NEW YORK, NY — Tania Tetlow, President of Fordham University, was honored with the inaugural Alpha Sigma Nu Presidential Partnership Award at a special event hosted at America Media on Tuesday, November 4. The prestigious award recognizes her leadership and commitment to Jesuit higher education. The ceremony was a highlight of the Jesuit Honor Society’s celebration of its 110th anniversary, bringing together a diversity of Alpha Sigma Nu alumni to the America Media offices in midtown Manhattan. The partnership award is intended to celebrate leaders who embody the society’s values of scholarship, loyalty, and service in collaboration with the Jesuit mission.
The evening’s program also featured a presentation from Rev. Thomas Regan, SJ, former President of Alpha Sigma Nu’s Board of Directors (1991-1997), Provincial of the Jesuits’ New England Province (2003-2009) and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Loyola University Chicago (2014-2020), and current Superior of the Fordham Jesuit Community, titled, “Jesuit-educated, New York City-rooted,” which focused on the unique leadership role of local alumni in New York City and beyond. It underscored how the rigorous intellectual and moral formation received at Jesuit institutions translates into courageous leadership and impactful service after graduation and beyond the university gates.
President Tetlow, the first layperson and first woman to lead Fordham, has been a trailblazer in Catholic, Jesuit higher education, having previously served as the first lay and female president of Loyola University New Orleans. Clara Dwyer, Executive Director of Alpha Sigma Nu, presented the award stating, “President Tetlow is not only helping to write the next chapter of Jesuit higher education—she is leading it.” 
President Tetlow’s acceptance of the Presidential Partnership Award also acknowledges her significant achievements at Fordham University. A major accomplishment under her tenure is the successful completion of the $350 million Cura Personalis Campaign, which surpassed its goal to enhance the student experience, reflecting the Jesuit focus on care for the whole person. She was instrumental in securing a $100 million gift, the largest in Fordham’s history, for a cutting-edge science facility and the launch of new STEM programs, strategically connecting the Ignatian pursuit of reason with contemporary academic needs. Her commitment is further evidenced by her clear communication that Fordham’s Catholic identity welcomes people of all faiths and encourages open, curious engagement with complex issues.
Dwyer states, “The 110th anniversary ceremony is a significant moment in our society’s history, recognizing the forward evolution of leadership in Jesuit higher education and celebrating the growth and interconnectedness of our global, Jesuit-educated network.”
