For Kevin Sullivan and his wife, Maureen, Fordham is synonymous with family. Kevin, a 1974 graduate of the Gabelli School of Business (GSB) and a managing director for Deutsche Bank AG, shares his alma mater with his sister. Maureen, an interior designer with MCS Design, has an uncle and two cousins who are Fordham graduates. That family legacy continues today with the Sullivans’ son, Kevin, who is following in his father’s footsteps at CBA.
“He’s grown up in a Fordham-friendly environment—a household with lots of Fordham memorabilia,” Kevin says. “We have really warm feelings for Fordham.”
Which is why the Sullivans are full supporters of their son’s decision to enroll at CBA. As members of the Parents’ Leadership Council, they have hosted Summer Send-offs for the past two years, welcoming incoming Fordham freshmen and new Fordham parents to their Fairfield, Conn., home. On August 1, they hosted 80 freshmen and their parents.
“Doing those kinds of things is terrific,” Kevin says. “It gives the parents a lot of peace of mind, and gives the students a potential face to recognize amongst the blur when they get to school.”
The Sullivans also maintain a strong commitment to Fordham athletics. Kevin is a member of the Fordham tennis team. And his father, who played on the water polo and swimming teams as an undergraduate, is a volunteer member of the Maroon Club Advisory Board and the athletics committee for Excelsior | Ever Upward | The Campaign for Fordham. He attends nearly all of his son’s tennis matches, but his support for athletics goes beyond the court. He also reviews resumes and offers career advice to many student-athletes at the University.
The Sullivans believe in the power of parents at Fordham. In the last two years, they’ve seen the membership of the Parents’ Leadership Council grow from eight families to 25.
“It’s been wonderful,” says Maureen. “It’s beneficial for us as parents to see what direction the school is going in and how we can help lead it in that direction.”
by Rachel Buttner, Assistant Editor
