GSS CELEBRATES SIX FACULTY AS THEY ANNOUNCE RETIREMENT
On September 14, current and former members of GSS faculty and staff gathered on the 12th floor lounge at the Lincoln Center campus to celebrate the retirement of six GSS faculty: Amy Horowitz, Bob Chazin, Helen Crohn, Warren Dana Holman, Judith Smith, and Barbara Kail.
Dean Debra M. McPhee, Ph.D., began the night by recognizing the many accomplishments by this distinguished group, noting that their contributions to GSS collectively added to over 154 years of service.
“And many of these folks had long careers and contributions before they came to us,” McPhee said. “So, it’s 154 years not just in the profession and to their research, but to Fordham, our students, and each other.”
Each retiree was honored with a personal speech from a current member of GSS faculty/administration who had a particularly close relationship with them.
Retiree: Helen Crohn
Speaker: Dana Marlowe, Clinical Professor
After spending her early career getting a bachelor’s of fine arts, master’s of fine arts, and surrounded by the art world, Crohn went on to receive her MSS from Bryn Mawr and her DSW from Adelphi University. She was a caseworker for 30 years and a clinician in private practice, spealizing in couples, marital counseling, and helping adults with sexual concerns.
Helen Crohn
Her book, Daughters and their Mothers and Stepmothers: Young Women Recall their Positive Relationships with their Mothers and Stepmothers, was published in 2008.
Marlowe reflected on her own time joining GSS in 2005 along with Crohn, noting that while settling into the new position, Marlowe was glad to have Crohn around to always find the light in situations.
“When I think of Helen Crohn, I think of a sense of humor, and telling it how it is.”
Additionally, Marlowe said, Crohn was a champion among student popular opinion, mentioning that previous students spoke about the significance of learning from Crohn, an accomplished clinician. This lived experience did wonders for their education and progression as social workers.
“Students said she was authentic, and that she had a way of teaching that really brought in the clinical experience,” Marlowe said. “And she always advocated for her students.”
For more on Crohn’s career, read this article.
Retiree: Amy Horowitz
Speaker: Cathy Berkman, Professor
A Fordham GSS MSW alumna, Horowitz served GSS as a faculty member and as our Endowed Chair in Social Research.
Amy Horowitz
Horowitz — a certified “big deal in gerontology,” as per Berkman — has a list of past positions and accolades that indeed holds that title true. She is a big deal!
For instance, some positions she’s held are, but not limited to:
serves on the editorial boards of The Gerontologist and The Journal of Gerontological Social Work and reviews manuscripts for numerous other journals.
member of the NIH Scientific Review Committee on Mental Disorders and Aging
past president of the State Society on Aging of New York
past chair of the Research Committee of the American Society on Aging
fellow and past chair of the Social Research, Practice, and Policy Section of the Gerontological Society of America.
Berkman praised Horowitz’s “groundbreaking work” on disability and caregiving at a distance over her impressive career. More than anything, though, Berkman said, Horowitz was a beloved mentor by her students and colleagues alike.
“She gave so generously her time to mentoring colleagues and students,” Berkman said. “So many doctoral students came to her for advice.”
Retiree: Barbara Kail
Speaker: Janna Heyman, Professor and Henry C. Ravazzin Endowed Chair
Kail’s career at Fordham GSS lasted 30 years, but her impact will live on far past her initial contributions.
Barbara Kail
Kail served GSS as a faculty member and scholar of female substance abuse, with an emphasis on the treatment needs of Hispanic women and survivors of domestic violence. In her later years at GSS, Kail evaluated a pilot program sponsored by three New York City agencies: the New York City’s Commission to Combat Family Violence; NYC Department of Health and Mental Health; and the NYC Human Resources Administration.
In her speech, Heyman recalled joining GSS as a faculty member, and experiencing the generosity and kindness of Kail on a regular basis.
“Barbara was so kind to me when I came to Fordham,” Heyman said. “She was generous, kind, knowledgeable, and always there to support me as a new person on board.”
Kail and Heyman worked together on student recruitment activities, and Heyman said that Kail created newsletters, events, and even made the brownies that attracted many students to GSS (as well as the education, of course!).
Heyman finished by fondly remembering Kail’s wedding, where she and Heyman celebrated “in style.”
Retiree: Warren Dana Holman
Speaker: Linda White-Ryan, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
Dana Holman served as an associate clinical professor at Fordham GSS, and as a mentor to many of his Fordham colleagues and students, as well as those in his community. Along with his tenure on Fordham’s faculty, Holman worked with Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City to coordinate the GSS side of their Mentoring Supervisor Certificate Program. An alumnus of GSS’s MSW program, Holman is the epitome of a New Yorker who wants to give back to his local community.
Warren Dana Holman
White-Ryan reflected on a special memory from when she was an MSW student in Fordham GSS’s program, sitting in class with none other than Holman himself, who was teaching the course.
“This was before PowerPoint,” White-Ryan quipped.
She told the audience about how Holman would write a quote from an inspirational social work figure on the board before every class. This became a routine students cherished, meeting in the Westchester cafe to ask each other, What do you think he’ll have on the board today?
But Holman wasn’t always molding the minds of graduate students — he actually started his teaching career in the elementary school system, moving on to middle school and high school before settling on the university level. This underpinned the bedrock of Holman’s ultimate career desire: he just wanted to teach.
“Fordham GSS allowed me to be a teacher,” he said. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”
Retiree: Bob Chazin
Speaker: Sandy Turner, Associate Professor
Turner drove over four hours to give her speech to Chazin, and after a career like his, it was well deserved. Chazin taught at GSS for over half a century — retiring after accumulating 51 years of service to Fordham GSS.
Bob Chazin
“When I first came to Fordham in 1990,” Turner said, “I thought, isn’t that great that they let someone his age teach.”
Throughout Chazin’s semicentennial at GSS, he saw four head deans, hundreds of faculty members, thousands of students, served as chair of the International Committee, and taught various advanced clinical courses. His research specialization in international social work took him across the world: The Ukraine, Belarus, Hong Kong, Vietnam, London, and various U.S. states.
A U.S. Army veteran, Chazin said his time serving the country in the military sparked his interest in human rights and social justice. He fought alongside people of all different backgrounds, which meant he, unfortunately, got to witness them suffer oppression firsthand.
“I really got a sense of oppression, heard about it firsthand from those I was intimately working with, because of being in the service,” he said in a previous interview.
Turner noted that Chazin was “the voice of reason and stability” during faculty meetings; he respected his colleagues and showed up for them no matter what.
“I remember I received a community award for something,” Turner said, “and I walked in, and there was Bob. He just came; that’s who he is.”
Retiree: Judith Smith
Although Smith unfortunately could not join the festivities, her presence was felt by everyone in attendance.
Judith Smith
Most recently, Smith’s research exploring the relationship between parents and their children later in life has led to the publication of her new book, Difficult: Mothering Challenging Adult Children Through Conflict and Change. The book has been featured in The New York Times, Healthcetera, and Next Avenue.
Smith also co-produced, co-edited, and filmed The Woman’s Film, the first film ever made by an all-women crew about the women’s liberation movement.
Not Goodbye, Just See You Later
One hundred and fifty four years is no small feat, and the Fordham GSS as an institution is already feeling the loss of these six faculty as they explore what retirement holds for them.
The Fordham GSS Community, however, is doing just fine — because although their roles are shifting, these retirees will always be integral parts of the GSS ecosystem.
Once a Ram, always a Ram.