By JEFF COLTIN
BRONX CORRESPONDENT
Zoo, Botans, Arthur Ave. It’s the Bronx trifecta for parents of Rose Hill students. How many Fordham mothers and fathers have made a day of exploring the Botanical Gardens with their student before an early dinner on Arthur Avenue? How many parents have known the directions to Fordham because they have driven to look at the sea lions at the Bronx Zoo before?
That “Bronx trifecta” is invaluable in getting students to attend Rose Hill—and it is all part of the University’s strategy. Members of Fordham’s Office of Admission as well as University Marketing and communications agreed the three attractions are a big part of how they market Rose Hill to prospective students.
“We market Fordham University, we don’t market the Bronx,” said Bob Howe, senior director of communications at Fordham, “but, you know, it’s close to the Botanical Gardens, it’s close to the zoo… it’s adjacent to Little Italy…”
Marketing is all about getting somebody to buy a product or use a service. When marketing works with admissions at Rose Hill, that product is an education in the Bronx, and usually a residence in the Bronx too. So, if the Bronx is more appealing, then Rose Hill would be considered more appealing to prospective students and marketing has done their job.
“Urban campuses especially, they are embedded in the community,” Howe said. “And it’s in our interest to have the community thrive as much as we can help it thrive. Whether that’s Midtown, the Bronx, Westchester, or even up at the Calder Center.”
While Fordham’s multiple campuses are assets to the University, they can make for some tough decisions in marketing. Mailings sent out to prospective students cannot just focus on Rose Hill, they also have to include pictures and information on Lincoln Center and, to a lesser extent, Westchester. So if one of those booklets you received in the mail as a high schooler seemed too heavy on Lincoln Center, then Howe isn’t happy. He said they are aiming for a perfect split in marketing, but “if not complete equity, at least have a reasonable balance between the two residential campuses.”
Fordham Director of Admission Patricia Peek agreed, “We send a balanced message about our campus locations, as both boroughs offer opportunities for our students,” Peek said in an email. “Together, Manhattan and the Bronx provide students with a variety of experiences.”
The Bronx and Manhattan may be equal to the University, but to many prospective students, they are very different.
Peek admitted that some parents still think of the Bronx as it was in the 1970s and ‘80s. Some “have only those strong memories of the borough, Peek said. “However, the Bronx and the city as a whole have had a wonderful renaissance in the last two decades and more people are appreciating NYC as a college town.”
Julia Cassano, GSB ’17, knows those worried parents well. Working in Fordham admissions, she fields a ton of questions from mothers, fathers and prospective students. “They ask, ‘Is it a safe area?’ ‘Do people go out at night?’ ‘Do people hang out in the Bronx?’ Basically, Is it an okay area?’”
Cassano said she is honest with these callers, and admits that the area can be dangerous. But she also talks about the neighborhood’s rich culture, people, and many ways to get involved with the community.
No matter what mailers or tour guides tell you, Cassano emphasized that there is nothing like experiencing the Bronx firsthand.
“That was the most impactful moment, when I was actually out and about off-campus the first night with my friends and I saw exactly what my surroundings were,” Cassano said. “But there was definitely a lot of prep work done in terms of the school, and I think they did a good job.”
