Fordham University Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...

is a private,

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...

located in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States. Founded in 1841, it is the oldest Catholic institution of

higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

in the

northeastern United States The Northeastern United States (also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. Located on the East Coast of the United States, ...

, the third-oldest university in the state of New York, and the only

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

university in New York City. Since its establishment as St. John's College, the university has been home to multiple

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

s and schools, some of which are defunct or have gone through changes in name. As of 2017, Fordham is composed of a total of four undergraduate and six constitutive graduate schools, situated across three campuses in southern New York State, with its two main campuses in New York City:

Rose Hill Rose Hill may refer to: People * Rose Hill (actress) (1914–2003), British actress * Rose Hill (athlete) (born 1956), British wheelchair athlete Film * ''Rose Hill'' (film), a 1997 movie Places Australia * Rose Hill, New South Wales * Rose ...

The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

, and

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

. As of 2017, Fordham claims over 183,500 alumni throughout the world. Numerous U.S. and international politicians are counted among Fordham's alumni body, including Central Intelligence Directors

William J. Casey William Joseph Casey (March 13, 1913 – May 6, 1987) was an American lawyer who was the Director of Central Intelligence from 1981 to 1987. In this capacity he oversaw the entire United States Intelligence Community and personally directed the ...

and John O. Brennan,

U.S. Attorney General The United States attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government. The attorney general acts as the principal legal advisor to the president of the ...

John N. Mitchell John Newton Mitchell (September 5, 1913 – November 9, 1988) was the 67th attorney general of the United States, serving under President Richard Nixon and was chairman of Nixon's 1968 and 1972 presidential campaigns. Prior to that, he had been ...

, various governors, and a head of state:

Hage Geingob Hage Gottfried Geingob (3 August 1941 – 4 February 2024) was a Namibian politician who served as the third president of Namibia from 2015 until his death in February 2024. Geingob was the country's first prime minister A prime minister ...

President of Namibia The president of Namibia is the head of state and head of government of Namibia. The president directs the executive branch of the Government of Namibia, government, acts as chair of the Cabinet of Namibia, Cabinet and is the commander-in-chie ...

Anne M. Mulcahy Anne M. Mulcahy (born October 21, 1952) is the former chairperson and CEO of Xerox Corporation. She was named CEO of Xerox on August 1, 2001, and chairwoman on January 1, 2002. In addition to serving on the Xerox board, she has been a member of th ...

, Chairperson and CEO of

Xerox Xerox Holdings Corporation (, ) is an American corporation that sells print and electronic document, digital document products and services in more than 160 countries. Xerox was the pioneer of the photocopier market, beginning with the introduc ...

Wellington Mara Wellington Timothy Mara (August 14, 1916 – October 25, 2005) was an American professional football executive. He was the co-owner of the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL) from 1959 until his death. He was the younger son o ...

(owner of the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

), and billionaire entrepreneurs

Eugene Shvidler Evgeny Markovich Shvidler , also transliterated as Eugene Shvidler, born 23 March 1964), is a Soviet-born billionaire businessman, and winemaker. Shvidler was sanctioned by the UK Government in March 2022 in the wake of the Russian invasion of ...

and

Lorenzo Mendoza Lorenzo Alejandro Mendoza Giménez (born 5 October 1965) is a Venezuelan billionaire businessman, and CEO of Empresas Polar, Venezuela's largest privately held company, with $7 billion in annual sales. The company was founded by his grandfathe ...

are alumni. As a Jesuit institution, the university claims numerous Roman Catholic clergy, including

Álvaro Corrada del Río Álvaro Corrada del Río, S.J. (born May 13, 1942) is a Puerto Rican prelate of the Catholic Church and member of the Society of Jesus. Corrada served as the Bishop of Mayagüez from 2011 until his retirement in 2020. He previously served a ...

, bishop of Mayagüez;

Cardinal Francis Spellman Francis Joseph Spellman (May 4, 1889 – December 2, 1967) was an Catholic Church in the United States, American Catholic prelate who served as Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, Archbishop of New York from 1939 until his death in 1967. F ...

, archbishop of New York; and

Eugene Marino Eugene Antonio Marino, SSJ (May 29, 1934 – November 12, 2000) was an American Catholic prelate who served as archbishop of Atlanta from 1988 until 1990. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington from 19 ...

, archbishop of Atlanta. Fordham has numerous alumni in the entertainment industry.

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

-winning actor

Alan Alda Alan Alda (; born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner and a three-time Tony Award nominee, he is best known for playing Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pier ...

; in film,

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

-winner

Denzel Washington Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles Denzel Washington on screen and stage, on stage and screen, Washington has received List of awards and nominations ...

and nominee

Patricia Clarkson Patricia Davies Clarkson (born December 29, 1959) is an American actress. She has starred in numerous leading and supporting roles in a variety of films ranging from independent film features to major film studio productions. Her accolades incl ...

; and in theater,

Tony Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony the Tiger, cartoon mascot for Frosted Flakes cereal * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * ...

winners

John Benjamin Hickey John Benjamin Hickey (born June 25, 1963) is an American actor and director with a career in stage, film and television. He won the 2011 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for his performance as Felix Turner in '' The ...

Robert Sean Leonard Robert Lawrence Leonard (born February 28, 1969), known professionally as Robert Sean Leonard, is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Neil Perry in the drama film ''Dead Poets Society'' (1989) and Dr. James Wilson in the med ...

, and

Julie White Julie K. White (born June 4, 1961) is an American actress. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance in '' The Little Dog Laughed'' in 2007. She has also received three other Tony Award nominations for her performan ...

; are alumni. Voice actor and comedian

Bill Lobley Bill Lobley (born in Bronxville, New York) is an American comic actor known for his work in animation, commercials, and voiceovers for film, radio, and television; including Arcane, Adult Swim's ''Sealab 2021'' and '' Oh My God... Yes!'', Discove ...

graduated from Fordham as well. Brit Award-winning singer-songwriter

Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Lana Del Rey discography, Her music is noted for its melancholic exploration of Glamour (presentation), glamor and Romanc ...

is an alumna, as well as writers

Mary Higgins Clark Mary Higgins Clark (born Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins; December 24, 1927 – January 31, 2020) was an American author of suspense novels. Each of her 51 books was a bestseller in the United States and various European countries, and all of her ...

and

Don DeLillo Donald Richard DeLillo (born November 20, 1936) is an American novelist, short story writer, playwright, screenwriter, and essayist. His works have covered subjects as diverse as consumerism, nuclear war, the complexities of language, art, televi ...

. Football players and coaches

Vince Lombardi Vincent Thomas Lombardi ( ; June 11, 1913 – September 3, 1970) was an American professional football coach and executive in the National Football League (NFL). Lombardi is considered by many to be among the greatest coaches and leaders in Ame ...

and Peter Carlesimo are alumni, as well as two-time

Olympic gold medal Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

-winning track runner Tom Courtney. Stage, film, and television actor

Dylan McDermott Mark Anthony "Dylan" McDermott (born October 26, 1961) is an American actor. He is known for his role as lawyer and law firm head Bobby Donnell on the legal drama series ''The Practice'', which earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Performa ...

, graduated from Fordham College at Lincoln Center in 1983.

Legend

Notes and abbreviations used * Individuals who may belong in multiple sections appear only in one. * An empty class year or school/degree box indicates that the information is unknown. *"DNG" indicates the alumnus or alumna attended but did not graduate; year(s) of attendance are included if available. Colleges and schools *FC – Fordham College :*SJC – St. John's College (1841–1907) *GSAS – Graduate School of Arts and Sciences *GE – Graduate School of Education *UGE – Undergraduate School of Education (1916–1967) *GRE – Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education *Law –

School of Law A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for bec ...

*GSB –

Gabelli School of Business The Gabelli School of Business is the undergraduate and graduate business school of Fordham University, a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City, New York (state), New York. Fordham Univers ...

:*CBA – formerly College of Business Administration (1920–2005) *GSSS – Graduate School of Social Service *SCPS – School of Professional and Continuing Studies *MS – School of Medicine (1905–1919) *PHC – School of Pharmacy (1905–1966) *TMC – Thomas More College (women's college, 1964–1972) *MC – Marymount College (consolidated 2002; closed 2005)

Academia

College and university presidents

* Richard Guarasci, longest-serving president of

Wagner College Wagner College is a private university in Staten Island, New York. It was established in 1883 and, as of the 2023–2024 academic year, it enrolled approximately 1,932 students, including 1,592 undergraduates and 340 graduates. Its theatre prog ...

Robert Kibbee Robert Joseph Kibbee (August 19, 1921 – June 16, 1982) was an American university administrator who was Chancellor of the City University of New York. Biography Kibbee was born on Staten Island, New York. His father was Hollywood actor Guy Kibb ...

(died 1982), Chancellor of the

City University of New York The City University of New York (CUNY, pronounced , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven ...

*Hakim Lucas, 13th president of

Virginia Union University Virginia Union University is a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black university in Richmond, Virginia. History The American Baptist Home Mission Society (ABHMS) founded the school as Rich ...

* Jay Sexter, former President of

Mercy University Mercy University (Mercy NY), previously known as Mercy College, is a private research university with a main campus in Dobbs Ferry, New York, and additional locations in Manhattan and the The Bronx, Bronx. It is a federally designated minority- ...

Joseph G. Marina Joseph G. Marina is an American Catholic Church, Catholic priest and Society of Jesus, Jesuit who is currently the List of presidents of the University of Scranton, president of the University of Scranton. Early life Marina was born in Phill ...

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

priest and

; president of the

University of Scranton The University of Scranton is a private Jesuit university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1888 by William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. In 1938, the college was elevated to university status and took ...

Mary Eileen O'Brien Mary Eileen O'Brien is an American academic administrator and member of the Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt. She worked as the president of the Dominican University New York from 1997 to 2024. Life O'Brien was raised in The Bronx. She earned a ...

, president of the

Dominican University New York Dominican University New York is a private Catholic university in Orangeburg, New York, United States. It is chartered by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York and accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Ed ...

Scholars and professors

Art and literature

Business

* Michael J. Dowling, president and chief executive officer of

Northwell Health Northwell Health is a nonprofit integrated healthcare network that is New York State's largest healthcare provider and private employer, with more than 105,000 employees. The flagship hospitals of Northwell are North Shore University Hos ...

* Thomas F. Woodlock, editor of the ''

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' and US

Interstate Commerce Commission The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads (and later Trucking industry in the United States, truc ...

commissioner

Civil society

Clergy

Activism

Entertainment

Film, television, dance, and theater

Music

Government and politics

Heads of state and government

Governors of the United States

United States executive branch officials

Cabinet members

Cabinet-level officers

Agency heads and subordinate officers

Dennis Walcott Dennis M. Walcott (born September 7, 1951) is the former Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education. He succeeded Cathie Black, who resigned in April 2011 after only three months on the job. He was succeeded as chancellor by Carmen F ...

, Chancellor of the

New York City Department of Education The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system. The City School District of the City of New York (more commonly known as New York City Publ ...

White House staff

Military

Judges

United States Congress

U.S. senators

U.S. representatives

Other U.S. political figures

International political figures

Law

Media and communications

Royalty

Science and technology

Sports

Bob Berman Robert Berman, known as Bob Berman, is an American astronomer, author, and science popularizer. He runs Overlook Observatory in Woodstock, New York, USA. He was an adjunct professor of astronomy at New York’s Marymount College located in West ...

, Major League Baseball player *

Bryant Dunston Bryant Kevin Dunston Jr. (; born May 28, 1986) is an American-born naturalized Armenian professional basketball player for BC Žalgiris, Žalgiris Kaunas of the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga, Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the EuroLeague. He a ...

, American-Armenian basketball player

Miscellaneous

Joel Steinberg Joel Barnet Steinberg (born May 25, 1941) is a disbarred New York City criminal defense attorney who attracted international media attention when he was accused of rape and murder, and was convicted of manslaughter, in November 1, 1987, for the be ...

(born 1941), attorney convicted of manslaughter

Fictional

References

Citations

Works cited

* * * * * *

External links

Official university alumni site

Famous Fordham Alumni
at Biography.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Fordham University alumni

Alumni Alumni (: alumnus () or alumna ()) are former students or graduates of a school, college, or university. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for groups of women, and alums (: alum) or alumns (: alumn) as gender-neutral alternatives. Th ...