Tyler Stovall, Ph.D., a distinguished historian who joined Fordham’s administration during the height of the pandemic and served as the dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences as students transitioned back to campus, died at his home in Manhattan on Dec. 10, apparently of natural causes. He was 67.
“He came to Fordham in July 2020, and during his too-brief tenure brought tremendous intellectual acumen, energy, and gravitas to the role. He was an experienced and capable administrator and a highly regarded historian and public intellectual with a fierce commitment to social justice and the advancement of minority scholars,” Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, wrote in an email to the University community. “We have lost a great soul in Tyler.” Read the complete obituary.
A memorial service for Dean Stovall will be celebrated in the University Church in February 2022.
Tributes to Tyler Stovall
“Tyler exemplified the values of Fordham University through his tireless pursuit of truth, prolific scholarship, mentorship of rising scholars, and fervor to empower those at the margins. I feel blessed to have known him as a colleague and friend and will miss his wise counsel and genial spirit. May he rest in peace. ”
—Dennis C. Jacobs, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Fordham University
“The Western Society for French History recently created the WSFH Mission Prize to honor and celebrate the often under-acknowledged work of striving to foster greater equity and inclusion in the production and transmission of knowledge about the francophone world. The WSFH Mission Prize was inspired by the type of courageous scholarship, generous mentorship and collaboration, and unparalleled, unpretentious passion and insight that Dr. Tyler Stovall brought to the field. In light of Dr. Stovall’s untimely passing, the WSFH executives and governing council voted to take immediate action to commemorate his life and contributions by renaming the WSFH Mission Prize in his honor. It is now called the Tyler Stovall WSFH Mission Prize and the first cohort of awardees will be honored at the 2022 WSFH meeting in Victoria, British Columbia. ”
“This week we learned of the passing of GSAS Dean Tyler Stovall, a friend and colleague to many of us here at Fordham. In honor of his life and work, we are resharing the wonderful conversation he had with CNS Fellow John Berger on his most recent book, White Freedom: The Racial History of an Idea. Tyler Stovall’s final work is an ambitious and insightful history of the origins of the true privilege of “freedom” and how little we understand of its costs. We will miss his vision but will forever be inspired by the legacy he leaves behind.”
—Center on National Security, Fordham University School of Law
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