Arts and Sciences Faculty Feted at Annual Tribute

Maryam Hastings, Ph.D., visiting professor of mathematics, enjoys A&S Faculty Day with Leonard Nissim, Ph.D., assistant professor of math. Photo by Ryan Brenizer

Some 200 arts and sciences faculty members and academic administrators celebrated the annual Arts and Sciences Faculty Day on Feb. 1 on the Rose Hill campus. The event honors the work of the faculty in teaching, research and service, and recognizes individual members of the teaching staff for outstanding teaching.

Mary Bly, Ph.D., associate professor of English and this year’s featured speaker, began the evening with a lecture on “Playing the Tourist in Early Modern London: Mapping Plays and Culture.”

This year’s winners of the teaching awards were: Maria Farland, Ph.D., associate professor of English, recipient of the Undergraduate Teaching Award in the Humanities; Mary Procidano, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology and associate chair for undergraduate studies, recipient of the Undergraduate Teaching Award in the Natural and Life Sciences; Richard Gyug, Ph.D., professor of history, recipient of the Undergraduate Teaching Award in the Social Sciences; and Jonathan Crystal, Ph.D., associate professor of political science, recipient of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Award for Distinguished Graduate Teaching.

“Faculty Day is a great Fordham tradition,” said Brennan O’Donnell, Ph.D., dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill and host of the event. “It’s good to take time each year to remind ourselves that at the core of the life of the University is the hard work and dedication of the faculty.”
—Janet Sassi

Photo by Michael Dames

Grand Grad

The Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service hosted a graduation ceremony on Jan. 29 in the Pope Auditorium for 13 participants in its Grandparent Empowerment Program. The program helps empower grandparents who act as primary caregivers for their grandchildren, and is directed by Carole B. Cox, Ph.D., professor of social work. Above, graduate Victoria Chase receives a hug from her granddaughter, Diavione.

For years, Fordham University has enjoyed a dynamic domestic alumni relations program, which today boasts more than 30 chapters in 20 states and one in Puerto Rico.

But on March 7, Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, heads to Paris for the inaugural reception of Fordham’s first alumni chapter in mainland Europe.

According to the Office of Alumni Relations, there is a buzz abroad.

“We’re seeing an increasing presence of Fordham alumni overseas,” said Sara Hunt, alumni relations officer for regional chapters. “In the past few years, we’ve taken our regional chapters to a higher level; now we’re ready to tap our international base.”

The office estimates that roughly 5,000 Fordham alumni are living and working in foreign countries, many of them graduates from the schools of business administration. In addition to Paris, recent requests for alumni chapters have come from Dublin, Ireland, Bejing, China and the Philippines.

“The alumni office identifies areas where a chapter will benefit the local community as well as the University,” Hunt said. “We’re looking for local volunteers to help keep alumni connected to Fordham.”
William Chegwidden (FCRH ’82), CEO of Paris-based translation firm Cheg Traductions, Inc., said he advanced the Paris chapter as a means to pay homage to the Jesuit education he received and help future Fordham students (including his daughter, Mary, who is a freshman) stay in touch.

“Having a Fordham chapter in France affords me the opportunity to extend, in a small way, one of the most passionate times in my life,” he said.

For Alexandra Pribilovics (FCRH ’04), president of the burgeoning Beijing chapter, having an alumni group provided a networking forum to learn more about China and a chance to continue being “men and women for others,” she said.

“I believe that with privilege comes responsibility,” Pribilovics said. “I am using my opportunity as Fordham club president to continue to practice and live that philosophy.”

The increase in alumni activity corresponds with the update of the alumni website, making for easier navigation, and a monthly e-newsletter that has been launched to distribute the latest alumni news, Hunt said. The office also anticipates a rise in alumni activity with the January launch of FordhamCircle, a new social networking site that enables graduates to find old classmates, start a job post or reconnect with old friends.

The Alumni Office will kick off its overseas trip with an event in Dublin with John Tognino (FCLS ’75), chairman of Fordham’s Board of Trustees. Father McShane will join the group in London on March 6—there are approximately 220 Fordham graduates living in the UK. All Fordham alumni living in Europe have been invited to attend either the London or the Paris gathering.

Peggy Pospisil, director of alumni relations, points out that the benefits of alumni networking abroad are even more pronounced, where the challenges of foreign languages and social customs (not to mention the sheer distance from home) can make a college connection seem like a lifeline in a sea of strange faces. It also strengthens Fordham’s presence, positioning it as a university with an international reputation.
“Having international chapters only enhances Fordham’s global reputation,” Pospisil said, “as the alumni become the University’s unofficial ambassadors abroad.”

—Janet Sassi

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TD Ameritrade CEO Joe Moglia, FCRH ’71 Photo by Jon Roemer

TD Ameritrade CEO Joe Moglia discussed the evolution of the online brokerage industry with students in an equity analysis class at the Graduate School of Business Administration on Jan. 29.

Since becoming CEO in 2001, Moglia has led the Omaha, Nebraska-based company through nine mergers and acquisitions, including a $2.9 billion deal with TD Waterhouse in 2006. But the industry’s current era of consolidation, he said, is “coming to an end. As the valuations go up, the risk-reward becomes that much more significant.”

Moglia, who earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Fordham in 1971, enjoyed a 16-year career as a football coach before joining Merrill Lynch in 1984. He gave students signed copies of his book, Coach Yourself to Success: Winning the Investment Game (Wiley, 2005), and told them that one key to success, in athletics and business, is honestly assessing your strengths and weaknesses.

“The strength of knowing who you are is one of the things that truly in life gives you peace of mind,” Moglia said. “The greater your peace of mind, the greater your ability to be able to handle stress.”

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