Enter Henry Schwalbenberg’s office, and you’ll see mementos of the more than 40 countries he has explored as director of Fordham’s graduate program in international political economy and development—and the lives he has touched along the way.
Take a look at some of Schwalbenberg’s most eclectic possessions in the second installment of our What’s on My Desk series, where we highlight interesting objects displayed by professors in their offices.
A Goodbye Gift from the People of Micronesia
Schwalbenberg’s office is home to dozens of trinkets and souvenirs from his travels and those of his students. Among them is a model of an ocean-going canoe—a goodbye gift from the people of Micronesia, where he worked for three years. Also pictured here are cups from a state fair in Minnesota, where his great-great-grandfather settled after immigrating from Germany.
A Photo with the President of the Philippines
Among the mementos is a framed photo of Schwalbenberg hooding Benigno S. Aquino III, the 15th president of the Philippines, when he received an honorary doctorate from Fordham in 2011.
A Photo of Ms. Schwalbenberg
Schwalbenberg also has a framed photo of his wife, Alma, whom he met thanks to Jesuits in the Philippines. “I was teaching at Ateneo de Manila University, and some of the Jesuits there introduced me to her family. At the time, I was studying at Columbia. Her family told me that she was studying at Fordham. They arranged an introduction. She told me she wanted to learn how to ice skate, so I took her ice skating, but she actually had no interest in learning how to ice skate. That was just a ploy,” Schwalbenberg said, chuckling.
The Dorothy Marinucci Bell
In the corner of his office is a Navy bell: a gift from the Peace Corps to the Fordham IPED Program on its 15th anniversary of cooperation with the Corps during the 2019-2020 academic year. “We tried to find the most important person at the University to name it after. [University Secretary] Dorothy Marinucci is one of our best friends at the University. Of all the people we could think of, she’s probably the most important person that has made the University run over the past 20 years,” said Schwalbenberg.
Hot Sauce from New Orleans for President Tetlow
Sitting on his desk are two brand-new bottles of cajun hot sauce from Tulane University. At a graduate school fair for returned Peace Corps volunteers, a Tulane recruiter gifted Schwalbenberg the hot sauce to celebrate Fordham’s president, Tania Tetlow, who grew up in Louisiana and both studied and worked at Tulane. “I was thinking I should give it to her,” said Schwalbenberg, who is not a fan of hot sauce himself. When asked if he could handle spice, he answered, “Probably not.”
The ‘You’ve Got Five Minutes’ Timer
In front of his chair is an hourglass reserved for students. “I give my students a hard time. When they come in and say, ‘I only need a minute to talk to you,’ I say, ‘OK, you’ve got five minutes,’” Schwalbenberg said, while turning over the hourglass. “They usually stay beyond that.”
Schwalbenberg I and Schwalbenberg II
His most unique possession is a life-sized cardboard cutout of himself, a birthday gift from former IPED students. “Sometimes I put it in people’s offices and scare them,” Schwalbenberg admitted.
Behind the two Schwalbenbergs is a world map that encapsulates his decades spent traveling, teaching, conducting research, and attending conferences, as well as the diversity of countries that his students hail from.
His favorite country is Micronesia — the first place that felt like home outside of the U.S. He spent three years on an island in the middle of the western Pacific Ocean, teaching at a high school and studying the relationship between his two homes. “They adopted me,” joked Schwalbenberg, who lived in Micronesia in his 20s.
The IPED Program
Schwalbenberg’s students in the IPED master’s program prepare for careers improving food security, education, and gender disparities abroad. For undergraduates, Fordham offers a major in international political economy.
International experience is important for students, said Schwalbenberg. “We think they are going to be better people for that, having a deeper understanding of how other people live. We hope it makes them better professionals in whatever career they choose.”
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
