This Month in Fordham History…
IIn May 1931, the University held a new event to bring its colleges and schools closer together beneath “the common parenthood of Fordham,” as an article in The Ram put it.
The first faculty convocation, held on May 10, brought together more than 400 faculty members from St. John’s College, the Graduate School, the School of Law, the College of Pharmacy and the School of Sociology and Social Service, according to the article. Most of the graduate and professional schools had been founded after Fordham officially became a university in 1907.
The event was held to show appreciation for faculty members and highlight their common purpose—“to show unity in spirit,” in the words of Charles Deane, S.J., vice president of the University, who spoke at the convocation.
At the event, seven faculty members received the University’s first Bene Merenti medals for longstanding service to Fordham. One awardee was too ill to attend, so Fordham president Aloysius J. Hogan, S.J., went to his home to present the gold medal and read the citation.
