OCTOBER
Photo by: Jess Talos Department of Art: Professor Foti and students
2020
ADVISORY BOARD CHAIR’S MESSAGE:
W
illiam Paterson College (it was not yet a University) helped to shape my future in so many ways before graduating in 1975 as a Sociology Major. At that time, there was no way to predict that 45 years later, William Paterson University would again play such an important role in my life as Chair of the College of Arts and Communication Advisory Board. To this day, I attribute my career success to my WP education, which included considerably more than just classroom learning. It all literally started at The Beacon, the WP student-run newspaper, when a local weekly newspaper editor called to find a student who could immediately cover and report on a high school fire in Wayne. Since I was the only one in the office, I said sure. That moment launched my career, which has spanned over 40 years, first as a newspaper reporter/editor at The Herald News, then in executive positions at leading multimedia publishing companies—including McGraw-Hill, IDG and Reed Elsevier--which produced magazines, websites, events and books. Today, I am delighted to serve as Chair of the COAC Advisory Board and am looking forward to working with the other dedicated Board members, some of whom will be featured in future Spotlight editions, as we focus on this year’s goals to help support the COAC under the leadership of Interim Dean Loretta Mc Laughlin Vignier. These goals embrace the following areas: Mentorship, Fundraising, Student Recruitment and Advisory Board Expansion. I am especially excited about collaborating with the Pesce Family Mentoring Institute, which helps students prepare for their careers by, among other things, matching them with mentors, who can offer career advice and guidance. I have personally worked with the Institute for over five years and have found mentoring to be one of the most gratifying experiences of my entire career. When I first meet a mentee, I always strongly suggest he or she expand beyond the classroom and get involved in other campus activities, whether that’s the newspaper, radio station, music, art or other areas. For me, The Beacon actually turned out to be the most vital classroom on campus because it not only offered a chance to practice a craft that would later become a career, but it helped forge lifelong friendships. The ultimate example: I met my wife of almost 43 years, Susan (Kelliher), while we were on the college newspaper in the 1970s. She now also serves on the COAC Advisory Board. Warm regards, Colin Ungaro, Chair of the College of Arts and Communication Advisory Board
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1974, in the Beacon Office
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To this day, I attribute my career success to my WP education, which included considerably more than just classroom learning.
Dr. David Demsey Faculty of the Month Department of Music
1. How long have you worked in WP’s Music Department? It’s amazing to write this – but I’ve been Coordinator of Jazz Studies since 1992. This year makes 29 years! In the long history of the Jazz Program, this position has been held only by the program’s founder, Dr. Martin Krivin, and by me. It continues to be an amazing experience to work with colleagues at this level. My jazz record collection and my lunchtime companions are the same people! I get to teach and work alongside some of the world’s greatest musicians and I never take that for granted. 2. What led you to pursue a career in Music and what Jazz musicians have inspired you? My career choice is like most pro musicians: most people don’t “choose music,” it chooses them. Early in high school, I was involved in architectural design, and I was a lefthanded baseball pitcher but I realized my saxophone velocity was a lot better than my fastball! I was accepted when I was 16 into a high school all-star group called The Greater Bostonians (I’m a Boston area native). They rehearsed at the local CBS affiliate TV station, did an annual TV show and made an album every year. I was playing with some super talented young people from around the city. I started practicing all the time, and that was it! I was hooked. I fell in love with performing and being around music. I was very lucky to have studied with two truly legendary saxophone teachers: Joe Viola, who was head of the woodwind department at Berklee College of Music in Boston (I went to Berklee for these lessons during high school), and later for my Master’s degree at Juilliard with the great Joe Allard – Joe taught many famous saxophonists, so I was fortunate to be in some very good company. There were also several players who have been big personal influences: Michael Brecker (whose archive we have here at WP) was a fellow Allard student who was a great mentor to me. Clark Terry continues to be a great inspiration, as a musician and as a person – I was so blessed to have worked with him on his archive for ten years and played alongside him in his small group and his big band. I am also inspired every semester by my jazz colleagues.
Professor Rainy Lehrman Adjunct of the Month Department of Art
1. What advice would you provide to students pursuing a career in Art? Show as much art as you can while you are still in school, donate it to any cause that will get your name in group shows, invite guest curators and create your own group shows, pool resources with other students and make it happen both on and off campus. Lastly, don’t focus on the audience, just get as much of it as you can out there. 2. Some of your work focuses on the waste created through the labor of woodworking. What made you decide to focus on this? I have an ongoing project entitled Labor Byproduct. This work is about the process of making rather than the end result. As a woodworker, I make a lot of sawdust. This material is the byproduct of my labor and it is accumulative. Layer upon layer, sawdust reflects the nature of my labor and the time involved in making. Often, the objects we make are for someone else, the sawdust left behind is just for me and proof of my labor, hence why I use it.
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Michael “Mike Medium” Pierre Alumni of the Month Department of Communication
1. While attending WP, you worked at Brave New Radio. Explain that experience and how it impacted your career in Radio. Great question! Let’s start from the beginning a bit. I love music and one of my goals was to become a full-time music producer. I didn’t know how I would accomplish this but I knew media production was in the ballpark. I took Professor Lorra Brown’s class, which explored all aspects of the communication fields. We had an assignment to join a club on campus that related to our interests. I told Professor Brown that I couldn’t find a club that I wanted to join and that all I wanted to do was listen to music and make beats. She replied, “Why don't you join the radio station?” I replied, “We have a radio station?” I really didn’t know; so, I went upstairs, and asked for an application. Long story short, I got in and I worked my way up from interning to having my own midday show to then having my own hip-hop show called The Michael Medium Show. I also deejayed another hip-hop show, The Come Up Radio. I then was honored to be the Production Director. I treated the station like practice, so I was ready for terrestrial and satellite radio. I read a book by Lauren Berger, All Work, No Pay: Finding an Internship, Building Your Resume, Making Connections, and Gaining Job Experience, which helped me better understand how to get an internship. I wrote down all the places I wanted to intern: HOT 97 and SiriusXM among other stations. I still have the list in my Gmail notes. I did not get accepted to any of the internships I applied for; instead, I got hired on the spot. I started off on the street team, then got promoted to production, then programming, and now I am on air. If I didn’t learn production from Professor Odabike, I most likely would not have been able to elevate from the street team to production. I obtained most of these accomplishments while attending WP. 2. Are you currently working on any projects? Yes, I am currently working on building my production portfolio. Currently, I have a remix out of Rotimi’s In My Bed and I want to continue the momentum by following up with more remixes, which will lead to a full-length project. In the future, I want to follow in the footsteps of DJ Khaled and distribute a studio album with original production from myself. I also have a merchandise store that I am developing at https://www.djmikemedium.com/ in which I am working towards making an independent clothing line.
Olivia Biel
Student of the Month Department of Communication 1. What's your major and when will you graduate? I’m a print journalism major and I graduate this December. 2. You were originally an English major. What made you decide to change your major? My goal has always been to make the world a fairer, more respectful and happier place through storytelling. When I was growing up, I loved to get lost in fantasy through books and video games. I also loved how the books I read dealt with real world issues, like The Hunger Games (I was a huge fan of that series). Originally, I wanted to write fiction that would get people to pay attention to social and political issues – hopefully, sparking change. In my freshman writing course, we explored a lot of political issues through essays, book excerpts and documentaries. I found myself moved by the storytelling. Then I took a Media Writing course, in which I realized I could achieve my goal through journalism. I found that real stories could be just as or more interesting than fictional ones because they affect people. Click on the link to watch Olivia Biel’s “Student of the Month” interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KAD45MpNFg.
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WPSPJ e-board members and I unveil the New Jersey Journalism Hall of Fame plaque in Hamilton Hall.
A View Through My Lens: Fall into Fall My name is Megan Martinelli and I am an art major concentrating in photography. This semester, I have the pleasure of being the photography intern for COAC’s Dean’s Office, which has allowed me to take more creative freedoms and showcase my artwork and ideas. Inspired by the Fall adventures I have been on, this photo collage entitled, “A View Through My Lens: Fall into Fall,” showcases Fall imagery from around New Jersey. From hiking in Ramapo to local farms in Sussex County and classic images of the Red Mill Museum Village in Clinton, these images and experiences are what I associate with the Fall time and like to share to get others in the October spirit.
Megan Martinelli
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COLLEGE WIDE NEWS & UPCOMING EVENTS: The Career Development Center will hold a virtual Art, Media, Marketing, and Technology Networking Night on Thursday, November 5 from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. to connect with students and alumni from William Paterson University. The goal of this event is to educate and connect our students to professionals within the field who can share their experience and insight with our students as well as recruit for internship and full-time opportunities. This event will take place via Handshake Virtual Career Fair Portal. To register, contact Alma Diaz at Diaza6@wpunj.edu or Mary Alice Barrows at Barrowsm@wpunj.edu. On Friday, October 2, 2020 over 600 college radio stations in 38 countries celebrated the 10th Annual World College Radio Day, which was founded by Dr. Rob Quicke, WP professor of communication. Multiplatinum music icon, Bret Michaels, was the official 2020 Ambassador for the event. This year’s theme was Global Solidarity Rocks, taking into account the global collaborations that happen each year, but also reflecting on current needs worldwide, from the streets of Beirut to the race to find a cure for COVID-19, to all the teachers and students returning to schools with much uncertainty. Campus radio stations stand in solidarity with new artists, providing a platform for voices that otherwise may not be heard. Furthermore, student radio also unites in solidarity on causes important to their own community, whether it is restocking the local food pantry or running a toy drive to bring a bit of cheer to local elementary school children. College radio continues to play an important role in their local communities around the world. For more information on College Radio Day and the College Radio Foundation, please visit http://www.collegeradio.org and for more information on WPSC Brave New Radio, please visit http://www.gobrave.org.
Upcoming Events: The Weight of the Body: Selections from the Permanent Collection On view until November 13, 2020 South Gallery Info: Organized to mark the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, this exhibition showcases works by women artists who challenge traditional gender roles and societal norms while addressing the dialogues between issues of gender, race, sexuality, and class. The traveling poster exhibition, Rightfully Hers, from the National Archives will also be on view to explore the historical arc of women speaking truth to power. WP Presents! Virtual Wednesdays: The Greatest Piano Men – A Live Rock & Roll Celebration of the Greatest Piano Icons In Music Wednesday, November 11, 2020, 8 p.m. Info: Box Office, (973) 720-2371 Jazz Room Series at Home presents Veronica Swift Sunday, November 22, 2020, 4 p.m. Info: Box Office, (973) 720-2371
Faculty Exhibition On view until November 13, 2020 Online Exhibition Info: Highlighting recent work by the faculty of William Paterson University’s Art Department, including media such as ceramics, graphic design, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, textiles, woodworking, and more.
It is with great sadness that we report the passing of longtime Department of Music adjunct faculty member Warren Helms on Sunday, September 20, 2020. He was also a graduate of William Paterson University. Our deepest sympathy is extended to his family and friends. Click on the link to read Professor Helm’s obituary: https://vandermay.com/obituarydetail.html#/20558
In Remembrance: The late Warren Helms, Department of Music Professor
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College of the Arts & Communication Office of the Dean: Loretta Mc Laughlin Vignier, Interim Dean Dr. Lauren Fowler-Calisto, Dean’s Fellow & Assistant to the Dean & Associate Professor, Department of Music Lavene Gass, Marketing & Community Liaison Amy Nemery, Executive Staff Assistant Rosario Urena, Administrative Staff Assistant Kaeli Brady, Intern: Graphic Designer Tekoa Criddell, Intern: Graphic Designer Megan Martinelli, Intern: Photographer John Conlow, Intern: Videographer Alexa Chavarria, Intern: Social Media
Interviews & Edits by: Lavene Gass Layout Design by: Tekoa Criddell To submit news, email Lavene Gass at gassl1@wpunj.edu.
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Photo by: Tim Miller Department of Music students performing