Their first days at Fordham took place in a vastly different world. Forty years ago, there were pay phones in the lobby of each dorm. University offices used IBM electric typewriters, and Apple had just released its first Macintosh computer. Twenty years ago, Google launched Gmail and Father McShane was serving in his first year as University president.

President Tetlow and a faculty member smile at the camera.
President Tetlow and Winnie Kung, professor of social work, who was honored for 20 years of service

On March 3, 46 employees were celebrated at present-day Fordham for 60, 40, or 20 years of service during the annual University Convocation ceremony at the Rose Hill campus.

Forty-six faculty, staff, and administrators were recognized in Keating Hall, with their family, friends, and colleagues in attendance. 

The longest-serving honoree was Constantine “Gus” N. Katsoris, a former Greek olive oil and cheese salesman turned tax law expert. Katsoris earned his bachelor’s degree from the Gabelli School of Business in 1953 and graduated first in his class from Fordham Law School in 1957. For more than three decades, he led the law school’s annual Supreme Court bar induction ceremonies, which have admitted more than 1,000 alumni and faculty. This year, he is celebrating his 60th anniversary as a faculty member at Fordham Law, where he holds the title Wilkinson Professor of Law Emeritus. 

A seated faculty member with a medal around his neck smiles.
Constantine “Gus” Katsoris, Wilkinson professor of law emeritus, who was honored for 60 years of service

Other honorees include a professor who was a Truman Scholar, a duty supervisor who shepherded the University community through the pandemic, an analyst who previously worked at several Fortune 100 companies, and a department leader who is also an award-winning filmmaker. 

The honorees’ accomplishments at Fordham are wide ranging and diverse, from directing scholarships and financial services for thousands of students to conducting research on marginalized communities and mental health data. They hail from across the world, including Italy, Ireland, and Bulgaria. All of them arrived at Fordham in the 1900s, remaining for decades at the University they now call home. 

One person smiles at another person who is smiling at someone out of frame.
Falguni Sen, president of the Faculty Senate, and Susan Perciasepe, senior executive secretary in the Department of Theology, who was honored for 20 years of service

Bene Merenti Medal | Sixty Years 

Constantine N. Katsoris

Bene Merenti Medal | Forty Years 

Esther Solomon 

Bene Merenti Medal | Twenty Years

Gregory Acevedo Ipsita A. Banerjee • Robert Henry Borrero • Melkana A. Brakalova-Trevithick • Elizabeth P. Cosenza • Anne E. Fernald • Paolo Galizzi • David D. Hamlin • Evangelos Katsamakas • Winnie W. Kung • Michael E. Lee • Sara L. Lehman Christopher R. Maginn Jennie Park-Taylor Alessandro Polcri Rosa Romeo Nina A. Rowe Mark F. Street Kelly Ann Ulto Alessia Valfredini Gary M. Weiss Akane Zusho 

Archbishop Hughes Medal | Forty Years 

John W. Buckley Frank McLaughlin 

Archbishop Hughes Medal | Twenty Years 

Dennis Cassidy Rien ChySteven M. D’Agustino Jennifer Giorgio Jaime Lyn Harkin Dean K. Mavrovitis Kevin D. Munnelly Lynn ParlimanJohn D. WilliamsTsvetelina T. Zlatareva 

1841 Award | Forty Years 

Linda M. Perri 

1841 Award | Twenty Years

Joseph J. ArenasMarie Hall Robert Heihn Robin R. Joseph Vinetu Mamudoski Susan K. Perciasepe Matthew N. Peters Maria V. Totino Michael Woods

President Tetlow hangs a medal around a colleague's neck.
President Tetlow and Matthew Peters, custodian in facilities and campus operations at Lincoln Center, who was honored for 20 years of service
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Taylor is a visual storytelling strategist in Fordham University's marketing and communications department, where she documents University life through photography and video. Since joining Fordham in 2018, she has served as a writer, photographer, videographer, and social media manager, dividing her time between University Marketing and Communications and the Office of the President. She earned her bachelor's degree in journalism from Stony Brook University's School of Communication and Journalism and her master's degree in public media from Fordham University's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Her work has appeared on NPR, NBC New York, and amNewYork METRO.