The network effect
For the past 25 years, Assistant Deans Tom Schoenherr and Nitza Escalera have advised thousands of alumni and students—creating an impact that ripples far beyond the Lincoln Center campus. Assistant Dean Schoenherr founded the Public Interest Resource Center (PIRC) in 1991 and has guided students looking to go into public interest law ever since, helping them at every step of their career planning and development. Assistant Dean Escalera has been instrumental in fostering a Law School community that respects and prizes diversity, welcoming students on their first day, helping them manage life crises, and seeing them through until commencement. Both are now retiring—Dean Escalera retired in December and Dean Schoenherr will retire in May. The web of their connections, below, makes it clear how many students, alumni, and faculty they’ve influenced in their combined 50-plus years at the Law School, and how those individuals have gone on to affect others, paying it forward in a way that truly embodies the Fordham Law spirit.
—Erin DeGregorio
Nitza Escalera
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs
and Diversity Initiatives
and Diversity Initiatives
Rhonda Cunningham Holmes ’97
Executive Director, Legal Counsel for the Elderly (an affiliate of AARP)
“I had a baby as a 3L and took off from school for three weeks. Dean Escalera was especially helpful during that time. In addition to being emotionally supportive, she regularly solved big and small challenges in her practical way so that I would be able to continue with my classwork and graduate on time.”
“Rhonda is a smart, savvy leader with a strong commitment to public interest work. Because of her business experience prior to law school, she could access additional skills in her leadership role as the chair of BLSA [Black Law Students Association]. We still find time to catch up when she is in NYC or I am in D.C. I hope she was able to see Hamilton on her last visit!”
– Nitza Escalera
– Nitza Escalera
Karla Sanchez ’95
Co-founder, Cafecito (an informal network of Latinx lawyers and law students)
“There’s a sense of comfort, support, and love when you see someone like yourself—a woman, and a person of color—in a position of authority. Having Nitza Escalera in that position was always helpful.”
“There’s a sense of comfort, support, and love when you see someone like yourself in a postition of authority.”
Mike M. Martin
Professor of Law; Associate Dean 1995–2001; Dean 2011–2015
“When I was associate dean, Nitza was assistant dean for student affairs, and many of the issues we dealt with were fairly sensitive, such as student discipline. She was always consistent and fair, and had the students’ best interests at heart. That could mean figuring out ways to get around the usual bureaucratic limitations or helping a student to maturely face up to a problem. I depended on her good judgment.”
“Michael M. Martin was the second associate dean I worked with. He is also a person I call a friend—he is an incredible listener and was always accessible when I was conflicted about a decision, listening, then asking a few probing questions, then listening again as I worked through my decision-making process.”
– Nitza Escalera
– Nitza Escalera
Juan Carrillo ’20
President, Student Bar Association
“Dean Escalera doesn’t just hide away in her office and answer emails—she always comes to our Student Bar Association meetings and jumps right in. That speaks to how invested she is in student groups. She is always available.”
Tom Schoenherr
Assistant Dean of the Public Interest Resource Center
“I got to know both Nitza and Beth on our Habitat for Humanity service trips, where we worked side by side with each other and with law student volunteers on home construction sites. I give both of them a lot of credit for donating their spring breaks to these great efforts, and, even more so, for agreeing to do manual labor alongside our students. A very different type of relationship-building occurs under these circumstances—circumstances that allow students to see professors and assistant deans in a very different light. As a result, both of them became some of my closest friends at Fordham Law.”
Mailene Rodriguez ’22
Fordham Law Registrar Office, Evening Program 1L
“Nitza and I began as co-workers at the Registrar’s Office. We built up a relationship over 10 years, but we have an even stronger relationship since I became a student in the Evening Program. She has shared stories of her own struggles in law school and how she dealt with them. She told me, ‘You’re not alone in this. Law school is hard, but it can be done.’”
“Nitza has shared stories of her own struggles in law school and how she dealt with them. She told me, ‘You’re not alone in this. Law school is hard, but it can be done.’”
Leah Hill
Clinical Associate Professor of Law; Associate Dean for Experiential Education 2015–2019
“Nitza and I began working together over 15 years ago on a number of diversity initiatives and programs to support underrepresented students. We developed grants, worked with admissions, and met with student groups individually for their input, as well as researching what other schools were doing with respect to diversity and inclusion. Nitza has impeccable integrity and she is hands-on—she was always there to meet with students who were troubled or struggling and to support faculty as they work with students. She is more than a colleague—she is a great friend.”
“Leah Hill is one of my panas (buddies), and a fellow sister from the Red Hook [Brooklyn] projects. She has a strong commitment to public service and high standards when it comes to serving clients, especially those from marginalized communities. She is also one of my go-to people when I need good counsel. She tells it like it is.”
– Nitza Escalera
– Nitza Escalera
“Nitza was always there to meet with students who were troubled or struggling and to support faculty as they worked with students.”
Tom Schoenherr
Assistant Dean of the Public Interest Resource Center
John Feerick ’61
Norris Professor of Law; Dean 1982–2002
“Tom has a surreal knowledge of every student group and everything that we do at the school. He was always a tremendous resource to me, educating me in what was happening in law schools all over America.”
Morganne Barrett ’20
“Tom helped me get my bearings as a 1L, including guiding me as I tried to figure out where I wanted to intern that first summer. I ended up working as a legal intern with the immigration law unit at the Legal Aid Society in Manhattan. Since then, I’ve continued to work with him and other PIRC staff on public service job and internship applications.”
“Tom has had a tremendous impact on motivating students to do pro bono work in school and to continue after graduation.”
Nitza Escalera
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Diversity Initiatives
“I first got to know Tom when he invited me to travel with him and students on the PIRC Habitat projects, where I observed his generosity, friendship, and collegiality firsthand. Over the years, that has led to dinners and other fun get-togethers with him and his husband, Don, as well as collaborations on law school projects.”
Tigran W. Eldred ’90
Professor of Law, New England Law School
“In law school, I was involved with a bunch of students who wanted to create a public interest program—at the time, we didn’t have an umbrella organization for public interest groups. Tom helped us organize and soon thereafter created the PIRC. He provided support and overall affirmation along with helping us figure out how to operationalize our efforts—he was the centerpiece of that.”
Juan Carrillo ’20
President, Student Bar Association
“As a Stein Scholar, I’ve gone to Tom for career advice and résumé review. When I did the Public Interest Legal Career Fair, I met with Tom [beforehand] and asked, ‘How should I approach this as a rising 2L with a scattered background?’ He gave me examples of people like me and showed me what they’d gone on to do. That helped me understand that you don’t necessarily have to go into public interest law as a specialist.”
Prescott Loveland ’15
Staff Attorney, Public Defender Service for D.C.
“During my first year, when my father was diagnosed with cancer, I took a leave of absence. [When my father died] Tom showed up at the funeral with a carload of my classmates. This was heartwarming and supportive. A couple of years later, with Tom’s help, I landed the job of my dreams at the Public Defender Service. The two of us still catch up on all things Fordham Law at the Equal Justice Works Career Fair in D.C. every year, where he introduces me to talented students who aspire to be public defenders.”
“Tom showed up at my father’s funeral with a carload of my classmates.”
Beth Schwartz
Clinical Professor of Law; Director of Professional Skills
“Tom has had a tremendous impact on motivating students to do pro bono work in school and to continue after graduation. His influence has spilled over to the faculty, who have become more keenly aware of our obligations as attorneys to perform pro bono work for those who can’t afford to pay.”
Emma-Lee Clinger ’20
“Tom humanizes what can often be a competitive and cutthroat law school experience. Every time I’m in the PIRC office, I hear him asking about students’ plans for the next break or their families, or hobbies. He understands and embraces our lives outside of our identity as law students.”
“Tom understands and embraces our lives outside of our identity as law students.”
John Feerick ’61
Norris Professor of Law; Dean 1982–2002
Tom Schoenherr
Assistant Dean of the Public Interest Resource Center
“John had the vision and courage to let me run with a brand-new concept—a public interest center for law students—at a time when only a handful of other law schools in the country had any similar programs. He pushed for it from his position as the leader of the Law School, and for that I’m eternally grateful to him.”
Karla Sanchez ’95
Co-founder, Cafecito (an informal network of Latinx lawyers and law students)
“I’m a firm believer that leaders create the culture of their institution. John was ‘my’ dean and he will always hold a special place in my heart for the culture he created at Fordham Law, which to me means family, academic excellence, behaving with the highest ethical standards, and giving back to others. John and Nitza are cut from the same cloth.”
Rhonda Cunningham Holmes ’97
Executive Director, Legal Counsel for the Elderly (an affiliate of AARP)
“When I decided to leave my position at a law firm to make a career change, John Feerick was instrumental in helping me connect with other alumni in Washington, D.C. Anytime I’m back in NYC and visit the Law School, he is always someone I try to see.”
Mailene Rodriguez ’22
Fordham Law Registrar Office, Evening Program 1L
“When I first met John, I was a secretary, and he always wanted to know how I was doing, how I was feeling. John really cares about everyone around him.”
Beth Schwartz
Clinical Professor of Law; Director of Professional Skills
Tom Schoenherr
Assistant Dean of the Public Interest Resource Center
“I got to know both Nitza and Beth on our Habitat for Humanity service trips, where we worked side by side with each other and with law student volunteers on home construction sites. I give both of them a lot of credit for donating their spring breaks to these great efforts, and, even more so, for agreeing to do manual labor alongside our students. A very different type of relationship-building occurs under these circumstances—circumstances that allow students to see professors and assistant deans in a very different light. As a result, both of them became some of my closest friends at Fordham Law.”
Emma-Lee Clinger ’20
“Professor Schwartz is tenacious in supporting students and encourages us to be thoughtful about what we’re doing, academically and professionally.”
“Emma-Lee and Juan were both students in externship seminars that I taught. For both, it was the summer after their first year of law school. They were like babies back then. Now they’re almost ready to be lawyers. It’s pretty amazing how quickly that happens.”
– Beth Schwartz
– Beth Schwartz
