Fordham Is My School: Live From GSE At Rose Hill

Live from GSE, our Student Ambassadors are pleased to present the first installment in our "Fordham Is My School" series. Matt and Ali provide information about Fordham's three New York area campuses, including fun places to see and things to do for students.

Matt On Rose Hill:

Have you ever wondered what those maroon vans outside of the Lincoln Center campus are for? Have you ever wondered what this place called 'Rose Hill' is? Were you ever interested in exploring Fordham's uptown home in the Bronx? Well, as a former Fordham undergrad student, I would like to introduce you to the other side of Fordham University!

Those maroon vans with the Fordham logo on the side are called Ram Vans, which transport students, faculty, and staff directly front he Rose hill campus to the Lincoln Center campus, and vice versa. The Ram Vans run every half hour between the two campuses and cost $3.00 per ride, or $6.00 round trip. It is a convenient and easy way to travel between the two boroughs, especially if you have yet to visit the beautiful landscape of Rose Hill. To secure a spot on the Ram Van, students are urged to sign up for a half hour time slot before they enter the van. The sign up book is located at the front guard desk of the Lowenstein Building. For more information you can contact the office at (718) 817-4346 or Marc Canton, the director of Intercampus Transportation, at mcanton@fordham.edu, as well as visiting the Ram Van section of Fordham's website, located under the Student Affairs drop down menu.

Now you may be asking yourself, "What exactly is there to do in the Bronx?" Well, besides taking a stroll around the quad, Edward's Parade, and viewing the oasis of Fordham's campus in the Bronx, you can visit The Bronx Zoo (home of GSE's MST & MSE programs in Adolescence Biology/Conservation Life Science, which are offered in partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society) and the New York Botanical Garden. Both historical venues are located across the street from the Rose Hill campus, which makes for an easy walk, and both sites offer wonderful Christmas displays! What's more, Fordham students can receive special discounts and free tickets to enter the Zoo and the Garden. A free Grounds Pass for the Garden is offered to students showing a Fordham ID to the Information Desk located in the McGinley Student Center at Rose Hill. The Grounds Pass allows up to four people into the Botanical Garden for free; however, it does not cover the cost of Special Events at the Garden such as the 18th Annual Holiday Train Show with Gingerbread Adventures.

This show lasts through the holiday season up until January 10th. The show costs $20 for adults and is open from 10am-6pm. The world-famous Bronx Zoo is also a great place to have some winter family fun. Horse draw carriage rides are being offered now through the holiday, which takes you on a tour around the zoo. The Zoo is open from 10am-4:30 pm during the winter. Tickets are $15 for adults, but, as every Fordham student knows, the Zoo, has free admission on Wednesdays!

If you happen to get hungry during your trip to the Bronx, you could always visit the renowned Arthur Avenue. Considered the Little Italy of the Bronx, Arthur Ave. offers some of New York's best Italian food. I always have dozens of restaurants that offer me home-style Italian cooking, and even some that taste better (but don't tell my Grandma!). Those students with a sweet tooth can always stop in one of the many fine Italian bakeries for some cannoli and cookies. many Arthur Ave. restaurants are part of the Fordham Friends program. which offers different discounts to Fordham students when you present your ID. You can view many restaurants that offer student discounts on your my.Fordham.edu account in the student tab under the neighborhood Discounts heading. And if you decide you've eaten too much that you to walk off dinner, take a stroll up East Fordham Road to visit the outdoor mall. For those student who need to do some last minute Christmas and holiday shopping, Fordham Road has stores such as Modell's, P.C. Richards & Sons, and various jewelry stores, all of which offer discounts to Fordham students.

So, now that you have been introduced to the other side of Fordham, stop by some time and discover the world of the Boogie Down Bronx.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at MailMattGSE@fordham.edu. Happy Holidays from GSE, and look forward to hearing from you!

- Matt

Check back soon for the next installment in the "Fordham Is My School" series: Live From GSE at Lincoln Center.

Elizabeth (Betty) Ann Finn

Elizabeth (Betty) Ann Finn, Ph.D. passed away on November 30, 2009 in Providence, RI surrounded by her loving family, after the sudden onset of leukemia.

Elizabeth was born November 21, 1942 in New York, NY, daughter of the late Rose Kelly Finn and James A. Finn; and is predeceased by her brother James Anthony II.

She is survived by her brothers Robert; John and his wife, Joan; Donald and his wife Regina; Gerald and his wife Joan, and her sister Rosemarie and her husband Chuck Clarke. Betty was a beloved Aunt to twenty-six nieces and nephews.

Elizabeth graduated from St. Barnabas Grade School and High School in Woodlawn, NY, and received a B.A. in Special Education from Manhattan College.

Her studies and career focused on childhood education; as a teacher in the Yonkers, NY school system for many years; more recently in the Plainfield, CT schools while residing in Narragansett, RI, and most recently bringing her back to New York to teach at Fordham University's Graduate School of Education at their Lincoln Center campus.

In addition, she received a Ph.D. in School Psychology from Fordham University; a Post Doctoral certificate in Neuropsychology- Fielding Graduate University; and was a member of the American Psychological Association.

Betty traveled around the world with dear friends, returning to China on several occasions with an appreciation for Eastern writing & philosophy. She loved to cook for family and friends, and was an avid fan of early & contemporary jazz and classical music. Betty embraced life with exuberance, independence and the determination to fight the good fight with Grace. Her presence affected all of those around her. She left us too quickly and will be deeply missed by her family and friends.

A Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, December 12, 2009 at 12:00 noon in the BI Rupert Mayer, S.J. Chapel at Fordham University, Room #221, Lowenstein Building (113 West 60th Street, New York, NY 10023).

Donations may be made in Betty's name to:

The Leukemia Research Foundation

3520 Lake Avenue

Wilamette, Illinois 60091

Faculty News

Gerald Cattaro, Ed.D., Chair of the Divison of Educational Leadership Administration & Policy, and Executive Director of the Center for Catholic School Leadership and Faith-Based Education, published "Faith-based Charter Schools: An Idea Whose Time Is Unlikely To Come," in Religion & Education Journal (Spring 2009).

Kathleen P. King, Professor of Education at GSE, has been awarded a $750 TAA Publication Grant for expenses incurred in researching her book, The Professor's Guide to Taming Technology: Leveraging Digital Media, Web 2.0 and More for Learning, which will be published by Information Age Publishing, Inc. in July 2010.

"This grant is not only a surprise and tremendous monetary help, it is extremely validating as well," said King. "I am very grateful on each account. In the past, some of my books have been based on funded research or were less intensive in the editing process. However, this book has turned into a large project because we have a unique, very valuable contribution to the literature as our goal. From all of the TAA members, thank you for your forward thinking in providing a potential source of funding for us to pursue special projects that we might not be able to otherwise."

GSE Launches Center for Media, Public Policy and Education

The Bernard L. Schwartz Center for Media, Public Policy and Education, a new initiative devoted primarily to studying America's embattled newsgathering traditions and investigating solutions for their survival, has been announced by James Hennessy, Ph.D., Dean of Fordham's Graduate School of Education, at which the center is based.

"We are very excited, and deeply grateful, that the creation of the center has been made possible by a gift from the Bernard and Irene Schwatz Foundation," Hennessy said. "We're looking forward to hosting some very interesting events and initiatives here at GSE through its auspices in the future, thanks to the generous support of Mr. Schwartz and his family".

The center has already hosted seminars and sponsored publications on new business models for newspapers, media audience research, and effective non-profit management strategies, and we will enter into a partnership with the Julliard School in the fall of 2010 to offer a course called "Understanding the Profession: The Performing Arts in the 21st Century".

Reflecting both its broad mandate and wide-ranging interests of former public television executive William F. Baker, Ph.D., the Claudio Aquaviva Chair and Journalist in Residence at GSE, the center will work to advance a wide range of projects.

Drawing on Baker's twenty plus years of public media experience, both New York's WNET and at the national level, the Schwartz Center will research and promote the potential role of public broadcasting in preserving the professional gathering and reporting of news.

Business Ethics in the 21st Century, an ongoing series of nationally televised PBS specials devoted to promoting an ethical business community, as well as Baker's most recent book on management, Leading with Kindness, are other projects of note.

The Center will also aid in the production of the forthcoming theatrical motion picture Sacred: The Children of Abraham, which explores the deep and abiding connections at the heart of the world's three great monotheistic faiths: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.

The center will advance its agenda under the guidance of Baker, who was president of Westinghouse Television, where launched the career of Oprah Winfrey and the decade-long number one television program PM Magazine. At WNET, Baker started Charlie Rose on the way to stardom and was the most successful fundraiser in the station's history. Baker is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the recipient of seven Emmy Awards, and an inductee of the National Academy of Management Hall of Fame. He is the author of three books, including the inside history of American Television Down the Tube.

Read the Inside Fordham story here.

New Technology in the Classroom

Fordham's RETC- Center for Professional Development at Rose Hill has partnered with the Carl C. Ichan Charter School in the South Bronx to provide Kindles (electronic book readers from online media retailer Amazon.com) to students in the classroom, with the goal of fostering an interest in reading through this new technology.

Click here to read the complete story on the Fordham Newsblog.