In Brief

• Fordham University Press Makes Titles Available on DigitalResearch

• Freshman Scholars Feted at Rose Hill

• Sperber Prize Recognizes Biography of World War II Cartoonist

• Jesuit High School Grads Are Welcomed to Fordham

• This Month in Jesuit History: Jesuits Establish School to Bolster German Catholicism

Fordham University Press Makes Titles Available on DigitalResearch

Fordham University Press has joined with the William D. Walsh Family Library to carry certain of its academic titles digitally through DigitalResearch@Fordham.

The move will allow scholars and researchers open access to the titles both inside and outside of the Fordham community. Readers will be able to download and read book content online and bookmark and share content on sites such as Digg, Facebook, Blogger and LinkedIn.

The first set of books to become available will be books in the Institute of International Humanitarian Assistance (IIHA) series, with titles such as Human Security For All (2004) and The Pulse of Humanitarian Assistance (2007).

More titles will follow over the next year, said Director Fred Nachbaur, with the next step being to upload books authored by Fordham University faculty.

“[This digital initiative] helps to raise our profile and get our name in front of researchers, scholars, and students using the repository,” said Nachbaur.

DigitalResearch@Fordham can be accessed at the site or by going into the “Catalogs and Collections in the Library” section of Fordham University’s website.

—Janet Sassi

Freshman Scholars Feted at Rose Hill

Presidential, Merit and Dean’s Scholars of the Class of 2013 were welcomed to Fordham College at Rose Hill on Sept. 29 at a reception in Duane Library.

The freshmen, who already have shown high academic potential, were given information on distinguished fellowships they can pursue and support the University provides to help them succeed.

Joseph Currie, S.J., (right) speaks with FCRH freshmen at the annual Presidential, Merit and Dean’s Scholars reception.

Photo by Nina Romeo

“You are already in the select group of students who have all the natural abilities. Our job is to help you get there,” said Maria Noonan, assistant director of the St. Edmund Campion Institute for the Advancement of Intellectual Excellence.

Noonan noted that there are “literally thousands” of fellowship opportunities for students who actively pursue them.

John R. Kezel, Ph.D., director of the Campion Institute, stressed the importance of maintaining an excellent academic record starting in freshman year; getting to know professors; and pursuing summer fellowships and internships to compete for the most esteemed academic prizes, like the Rhodes, Marshall and Fulbright.

Kezel gave the example of six undergraduates from both Fordham College at Lincoln Center and Fordham College at Rose Hill who received DAAD RISE summer fellowships to study in Germany under doctoral candidates in the sciences.

“It’s a wonderful way to get the study-abroad experience in the summer while you are engaging in something that is profitable for you,” he said.

“Another thing that scholarship-granting organizations look for is community service and leadership, so I would encourage you—not to let your studies go—but in your spare time to engage in community service and eventually play a leadership role in something that interests you,” Kezel added.

“These fellowships really are tremendous opportunities,” said Michael Latham, Ph.D., dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill. “They are a chance for you to study, to work and do research in places that otherwise you might not get to experience. They can really open a lot of doors for you in terms of graduate study and your careers.”

Applying for fellowships is a worthwhile endeavor, no matter what the results are, Latham said.

“The process itself, while it can be time consuming and while it does take a lot of work, is also really quite valuable,” he said. “It’s a way for you to help discover your own gifts, your own abilities, to help you get a sense of what your future interests might be. So I would highly recommend that you take advantage of the opportunities.”

—Nina Romeo

Sperber Prize Recognizes Biography of World War II Cartoonist

Author Todd DePastino has won Fordham University’s 2009 Ann M. Sperber Prize for biography for his book Bill Mauldin: A Life Up Front (W.W. Norton, 2008).

The book traces the life and career of the Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, famous for his World War II cartoons featuring the archetypal soldiers “Willie” and “Joe.” Their experiences of infantry life on the field were followed by millions of Americans during the war. Mauldin himself served in the 45th Infantry Division, drawing six cartoons a week for Stars and Stripes while on his tour of duty. At age 23, he was awarded the Pulitzer in 1945 for his collection from the front lines, Up Front. He received the award again in 1959 for his editorial cartoons.

The Sperber Prize is given annually by Fordham to an author of a biography or autobiography of a journalist or other media figure. The award was established by a gift from Liselotte Sperber, in memory of her daughter Ann M. Sperber, who wrote the Pulitzer Prize-nominated biography of Edward R. Murrow, Murrow: His Life and Times (Fordham University Press, 1998).

Al Auster, Ph.D., associate professor of media and communications and one of six judges, called DePastino’s book “a superb biography and welcome addition to the literature of how political cartooning has developed in the United States.”

DePastino will receive the award at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 23 in the 12th Floor Lounge of Lowenstein Center, Lincoln Center campus.

Previous recipients of the award include Victor Navasky, Arthur Gelb, Myra MacPherson and David Nasaw.

—Janet Sassi

Jesuit High School Grads Are Welcomed to Fordham

(l to r) CBA freshman Christopher Tretrola and FCRH freshman Tim Luecke speak with Bernard J. Barry, S.J., assistant dean of CBA.

Photo by Patrick Verel

Donna Rapaccioli, Ph.D., dean of the College of Business Administration (CBA) and Michael E. Latham, Ph.D., interim dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH), were among the administrators who greeted Jesuit high school graduates in Fordham’s class of 2013 in an informal reception on Oct. 1 at the University Commons. This year’s incoming freshman class includes 44 graduates from Jesuit high schools at CBA and 119 at FCRH.

—Patrick Verel

This Month in Jesuit History
Jesuits Establish School to Bolster German Catholicism

The Church of Sant’Eustachio as it appears today.

On Oct. 28, 1552, at the Church of Sant’Eustachio in Rome, a new school was founded with the aim of revitalizing Catholic ministry in Germany and other parts of northern Europe.

The Collegio Germanico would be run by the Society of Jesus; its constitution and rules had been drawn up by St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society. At first, the college was essentially a residence for students at the Collegio Romano, founded the year before, which was central to the Society’s mission of educating priests and establishing more schools and pastoral missions.

Through its training of pastors, theologians and future bishops, the Collegio Germanico played an important role in restoring Catholicism to many parts of Germany. It also became the model for other national colleges attached to the Collegio Romano and helped establish Rome as the center for clerical training that it remains today.

—Chris Gosier

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