Catholic Higher Education and the Work of Hope in Uncertain Times
2nd Annual Alfred and Melissa Di Leonardo Lecture Series
Tania Tetlow
Fordham University
Date: Monday, September 15, 2025
Time: 5:30 - 7pm
Location: 426 Murray Function Room, Yawkey Center
Much of higher education as we know it was created by the Catholic Church in Europe, which founded institutions that have lasted longer than most nation-states. In this country, the Church built alternatives to elite protestant universities that did not always welcome Catholic immigrants, focusing more on opportunity than status. In the 20th century, some of those Catholic institutions turned their eyes towards greater research and rigor, becoming elite schools competing on a national scale while trying not to dilute their identity. Today, we face a new set of challenges. Our government has increasingly regulated higher education for goals ranging from consumer protection to civil rights, in ways that have been criticized as intrusive on academic and religious freedom. Yet some of those same critics have begun using those regulatory tools in unprecedented ways. How should Catholic institutions respond to this moment?
Tania Tetlow has served as the 33rd president of Fordham University since July 2022, becoming the first layperson and first woman to hold the office. A legal scholar and former assistant U.S. attorney, she is dedicated to the transformative power of Jesuit education. Under her leadership, Fordham has deepened its investment in STEM while strengthening its foundation in the humanities and professions. She oversaw the successful completion of the $350 million Cura Personalis Campaign and secured a record-breaking $100 million gift to support scienceeducation and facilities.
Previously, Tetlow was president of Loyola University New Orleans, where she led a financial turnaround, improving the university’s bond rating and expanding programs. She also served as senior vice president and chief of staff at Tulane University and spent a decade as a Tulane law professor, specializing in constitutional law, criminal procedure, and domestic violence policy.
Before her academic career, Tetlow served as an assistant U.S. attorney, prosecuting violent crime and fraud cases. She clerked for the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and worked in complex litigation. She holds a B.A. from Tulane University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where she was a Harry S. Truman Fellow.
A Catholic and native of New Orleans, Tetlow comes from a family of Fordham alumni. Her late father, a former Jesuit priest and psychologist, earned his Ph.D. at Fordham, while her mother, a biblical scholar and attorney, earned multiple degrees from the university.