Fordham University

Fordham University, the Jesuit University of New York is committed to the discovery of wisdom and transmission of learning through the highest quality research and undergraduate, graduate, and professional education. Fordham’s support for public interest technology begins at the highest level and is guided by Catholic and Jesuit traditions as we foster the intellectual, moral and religious development of our students and prepare them to lead in a global society. The intersection of technology, public good and social justice are the core of what we do. In 2020, our Board of Trustees endorsed “Educating for Justice,” a five-year strategic plan that seeks to educate students as global citizens and transformative leaders for justice in the innovation age, as well as excel across the natural and applied sciences and allied fields to promote social change and equity. Our existing and related degree-granting programs will serve as a baseline from which to expand and grow these efforts within Fordham and into the surrounding New York City community: a master’s degree in ethics and society from our internationally-recognized Center for Ethics Education; a graduate certificate in healthcare ethics; and, an undergraduate minor in bioethics. This five-year plan is our roadmap as we aim to broaden our internal infrastructure and resources, including deepening academic leadership support, creating new programs, and catalyzing collaborations across disciplines, particularly as our efforts pertain to furthering the understanding of the ethical and social justice dimensions of technologies for the common good and how they affect the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within society.

Dr. Lauri Goldkind, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Social Service and March Funaro, Director, International Giving

Educational Offerings

I-Pit Competencies: building inclusive public interest technology learning

i-PIT Competencies: bringing together faculty experts from across the Public Interest Technology Network with industry experts recruited in collaboration with the community partner, All Tech Is Human to develop learning competencies, outcome indicators and suggested competency assessments to be used freely across the PIT University Network and beyond. Breaking competencies down into component parts reflecting knowledge, values, and skills with both academic and industry partners offers a unique opportunity to create shared understanding across disciplines and professions. A common language of PIT competencies will help to accelerate the evolution of PIT as a discipline. This project sets forth the foundational values of technology as a public good, with social justice, equity and access as core attributes, and uncovers the resulting competencies that bring these into being.

Principal Investigator

Dr. Lauri Goldkind, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Social Service and March Funaro, Director, International Giving