The Fordham Ram Volume 107, Issue 7
Serving The Fordham University Community Since 1918 TheFordhamRam.com
March 26, 2025
Fordham Named Top Producer of Fulbright Scholars
FitzSimons Initiative Begins Lunch and Learn Series
By JACK MCDONALD
By CAITLIN THOMAS
The U.S. Department of State named Fordham University a top producer of Fulbright students for a second consecutive year at the end of last month. Fulbright students typically apply for a year of graduate study or research abroad, or they can become an English Teaching Assistant (ETA). Lorna M. Ronald, Ph.D., director of the Office of Fellowship Advising, advises Fordham students interested in applying. Approximately 400 scholarships are awarded annually by the Fulbright Scholars Program in over 135 countries. A directory of scholars is available on the U.S. Fulbright Program website. “Students apply for a Fulbright award as soon as the beginning of senior year,” said Ronald. “In the application, you need to make the case for why you are the right person to go to [a] particular country to
challenges,” said Roger Milici, Jr., PAR ’22, vice president for development and university relations. Plans for the facility have been in the works for nine months, but it is not yet known when construction will begin. “We don’t have a firm start date at this time, but the construction is expected to take 18 to 24 months,”
The FitzSimons Presidential Initiative on Civics and Civility hosted its first presentation for its Lunch and Learn speaker series on Wednesday, March 12. Anthony Berry, the civics and civility fellow in the Office of the President, announced the mission of the new speaker series in an email on March 7. “We are witnessing significant shifts in the separation of powers and new pressures on the levers of democracy,” he said in the university-wide email. “This is a critical moment to deepen our understanding of the American system of government and the institutional values at stake.” Michael Baur, associate professor of philosophy and adjunct professor of law at Fordham University, gave the first presentation, “The Rule of Law: What is it and Why Does it Matter?”
SEE STEM, PAGE 5
SEE FITZSIMONS, PAGE 4
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
SEE FULBRIGHT, PAGE 4
ASST. NEWS EDITOR
COURTESY OF FORDHAM NOW
The new building is set to be built on the surface parking lot near the Botanical Garden.
Fordham Receives $100 Million Donation to Build STEM Building By NORA MALONE NEWS EDITOR
Fordham University has received a $100 million grant to build a new STEM building. The gift is courtesy of Maurice Cunniffe, FCRH ’54, and Dr. Carolyn Dursi Cunniffe, Ph.D., GSAS ’71, and is the largest in the university’s history. Fordham plans to use the gift to break ground on the building, which will be built where the surface
parking lot is currently. This building is part of Fordham’s plan to improve its STEM program to make the university more competitive. “Fordham envisions a future where its distinctive STEM programs will make Fordham a top choice for students, faculty and industry partners who want to ignite discovery, drive innovation and address complex global
Fordham Parts Ways with Mens Basketball Coach Keith Urgo By NORA MALONE
A Walk to Remember: Fordham and the Fight for Suicide Prevention By SINCLAIR MCKINNEY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
NEWS EDITOR
COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETCIS
Fordham University Athletics will be “parting ways” with Fordham Men’s Basketball Head Coach Keith Urgo, Fordham Athletics announced Thursday, March 20. Earlier this year, Fordham self-imposed a four game suspension on Urgo due to unspecified recruiting violations. Urgo has been with Fordham for three seasons, with the Rams going 25-8 overall in his first year. However, in the following years the team had less success going 13-20 last season and 12-21 this season. According to the announcement, the university will begin a national search for a new head coach.
Fordham University’s second annual Out of the Darkness Walk will be on Saturday, April 5, as the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) returns to the Rose Hill Campus. Co-chairs Megan Ruzicka, FCRH ’27, and Laila Sayegh, FCRH ’27, call students to reignite open conversation about mental health issues and hope to provide a network for all Fordham affiliates who
have been affected by suicide. Free onsite registration for this event begins at 1 p.m. and the event starts at 2 p.m. Like last year, the campus loop begins in front of Keating Hall and moves through the Rose Hill campus in a clockwise direction. Participants will pass in front of Freeman Hall, continue straight until Campbell Hall and circle behind Martyrs’ Court before passing the front of Hughes Hall and heading back to Keating’s front steps. “We always want to show SEE WALK, PAGE 5
in this issue
News
Page 2
Fordham Hosts Second Annual Catholic Women Speak Event
Culture Page 14 Fordham London Students Witness UK’s response to Ukraine War
Opinion Page 9 Learning Through the Lens of Community: Urban Plunge at Fordham
Sports
Page 20
Mens Basketball Enters Period of Uncertainty