This year’s events come as the Fordham football team is off to its hottest start in nearly a decade—and as the University prepares to celebrate the inauguration of its new president, Tania Tetlow, who will be on hand to welcome alumni and families back to the Bronx campus.
Led by quarterback Tim DeMorat, who was named the NCAA FCS National Player of the Week after Fordham’s 52-49 win over Monmouth University last Saturday, the Rams enter the game with a 2-0 record. It’s the team’s best start since 2013, when Fordham advanced to the second round of the FCS playoffs and finished the year ranked No. 10 in the country.
On Saturday, the Rams will take on the University at Albany Great Danes. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. on Jack Coffey Field.
For the Fordham faithful, however, Homecoming promises more than exciting action on the field. The weekend’s festivities kick off on Friday night, when undergraduate students will join Tetlow at her inaugural President’s Ball, a semiformal dance under the Homecoming tent on Edwards Parade. At the same time, recent graduates will reunite downtown and take in the views of lower Manhattan on the ever-popular Young Alumni Yacht Cruise.
Before kickoff on Saturday, students, alumni, and friends will take part in the 11th annual 5K Ram Run, which starts at 9 a.m. outside the new McShane Campus Center. For those not participating in the fun run, Patricia Peek, Ph.D., FCRH ’90, GSAS ’92, ’07, dean of undergraduate admission, will lead a campus tour to highlight the new facilities and offer advice for families with students preparing to apply to colleges.
At 10:15 a.m., all attendees are invited to a meet-and-greet breakfast with Tania Tetlow in the Great Hall of the campus center, where Sally Benner, FCRH ’84, chair of the Fordham University Alumni Association, will introduce the University’s 33rd president, who took office on July 1 and will be officially inaugurated on Oct. 14.
The Homecoming tents will open at 11 a.m. and feature food and drinks, as well as activities for kids, including face painting and balloon animals. Award-winning author Stacey D’Erasmo, associate professor of English at Fordham, will be on hand to sign copies of her latest novel, The Complicities (Algonquin, 2022), this year’s selection of the Fordham Alumni Book Club, which members of the community are invited to join.
Also at 11 a.m., Robert Reilly, FCRH ’72, LAW ’75, former assistant dean of Fordham Law School, will lead a tour called “Hidden in Plain Sight: Discover the Jesuit Presence at Rose Hill.” Those looking for an alternative to the game are invited to venture across the street at 1 p.m. to explore the grounds of the New York Botanical Garden using an exclusive Fordham group rate.
The day will conclude with the annual Homecoming Mass at 4:30 p.m. in the University Church.
For more information and to buy tickets in advance for one or more of the Homecoming events, visit fordham.edu/homecoming.
