When the Association of International Educators opened nominations for its lifetime achievement award this summer, Salvatore “Sal” Longarino quickly became the clear front-runner.
The number of letters that poured in for Fordham’s director of international services was so impressive, the New York and New Jersey chapter of the organization closed submissions once they received the first 15—triple the typical number. “A tremendous mentor,” “a trusted resource and advisor,” and “an authentic role model to us all” were among the praises heaped upon Longarino by his past and present colleagues.
For over 20 years, Longarino has made it possible for international students to study at Fordham by overseeing the complex documentation required to host them in the U.S. He has also relayed his expertise to younger colleagues, a number of whom have gone on to work at other institutions, including NYU, Seton Hall, Yeshiva University, Columbia University, Tufts, and Saint Peter’s.
A Big Turnout of Protégés and Peers
At the October awards ceremony in Atlantic City, Longarino’s network of supporters from Fordham and other universities showed up in matching T-shirts. Printed on each was a picture of Longarino and the slogan: “The Big Daddy of Int’l Education,” a testament to the number of people he has nurtured over his 40-year career.
“As a parent, when you look at your children, you just bask in their success,” Longarino said. “And that’s my life now, just looking at the people that [I have mentored], and being able to pass on the baton to them.”
Supporting Fordham’s 3,000 International Students
Longarino, who said he has always been drawn to international affairs, entered the field of international education as an assistant foreign student advisor at NYU in the late 1970s. When he joined Fordham in 2000, he was a team of one assisting 300 international students. Today he leads a staff of seven associate and assistant directors and international student advisors who support 3,000 international undergraduate and graduate students, as well as researchers and faculty.
Giving students an opportunity to receive “the greatest education” in the “greatest city” in the “greatest nation” benefits the student, Fordham, and the world, says Longarino.
“When my students graduate, I say: Go out and make a better planet,” he said.
Navigating temporary legal status for students during their college years and their first job a year or more after graduation is no small feat. All of the things that are easy for U.S. students to do—flying home for the holidays or for a family emergency, applying for jobs, attending a conference in another country—require precise, time-consuming documentation for international students. And Longarino’s office makes them possible at a moment’s notice and in the face of ever-changing U.S. policies.
“We are given the responsibility to give legal status to our students,” said Longarino of the work that his office performs. “And they have to maintain that status. They have to study a certain way, they can work only a certain way, travel only a certain way, stay here for a certain length of time. So when you have 3,000 [international students]on top of that, every case is different. It’s a challenge, but it’s rewarding to make it happen.”
