Mary Powers

BS, Central Connecticut State;
MA, University of Massachusetts, Amherst;
PhD, Brown, 1963

Social demography; immigrant and ethnic populations; social inequality and gender.

Dr. Mary G. Powers, professor emerita and former Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and Dean of the Arts and Sciences Faculty has been a valued member of the Fordham University community for over 60 years, since joining the Department of Sociology and Anthropology in 1965. She is a nationally recognized demographer and authority on social stratification, social inequality, and urban sociology.

In addition to her scholarly research and writings, Dr. Powers was an active professor and administrator at Fordham until her retirement and transition to emerita status. Dr. Powers taught undergraduate and graduate classes as well as advising numerous dissertations. Many of her students went on to become professional sociologists/demographers employed by major academic and research centers. Dr. Powers served on the Faculty Senate as well as a number of key committees at Fordham. In 1985, Dr. Powers was named Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and Dean of Arts and Sciences Faculty. She served as Dean for approximately fifteen years.

Fordham University honored Dr. Powers with a Bene Merenti medal, an award given by the University to recognize faculty members for dedicated and longstanding service. Additionally, Dr. Powers was a consultant to the United Nations (U.N.) multiple times. Her work with the U.N. statistical office involved the development of comparative indicators of the situation of women in all countries.

Dr. Powers has remained active after her retirement, collaborating with colleagues, editing books, and writing articles.

Chamie, Joseph, and Mary G. Powers. 2006. International Migration and the Global Community: A Forum on the Report of the Global Commission on International Migration. Center for Migration Studies, New York.

Tomasi, Lydio F., and Mary G. Powers, eds. 2000. Immigration Today: Pastoral and Research Challenges. Center for Migration Studies, New York.

Powers, Mary G., ed. 1982. Measures of Socioeconomic Status: Current Issues. AAAS Selected Symposium 81. Westview, Boulder, CO.

Powers, Mary G. 2006. "Unauthorized immigrants in the United States," Canadian American Research Series pp. 33-36.

Powers, Mary G., Ellen Percy Kraly, and William Seltzer. 2004. "IRCA: Lessons of the last US Legalization Program,"Migration Information Source. Online Journal of the Migration Policy Institute July.

Powers, Mary G. 2000. "Occupation and education in the U.S. Census," in The Encyclopedia of the U.S. Census, Margo J. Anderson, ed. Congressional Quarterly Press, Washington, DC.

Powers, Mary G., and William Seltzer, 1998. "Occupational status and mobility among undocumented immigrants by gender," International Migration Review 32(1):21-55.

Powers, Mary G., William Seltzer, and Jing Shi. 1998. "Gender differences in the occupational status of undocumented immigrants in the United States: experience before and after legalization," International Migration Review 32(4):1015-1046.