Photos by Marisol Díaz-GordonForty members of the faculty were honored at a May 26 ceremony for the scholarship and service that earned them tenure or the rank of full professor.
Held at the Joseph M. McShane, S.J. Campus Center in the week after Commencement, the ceremony was the first of its kind at Fordham. It honored those promoted in the academic years 2021 and 2022.
Dennis Jacobs, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, told assembled faculty members, friends, and family that a university can be no greater than its faculty.
“The faculty develop the curriculum, they write the books, they teach the courses, they investigate at the frontier,” he said.
“At the time each faculty member was hired, we recognized in them and each of you the potential to do great things, and it’s only over time that that potential manifests itself in the kinds of achievements that we’re celebrating this evening.”
As part of the ceremony, Jacobs presented faculty members in attendance with a ribbon, while University deans read citations detailing their accomplishments—from papers published in prestigious journals to studies presented at conferences and memberships in academic societies.
Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, praised the faculty members, who hailed from the arts and sciences, business, law and social service, for their service during the past two difficult years.
He noted that while Fordham honors longtime faculty for their service at the annual convocation, their contributions also deserve recognition at this stage in their career as well. He thanked them on behalf of students, for expanding their horizons, challenging them, cherishing them, and lifting them to a level of intellectual greatness and acuity that they never thought they’d achieve.
“When I meet with our students, no matter what school they’re in, they talk to me about the faculty members who made all the difference in their lives. When I speak to the alumni, they don’t talk about buildings. They talk about how faculty members changed their lives,” he said.
“They talk to me about the way faculty mentors brought into their field of vision enterprises, initiatives, and fields of study that they didn’t think were open to them, or they didn’t think they were worthy of entering.”
“You are the heart and soul of the university.”
