President Tania Tetlow was officially sworn in as president of Fordham University on July 1. Her presidency follows Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., after he announced he would leave the position in fall 2021. She was elected unanimously by the Board of Trustees to replace McShane starting in fall 2022.

Before coming to Fordham, Tetlow served as the president of Loyola University in New Orleans. Prior to Loyola, Tetlow worked as a lawyer.
She is the first woman and layperson to serve as Fordham’s president. All previous presidents have been members of the Jesuit priesthood. Tetlow’s experience as Loyola’s president gives her a unique perspective in university administration before coming to Fordham.
Since July, Tetlow has been interacting with the community as president. In a note to the Fordham community on the day of her appointment, she stated that she was “nex-cited,” which is a combination of nervous and excited. In that same statement she wrote:

“I cannot wait to meet you all, and only wish I could do it simultaneously. I want to know what you love most about Fordham, about your work and studies and research. And I want to hear the ways you constantly work to make Fordham better, and the ideas you have for the future.”

She was welcomed to Fordham on July 5 at a coffee reception at Rose Hill and a similar program on July 14 at the Lincoln Center campus. In August, she spoke with Fordham’s first-year law students about her time as a lawyer as well as giving them advice. Tetlow also worked to clarify the university’s hybrid/remote work policy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In early August, she traveled with a delegation from the university to the Vatican in Rome. There, discussions were had with Cardinal Versaldi about inclusivity, Catholic education and Fordham’s global position.
Tetlow has many goals lined up for her tenure as president. In addition to being president of Loyola, Tetlow also served as Associate Professor and Director of Tulane’s Domestic Violence Clinic.

She said that one of her biggest goals is to make sure the Title IX protocols at Fordham are up to standard and to improve safety on campus.

In addition to Title IX, Tetlow stressed the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion on campus.

According to a press conference during spring 2022, she said that another one of her biggest goals is to promote diversity and make sure that everyone feels welcome in the Fordham community.

In the same press conference, Tetlow said that she hopes to also work on improving retention rates.

Tetlow plans to spend her tenure listening to students and getting to know what they want for the university. She plans to listen to students and staff to help understand what they want to see happen at Fordham. Looking forward, Tetlow will attend the CCEL’s first back to school festival on Sept. 2.