Profiles

Daniel Blessing

Daniel graduated from FCRH in 2009 with a B.S. in Physics. While at FCRH, he was a Presidential Scholar and captain of the lacrosse team. In summer 2008, he completed an honors internship with the FBI. After graduation, Danny will be entering a Ph.D. program in Electrical and Computer Engineering at UC San Diego.

"One professor who particularly inspired me was Dr. Richard Gianonne of the English Department, who taught a Senior Values Seminar on Four Modern American Catholic Writers. Because we usually disagreed, he challenged me to reevaluate my experience as a Catholic within the diverse American Catholic landscape. I am used to science classes where the truth is well-defined and can be found in laws and equations. The pursuit of truth in Gianonne’s class occurred in a very different but very tangible way."
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Ipsita Banerjee, Ph.D.

Professor Banerjee is assistant professor of chemistry and conducts research on bionanotechnology. The author of more than 40 articles, Dr. Banerjee publishes regularly with many of her students, several of whom have gone on to successfully compete for prestigious fellowships.

"At Fordham, I’ve had the opportunity to work with some talented and enthusiastic undergraduate students in my research laboratory. Most students are my co-authors of research articles in various journals. I have truly loved every moment of working with the students and hope to continue to do so. In fact over a period of time, my research students have become a part of my extended family. I joined Fordham in Fall 2004, and since then I have mentored over 20 undergraduate students (Chemistry, Biology and General Science majors). I currently have eleven undergraduate students working in my laboratory. I have been working individually with each student on the research projects that I have assigned to them."
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Jonathan Crystal, Ph.D.

Professor Crystal is associate professor of political science. His current research examines the phenomenon of economic nationalism, emphasizing how ideas about national identity affect the processes and outcomes of foreign economic policy. He has taught in the Manresa Program and is a recent recipient of the GSAS teaching award.

"Even though I teach the same subjects every year, I never get bored of them. There are always new developments, trends, and events going on in the "real world", so my students are able to integrate what they’re learning with what they are reading about in the newspaper. Also, the subjects I teach raise many complicated and controversial issues (e.g. debates over sweatshops, inequality, human rights, the environment, etc.) and I like to challenge my students to question their beliefs, consider various perspectives, and ultimately to formulate their own ideas about these topics."
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Michael Davidson

Michael Davidson graduated magna cum laude from FCRH in 1994 with majors in economics and philosophy. Currently, he is a Senior Vice President at Bank of America. Prior to his current role, Michael was Executive Director for corporate real estate with Morgan Stanley. In 2005, he received the Morgan Stanley International Chairman’s Award for “Living the Values”. Michael serves on the FCRH Board of Visitors.

"As a Lector in Campus Ministries I felt that I was contributing to the University through my faith and as such, was honoring not only the mission of the Jesuits, but also the beliefs of my family. I also found that as a Lector I experienced the university, faculty and fellow students through another lens that was altogether different, yet parallel to the academic/curricular sphere."
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Mary Gibbons

Mary Gibbons graduated from FCRH in 2009 with a major in American Studies, minor in Philosophy, and certificate in American Catholic Studies. A member of Phi Beta Kappa and a dedicated participant in Global Outreach, Mary spent a semester abroad at Oxford University in spring 2008. After graduation, Mary will join the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and serve within the New Orleans Public Defenders Office.

"Gutting houses in New Orleans is not something I thought would be part of my college experience, but that first Global Outreach project has defined the orientation of my studies and my post-grad plans. I have become an advocate for social justice, and truly feel it is my place in the world. My sisters have call me starry-eyed, but I think of it as the Jesuit Volunteer Corps motto – Ruined for Life. Never can I not know the injustices in this world, and if I am not part of the fight against them, I would not be able to forgive myself."
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Richard Gyug, Ph.D.

Professor Gyug is professor of history and medieval studies and currently teaches in the Manresa Program. His chief research interest is medieval religious culture. Within that large field, he has been involved for over twenty years in a team project, the "Monumenta liturgica beneventana," which finds, catalogues and studies medieval liturgical manuscripts from southern Italy and Dalmatia.

"I have taught courses on many aspects of medieval history, both undergraduate and graduate. The courses range from introductory surveys, to the history of medieval Spain, the history of medieval religion, medieval chronicles, the production of medieval manuscripts, and even a study tour to northern Spain, where the class walked about 15 miles a day for two weeks along the medieval Camino de Santiago. While the study tour is a highlight, the students tell it better than I do. See the blogs from the study tours to get an idea of what I like about teaching: http://fordhamcamino.blogspot.com."
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Constance Hassett, Ph.D.

Professor Hassett is professor of English and former director of the Poets Out Loud series. She currently teaches in the Manresa Program. Her book, Christina Rossetti: The Patience of Style (University Press of Virginia, 2005) won the 2005 Robert Penn Warren/Cleanth Brooks Award for literary criticism.

"I love that Fordham students are intellectually uninhibited. When we’ve gone to readings in NYC they chat with writers – even the Pulitzer Prize winners – and get copies of the books inscribed on the spot. They ask the authors “Who are you reading?” and swap titles!"
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Sr. Elizabeth Johnson, C.S.J.

Sr. Johnson is Distinguished Professor of Theology. She is the author of eight books, has served as president of both the American Theological Society and Catholic Theological Society of America, and is the recipient of twelve honorary doctorates. Sr. Johnson frequently teaches the freshman core theology course, Faith and Critical Reason.

"I do love teaching freshman courses for the spark that occurs when students catch on to the critical way of thinking about the meanings of religion. Watching students gain skill in thinking about religious matters; seeing them grow in ability to ask questions, to use sources, to figure out where they stand on debated issues. It’s a privilege to nurture their growth."
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Rev. Joseph Koterski, S.J.

Fr. Koterski is associate professor of philosophy and former department chair. Recently, he has published An Introduction to Medieval Philosophy: Basic Concepts (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009), and has completed videotaping at 36-part course on "Bliblical Wisdom Literature" for the Teaching Company (2009). He is the author of more than 70 articles and was recently elected the new President of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars. He also services as the Master of Queen’s Court Residential College for freshmen.

"My favorite course to teach is "Shakespeare and Aquinas on the Virtues and the Passions"--a wonderful opportunity to apply my favorite philosopher to some of my favorite literature, with wonderful results in the understanding of human nature and the appreciation of great drama. Although I normally teach my courses at 8:30am, the discussion that often gets going in this course often makes it hard for me to get a word in edge-wise!"
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Mary Jane McCartney

Mary Jane McCartney (TMC ’69) is a recently retired Senior Vice President at Con Edison and serves as the chair of the FCRH Board of Visitors. Actively involved the community and her parish, Mary Jane is married with four children and two grandchildren.

"As a math major, there was little room for elective courses once the core corriculum, math and physics classes and labs were completed. By senior year, I had the opportunity to take an art/architecture class that required me to visit a different noteworthy gallery, building, or museum each week. This course forced me to get over the fear of entering places like the Frick Collection, the Cloisters, and the Guggenheim which were so new to a kid from Queens."
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Barbara Mundy, Ph.D.

Professor Mundy is associate professor of art history and teaches in the Manresa Program. As a teacher, she covers much of the indigenous New World, offering courses on Pre-Columbian art, Aztec art, Native American art, and Latin American art. Her research focuses on the Spanish colonial period, especially Mexico in the 16th century.

"Fordham undergraduates always bring me new surprises and pleasures. I find my own enthusiasms are fueled by their receptiveness to new ideas and to so-called “difficult” art. There’s also a lot of give-and-take: this semester, in the Modern Latin American Art course, students have chosen their own research projects and I’m learning a lot from their insights and their research. One of my students, who is a Latin American and Latino studies major, is working on an important Puerto Rican artist, Rafael Tufiño; at a reception, another Fordham professor introduced her to Tufiño’s daughter, so now she’ll be able to incorporate original oral history in her paper. This is one I’m really looking forward to reading."
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Nina Rowe, Ph.D.

Professor Rowe is assistant professor of art history and the recipient of several prestigious fellowships that support her research on the production of medieval art. Her book, Jews, Christians and Images of Triumph in the Medieval City is forthcoming from Cambridge University Press.

"One of the best things about teaching at Fordham is having the opportunity to take advantage of the resources available in New York City. In my “Age of Cathedrals” class we always visit the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, on Amsterdam Avenue and 112th Street. We usually take a vertical tour of the building, getting special access to areas high up in the cathedral – even going up to the level of the vaulting and the roof! I also love to take students to The Cloisters and to the Morgan Library and Museum, which houses one of the most precious collections of medieval manuscripts in the world. We meet with a curator in a special room away from the main galleries and get to peer in to tiny medieval books meticulously painted and adorned with gold."
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Christine Schwall

Christine is a 2009 graduate of FCRH, majoring in biology with minors in chemistry and sociology. Christine conducted research on nanoparticles both at Fordham and in Germany after receiving a DAAD-RISE scholarship. A Clare Booth Luce Scholar and the valedictorian of the Class of 2009, after graduation Christine will pursue a Ph.D. in biochemistry at the University of Connecticut.

"Being able to travel to Germany the summer between Junior and Senior year was an amazing experience. Not only was it a phenomenal life experience in which I was able to work on a research project with a German PhD student, but I was immersed in an entirely new culture. Further, the process it took to apply and then to prepare to leave revealed the truly caring nature of many of the faculty and staff here at Fordham University. The Dean’s office, the Fellowship Office, and countless others supported me, wrote recommendations, and offered financial assistance to make the experience possible."
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Marc Tambini

Marc Tambini graduated from FCRH in 2008. A biology major and member of the Honors Program, Marc spent his summers conducting research at NYU and in Germany. Marc is currently enrolled in a MD/PhD program at Columbia University where he’s studying medicine and molecular biology.

"My favorite extracurricular activity didn't really materialize under the umbrella of a group or organization. I really just enjoyed the company of my friends. Being in the Honors program afforded us the opportunity to go on subsidized trips to the opera and to tea, but more often we would just have impromptu outings to restaurants, museums, movies, etc. It was such a blessing to be around people who are interested in and major in different things than I was."
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James VanOosting, Ph.D.

Professor VanOosting—he goes by ‘JVO’—is Professor and Chair of Communication & Media Studies. He has authored ten books, including four prize-winning novels for young adults. His articles have appeared in America, Commonweal, the National Catholic Reporter, the Christian Century, and the Humanist.

"My favorite undergraduate class is titled “Versions of Censorship & Freedom of Expression.” I find it produces spirited discussion and I learn so much from my students. Overall, my experience teaching at Fordham is that you may place the bar as high as you will, and the students will try to clear it. As a professor, who could ask for anything more?"
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