Summer Magazine 2013 by Ramapo College

Summer 2013

RAMAPO COLLEGE MAGAZINE

Student Engagement: Reaching Beyond the Classroom to Develop Citizens > p. 2 Music: Ramapo Collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Music Program is Pushing Boundaries > p. 5

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: College News > p. 10 Faculty News > p. 15 Planned Giving > p. 18 Courts & Fields > p. 34

from the office of the president PETER P. MERCER, Ph.D.

contents COLLEGE EXECUTIVE OFFICERS Peter P. Mercer, Ph.D. President Beth E. Barnett, Ed.D. Provost Cathleen Davey Vice President for Institutional Advancement Dorothy Echols Tobe, Ed.D. Chief Planning Officer

Thoughtful solutions will emerge from thoughtful people—people who have learned to look at problems from many perspectives and analyze them critically. On May 17, I shared that assertion with the 1,497 graduates of the Ramapo attendance at the College’s 55th Commencement Ceremony.

BOARD OF GOVERNORS Frances K. Hackett ’80 Chair

A keynote address by New Jersey State Assemblyman Timothy J. Eustace (D-38)

Carolyn Merkel ’78 Alumni Association Board Chair

College Class of 2013 and their 10,000+ family members, friends, and guests in

’78 followed my comments. As a Ramapo College alumnus, his achievements, both personal and professional, not only reinforced my earlier assertion but championed it! In addition to his careers in public service and chiropractic care, Assemblyman Eustace personally spearheaded health and education efforts in During a turbulent career that has now spanned more than thirty years, Juan Gonzalez (left) has emerged as one of the country’s best-known and most-respected Latino journalists. He has been a staff columnist for the New York Daily News since 1987, and a co-host for the past twelve years of Democracy Now, a daily morning news show that airs on more than 800 community and public radio and television stations across the U.S. and Latin America. Gonzalez is the author of three books.

Kenya after bearing witness to the suffering there. He and his family now visit the country annually where they have helped establish a school and mainstream safety and health prevention efforts in the Masai Mara. This summer the College completed a new Strategic Plan. The process through which it was developed was an exercise that through the amalgamation of

RAMAPO MAGAZINE STAFF Cathleen Davey Editor-in-Chief Anna Farneski Executive Editor Mary Cicitta Managing Editor Cynthia Burns Foundation Editor Carolyn Herring Photo Editor

The Plan, as described in the pages that follow, was conceived, most importantly,

Design: Stamats, Inc.

as a thoughtful and aggressive blueprint to drive the College’s future.

This magazine can be made available upon request in alternate media. Requests should be directed to: 201.684.7611

partners) to focus our energies meaningfully and intentionally on advancing academic excellence and engagement, enhancing our financial strength and institutional sustainability, improving internal and external relations and communications, and cultivating diversity and inclusion. Through a series of measurable targets aligned with the Plan’s four goals and 15 objectives, the College will routinely measure and report on its progress and I look forward to sharing those challenges and successes with you throughout the coming years.

(L-R): Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Miki Cammarata, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management Christopher Romano, Provost Beth Barnett, Vice Provost for Curriculum and Assessment Eric Daffron, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Pat Chang represent the Committee on Student Engagement

Deborah Richin Friends of Ramapo Chair

diverse perspectives and critical analyses, also gave rise to thoughtful solutions.

Thematically, the Plan pushes us all (faculty, staff, students, alumni, and

(L-R): President Peter P. Mercer, Senator Eduardo M. Suplicy of the Workers’ Party of Brazil, and Dean of the Anisfield School of Business Lewis Chakrin. On May 8, Senator Eduardo Matarazzo Suplicy, one of the founders of Brazil’s Workers’ Party, presented the lecture, “The Perspective of a Citizen’s Basic Income in Brazil.” His lecture focused on Brazil being the first country to adopt a law that calls for the gradual introduction of a basic income, a tool considered by many, according to the Global Basic Income Foundation, to be the best way to mitigate poverty. A Q&A session with students and faculty followed his informative lecture sponsored by the Eastern Economics Association.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES George C. Ruotolo, Jr. Chair

Alumni contact and change of address: Purvi Parekh 201.684.7254

FEATURES

>p. 2

Student Engagement: Reaching Beyond the Classroom to Develop Citizens

>p. 6

Music: Ramapo College’s Music Program is Pushing Boundaries

DEPARTMENTS

>p. 10

College News

>p. 20

Foundation News

Ramapo Magazine is produced by the Office of Communications and Public Affairs.

>p. 15

Faculty News

>p. 22

Alumni News

Front Cover: Adam Rinaldi ’13 and

>p. 18

Planned Giving

>p. 31

Class Notes

>p. 19

Grant News

>p. 34

Courts and Fields

Student Affairs contact: Miki Cammarata at 201.684.7591 Pat Chang at 201.684.7731

Wendy Castro ’13

Peter P. Mercer, Ph.D. President, Ramapo College of New Jersey

www.ramapo.edu

from the office of the president PETER P. MERCER, Ph.D.

BOARD OF GOVERNORS Frances K. Hackett ’80 Chair

A keynote address by New Jersey State Assemblyman Timothy J. Eustace (D-38)

Carolyn Merkel ’78 Alumni Association Board Chair

College Class of 2013 and their 10,000+ family members, friends, and guests in

RAMAPO MAGAZINE STAFF Cathleen Davey Editor-in-Chief Anna Farneski Executive Editor Mary Cicitta Managing Editor Cynthia Burns Foundation Editor Carolyn Herring Photo Editor

The Plan, as described in the pages that follow, was conceived, most importantly,

Design: Stamats, Inc.

as a thoughtful and aggressive blueprint to drive the College’s future.

This magazine can be made available upon request in alternate media. Requests should be directed to: 201.684.7611

Deborah Richin Friends of Ramapo Chair

diverse perspectives and critical analyses, also gave rise to thoughtful solutions.

Thematically, the Plan pushes us all (faculty, staff, students, alumni, and

BOARD OF TRUSTEES George C. Ruotolo, Jr. Chair

Alumni contact and change of address: Purvi Parekh 201.684.7254

FEATURES

>p. 2

Student Engagement: Reaching Beyond the Classroom to Develop Citizens

>p. 6

Music: Ramapo College’s Music Program is Pushing Boundaries

DEPARTMENTS

>p. 10

College News

>p. 20

Foundation News

Ramapo Magazine is produced by the Office of Communications and Public Affairs.

>p. 15

Faculty News

>p. 22

Alumni News

Front Cover: Adam Rinaldi ’13 and

>p. 18

Planned Giving

>p. 31

Class Notes

>p. 19

Grant News

>p. 34

Courts and Fields

Student Affairs contact: Miki Cammarata at 201.684.7591 Pat Chang at 201.684.7731

Wendy Castro ’13

Peter P. Mercer, Ph.D. President, Ramapo College of New Jersey

www.ramapo.edu

FEATURE >BY CHRISTOPHER HANN

Student Engagement Reaching Beyond the Classroom to Develop Citizens

aybe it was the mariachi band. Or maybe it was the traditional dance by members of the Filipino-American Student Association. Or the Chopstick Challenge, sponsored by the United Asians Association, a competition that called for students to pick up beads (with chopsticks, of course) and place them in a bowl. Or maybe what drew scores of Ramapo students to the second annual World Expo this spring were the chips with salsa and guacamole being served by the Health Awareness Team. Free food, after all. Regardless of the source of the students’ motivation, what mattered to organizers was that they showed up, and in doing so they interacted with their classmates, got a taste of the diversity of the Ramapo campus, and maybe even learned a thing or two. Which is to say it was just the sort of event that President Peter P. Mercer

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

and top administrators had in mind when they set out in 2011 to enhance the ways in which Ramapo students engage with each other, with faculty, and with the campus at large. Since then Mercer and his chief lieutenants have sought to enrich the out-of-classroom campus experience for students through a series of events and activities that would provide not just entertainment but some degree of creative or intellectual stimulation. Provost Beth Barnett convened a steering committee to explore the current state of student engagement at Ramapo and recommend a plan for improving it moving forward. To date, the Committee on Student Engagement—in addition to Barnett, Vice Provost for Curriculum and Assessment Eric Daffron, Miki Cammarata and Patrick Chang, each an associate vice president for Student Affairs, and Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management

Chris Romano—has developed a roster of designated events for first- and second-year students that satisfy a set of desired outcomes established by the committee. Originally termed “Key Points of Engagement,” the events are now part of a program known as “Earn Your Wings.” (Similar rosters of events for transfers, juniors, and seniors are in the works.) The committee categorized the outcomes according to four established goals, seeking to engage students academically, socially, personally, and in their campus and civic lives. “We want to keep engaging new members of this community so eventually everybody becomes a stakeholder,” Cammarata says. “The big picture is that we want our students to be engaged, and engaged in positive ways, to help them grow and help them make the connections in and out of class.”

Chang says the Student Engagement Project aligns neatly with Ramapo’s traditional, interdisciplinary educational mission. “I think it really embodies what we say we stand for,” Chang says. “It is through some interdisciplinary effort—international, intercultural, experiential—and it is a joint effort. It is acknowledging the student is our top priority across the board.” The project spawned in large part from the growing number of students living on the Mahwah campus. From Ramapo’s first academic year in 1971, the majority of students commuted to the College, leaving the campus scarcely populated on weekends. But as more residence halls were built and more students began to fill them, those numbers began to change. Today slightly more than half of Ramapo’s nearly 6,000 students live on campus. Mercer says the engagement project aims to fulfill what he calls “the two bookends to college education.” The first is the academic component. “The other,”

Mercer says, “is what I might describe as the social-civic-life skills component. Students in their late-teen years are making the transition to complete adulthood and coming to grips with a whole host of questions about their personal identity, understanding their best aptitudes, their place in the world, what it means to be a citizen and a member of society. We’ve focused on formal parts, but I think we lost sight of what I would call the socialization imperative.” Mercer’s decision to ban first-year students from having cars on campus, for example, a policy that took effect when the class of 2016 arrived last fall, was an unambiguous attempt to keep more students on campus on weekends. “I felt, frankly, we should make it less easy to get away,” Mercer says. The College also introduced the cocurricular transcript, a formal record of engagement that each student can access online. By swiping their student ID card at sanctioned events, students accumulate credits that can earn them advantages

in selecting student housing or student parking spaces. Participation in student clubs and organizations also appears on the co-curricular transcript, or CCT. Michael Dunn, ’13, who served on the student engagement marketing committee, says the younger classes, especially, have taken to the co-curricular transcript program, known on campus as My CCT. “When campus events are marketed as CCT events, a lot of first-year students have been educated really well, so a lot of first-year students show up,” Dunn says. “I think My CCT has been really, really successful for the campus. I really think, for first-year students, it’s definitely getting them involved.” Chang says the Committee on Student Engagement is promoting My CCT as a record that students, upon graduation, can use to show graduate schools and prospective employers the full breadth and depth of their undergraduate experience. “We’re trying to show by being an engaged student you’re going to be a better, more marketable candidate in the job

Ramapo’s Brazilian Ensemble performed at Senator Suplicy’s lecture in May. (L-R): Leandra Tejedor ’13, Caitlin Vogel ’13, Amarildo Costa, Senator Suplicy, Associate Professor of Spanish Paula Straile-Costa, and Assistant Professor of Music Marc Gidal

www.ramapo.edu

FEATURE >BY CHRISTOPHER HANN

Student Engagement Reaching Beyond the Classroom to Develop Citizens

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

www.ramapo.edu

FEATURE >CONTINUED

market because we’re giving you essential skills that you’re going to have to learn and master and sell yourself with,” Chang says. Daffron says the early returns on the My CCT program, which has involved faculty and staff in significant numbers, have been favorable. “Students seem to be responding well,” he says. “They seem to like the CCT. As we move out to junior year and senior year, we’ll get more data, and get a better sense of what works.” Tracey Pastorini ’11, a graduate assistant at the Center for Academic Advisement and First-Year Experience, says she’s observed more students seeking opportunities to swipe their ID card at sanctioned events. “That tells me students are buying into their CCT,” Pastorini says, “and they’re eager for that to expand.” Over the past decade the topic of student engagement has generated something of a cottage industry on college campuses across the country. Since 2000 Ramapo has participated in the annual National Survey of Student Engagement, which tracks and compares the extent of involvement among firstyear students and seniors nationwide (375,000 students at 622 colleges participated this year). Some results of recent surveys, such as the finding that Ramapo students were less likely than their counterparts nationally to have serious conversations with students who had “very different” religious beliefs, political opinions, or personal values, guided committee members as they developed the roadmap of goals and outcomes for first- and second-year students. Even Ramapo’s proposed strategic plan, covering the next five years, identifies enhanced engagement as a goal: “The College will 4

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

insure that students increase academic, personal, social, and civic engagement by offering enhanced curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular programming.” Mercer contends that today’s students tend to be more “sophisticated” than students of a generation ago—better

traveled, for example. “Despite that,” Mercer says, “there’s still the same need for them to come out of themselves and learn what it means to be a citizen. We decided to place renewed emphasis on that. Because that notion of civic responsibility is extraordinarily important. And of course the world around them is so much more complex than it used to be.” In recent years Ramapo has attracted a notable list of guest speakers, among

them U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who delivered the commencement address to the class of 2011; Nobel laureate economists Paul Krugman and Joseph Stiglitz; and Brazilian Senator Eduardo Matarazzo Suplicy, a founder of Brazil’s Workers’ Party, who spoke about the party’s proposal to introduce a national basic income for all Brazilians. Moving forward, Mercer says, he wants to see the College schedule more events of this caliber. “We’re trying to elevate the tone of the discussion on campus to include major social issues, economic, and political ones,” Mercer says, “and doing it in such a way that the students ask what responsibility they have in the debate.” Joseph Connell, the director of Student Success, says students’ level of engagement generally reflects their degree of satisfaction with their college experience. “Students who are engaged are generally more satisfied,” Connell says. “This is helping students but also helping institutions. The assumption is those students who are engaged have a better opportunity to move forward, to secure postgraduate plans with success, be that a job or graduate school.” Ramapo students seem to agree. With some 100 clubs and organizations on campus—from College Republicans to Colleges Against Cancer, from the Ebony Women for Social Change to the Sci-Fi Comic Book Club—Ramapo offers students myriad opportunities to get involved. “College is about preparing you for life,” says junior Donna Elazar, who’s helped market the My CCT program. “Outside of the classroom you can connect what you learned and take on a leadership position with clubs, if you choose. Being an engaged student makes you a better overall citizen once you leave college.”

Paul Krugman, Nobel Prize winner and Professor of Economics and International Affairs at Princeton University, and President of the Eastern Economic Association, visited the College in September. Ramapo’s Anisfield School of Business was designated as the new home of the Eastern Economic Association. (L-R): President Peter P. Mercer, Paul Krugman, and Associate Professor of Economics Alex Olbrecht

(L-R): President Emily Egner ’15, On-Campus Programming Co-Chair Nicole Stewart ’14, Publicity Chair Max Zeigerman ’15, Historian Erin Healy ’15, Music Co-Chair Amanda Pontone ’15, Culture Chair Gabriella (Gabby) Romagnuolo ’15, On-Campus Programming Co-Chair Erika Viggiano ’15, On-Campus Programming Co-Chair Elle Alfaro ’15 and Music Co-Chair Geneva Gamblin ’13. Not pictured: Advisor Eddie Seavers and Graduate Assistant for Student Activities in CSI Olivia Evans ’12

The Dance Marathon Club, an organization entirely student-run “for the kids,” hosted its Fourth Annual Dance Marathon to benefit Children’s Specialized Hospital through Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in December. The event, sponsored by Phi Delta Epsilon (PDE) medical fraternity, Zeta Beta Tau fraternity and the Student Government Association, along with other student organizations, formed teams, including the Nursing Student Organization, Ramapo NORML, United Cultural Greek Council and Model United Nations. DJ SNBX provided dance music and first-year students were rewarded points towards the First-Year Student Challenge (FYSC) for attendance and engagement.

The Relay for Life team, led by Katie Lee ’14 and with significant support from Catherine Gilio ’14, Emma Murray ’14, Kara Graham ’14, Ashley Beaton ’13, Kelly Vitale ’13, and Ilana Atwater ’13, as well as a team of volunteers, continues to involve the Ramapo College community in the fight against cancer. Hundreds of students walked for nearly 12 hours and raised more than $50,000 as they worked to play a part in this epic battle. Relay is a keystone event on college campuses across the country and these students worked to make sure Ramapo continues to be a part of the fight.

Adam Rinaldi, who graduated in May with a degree in Business Administration, says he got involved in campus life “from the get-go.” It helped that he lived on campus all four years. As a first-year student, Rinaldi was a delegate with the Student Government Association and later a senator-at-large and liaison to the Office of Judicial Affairs. He became an orientation leader and a student aide at the Center for Academic Advisement. And he interned with Stryker Orthopaedics, in Mahwah, a manufacturer of medical devices and a perennial honoree in Fortune’s annual list of the “World’s Most Admired Companies.” By the time he left Ramapo, Rinaldi had already lined up a job as an associate sales representative for GAF in Wayne, N.J. He says the opportunity to dig deep into campus life enriched his Ramapo experience in significant ways. “I think it makes it that much better,” he says. “You’re able as a freshman to get involved

with so much. It teaches you how to be a leader. It teaches you to work within a team. There were so many opportunities to get involved from the start.” Wendy Castro ’13 says she would recommend that students pick one club that interests them and work with that club. “I wouldn’t tell them to do what I did, because I did, like, everything,” Castro says. “Once you start with one club, you fall in love with so many other things, and you get to know so many other people. You get more connected to the College. Now I could walk into any room and have a conversation.” Castro, who earned a degree in Biochemistry, served two years as president of the Beta Kappa Sigma, a black and Latino sorority. She was vice president and then senior advisor to the Association of Latinos Moving Ahead and the social programming chair of the United Cultural Greek Council. This

spring she and 10 other Ramapo students worked at a Costa Rican bird sanctuary, Santuario de Lapas El Manantial, as part of the Alternative Spring Break program. “I’m mad that I waited so long,” Castro says. “After you go once, you want to go every year. Luckily, I got picked to go. I tell my friends, if you can, just apply.” Joseph Minnitti, who graduated in May with a degree in Integrated Science Studies, served on the Student Engagement Marketing Committee, which sought to communicate to students the design and intention of the engagement project. Looking to the future, Minnitti says he’s optimistic that the student engagement project can lead to an even more vibrant campus life. “In a few years,” Minnitti says, “when this process has gone through the first cycle, the benefit would be more active, more well-rounded students at Ramapo.”

www.ramapo.edu

FEATURE >CONTINUED

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

www.ramapo.edu

FEATURE

>BY CHRISTOPHER HANN

1 1. The Ramapo College Chorale performing at Old Paramus Reformed Church

The Chorale, led by Director and Associate Professor of Vocal Music Lisa Lutter, along with CantaNOVA, Skylark and Take12, presented An Early American Holiday in December. The candlelit performance included 70 voices accompanied by harp, dulcimer, flute, guitar, organ as well as the Ramapo strings.

ack Brandon was hired to teach music at Ramapo in 1994, a temporary replacement for a full-time music professor who had taken ill. When Brandon arrived on campus he could have been forgiven for wondering whether Ramapo’s sagging music program would last the duration of his one-year appointment. At the time, a mere three Ramapo students were declared music majors. “It was a nadir moment,” Brandon recalls. “The challenge was to either grow or die.” These days, as Brandon prepares to enter his 20th academic year at Ramapo, he knows well how the music department has answered that challenge. Now an assistant professor and the longestserving member of the music faculty, Brandon has seen the music program grow dramatically. Since 2005 the number of Ramapo music majors has more than tripled, from 45 to 144. (The number has nearly doubled just since 2010.) Students can concentrate in one of four fields—

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

Music Performance, Music Industry, Music Production, or Music Studies—although many choose dual concentrations. Unlike a traditional conservatory, with its emphasis on training young musicians to take their place within the world’s leading symphony orchestras, Ramapo’s music program has been strongest in the industry and production concentrations, with production accounting for roughly half of all current music majors. (As Assistant Professor Seth Cluett says, “We’re not turning out concert bassoonists.”) At the same time, Ramapo music students today enjoy an abundance of opportunities to perform in vocal and instrumental ensembles that simply did not exist a decade ago. The growth reflects the program’s longstanding focus on contemporary music, with its emphasis on pop, jazz, and hiphop rather than Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach. Four years ago Associate Professor Ben Neill created a Digital Performance Ensemble (that’s right—students making music with computers) and next spring

he’ll offer it as a formal course. Brandon traces Ramapo’s musical development to Roger O. Johnson, a founding faculty member, music professor, longtime music department convener, and, in Brandon’s eyes, a music education visionary. “He was very futuristic,” Brandon says. “He was always looking at a vision that was nontraditional, a 21stcentury notion of music education that was not mired in the kind of cemented structures of the 19th century pedagogy.” Brandon came to Ramapo with a background as a performer, composer, conductor, and educator. He studied piano at the Berklee School of Music in Boston (where his son now studies piano) and toured with the Average White Band. He was musical director for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer Ben E. King. He taught music at an elementary school in Teaneck. He conducted a gospel choir. And he founded a summer music program for kids in grades two through six, called Musical Words, which this

2. The Latin Jazz Ensemble performed a concert of all original compositions in April with all music composed by Professor of Music Richard Sorce. The Latin Jazz Ensemble performers include Vinnie Cutro on trumpet, Mark Friedman on alto sax and flute, Bob Ferrel on trombone, Barry Wiesenfeld on bass, Bobby Deitch on drums, Russ De Filippis on guitar, Amarildo Costa on Latin percussion, Matthew Wilson on cello, Andrew Van Buskirk on keyboard strings, Michelle Encarnacion (pictured) on vocals, and composer Sorce on piano.

year celebrates its 20th anniversary. Among Ramapo’s current music faculty, Brandon’s far-ranging experience is the norm. “I think our faculty, pound for pound, is like Sugar Ray Robinson—pound for pound the best fighter you could find,” Brandon says. “It has very diverse interests and understandings. At the same time, we’re a solid core of colleagues.” Lutter came to Ramapo in 2005. She earned a Ph.D. from the Manhattan School of Music and started three choral groups while teaching at the University of Guam. She was teaching at a small Catholic college in Iowa when Ramapo called. Anxious to return to the Northeast, she saw in Ramapo’s modest music program—there were then 45 music majors—a chance for growth unimpeded by institutional barriers. “That leaves a lot of opportunity to create and not feel that you have to fit into a well-described curriculum and well-described reputations,” Lutter says. “I felt like, you know, you can

really create something here.” On her first day of rehearsal with the Ramapo Chorale, then the college’s only vocal ensemble, Lutter counted seven singers. She thought to herself, ‘Oh, what have I done?’ But she was undeterred. She set out to nurture the chorale’s growth, recruiting students from across the campus—music majors, music minors, anyone, really, who wanted to sing. Then as now, admission was open. Within a few weeks she had nudged the Chorale’s membership to 21. “I think that there was certainly then, and I think there still is today, a feeling of, ‘We’re building something that’s important,’ ” she says. “And those kids, they were very devoted.” Lutter began making plans for a Christmas concert. “I remember being told, ‘You know, you don’t have to do a concert,’” Lutter says. “I’m like, ‘No, we have to do a concert. Don’t worry. It’ll be good. I won’t make you ashamed.’” That December, at the Sharp Theatre, the 21 members of the newly expanded

Ramapo Chorale took the stage to sing for some 70 friends and relatives in the audience. How’d it go? “It was good,” Lutter says. “If I went back and listened to it now, I think I would still feel that way. But for the time frame, it was phenomenal. And people were just so shocked. They were like, ‘How did you do that?’” Over the next eight years Lutter started three more vocal ensembles and took them on concert tours to Guam, Costa Rica, and the Czech Republic. After performing at the International Festival of Academic Choirs in Prague in the summer of 2008, the men’s ensemble, called Take Twelve, came home with a gold medal. This summer Lutter took 20 Ramapo students in three vocal ensembles on a 10-day concert tour to Russia, Estonia, and Finland (they’ll be joined by members of a community choir that Lutter founded in Guam). Meanwhile, the Chorale has grown to 65 members, including Greg Elfers, one of the seven singers present for Lutter’s first rehearsal in 2005. www.ramapo.edu

FEATURE

>BY CHRISTOPHER HANN

1 1. The Ramapo College Chorale performing at Old Paramus Reformed Church

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

FEATURE

> CONTINUED

6 3. The Digital Performance Ensemble encourages students to create music with computer technology.

Elfers graduated in 2008, a History major with a Music minor, and today he works in the front office at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. But twice a week he returns to Mahwah to sing with the Chorale, taking advantage of a perk that enables alumni to audit one class per semester at no charge. “I remember Lisa being incredibly positive that we were going to make great music,” Elfers says. “I remember walking away from the very first rehearsal thinking, Wow, I’ve never sung like this before. We’re going to have some fun.” Like many singers in the Chorale, Kate Reynolds ’13 was not a music major (she majored in social work and is pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Tennessee). But she joined the Chorale as a first-year student in the fall of 2009 and never left, serving as president (or co-president) for three years. Reynolds does not mince words when describing the impact of her Chorale experience. “The Ramapo chorale has really changed my life both academically and 8

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

personally,” she says. “I really feel this organization has made the difference in my experience at Ramapo.” During her four years as convener, Lutter led an overhaul of the music curriculum and initiated a placement exam for all incoming music students to help the faculty determine where each student stands in his or her musical progression. Unlike almost every other higher-education music program in the country, Ramapo does not require prospective students to audition for admission. But the policy often means first-year students arrive on campus with widely divergent musical skills. “Our feeling is, if you were a strong student and you have a strong interest in music, strong aptitude, good SAT scores, we will provide the opportunity for you to catch up if there’s catching up to do,” Lutter says. Neill replaced Lutter as music department convener last September. He came to Ramapo in 2008 following an eclectic career as a trumpeter and composer and a leading figure in New

York City’s experimental music scene of the 1980s and ’90s. (Wired described his 1996 release, Tryptical, as “a ’90s update of Miles Davis cool.”) Working with Roberg Moog, creator of the Moog synthesizer, Neil designed an instrument he called a mutantrumpet. It’s an electro-acoustic contraption (with two sets of valves, three bells, and a trombone slide) that can interact with computers and other electronics, such as music and video software and hardware. “It also has an interface to a computer program that uses the notes of the trumpet to trigger different sounds and sequences,” Neill told Wired in a 1997 interview, “and allows me to modify the sounds using controllers.” There’s more, but you get the idea. Neil was hired to teach Music Industry, a field that had been largely neglected within Ramapo’s curriculum, and music production. He says Ramapo has adjusted its curriculum to stay abreast of the seismic changes in the music industry wrought by new technology. But given the

4. The newly formed Jazz Ensemble consisting of students and faculty rehearsing for their December concert

space limitations, it’s been tougher to provide enough audio production space to meet student demand. Over the past year Cluett, in his first year at Ramapo, shepherded the construction of an audio production and sound design suite that opened in the H wing this spring. The state-of-the-art suite provides music and communication majors a space for creative sound production, voice-overs, overdubs, and electronic music. For many years, Neill says, the music industry operated under a “gatekeeper” system. Not anymore. Today any teenager with a laptop can make music. “I think that whole move toward democratization and this kind of opening up of music is perhaps what has drawn more people to our program,” Neill says. “I really believe it makes a lot of sense for students to study music in this liberal arts environment. Because that’s a reflection of what’s going on out in the world—music connecting with so many other things. It’s not by itself any more.”

5. The women’s ensemble, Skylark, performs at the Russ Berrie Awards for Making a Difference ceremony in May concert

Neill tapped into his contacts in the music industry to help expand the internship program for music students. In recent years Ramapo students have interned at MTV, Sony Records, Warner Music Group, National Public Radio, AEG Live (the second leading concert promoter in the United States), the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, N.J., and Webster Hall in New York City. Ramapo graduates are now working at Gold VE Music Management (James Fritzy ’TK), VH1 (Tara D’Astoli ’TK), Bar None Records (Emmy Black ’TK), CEG Presents (Adam Harris ’TK), and About.com (Lindsay Sanchez ’TK). Meanwhile, performance opportunities abound. Since 2005 Ramapo has added four new vocal groups and created five new instrumental groups, including a Latin Jazz Ensemble, led by Adjunct Professor Richard Sorce, and an AfroBrazilian Percussion Ensemble. This spring Ramapo began a music education exchange program with Anglia Ruskin University in England, sending three

6. CantaNOVA rehearsing before the Friends of Ramapo concert in April

students to the Cambridge campus while two Anglia Ruskin students came to study at Ramapo. As they look ahead, students and faculty hope a proposed collaboration with the Les Paul Foundation—the electric guitar virtuoso and innovator lived in Mahwah for more than half a century—leads to a new recording studio. For Mack Brandon, the music program’s 20-year evolution has been a sight to behold. “I love what we have become,” Brandon says. “I think we’re a music program that is truly contemporary, in that the information they are given is at once solid in terms of classic and classical understandings, and at the same time absolutely in the now and absolutely in the vanguard. They’re getting a really strong dose of the reality of being an artist in today’s society. It’s not easy, but it’s as fulfilling a thing as you could want to be.”

www.ramapo.edu

FEATURE

> CONTINUED

6 3. The Digital Performance Ensemble encourages students to create music with computer technology.

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

4. The newly formed Jazz Ensemble consisting of students and faculty rehearsing for their December concert

5. The women’s ensemble, Skylark, performs at the Russ Berrie Awards for Making a Difference ceremony in May concert

6. CantaNOVA rehearsing before the Friends of Ramapo concert in April

www.ramapo.edu

COLLEGE NEWS

>BY DAN GEARY ’13

RAMAPO PARTICIPATES IN STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM WITH UNIVERSITY IN ENGLAND Last spring semester, Ramapo College sent three students—music production major Michael Mazzeo ’13, music industry major Matt Wolckenhauer ’13, and music performance and music production major Jacqueline Guhl ’14—to Anglia Ruskin University’s Cambridge campus to study abroad. Two of Anglia Ruskin’s music majors, Reece Hughes and Jacob Abbott, spent the semester here on campus living in the College Park Apartments while attending music program classes.

NEW SCHOLARSHIP WILL PROMOTE COLLEGE’S LIBERAL ARTS PROGRAM The Office of Enrollment Management launched a new scholarship program for graduates of New Jersey’s 19 community colleges. The Transfer Achievement Scholarships will be awarded to students who have earned their associate’s degree, declare a major in the Salameno School of American and International Studies (SSAIS), and are recommended by a faculty member or dean. The scholarships will be distributed for the fall ’13 semester. The seven SSAIS majors include American studies, Spanish language studies, international studies, literature, history, political science, and liberal studies contract majors.

“There were some similarities in the classes, but there were a lot of differences as well,” said Hughes. “It was cool to experience a new culture and way of learning. The music professors here at Ramapo are really passionate about their classes and know their subjects really well in detail.” In England, most students attend college for an average of three years, compared to the four-year programs that the majority of American schools offer. In addition, the exchange students got to experience on-campus living for the first time since Anglia Ruskin does not offer campus housing.

“We know we have a great liberal arts program, so we want to attract more students in the field,” said Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management Christopher Romano. “This scholarship program really ties into Ramapo’s mission to get students to succeed in liberal arts.” Assistant Professor of Teacher Education (Special Education) Julie Norflus-Good, with Michael Nevin and Sarah Vazquez

RAMAPO SUCCESSFULLY HOLDS LIVING PRODUCTIVELY WITH DISABILITIES LECTURE On April 9, the College hosted an event that featured the inspiring stories from two unique individuals with special needs. Michael Nevin and Sarah Vazquez shared their personal stories and had an open discussion with the audience, which consisted of both students and faculty. The event was supported by a Ramapo College Platinum Grant awarded to the Teacher Education Program in the School of Social Science and Human Services. It was co-sponsored by the Office of Specialized Services. Michael Nevin is a computer aide at Cerebral Palsy of New Jersey. He’s a current student at Bergen Community College and graduated as a National Honor Society member in high school. Sarah Vazquez is a nationally known speaker, writer, and advocate with over 10 years of experience working in the field of supporting those with disabilities. Sarah, who holds a degree in English and Psychology from Rutgers University, has already written an autobiography, Paved Roads.

As New Jersey’s Public Liberal Arts College, this newly implemented transfer scholarship program opens the doors for a more balanced enrollment. It gives liberal arts students a great opportunity to attend Ramapo College. With the cost of transferring from community colleges to four-year schools increasing, these scholarships aim to make an education more affordable and obtainable for students.

“I like that you can take different classes with different concentrations within each major here at Ramapo,” Hughes added. “In the end, it gives you more freedom to round out your own education.”

RAMAPO WINS COLLEGE FISHING NORTHERN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT

Ramapo’s goal is to have at least one scholarship winner from each of the New Jersey’s 19 community colleges. Up to three scholarships can be awarded to students from each community college, making the maximum possible amount of awarded scholarships 57 total.

ASB LAUNCHES THE CAREER DEVELOPMENT PATHWAYS PROGRAM The Anisfield School of Business launched The Career Development Pathways Program during the spring semester. The program is designed to prepare students for acquiring jobs in their chosen fields by helping them with self-assessments, their resumes, and basic interview skills and strategies. In order to ensure the goals were met, the ASB faculty and staff designed a program to make sure that every student in the Anisfield School of Business received a minimum of 15 hours of formal training in career preparation by using CEC (course enrichment component) hours from their core business classes. The program was organized through the ASB office of the Cahill Career Development Center. The funding was made possible through an anonymous gift of $250,000 for the program.

The new Alpha Lambda Delta board was inducted in April.

Steve McGee ’14 (honor society inductee) receives congratulations from former NJ Governor Richard Codey

FORMER GOVERNOR CODEY ADDRESSES POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENTS The keynote speaker at the annual Pi Sigma Alpha induction dinner in May was the 53rd governor of New Jersey, Richard Codey. The political science honor society awarded him an honorary membership and he spoke to students about serving in public office. Codey shared dinner with political science students and faculty, and following the induction of new members, he delivered a talk open to the general public. Codey discussed his political career and how he was able to run the state and maintain a private life. “You need, in politics, to lead a very balanced life,” Codey said. “You’ve got to keep that balance and understand that family comes first.” Codey was very personable and encouraged students to participate in his address by asking questions and having newly inducted members say a few words on what they hope to do with their degree in political science. The organization presented Codey with an honorary Pi Sigma Alpha membership.

RAMAPO HOSTS ALPHA LAMBDA DELTA HONOR SOCIETY INDUCTION CEREMONY The college successfully hosted the 10th Annual Alpha Lambda Delta (ALD) Honor Society Induction Ceremony on Saturday, April 13 in the Bradley Center. ALD is a national honor society for first-year students who attended college full-time while obtaining a 3.5 GPA or higher during their first semester. ALD’s mission is to encourage superior academic achievement, to promote intelligent living and a continued high standard of learning and to assist students in recognizing and developing meaningful goals for their unique roles in society. The 2013 induction ceremony marked the 10th anniversary of Ramapo’s chapter. Since its inception in 2003, ALD at Ramapo College has inducted over 2,200 first-year students to celebrate their social and academic success here.

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

RAMAPO DANCE TEAM WINS SECOND STRAIGHT NATIONAL TITLE Ramapo’s dance team recently won their second straight National Championship Title in the Dance Division III category at the NCA/NDA Collegiate Cheer & Dance Championship. The competition took place in Daytona Beach, Fla. The team was there from April 10 to 13. The dance team, unlike many competitive sports clubs, practices yearround, including summers and winters. Besides competitions, they also perform at home basketball games. This year’s championship team had five graduating seniors, including co-captains Jonica Williams ’13 and Jessica Courtney ’13. Coaches Michelle Jaworski and Idania Fernandez will still have plenty of talented underclassmen ready to take control of the team next year.

The Ramapo College team of brothers Andrew ’16 and Joseph Zapf ’14 won first place out of 15 teams in the FLW College Fishing Northern Conference event on Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia in April with a five-bass limit weighing 12 pounds, 14 ounces. The victory earned the club $2,000. With the win the brothers advanced to the FLW College Fishing Northern Conference Invitational, which will take place on the Chesapeake Bay September 14 and 15. “My goal is to win the FLW College Fishing National Championship while at Ramapo and then start fishing bigger tournaments,” said Andrew. “I joined the club because I’ve always fished tournaments, and it’s great that my brother and I can fish as a team now. I also want to say how much we appreciate PJ Bartolotto, the club advisor, and Mike Concato, the president. They do so much work to keep the club in order. I’m glad my brother and I could help the club.”

THREE STUDENTS PRESENT THEIR WORK AT THE NORTHEAST REGIONAL UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH CONFERENCE Three literature majors presented their scholarly research papers at Eastern Connecticut State University’s Northeast Regional Undergraduate Research Conference sponsored by the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges last October. Jacqueline Thomas ’13 presented “Desire, Semiotics, and the Constitutive Lack in Robert Hass’ ‘Meditation at Lagunitas.’” The paper focused on the lack of communication and sexuality despite them being central to human interaction. Caitlin Vogel ’13 presented “Let’s Talk About Translation: A Body of Translation Theory and Female Desire in Brossard’s Mauve Desert.” Her essay focused on the feminist translation theory regarding the politics of translation and écriture féminine. Robin Netanel ’13 presented “Weighing Metaphors: Analyzing Christina Rossetti’s ‘Goblin Market’ through Queer Theory, Ecocriticism, Marxist Structuralism, and Psychoanalytical Theory.”

RAMAPO COLLEGE WINS GLOBAL AWARD The Indus Foundation selected Ramapo College as the winner for its Global Award for Educational Excellence in the field of Business Administration. Rajesh Adhikari, the director of International Student and Scholar Services, accepted the award on behalf of the college at the two-day Indo-American Education Summit and Expo 2013. Adhikari and the College were featured in several international media outlets including the most widely read English newspaper of India, The Hans India.

“This prestigious award has helped us with our name recognition as well as identify new opportunities for collaboration in the southern part of India,” said Adhikari. “It has also increased our ability to connect with highly qualified potential students, parents, and high schools to showcase Ramapo as one of the top ranking public institutions as well as promote its unique interdisciplinary academic structure. This has certainly given us a big boost as we start recruiting students from that region.”

There were six main categories for the award’s selection criteria. They were educational transformation, sustainable investment, innovation, inclusion and diversity, quality of learning, and monitoring and evaluation.

www.ramapo.edu

COLLEGE NEWS

>BY DAN GEARY ’13

RAMAPO WINS COLLEGE FISHING NORTHERN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT

The new Alpha Lambda Delta board was inducted in April.

Steve McGee ’14 (honor society inductee) receives congratulations from former NJ Governor Richard Codey

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

www.ramapo.edu

COLLEGE NEWS CONTINUED

>CONTINUED

RAMAPO SUCCEEDS IN NEW JERSEY UNDERGRADUATE MATH COMPETITION

SIX RAMAPO STUDENTS SELECTED TO PRESENT AT ENGLISH HONOR SOCIETY ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Ramapo College enjoyed its best overall finish ever in the math competition at the annual Garden State Undergraduate Mathematics Conference. They have participated every year since the competition was established in 2004. Teams from surrounding states also attended the competition, which was hosted by Felician College this year.

Six Ramapo literature students, all 2013 graduates, were selected to present their original works at the Sigma Tau Delta Conference in Oregon in March. They were joined by Ramapo alumnus Stephanie Mauro ’13. This was the third straight year that Ramapo College attended the conference after students generated the initial interest. Hundreds of schools were present, and this was the most students Ramapo ever had accepted to present at the conference.

Ramapo’s team was selected and instructed by Associate Professor of Mathematics Katarzyna Kowal, co-director of the competition since 2007 and team co-advisor to Ramapo College teams since 2006, and Associate Professor of Mathematics Ken McMurdy, co-director of the competition and co-advisor to RCNJ teams since 2008. In the team category, Ramapo’s David Tong ’16, Dobromir Yordanov ’15, and Shauharda Khadka ’14 won second place out of 27 registered teams, the College’s best placement. Rohan Chitrakar, Binaya Panta ’16, Corey Yuhas ’13, finished in sixth place. For the individual portion of the competition, David Tong, a local tenth grade student who takes courses at Ramapo College, won first place out of 81 total registered competitors. Dobromir Yordanov won third place and Rohan Chitrakar finished in sixth.

RAMAPO STUDENTS ATTEND NAFSA ADVOCACY DAY IN D.C. A group of Ramapo College students attended the recent NAFSA Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. to lobby for an increase in international education. NAFSA is the world’s largest organization for international education. This was the third straight year that Ramapo sent students to the nation’s capital. Students spoke to congressional representatives about the importance of studying abroad. Ramapo accounted for eight of the 17 students in attendance.

“It’s a huge achievement to have six students selected for a national conference,” said Professor of Literature Ed Shannon. “Also, having an alumnus winning an award shows that Ramapo is really producing first rate students.” Katie Attinello ’13, presented “Seeing,” a short fiction story. Francesca Baratta ’13, presented “Use of Exaggeration and Epic to Negatively Portray the Haitian People in Alejo Carpentier’s The Kingdom of This World.” Sarah Galo presented “Configuration of the Black Female as an Autonomous Other in June Jordan’s ‘The Difficult Miracle of Black Poetry in America: Something Like A Sonnet for Phillis Wheatley,’ and ‘Poem About My Rights.’” Danielle Reed ’13, presented “The Truth in Surviving,” an original poem. Caitlin Vogel presented “Walk Whitman: Divinity, Egalitarianism.” Jacqueline Thomas’ ’13, submission title was “Separation and the Sea in Matthew Arnold’s ‘Dover Beach’ and Robert Duncan’s ‘Passage over Water.’” She was unable to attend the conference, but Ruby Corman ’13, another member of the honor society, attended in her place and chaired a panel at the conference. Stephanie Mauro won the Alumni Epsilon Papers Award for her short story, “Porter House.”

(L-R): Fourth place winner Julia Bauer from Mahwah High School with her work titled “Seven Forty-Three,” third place winner Soyoung Park from Northern Valley Regional High School of Old Tappan with her winning work titled “Stigma,” second place winner Al Weitz from Wallkill Valley Regional High School with his winning work “Doused”, and Congressman Scott Garrett at Ramapo College where the participants’ work was on display in May

CONGRESSIONAL ART COMPETITION ON DISPLAY AT RAMAPO The Congressional Art Competition is sponsored annually by the U.S. House of Representatives, and it is open to all 9th–12th graders in every congressional district throughout the country. The first-place winner from each congressional district is invited to attend a reception in Washington, D.C., and the winning artwork is displayed in the U.S. Capitol for a year. Congressman Scott Garrett (NJ-05) announced the winners of the 2013 Congressional Art Competition. This year’s top honor was received by Teaneck resident and Bergen County Academies senior Shannon Levin. In total, 77 pieces of art, from students who reside in 32 different towns across the Fifth District, were submitted for this year’s competition.

“International education is an extremely important experience for all college students but particularly Ramapo students since it upholds one of our school’s pillars,” said Nicole Nidle ’13, one of the students who participated.

THREE PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS PRESENT RESEARCH ANNUAL CONFERENCE On April 5 and 6, three psychology students presented their research at the 27th Annual Conference on the Teaching of Psychology in Tarrytown, N.Y. Megan Heim ’13, presented her research study, “Academic Dishonesty Among Young Adults: An Examination of Cheating Motivations and Behaviors.” Rebecca Scalabrino ’14 and Katherine Tejeda ’15, presented their research study, “The Impact of Posture and Smiling on Perceiver’s Judgments of Personality.” The duo’s hard work earned them the Feist-Levine Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research in Psychology.

After attending an initial briefing, the student advocates met legislative assistants from the office of U.S. Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez and Representatives Scott Garrett, Rush Holt, and Rodney Frelinghuysen. Their goals included explaining the importance of the Paul Simon Study Abroad Act, supporting immigration reforms for students, and achieving the globalization of college undergraduate students. Cassie Coggeshall, the legislative assistant for Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen, expressed her admiration for the Ramapo students’ interest, enthusiasm, and goals.

RECENT GRADUATE TO STUDY FOR MASTER’S DEGREE IN LONDON

TWO OF CAHILL CENTER’S PEERS DISTINGUISH THEMSELVES Katie Attinello ’13 worked for Woman’s Day magazine during her 2012 fall internship. She had two articles published, one online and another in the print edition.

Ann Potenski ’14 and Santiago Castro ’14 explain their project “Determining the Effects of Rage on Osteoblastic Differentiation” to a TAS Symposium attendee held in April

Brandon Martin ’12 and Provost Beth Barnett greet New Jersey State Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula during his recent visit to Ramapo to celebrate Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month in April

“Working with Woman’s Day was the greatest out-of-classroom experience I had during college,” said Attinello. “It was an exciting opportunity, and I felt really lucky to learn so much from a fantastic staff of professional editors.”

STUDENTS PRESENT RESEARCH AND PROJECTS AT TAS RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM

RAMAPO CELEBRATES ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH WITH VISIT BY NEW JERSEY STATE ASSEMBLYMAN UPENDRA CHIVUKULA

Shauharda Khadka ’14, a first year bioinformatics student, was accepted to perform research at the University of Illinois-Chicago with faculty member David Eddington. The research, which was funded by the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergraduates program, began May 28 and will conclude August 2. “The project is geared toward creating novel solutions to current unmet experimental and clinical needs through applying simple microfabricated devices,” said Khadka. “I am expected to run software simulations to fabricate devices of various scales (nano, micro, and meso) that can be applied to practical uses. I have personally never had a chance to participate in a research project as of yet and am very excited about this opportunity.”

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

Ramapo hosted the Twelfth Annual Theoretical and Applied Science Student Research Symposium on April 17 in the Trustees Pavilion. The Student Research Symposium, held every April since 2002, is an opportunity for TAS research students to showcase their research. Students presented their research in oral and poster formats. Although the student research is often conducted within the Research Honors program, many students also presented research conducted for class projects or independent studies. The keynote speech “Forensic Science Research at the FBI Laboratory” was presented by Eugene Peters, chief of the Counterterrorism and Forensic Research Unit for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The full-day event featured sets of both oral presentations and physical poster presentations from dozens of different students. It was attended by students, professors, and other college staff members.

On April 19, Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, who represents the 17th Legislative District in New Jersey and was the first Indian-American to be elected to the New Jersey General Assembly and fourth Indian-American in the United States to be elected to state office, came to Ramapo College as the keynote speaker for Civic Engagement Week and Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Chivukula, born in Nellore, India, spoke about the importance of civic engagement and shared the importance of culture and heritage.

After just earning a bachelor’s degree for a contract major in public relations, Brandon Bouknight ’13 will study this fall at the University of Westminister in London for a master’s degree in media management. He studied abroad in London, England, during his spring semester in 2012 and credits the College’s Study Abroad Program with supporting him. “All my life, I wanted to travel to different countries but never had the opportunity to do so until I came to Ramapo College,” Bouknight said. “Fortunately, the study abroad office helped me accomplish my dreams of visiting a country I’ve grown to love. This inspired me to continue my education and earn a master’s degree in media management.

Each April, Ramapo celebrates Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a variety of cultural, social and educational trips, events and programs that a committee comprised of faculty, staff and students coordinates. The committee is chaired by Graduate Assistant for Civic Engagement Office Brandon Martin. www.ramapo.edu

COLLEGE NEWS CONTINUED

>CONTINUED

RAMAPO SUCCEEDS IN NEW JERSEY UNDERGRADUATE MATH COMPETITION

SIX RAMAPO STUDENTS SELECTED TO PRESENT AT ENGLISH HONOR SOCIETY ANNUAL CONFERENCE

RECENT GRADUATE TO STUDY FOR MASTER’S DEGREE IN LONDON

Ann Potenski ’14 and Santiago Castro ’14 explain their project “Determining the Effects of Rage on Osteoblastic Differentiation” to a TAS Symposium attendee held in April

Brandon Martin ’12 and Provost Beth Barnett greet New Jersey State Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula during his recent visit to Ramapo to celebrate Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month in April

STUDENTS PRESENT RESEARCH AND PROJECTS AT TAS RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM

RAMAPO CELEBRATES ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH WITH VISIT BY NEW JERSEY STATE ASSEMBLYMAN UPENDRA CHIVUKULA

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

COLLEGE NEWS

FACULTY NEWS

>BY DAN GEARY ’13

TWO RAMAPO PROFESSORS HAVE CO-WRITTEN ACADEMIC ARTICLE PUBLISHED

Angelica Berrie, president of the Russell Berrie Foundation, (seated, center) with winners of the 2013 Russ Berrie Award for Making a Difference. Regina Coyle received the top award of $50,000. There were three $25,000. winners: James Baber, Jack Fanous, and Ann Wagner. Eight other winners received $5,000. each.

17TH ANNUAL RUSS BERRIE AWARD FOR MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Students and professors perform Shakespeare.

SHAKESPEARE AT RAMAPO EVENT PRESENTED BY THE SALAMENO CENTER FOR BRITISH STUDIES On April 23, the Salameno Center for British Studies presented “Shakespeare at Ramapo” in honor of Shakespeare’s 449th birthday. The multi-cultural event was co-sponsored by the School of Contemporary Arts, the Salameno School of American and International Studies and the School of Social Science and Human Services.

The four top winners of the Russ Berrie Award for Making a Difference are James Barber for saving the life of an elderly woman from an oncoming train when she fell onto Track 3 of the PATH train; Jack Fanous for his efforts helping homeless war veterans at Penn Station in Newark through his organization The G.I. Go Fund; and Ann Wagner, who founded Oasis: A Haven for Women and Children in Paterson. Each received $25,000. Winning $50,000 was Regina Coyle who helped her neighbors in Little Ferry and Moonachie before, during, and after Hurricane Sandy. Eight other recipients each received $5,000. James A. Kutsch Jr., Ph.D., president and CEO of The Seeing Eye, Inc. was the keynote speaker for the May 2 ceremony held in the Sharp Theater. Dana Katzman-Spett, a 2007 awardee provided reflections about having had received the distinction. In all, 12 finalists were chosen by a committee of eminent New Jersey business, nonprofit and civic leaders and professionals. Established in 1997 by the late Russell Berrie and managed and hosted by Ramapo College of New Jersey, the Russ Berrie Award for Making a Difference honors Garden State residents for their unselfish dedication to serving others within the state.

Professor Todd Barnes presented “Against Bardolatry: Remembering and Dismembering Shakespeare on His Birthday.” Professors Ellen Ross and Roark Atkinson presented “Shakespeare’s Witches,” and Professor Yvette Kisor offered, “Guess the Shakespeare Quote or Insult—A Game.” The day also featured Performing Shakespeare, an interactive workshop and Swashbuckling Swordplay, a stage-combat demonstration. A musical performance, Madrigals and Music, featured Ramapo’s own singers and musicians playing Shakespeare-inspired pieces. Professors Terra Vandergaw and Maria Vail presented a lively showcase of Scenes, Sonnets, and Soliloquies with acting and theater students. The event concluded with a viewing of the documentary, “Shakespeare Behind Bars.”

RAMAPO HOSTS NATIONAL HISTORY HONOR SOCIETY NORTHEAST REGIONAL CONFERENCE The Salameno School of American and International Studies presented the National History Honor Society Phi Alpha Theta Northeast Regional Conference on April 20. The event featured opening remarks, four sessions of presentations, and an induction and award ceremony. Graydon A. Tunstall, executive director of the National Headquarters of Phi Alpha Theta, delivered the keynote address. The conference featured 11 panel discussions. They included: American Representation, Twentieth Century History, Race in America, Nineteenth Century America, Revolutionary War, European Modernity, American Women, Fascism, Medieval History, Classical History, and American Indian Education. All panel discussions were led by professors and experts from all around the country, including Ramapo College’s own scholars. Thirty-eight student presenters who submitted intriguing historical research shared their findings. As the hosting institution, 18 of the students were from Ramapo College, while 20 of the student presenters came from different colleges from throughout the region.

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

President Peter P. Mercer hosted the College Club as it celebrated its 100th Anniversary. Joining him for a panel discussion on the “Importance of Advance Education for Women” at the Berrie Center are the past presidents of the club (L-R): Sally Vrizi, Martha Blanco, Kathy Marshall, Jennifer Brito, Barbara Bolger, Janet Anderson, and Rosie McCooe.

COLLEGE SUCCESSFULLY HELD COLLEGE CLUB CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION Ramapo’s Berrie Center hosted the College Club Centennial Celebration on March 19. The panel session included leaders in education, politics, and the media convening to celebrate College Club’s centennial year and Women’s History Month. The panel took place in a timely discussion on “The Importance of an Advanced Education for Women in Today’s World.” The discussion was moderated by Amelia Duggan, the editor of (201) Magazine, and the panel consisted of Kathleen Donovan, county executive of Bergen County; Dr. Joan C. Ficke, dean of The Graduate School at Montclair State University; Dr. Anne Prisco, president of Felician College; and Candy Straight, a member of the Rutgers Board of Governors. President Peter P. Mercer welcomed the panelists and guests. College Club was founded in 1913 and has provided over $3.5 in grants and loans to women for their education.

Professor of Business Law and Information Systems Cherie Ann Sherman and Professor of Physics Philip Anderson

Professor of Physics Philip Anderson and Professor of Business Law and Information Systems Cherie Ann Sherman co-wrote an article, “What Students and Independent Inventors Need to Know About the America Invents Act” that was recently published in The Southern Law Journal. Both professors have had multiple articles published over the years.

“It’s become more important than ever to file patents,” said Sherman, a former patent attorney. “That’s why we wrote the paper. We had to spread the message. We talk to students about their ideas and how to protect them.” Changes were made to patent laws on Sept. 16, 2011, when President Obama signed the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act. The Act brought some of the biggest changes to patent laws in the last 50 years. Changes in patent standards and the timing of applying for patents were two of the most important differences. Obtaining a patent now proves to be more difficult and expensive when compared to the past. “It’s a major change in the patent law for inventors,” explained Anderson, who holds 37 U.S. patents, over 100 foreign patents, and was New Jersey’s Inventor of the Year in 2001. “It used to be the first to invent, now it’s the first inventor to file.” Anderson and Sherman are always working on new articles for publication, but their main focus is currently in the field of new product development. They’re working on getting a prototype lab and 3D printer, which produces three-dimensional objects from digital models.

JAMES MORLEY, PROFESSOR OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, APPOINTED THE EDITOR IN CHIEF OF THE JOURNAL OF PHENOMENOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY Phenomenology is a descriptive science that allows psychologists to better understand the domain of subjective experience otherwise inaccessible to natural science methods alone. It has played an influential role in European Professor of Clinical Psychology social sciences and psychiatry over the James Morley past 100 years. Since the 1950s, phenomenology has developed a distinctive research tradition within psychology that questions certain theoretical and methodological restrictions within mainstream American psychology. To this end, the Journal of Phenomenological Psychology was founded in 1970 and remains the international flagship journal of the field. The primary role of the editor in chief is to supervise the integrity of the blind peer review process through which research articles are submitted for publication. Starting next fall, Professor Morley will become the fourth editor in chief. Committed to the phenomenological research tradition throughout his career, Morley said, “This is an approach to psychology that can illuminate not only the subjective dimension of life but also the entire world of social relations that can be neglected by mainstream psychology.” “Put simply, you can’t always study subjects as though they were objects,” Morley further explained. Phenomenology serves psychology by widening the field of empirical approaches and methods available to researchers.

ART PROFESSOR FEATURED AS ONLY AMERICAN ARTIST IN PARIS EXHIBIT Professor of Art Jay Wholley was selected as the only American artist to be featured in the Societe’ des Artistes Francais international exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris, France. The competitive exhibit featured artists from around the world, primarily from Europe and Asia and has been running since the middle of the 19th century. The prominent event Professor of Art Jay Wholley featured welcome letters signed by France’s President François Hollande. “Several thousand entries were sent in during the selection process, but the acceptance rate was only about 5 to 10 percent,” said Wholley. “My daughter-in-law’s grandfather has connections to the museum and art world in France. He was the one that encouraged me to send in my work for consideration.” Professor Wholley had three pieces featured in the exhibit. They were all cubes from his cast iron series. Shipping them to the museum proved to be a lot of work. “The museum has strict requirements on their received shipments,” Wholley explained. Since the pieces were fairly heavy and the museum only allowed certain types of wood crates to be sent, Wholley had to reach out to a well-known French shipper in order to have the crates specially built.

CONVENER OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE MINOR SUCCESSFULLY HOLDS NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DRUG ABUSE EVENT AT TEANECK HIGH SCHOOL Early last semester, Assistant Professor of Social Work Stephanie Sarabia brought 15 Ramapo students enrolled in the substance abuse minor to Teaneck High School to participate in the National Institute of Drug Abuse’s Drug Facts Week. Assistant Professor of Social Work The students were all in their final Stephanie Sarabia semesters of completing their substance abuse minors. The event was held for the entire freshman class of Teaneck High School. It was the first year that Ramapo took part in the national event. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse’s website, “NIDA’s mission is to lead the Nation in bringing the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction.” National Drug Facts Week events were held for teens and students all across the country. “I supervised and aided our students in coming up with different activities for the event,” said Sarabia. The freshman class was broken into different groups that participated in the Jeopardy-styled Substance Abuse Smackdown, created artistic murals, acted in roleplaying groups to work on drug refusal skills, and played other games, including Name That Drug. “Learning is connected to the real world,” said Sarabia. “Substance abuse isn’t just about learning what different drugs are and the effects they have. It’s also about helping others through service. It helped that our Ramapo students were only a few years older than the Teaneck students. They worked hard to make the event both fun and informative and were very energetic.” Professor Sarabia and Teaneck’s student assistance coordinator, Adrienne Williams, found the event to be extremely successful and helpful to both Ramapo and Teaneck students. “My hope is that it will be an ongoing event in coming years for students in the substance abuse minor,” Sarabia concluded.

www.ramapo.edu

COLLEGE NEWS

FACULTY NEWS

>BY DAN GEARY ’13

TWO RAMAPO PROFESSORS HAVE CO-WRITTEN ACADEMIC ARTICLE PUBLISHED

17TH ANNUAL RUSS BERRIE AWARD FOR MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Students and professors perform Shakespeare.

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

Professor of Business Law and Information Systems Cherie Ann Sherman and Professor of Physics Philip Anderson

www.ramapo.edu

FACULTY NEWS

>CONTINUED

PROFESSOR ROSETTA D’ANGELO AND TWO STUDENTS PRESENTED AT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN FRANCE

PROFESSOR PAUL ELOVITZ GETS CHAPTER PUBLISHED IN MAJOR PUBLICATION

Professor of Italian Rosetta D’Angelo traveled to Strasbourg, France, with two students who graduated in May for an international conference from May 30 to June 4. Ashley Intveld ’13, a double major in literature and communications with an emphasis on journalism, and Logan Brown ’13, a literature major, received a Foundation Grant from Ramapo for the trip. They were elected to participate in the roundtable ‘Lost in Translation’ which focused on their research and interpretation of Dante’s work. Professor D’Angelo presented her co-translated and co-edited version of Umberto Piersanti’s novel Olimpio, titled Mount Olympus. The roundtable aimed to explore the teaching of contemporary, translated Italian literature by focusing on opportunities of attracting wider student audiences in courses of European or world literature, introducing current cultural, historical, and social issues in Italy and establishing links to European and world literary traditions through specific texts. Intveld and Brown were two of the four total students participating in the conference, which consisted of at least 400 individuals. They had to write a proposal, apply for a grant and apply to the chair of the conference in order to be accepted. In their Dante’s Studies class, they read the translated version of Dante’s Divine Comedy. They used their experience and research to prove that the meaning within literary texts is not lost when translated, but it is culturally misunderstood. “It was extremely prestigious for two undergrads to be able to be exposed to this,” D’Angelo said. “They learned a lot, and it was a huge honor.”

LITERATURE PROFESSOR HAS ESSAY PUBLISHED Professor Ed Shannon recently had his essay “Art and Commerce in the Classroom: Teaching an American Studies Course in Comics” published in Critical Approaches to Teaching Graphic Novels. Shannon has had multiple essays published in a variety of publications over the years, with much of his work focusing on pop culture and comics. Shannon also recently started teaching a new course on comics titled Professor of Literature Edward Shannon The Graphic Narrative. The literature course focuses on American graphics narratives for the first half of the semester and international ones during the second half. Many of Shannon’s teaching methods from class are described in his essay. “We treat comics as historical artifacts, art, and material culture in the classroom,” Shannon said. He often utilizes psychological, economic, or other perspectives in his literature courses and American studies courses. These perspectives allow students to take popular texts like comics seriously and often leads them to insights they might find surprising. Shannon is currently working on several new essays intended for publication. He received a grant from the college to work with a student to revise an essay this summer on Winsor McCay (c. 1867– 1934), an early genius of the newspaper comic strip and a pioneer of the animated film.

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

Associate Professor of History, Psychohistory and Interdisciplinary Studies Paul Elovitz

Associate Professor of History, Psychohistory and Interdisciplinary Studies Paul Elovitz will have his chapter “The Successes and Obstacles to the Interdisciplinary Marriage of Psychology and History” included in Psychology and History: Interdisciplinary Explorations, a book being published by the Cambridge University Press and scheduled for release in early 2014.

“The article focuses on an exciting new field, which uses psychology, especially depth psychology, to better understand humans historically and individuals in groups,” Elovitz explained. He was chosen to give the keynote address, “The History of Modern Psychohistory and the 21st Century Prospects for the Field,” at the International Psychohistorical Conference. The event took place at New York University on June 5 and was host to approximately 120 people. “Giving the keynote address is a quite an honor since there have been so many distinguished people who have addressed the conference in the past,” he reported. At NYU, he was honored at a luncheon celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Psychohistory Forum, which he established and directs. Elovitz is the editor of Clio’s Psyche, one of the leading quarterly journals in the field. Recently, Elovitz also published the article, “Varieties of Empathy,” introducing fourteen other articles on the subject, to provide greater insight on the topic. The article was featured in the June issue of Clio’s Psyche.

PROFESSOR MITCH KAHN WINS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Professor of Social Work Mitch Kahn

Professor of Social Work Mitch Kahn, recently retired from Ramapo College on June 30, was presented with the NJ National Association of Social Workers 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award on May 6 at the NASW Annual Convention. The event took place at the Borgata Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City. Hundreds of people attended the workshops, awards ceremony, and awards banquet.

Kahn was one of the founding faculty members of the College and the social work program, which was implemented in the 1970s. Since its inclusion in the school’s curriculum, the social work major has been re-accredited four times. “We have one of the best programs in the region, if not the country,” Kahn said. “Close to 1,000 students have graduated from the program, with more than three quarters of them going on to graduate school. Many ended up becoming agency directors.” In addition to his teaching work, Kahn was one of the founding board members of NJ Citizen Action, the largest consumer advocacy group in New Jersey. He is also the vice president and director of organizing for the NJ Tenants Association. Kahn has helped organize over 500 local tenant organizations in the state affiliated with the NJTO. In addition, he is the executive director of the Bergen County Housing Association, which has provided housing counseling to more than 61,000 households since 1979. Kahn is also known as one of the key experts on rent control laws in New Jersey.

RAMAPO PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSOR AND BROTHER HOST ART HEIST SCREENING AND LECTURE Last semester in February, Professor of Psychology Robert Becklen hosted an event in which “The Big Sting” documentary was screened to a crowd of about 50 Ramapo students, faculty members and community members. His brother, Rickard, led a discussion and Q&A session. Rickard works as the chief Rickard Becklen and Professor of conservator of paintings at the National Psychology Robert Becklen museum in Stockholm, Sweden and personally participated as the authenticator for the museum where the famous artwork was stolen. The documentary focused on one of the biggest and most dramatic art heists in recent history, which featured the theft of a Rembrandt gold-on-copper self-portrait dating back to 1630 and worth $40 million from Stockholm’s National museum. “My job was to authenticate the paintings to make sure we got the right ones back especially since they were retrieved without their original frames,” explained Rickard. Luckily, the paintings proved to be the originals and were brought back to the museum just in time for the opening of a new gallery. Its surprise unveiling resulted in celebration and applause. “It was a well-attended event that was both educational and a lot of fun,” said Robert. “I was very encouraged by the interest level of the audience and the great questions they all had.”

PROFESSOR JULIE FITZGERALD NAMED 2012 NJ MARCH OF DIMES PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE OF THE YEAR Professor of Nursing Julie Fitzgerald was presented with the 2012 NJ March of Dimes Public Health Nurse of the Year award on January 31 in Eatontown, NJ. Her work has primarily focused on maternal child health and pediatrics. Eleven years ago, she started Professor of Nursing Julie Fitzgerald working at the Hudson Perinatal Consortium in Jersey City as an educator /consultant. The organization merged with two other child health care organizations to create the Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern New Jersey.

(Center-standing): Assistant Professor of Teacher Education (Special Education) Julie Norflus-Good with Ramapo students at the Exceptional Children’s Conference in March

PROFESSOR JULIE NORFLUS-GOOD RECEIVES MULTIPLE HONORS Assistant Professor of Teacher Education and Special Education Julie Norflus-Good was recently elected as the Vice President for New Jersey Council for Exceptional Children. Earlier in the year, she was also asked to remain as the Special Education Liaison for the Association of Math Teachers for New Jersey. Dr. Norflus-Good has also had the honor of attending many prestigious, select meetings and conferences, including being an invited member to the New Jersey Department of Education Special Education Stakeholders meeting. She also chaired the New Jersey Council for Exceptional Children’s Spring 2013 Conference, “Using Literature to Reduce Bullying in Your Inclusion Classroom,” which was held at Ramapo College on March 30. She also presented at several other Ramapo College conferences, including “Creating a Climate of Acceptance in the Classroom,” which was hosted by Ramapo College’s School of Social Science and Human Services Child Development Institute Conference on Stopping Violence with Assistant Professor of Teacher Education Anne DeGroot. In addition, Julie Norflus-Good presented “The Nuances of Special Education” at Ramapo.

NIZA FABRE WINS PRESTIGIOUS AWARD FOR SCHOLARLY CONTRIBUTION

“I’m currently working on a program for the March of Dimes called ‘Taking Care of Moms,’” said Fitzgerald. The majority of Fitzgerald’s work and time is dedicated to performing risk assessments, educating mothers regarding healthy lifestyles, reducing stress, and providing education related to the impact of smoking, nutrition, and drug and alcohol use during pregnancy. Many of the women have underlying medical conditions during pregnancy including diabetes and hypertension. She educates these women about how to improve outcomes for both themselves and their infants through nutrition, exercise, and stress reduction. In addition, the importance of preconception care and pregnancy spacing is discussed. Previous to this program, Dr. Fitzgerald worked on other health initiatives and grants, such as newborn hearing screenings, postpartum depression education, and screenings and breast cancer support programs. “Preterm birth continues to be a major problem in the U.S., often for women without medical care who are unaware of the many health risks or the signs of preterm labor,” Fitzgerald added. “Our main goal is to have better outcomes with nutrition, reduction of risk factors, and patient education.”

Associate Professor of Spanish Niza Fabre received the Henry Shaw Award for Outstanding Scholarly Contributions form the African American Culture section of the Popular Culture Association Conference, which was held from March 27–30 in Washington, D.C. The African American Culture section is one of the oldest areas with both a national reputation and national recognition. The award is given annually to the recipient who has made significant and noteworthy scholarly and service contributions to the African American Culture Area of the Popular Culture Association.

Associate Professor of Spanish Niza Fabre

Professor Fabre’s most recent work was on African traditional religion in the new world, which opened up new doors for the way that cross-cultural models are analyzed. Her work has inspired countless, important intellectual exchanges. Her service to the association was exemplified through her leadership in the numerous panels that she acted as chair for.

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FACULTY NEWS

>CONTINUED

PROFESSOR ROSETTA D’ANGELO AND TWO STUDENTS PRESENTED AT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN FRANCE

PROFESSOR PAUL ELOVITZ GETS CHAPTER PUBLISHED IN MAJOR PUBLICATION

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

Associate Professor of History, Psychohistory and Interdisciplinary Studies Paul Elovitz

PROFESSOR MITCH KAHN WINS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Professor of Social Work Mitch Kahn

(Center-standing): Assistant Professor of Teacher Education (Special Education) Julie Norflus-Good with Ramapo students at the Exceptional Children’s Conference in March

NIZA FABRE WINS PRESTIGIOUS AWARD FOR SCHOLARLY CONTRIBUTION

Associate Professor of Spanish Niza Fabre

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PLANNED GIVING

GRANT NEWS

SUPPORTING STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS WITH AN IRA GIFT

Kloudya Molina ’14

John Sapida ’16

RAMAPO COLLEGE RECEIVES MORE THAN $19 MILLION FOR CONSTRUCTION AND RENOVATION After decades of neglecting funding for higher education, the State of New Jersey recently took an important step with the Building Our Future Bond initiative. The College was notified on April 30 that our application for capital funds netted us just over $19 million. Ramapo College received $17.6 million for the G-Wing upgrade, $1.3 million for technology infrastructure upgrades, and $900,000 for the relocation of units associated with the opening of the College Commons. The largest project is the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) renovation of the 40-year-old G Building in the center of campus. The award was made by the Higher Education Facilities Trust Fund. The new science laboratories will be available for students beginning spring 2015. The entire building will undergo a face-lift. A total interior renovation including the STEM areas will create modern classroom and laboratory facilities. The project, which is more complex than designing and building an entirely new structure, was developed by Mitchell/Giurgola Architects, the leading designers of facilities for science in the nation. Future Ramapo College students studying the sciences will be surrounded by research and teaching spaces that are comparable to the laboratories and classrooms found in elite Ivy League colleges and universities and corporate research centers. An award from the Higher Education Technology Infrastructure Fund will upgrade the entire technology backbone tying all of the information systems that serve the campus together. The upgrading is especially important at this time because the new construction and renovation projects under way in the Academic Complex will have advanced levels of demand for technology connectivity.

An additional award from the Higher Education Capital Improvement Fund will allow for the relocation of the College’s Copy Center and the Office of Public Safety. Moving the two service departments will then permit the historic fieldstone building next to the main dining facility to be converted into a dining space for the faculty and staff during the day. By night the space will serve as a coffeehouse that will provide a late night haven for students. The building, once the garage for the Birch family’s automobiles, was built in the 1920s using local stone in the fashion seen in the design of homes and commercial buildings throughout Bergen County.

Each year, alumni and friends graciously support scholarships with gifts from their individual retirement accounts (IRAs). The renewed IRA charitable rollover option allows donors like Pat Tarallo to support a scholarship endowment while meeting IRA-required minimum distributions for the year and without having those funds treated as taxable distributions. Pat’s recent IRA gift provided additional funding to the Angelo Tarallo Scholarship in honor of her late husband, Angelo.

“I was born in Los Andes, Chile, and my childhood was built around an international lifestyle where I learned to speak and understand multiple languages including Spanish, Arabic, and French,” says Kloudya Molina ’14. I came to the United States to expand my opportunities and learned English.” Kloudya is an International Business major in her junior year. She has held internships at the United Nations; with fashion designer Lisa Curran; and at a marketing firm, HarrisonRand. She created her own fashion and design business, Kloudya.com. She is an assistant tennis coach for the Passaic Valley boys’ team, and gives private tennis lessons in The Angelo Tarallo Scholarship is awarded to students interested the summers. At Ramapo Kloudya is a member of the International in working in law, international business, or international studies. Business Club, the Finance Club, and a number of honor societies. Recipients must demonstrate competence in writing, which was “I want to take my knowledge and apply it to the business world, one of Professor Tarallo’s many interests. helping other businesses,” she says. Angelo Tarallo was a beloved professor who taught at Ramapo John Sapida ’16 is fascinated with international law because he for more than 10 years. During a distinguished international “wants to be a part of changing and improving the state of human business career at The BOC Group, Professor Tarallo held a dignity and freedom in this world.” John is from the Philippines and number of positions including chief executive-legal affairs in has seen firsthand what is needed to bring citizens of developing Windlesham, UK, and president and board director in Murray Hill, nations in Southeast Asia to the levels of health, safety, and NJ, where he also served as chairman of the Pension Committee. economic security enjoyed in the nations of the West. At Ramapo While at BOC, Tarallo taught at Ramapo as an adjunct professor in John is majoring in International Studies and Political Science with the School of Business. He joined the full-time faculty in 2002 and a concentration in Human Rights and Genocide Studies, and he has inspired students and colleagues with his intellect and dedication earned a 4.00 GPA. He is vice president of the Human Rights to education. Society, a member of the United Asian Association, Habitat for In addition to teaching, Angelo Tarallo led study abroad programs Humanity, and Alpha Psi Omega Theater Honors Society. John to Italy and arranged for international co-operative placements for earned an Associate of Arts degree with a 4.0 GPA from Bergen Ramapo students. After his death in 2003, his family, friends, and Community College, and was Salutatorian of his class at colleagues established a scholarship to recognize students who graduation. He is considering law school as a possible path to embody his commitment to academic excellence and participating in international justice systems. internationalism. The recipients of the 2012–2013 Angelo Tarallo Scholarship For more information regarding the Charitable IRA Rollover, contact share what the award means to them. the Office of Planned Giving at 201.684.7005, mdudas@ramapo.edu. 18

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

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PLANNED GIVING

GRANT NEWS

SUPPORTING STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS WITH AN IRA GIFT

Kloudya Molina ’14

John Sapida ’16

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

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FOUNDATION NEWS

DINNER, DANCING AND DONATING

THIRD ANNUAL RAMAPO RUMBLE RAISES FUNDS TO BENEFIT STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS On Sunday, June 2, donors, faculty, and staff donned their leathers and grabbed their helmets for the Ramapo Rumble, a scenic 90-mile ride through the back roads of Northern New Jersey. The event, sponsored by the Ramapo College Foundation, began at the College, with three stopping points to pick up additional poker cards and for refreshments. There was a barbecue lunch for riders, families, and friends with live music by Shaved Ham. Proceeds benefit Ramapo College Student scholarships, faculty and student research opportunities, and campus capital projects.

The 31st Annual Distinguished Citizens Award Dinner March 9 at the Rockleigh Country Club was an evening imbued with elegance, charity, and joyfulness. The event, chaired by John Brewster ’75 and Debra Perry ’85, Esq., was the most successful dinner in more than five years. It was gratifying to have two of our Board of Governors members, Roy Putrino and Keith Dawkins ’94, as honorees. The program included an auction offering for bid a vast array of jewelry, original artwork, fine crystal, sports memorabilia, and vacation getaways.

(L-R): Board of Trustees Chairman George C. Ruotolo, Jr. and his wife, Joanne, shared a few moments with Assemblywoman Connie Wagner and Assemblyman Tim Eustace ’78.

Naomi Morgan (right) accepting a gift for having the highest women’s poker hand from Board of Trustees member Bill Dator (left) and Ramapo Rumble committee member Jonathan Marcus ’93, Esq., and his assistant, daughter Johnna.

(L-R): Scott Coombs, 50/50 raffle winner, accepting $305 from Ramapo Rumble committee members John Brewster ’75 and Rick DeSilva. The Brewster Financial Group and DeSilva’s car dealerships, Liberty Hyundai and Liberty Subaru, were among sponsors of the event.

THREE GENERATIONS OF RAMAPO STUDENTS ATTEND SCHOLARSHIP DINNER The annual Scholarship Dinner is a chance for the community to celebrate the accomplishments of Ramapo College students and the donors who make their awards possible. Three generations of Ramapo students were present at this year’s dinner, held April 3 in the Bradley Center Arena. Student speaker Camille Menendez ’13, a Bioinformatics major, spoke about the research she conducted with two professors in the School of Theoretical and Applied Science. The project resulted in conference presentations and an article published in a professional journal. Camille received the Rodriguez Bioinformatics Scholarship and the Kraus Scholarship. The evening’s guest speaker was Debra Perry ’85, who has been recognized as one of New Jersey’s “Best 50 Women in Business” by NJBIZ, and has been a New Jersey Super Lawyer for six consecutive years. Perry, a partner with McCarter & English, spoke about her experience as a Ramapo student, and the impact a liberal arts education has had on her career. In the audience that evening was Audrey Newman ’93 and her husband, John McKendry. After a successful 20 year career in the advertising industry, Newman began working for a social service agency. She completed her degree at Ramapo College as a returning adult student and has remained active at the College after her graduation. She decided to honor her connection to Ramapo, and her commitment to her last employer, by creating a scholarship for students “interested in pursuing a career in a not-for-profit organization.” Newman and McKendry met the first recipient of the Newman Scholarship, Social Work major Michelle Mouhtis ’14, at the Dinner.

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

(Third and fourth from left): Jackie and Paul Garber met three of this year’s Garber Scholarship recipients, (second from left): Radhika Shah ’13, (second from right): Caitlin Vogel ’13, and (third from right): Danielle Corcione ’15 and their parents. The Garbers launched the awards in 2001, and as many as 10 students receive Garber Scholarships each year.

Ramapo College Foundation Executive Director Cathy Davey, honorees Ludwig Willisch, Bill Duffy, Keith Dawkins ’94, and Roy and Eileen Putrino with Fran Hackett ’80, chairperson of the Foundation’s Board of Governors.

THE CLASS OF 2013 KEEPS THE LEGACY ALIVE Peter P. Mercer accepts a check representing the amount raised by graduating seniors through The Senior Legacy Drive from Alternate Student Governor Garrett McConville ’14 and Student Governor Alexa Glynn ’13. The Senior Legacy Drive is a longstanding Ramapo College tradition that is part of the Annual Fund Campaign. It unites the graduating class and encourages seniors and their families to give back to the College. In keeping with the spirit of graduation and the theme of the Fund, $20.13 was the suggested contribution. More than $10,000 was raised; the donations will support scholarships and financial assistance for deserving students, student research grants, and resources for innovative academic program

Pictured are Pam and W. Peter McBride, Joan Rowland, John Thornton, Dr. Jackie EhlertMercer, and President Peter P. Mercer.

THANKS TO DINNER SERIES BENEFACTORS As part of the Performing Arts Dinner Series, benefactor and College Trustee W. Peter McBride and his wife, Pam, hosted a piano recital in the York Room featuring Joan Rowland. Rowland won first prize at the International Salzburg and Darmstadt competitions and has appeared

throughout Europe, Canada, and the United States. Her program consisted of works by Brahms, Mozart, Liszt, Chopin, and Mendelssohn. Benefactors of the series and invited guests enjoyed the recital and dinner at the Havemeyer House hosted by President and Dr. Ehlert-Mercer.

Dorothy and Harvey Starr endowed a scholarship this year to benefit hardworking students with financial need. (L-R): Isaiah Wilkins, Dorothy, Harmony Wilkins, the first recipient of their award, Aloha Wilkins ’15 and Harvey attended the Scholarship Dinner.

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FOUNDATION NEWS

DINNER, DANCING AND DONATING

(L-R): Board of Trustees Chairman George C. Ruotolo, Jr. and his wife, Joanne, shared a few moments with Assemblywoman Connie Wagner and Assemblyman Tim Eustace ’78.

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

Pictured are Pam and W. Peter McBride, Joan Rowland, John Thornton, Dr. Jackie EhlertMercer, and President Peter P. Mercer.

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ALUMNI NEWS

mencement 55th Annual Ramapo College Com the Class of 1973,

to cement ceremony was a tribute A highlight of this year’s commen 17 from throughout May on 3 201 of s s. Joining the Clas the College’s first graduating clas ip Kronowski Wade, CO; e Gill Rose, Toms River, NJ; Phil the country were (L-R): Christin TX; Leo Campbell, Beland, FL; Christine Rose Herlan, ert Rob NJ; od, gwo Rin t, Bret n Maryan gwood, NJ; Dennis Pierce, ka, Butler, NJ; Gerry Brennan, Rin Washington, DC; Margaret Stra Mahan, TN; Michele OR; Richard Parian, NH; Thomas Washington DC; Michael Simon, registrar of the College. , Mahwah, NJ, who is retiring as Groux, VA, and Cynthia Brennan

Corporate Alumni Chapters Alumni Corporate Chapters at UPS and KPMG serve the many alumni employed by these two prestigious global firms. The chapters work synergistically with the College by participating in career services programs and providing internships for students, while training upcoming young professionals for careers.

Learning about new campus initiatives are KPMG Corporate alumni. (Standing: L-R): Patricia Budres ’93, Amy Langevin ’93, Robert DiMarzo ’10, Donna Sullivan ’81, Karen Reiter ’93, Brittany Carroll ’09, Satoshi Tsuboi ’92, Mitchell Biarsky ’90. (Seated: L-R): Elaine Santiago ’01, Ramapo Board of Governors member and President and Trustee of the KPMG Foundation Bernie Milano, President Peter P. Mercer, and Jonathan Marcus ’93, Esq.

Twenty-two alumni represented many career opportunities available to the 60 students who attended the ASB Alumni Networking Roundtable on April 16. Pictured (Seated: L-R): ASB Advisory Board member Ron DePoalo ’86; J. Patrick Hunter ’05, ’01; Laura Roberts ’81; Eileen Comerford ’80; TinaLouise Moyer ’98; Tina Lastra Goldenberg ’06. (Standing: L-R): Cathleen Winter-Rafalko ’86; Tom Grassi, ’08; Ernest Ehling, Jr. ’86; Peter Seminara ’00, CFP; John Brewster ’75; Jonathan Marcus ’93, Esq.; Joseph Gilligan ’86; Sarah De Heer ’08; Russell Sommers ’05; Amanda Ammerman ’11; Barbara Hastie’ 82; Christine Rotonda ’99; Steven Bloom ’08; David Escudero ’11; Jill Freudenfels Stanley ’06; and Nancy Gross ’86.

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

Ramapo College alumni who work at UPS in Mahwah held a luncheon. (Standing: L-R): Mark Hilbush, vice president, Information Services; Rosanna Gonzalez-Rivas ’01; Michael Glass ’10; John Ryan ’93; Franklin Castro ’08; Timothy De Vries ’94; Brain Ballard ’06; Ramapo College President Peter P. Mercer. (Seated: L-R): William Blundo

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ALUMNI NEWS

mencement 55th Annual Ramapo College Com the Class of 1973,

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

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ALUMNI NEWS

President’s Parents Council

Members of the President’s Parents Council and guests join President Peter P. Mercer at the Havemeyer House for their year-end

2013 Athletic Hall of Fame

(Bottom: L-R): Jim Kranz, Andrew Antropow, Vahe Naljian, Ani Naljian, President Peter P. Mercer, Andrea DeRosa, James DeRosa, and Donna Jemas. (Second Row: L-R): Lisa Antropow, Ann Nieporent, John Englishman, Kim Englishman, Vincent Caravello, and Nick Jemas. (Third Row: L-R): Kathleen Kranz, Oliver Wilhelm, Michelle Wilhelm, David Paulussen, Janice Paulussen, Brian Branco, and Cyndi Branco. (Rear Row: (L-R): Cathleen Davey, Joe Ricca, Sarah Beane Ricca, Joanne Smith, David Morris, Kevin Smith, Veronica Morris, Martin McLoughlin, Mary Vitiello, Jamie McLoughlin, Richard Vitiello, Peter Scandariato, Ipsy Banerjee, Louise Riccobene, Peter Riccobene, and JoAnne Zellers.

2013 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees

The Athletic Hall of Fame recognizes and honors those who have made significant contributions to the history of intercollegiate athletic competition at Ramapo College of New Jersey. The athletes who are members represent the best of all that have participated in varsity athletics at the College.

Doug Aday Jr. ’05, Baseball Thomas Colavito ’83, Football who live President Peter P. Mercer hosted a brunch March 3 for alumni Pedro Hernandez ’03, Volleyball In attendance were Samuel Lee Ronna (Killins) Butters ’04, Cross and work in the Washington, DC area. Kristine ’94, Donna Huff ’83, Robyn Elovitz ’95, Jenna Romatowski ’07, Country/Track and Field Mercer, P. Peter nt Preside ’07, Ivanov Austria ’10, Paul Coraggio ’11, Ivan Todd Lowber ’06, Track and Field s Thoma ’04, Freud Rosa Pena-Lara ’02, Philip Chiaviello ’89, Tiffany Amin Wright, Basketball ell ’73. Campb Dennis Pierce ’73, and Leo

RC in DC

Ammazzaloroso, Sophie Okolo ’10,

Off Ice Hockey Alumni Faceteam once again took on Fairleigh Dickinson prove they don’t skate on thin ice as they

Members of Ramapo College’s Ice Hockey el, ’77, Gary L’Heureux ’82, Rich Blais, ’81, Those who played: (Standing, L-R): Ed Chap , University in the annual game and reunion. (Donald) BrianWinget ’77, Chuck Podgurski Truglio, ’85, Juan Oloriz, John Degroot, ’95, Joe ’84, ello, Nard s Jame 79, er, er, Mull r Roge , L-R): Dave Gritschke, ’81, Russ Klepp ger Jim Barrow, Tom Moriarty, ’76 (Kneeling ’80, head coach Art Chill, ’74, general mana g, and Bob Cipolli ’79. Not pictured: Bob ngella, ’86, Don Schwenker, ’83, Pat Chan Kevin Haggerty, Bob Martin, ’80, Nick Scara ion. Barrow founded Ramapo’s team in 1972 the 35th Annual Ice Hockey Alumni Reun Squire ’77 and Jim Egan. This year marked for three years and led the team to its first director of the Computer Center coached first ge’s Colle The . coach head first its and was h-up with a score of 7-4. Ramapo’s in, reported that FDU won this year’s matc capta team ni Alum the , Chill . 1974 in championship overall record against FDU is 6-2.

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

meeting.

Graduates of the Nursing Program, Class of 2013, enjoyed meeting nurses with experience in the field at the Annual Alumni Brunch. The bond developed as Nursing students continues well after graduation.

Nursing Alumni Share Experiences at Brunch The bond among the Nursing Program’s alumni is one built on shared compassion. Each spring Nursing alumni are invited back to campus for brunch. This year, Nursing students also attended the reunion, providing an opportunity for those who are in the ranks to offer encouragement to those who look forward to providing patient care.

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ALUMNI NEWS

President’s Parents Council

Members of the President’s Parents Council and guests join President Peter P. Mercer at the Havemeyer House for their year-end

2013 Athletic Hall of Fame

2013 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees

RC in DC

Ammazzaloroso, Sophie Okolo ’10,

Off Ice Hockey Alumni Faceteam once again took on Fairleigh Dickinson prove they don’t skate on thin ice as they

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

meeting.

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ALUMNI NEWS

Alumni from the Garden State Call the Peach State Home President Peter P. Mercer hosted a reunion for alumni who live and work in the Atlanta, GA, area. This was the first time they met as a group and learned of fellow alumni that are nearby.

Attending the reunion: (Standing: L-R): Francis Quansah, Tonya TannerSmith ’03, Kathija Mohammed ’08, Bryan Mohammed, President Peter P. Mercer, Jeffrey Wippler-Ohlund ’10, Benedicta Asante ’99, Suzanne Edmond ’76, Bob Edmond, (Standing: L-R): Jolie Bonnette ’11, Michelle S. JipguepSanders ’92 and Dr. Jacqueline EhlertMercer

Alumni About From San Fran to Sierra Leone (Seated: L-R): Ebony Samuel ’06, ’10, B.S.N., M.S.N.; Runa Khanom ’13; Ken Rodenheiser ’12, Abdulai Gad Swaray, Chris McKenna ’12; Ben Levy, director of International Education. (Standing: L-R): Ernest Pianim ’13; Carolyn Herring, College photographer; Dr. Jackie Ehlert-Mercer; President Peter P. Mercer; Professor of Nursing G. Elaine Patterson; Assistant Dean of Nursing Kathy Burke; and Adjunct Professor Neriko Doerr. Nursing students and staff who make the trip get an overview of community healthcare in Sierra Leone, and an introduction to the Sierra Leonean society and culture. Photo credit: Dr. Jackie Ehlert-Mercer

President Peter P. Mercer and Board of Governors member Bernard Milano present the President’s Award of Merit to Alison Banks-Moore ’77 at Ramapo’s 55th Commencement.

President’s Award of Merit Recipient Initiates Work Life Programs

Participants in the study abroad program to Sierra Leone reunited at the Havemeyer House with their guest, Abdulai Gad Swaray, whom they met while traveling there.

With a solid foundation in the liberal arts from Ramapo College, alumni have discovered that their prospects for employment are wide open. Alumni in San Francisco, CA, held a reunion. With Board of Trustees members in attendance, they were brought up to date on College academic initiatives. In attendance were (Standing: L-R): Chairman of the Board of Trustees George C. Ruotolo, Jr., Tuguldur Tungalag ’07, Caroline Ekman ’06, Tanuja Harshini Peiris ’04, Norman Crochetiere ’05, Ashley Autenrieth ’03, Kurt Schwartz ’80, Mark Forster ’77, Trustee Bill Dator, Saif Ashraf ’03, Alternate Student Trustee Anthony Darakjy ’15, Lonny Nathanson ’78, Thomas Friedrich ’01, Joanne Ruotolo, Student Trustee Nicole Panzica ’14, (Sitting: L-R): Renee Hayes ’77, President Peter P. Mercer, Dr. Jacqueline Ehlert-Mercer, and Henry Karpinski ’76

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

Alison Banks-Moore ’77, this year’s recipient of the President’s and professional relationships that support an inclusive, Award of Merit, doesn’t believe people should remain in thriving, and diverse workplace. Her commitment their comfort zone. To get ahead, she said in an interview for has resulted in the company receiving awards from Commencement, one needs to continually challenge one’s DiversityMBA Magazine, DiversityInc., AARP, Latina Style, GI self. Banks-Moore’s many accomplishments indicate that she Jobs, and Working Mother magazine. Banks-Moore received has heeded her advice. the Business Coordinator of the Year Banks-Moore is the chief diversity Award, the YWCA’s Tribute to Women officer EO/AA & Work Life Initiatives in Industry (TWIN) Award, and the “Ramapo is very entrepreneurial in for Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tri-State Diversity Council’s Award. spirit. You can grow and experience New Jersey. With more than 30 years Alison Banks-Moore offered these who you are while providing the of experience as a human resources comments about her experience foundation as you emerge as a professional, she has held various at Ramapo, “Ramapo is very professional. You are constantly positions at major corporations entrepreneurial in spirit. You can learning at Ramapo—not always including AT&T, KPMG, Cablevision, grow and experience who you are in a traditional sense—it could be and 32BJ Benefit Funds. while providing the foundation as She joined Horizon Blue Cross you emerge as a professional. You are mentoring, coaching, or networking.” in 2005 and has fostered the constantly learning at Ramapo—not company’s commitment to diversity always in a traditional sense—it could and inclusion among employees, members, physicians, and be mentoring, coaching, or networking.” business partners. Banks-Moore has harnessed the energy Initiated in 1994, The President’s Award of Merit recognizes of a dynamic organization to strengthen the personal distinguished accomplishments by Ramapo College alumni.

www.ramapo.edu

ALUMNI NEWS

President Peter P. Mercer and Board of Governors member Bernard Milano present the President’s Award of Merit to Alison Banks-Moore ’77 at Ramapo’s 55th Commencement.

President’s Award of Merit Recipient Initiates Work Life Programs

Participants in the study abroad program to Sierra Leone reunited at the Havemeyer House with their guest, Abdulai Gad Swaray, whom they met while traveling there.

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

www.ramapo.edu

ALUMNI NEWS

Alumni Key Partner in Helping Students Push Their Boundaries Countless graduates of Ramapo College have distinguished themselves in their careers. Through serving on Alumni Advisory Boards, as panelists at College-wide events, or evaluators at Senior Capstone project presentations, Ramapo alumni have emerged as key partners of the College’s goal to help students to push their boundaries—boundaries about choosing a field of study, an internship or co-op position, a research project, civic engagement or a career choice. Each school hosts alumni-student related events. Annual Roundtable Networking events give students an opportunity to ask questions of professionals who graduated from their school. Sheryl Robinson Bagalio ’88, Regulatory Affairs Certification, World Wide Regulatory Affairs director, BD Diabetes Care participated in the Salameno School of American and International Studies (SSAIS) event. She recalls feeling fortunate to have several professors who mentored her and admits, “I wish I had something similar to help guide my decisions after I left college, particularly since I graduated with a degree in Political Science. It’s hard to translate what that degree means and what to do with it moving forward.” She would like students to know that there are many options available to them if they know where to look. “The path is not always straight. In fact, the winding one most probably will better prepare them for life.” Wishing they had had the same opportunity is why, in part, alumni so eagerly share their experiences. Timothy Eustace ’78, an Assemblyman for Legislative District 38 in New Jersey, attended the annual Theoretical and Applied Science Student Research Symposium. It is a forum at which students showcase their research in oral or poster

format. “I find that the value of interaction between students and alumni is that both gain new insights,” he says. “For students, it is a chance to see what is available in the future. For alumni, it is a chance to see the talent and ideas that exist on campus.” Eustace was impressed with the preparedness and competence students exhibited in their chosen fields, far beyond the level, he says, that he felt at the same age. When Scott Stahlmann ’79 participated in the SSAIS Roundtable, he stressed building the skills, such as critical thinking, communication, analysis and research that are transferable to the workplace. Stahlmann, Manager of Global Talent Acquisition for AIG, says when he attended Ramapo College, this information exchange was achieved among students and professors in the Rathskeller. “It’s important for there to be an open forum, one that is out of the context of the curriculum.” Alumni and students from the School of Contemporary Arts Communication Arts Visual Design Program shared their thoughts and expertise during end-of-year showcase events and judged the 2013 Media Collision Exhibition. Communication Arts awards were given for graphic arts, film, and more with input from alumni panelists during “Media Collision.” Visual Arts students hosted a reception and art gallery show, “Senior Thesis,” in which they displayed their works, a culmination of months of effort. From frank networking discussions, presentations, and showcase events with alumni, students learn that pushing boundaries is a lifelong endeavor. An endeavor that can, at times, be a struggle. One that is, however, constant and worthwhile.

Alumni judges: Kristenelle Coronado ’12, Melissa Piombo ’12; Jake Stephens ’11, David Walker ’12, Marielle Kaar ’12, and student receiving design award: Matthew Guiliari ’13

Did you find love “Under the Arch” at Ramapo?

m MAEL ’12, Courtney and good friends Michael Thum uary. (L-R): Graduate school alumni of the SSHS Roundtable last Febr start the e befor t nnec reco Kenneth Veit ’12

Glaubach ’05, ’12; and

The Alumni Association would like to feature your love story in an upcoming issue of the magazine. Please tell us how you met your fellow Ramapo student and fell in love! There are over 400 alumni that we know of who met their future spouse or partner on campus. We would like to hear from you because we think your story would make a great story! Send your fond memories of how you met each other and who may have been instrumental in matchmaking. Photos from past and present are welcome! Let us know if you would be interested in serving on a committee to plan a Ramapo couples reunion. Email purvi@ramapo.edu

Gadareth Higgs ’08 listens as student Brianna D’Amato ’13 explains her work during the Thirteenth Annual Student Research Symposium.

(L-R): Felicia Crockett’13, Suzanne Sykes ’06, Ashley Wood ’13, and Antonio Regalado ’13 have a lively discussi on at the SSAIS Roundtable held in April.

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

t her career decisions at the

Phaedra Cress ’95 talks abou

CA Roundtable on March 13.

www.ramapo.edu

ALUMNI NEWS

Alumni judges: Kristenelle Coronado ’12, Melissa Piombo ’12; Jake Stephens ’11, David Walker ’12, Marielle Kaar ’12, and student receiving design award: Matthew Guiliari ’13

Did you find love “Under the Arch” at Ramapo?

m MAEL ’12, Courtney and good friends Michael Thum uary. (L-R): Graduate school alumni of the SSHS Roundtable last Febr start the e befor t nnec reco Kenneth Veit ’12

Glaubach ’05, ’12; and

Gadareth Higgs ’08 listens as student Brianna D’Amato ’13 explains her work during the Thirteenth Annual Student Research Symposium.

(L-R): Felicia Crockett’13, Suzanne Sykes ’06, Ashley Wood ’13, and Antonio Regalado ’13 have a lively discussi on at the SSAIS Roundtable held in April.

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

t her career decisions at the

Phaedra Cress ’95 talks abou

CA Roundtable on March 13.

www.ramapo.edu

CLASS NOTES

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Stryker Professional Equates Success with Communications Skills According to Cindy Schawe ’89, vice president of Strategic Marketing at Stryker, “The way you gain respect from others is by leading through influence.” For Schawe, communicating effectively is essential. She inspires and leads her enthusiastic team in collaborating with Stryker’s businesses around the world to improve the Stryker brand experience. Schawe’s passion for leadership stems from her desire to contribute to society and promote causes she truly believes in. Schawe grew up in a Ford motor company family, but after graduating from Ramapo College with a B.S. in Business Administration, she knew she wanted to work in the medical field. Healthcare offered opportunities because Cindy Schawe ’89 of its demographics, and was an industry positioned for growth. “Don’t just pick a job, pick a career you want to build upon and experience,” says Schawe. Don’t be afraid to go outside of your comfort zone.” With her liberal arts education from Ramapo College, Schawe was able to apply the knowledge and skills she gained to any field. Schawe searched through the newspapers and found an available position at Osteonics, now Stryker. At Osteonics, Schawe was accepted to participate in a new marketing associate program. The company recognized the need to bring in fresh talent, and train new employees through a two year rotation program. “This program was a great opportunity for me; it exposed me to various areas in the company and gave me a choice of career paths,” she says. As a result, I advanced rapidly, moving from marketing associate, to associate product manager, to product manager. At Stryker there is a very strong culture. People who are proactive, have a tremendous amount of energy, and are focused on the customer tend to blossom here.” Schawe’s initiative and passion caught the attention of senior management when she was promoted to associate director of Knees. After working nine years at Stryker, Schawe decided to broaden her professional experiences. In 1998, she transferred to a private company that developed bone growth stimulators and soft tissue repair systems. There, she developed skills in public relations, branding, and reimbursement. After the company was sold to Biomet in 2000, Schawe returned to Stryker. As a result of networking and maintaining connections, her previous boss from Stryker called and asked her to build a strategic marketing plan. Since returning to Stryker, Schawe has served as the vice president of Hip Marketing, a one billion dollar global business, and vice president of Health Care Economics with emphasis on health policy and government affairs. Schawe was invited to lead Stryker’s new Strategic Marketing department earlier this year. Through Strategic Marketing,

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

Schawe is focused on how to improve Stryker’s customer and brand experience in collaboration with Stryker’s businesses around the world. From her own experience Schawe recognizes the importance of having a mentor. She explains that Stryker has formal and informal programs to assist workers new to the company. What makes Schawe an effective mentor is, in part, her no nonsense approach. “Mentoring begins with the end in mind,” she says. It’s important for a mentor to not be involved in the evaluation process. There has to be trust for it to be effective.” Schawe also supports involvement with outside organizations and participation in leadership programs, conferences, forums, and industry associations. Schawe believes an awareness of world changes and developing a global perspective is important. More knowledge yields greater opportunities to lead and influence, not only within Stryker, but also in the healthcare industry at large. Schawe attributes her success to a combination of educational and work experiences, including the foundation she gained during her time at Ramapo. She was able to pursue her degree at night while working full-time. The great benefit was that her professors were bright and successful leaders in the business world, and brought stories and challenging problems to class. Schawe had the unique opportunity to apply in real time, the learning she received at Ramapo. She explains, “Communication is a life skill. You need to have strong interpersonal and communications skills in order to successfully lead and inspire others towards a common goal.” Schawe’s conviction and passion powers her professional success today. Ramapo is fortunate to have a strong partnership with Stryker. At Stryker, many Ramapo students complete internships and alumni form strong connections. In fact, it was there that Schawe met her husband, Joe, who graduated from Ramapo College in 1998 following a military career. They are happily married and raising their 12-year-old daughter, Samantha, in Bergen County.

ABOUT STRYKER: Stryker Corporation is one of the world’s leading medical technology companies dedicated to helping healthcare professionals perform their jobs more efficiently while enhancing patient care. The Company offers a diverse array of innovative medical technologies, including reconstructive, medical and surgical, and neurotechnology and spine products to help people lead more active and more satisfying lives. Whether it’s a hip or knee replacement, an endoscopy or arthroscopy procedure, surgical instruments or navigational software, Stryker’s products have a profound effect on the healthcare system. With headquarters in Mahwah, NJ, Ramapo College is exceedingly grateful for this neighbor and Business Partner. As a Business Partner, Stryker provides crucial unrestricted funding for College programs and executives serve on the Foundation Board of Governors and the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Business School. In exchange, the company often hires Ramapo College students, participates in corporate networking opportunities, consults with faculty for business needs, and arranges for use of College conference facilities. Stryker shares Ramapo College’s belief in experiential learning by hiring our students as interns.

IN MEMORIAM: STEPHEN JOHN DORMER HOWARD C. KOCMOND EDWARD THOMAS GALVIN ’74 LIZBETH A. SELAND

’74

NANCY HERKLOTZ

’75

FREDERICK JONES

’76

GORDON ANTHONY

’77

JOSEPHINE (ARGUELLES) PAINE

’81

ARTHUR G. PERRSON

’81

MARY FUHRMAN

’82

WILLIAM CONVERY III

’93

AN NGUYEN

’09

DENNIS PIERCE ’73 is director of Religious Education at St. Stephen Martyr Catholic Church in Middleburg, VA. Pierce began at St. Stephen after completing a master’s in Theology from Washington Theological Union in Washington, DC. He recently gave a talk on the virtue of piety at the Paul VI Catholic High senior boys retreat in Fairfax, VA. Pierce serves as treasurer of the Catechetical Leaders of the Diocese of Arlington, VA. AUSTIN HERCZEG ’78 retired from Maple Shade High School in Medord, NJ. He taught English there for 13 years. He also was the stage crew advisor and participated in the school’s talent show. Unabashedly, he admits he was one of the students’ favorite teachers. JULIE SHAW ’79 is an addictions counselor for Vantage Health System Inc. in Dumont, NJ. Shaw received an International Certificate in Addictions Counseling from the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium. MARK A. LOTWIS ’83 was appointed senior director of Public Policy at InterAction,

the largest alliance of U.S.-based international nongovernmental organizations that focus on disaster relief and sustainable development programs. Lotwis is responsible for shaping InterAction’s policy decisions on humanitarian relief and long-term development issues. He will also serve as a member of the organization’s senior management team. Lotwis graduated magna cum laude from Ramapo College and received a B.S. in Human Ecology and Political Science. After graduating, he worked on various projects including Save Darfur’s Coalition Advocacy Group, 21st Century Democrats, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, among others.

Thinking Moms’ Revolution, of which Limekiller and Tandari are founders. Limekiller writes under the name Saint and Tandari, Mama Bear. Info: thinkingmomsrevolution. com.

Education Association’s Congressional Contact Committee. He was also one of three NJ teachers given the opportunity to visit Washington, DC, to encourage Congress to support public schools.

PAUL MARENGO ’95 is director of Development for GALA Hispanic Theatre.

SHANNON NOCE FANNING ’06 was accepted into the Iowa State University’s Ph.D. program in Rhetoric & Professional Communication. She will join the program this fall as a student and a graduate composition instructor.

JAY SEALS ’98 was awarded the 2013 Robert Pastorelli Rising Star Award at the Garden State Film Festival. LISA JOHN ’00 was named a partner of Genova Burns Giantomasi Webster LLC. She is a member of the firm’s Land Use and Zoning, Commercial Real Estate, Redevelopment and Environmental Law and Tax Appeal Practice groups. BRIAN HEINEMAN ’01 was named assistant principal at William Annin Middle School in Bernards Township, NJ. Previously, Heineman was the district’s supervisor of Science and Technology. He earned his master’s degree in Education Technology from Ramapo College.

KELLY-ANN DI GIULIO ’02 and Adam Light were married August 25, 2012, at Nanina’s In The Park in Belleville, NJ. Di Giulio is associate director of Athletics and director of Sports Information at Dominican College in Blauvelt, NY. The couple honeymooned in St. Lucia and resides in Hawthorne, NJ.

DEBRA M. PERRY, ESQ. ’85 was recognized by NJBIZ as one of New Jersey’s 50 Best Women in Business. JONATHAN MARCUS ’93, ESQ., will succeed Ellen Stein as board alternate for a one-year term on the Mahwah Planning Board. He is assistant general counsel at a tax audit firm. Three alumni, HELEN KORONIDES CONROY ’95, JENN LIMEKILLER ’92, AND JUDI TANDARI ’96 each wrote a chapter for The Thinking Moms’ Revolution - Autism Beyond The Spectrum: Inspiring True Stories From Parents Fighting To Rescue Their Children. Twenty-three moms and one dad make up The

ERIC MELNICZEK ’97 published a book, Transition to the Real World. It is available through Amazon and CreateSpace eBook. He is director of Career Services at High Point University in High Point, NC. MICHAEL RYAN ’01 was honored by Greater Media at the “Teacher Who Rocks” at an awards banquet April 23. Ryan is the Bergen County representative to New Jersey

HEATHER KNIZHNIK ’02, and her husband Ilya, announced the birth of their son, Yefim Ernest Knizhnik (nicknamed Yofi). He was born October 6, 2012, at the Bryn Mawr Birth Center. He weighed 8 lbs., 4 oz. The couple resides in Philadelphia, PA. Knizhnik received a Master of Environmental Studies degree from the University of Pennsylvania this past August.

www.ramapo.edu

CLASS NOTES

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

IN MEMORIAM: STEPHEN JOHN DORMER HOWARD C. KOCMOND EDWARD THOMAS GALVIN ’74 LIZBETH A. SELAND

’74

NANCY HERKLOTZ

’75

FREDERICK JONES

’76

GORDON ANTHONY

’77

JOSEPHINE (ARGUELLES) PAINE

’81

ARTHUR G. PERRSON

’81

MARY FUHRMAN

’82

WILLIAM CONVERY III

’93

AN NGUYEN

’09

Thinking Moms’ Revolution, of which Limekiller and Tandari are founders. Limekiller writes under the name Saint and Tandari, Mama Bear. Info: thinkingmomsrevolution. com.

Education Association’s Congressional Contact Committee. He was also one of three NJ teachers given the opportunity to visit Washington, DC, to encourage Congress to support public schools.

PAUL MARENGO ’95 is director of Development for GALA Hispanic Theatre.

www.ramapo.edu

KEVIN LUCCARELLI ’02 and Kerry Burke announced their engagement. Luccarelli is an account executive with Schumacher Cargo Logistics, Los Angeles, CA. A late 2013 wedding is planned.

TYRON EGGLESTON ’03 and KATE EGGLESTON ’05 celebrated the birth of their daughter, Elizabeth Pinkham Eggleston, on March 26, 2013. The Egglestons met at Ramapo and have been together for 10 years. In 2007, they were married by Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Pat and Anne Chang.

JOANNA DEGROOT NICHOLS ’00 announced the birth of her son, Ethan Trey, born February 26, 2013. He weighed 4 lbs., 7 oz. and measured 18 inches. MICHELLE MASKALY ’03 is editor-in-chief of Pet Age, a business-to-business trade magazine that covers the pet industry. She is responsible for all editorial content, both print and web, social media, publicity and managing a staff of full-time writers and freelancers. ERICA SCHWEIKERT VENEZIA ’03 announced the birth of Rachel Margaret, born November 24, 2012 at 4:45 p.m. She weighed 8 lbs., 12 oz. and measured 20 32

inches long. Rachel joins big sister Hope (17-monthsold) and angel sister, Faith. TOM MARCINOWSKI ’05 is director of Client Services at Marketsmith, Inc. in Parsippany, NJ. He resides in West Milford, NJ. JONATHAN VERPENT ’05 has a goal to complete “30 good deeds” by his 30th birthday in August. He’s volunteered for various programs such as rebuilding the shore after Hurricane Sandy, mentoring children, providing meals for the homeless, teaching computer skills, and leading a game night at a rehabilitation and nursing home. Verpent intends to continue his volunteer work after he achieves his 30 good deeds goal. KRISTYN (ECOCHARD) DAMADEO ’06 and ALEXANDRA WALCZAK ’06 have a tradition of participating in the Run for Your Life 5K in Baltimore, MD. Billed as a Zombie infected race, the event features an obstacle course and gruesome, scary zombies. KATHERINE PRTORICH CPHT ’06 became engaged to William Frannicola March 2, 2013. A March 2014 wedding is planned at the Richfield Regency in Verona, NJ. Prtorich passed the EXCPT exam and is a nationally certified pharmacy technician. Prtorich works as a clinical specialist in the CBA Drug Coverage Department at Express Scripts, located in Franklin Lakes, NJ. ANNA MARIE SCOTTI ’06 is manager of Broadcast Operations at MLB Network and is the recipient of a 2011 Sports Emmy for Outstanding Technical Team Studio. CHRISTOPHER BARBARINO ’07 became engaged to Nicole D’Angelo. A July 2014 wedding is planned. Barbarino is a real estate underwriter for Spencer Savings Bank. GRACE HELBIG ’07 was awarded a Streamy Award for the Best First-Person Series and Audience Choice Personality of the Year. Helbig is the host of the video blog, Daily Grace, which has over 1 million subscribers and

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

117 million video views on YouTube. Helbig was also listed in Time Magazine’s 140 Best Twitter Feeds of 2012. BLAIRE WHITNEY POLLOCK ’07 and Christopher Pio were married October 6, 2012, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Pompton Lakes, NJ. Pollock works in investment banking. The couple honeymooned in St. Thomas and resides in Wayne, NJ. DAVE SHAW ’07 will publish a graphic novel that caters to aficionados of the Adult Swim type of humor and style. A one-minute teaser may be viewed on www. youtube.com, Zooillogical #1: Marooned. JAWHARAH MUHAMMAD ’08, a Grade 6 Mathematics teacher at the Fred W. Martin Center for the Arts in Jersey City was awarded Teacher of the Year. There are 40 schools with more than 2,000 teachers in the district. Only 40 teachers were chosen to receive this award. Muhammad accepted the award at a luncheon held in February.

GINA BRYNILDSEN ’09 was accepted into the Ph.D. program in Business with a concentration in Marketing at Florida Atlantic University. MARIA GARTNER ’09 was engaged to Rami Ratel. A November 28, 2014, wedding is planned. Gartner is a registered nurse and is the staff development and infection prevention coordinator at Laurelton Village Care Center in Brick, NJ. JESSICA DAWN THURSTON ’09 and Elio Perito were married May 2012 and honeymooned in Punta Cana. Thurston is a manager at Victoria’s Secret. The couple resides in Allendale, NJ with their Bengal kittens, Simba and Bella. JORDANNA SURIANI ’09 and SEAMUS MAZIARZ ’09 announced their engagement. A September 2013 wedding is planned. Suriani is employed as an admissions counselor at Ramapo College and Maziarz is a federal auditor for the Department of the Treasury.

SUMMER SARACINIELLO ’08 and Jason Boehm were married September 2, 2012, in an outdoor ceremony at White Meadow Lake Country Club in Rockaway, NJ. Saraciniello is employed by The Seeing Eye in Morristown, NJ. The couple resides in Stanhope, NJ. JEFFREY DELOS SANTOS ’09 and Desiree Warren were married June 29, 2013, at Perona Farms in Andover, NJ. Delos Santos is an enrollment services coordinator at Ramapo College.

STEVEN PARDALIS ’09 and MELISSA ANDERSEN ’09 announced their engagement. The proposal took place at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom in May 2012. An October 2013 wedding is planned. Andersen is a print production assistant for Wakefern Food Corporation. Pardalis graduated from Seton Hall Law School in May 2012 and is a law clerk to the Honorable Paul A. Kapalko, Monmouth County Superior Court, Civil Division.

Ramapo alumni Christine Harrigan, Eliza Kelton, Kimberly Rath, Manny Rosario, Christopher Martin and JP Adduchio will be part of the wedding party. JENNIFER COHEN ’10 will graduate this month from Rutgers’ Master of Library and Information Science program with a specialization in digital libraries. JASON M. KOLINSKY ’10 is an investment advisor representative and life and health insurance producer at Kolinsky Wealth Management, LLC. (KWM). Kolinsky has been authorized by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards to use the certification marks CFP®, Certified Financial Planner™, and CFP® in accordance with CFP Board certification and renewal requirements. Kolinsky focuses on financial planning strategies and wealth management solutions for businesses and individuals. He is also the chief compliance officer for KWM and maintains a seat on the investment committee. Kolinsky volunteers for Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels, and other notfor-profit organizations. KAITLYN ROSE HAITZ ’10 and KENNETH MICHAEL O’DONOHUE ’09 married June 16, 2012, at St. Paul R.C. Church in Ramsey, NJ. Haitz is an assistant estimator for the family business and O’Donohue attends Rutgers School of Law. The couple honeymooned in St. John.

Relations in Woodcliff Lake, NJ. The couple honeymooned in the Dominican Republic and resides in Allendale, NJ. VICTORIA MAE RAUCH ’10 and Paul Alexander Dunn were married November 25, 2012, at the Rockleigh Country Club, NY. Rauch works at Northern Valley Regional High School in Demarest, NJ, and The Huntington Learning Center. Dunn attends Ramapo College and is a Mathematics major. The couple honeymooned at the Polynesian Resort in Disney World and resides in Oradell, NJ. DAYNA FUCARINO ’11 was promoted to senior account manager for The DSM Group, a public relations and marketing agency located in Franklin Lakes, NJ. JESSICA VASQUEZ ’11 was the production assistant of the independent horror film, “Sheriff Tom vs. The Zombies.”

RYAN PIERCE MANCINI ’10 and Steve Drejman were married November 2, 2012, at Holy Family Church in Union Beach, NJ. The couple has been together since meeting at Ramapo through a mutual friend. Mancini is a publicist at Maximum Exposure Public

DANA SWEATLOCK ’12 and Edward Trikleback announced their engagement. Sweatlock is an environmental scientist at Partner Engineering and Science, Inc. in Ramsey, NJ. The couple plans an April 2014 wedding.

Giving to Ramapo... It’s easier than ever!

MAJEDA SULTANA ’12 accepted a post-graduate position at Columbia University to complete a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Sultana is the assistant director of Upward Bound at Ramapo College, a program in which she participated in high school.

COURTNEY BRACH ’12 accepted a position as a publicity assistant for Touchstone at Simon and Schuster. FRANK DI DOLCI ’12 was appointed the Westwood, NJ, branch manager of the Pascack Community Bank. Di Dolci previously held the position of vice president. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration and Management from Ramapo College.

CHRISTINA (KOVAL) DIMUZIO ’09 and Frank DiMuzio were married October 29, 2011, at Saint Francis of Assisi Cathedral in Metuchen, NJ. Koval is a registered nurse at a local hospital. The couple resides in Parlin, NJ. EMILY MIGLIORE ’09 and Joseph Centimole Jr. announced their engagement. The proposal took place on the beach in the summer of 2012 and the wedding is planned for August 3, 2013. Emily is a high school mathematics teacher at East Brunswick High School.

PAUL CORAGGIO ’11 was selected to participate in the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX). CBYX is a year-long, federally funded fellowship for participants to study and work in Germany. Coraggio and 74 other participants were selected out of over 600 applicants to participate in this program.

KAYLA HEASLIP ’12 passed the CPA exam and is a staff accountant for WithumSmith+Brown, PC.

ROBERT SKEAD ’87 is the author of Something to Prove: The Great Satchel Paige vs. Rookie Joe DiMaggio. The book takes readers back to 1936 when the New York Yankees wanted to test a hot prospect named Joe DiMaggio to see if he was ready for the big leagues. They knew just the ballplayer to put Joe to the test—Satchel Paige, the best pitcher anywhere, black or white. Will the rookie DiMaggio prove himself as major league player? Or will Paige once again prove his greatness—and the inequality of segregated baseball? Visit www.lernerbooks.com for free downloads.

Ramapo continues its proud tradition of providing the tools which foster excellence in education, and Ramapo College alumni, parents, students, faculty/ staff, friends, and board members are a driving force in supporting the Annual Fund. Ramapo depends on these gifts to support the mission of the College.

SO JUST POINT, CLICK, GIVE! www.ramapo.edu/giving/annualfund

www.ramapo.edu

KEVIN LUCCARELLI ’02 and Kerry Burke announced their engagement. Luccarelli is an account executive with Schumacher Cargo Logistics, Los Angeles, CA. A late 2013 wedding is planned.

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

Giving to Ramapo... It’s easier than ever!

KAYLA HEASLIP ’12 passed the CPA exam and is a staff accountant for WithumSmith+Brown, PC.

SO JUST POINT, CLICK, GIVE! www.ramapo.edu/giving/annualfund

www.ramapo.edu

COURTS AND FIELDS

FAVRE CAPS STELLAR CAREER AS NATIONAL CHAMPION

Cross Country/Track and Field, Field Hockey, Women’s Soccer, Men’s Soccer, Women’s Tennis, Women’s Basketball, Men’s Basketball, Women’s Swimming, Men’s Swimming, Men’s Tennis, Men’s Volleyball, Women’s Lacrosse, Softball, and Baseball graduating seniors

CONGRATULATIONS AND GOOD LUCK SENIORS

Michelle Favre ’13

Cross Country/Track & Field: Jessica Bunone, Lindsey McKee, Taylor Shanley, Aaron Beaty, Tim Paziora, Michelle Favre, Gina Marie Germinario, Teresa Kirkpatrick, Anita Rogers, Katie Walsh, Tom Bohlin, Ackeme Brown, Russell Jenkins, Adam Lazor, Brad McNamara, Jaivon Palmer ,Jamar Pierce, Dillon Rodgers; Field Hockey: Victoria Ahlers, Katie Bruno, Rebecca Elliott, Amanda Ferry, Samantha Gardner, Alex Polizzo, Rachel Wintermute; Women’s Soccer: Stephanie Andolino, Samantha Belfer, Catherine Giancaspro, Kaitlin Griffith, Rebecca Maccia; Men’s Soccer: Kevin Carbone, Joey Kane, Dave LoBue, Jaivon Palmer, Rob Santaniello, Brett Tracey, Danny Walsh, Andrew Willcox; Women’s Tennis: Hayley Downing, Gira Patel; Women’s Basketball: Faith Flannery; Men’s Basketball: Elgin Brown, AJ LoRusso, Mike Nweme, Will Sanborn, Garret Thiel, Stephon Treadwell; Women’s Swimming: Breanna Salazar, Brenda Slazyk; Men’s Swimming: Andrew English, Alex Krueger, Frank Patierno, Kyle Plucinsky, Geoff Richter, Robert Stein; Men’s Tennis: Matt Giuliari, Jacob Wyble; Men’s Volleyball: Andrew Balint, Harsh Prajapati; Women’s Lacrosse: Brianne Deptuch, Amanda Ferry, JT Kelly; Softball: Janet Brown, Kelsey Higgins, Amanda Kent, Lisa Orlando; Baseball: Ryan Arnone, Frank Baldini, PJ Cerreto, Dave Jacob, Dan LaRocca, Jimmy Knight, Christian Spurr, Bryan Sullivan, Anthony Vinci, Travis Zilg

WINTERMUTE, LUCINSKY NAMED SCHOLAR ATHLETES

Michelle Favre ’13

Stellar is one way to describe the career of senior track and field star, Michelle Favre ’13. She is in the record books for many “firsts” here at Ramapo, and she will certainly one day be a Ramapo College hall of famer. Favre has collected numerous post-season awards for her outstanding performances with the Track and Field Team, while at the same time earning accolades for her dedication to her education. She is a five-time All-American, a scholar athlete, and a two-time Division III NCAA National Champion. “She is a true example of what being a high-level student-athlete is all about. Head Coach Mike Jackson said, “She’s the best student-athlete in all of athletics, and one of the best athletes in the country.” Favre quickly made her mark as a top athlete, and the best pole vaulter, to come through the program here at Ramapo. During her first three seasons with the

team, she earned numerous NJAC All-Conference honors, multiple All-American honors, was named NJAC Rookie and Field Athlete of the Year on three occasions, and most importantly, helped lead her team to the first ever women’s NJAC Championship title, winning the first of her two individual conference championships. Her senior season proved to be much of the same, and much more. Favre again earned NJAC All-Conference honors, and was named NJAC Field Athlete of the Year, AllAmerican, USTFCCCA Regional Athlete of the Year, and NJAIAW Woman of the Year. She became a record holder in her event when she placed 1st overall at the 2013 ECAC Championship. Her jump of 4.21-meters (13’ 9.75”), broke the all-time DIII indoor record, which she claimed by a half inch. Most importantly, Favre reached the goal of any NCAA athlete. In the winter of 2013, she captured a

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

National Championship. Favre cleared 4.05-meters (13-03.50), to win the pole vault, and earn All-American honors. During the outdoor season, Favre won the historic Penn Relays on April 25, when she cleared 4.10-meters (13-5.25), beating out Division I competitors. Favre went on to win the NJAC Championships, before collecting her second straight National title at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, with a jump of 4.10-meters. For her efforts this season in her sport, Favre was honored as the Athletic Department’s Betty Logan Female Athlete of the Year, and for the continuation of accomplishments into the classroom, she earned the Ramapo College Career Award, which honors someone who has made an impact on the playing field or court, in the classroom, and as a person. Academically, Favre earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team

honors, was a member of the NSCS Honors Society, Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society, Golden Key Honors Society, Tri-Beta Biology Honors Society, and the NJAC All-Academic Team. She was the first-ever studentathlete at Ramapo to earn the CoSida Capital One Academic All-American honor. Favre was a member of the Pre-Med Club, Biology Club, TAS Journal Club, and TAS honors research program. She wrapped up her college education with a 3.959 grade point average, and graduated in May with a degree in Biology and a minor in Psychology. Favre has been spending the months after graduation continuing to train in the pole vault. She hopes to compete at the USA Championships, and eventually in the Olympics. Favre will pursue her education to become a physical therapist in the fall.

Senior field hockey student-athlete, Rachel Wintermute ’13, and senior swimmer, Kyle Plucinsky 13, were named the Ramapo College Senior Scholar Athletes this year after excelling in the classroom throughout their collegiate careers.

Rachel Wintermute ’13

Wintermute, a four-year member, and this year’s captain of the field hockey team, graduated in May with a degree in Communications, with a concentration in Journalism. She also minored in Political Science, Human Rights, and Genocide Studies. As an exemplary student in the classroom, Wintermute received multiple achievement awards including the Outstanding Leadership Award, Outstanding Student Service Award, Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society, Golden Key Honors Society, Chi Alpha Sigma Honors Society, and Lambda Pi Eta Communications Honors Society, while being named to the prestigious National Field Hockey Coaches Association Scholars of Distinction List. Wintermute was named to the Ramapo College Athletic Director’s All-Academic Team, NJAC All-Academic Team, and the College’s Dean’s List all four years. While at Ramapo, she served on the Ramapo News staff, was a Student Ambassador, served on the RASA Advisory Board, and the Judicial Review Board. Wintermute wrapped up her collegiate career as the top female student-athlete with a 3.959 grade point average. Plucinsky, a four-year member, and one of this year’s captains of the men’s swim team, graduated in May with a degree in Math, certification in Elementary Education, and a minor in Psychology. A model student-athlete, Plucinksy recently received the department’s Robert A. Scott Sportsmanship Award, while being named to the Ramapo College Athletic Director’s All-Academic Team, NJAC All-Academic Team, and the College’s Dean’s List all four years. Plucinsky was a member of Building Tomorrow, Math Club, RASA, and was a math tutor for the department. He earned Chi Alpha Sigma and Alpha Lambda Delta honors, while serving as a member of SAAC. Plucinsky wrapped up his collegiate career, as the top male studentathlete, with a 3.870 grade point average.

Kyle Plucinsky ’13

www.ramapo.edu

COURTS AND FIELDS

FAVRE CAPS STELLAR CAREER AS NATIONAL CHAMPION

CONGRATULATIONS AND GOOD LUCK SENIORS

Michelle Favre ’13

WINTERMUTE, LUCINSKY NAMED SCHOLAR ATHLETES

Michelle Favre ’13

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

Rachel Wintermute ’13

Kyle Plucinsky ’13

www.ramapo.edu

DATEBOOK

CLASS OF 2013

55th Commencement Ceremony

MONDAY, AUGUST 5– FRIDAY, AUGUST 9

Held At IZOD Center

9 a.m.-4 p.m., ASB-527 Financial Literacy/Stock Market Trading Program for High School Students Sign up at: www.ramapo.edu/ cipl/youth/stockmarketfinlit. html

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 1 p.m. Yoga Teacher Certification (RYS School) Information Sessions, B-224

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4 Average White Band – 8 p.m. Sharp Theater at the Russ and Angelica Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts. Call the Box Office for tickets at 201.684.7844.

www.ramapo.edu/cipl/ certificates/yoga.html

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20 Galumpa – 3 p.m. Sharp Theater at the Russ and Angelica Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts. Call the Box Office for tickets at 201.684.7844.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8 Maureen McGovern – 7 p.m. Sharp Theater at the Russ and Angelica Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts. Call the Box Office for tickets at 201.684.7844.

5 p.m. Yoga Teacher Certification (RYS School) Information Sessions, B-224 www.ramapo.edu/cipl/ certificates/yoga.html

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5

Alumni Plus Education Program Fall Registration— 3 – 6 p.m., E-233.

Marlene VerPlanck

Contact: purvi@ramapo.edu for information.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

8 p.m. – Sharp Theater at the Russ and Angelica Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts. Call the Box Office for tickets at 201.684.7844.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26 Rondell Sheridan – 8 p.m. Sharp Theater at the Russ and Angelica Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts. Call the Box Office for tickets at 201.684.7844.

9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Sunday, September 15, 12–9 p.m. Personal Trainer Certification Sign up at: www.ramapo.edu/ cipl/certificates/ptia.html

NEW! HTML5 MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT CERTIFICATE For information visit www. ramapo.edu/cipl/certificates/ mobile-app

Eileen Ivers – 4 and 8 p.m. Sharp Theater at the Russ and Angelica Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19 Westchester Jazz Orchestra – 8 p.m. Sharp Theater at the Russ and Angelica Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts. Call the Box Office for tickets at 201.684.7844.

COMING SOON! ICD-10 MEDICAL CODING/ ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS CERTIFICATE. For information contact CIPL at 201.684.7370.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14

Call the Box Office for tickets at 201.684.7844.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. & Sunday, September 15, 12–9 p.m. Personal Trainer Certification

More than 10,000 well-wishers gathered at the IZOD Center May 17 to congratulate Ramapo College’s Class of 2013. New Jersey State Assemblyman Timothy Eustace (D-38), Class of 1978, delivered the commencement address. Eustace, a chiropractor who received a scholarship to attend the College, urged graduates to be compassionate. Among the 1,497 graduates, 373 received Latin Honors and 21 completed the College’s Honors Program. Another 250 were recognized by the more than 40 academic honor societies. New graduates were joined by members of the Class of 1973—the College’s first class—who celebrated their 40th graduation anniversary. President Peter P. Mercer urged students to push boundaries and create thoughtful solutions by looking at problems from many perspectives. He and George C. Ruotolo Jr., chair of the College’s Board of Trustees, congratulated each graduate. Alison Banks Moore, Class of 1977, received the President’s Award of Merit, which recognizes distinguished accomplishments by Ramapo College alumni. (See page 27) Founding faculty member Tom Goss, professor emeritus, was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree for his leadership in establishing interdisciplinary learning. Ellen Grocela presented the Student Address. She earned a B.A. in Communication Arts.

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27 Hotel California: A Salute to the Eagles – 7 p.m. Sharp Theater at the Russ and Angelica Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts. Call the Box Office for tickets at 201.684.7844.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27 Arturo O’Farrill Quintet with Special Guest Claudia Acuna – 8 p.m. Sharp Theater at the Russ and Angelica Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts. Call the Box Office for tickets at 201.684.7844.

(L-R): Board of Governors member W. Peter McBride, Alumni Association Board Chair Carolyn Merkel ’78, Ellen Grocela ’13, Board of Governors member Bernard Milano, 2013 Presidential Award of Merit recipient Alison Banks-Moore ’77, Provost Beth Barnett, President Peter P. Mercer, Board of Trustees Chairperson George C. Ruotolo, Jr., Chief Planning Officer Dorothy Echols-Tobe, the Reverend Dr. Vernon C. Walton, NJ State Assemblyman Timothy Eustace ’78, past Chairperson of the Board of Trustees A.J. Sabath ’93, Chair of the Board of Governors Bill Dator, and Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the Ramapo College Foundation Cathleen Davey

Associate Professor of Microbiology Thomas Owen and Associate Professor Music Industry and Production Benjamin Neill, bear the Mace at Commencement. Owen and Neill received the 2013 Fred and Florence Thomas Teaching Award

www.ramapo.edu

DATEBOOK

CLASS OF 2013

55th Commencement Ceremony

MONDAY, AUGUST 5– FRIDAY, AUGUST 9

Held At IZOD Center

9 a.m.-4 p.m., ASB-527 Financial Literacy/Stock Market Trading Program for High School Students Sign up at: www.ramapo.edu/ cipl/youth/stockmarketfinlit. html

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 1 p.m. Yoga Teacher Certification (RYS School) Information Sessions, B-224

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4 Average White Band – 8 p.m. Sharp Theater at the Russ and Angelica Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts. Call the Box Office for tickets at 201.684.7844.

www.ramapo.edu/cipl/ certificates/yoga.html

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20 Galumpa – 3 p.m. Sharp Theater at the Russ and Angelica Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts. Call the Box Office for tickets at 201.684.7844.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8 Maureen McGovern – 7 p.m. Sharp Theater at the Russ and Angelica Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts. Call the Box Office for tickets at 201.684.7844.

5 p.m. Yoga Teacher Certification (RYS School) Information Sessions, B-224 www.ramapo.edu/cipl/ certificates/yoga.html

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5

Alumni Plus Education Program Fall Registration— 3 – 6 p.m., E-233.

Marlene VerPlanck

Contact: purvi@ramapo.edu for information.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

8 p.m. – Sharp Theater at the Russ and Angelica Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts. Call the Box Office for tickets at 201.684.7844.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26 Rondell Sheridan – 8 p.m. Sharp Theater at the Russ and Angelica Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts. Call the Box Office for tickets at 201.684.7844.

9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Sunday, September 15, 12–9 p.m. Personal Trainer Certification Sign up at: www.ramapo.edu/ cipl/certificates/ptia.html

NEW! HTML5 MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT CERTIFICATE For information visit www. ramapo.edu/cipl/certificates/ mobile-app

Eileen Ivers – 4 and 8 p.m. Sharp Theater at the Russ and Angelica Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19 Westchester Jazz Orchestra – 8 p.m. Sharp Theater at the Russ and Angelica Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts. Call the Box Office for tickets at 201.684.7844.

COMING SOON! ICD-10 MEDICAL CODING/ ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS CERTIFICATE. For information contact CIPL at 201.684.7370.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14

Call the Box Office for tickets at 201.684.7844.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. & Sunday, September 15, 12–9 p.m. Personal Trainer Certification

Ramapo College Magazine Summer 2013

www.ramapo.edu

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

505 Ramapo Valley Road Mahwah, NJ 07430-1623 www.ramapo.edu

Pushing Boundaries SUCCESS BEYOND RAMAPO For 40 years Ramapo College has launched graduates who have succeeded in Pushing Boundaries both personally and professionally. Today, Ramapo College continues to inspire its students. Hear what our alumni say about these four promises:

Faculty who teach and mentor Katrine Beck ’97 SSAIS, Partner, Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker, LLP, White Plains, NY “The faculty were advisors and mentors and always had time to answer questions. They were dedicated and took interest in their students. Because of the small class sizes, I received individual attention and it forced me to be prepared and ready to participate.”

Hands-on learning and professional development that prepares Gadareth Higgs ’08 TAS, Ph.D. Student in Computational Biology & Bioinformatics Yale University, New Haven, CT “At Ramapo, I gained exceptional practical experience through direct mentorship and scientific training from outstanding professors. Here, I conducted bioinformatics research on quadruplex-forming G-rich sequences throughout the academic year. This led to my acceptance into summer research programs at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard. Now, thanks to the training, advice, and support I received at Ramapo, I am pursuing my doctorate in a distinguished graduate program.”

A Foundation for a lifetime of achievement Kyle Boettke ’01 ASB, Vice-President of Sales Operations at Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP) “Classes at Ramapo facilitated teamwork and creativity which taught me and my peers how to think strategically and work well with others. This was an important foundation for my career as it fueled my passion to lead and collaborate.“

The advantages of a small elite college at an affordable price Nancy E. Gross ’86 ASB, Marketing Development Manager Coca-Cola Refreshments “Ramapo College gave me the chance to express my creative ideas and experience ongoing opportunities and learning. Attending Ramapo College changed my life for the better, allowing me a great education, studying abroad, student employment, and wonderful memories that will last a lifetime. “