Fordham University - Symbols

Symbols

There are several symbols associated with Fordham University, some of which are listed below:

• Maroon: Fordham's official color was originally magenta, but magenta was also used by Fordham's archrival, Harvard University. Since it was improper for the two schools to be wearing the same color in athletic competitions, the matter was to be settled by a series of baseball games. The winning team could lay claim to magenta; the losing team would have to find a new color. Fordham won, but Harvard reneged on its promise. Later, in 1874, at a meeting of the student body, one of the matters discussed was that of choosing an official college color that would belong to Fordham and Fordham alone. Stephen Wall ('75), suggested maroon, a color not widely used at the time. He explained that it looked "something like claret wine with the sun shining through it." The committee charged with determining the official color unanimously agreed, and maroon has been the official color ever since. Ironically, Harvard also stopped using magenta in favor of crimson.
• The Ram: The Ram became Fordham's mascot as a result of a slightly vulgar cheer that Fordham fans sang during an 1893 football game against the United States Military Academy at West Point. The students began cheering "One-damn, two-damn, three-damn ... Fordham!" It was an instant hit, but "damn" was later sanitized to "ram" to conform to the University's image. This is the first time a college made use of a ram as a mascot.
• The Victory Bell: Presented to Fordham by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, LL.D. ('44), the Victory Bell was the ship's bell of the Japanese warship Junyo. It currently stands in front of the gymnasium at the Rose Hill campus. On May 11, 1946, the Charter Centenary of the University, President Harry S. Truman became the first to ring the Victory Bell on campus. Today, it peals following Ram athletic victories, and its ringing signals the beginning of Commencement each year.
• The Great Seal: The Great Seal of Fordham University was designed to acknowledge the presence of the members of the Society of Jesus, hence the Coat of Arms of the Society in the center of the seal. The Coat of Arms of the Society of Jesus bears the Greek letters of the lapidary form of the name of Jesus (IHS) with the cross resting on the center of the H, the three nails of the crucifixion beneath, all in gold in a field framed in maroon, the color of the University, with silver fleur-de-lis on the edge of the maroon frame, in remembrance of the French Jesuits who arrived in 1846. Immediately above the central shield rests the laurel crown enclosing the tiles of the areas of learning of the college when it was first granted University status in 1907: arts, science, philosophy, medicine, and law. Below the central shield is a blue scroll with the motto of the University, Sapientia et Doctrina. The scroll rests on a gold field emblematic of learning (doctrina); scattered over the field are fiery tongues emblematic of the Holy Spirit of Wisdom (sapientia) on the first Pentecost. In a circular maroon field edged with laurel-colored beads is the title of the University, Universitas Fordhamensis. At the lower edge of the circular field is the date of the founding of the University, 1841. Finally, surrounding the entire seal, is a heraldic belt. The belt is used as a stylistic decoration to the seal; however, Oxford University, one of the few schools that uses the belt in its seal, maintains that without the belt, the seal is not official.
• The mace: The mace of Fordham University is traditionally carried at Commencement by the President of the Faculty Senate, who serves as the Grand Marshal of the academic procession. The device, four feet in length, bears a regal crown at the summit to denote the delegated sovereignty of the University of the State of New York to grant academic degrees. Above the crown is a cross composed of four windmill sails to signify the faith and the Dutch founding fathers of New Amsterdam, respectively. The center of the cross displays a heraldic rose for Rose Hill. Immediately beneath the crown is a support with the Fordham seal emblazoned. The upper node of the staff is decorated with three heraldic roses, the Fordham seal, the ram's head, and a silhouette of Fordham's Lincoln Center campus. The names of Fordham's schools are engraved above the node, and the names of Fordham's presidents from 1841 to 1966 are engraved below the node. The mace was a gift to the University from the Fordham University Alumni Federation.
• The Terrace of the Presidents: Robert Gannon, S.J., President of Fordham University from 1936 to 1949, initiated the custom of engraving the granite steps leading up to Keating Hall with the names of heads of state who have received honorary doctorates from Fordham. Among the first names included were President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1940) and President Harry S. Truman (1946). More recently, the names of President Corazon Aquino of the Philippines (1986), President Mary Robinson of Ireland (1995), and President Mary McAleese of Ireland (2010) have been added to the Terrace.
• School songs: Fordham's official school song is "Alma Mater Fordham," and its fight song is "Fordham Ram" by J. Ignatius Coveney. "The Marching Song" is typically played during parades and after athletic games (particularly after a Fordham victory).