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Fordham University Profile

New York, New York

Fordham University Profile

Fordham University was established in 1841 as part of a Roman Catholic educational complex that includes a liberal arts and sciences school as well as a theological education program. Fordham University is unique because it offers students the ability to enjoy a park like campus setting within 30 minutes of New York City. I think this issue is important to students who want an exciting cultural experience within one of the city’s five boroughs, without actually living in the city. The university is located within the Belmont section of the Bronx, which is one of the city’s boroughs. The footprint of the site is normal for a large private school located within an urban area. The school’s footprint is approximately 85 acres in size, which extends through the western Bronx community.

Fordham is also unique because it boarders several large parks and nature preserves within an overall urban landscape including New York’s Botanical Garden, the Bronx Zoo, and Van Courtland Park located off Southern Blvd. These natural landscapes act like natural barriers for the campus. The school is very spread out geographically for a city school with university facilities starting on Fordham Road to the south and continuing up to Southern (Kazimiroff) Blvd along Webster Avenue to the west. The university also has buildings on the eastern edge of the community off Kazimiroff Blvd. As you can see, the university’s footprint is large for a private urban school. Fordham’s campus facilities offer students a comfortable internal landscape within a mixed commercial and residential community.

The campus has approximately 32 buildings including lecture, residential, research & resource centers, and dining facilities. The internal campus setting also provides students and employees with several types of services including health, physical fitness, library, and cultural meeting places. The issue of student housing on campus is a not challenge for Fordham because the school actively competes for real estate resources within the general area of the university. Fordham has purchased several local commercial properties over the years to convert into new academic, and residential facilities for students.

The physical layout of the academic buildings, athletic fields, and residence halls at Fordham is unique for a college campus because the student housing is arranged on both ends of the campus, with Edward’s Parade (Great Lawn) in the middle. The school’s student center, and sports & recreation facilities are located in close proximity to the residence halls on the northern edge of the property, while library facilities are located on the southern area. The lecture halls are located in the middle of campus off Eddy Green for easy access to classes. Fordham University is a large sized urban school that feels like a smaller school because the campus landscape is big, but student resources are close together and active.

The internal campus setting at Fordham provides students and employees with several types of student services including physical fitness, library, cultural meeting places, and dining halls. Fordham’s observed focal point of reference during the campus tour was the McGinley Student Center, which is the main student life hall. My tour guide told me that students come to the center to relax, and eat in the food court. Students also use the Lombardi physical fitness center to workout, socialize, and talk about school and life. The student, and fitness center facilities are large for a private school with offices for all the student clubs and recreational activities located under one roof for students to enjoy.

Fordham is a large private Catholic school that has public transportation links to everywhere in the city on a 24-hour basis including music & theatre productions, sporting & cultural events, museums, nightlife, and restaurants. The university’s western Bronx location also allows students to enjoy a mixed natural/ urban landscape while having the ability to engage in professional activities and learning.

The published demographic information for the university describes a culturally diverse student population with students from all across the world. Fordham University has developed several different campuses, within it’s educational network to offer students a Liberal Arts and Science, Research, and a Comprehensive education format to enhance it’s commitment to different types of career endeavors. Below is a description of demographics for Fordham’s Rose Hill Campus in Belmont section of the Bronx.

Fordham University: The University is home to approximately 3,098 male, and 4,034 female full time students, and 195 male, and 325 female part time students. Fordham also has a large graduate school population with 2,635 male, and 4,166 female students enrolled. The average age of a freshman is 19 years old. 60% of students are from New York, with the rest coming from 49 states, 50 foreign countries and Canada. The campus demographic observes a multi-cultural makeup including 60% of students are white, 8% are African American, 7% Asian Americans, and 15% are Hispanic.

Published Academic Standards for Admission Programs

Fordham has a large educational system for a private Catholic school, which offers Liberal Arts, and Sciences, Performing Arts, and Business programs. Below is a specific list of under graduate admission requirements.

Student Housing

The purpose of student housing is to provide safe and reasonable accommodations for students living away from home. The issue of housing and dormitory life is a critical element of overall campus life because students spend a large amount of time in their rooms. Student housing units historically come in 3 different styles including traditional corridor, suite, and apartment style units.

Fordham University guarantees housing for all undergraduate students (except transfers) who has filed their intent to reside on campus by the stated deadline and who have continuously registered as full time students. Fordham currently has 10 resident halls to accommodate 3,947 students on the Rose Hill campus. The school has also started developing housing resources for upper classman through it’s capital improvement initiatives. Fordham is building 4 new apartment-style housing facilities on campus (Salice Hall) for upper classman. These new units are scheduled to open in the fall of 2010.

The university has also purchased 16 apartment buildings over the years for student housing according to public safety officials. These units are located in walking distance to the campus. Information about housing can be found on the quick links page of this document.

Off Campus Housing

Fordham University has been described as a mini-city in a muti- cultural residential community. The reason I have mentioned the overall community of the Bronx is to re-assert the point that Fordham’s network of affiliated campuses has encapsulated it’s real estate holdings within the area. The campus footprint allows almost every student to have housing within walking distance to the campus. The issue of off campus housing has a different feel to it compared to other university off campus housing demands. The demand for housing, especially off campus housing is usually a tough issue for institutions attempting to keep students within the general geographical area. Fordham has addressed this issue by buying up residential buildings and developing housing networks. Information about off campus housing can be found on the Fordham’s quick links page of this document.

Campus Life

Fordham University is a multi-cultural campus environment that provides students with an excellent social, and educational atmosphere. The admissions demographics paint a picture of a very diverse community with students from all over the world. The local community of Belmont only adds to the universities international status because the community has multi-cultural roots as well. Fordham University also addresses the issue of ecology in a positive way. The physical environment is clean and well maintained and the economic conditions are favorable to students and local residents due to the available services in walking distance to the school.

The emotional climate and culture of the entire Fordham community is social due to it’s close relationship with community, it’s mature student population, and educational resources in my opinion. Fordham is an attractive institution because it offers students a religious education with real world professional experiences in New York City. The university also provides it’s students with lasting relationships with local organizations and community groups through student activities throughout the year. This issue of school culture is also a very important part of campus life because everyone wants to have a connection and emotional fit to their new school and community.

This issue of school culture is also a very important part of campus life because everyone wants to have a connection and emotional fit to their new school and community. Fordham has done a great job developing positive social systems with it’s students by providing a series of coordinated programs including workshops and seminars for freshman students. This type of process provides a foundation for learning and personal growth providing over 133 academic clubs, student organizations, and over 22 intramural sports activities. Fordham also participates in 36 NCAA Division I Varsity Sports for Women and Men where becoming a Ram fan are a big deal on campus, especially during basketball season.

Campus life at Fordham is more than academic excellence; it’s about building personal relationships with students and facility that continues throughout each student’s career. The school also offers students the ability to enjoy school sports, fraternities, performing arts, history, cultural events, restaurants, and local museums. For example, the City of New York has hundreds of venues to enjoy the previously stated activities including the Metropolitan Art Museum, Lincoln Center, Madison Square Garden, Yankee Stadium, and Carnegie Hall to mention a few. The university also has several global education centers within it’s campus network for students to learn, and gather information about international careers.

Public Transportation

The New York City Transit System has a subway that stops 1 block from the campus on the southern edge of the university at Fordham Road. Students and visitors get off the train and walk north to the main entry to the school. The (Orange B & D Lines stops at Fordham Road but it also connects with every other subway line within the system. Riders can take these trains from Fordham University in the Bronx to Columbus Circle (59th Street) in Manhattan to connect with the (Red 1,2, &3 Lines) that takes riders to Penn Station in Midtown in a relatively short amount of time. Students & campus visitors can also take the Metro North Train that stops at the Botanical Garden Station off Southern Blvd for travel to the north of the city.

Community Profile

The Belmont area of the Bronx has been identified on maps geographically as south of the N.Y. Botanical Gardens on Southern (Kazimiroff Blvd), and north of Webster Avenue between The Cross Bronx Expressway to the East, and Bedford Park Blvd to the West. The community has been described as the original “Little Italy” because of it’s Italian roots on Arthur Ave, which is Main Street for home style Italian food. The area can also be considered scholarly and intellectual due to its student population and historical neighborhood architecture.

The Belmont section of the Bronx is first, and foremost a mixed commercial and residential community of working class families with a very diverse demographic. The greatest number of residents in the community north of Fordham Road is in fact a Fordham University student. Fordham University can also be considered the main property owner within the area; it owns most of the real estate housing up to Southern Blvd. The local pedestrian walkways on Fordham Road, Webster Ave, and Southern (Kazimiroff) Blvd links local residents to a large number of restaurants and local shops in the area.

The community has a real ethnic/welcoming type feel to it because a large number of people live, work, and study within the area. New York City itself is a maze of local neighborhoods that are unique to the people who live and work in them. The Belmont section can be considered a mixed residential area because you have commercial, residential, cultural, and intellectual all within the same block with people walking around, and through the Fordham campus on their way to work, or home. The area around the school is a major pedestrian walkway for Bronx residents, tourist, and commuters because it’s really in the middle of the community. That’s why you can find endless shopping and restaurants in area including Arthur Avenue (Little Italy) off 187th Street.

The issue of walking alone at night outside the perimeter of the campus gates should be curtailed because you’re in a big city with big city crime. The major avenues become less populated after 7:00PM due to the large commercial establishments in the area. The community has several parks, ball fields, and tourist areas including the N.Y. Botanical Garden, and Van Courtland Park off Southern Blvd that attracts a relatively large pedestrian population, but these locations close after dark. Local Police Officers from the 48th Precinct (NYPD) have told students to exercise some caution when using the city parks after dark because exterior lighting maybe an issue for personal security. The same can be true for walking alone in areas your not familiar with.

Community demographics: The following demographics for New York City describe a multi-cultural community within a total population of 8,214,426 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. A Census Bureau community survey highlights several characteristics to describe the population including: 47.7% of residents are male, 52.3 are female. 43.9% of residents are white, 25.1% are African American, 27.6% are Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% are Asian, 6.3% are some other Race, and finally 2.0 are two or more Races. The median age of population is 35.9 years old. 76.3% of residents are 18 years old or over and 12.1% of city residents is over the age of 65. The issue of housing in New York is also interesting. 91.2% of all housing units within the city are occupied. 65.6% of housing units are renter-occupied, while 34.4% of units are owner-occupied.

Local weather

Weather is also an issue to consider for students preparing for a university experience. New York City enjoys all four seasons of weather including rain and snow. Northeast weather patterns sometimes allow for temperatures to drop below 32 degrees for a considerable amount of time during the winter. New York City also gets it’s share of rain during the spring and summer months as well.

Fordham University Quick Links

Fordham University Area Hotel Quick Links

Ramada Inn/ Bronx
1000 Baychester Ave
Bronx, N.Y. 10475
Radisson Hotel New Rochelle
1 Radisson Plaza
New Rochelle, N.Y. 10801
Residence Inn by Marriott/ New Rochelle
35 LeCount Place
New Rochelle N.Y. 10801

New Rochelle New York is approximately 5 miles north of the Bronx via Route # 87 (Major Deegan Expressway)

Below is a sample list of local restaurants around Fordham University. Complete information about hotels, restaurants, shopping, museums, and general tourism activities can be found in the document “ Everything New York City” on the Your College Profile web site.

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