Fordham University is an independent university in the Jesuit tradition. It was established in 1841 as St. John's College by the Right Rev. John Hughes, Coadjutor-Bishop (later Archbishop) of New York, on old Rose Hill Manor in the village of Fordham, then part of Westchester County. The name Fordham is derived from the Anglo-Saxon words “ford” and “ham,” meaning a wading place or ford by a settlement. Rose Hill is the name given to the site in 1787 by Robert Watts, a wealthy New York merchant, in honor of his family's ancestral home of the same name in Scotland. The College, which opened with a student body of six, was originally staffed by diocesan clergy. In 1846, the year the New York State Legislature granted the School a charter, Bishop Hughes recruited five Jesuits from St. Mary's College in Kentucky and other communities, and the Society of Jesus then assumed the administration of the College. The name was officially changed to Fordham University in 1907. In 1969 the board of trustees was reorganized to include a majority of non-clergy members.

Enrollment (Fall 2007):

Fordham's 10 schools enroll 14,448 students. There are 7,652 undergraduates, of whom 3,842 live in University-managed housing either on-campus or in the local community. The entering class includes 1,784 traditional full-time freshmen.

Male/Female % (Fall 2007):

• Male 43%,/li>
• Female 57%

Diversity

• African American, 5.6%
• Hispanic, 12.3%
• Asian, 6.4%
• American Indian/Alaskan, 0.3%

Geographical origins:

• 48 states
• DC
• PR
• Guam
• The Virgin Islands
• 58 countries.

Degrees Conferred:

• (2006-2007) 4,238
• Doctor of Philosophy 102
• Doctor of Education 14
• Juris Doctor 495
• Master of Arts/Science/Education/Law/Philosophy 875
• Master of Business Administration 453
• Master of Social Work 558
• Graduate Certificate or Professional Diploma 71
• Bachelor of Arts/Science 1,670

Faculty:

Full-time Instructors (Fall 2006): 667<
• Men 60%; Women 40%; Minorities 16%
• Tenured Faculty: 376
• Men 66%; Women 34%; Minorities 12%
• More than 96 percent of faculty hold the Ph.D. or other terminal degree
• Student/faculty ratio: 11.9:1
• Average class size: 22
• Jesuits at Fordham: 35
• Jesuits among faculty: 21
• Jesuits in University administration: 14

Libraries (Fall 2007):

The Fordham University libraries contain more than 2.2 million volumes and have access to 373,807 print and electronic titles online. Fordham's main library is the William D. Walsh Family Library at Rose Hill. Branches are the Gerald R. Quinn Library at Lincoln Center and the Gloria Gaines Memorial Library in Westchester. The Law Library is at Lincoln Center.

Tuition 2007-2008:

• Undergraduate: $31,800 (for most programs).
• Graduate schools: $625 to $995 per credit.
• Law (Full-Time) : $38,900

Finances FY 2007, in thousands:

• Operating revenues: $384,066
• Operating expenses: $347,775
• Endowment and other investments: $513,303

Physical Plant FY 2006:

Insured replacement value of building and grounds is roughly $909 million.

Carnegie Classification:

Research University (High Research Activity).  This classification is based on number of doctoral degrees awarded, research expenditures, and numbers of research staff.   Fordham is one of about 277 universities in the US that is classified as a research university.

Mascot:

The Ram

University Colors:

Fordham's traditional colors are maroon and white.

Varsity Sports:

With 22 men's and women's varsity sports teams, the Fordham Rams are members of the NCAA Division I and compete in the Atlantic-10 conference in all sports except football (Patriot League, NCAA I-AA).