Fordham Conversations

 a groundbreaking day in the sports world. After Jacob Blake was shot seven times by police, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Bucks made a decisive call: they boycotted their playoff game against Orlando. Soon after, the rest of the league halted for three days. Several other demonstrations in the WNBA and Major League Baseball followed suit. In a year of unrest, athletes have not shied away from the spotlight. The overarching question: how do their symbolic gestures turn into systemic change? Mark Conrad is the Director of the Sports Business Program at Fordham. He joins Fordham Conversations host Emmanuel Berbari to discuss the relationship between professional sports, racial injustice and the agency of the modern athlete.

A month ago, the Patriot League announced the suspension of all Fall sports. Several major collegiate conferences have followed suit. The highly debatable question of risk versus reward continues to drive the conversation. Only six conferences still plan to play Fall football. The ACC, Big 12, Conference USA, SEC AAC and Sun Belt Conference. For Fordham, the Patriot League’s announcement sparked a quick adjustment. A transition from quickly revving up for a shortened season to potentially nothing at all. Fordham Football head coach Joe Conlin enters his third season at Rose Hill. Now, he’s leading a team in an unprecedented time. Following that discussion, Interim Director of Athletics Ed Kull provides an administrative perspective. They both join Fordham Conversations host Emmanuel Berbari.

There's growing concern about the disproportionate impact of coronavirus on Black and Brown people, immigrants, and others who make up the majority of Bronx residents. That’s one of the many reasons The Bronx Covid-19 Oral History Project exists. The group of Fordham University students, scholars, and community leaders are making it their goal to capture the voices of the borough’s residents. The initiative's intent is to better understand how the Global Pandemic is impacting Bronx communities. Fordham Conversations host Robin Shannon talks with The Bronx Covid 19 Oral History Project's Executive Committee. They include Carlos Rico, Veronica Quiroga and Faculty Advisors Dr Mark Naison.

Over the last several months, Fordham Conversations has stayed strong during the COVID-19 pandemic. Every week, we catch up with guests remotely and shed light on the Fordham Community. We uncover on the ongoing efforts on campus to grapple with issues that impact our world. This week, we relive two special guests: Fordham Professor of Political Science and Director of the Master’s Program in Elections and Campaign Management, Monika McDermott and Fordham Interim Director of Athletics Ed Kull. Joining Fordham Conversations host Emmanuel Berbari, McDermott details how the pandemic has thrown a wrench into an election year and discusses the integrity of absentee voting, while Kull reacts to the suspension of Fall sports at Fordham—with recent news coming out of the Patriot League and Atlantic 10. They both join host Emmanuel Berbari.

Fordham Conversations guest host David Gibson, director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University, talks with author Jack Jenkins. His new book, "American Prophets: The Religious Roots of Progressive Politics and the Ongoing Fight for the Soul of the Country," looks at how the Religious Left is actually the moral compass that has long steered America’s political debates. It is published by HarperOne.

Three years after leaving Massachusetts Institute of Technology amid the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, Peter Cohen is still battling against media outlets and looking to clear his name. Ronan Farrow’s 2019 article in The New Yorker linked Cohen to the Epstein donations, forcing him to leave Brown University as well. Cohen’s recent story in Quillette points out alleged inaccuracies in Farrow’s reporting and explains the mechanisms that allow flawed figures to donate large sums to universities and, in turn, the institutions to thrive. Cohen discusses both topics and what’s been a wild 1,000 days with Fordham Conversations host Emmanuel Berbari. 

When the COVID-19 outbreak took center stage in March, the sudden halt of college athletics impacted many student-athletes, staff and administrators. Fordham Softball’s Madie Aughinbaugh was looking to defend her Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year and win four conference titles in four years. Fordham Interim Director of Athletics Ed Kull takes over the department amid an unprecedented time in sports after Dave Roach’s retirement at the end of June. Fordham Conversations host Emmanuel Berbari joins both key figures in the Fordham Athletics community to discuss how they plan to move forward

The Advanced Placement Program allows High School students to take college-level courses. Fordham Conversations host Robin Shannon talks with Fordham University Professor Nicholas Tampio. He explains why college courses differ in important ways from AP courses. Nicholas Tampio is a professor of political science at Fordham University, specializing in the history of political thought, contemporary political theory and education policy. He is the author of Common Core: National Education Standards and the Threat to Democracy and Learning Versus the Common Core.

The Coronavirus pandemic has created political uncertainty that could drastically impact voter turnout and behavior. The debate over a nationwide mail-in election is taking shape, while fears of voter fraud have rained in from levels as high as the White House. Monika L. McDermott is a Professor of Political Science at Fordham University and an election night polling analyst at CBS News. She also runs the M.A. program in Elections and Campaign Management. Joining Fordham Conversations host Emmanuel Berbari, McDermott uncovers how the 2020 election will take shape with the various voting obstacles in place, responds to recent mistrust in polling information and details her responsibilities at Fordham, CBS News and the authorship of a recent book, “Masculinity, Femininity and American Political Behavior.”

New York City lost one of it's trusted, hometown, news voices when Richard Hake died on April 24, 2020. The WNYC's Morning Edition Host began his public radio career at WFUV, while a Fordham University student. Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talked with a few colleagues and friends, in loving memory of Richard Scott Hake.  They are Annmarie Fertoli, Beth Knobel, Miyan Levenson , Chuck Singleton and Julianne Welby.

University President Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., is stepping in as "Fordham Conversations" host. He is joined by John D. Feerick, Dean emeritus and professor of law at Fordham Law School. They will discuss his memoir, That Further Shore: A Memoir of Irish Roots and American Promise. Feerick discusses his family, Irish history and his career as a Lawyer.

The rapid outbreak of COVID-19 has halted the sports world for the last two months. Fordham Women’s Basketball redshirt-junior Bre Cavanugh was one of the student athletes poised for postseason play. After averaging over 19 points, leading Fordham to the Atlantic 10 Semifinals and a potential WNIT bid, Cavanaugh became the first player in program history to earn A10 Player of the Year honors. Fordham Conversations host Emmanuel Berbari talks with Cavanaugh about the early battles with adversity, her reaction to the current pandemic, path to Fordham, future plans, constant motivations and favorite hobbies in their remote discussion.   

Fordham University's annual Women's Philanthropy Summit hosted hundreds of alumni, students and faculty to network and reflect on work and the power of giving. Keynote speaker Kirsten Swinth, an associate professor of history and American studies at Fordham University, discussed societal challenges for women. She also discussed her book, "Feminism's Forgotten Fight: The Unfinished Struggle for Work and Family." Fordham Conversations offers an abridged version of Professor Swinth's speech.

Fordham Conversations host Robin Shannon talks with Dr. Anne Hoffman and Dr. Jason Morris about their course Diverse Biology/Shared Humanity. In it, students explore empathy through science, literature, music and more.   The course draws on readings and approaches from biology and literary studies to gain understanding of the diversity of human experience. Students will study the biological (genetic, metabolic, developmental, and neuronal) factors contributing to differences in human behavior, cognition, ability/disability, and appearance. Through the study of first-person narratives, poems, and other texts (including film), students will gain insight into the lived experiences of people they might not otherwise have come to know, even as they deepen their appreciation of the interdependence of self and other. Through reflection on readings in literature and science, students will come to recognize more fully what these disciplinary approaches offer to understanding our place in the world and our responsibili

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with members of The Curran Catholic School Leadership Academy. Its goal is to prepare students from Fordham University, and other colleges, for the realities of leading a Catholic school Dr. Noelle Beale is Regional Superintendent for the Catholic Schools of Central Westchester. Gina-Marie Fonte is a Principal in the Archdiocese Of New York and a Curran Fellowship Graduate. Finally, Amy Rodriguez is principal at Immaculate Conception School and currently a Curran Fellow.

Fordham Conversations Host Robin Shannon talks with author Deanna Singh. The Fordham University Alumni discusses what inspired her to write her first children’s picture book I Am A Boy of Color.  Singh describes it as “a tribute to the beauty and power boys of color possess.” 

Fordham Conversations host Robin Shannon talks with Dr. Craig Steven Wilder about his book "Ebony & Ivy: Race, Slavery, and the Troubled History of America’s Universities." The book explores the connection between Ivy League schools and the slave trade.

This week's Fordham Conversations examines the Stars Wars universe and its religious and spiritual influences. The panel discussion Jedi & Jesuits: Explore the Deep Side of a Galaxy Far, Far Away was put on by the Fordham Center on Religion and Culture in partnership with Fordham Campus Ministry. David Goodwin, Assistant Director at the Center, moderated the event. The panelists are Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service journalist, Kathryn Reklis, Associate Chair of Graduate Studies and theology professor at Fordham University and Jim McDermott, LA-based Jesuit and screenwriter.

Father James Martin, author and editor at large of America magazine, has made headlines for his outreach to the LGBT community. Martin is the author of Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter Into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity. He sits down with Fordham Conversations guest host Patrick Russomanno to discuss the relationship between LGBTQ Catholics and the Church.

Fordham Conversations host Robin Shannon is joined by Natural Sciences Department Chair Jason Morris, Ph.D to discuss his new novel “Thicker Than Mud.”   The book tells the story of a Jewish archeology professor who stumbles upon an ancient discovery while on a dig in Israel.  This begins a journey through a crime, a cover up, a family secret, and both losing and finding love.