Event Organized by the Fordham Graduate School of Education and the Center for Catholic School Leadership and Faith Based Education, with support from the Office of the President, Fordham University
Next week, January 26 – February 1, 2020, is National Catholic Schools Week, and who better to host children and help them realize their possible future than the Fordham Graduate School of Education and its Center for Catholic School Leadership and Faith Based Education. For the fourth continuous year, Fordham will open the doors on its Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses to approximately 800 seventh and eighth grade Catholic school students from the Bronx and other parts of New York City. For many of these children from 19 different schools, it will be the first time they have ever set foot on a college campus.
“Children make crucial decisions about their academic careers, especially in middle school, when they begin to choose tracks of learning. By giving them the opportunity to visit classrooms, see college students in classes, and walk the same paths as college students, we hope to inspire these visiting students to reach higher in their academic choices and study habits,” said Virginia Roach, Ed.D., Dean of Fordham Graduate School of Education. “We want to show children, especially those who could be first generation college-bound students, that there are pathways to realize their dreams of a college education.”
The Fordham Graduate School of Education has been a leader in championing aspirations to attend college for traditionally underserved children. The school has a strong program that includes helping Bronx and other high school students apply for aid to attend college by filling out the FAFSA form. The Dean continued by saying, “We are focused on cultivating a full pipeline of students going into higher education, inclusive of those who thought college would never be a choice. We view it both as our civic responsibility and action that supports Fordham’s motto of cura personalis.”
This year, Fordham will be limiting the student group sizes to allow for a better, more focused experience, and students will have the opportunity to learn about other programs that can provide academic support before college, such as the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) and the Science and Technology Entry Program. All children will receive tee shirts celebrating Catholic Schools Week and Fordham University. And, reflecting his commitment to encouraging New York children to go to college, Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, will attend the week’s sessions on both campuses.
According to Gerald M. Cattaro, Ed.D., director of the Center for Catholic School Leadership and Faith-Based Education, “This is a way for Fordham to celebrate the theme of this year‘s National Catholic Schools Week, Catholic Schools: Learn, Serve, Lead, Succeed, encompassing the core values that can be found in the schools of the Archdiocese.”
Daily schedule
Monday, January 27 – Lincoln Center Campus
10 AM – Students attend mass at St. Paul’s Church
11 AM – Students tour campus led by Fordham students and staff
12 PM – Lunch provided to students
Tuesday, January 28 – Rose Hill Campus
10 AM – Students attend mass at University Church
11 AM – Students tour campus led by Fordham students and staff
12 PM – Lunch provided to students
For more information, contact the Center for Catholic School Leadership and Faith Based Education at the Fordham University Graduate School of Education, 212.636.6420.
