Overview

Based largely on archival sources in the United States and Rome, this book documents the evolution of Fordham from a small diocesan college into a major American Jesuit and Catholic university. It places the development of Fordham within the context of the massive expansion of Catholic higher education that took place in the United States in the twentieth century. This was reflected at Fordham in its transformation from a local commuter college to a predominantly residential institution that now attracts students from 48 states and 65 foreign countries to its three undergraduate schools and seven graduate and professional schools with an enrollment of more than 15,000 students. This is honest history that gives due credit to Fordham for its many academic achievements, but it also recognizes that Fordham shared the shortcomings of many Catholic colleges in the United States in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. There was an ongoing struggle between Jesuit faculty who wished to adhere closely to the traditional Jesuit ratio studiorum and those who recognized the need for Fordham to modernize its curriculum to meet the demands of the regional accrediting agencies. In recent decades, like virtually all American Catholic universities and colleges, the ownership of Fordham has been transferred from the Society of Jesus to a predominantly lay board of trustees. At the same time, the sharp decline in the number of Jesuit administrators and faculty has intensified the challenge of offering a first-rate education while maintaining Fordham's Catholic and Jesuit identity. June 2016 is the 175th anniversary of the founding of Fordham University, and this comprehensive history of a beloved and renowned New York City institution of higher learning will help contribute to celebrating this momentous occasion.

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Reviews

Tom Shelley's distinguished record as an historian of Catholic America, with a particular mastery of the Catholic experience in New York, makes him an ideal choice to produce the first full-scale history of one of the most important Catholic institutions of higher education in the United States. The vivid writing briskly carries the story along; the unobtrusive, shrewd evaluations provide an appropriate weight to the narrative. From his apt chapter titles, through his careful layering of context, to his uniformly spot-on characterizations, this is first-rate history. He has really captured Fordham's unique history. -Emmett Curran, Professor Emeritus of History, Georgetown University This is a terrific book -- deeply researched, thorough in coverage, fair in its judgments, written in a clear and engaging style. It does full justice to Fordham's storied past and present stature. --Philip Gleason, Professor Emeritus of History, University of Notre Dame Tom Shelley's distinguished record as an historian of Catholic America, with a particular mastery of the Catholic experience in New York, makes him an ideal choice to produce the first full-scale history of one of the most important Catholic institutions of higher education in the United States. He has a very good story to tell and he tells it very well. The vivid writing briskly carries the story along; the unobtrusive, shrewd evaluations provide an appropriate weight to the narrative. From his apt chapter titles, through his careful layering of context, to his uniformly spot-on characterizations, this is first-rate history. He has really captured Fordham's unique history. --Emmett Curran, Professor Emeritus of History, Georgetown University

This is a terrific book -- deeply researched, thorough in coverage, fair in its judgments, written in a clear and engaging style. It does full justice to Fordham's storied past and present stature. -Philip Gleason, Professor Emeritus of History, University of Notre Dame Tom Shelley's distinguished record as an historian of Catholic America, with a particular mastery of the Catholic experience in New York, makes him an ideal choice to produce the first full-scale history of one of the most important Catholic institutions of higher education in the United States. He has a very good story to tell and he tells it very well. The vivid writing briskly carries the story along; the unobtrusive, shrewd evaluations provide an appropriate weight to the narrative. From his apt chapter titles, through his careful layering of context, to his uniformly spot-on characterizations, this is first-rate history. He has really captured Fordham's unique history. -Emmett Curran, Professor Emeritus of History, Georgetown University

Author Information

Monsignor Thomas J. Shelley, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, is Emeritus Professor of Church History at Fordham University. His publications include The Bicentennial History of the Archdiocese of New York: 1808–2008 and Fordham, A History of the Jesuit University of New York: 1841–2003 (Fordham).

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