EXCELSI R ARTS SCIENCE PHILOSOPHY MEDICINE LAW I NA TR C DO I E T S IA HAME NS NT V E R S I TA RD S AP I E NI F O S U 41 18 EVER UPWAR D | T H E CA M PAIG N F OR F OR DHA M | W I N T E R 2 0 1 3 , Vol. 2 , No. 3 denzel washington, unplugged The Academy Award-Winning Actor Returns to Lincoln Center to Talk with Theater Students T aking a detour from the red carpet at Lincoln Center for the premiere of his acclaimed new film, Flight, Denzel Washington, FCLC ’77, made an unpublicized stop at Fordham’s Pope Auditorium on Oct. 14. Alternately professorial, philosophical, and parental, the Oscarwinning actor, arguably the University’s highest-profile alumnus, gave Fordham theater students direct advice on the craft and life. Washington reminisced about his time at Fordham, when he meandered from pre-med to political science before coming down to the Lincoln Center campus from Rose Hill to try his hand at acting. Once there, he was cast as the lead in Eugene O’Neill’s Emperor Jones. At the time, the actor said, he didn’t even know who O’Neill was, but to this day the playwright remains one of his favorite writers. “The pain that he suffered, I just related to it,” said Washington. “The tears on the page made sense to me.” Washington recalled lean times of trying to figure out how to take in a Broadway show (a ticket cost $6 at the time), get uptown, and eat—all on a student’s tight budget. He said the hardest role he ever played was “unemployment.” But, for all the struggles, Fordham was where he wanted to be. “Being in this part of town at that time, on this stage, I can’t tell you how much it did for me,” he said. “I was right here at Lincoln Center, right in the middle of things.” The actor recalled standing in the student section of Broadway theaters, watching Robert De Niro shoot Taxi Driver up the block from campus, and seeing James Earl Jones playing Oedipus at St. John the Divine. “I watched everybody,” he said. “I was like, ‘Wow, I want to be like them.’” To that end, Washington pointed to a singular aspect of his craft: emulating another actor’s approach. He added that he wasn’t alone in the method. “I had a chance to meet [Laurence] Olivier and he said, ‘Just steal.’” Sitting on the very same stage where he performed during his school days, Denzel Washington took time out from promoting his latest film to talk with Fordham students in Pope Auditorium. Washington told students to forget about film acting during their time at the University. “When I was here, we never talked about movie stars,” he said. Following his years at Fordham, Washington was accepted into MFA programs at Yale and Carnegie Mellon universities. But the William Morris talent agency snapped him up first, and fame followed. The actor said that, although he understands that moviestar fame and publicity are part of his job as an actor, it is not what he values. “I’m sitting here with you now and there is a premiere over at Lincoln Center right now,” he said. “They’re doing the whole business, and I’m here, and this is where I’d rather be.” Washington has long been a champion of theater education at his alma mater. The two-time Oscar winner served on the University’s Board of Trustees from 1994 to 2000. And in 2011, he endowed the Denzel Washington Chair in Theatre with a $2 million gift to Fordham. (Veteran actor Joe Morton currently holds the chair.) Washington also made a $250,000 gift to establish an endowed scholarship fund for students in the Fordham Theatre Program. “It’s not what you have; it’s what you do with what you have,” he told students. “My life is not typical in this profession, but one thing I know I have in common with everybody here is the ability to give back. Take what you have and use it for good.” the right chemistry for business education The Stavropoulos Family Foundation Supports the Renovation of Hughes Hall William Stavropoulos, Ph.D., PHA ’61, started his career as a research chemist during the 1960s, after graduating from Fordham and earning a doctorate in medicinal chemistry from the University of Washington. Yet for the majority of his 39 years at the Dow Chemical Company, he held leadership positions in marketing and management. “I spent most of my life on the business side of things,” said the former chairman and CEO of the Michigan-based multinational. So when he considered making a substantial gift to Fordham, supporting the Gabelli School of Business seemed like the right fit. (The undergraduate college he attended, the School of Pharmacy, closed in 1972.) “I know Fordham has put a lot of emphasis on improving their undergraduate and graduate business programs,” he said, “and I thought this gift would be put to good use.” Stavropoulos and his wife made a $4 million pledge to the University in 2011 through the Bill and Linda Stavropoulos Family Foundation. The gift has helped transform Hughes Hall, the 19th-century French Gothic building near the center of the Rose Hill campus, into a modern, high-tech home for the Gabelli School—complete with a trading room featuring Bloomberg terminals and streaming stock tickers. The entire second-floor complex is named in honor of the Stavropoulos Foundation. It includes two large lecture rooms, a meeting room, a student lounge, and a study center. The renovation was designed to foster an even stronger sense of community among faculty members, administrators, and students. “It’s really something,” Stavropoulos said, “the old and the new.” The foundation’s gift to Fordham is not the first substantial investment he has made in a community that’s helped him succeed. An avid baseball fan who once played semipro ball with Carl Yastrzemski, Stavropoulos established the Michigan Baseball Foundation after he retired from Dow in 2006. “We had two purposes: to encourage economic and business development, and to support youth activities,” he said of the project, which brought a minor-league team and a new ballpark to Midland, Dow’s headquarters for more than 100 years and Stavropoulos’ home for 25. The nonprofit has brought an estimated $2 million into the surrounding neighborhoods, according to Stavropoulos, now chairman emeritus Linda and Bill Stavropoulos toured the Gabelli School’s new home on Oct. 22, shortly before they were inducted into the Archbishop Hughes Society, which honors Fordham University’s most generous benefactors. of Dow’s board of directors. “I wanted to give back,” he said. “The company and the community have been very good to me.” Stavropoulos shared similar sentiments about his Fordham community. Though the University has changed quite a bit since he lived on campus, the things he remembers most still resonate with today’s students: “My friends, the camaraderie that we had, the intimacy of the school, and just that feeling of support that you get,” said the son of Greek immigrants, who grew up about 100 miles away from the Bronx on Long Island’s East End. “And,” he said, underscoring one of Fordham and the Gabelli School’s greatest strengths, “we had New York City at our feet.” The 2012 Review of Gifts and Benefactors is now available online at www.fordham.edu/gifts. Fordham is grateful to its many generous and dedicated donors for their ongoing support. ringing endorsements for support The Brand-New Fordham Fund Phonathon Center Connects Students with Alumni, Parents, and Friends Who Share a Passion for the University B rittany Poe may be studying in New York City, but she drew on her Southern roots during a recent shift at the Fordham Fund Phonathon Center, where she works as a part-time fundraiser. A few minutes into a call with the father of a Fordham student, Poe learned that he is from her home state of North Carolina. Within seconds, she subconsciously slipped into a faint Southern drawl, answering with a few “yessirs” and plenty of down-home charm. Poe is one of dozens of fundraisers at the phonathon center. Students reach out to alumni, parents, and friends of the University to help Fordham update contact information and solicit contributions to the Fordham Fund, unrestricted funds that Fordham can apply to needs that arise anywhere in the University. Michelle Garland, program manager of the phonathon, said students began calling from the new center in O’Hare Hall on Oct. 15. Just 10 days later, they had completed more than 1,600 calls. Jillian Pellegrini, a Fordham College at Rose Hill senior, said talking with alumni has given her a deeper understanding of the University’s history. She learned about Fordham’s days in lower Manhattan by speaking with an alumnus who navigated Vietnam War protests on his way to class at 302 Broadway in the late 1960s. She also spoke with an alumna who was part of the first class of women admitted to Fordham College at Rose Hill during the 1970s. “I think it would be interesting to see Fordham back then,” Pellegrini said. “We always tell alumni about all the things that have changed, and it’s so much,” she said, citing the renovation of Hughes Hall; the opening of Campbell, Salice, and Conley residence halls at Rose Hill; and the new Fordham Law building and undergraduate residence hall under construction on the Lincoln Center campus. Pellegrini said having a well-paid on-campus job has been a huge help to her. As she prepares to graduate with a degree in American studies and considers spending a year with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, every dollar helps. And the time she saves by not commuting to Manhattan to work is reinvested in her thesis. Pellegrini, the oldest of three children in her family, said that without the financial support she is now helping to raise, she would not have been able to pursue her dream of attending college in New York City. “I am lucky enough that this kind of support has made my education at Fordham possible,” she said. Financial aid also helps Bronx native Peter Esposito attend Fordham. A member of the Rose Hill Society, a volunteer-based student branch of the Office of Undergraduate Admission, and a son of two Fordham alumni, Esposito is no stranger to touting the benefits of attending and supporting the University. “It’s great being able to raise money for the school I always knew I wanted to come to,” he said. Esposito, a junior majoring in history and Italian studies, is considering a career in education. He said speaking with alumni about their career paths has helped him think more broadly about his own. “It’s been interesting seeing where alumni have gone. You get a sense that even if you major in something, you don’t necessarily have to go work in that field,” he said. Poe, who expects to earn her master’s degree in medieval studies in May, said she’s also gained career wisdom from alumni and parents on the phone. “I talked to someone recently who had done their Ph.D. and gave me tons of advice on how to do applications for my own,” she said. Fully staffed, the center will employ 45 to 50 students and place up to 1,200 calls each week, according to Garland, who said she is continuously recruiting more students who are passionate about Fordham and great conversationalists. So far, it sounds like she’s on the right track. “I’ve had some great, long conversations with alumni who love talking about Fordham,” Pellegrini said. “I’ve learned a lot.” campaign progress Prizing Ethics Education As of mid-November, Fordham alumni, parents, and friends have raised more than $459 million in support of the campaign. Overall $500 million By Priority $80 $70 million million $100 million $170 million 134% $459,632,306 $80 million 132% 107% Pledges $253 million 63% Clockwise from center left: Jillian Pellegrini, Peter Esposito (shown with phonathon manager Michelle Garland), and Brittany Poe are among 50 students reaching out to alumni, parents, and friends via the brand-new Fordham Fund Phonathon Center. 59% Gifts $206 million Endowed Chairs Scholarships Academic Support Facilities Annual Support $50.9 million $94.3 million $107.6 million $100.9 million $105.9 million A New Essay Contest Challenges Students to Analyze Moral Issues K. York Chynn, M.D., and M. Noelle Chynn, GSS ’60, have made a $100,000 gift to Fordham University’s Center for Ethics Education to endow an essay prize that asks undergraduate students to reflect on ethical choices. The Chynns’ gift “reflects the larger mission of the University, which emphasizes moral development in tandem with intellectual development,” said the center’s director, Celia B. Fisher, Ph.D., Marie Ward Doty University Chair and professor of psychology. Dr. Chynn said he and his wife were inspired to take action after reading news articles about one egregious moral transgression after another. “You hope this will help,” he said. With assistance from their church, the couple first created an ethics essay contest at a middle school near their home in Tenafly, N.J. Wanting to extend the concept to older students, they approached Fordham because it is a Catholic university and because of Mrs. Chynn’s connection as an alumna of the Graduate School of Social Service. When they found out the University has an ethics center that not only hosts public events and lectures but also offers a cross-disciplinary master’s degree program, they felt it was a perfect fit. Fordham’s university-wide focus on ethics has made the administration of the essay prize “a little easier,” said Dr. Chynn, professor emeritus of radiology at Columbia University. Open to all Fordham undergraduates, the essay competition began last spring as a pilot contest that the Chynn Family Foundation supported before endowing the Dr. K. York and M. Noelle Chynn Prize in Ethics. More than 100 students entered, and the top three won prizes of $300, $500, and $1,000. At a reception last spring, the Chynns met the winners, including Ariadne Blayde Baker-Dunn, FCLC ’12, who received first prize for an essay examining her motives in helping a local homeless man who soon forgot her. “It was very moving,” said Dr. Chynn. This year, Fisher said she plans to have students present their papers at a dinner. “Faculty are excited to provide students with an opportunity to take what they’ve learned in class and reflect on their mission as men and women for others.” Learn more about Excelsior | Ever Upward | The Campaign for Fordham at www.fordham.edu/campaign. trustworthy leadership A Conversation with Robert Daleo, GSB ’72, Chair of the Fordham Board of Trustees R obert Daleo, GSB ’72, still recalls what his father told him more than four decades ago: “‘I’m sorry I can’t pay for your college. But I gave you the world to live in.’ “And he was right,” said Daleo, one of three sons born to ItalianAmerican parents in the Bronx. “My mom was a seamstress; my father worked in a factory downtown. They gave me an understanding of who I am. And they gave me values.” Daleo graduated from Fordham University in 1972 with a B.S. in economics and later earned an M.B.A. from the City University of New York. This past June, he was elected chair of the Fordham University Board of Trustees. And in December, after a 40-year career in the information business, including stints at McGraw-Hill and Automatic Data Processing, he will retire as vice chairman of Thomson Reuters. Daleo joined the global news and information services company in 1994 as senior vice president and chief financial officer of Thomson Newspapers. Within a few years, he helped turn around what had been a struggling business. He rose to executive vice president and chief financial officer of the Thomson Corporation, which acquired the Reuters Group in 2008. In recent years, Daleo also became one of Fordham’s most generous benefactors. In 2005, he and his wife, Linda, made a gift to Fordham to establish an endowed scholarship in loving memory of his late brother, Paul Daleo, GSB ’68, GBA ’75. More recently, they supported the transformation of Hughes Hall into the new home of the Gabelli School. Daleo met with EXCELSIOR in October, four months into his tenure as chair of the Board. Did you work to pay your way through Fordham? Yes, I managed a liquor store, believe it or not, by Hugh Grant Circle, near Parkchester. On a normal day, I’d get up early to open the store, then have class from 10 to 2, maybe spend another hour at the library, then drive back to the store and work until the evening. When it was slow, I’d sit behind the counter reading my textbooks. It all blended together, work and education. I think that is integral to what Jesuit education is all about. Did you get any financial aid? I did get some help from Fordham, a scholarship from the Uniroyal Foundation that covered a good part of my tuition. I was so impressed by that, and it actually influenced my thinking later on in life when I established a scholarship in memory of my brother Paul. You’ve also returned to campus as a guest lecturer at the business school. What did you tell students? I talked about changes in technology and how companies that own the current business model don’t always make the right transition. IBM invented the PC but essentially gave that market to Microsoft. Microsoft gave away the search marketplace to Google. And things keep going. So it was all about understanding how business models evolve. Did you relate that to your work at Thomson Reuters? I talked about how we transformed ourselves in 2000 by getting out of newspapers. In 1999, we told the board, “Look, we believe that the business model of the Internet is going to be a big disruption to newspapers, and we also believe that we are close to the top of the business cycle. If we don’t sell it now, we might have to wait until the next peak.” Everybody thought we were brilliant, but it was just deducing—or, as the Jesuits would say, discerning where the pockets of growth are and how the company is positioned to be in them. Why did you and your wife make a gift to support the renovation of Hughes Hall? You can’t do great work if you don’t have the right place to do it. The Hughes Hall renovation, the new dormitories at Rose Hill, the new Law School and residence hall at Lincoln Center—they are just so important, not only because they’re tangible evidence of support but because they enhance our ability to live our primary mission, which is education. And we still have needs, certainly in science facilities and a new student center. What else does Fordham need to continue its mission? The University needs and deserves a larger endowment. More than 90 percent of our students get some financial aid, and many are among the first in their families to go to college. That’s part of our Jesuit heritage, and we should be doing all we can to help them. We need to continue to ask for support because the work that we do is so noble. a fitting tribute Honora “Nora” Ahern Grose, GBA ’84, was working at an architectural firm when she enrolled in the MBA program at Fordham’s Graduate School of Business Administration during the 1980s. The advanced degree, she was convinced, would complement her creative talents with practical business intelligence, giving her an edge in a competitive field. “When I finished architecture school and began working, I found that the education I had received was rather focused,” said Grose, who earned her B.S. at Catholic University. “It didn’t encompass a lot of general business principles that are useful in your career and in life. My Fordham education helped me round out my career and become a more attractive job candidate.” Grose, a former construction manager and diversified portfolio manager, worked in commercial architecture at the Washington, D.C.-based firm of Deupi and Associates, and was a project manager for Halpern Real Estate Development, and Olympia and York. In 2010, she returned to Fordham to participate in a Women in Leadership luncheon with Gabelli School of Business students. “A lot of people are creative,” she told them. “But finding people with a combination of creativity and good business sense—that combination is not quite as common.” Grose’s desire to equip students with business skills and ethical values inspired her and her husband, Madison, vice chair of Starwood Energy Group and senior managing director at Starwood Capital Group, to make a $1 million gift to Fordham earlier this year to create the Grose Family Endowed Chair in Business. Their generosity leverages support from Mario Gabelli, GSB ’65, who in 2010 designated $5 million of his $25 million gift to Fordham to match, dollar for dollar, other donors’ gifts toward endowed chairs. “We wanted to be part of the capital campaign,” said Grose, who joined Fordham’s Board of Trustees after three years on the President’s Council. “Serving on the council was a wonderful opportunity to reach out into the community and connect with Fordham students,” she said. “They are all enthusiastic and excited. It’s wonderful to spend time with them.” Honora Ahern Grose, GBA ’84, and her husband, Madison, were among 21 men and women inducted into the Archbishop Hughes Society on Oct. 22. The society recognizes those whose spiritual, intellectual, and financial gifts have helped the University realize its mission. By the Numbers Endowed Faculty Positions at Fordham The Thomson Reuters/Bob Daleo Fund for Global Education In honor of Robert Daleo’s upcoming retirement as vice chairman of Thomson Reuters and his recent election as chair of the Fordham University Board of Trustees, Thomson Reuters has established a fund to support global business education at Fordham. Stephane Bello, chief financial officer of the international news and information services firm (whose daughter, Tania, is a junior at Fordham), was among the first to make a gift to the University in Daleo’s name. Gifts to the fund will help the Gabelli School of Business make its international offerings more accessible to a greater number of students. Gabelli currently offers students a wealth of international learning opportunities—from globalthemed courses on campus and internships in the New York offices of multinational firms to international study tours and semester-long programs at universities trustee, gba alumna establishes chair in business throughout the world, including those offered at Fordham’s own London Centre. “Every course and aspect of the Gabelli School experience should have an international component, reflecting the reality that all business today is global,” said Donna Rapaccioli, Ph.D., GSB ’83, dean of the Gabelli School. But providing global opportunities for students is costly. Gifts to the Thomson Reuters/Daleo fund will help Fordham create scholarships for students to study abroad, bring well-known speakers to campus for International Business Week, and add courses in global business and culture. To make a gift to the Thomson Reuters/Bob Daleo Fund for Global Education, go to www.fordham.edu/ onlinegiving or call Robert Smith, senior director of development for stewardship, at 212-636-7441. Increasing the number of endowed chairs at the University is one of the top five goals of Excelsior | Ever Upward | The Campaign for Fordham. Why is it important to fund more endowed chairs? Because these academic posts help the University attract some of the world’s leading scholars who contribute not only to students’ education in the classroom but also to groundbreaking research in any number of fields. $80 million goal for endowed scholarships $50.5 million raised to date 38 endowed chairs established at Fordham since the start of the campaign 146% increase in the number of endowed chairs since the start of the campaign 64 named professorships across all Fordham schools and colleges Invest in the next generation of outstanding Fordham faculty members. To learn more, visit www.fordham.edu/campaign or call 212-636-6550. Fordham University Development and University Relations 888 Seventh Avenue, 7th Floor New York, NY 10019 Fordham University 113 West 60th Street New York, NY 10023 www.fordham.edu/campaign What is Ring-a-Ram? Find out inside. Excelsior is published three times a year by the Department of Development and University Relations to share news of Fordham’s capital campaign and to celebrate the gifts that are taking the University and its students to new heights. join us Learn more at www.fordham.edu/events. Saturday, 8 December The Nutcracker Tuesday, 11 December Annual Fordham Club Christmas Reception Meet the Dancers: 12:30 p.m. | Matinee Performance: 2 p.m. | Brooklyn Academy of Music | 30 Lafayette Avenue | Brooklyn, N.Y. Register online at www.fordham.edu/events. For more information, contact Jake Braithwaite at 212-636-7501 or [email protected]. 7 p.m. | Tognino Hall | Duane Library | Rose Hill Campus Fordham Club alumni and current members are invited to join us for the annual Christmas reception at the Rose Hill campus, hosted by Michael Latham, Ph.D., dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill. RSVP at www.fordham.edu/events. For more information, contact Jake Braithwaite at 212-636-7501 or [email protected]. Saturday, 8 December Men’s Basketball Pregame Reception Fordham vs. St. John’s at Madison Square Garden 5 p.m. | Stout NYC | 133 West 33rd Street | New York City For more information, contact Brianne Laurin at 212-636-6573 or [email protected]. Sunday, 9 December Central New Jersey Chapter Annual Yuletide Mass and Reception 2 p.m. | St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church | 214 Nassau Street | Princeton, N.J. For more information, contact Carroll Seghers, FCLC ’74, GBA ’82, at [email protected]. Tuesday, 11 December Handel’s Messiah Dinner with Special Guest Robert Minotti, Director of the Fordham University Choir: 5:30 p.m. | Performance: 7:30 p.m. | St. Thomas Church | 1 West 53rd Street | New York City Register online at www.fordham.edu/events. For more information, contact Jake Braithwaite at 212-636-7501 or [email protected]. Tuesday, 11 December Call and Response: How American Catholic Sisters Have Shaped the Church Since Vatican II 6 p.m. | Pope Auditorium | Lowenstein Center | Lincoln Center Campus Co-sponsored by the Fordham Center on Religion and Culture and the Francis and Ann Curran Center for American Catholic Studies Free and open to the public. RSVP at [email protected] or 212-636-7347. Saturday, 12 January Dublin Regional Reception 5 p.m. | Guinness Storehouse | St. James Gate | Dublin, Ireland RSVP online at www. fordham.edu/events. For more information, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at alumnioffice@ fordham.edu. Thursday, 13 December Chicago Regional Christmas Reception 7 p.m. | Pint | 1547 N. Milwaukee Avenue | Chicago Register at www.fordham.edu/events. For more information, contact Matt Policastro, FCRH ’06, at 917-756-0115 or [email protected]. Thursday, 17 January The Philadelphia Orchestra Performance and Dinner Friday, 14 December Alumni Chapter of Northern California Holiday Dinner Dinner: 5:30 p.m. | Performance: 8 p.m. | Carnegie Hall | 881 Seventh Avenue (at 57th Street) | New York City Register online at www.fordham.edu/events. For more information, contact Jake Braithwaite at 212-636-7501 or [email protected]. 5:30 p.m. | Original Joe’s | 601 Union Street | San Francisco For more information, contact Mark DiGiorgio at [email protected]. Wednesday, 23 January The Frick Permanent Collection Tour Sunday, 23 December Alumni Chapter of South Florida Miami Dolphins Outing: Tailgate and Football Game Lunch: 12 p.m. | Tour: 2 p.m. | The Frick Collection | 1 East 70th Street | New York City Register online at www.fordham.edu/events. For more information, contact Jake Braithwaite at 212-636-7501 or [email protected]. 10:30 a.m. | Sun Life Stadium | Parking Lot B For more information, contact Jim Carenza at [email protected]. Sunday, 27 January Long Island Mass and Reception Monday, 24 December Christmas Eve Midnight Mass 4:30 p.m. | Inisfada Jesuit Retreat House | 251 Searingtown Road | Manhasset, N.Y. Register online at www.fordham.edu/events. For more information, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 212-636-6520. 11:30 p.m. | Fordham University Church | Rose Hill Campus Wednesday, 30 January Boston Regional Reception 6 p.m. | The Langham Boston | 250 Franklin Street | Boston Register online at www.fordham.edu/events. For more information, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 212-636-6520. Please note that dates and times are subject to change. For the latest information about these and other events, visit www.fordham.edu/events.
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