On Dec. 1, representatives from the St. Patrick’s Day Foundation, which supervises the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in Manhattan, recognized Fordham for its participation in the parade on March 17.
The parade drew 250 members of the Fordham community, whose marching performance earned Fordham first place in the Universities category.
Accepting the award on the University’s behalf before the foundation’s quarterly meeting at the Lincoln Center campus were Tom Dunne, vice president for administration, and Shannon Hirrel, FCRH ‘10, assistant director of alumni relations, NYC programming.
Fordham’s deep ties to the parade will continue, as Michael J. Dowling, GSS ‘74, president and chief executive officer of Northwell Health, will serve as Grand Marshall for the parade in 2017.
A native of Limerick and a former professor of social policy and assistant dean at Fordham’s Graduate School of Social Services, Dowling is believed to be the first head of a hospital to lead the 255-year-old parade.
