Published: April 1, 2010

The monthly College Council meeting was held on March 11 to discuss a number of issues at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC), the most pressing being Spring Preview.

“If we don’t have a full class next year, we are in serious trouble,” said Rev. Robert Grimes, S.J., dean of FCLC. Grimes emphasized the importance of Spring Preview, the open house for admitted students that will be held on April 10.

“Spring Preview is an extremely important day… we need every department represented. We need to let people know what Fordham is about,” Grimes said.

Also on the agenda was the elimination of the social science major.

Mark Mattson, assistant dean at FCLC, noted, “[there have been] two people a year in the program consistently over the years.” While students currently involved with this major will be able to finish, those interested in pursing social science in the future will only be able to complete it through an individualized major.

Another item of interest was the presentation of the College Challenge Initiative, a program that encourages students to get involved with community service through non-profit organizations in the city. This initiative, presented by Kate Cavanaugh, director of the Dorothy Day Center for Service and Justice, is offered through the mayor’s office and tracks volunteer hours of students who work with non-profits.

Cavanaugh noted, “We were recently named to President’s Honor Roll for Community Service with distinction. We are one of only five Jesuit schools. [This program] gives us a picture of FCLC involvement in the city. At the end, it rewards students by offering them an internship through the mayor’s office.”

Without much publicity, Fordham is currently number four out of 18 on the “LeaderBoard” of top schools involved in this program, with Fordham students Maureen Jerkowski and Shana Gibney gaining a total 850 points of volunteer credit.

The Dorothy Day Center plans on visiting classes and talking to clubs to encourage students to volunteer around the Fordham neighborhood.

Fordham’s progress under the straegic planning of Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., was another topic discussed at the College Council meeting. This 10-year comprehensive strategic plan, which contains seven “Transforming Initiatives,” aims for Fordham to “return to a position of recognized national prominence in the world of American higher education.”

Father Grimes read a number of statistics measuring Fordham’s progress in reaching its 2016 goal. These figures showed the growth the University has made as a whole, in areas ranging from student demographics to academics.