Laura Auricchio, dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC), will be leaving Fordham effective Oct. 4. The announcement of her departure from Fordham comes with a slew of other changes to the University.
With 50% of first-year student enrollment being people of color and a $62,990 undergraduate tuition, Fordham University begins the most expensive and diverse academic year in the school’s history. This is the fourth consecutive year that Fordham’s class of first-year students has set the institutional record for diversity, continuously growing since 2021 when 44% of domestic students were people of color.
Beyond the student body and expenses, there are also changes to the physical structure of campus and the internal workings of the University that occurred over the course of summer break.
Renovations over the summer at the Lincoln Center campus revamped the escalators with a glassy design and beaming LED lights ascending to the Leon Lowenstein Plaza.
Asbestos removal on the roof is part of a larger asbestos abatement project on campus, which included abatement in the visual arts wing over the summer.
Additionally, the Outdoor Plaza and sidewalks are adorned with scaffolding as a safety precaution due to maintenance and inspection on the Leon Lowenstein building’s exterior.
Rob Lesniewski, project manager at the office of Capital Programs and Planning, said that the scaffolding is planned to remain until March 17, 2025, but he hopes to have the project completed ahead of schedule.
“I know we have a lot of spring activities, once that sun is shining and the weather’s warming up no one wants to be cooped up inside,” Lesniewski said. “So we’ll try to get that done as soon as possible.”
Extending the project timeline is a lengthy inspection process to verify that the building’s roof and facade are compliant with New York law. Lesniewski said that part of the roof maintenance also includes asbestos removal, but that it poses no health hazard.
Asbestos removal on the roof is part of a larger asbestos abatement project on campus, which included abatement in the visual arts wing over the summer. The project is ongoing, with a planned timeline from May 22, 2024 until April 24, 2025.
“I hope you will, in this year ahead, feel this love — and that it will embed in you a courage and hope.” Tania Tetlow, University President
Construction also included modern upgrades to the Lipani Gallery, an expansion to the entire visual arts wing as well as the in-progress development of new music rooms to replace the former QuinnX library.
On the administrative front, Fordham University appointed a Vice President for Equity and Inclusion (VPEI), as well as a new law school dean.
A search committee comprised of over 100 students, faculty and staff decided on higher-education diversity leader James A. Felton III to serve in the newly founded VPEI role. With this position, Felton also holds the chief diversity officer title. Felton will direct student support programs like the University’s High Education Opportunity Program and the Talent Search Program.
This semester Fordham’s Campus Ministry welcomed its inaugural directors of Muslim and Jewish spiritual life. Imam Ammar Rahman and Rabbi Katja Vehlow celebrated their new positions at the annual Interfaith Prayer and Picnic on Sept. 7.
At the picnic, University President Tania Tetlow spoke about how faith propels us to love in the midst of a tired and cynical world.
“I hope you will, in this year ahead, feel this love — and that it will embed in you a courage and hope,” she said.
This semester a new advising system goes into effect for the class of 2026. Within the new advising system, Fordham faculty take on the role of faculty advisors who aid students in answering career questions and providing connections in their desired fields. Professional advisors will have the role of traditional advisors, as they help students with scheduling and degree plans. Instead, the University created advising centers for each of the class years, from which each student is assigned an advisor. The newly assigned advisors are meant to stay with the student for all four years of their undergraduate education.
Beyond the advising system, the leadership of the Arts and Sciences at Fordham was overhauled.
According to the Fordham website under the Office of the Provost, “A single Dean will be responsible for leading all of Arts and Sciences and will simultaneously serve as the dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center, the dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill, and the dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.”
Multiple vice deans will also be hired under that dean to delegate the leadership responsibilities of the arts and sciences department. There is an ongoing search for the inaugural dean that will conclude and be announced in the spring of 2025, and the University expects the four vice deans to be named soon after.
Outside of administrative changes, smaller alterations can be seen around campus.
IT services has introduced a “vending machine” service outside of the bookstore that allows students to borrow laptops as needed. The laptops to be dispensed are MacBook Air M3s and Dell Latitude 3440s. A touch screen will be used for service, students are offered information on how to return the laptops, terms and FAQs. There will be 12 laptops available for signing out, and students are to use their IDs to retrieve them.
Dean Auricchio was Dean of FCLC and a professor of art history since 2019. She will become vice president for the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation after her departure in October.
At the time of publication, Auricchio was not available for immediate comment pertaining to her transition and the administrative restructuring.
Sam Bracy and Avery Loftis contributed additional reporting to this story
