Fordham Conversations

Sandy was the deadliest and most destructive storm of the 2012 hurricane season. It was also the second-costliest hurricane in U.S. history. Monday marks six-months since the Superstorm struck our area.  On this week's Fordham Conversations we hear from Fordham alum Kendra Newkirk.  A few days after moving into her new house in Queens, Sandy hit, washing away almost everything Kendra owned. We talk with Kendra just after the storm hit and again a-half-a year later.  But first we also hear from Fordham Professor Mark Naison. He spearheaded an outreach effort to help Kendra recover from Sandy's wrath. 

Fordham graduate student and WFUV reporter Jake Neher has a conversation with '50s and '60s pop icon Dion DiMucci. Records like "A Teenager in Love," "Runaround Sue," and "The Wanderer" made Dion one of the most popular pre-British Invasion artists in the world. He will talk about his upbringing in the Fordham section of the Bronx, the corner of Belmont and 187th - now called the "Doo Wop Corner" - where he and his group The Belmonts polished some of their early hits, and racial tensions between Bronx-area Doo Wop groups.

The International Dyslexia Association defines dyslexia as "a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin."  But members of a boarding school for dyslexic students in Dutchess County, New York don’t use the term “disability.”   They prefer to call it a “way to learn differently.”  On this week’s Fordham Conversations we discuss the issue of dyslexia with three people who have first-hand knowledge of the condition. Kevin Pendergast is the Headmaster of the Kildonan School, a boarding school that empowers students with dyslexia. Dave Flink is the Executive Director of Eye-to-Eye, a national grass roots mentoring program. August Hunt is in his senior year at Kildonan.

Most football fans know the success story of Coach Vince Lombardi’s days with Green Bay and Coach Tom Landry’s days with Dallas.  But what may not be as well known are the details of their shared relationship. That is until now. WFUV’s Ricky Cibrano and Kyle Kesses sit down with Author Ernie Palladino to discuss his book Lombardi and Landry: How Two of Pro Football’s Greatest Coaches Launched their Legends and Changed the Game Forever. 

American Catholic religious sisters have had a dramatic impact on the Catholic church. From building parochial schools to pioneering higher education for women, Catholic sisters have expanded their ministries since the Second Vatican Council’s called for renewal in the 1960s. Recently Fordham university hosted a panel discussion that examined how the sisters’ ministry has changed the face of the church and what they are called to do today. On this week's Fordham Conversations, we hear excerpts form "Call and Response": How American Catholic Sisters Shaped the Church Since Vatican 2.

WFUV’s Strike a Chord campaign is examining the need for more emergency housing during times of crisis.  Housing is just one of the major challenges that remain for Haiti, following a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit the Caribbean country in 2010.  Fordham Professor Dr. Marciana Popescu knows firsthand about the struggles facing the people of Haiti.  She designed a course that takes Fordham students to different countries, where they receive on-site disaster-aid experience.  On this week’s Fordham Conversations, Dr. Popescu shares her observations from one of her many trips to Haiti.

 2013 marks the bicentennial anniversary of Jane Austen’s beloved novel, Pride and Prejudice. Since its publication 200 years ago, the gravitas of Austen's second book carries has obtained status as an international phenomenon.  WFUV’s Katie Fisher sits down with Fordham University Professor and Jane Austen expert, Susan Greenfield for a candid discussion about the history of Austen’s career, her importance in the literary world, and the impact her writing has in contemporary culture.

In the post-civil war south, many freed slaves relied on self-help groups known as benevolent societies to  bury their dead.  In a new documentary titled “The Contradictions of Fair Hope” we look at the evolution of one particular Alabama society called "Fair Hope", and why its survival is arguably a struggle between heaven and hell.   On this week’s Fordham Conversations, WFUV’s Robin Shannon talks with the films Executive Producer and Co-Director S. Epatha Merkerson and Cultural Anthropologist and Fordham Professor Aimee Cox.

Fordham University recently launched a burial database project for enslaved African American.  It allows anyone to submit locations they suspect may be the site of an unmarked grave of slaves. On this week’s Fordham Conversations we hear from Sandra Arnold, the Founding Director of The Burial Database Project of Enslaved African Americans and Staff Member with Fordham’s Department of African and African American Studies.  "We also hear from Dr. Michael Blakey, Professor of Anthropology at William & Mary College and Former Director of the African Burial Ground Project in New York City, and a current adviser to the Burial Database Project of  Enslaved African Americans."

In a job market that’s improved but still bleak, a top notch résumé, cover letter and strong interviewing skills are essential.  But there’s another way to become the brand of choice for a company. On this week’s Fordham Conversations, Fordham Professor Steve Horowitz discusses the principles of Public Relations and how job-seekers can make themselves more appealing to potential employers through branding.  We also hear from Fordham students Lauren Hutt and Katherine Graham, who went through their own self discovery process to uncover their personal brand.