000 fans turn out to see Fordham beat City College of New York on January 22, a crowd well beyond the gym’s current 3,200-seat capacity.

1936: Foul weather forces the football Rams to practice in the gym. The team’s nationally renowned line, the Seven Blocks of Granite, includes Fordham senior and future pro football icon Vince Lombardi.

c. 1940: Trainer Jake Weber operates out of the gym’s basement. A fixture at Fordham for more than three decades until 1942, he also trains U.S. Olympic teams and is known for his “magic elixirs” and “baking machines” used to soothe student-athletes’ sore muscles.

1943: Bob Mullens earns All-America honors and leads the Rams to their first appearance in the National Invitation Tournament. He goes on to play for the New York Knicks in their inaugural season (1946–47), and in 2019, Fordham retires his No. 7.

1953: In his third season as head coach, Johnny Bach, a 1948 grad, leads the Rams to their first NCAA Tournament berth. He goes on to become Fordham’s all-time winningest coach, compiling a 264-192 record in 18 seasons. He departs Fordham in 1968 and later joins the NBA. As an assistant coach, Bach helps lead the Chicago Bulls to three straight titles in the early 1990s and leaves an indelible mark on Michael Jordan, who calls him “truly one of the greatest basketball minds of all time.”

1964: Women’s basketball begins as a club sport after Barbara Hartnett Hall and several of her classmates pitch the idea. “We went to talk to the athletic director … and [he was]surprisingly open to it,” Hall, a four-year captain, later recalls.

1965: The gym is the scene of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s final high school game. Then known as Lew Alcindor, he leads Power Memorial to victory in the New York Catholic High School Athletic Association Championship on March 7.

Video: Watch highlights of the NBA legend’s standout performance in a packed Rose Hill Gym.

1966: The Beach Boys bring their surf rock to the Bronx on March 18, at the height of their popularity. The Lovin’ Spoonful is also on the bill.

On December 3, Simon and Garfunkel perform the first of their two concerts at the Rose Hill Gym, taking the stage for Winter Weekend. The following year, they return on October 13 to play Homecoming.

RELATED STORY: Rockin’ Rose Hill: A Look Back at Campus Concerts Since the ’60s

1967: Men’s basketball beats Iona on February 25 to launch a school-record 25-game winning streak in the gym. The home streak lasts until December 17, 1969.

The Supremes, featuring Diana Ross, perform in the gym on March 11. Future stars Gladys Knight & the Pips open the show.

1970: Women’s basketball debuts as a varsity sport, beating NYU in its first game.

“We started winning games we weren’t supposed to win, and you couldn’t get in the Rose Hill Gym. It was … a real happening. When that team played, it was New York City’s team.”

Frank McLaughlin, FCRH ’69, former longtime athletics director, on the magical 26-3 season of the 1970–1971 men’s basketball team. He was an assistant to head coach Digger Phelps that year, when the Rams rose to No. 9 in the national rankings.

1971: With gritty team play, men’s basketball captures the hearts of New Yorkers, packing the gym and selling out multiple games at Madison Square Garden on the way to a 26-3 record and a top 10 national ranking. The magical season ends with a loss to Villanova in the NCAA Tournament’s East Regional Semifinals.

RELATED STORY: ‘The Darlings of New York’: An Oral History of the 1970–1971 Fordham Men’s Basketball Team

1974: Women’s volleyball posts a 4-3 record in its first season.

1975: Eight years after his last performance in the Rose Hill Gym, singer-songwriter Paul Simon returns to tape a skit for the second-ever episode of Saturday Night Live. In the skit, which airs on October 18, he goes one-on-one with basketball great Connie Hawkins. Despite a 1-foot-4-inch height disadvantage, Simon pulls off the upset—and some deadpan comedy. “First of all, when my outside shot is on, it’s really on,” he says in a mock postgame interview with broadcaster Marv Albert.

1983: Men’s basketball upsets top-seeded Iona to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title.

1984: The Ramones play their hits in the gym on April 27. But basketball is also on the mind of NYC’s seminal punk band, according to concert committee chair Joe Cerra, then a Fordham senior. “[We] had to keep giving Joey Ramone updates on the Knicks game,” he recalled in a 2013 interview with this magazine.

1990: Jean Prioleau hits a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to lead Fordham to a 69-68 win over Seton Hall on November 29, spoiling Fordham grad P.J. Carlesimo’s return to Rose Hill as Seton Hall’s head coach.

Video: “Bang!” Fordham grad and Hall of Fame basketball broadcaster Mike Breen, FCRH ’83, makes the call as Prioleau hits the game-winning shot. Fans rush onto the Rose Hill Gym floor to join the celebration as Prioleau is carried off the court.

1991: Men’s basketball wins the first of two straight Patriot League titles.

1992: Women’s basketball claims its first Patriot League title, a feat the Rams would repeat in 1994.

2000: Volleyball star Cindy Vojtech becomes the first (and, to this date, only) Ram to earn three straight Academic All-America honors, picking up the awards in two sports. Following her senior volleyball season, she joined the women’s crew and helped lead them to a second-place finish at the Dad Vail Regatta in 2000.

She went on to earn a Ph.D. in economics and is currently a principal economist with the Federal Reserve in Washington, D.C., and a member of the Fordham President’s Council, helping to provide scholarship support to Fordham students.

2001: Fat Joe and Ashanti use the Rose Hill Gym in their “That’s Luv” music video.

2004: Fordham retires the No. 11 jersey of Ed Conlin, a standout player for the Rams who went on to a 10-year NBA career after graduating in 1955. “He played with a passion,” Conlin’s former Fordham coach, Johnny Bach, says at the ceremony. “We need people like Ed Conlin, people who love the game and who love Fordham.” He remains the men’s team’s all-time leading scorer (1,886) and rebounder (1,930).

2010: Fordham retires Anne Gregory O’Connell’s No. 55. A 1980 grad, she led the Rams to four consecutive postseason appearances and remains Fordham’s all-time leading scorer (2,548) and rebounder (1,999).

2012: Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Stephen Colbert meet in the gym on September 14 for “The Cardinal and Colbert: Humor, Joy, and the Spiritual Life.” The discussion, moderated by bestselling author James Martin, S.J., draws a crowd of more than 3,000 “cheering, stomping, chanting students,” The New York Times reports, calling it “the most successful Roman Catholic youth evangelization event since Pope John Paul II last appeared at World Youth Day” in 2000.

2014: Women’s basketball captures its first Atlantic 10 title and holds an NCAA Tournament selection show watch party in the gym. They would go on to win the title again in 2019.

2021: The rapper A$AP Ferg (now known as Ferg) headlines the November 4 “Late Night on the Hill” event that kicks off the 2021–2022 basketball season.

2022: Fordham hosts—and on November 22, the men’s basketball team wins—the first Konchalski Classic, an annual basketball tournament to honor the life and legacy of 1968 Fordham grad Tom Konchalski, one of the most trusted basketball scouts in the country. His four-decade career included assessments of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James as high schoolers.

In February 2021, one day after Konchalski’s death at the age of 74, New York Knicks broadcaster Mike Breen, FCRH ’83, told viewers that while Konchalski “may not have been what’s called a household name, in basketball homes, he was legendary.”

“Tom was the most influential, the most respected, and the most loved high school basketball scout in the country,” Breen said. “He helped thousands of young men, thousands of high school basketball players, achieve their dreams of playing college basketball and beyond. And every single day, he did it with kindness and humility.”

On November 29, the gym floor is designated the Frank McLaughlin Family Court—a tribute to Frank McLaughlin, the 1969 grad and former basketball star who became a devoted coach and longtime athletic director.

2023: After raucous home crowds seem to will the men’s basketball team to a pair of impressive victories in January, head coach Keith Urgo coins a new nickname for the historic gym when he opens a press conference with five words: “How about Rose Thrill, man!”

RELATED STORY: The Rise of ‘Rose Thrill’: Fans Fuel Fordham Basketball Resurgence

2024: In September, the University unveils a new court surface featuring a prominent Fordham script wordmark set over the silhouette of a large Ram head.

Did we miss your favorite Rose Hill Gym moments?

Share your own Rose Hill Gym story on the Fordham athletics website celebrating the gym’s 100th anniversary.

Answers to the ‘Test Your Rose Hill Gym IQ’ Quiz

1. The Prairie 2. A swimming pool 3. Fordham retired Charlie Yelverton’s No. 34 in 2023. 4. Cindy Vojtech was the valedictorian of the Gabelli School of Business Class of 2000. 5. Anna DeWolfe hit the game-winner against Rhode Island on February 22, 2023.

VIDEO: Watch DeWolfe’s game-winning shot.

Poets&Quants calculates its scores based on a weighted average of rankings from five major sources: U.S. News & World Report, The Financial Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, LinkedIn, and The Princeton Review. These rankings take into account factors such as long-term career outcomes, student experience, admission statistics, starting compensation for graduates, campus environment, and professor quality.

STEM-Designated Fordham MBA Program Offers Tech Skills

The full-time MBA program is STEM-designated, helping students to develop the technical and analytical skills they’ll need to succeed in an increasingly tech-dominated economy. The program features a “Gabelli Launch Month,” a month-long pre-semester initiative where incoming students participate in workshops, networking events, and projects designed to prepare them for the academic and professional challenges ahead.

“Over the past year, we’ve focused on enhancing key aspects of the program, such as experiential learning opportunities, career outcomes, and global exposure,” said Alex Markle, the full-time MBA program’s director. “I’m proud of this momentum and excited to see how we continue to build on this success.”

Both Gabelli School MBA programs offer a Jesuit business education in the heart of New York City. Admissions are selective, with the full-time MBA enrolling approximately 60 students each year, and the EMBA enrolling cohorts of approximately 30. This small cohort size allows for more personalized attention and a closer-knit student community, faculty said. 

A Focus on Values

Francis Petit, the EMBA program’s director, says the program’s success is a product of Fordham’s Jesuit values. 

“Our goal has always been, as the Jesuit EMBA Program of New York, to offer a cura personalis approach to our students that is unique, personalized, and transformative,” said Petit. “We are very proud of our dynamic EMBA students and alumni, along with our committed faculty and staff.”

Since 1924, Jesuits and their lay counterparts have been measuring earthquakes in this one-story Gothic structure, which currently stands next to Edwards Parade on the Rose Hill campus. Its equipment detects temblors around the world, including the 4.8 magnitude earthquake that rattled the area in April.

The observatory, which consists of an unassuming above-ground structure and a concrete vault 28 feet underground where the seismic instruments reside, is easy to miss. But it has played an important role in the advancement of seismology and physics over the years.

Stephen Holler, Ph.D., chair of Fordham’s physics department, who maintains the station, said it’s important to “keep an eye” on the planet and its rumblings.

“We’re always learning things about the Earth, and especially in the kind of high-density area that we’re in, it’s useful to monitor for earthquakes [and other tremors],” he said. “Maybe, in the event that something is happening or changing, we can potentially prepare for it.”

In the years that it has been operational, the station has recorded many earthquakes, including an 8.6 magnitude quake that struck Alaska in 1946 and a 7.7 magnitude quake that struck Taiwan in 1999. Holler is often called on by the media to discuss earthquakes when they strike the area.

Digging Deep

Fordham first got involved in seismology in 1910—along with nine other Jesuit colleges—through the Seismological Society of America, which had a Jesuit priest as one of its founding members. That year, a seismograph was installed in the basement of Cunniffe Hall. In 1920, Joseph J. Lynch, S.J., a physics instructor, took over the station. 

At the time, seismographs worked by utilizing a suspended mass—such as a weight—that remained relatively stationary, while the base of the instrument, which was fixed to the ground, moved during an earthquake. A recording of the relative motion between the mass and the base was recorded, providing a measurement of the ground shaking.

But the instruments worked best when isolated and in close contact with the bedrock. So in 1922, the University used stone acquired from a recent subway excavation to construct a building with underground space where they could operate with minimal disruption. It was originally built in the spot where Faber Hall now stands.

A Plaque From the Pope

Funding for the construction was provided by William Spain, whose son William, a physics student at Fordham, died that year. It was formally blessed by Bishop John Collins, S.J., Fordham’s 13th president, in a ceremony on Oct. 24, 1924. To honor the occasion, Pope Pius XI sent a bronze plaque with an image of St. Emidio, the divine protector against earthquakes, that is still embedded in the building’s exterior door.

In Pop Culture

Almost immediately after it opened, it became an object of fascination. A working model of the station was displayed at the 1939/1940 World’s Fair in Flushing, Queens, and Fordham displayed an operational seismograph at the 1964/1965 World’s Fair as well. 

Father Lynch was routinely one of the first to report major seismic events around the world to media outlets. In April 1946, Life Magazine stated that the “Jesuit seismologist is America’s best-known interpreter of things that shake the earth, including milk trains, quakes, seismic waves.” 

The station even became a part of pop culture. In a 1974 episode of the television show M*A*S*H. (starring Alan Alda, FCRH ’56), Colonel Henry Blake joked that he snores so loudly that he “even got a fan letter once from the seismograph people at Fordham.”

A Revival

In 1970, Father Lynch published a reflection titled Watching Our Trembling Earth for 50 Years (Fordham University Press), which recounted the ways he and fellow Jesuits worked together to perfect the science of seismology. Among other anecdotes, he noted how one night in 1929, in the course of calibrating the station’s clock with one at the Naval Observatory in Arlington, Virginia, he stumbled on bootleggers who were bottling whiskey on campus. 

For several years after Father Lynch’s death in 1987, the station was either dormant or tended to by students who pursued seismology as a hobby. 

In 1996, physics professor Ben Crooker took over supervision of the student club that had been using the equipment. By then, the field had changed a lot with the advent of the internet and increased computer power. 

In 2001, thanks to a donation from an unidentified alumnus, Fordham was able to purchase a Guralp DM24 CMG3T machine, which combines the functions of a seismometer and digitizer. The University officially rejoined the international seismology community.

The Station Today

Today, measuring an earthquake now is akin to conducting a CT scan on the planet, with multiple stations—including Fordham’s—reporting observations from around the country to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) data repository in Boulder, Colorado. 

“Fordham’s station is like one cell in a giant camera,” Crooker told Fordham News in 2007, “used to build a seismic map of the Earth.”

The Guralp, which looks like a coffee can with wires poking out of it, sits on a concrete pedestal beneath a plexiglass box and a blanket, which keeps it dust free and at a constant temperature. The data it collects is sent to a computer in Freeman Hall, which then relays it to USGS.

The rest of the vault is occupied by dormant equipment once used by Lynch and his successors. Every year on the day before commencement, Holler opens up the station to graduating physics students who marvel at the antiquated instruments. 

“They’re kind of museum pieces, but they’re fantastic for quizzing the students on their physics fundamentals,” he said.

Attendees included music students, music and art faculty members, donors who supported the project, Fordham President Tania Tetlow, and Father Grimes himself, as well as members of his family. (See related story about the fundraising effort.) They gathered at the Lincoln Center campus outside the Robert R. Grimes, S.J. Music Studios, which opened this fall, providing students with five soundproof rooms designed to enhance their music practice.

Related story: Student musicians began the academic year on a high note when the music studios opened. (With video)

Speakers took turns thanking donors and lauding Father Grimes, a former Fordham music professor and a singer himself.

“You have been always a supporter of the arts here, whether that meant the [Ailey/Fordham BFA in Dance program], the theater program, visual arts, and of course the music program,” said Daniel Ott, D.M.A., associate professor of music and chair of the Department of Art History and Music.

Students Finding Their Musical Voice

The gathering took place in the Lipani Gallery, part of a newly renovated visual arts complex adjacent to the five new music practice rooms. In her remarks, Tetlow spoke of “how profoundly Jesuit music is” because of its mix of intellect and passion.

“Know, for all of you who gave to this project, that you are creating a space where every day, Fordham students … are going to literally find their voice and discover what they have to say to the world, and that will be true for the rest of their lives, so thank you so much.”

Father Grimes thanked the donors as well, and said he was “so happy for the students to have something that is so important to any music program.”

In an interview before the event, he said “it’s quite an honor” to be the namesake for the new music suite. “Fordham College Lincoln Center is very, very close to my heart,” he said. “I loved my time there. And so if I’ve left a little of my sense there, I’m very happy for that.”

‘We Need Artists’

The event was emceed by Maco Dacanay, a junior and a music major.

“In this world that we all live in, not only do we need artists, but we need people who are willing to put in the work to become their best selves for the sake of the community,” he said. “These practice rooms grant us the space to put in that work, and for that, I am beyond grateful.”

The five rooms range from smaller rooms for individual practice to larger spaces for ensembles. Their features include recording capability and virtual acoustic environments so that students can hear how they would sound in a cathedral, concert hall, or other settings, Ott said. He noted that the rooms—open 8 a.m. to midnight—are available to all students, not just music majors.

A student group called the Lincoln Center Jazz Ensemble provided background music. Another group of student musicians performed Haydn’s String Quartet in D Major, to applause and cheers. “That just made my day,” Father Grimes said after their performance.

Vincent DeCola, S.J., an assistant dean in the Gabelli School of Business, spoke last, giving a blessing of the new space. “No doubt, we each have experienced the divine in listening to the particular music which enlivens our spirits,” he said.

But before that, he brought the house down with some singing of his own, “with apologies to Misters Gilbert and Sullivan”—an adaptation of the song He Is an Englishman, with lyrics tailored to Father Grimes.

Its title? “He Is a Fordham Ram.”

But is it possible to escape our attraction to fast fashion? And will crossing these items off your shopping list make things better or worse? Fordham experts weigh in.

Human Rights Abuse

“People get excited about the $2 T-shirt” and don’t think about the impact on factory workers making the clothing, said Susan Scafidi, director of the Fashion Law Institute at Fordham.

Catastrophic garment factory fires and forced labor charges against China’s cotton industry have brought attention to human rights abuses, and even resulted in Congress passing the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act in 2021, which banned imports from businesses in Xinjiang, China, that use forced labor. Paltry wages for field and factory workers, the majority of whom are women, are another well-known concern.

“Labor is one of, if not the most, expensive inputs in fashion,” Scafidi said, but ”when it comes to making fast fashion, it has to be cheap, cheaper, cheapest.”

Tik Tok Temptation

Younger consumers, mainly Gen Z and Millennials, are at the forefront of the demand for fast fashion, heavily influenced by social media and desire for the latest styles, said Fordham economist Giacomo Santangelo. 

“Platforms like TikTok are pivotal in shaping fashion choices,” he said. “This constant exposure to new styles and the desire for instant gratification lead to frequent buying, fueling the fast fashion market.”

Fast fashion brands’ low prices make their products broadly accessible, he said, noting that their affordability is especially appealing because of the state of the global economy and the desire to save money during the holiday giving season. Demand is also fed by the convenience and proliferation of fast fashion e-commerce sites, he said. 

Environmental Impact: ‘A Global Crisis’

That demand for fast fashion is also impacting the planet, due to overseas factories’ carbon emissions and water pollution, as well as all the products that end up in towering landfills, according to environmental watchdog organizations.

Clothes are being cast aside more quickly and in greater quantities than ever. Donated items from countries including the U.K., the U.S., and China are sold to vendors in places such as Ghana, which has one of the world’s largest secondhand clothing markets. But because these markets can’t handle the volume, many items are never worn again and end up in landfills or rivers. 

Meanwhile, garment factories continue to pollute rivers with toxic dyes and use tremendous amounts of fossil fuel for production and shipping across the world, according to the watchdog groups. And much of fast fashion relies on synthetic fibers made from plastic derived from crude oil and natural gas.

“There is a vast amount of waste and climate impact,” Scafidi said. “It has become a global crisis in that way.”

The Flip Side

But solutions to the problem are not as simple as they may seem. For one thing, fast fashion employs and supports the global poor and fuels developing economies, said Matthew Caulfield, Ph.D., assistant professor of ethics in the Gabelli School of Business.

“Most Americans—even Americans one would typically consider to be lower income—are nonetheless, by purchasing power standards, considered to be part of the global rich,” he said, adding that a single adult earning $24,000 per year makes more than seven times the global median.

“This is not to say that [fast and cheap production]is an unmitigated good—there are environmental concerns—or that the companies themselves have unassailable practices,” said Caulfield. “It’s only to suggest that one intuition that often seems entirely clear (that buying local is ethically superior) is not entirely clear. There are trade-offs we must navigate.”