University President Tania Tetlow reasserted Fordham’s commitment to a diverse academic community in a speech before Fordham faculty, administrators and staff at McNally Amphitheater on Feb. 26.
The address was titled “Sign of the Times” after the Catholic principle that one’s practice of faith should respond to the state of the world. In the address, Tetlow reckoned with the challenges Fordham faces as the federal government takes aim at universities’ grant money and diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
“There are a lot of swirling issues going around in Washington right now and I think everyone was eager to know how Fordham is responding and what the future holds,” Tetlow said after the address.
The Department of Education denounced programs aimed to support diversity, equity and inclusion for marginalized groups as “illegal and morally reprehensible” in a letter on Feb. 14.
“We have a right to exercise our religion as a Catholic institution and part of the core beliefs of the Catholic Church are beliefs in basic human dignity, in equality, in diversity, and in that we stand firm.” Tania Tetlow, University President
People who attended the address said Tetlow acknowledged the Department of Education’s letter at the beginning of her speech. After the address, Tetlow said Fordham’s commitment to an inclusive academic environment is rooted in the school’s Catholic mission.
“We have a right to exercise our religion as a Catholic institution and part of the core beliefs of the Catholic Church are beliefs in basic human dignity, in equality, in diversity, and in that we stand firm,” Tetlow said.
Students were not invited to attend the address and Tetlow said a transcript of her speech will not be provided. Instead, Tetlow said she plans to address the student body at a later date.
McNally Amphitheater reached capacity with over 250 attendees and some people were directed to overflow rooms. More watched a live recording screened on Fordham’s Rose Hill, Westchester and London campuses.
Many attendees praised Tetlow’s speech after it ended. Julie Fissinger, senior executive director of Fordham’s president’s council, agreed with Tetlow that Fordham’s Jesuit mission could be a source of protection from interference in its diversity policies.
“I feel like Fordham has a real explicit purpose in this space with its mission that was very clearly articulated. I think it gives us an edge on other institutions that are trying to fight these outside forces. I think if we lean into our mission we’re gonna have lots of protections for our work,” Fissinger said.
Attendees also told The Observer that Tetlow acknowledged that drastic federal spending cuts have jeopardized millions of dollars in grants and loans that fund large parts of Fordham’s research programs and student aid.
Professor of Applied Christian Ethics Rev. Bryan Massingale also praised the way Tetlow used Jesuit values to address the challenges facing Fordham.
“I thought it was a brilliant address. I thought that it was a very clear eye assessment of the difficult moment that we are in in higher education, but the other thing I really appreciated was the fact that she rooted Fordham’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in our Catholic values,” Massingale said.
Associate professor of theatre history Rev. Michael Zampelli, S.J., credited Tetlow for naming specific issues Fordham is reckoning with.
“I really appreciated the naming of realities, like ‘what is the real situation that we are facing,’” Zampelli said.
Attendees also told The Observer that Tetlow acknowledged that drastic federal spending cuts have jeopardized millions of dollars in grants and loans that fund large parts of Fordham’s research programs and student aid. Fordham receives significant funding from federal agencies for scientific research and the Center for Community Engaged Learning.
Zampelli said a crucial question is the extent to which the federal government can control universities and what rights universities have to follow their own mission.
“The challenge really is what congressional regulation is going to affect what is happening here. Grant money, scholarships, all of these things are ripple effects because of the Department of Education,” Zampelli said. “It is really about what can the law do, and then what is it that we have the right to continue to do no matter what the law says.”
Roxana Callejo Garcia, associate vice president of IT portfolio management, said threats to student financial aid endangered the future of the United States.
“The threat of financial aid is really frightening, and it is frightening from so many aspects. Just the threat to institutions, Fordham and other institutions like ours, but also to the future of the United States. Fewer people are able to come to college because they cannot afford it, which we know is already an affordability crisis and this is just going to exacerbate it,” Callejo Garcia said.
After the speech, Tetlow highlighted the $330 billion cut from federal education and workforce spending included in a budget bill that passed the House of Representatives the day of the address.
Many attendees remarked that the address made them feel more hopeful about Fordham’s future. Acting Dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center James McCartin recognized the address as an encouraging call to action.
“I don’t tend to be an optimist, but I am a very hopeful, profoundly hopeful person, and I think that this kind of message of encouragement is an invitation to help,” McCartin said.
“There was a real call to arms to some extent around staying engaged in the classroom with these topics and not shying away from it.” Roxana Callejo Garcia, Associate Vice President of IT Portfolio Management
Callejo Garcia added that while she thought students would benefit from hearing the message of the address, she understood Tetlow’s words as directions to the specific roles faculty and staff can play.
“The messaging that you may have for students may be packaged differently than you would package it for administrators and faculty,” Callejo Garcia said. “There was a real call to arms to some extent around staying engaged in the classroom with these topics and not shying away from it. Like, ‘lean into this, this is who we are, this is our identity,’ which would not apply to students.”
Zampelli said Tetlow’s speech realized how the Jesuit educational tradition could be a source of strength for Fordham.
“There is something fundamental about the way we try to teach students and what we try to teach and that really is quite consistent with who we are as a Catholic and Jesuit institution,” Zampelli said. “It has been a really good shot in the arm in terms of how that stuff can ground us, particularly in a time that is so uncertain.”
Massingale said that in addition to reckoning with the place Catholicism has in today’s world, Tetlow reckoned with how the present moment can shape and clarify what Catholic identity means.
“I think that is what is really important too, not only where we are but who we are. I think it was a masterful statement of our Catholic identity, both how Catholic identity is sometimes something that people view with suspicion and seeing it as something that is conservative, but looking at the Catholic heritage at Fordham as as a resource that can really help us navigate the difficult times we live in,” Massingale said.
The Trump administration butted heads with the Vatican in February, leading Pope Francis to publish a letter calling for the protection of migrants in the United States.
The Department of Education’s letter gave universities until Feb. 28 to comply but did not clearly outline an enforcement mechanism.
