Fordham College Alumni Association

The FCAA is so pleased to announce that Campbell Mattus, FCRH ‘26, has been awarded the 2024 Jim Dwyer Journalism Scholars Award from the FCAA.

The $5,000 prize will serve as a stipend for Campbell’s unpaid internship this summer with Observer in Manhattan where she will work in the Lifestyle section pitching ideas to writers and contributing her own pieces.

Currently Culture Editor of Really, a student-run fashion and lifestyle magazine, Campbell is a Dean’s List student in communications and media. She is also a member of Fordham United Student Government, the Fordham Marketing Association, and was a contributor to the Fairfield Coastal Neighbors Magazine in her native Connecticut. She has also been an outreach team member for the Fordham Business Development Coalition, an orientation leader for incoming Fordham students and a two-time captain for Fairfield’s Catwalk for a Cure.

The FCAA board’s student rep, Jay Doherty, FCRH ‘26, is a producer of "Discerning the Call," an original documentary about change in the American priesthood. Jay co-produced and directed the film with fellow student Patrick Cullinan in cooperation with Fordham’s Center on Religion and Culture.

The final version of the film is now available to stream online.
In the coming weeks, the documentary will be screened at various festivals, parishes, and conferences around the United States.

More at

Discerning the Call Discerning the Call tells the story of change in the American Catholic Priesthood in the last 75 years. Featuring interviews, statistics, and historical analysis, we try to present a clear picture of the American cultural changes of the last eight decades through the lens of the priesthood. 

Each year the Fordham College Alumni Association awards a Fordham armchair to a senior who has achieved an outstanding record of service to the college and whose career exemplifies the Fordham spirit. The award was presented this year by Ana Estela, Secretary of the Fordham College Alumni Association Board, and Fordham College at Rose Hill Dean Maura Mast, Ph.D., to Julian Shuttleworth (Photo).

According to Dean Mast, “Our honoree’s adaptability and resilience – especially amidst unprecedented challenges – have been inspiring. His seamless transition into significant responsibilities shows a remarkable maturity and dedication to the Rose Hill community. And his leadership style, marked by inclusivity, empathy, and integrity, sets as a shining example to all students.”

As a member of the Campus Activities Board and the Office for Student Involvement, Julian was known for upholding each organization’s goal of making students feel welcome and heard.
A fellow student noted, “Julian is the best kind of leader, one that leads by example, [who] meets everyone exactly where they are and is deeply kind, passionate, and competent.” As another student put it, “Julian is kind without motive, curious without judgment, and generous without a second thought.”

During Julian’s time at Fordham, he also held roles in the Fordham Political Review, United Student Government and the Campus Activities Board. A political science major with minors in French and Francophone studies and journalism, he studied in France for a semester.

A gifted writer with a flair for research, Julian took a contemporary problem – overnight fame on the internet – and developed a series of research projects seeking to understand what rights sudden social media celebrities like Alex from Target lose or retain against libel and defamation? His mentor said, “Rarely have I met a student who is so skilled at making the law relevant for the next generation of problems and who is so capable of conducting research that will help us get ahead of them.”

Already Julian’s work has been noticed and is having an impact. In February, he presented at the Pi Sigma Alpha National Student Research Conference at George Washington University.

Said Dean Mast, “We expect this is just the beginning.”

Your prayers are working. Hannah Quinn, the young alum who became seriously ill in Spain a number of weeks ago, is improving. This news from her aunt, Barbara Dugan. “Hannah’s parents reported today that she remains in the hospital in Madrid. She is slowly improving and recovering from 2 surgeries. She is very confused and heavily medicated and not ‘out of the woods’ yet! Please keep praying for a full recovery for Hannah.”

Fordham is now part of the pro-Palestinian college protest scene. Though, per the New York Times, the protesters are off-campus: "The crowd outside Fordham’s Manhattan campus now includes about 80 people, many of them students. There are also a few faculty members who came to show support for the encampment. 'I’m inspired by my students as always,' Cynthia Vich, a professor of Spanish and comparative literature, said. 'And I’m so glad that they are expressing their solidarity, because I was waiting for them to do this.'”

Live Updates: Nearly 300 Arrested in N.Y., Mayor Says, as Police Called to Other U.S. Campuses U.C.L.A. asked for officers after a clash between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and counterprotesters grew heated overnight, and tensions continued to rise at universities across the country.

Prayers requested. The family of Hannah Quinn, FCRH 23, is asking for prayers from the Fordham community. Hannah, from Duxbury, MA, became seriously ill last week during her overseas teaching assignment in Barcelona. Her parents, Brenda and Matt Quinn, (pictured with her below) are now with her in Spain.

We continue to be amazed and inspired by the students who receive awards and scholarships from the FCAA. Read this and feel your jaw drop!

Luisa Rosa, FCRH ’24, is the latest recipient of the FCAA Research Symposium Award. Luisa, originally from Brazil, is studying computer science with a business minor. Her research focuses on educational data mining, specifically instructor grading patterns. (Photo: Luisa with FCRH Dean Rachel Annunziato, Ph.D.)

“We aim to understand grade distribution on multiple levels (for example, department, instructor, course levels) and identify professors/departments with lenient or strict grading patterns (essentially, easy graders/hard graders),” said Luisa, who has already published a paper on her research, "An Analysis of Grading Patterns in Undergraduate University Courses," shared at the 2023 IEEE 47th Annual Computers, Software, and Applications Conference (COMPSAC) in Italy.

“We are currently running more analysis, using our EDM Python tool, on the 8 years of undergraduate educational data from Fordham to which we have access and also running a new student survey," said Luisa. “The survey aims to understand further how these grading patterns influence how students select classes.”

Luisa has also been busy with an array of extracurricular activities at Fordham. She’s captain of the D1 Fordham Swimming and Diving team; she’s been a global transition coordinator, vice president of international integration for United Student Government, president of the Computer Science Society, a tutor for student athletes and a member of both the Alpha Sigma Nu and Fordham Club honor societies.

On top of that, she spent a summer in Germany with the Daad Rise program performing research on Movement Feedback Systems (MFS). She developed an MFS to help basketball players improve their movement technique and acknowledge areas of improvement in their free-throw movement.

After graduation, Luisa plans to pursue her Master of Science in Data Science at Fordham.

Calling all Fordham journalists! This note arrived yesterday from an accepted student. If you can, please write to [email protected], if you're available to offer some guidance. Debra will send Raina's contact information.

My name is Raina Pawloski. I'm from the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania. Looking to get in contact with journalism/communications majors and/or people who are Fordham grads who have gone into a career in journalism.

We're proud to share this news from the FCAA's student rep, Jay Doherty, FCRH '26, who produced this film. Watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVkf63Q3Ql8

Sorry to report that this event is being postponed until the fall.

If you'd like to register for this event, please do so via Handshake. https://fordham.joinhandshake.com/stu/events/1468758

If you'd like to register for this event, please do so via Handshake. https://fordham.joinhandshake.com/stu/events/1468758

Grace Marrin and Gabriella Nisco are the latest recipients of the FCAA Legacy Endowed Scholarship, a needs-based program that was established in 1961.

Grace, Class of 2026, is majoring in psychology and minoring in Spanish. From
Long Branch, New Jersey, Grace hopes to attend Fordham Law School upon graduation.

“Since I was old enough to remember, I have dreamt of attending Fordham University,” said Grace, who is a sixth-generation Fordham student.

“I have never doubted the pure magic of the Fordham campus,” she said. “I truly believe it instills you with a sense of ineffable purpose and inspiration.”
“With the help of your donation, I can continue attending Fordham and, therefore, following my dreams,” she said.

Gabriella, Class of 2024, is from Wilton, CT. A journalism major, she hopes to remain in New York City and work for a fashion magazine, preferably Vogue. Gabriella is a member of the Fordham Club and is vice president of the Fordham chapter of the National Communication Honor Society, Lambda Pi Eta. She has been on the Dean’s List every semester. and works on Fordham’s fashion magazine, Mode.

“When I leave Fordham, not only will I be thankful for the education and opportunities I have been given, but I will be incredibly grateful for the Jesuit values that the university and community instilled in me.

Photo; Gabriella Nisco

We're happy to announce that the most recent of the Rev. George J. McMahon, SJ, Endowed Scholarship from the FCAA, created by the Class of 1966, is Grace Pak, FCLC ’27.

Grace is from Carlisle, PA, and is in the Honors Program at Fordham where she is a journalism major. Grace is also a writer for the Observer, Lincoln Center’s newspaper, and was stage manager for the Splinter Theater group’s production of Godspell. A theater afficionado, Grace is enjoying living in Manhattan and takes every opportunity she can to see a Broadway or Off-Broadway show.

”Receiving the Rev. McMahon scholarship has been a huge blessing for me and my family,” said Grace, who said her parents were previously helping pay her tuition while she also took out loans. “This scholarship has relieved that immediate financial stress and the pressure of future repayment, allowing me the freedom to explore all Fordham has to offer.”

The FCAA’s president and vice president, Debra Caruso Marrone and Michael Palma, attended Fordham’s Founder’s Dinner at the Glasshouse in Manhattan supporting student scholarships.

Dr. Paul Reiss, who served for 10 years as Fordham's Executive Vice President, has died. Reiss also held a number of other administrative positions at Fordham before leaving to become president of St. Michael's College. He was also the father of nine children.

Obituaries in Burlington, VT | The Burlington Free Press Dr. Paul J. Reiss, former President of St. Michael’s College, died on February 28 at age 93 in Lake Placid, NY his birthplace, with two sons by his...

Fordham President Tania Tetlow told a gathering of student journalists at the university about her plans for 2024, which include a tuition increase, the potential for a new science building at Rose Hill and continuing discussions on such sensitive matters as free speech on campus.

Tetlow Casts Vision for 2024 and Beyond For University President Tania Tetlow, her golden retriever Archie — a campus celebrity among Fordham community members — is the ultimate emotional support dog when it comes to the challenges she faces in her position. She shared that she finds herself mulling over upcoming commitments as she ta...