Fordham

Book excerpt: “A detailed institutional history that charts both triumphs and setbacks.” —Catholic Herald Based largely on archival sources in the United States and Rome, this book documents the evolution of Fordham from a small diocesan commuter college into a major American Jesuit and Catholic university with an enrollment of more than 15,000 students from sixty-five countries. This is honest history that gives due credit to Fordham for its many academic achievements, but also recognizes that Fordham shared the shortcomings of many Catholic colleges in the United States in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Covering struggles over curriculum and the change of ownership in recent decades from the Society of Jesus to a predominantly lay board of trustees, this book addresses the intensifying challenges of offering a first-rate education while maintaining Fordham’s Catholic and Jesuit identity. Exploring more than a century and a half of Fordham’s past, this comprehensive history of a beloved and renowned New York City institution of higher learning also contributes to our debates about the future of education.