Here are our most popular posts of the past year:
- 10. The Social Worker Who Became An Accidental Icon (Dec. 21, 2015)
Lyn Kennedy Slater, PhD., a clinical associate professor at the Graduate School of Social Service (GSS), has long had an interest in fashion, but never expected that just a year after launching her fashion blog, Accidental Icon, she would top 21,000 followers on her Instagram account, make the cover of Grey magazine, and amass fans worldwide.
- 9. Health Scare Leads to Gabelli School Sophomore’s Charitable Sock Company (Sept. 19, 2016)
Makena Masterson, a sophomore marketing major at the Gabelli School of Business, is the creator and owner of SNOX, a company that sells non-slip, non-skid grip socks and donates 100 percent of profits to charity. The idea for SNOX came when at the age of 14 Masterson developed a four-inch blood clot in her arm, and vowed to give back to the hospital that treated her.
- 8. VIDEO: Mathilde Freund, Fordham’s Oldest Student, Turns 100 (Aug. 15, 2016)
A student in the School of Professional and Continuing Studies, Holocaust survivor Freund celebrated her 100th birthday in August. Our video, “The Enduring Wisdom of Mathilde Freund,” took off on Fordham’s social media sites, with more than 55,000 Facebook views.
- 7. Giving Back: The Cunniffes Make $20 Million Gift to Fordham (Oct. 14, 2016)
Maurice J. (Mo) Cunniffe, FCRH ’54, and Carolyn Dursi Cunniffe, Ph.D., GSAS ’71, took their philanthropy to an even higher level than their previous generosity, with a transformative $20 million gift that will be devoted to funding student financial aid.
- 6. From Pugsley’s to the Peace Corps: Joannah Caneda and Rob Gunther (May 26, 2016)
The Bronx’s Pugsley Pizza was responsible for one Fordham alumni couple’s romance, but it was Fordham’s Global Outreach trips—his to Tijuana, hers to Mississippi—that developed their desire to work for social justice. The couple went on to join the Peace Corps together and serve in Ecuador.
- 5. Fordham’s 175th Class Greeted by Cheers on Joyous Opening Day (Aug. 29, 2016)
Fordham welcomed 2,192 members of the Class of 2020 this fall with added fanfare: the class arrived during the 175th-year celebration of Fordham’s history, dubbed the Dodransbicentennial year, and enjoyed a reenactment of founder Archbishop John Hughes’ greeting of the very first class.
- 4. Alumnus Vin Scully Awarded Medal of Freedom by President Obama (Nov. 22, 2016)
A legendary sports broadcaster and voice of the Dodgers for nearly seven decades, Scully, FCRH ’49, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Nov. 22 from President Barack Obama, who gave him a tribute that was by turns stirring and whimsical.
- 3. Denzel’s Glory Days: Golden Globe Winner Got His Start on a Fordham Stage (Jan. 12, 2016)
Fordham alumnus Denzel Washington, FCLC ’77, who received a lifetime achievement award at the 2016 Golden Globes on Jan. 10, once played the title role in a Fordham Theatre production of Eugene O’Neill’s The Emperor Jones. “I bluffed my way into my first [college acting] job,” said the Oscar-winning actor and director.
- 2. VIDEO: Fordham University, Up Close and Personal (April 15, 2016)
You could say that, with more than 11,000 comments/shares and a million people reached, a minute-long drone video of our campuses proves that we all want to fly! Definitely, the soaring views of grass quads, treetops, building spires, and modern high-rise halls brought our Rams back home.
- 1. Father McShane Joins With University Presidents in Support of Undocumented Students (Dec. 1, 2016)
Outperforming other posts on both social media and our news site was Joseph M. McShane, S.J.’s statement that he’d joined with presidents at Jesuit, Catholic, and other universities to express support for undocumented students, calling them “valued and loved members of our community.” It was the most viewed story of 2016.
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