Ramapo Magazine Summer 2011

SUMMERĂŠ 2011

FEATURE STORY:

Alternative Spring Break: Ramapo Students Spend PAGE 2 15 Years Pushing Boundaries

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT Third World countries and helping repair floodravaged New Orleans. These projects have promoted a spirit of generosity, awareness, and pride among their many participants.

Along these lines, we labor daily to foster our students’ personal, social, community and civic engagement. We know from research that engaged students are more successful. They are more likely to do well academically, to bond to the college, to contribute meaningfully to society, and to become lifelong achievers.

Dear Colleagues and Friends, Ansel Adams, the noted photographer and environmentalist, observed that “Millions have lived to fight, build palaces and boundaries, shape destinies and societies; but the compelling force of all times has been the force of originality and creation profoundly affecting the roots of human spirit.” In this edition of the Ramapo Magazine you will learn about the many forces of originality and creation on our campus and the countless ways in which the spirit of Ramapo College has been uplifted by these forces.

For example, our students, staff and faculty have been the impetus behind an impressive range of community service projects including, but not limited to, building homes and water systems in

(L-R): Kristin Macri ‘13, Emily Scandariato ‘14, owner of Mr. Cupcakes in Clifton, Oradell and Hackensack and sponsor of the Cupcake Challenge Johnny Manganiotis, President Peter P. Mercer, Samantha Kilroe ‘11 and Sean Dikdan at the Senior Legacy Drive Ramapo College Cupcake Challenge

By building strong relationships with faculty and staff, our students are provided unique opportunities to fully engage in the world around them and to push academic boundaries. In the pages that follow you will read about how four of our undergraduate students in the School of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, alongside Eric Wiener, Associate Professor of Environmental Science, presented their findings in April of this year on the mortality of chestnut oaks and red oaks.

Many of our students have also pushed beyond their own self perceived boundaries by enrolling in Ramapo’s study abroad and alternative spring break programs. The academic, cultural and personal gains from such experiences are captured by researcher G. D. Kuh who wrote in The Journal of Higher Education, “In one particular study, students

President Peter P. Mercer (center) celebrated with honored senior student leaders at the Annual Dinner sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs in April.

(that participated in study abroad) noted they had developed a deeper interest in the well-being of others, an understanding of multinational economic and cultural issues, an increased self awareness, and increased interpersonal competence.”

The value of the learning that Kuh describes is in some ways immeasurable. Our students have learned and grown through their involvement in community service, international education, and research activities. They have heard first-hand from a litany of esteemed and influential guests to our campus including Newark Mayor Cory Booker; the Honorable Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice of the Unites States Supreme Court; New York Times columnist and well-known economist Paul Krugman; and Dr. Nawal El Saadawi, famed Egyptian physician, human rights activist, and feminist author. It is remarkable to think that all of these individuals, among many others, have made direct contributions to the fabric of Ramapo College and the student experience.

As Adams noted, the roots of the human spirit are profoundly affected by the forces of originality and creation. I am both pleased and proud to regularly bear witness to these forces on the Ramapo College campus and the remarkable impact they have on our students’ development.

PETER P. MERCER, Ph.D.

President, Ramapo College of New Jersey

Zeta Beta Tau members and Peter P. Mercer at the Havemeyer Arch. The charity ball, held in April, raised money for the Children’s Miracle Network.

SUMMER 2011

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COLLEGE EXECUTIVE OFFICERS Peter P. Mercer, Ph.D. President

Sarah Hildebrand ‘11 and Grupo Guatemala American Host and Program Coordinator Caryn Maxim add the roofing crossbeams for the playground during the March 2011 Alt Spring Break trip to Cajola, Guatemala.

Beth E. Barnett, Ed.D. Provost Cathleen Davey Vice President for Institutional Advancement Dorothy Echols Tobe, Ed.D. Chief Planning Officer BOARD OF TRUSTEES A. J. Sabath ‘93 Chair BOARD OF GOVERNORS Robert Tillsley Chair Jonathan N. Marcus ‘93, Esq. Alumni Association Board Chair Stanley Richmond Friends of Ramapo Board Chair RAMAPO MAGAZINE STAFF Cathleen Davey Editor-in-Chief Anna Farneski Executive Editor Mary Cicitta Managing Editor Cynthia Burns Foundation Editor Carolyn Herring Photo Editor DESIGN: Words and Pictures Creative Service, Inc. This magazine can be made available upon request in alternate media.

Requests should be directed to: 201.684.7611 Alumni contact and change of address: Purvi Parekh at 201.684.7115 STUDENT AFFAIRS CONTACT: Miki Cammarata at 201.684.7591 Pat Chang at 201.684.7731 Ramapo Magazine is produced by the Office of Marketing and Communications.

TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURES

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Ramapo Students Push Boundaries, Widen Horizons Through Alternative Spring Break Anisfield School of Business Attains AACSB Accreditation, Joins Elite Group New College Honors Program Creates Faculty, Student Community

DEPARTMENTS

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College news Faculty news Planned giving Grant news Foundation news Alumni news Class notes Courts & Fields Faculty & Spotlight Commencement Datebook

CLARIFICATION: In a photo caption on page 34 of the Winter 2011 issue of the Ramapo Magazine we erroneously indicated Paul Krugman’s purpose for visiting the College. Mr. Krugman was here to dedicate the Eastern Economic Association’s headquarters and was an honored guest at the Global Financial Markets Trading Lab dedication.

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Clockwise: Cajola, Guatemala, March 2011 Alt Spring Break – Ashley Jade Beasley ’12, Sarah Hildebrand ’11, Rebecca Ramos ’13 and Danielle Burgio ‘11 Cajola, Guatemala, March 2011 Alt Spring Break – (Bottom) Ashley Jade Beasley ’12, (top left) Mikhail Kaler ‘12, (lower right) Sarah Hildebrand ’11 and (upper right) Keysi Castillo ‘13 Guatemala 2009 Alt Spring Break – Bryant Escobar ‘10 Asheville, NC Habitat for Humanity Alt Spring Break 2011 – Dana Muth ‘12

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RAMAPO STUDENTS

PUSH BOUNDARIES, WIDEN THEIR HORIZONS THROUGH ALTERNATIVE SPRING BREAK

By Chris Hann

John Yao ‘00, coordinator of the Ramapo College’s Alternative Spring Break Program in New Orleans in 2005

J

ohn Yao was skeptical. Yao had just been hired by Ramapo College of New Jersey, his alma mater, to help administer its Alternative Break Program, a fledgling endeavor that sent students on spring-break trips to far-flung destinations to take part in community service and cultural immersion.

Yao understood the benefits of community service. Since graduating from Ramapo, he’d worked for City Year, teaching in the inner-city Dorchester neighborhood in Boston, and for the 2

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During the March 2011 Cajola, Guatemala trip Grupo Guatemala American Host and Program Coordinator Caryn Maxim (second from left) shows our students the new wood mill constructed by local carpenters. The wood mill, built after the first Guatemalan trip with the assistance of Ramapo students, provides jobs for the local people of this underdeveloped area, as well as a store to sell their carpentry products.

National Civilian Community Corps, clearing trails in the Grand Canyon and fighting forest fires across the American West. As an undergrad he had just led classmates on an Alternative Break trip to rural Virginia. Yet he still wasn’t convinced of the merits of Ramapo’s program, wasn’t convinced that college students could get much out of a relatively brief spell of community service, no matter how well intentioned.

The following spring Yao and 10 Ramapo students traveled with professor of history

and Latin American studies Charles Carreras to an indigenous village in Oaxaca, Mexico. Working with a local order of Maryknoll nuns, the students absorbed the local culture, tutoring local schoolchildren and touring archaeological sites.

When they returned to Mahwah, Yao organized a post-trip reflection meeting, where he listened to one student after another describe the trip as life-changing.

Several students would soon form a community service club on campus. But it was the tale told by one student in particular that struck Yao most deeply.

Photo credit: Warren Westura

Ramapo students pictured (L-R-top): Rebecca Ramos ’13, Ashley Jade ’12, Sarah Hildebrand ’11; (L-R-bottom): Valensiya Tsvetanova ‘12, Danielle Burgio ’11 assisted in building a playground in Cajola, Guatemala during their March trip. At the completion of the project they played a game of field soccer with the local children.

Part of the Antigua, Guatemala trip in 2010 incorporated gaining a familiarity with the location, the history, culture and food.

Students who participated in the trip are pictured here with Alt Spring Break leaders and coordinators (L-R): Assistant Director Employer Relations and Alumni Career Advisor of the Cahill Center Debra Stark ‘94, ‘02, Grupo Guatemala Program Coordinator Caryn Maxim and Professor of Spanish Iraida Lopez.

The student confided to him that she was recovering from a drug addiction, and she described the trip to Oaxaca as key to her recovery.

“She said there were so many things she took for granted in her own life,” Yao recalls. “She talked about the trip as that turning point which kind of helped her and nursed her over the hill toward a full recovery. Today she has two kids of her own. Stories like that started coming out.”

Yao was skeptical no longer. He took over the Alternative Break program from Karen Booth, its founder, in 1999, and over the next decade he supervised its expansion.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts,” Mark Twain wrote long ago, in Innocents Abroad. “Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”

Maria Bistrina ‘10 works on completing a cistern and digging the location during the Antigua, Guatemalan trip in 2010.

This fall marks 15 years since the first Alternative Break trip, and in that time hundreds of Ramapo students have reinforced the wisdom of Twain’s message. They have traveled to Texas, Massachusetts, Virginia, North Carolina, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Mississippi, Mexico, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic, immersing themselves in local populations, sometimes living with local residents, and coming home with memories and friendships unbroken by the passing years. They’ve dug cisterns in Mexico and installed solar panels in the Dominican. They’ve built wheelchair ramps for elderly residents of Appalachia and shoveled muck out of homes ravaged

by Hurricane Katrina. They’ve explored the geopolitical impact of United States policies and actions along the Mexican border and in indigenous communities in Guatemala. As Yao came to understand, Alternative Break trips provide a powerful learning tool, a force for students to expand their understanding of unfamiliar cultures and, ultimately, of themselves.

“It’s been transformative,” Yao says, invoking a word that’s often used by those familiar with the program’s impact on students. “Overall, their outlook on life www.ramapo.edu

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was transformed. They’re more interested in politics and the impact of globalization. They became invested, if you will.”

Booth says when she founded the Alternative Break program (with help from a student aide, Dennis Ferraro), she conceived of it as an extension of Ramapo’s commitment to service learning—“where students work in various venues tutoring children and adults, working in hospitals and legislative offices,” she says. But she also wanted the trips to complement Ramapo’s larger educational mission as outlined in the college’s four pillars of international, intercultural, interdisciplinary, and experiential learning. “My

thinking was that many Ramapo students just weren’t exposed to other parts of this country, let alone the world,” Booth says, “and that they would benefit from that cultural immersion and interaction.”

Booth led that first Alternative Break trip, to southwestern Virginia, the heart of Appalachia, in the spring of 1996. Later she took students to New Mexico, where they worked on a community farm that raised produce for local residents in need. On another trip they awoke before sunrise to work in a food pantry. On another they worked at a Spanish colonial site

called El Rancho de las Golondrinas, the Ranch of the Swallows. In 2003 Booth arranged a trip with a spiritual theme, taking students to a mosque and a morada, an adobe-style religious building traditional in Hispanic communities throughout New Mexico. She also arranged for students to visit with a Ramapo alumna, Shefa Gold, a rabbi, who led the group in meditation.

“Of course the other part of alternative break is the cultural immersion, so it’s not just the service, but it’s being exposed to other cultures, if not other countries,” says Booth, today the college’s assistant director for civic engagement.

“Which is why I selected Appalachia in the first place. Because it’s drivable, but they still maintain a kind of cultural distinctiveness, and I thought our students could benefit from that kind of exposure and interaction.”

Charles Carreras was pivotal in the early years of Alternative Break, both as a trip leader and as one of the program’s biggest promoters. He’d served in the Peace Corps in Guatemala in the mid-60s, traveled extensively in Mexico, and cultivated a passion for Latin-American history before being hired at Ramapo in 1971 as one of the college’s founding faculty members. With John Yao in tow, Carreras led Ramapo’s first international Alternative Break trip, to Oaxaca, in 2000. The group included students from Sweden, Bulgaria, and Africa. The most diverse state in Mexico, Oaxaca has more than 15 ethnic groups that subsist in a state of poverty the likes of which the Ramapo students had never witnessed.

Bottom left: Rebecca Ramos ’13 and top center: Christopher Brilliante ’12 and far right: Keysi Castillo ‘13 carry wood from the lumberyard in Cajola as part of the playground-building project in 2011.

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Through his travels in Latin America, Carreras had become familiar with the work of the Maryknoll nuns, part of an order of the Roman Catholic Church devoted to community service. Working with the nuns, Ramapo students visited a nursing home and tutored high school students in English. “The nuns we worked with, they were women in their 70s. They’d been in

In 2005 John Yao ‘00 led a group of Ramapo students and faculty on what has become the NOLA Alt Spring Break trip to New Orleans, LA. During this trip students cleared out the wreckage wreaked by Hurricane Katrina and prepared sites for new construction. (L-R-Standing): Jean Semelfort ‘09, Associate Professor of Social Work Kim Lorber, Rachel Berry ‘09, Katherine Mendez ‘07, Bryant Escobar ‘10, John Yao ‘00, Tatia Haywood ‘08, Ammie Ulrich ‘09. (L-R-Kneeling): Greg Schwalje ‘08, Deshawn Cook ‘07 and Laura Pachella ‘08.

Oaxaca for 30 years,” Carreras says. “That made an impression on the students, too, that these women had dedicated their lives to doing this work.”

Over the years, Carreras returned repeatedly to Oaxaca, leading students to remote villages and engaging in discussions about the impact of international

relations on local populations. They explored the local coffee trade and learned how Green Mountain Coffee reinvested in the local coffee cooperatives by paying for training and better seeds and by honoring the fair trade network. Back home, Carreras says, he persuaded Sodexo, the food vendor in Ramapo’s cafeterias, to carry Green Mountain products.

Over the years, Carreras took some 120 Ramapo students to Oaxaca. “Some of the students are teachers now,” he says.

“My guess is they are different teachers because of this experience. They have a different sensibility and awareness of the world because of this experience.”

One of those teachers is Katie Brounstein ’07, who accompanied Carreras to Oaxaca as a student leader in 2005, during the spring of her sophomore year. Brounstein went on three Alternative Break trips in all—New Orleans in 2005; North Carolina in 2006—before graduating with a degree in social work. She earned a master’s degree in social work from Rutgers University, and today she’s a special education teacher at a high school in New York City’s Lower East Side. “My Ramapo experience was largely service-based,” Brounstein says. “My whole education, everything I did at Ramapo, was focused on service. My job on campus was as one of the program coordinators in the community service center.”

In partnership with various churches in the area of Asheville, NC, Ramapo’s Alt Spring Break program in 2006 worked with Habitat for Humanity’s Building on the Dream Project to reconstruct houses by 2011. Pictured here are two volunteer Ramapo students painting a newly constructed residence.

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Danielle Burgio ‘11, Christopher Brilliante ’12 and Valensiya Tsvetanova ‘12 put finishing touches on the playground in Cajola during the March 2011 Alt Spring Break.

Carreras, who retired in 2008, still teaches as an adjunct and remains one of Alternative Break’s staunchest fans. “It was incredible,” he says of his experience.

“It was 10 times more than I ever thought it could be. In the eight days it had such an impact on students that went beyond any possibility of envisioning. Those students got to know each other and form lifelong friendships.”

The friendships represent just a part of what Ramapo students have reaped from Alternative Break. Over the years, Yao saw students develop leadership skills and evolve into global citizens, more mindful of their place—and their impact—in the world at large.

On several trips during which students helped build homes and water systems, the experience instilled in them a sense of accomplishment unlike any they’d ever felt. “You take a group of young people who have never picked up a power 6

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tool in their life,” says Yao, today the assistant director of the Center for Academic Advising and First-Year Experience.

“We showed students how to do the work. Students who had never had any construction experience, never knew how to build, there was something concrete they actually did.”

Brounstein remembers the feeling. When she traveled to New Orleans she spent the week cleaning out homes devastated by Katrina. “That was one really interesting thing,” she says. “We left with this really empowering feeling of ‘I know how to deconstruct a house with a crowbar.’”

This spring, senior Fatmata Savage traveled with eight other Ramapo students to Asheville, North Carolina, where they helped build houses with the local Habitat for Humanity chapter.

A social work major who will graduate in December, Savage had never worked in home construction.

“I’m, like, scared of heights and everything,” she says. “It was raining outside, and I’m climbing ladders and carrying stuff. That made me feel like I could do anything. I mean, who would think I would actually be building a house?”

Like many Alternative Break alumni, Brounstein says the program had a direct bearing on her career path. “That experience set me up in being interested in the policy dynamics of social policy and social justice,” she says. “It pushed me into social work. I found my niche.”

She saw the difference back on campus as well, as the program helped bring together students who might otherwise never have crossed paths. “Ramapo strives to be a pretty tight-knit community,” she says. “In my four years there I felt it become more of a community. For me, Alt Break brought that. There were people from different walks of life and different groups—sorority girls and hippies—work-

ing side by side and seeing each other on campus and being friendly and having lunch, making everyone feel more a part of the larger community.”

The creation of that larger community might have been aided by the often harsh conditions that students faced together, particularly in Third-World villages in Mexico, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic. In Gulfport, Mississippi, in the spring of 2006, just eight months after Katrina, students slept on cots in sometimes leaky tents, ate pre-packaged meals, Army-style, and walked a quarter-mile to the nearest shower.

But something powerful happened over the course of that week. When it came time to return home, Yao says, some of the Ramapo students were in tears.

“Students were bawling their eyes out,” he says. “It was just like they had become so enmeshed in the span of that short

time, it was hard for them to let go. What comes out of that are the relationships.

Students continuously write to people in the Dominican Republic or Mexico or New Orleans, and they write back. They don’t forget.”

Brounstein recalls riding for three hours in the back of a pickup truck across mountainous terrain in Mexico, no sign of human life in sight, en route to a farm where the students were to help with a local reforestation effort. “It was one of the most incredible three hours of my life,” she says. “It was just so surreal.”

“When we do a break trip, we don’t offer four-star accommodations,” Yao says. “We spell that out from the beginning. I really think the program transformed as a great number of students had to step outside their comfort zone. It’s not so much to serve people in developing countries, but more to cross the bridge, as they say. As Ron would say, ‘to humanize the faces of poverty.’ You’re up close and personal with it, and you really can’t ignore it.”

The Rev. Ronald Stanley, the Ramapo campus chaplain for six years starting in 2001, organized the twice-yearly trips to the Dominican Republic. Yao recalls treks to hilltop villages that started in buses but switched to pickup trucks when the roads became impassable by bus. When the trucks, covered in mud, finally arrived at the village where the group would spend the week, Yao says, the students were horrified. “Horrified that they had to eat here, had to use the outhouses,” he says, “with chickens running under the bed.”

Ramapo students hard at work adding the foundation pillars for a porch in 2006 while working with Habitat for Humanity house reconstruction project. (L-R): Colleen Freund ‘09 , Dana Muth ‘12 and Jessica Roffe ‘11

Father Ron Stanley participated in many Alt Spring Break projects and continues to do so.

As part of the 2011 Guatemalan trip arts and crafts were introduced to the local children. (L-R): An eight-year-old girl with Danielle Burgio ’11 proudly showing off their makeup project.

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In 2005, as part of the NOLA Alt Spring Break trip to New Orleans, students cleared debris from homes devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

To a large degree, Yao can trace his own transformation to the type of service learning promoted through Alternative Break. “The reason I work with students today is because every young person… has the capacity to be a leader, the capacity to effect change,” Yao says. They may not realize it. But I feel like because of my past it’s my responsibility to try to inspire them to do that.”

Once a skeptic, now a believer, Yao says the lessons learned from Alternative Break are central to Ramapo’s larger mission. “We’re asking the students to build a series of skills that are going to be transferrable within a liberal arts education,” he says. “In a liberal arts institution, we teach you to write effectively, to speak effectively, to work with people from diverse backgrounds, to problem-solve. They’re equipped to take whatever skills they picked up at Ramapo to the five or six careers they’re going to have in their lives.”

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Rebecca Ramos ‘13 diligently applies the finishing paint to the playground construction she and her fellow Alt Spring Break volunteers completed during the Cajola, Guatemala project in March of this year.

ANISFIELD SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ATTAINS AACSB ACCREDITATION, JOINS ELITE GROUP

By Chris Hann The business school deans who would decide the future course of the Anisfield School of Business had just begun a four-day visit to the Ramapo campus last October when they sat down for an hour with a group of business school students, among them senior David Escudero. The deans had arrived to scrutinize Ramapo’s application to be accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, or AACSB, the world’s leading business-school accrediting organization.

Escudero and the other students were members of Ramapo’s student advisory committee, formed to represent the interests of Anisfield students during the long and arduous application process.

President Peter P. Mercer, center, and ASB Dean Lewis Chakrin, far right, celebrate the AACSB Accreditation at the Accreditation Announcement Party in February.

Recalling the exchange, Escudero says, “I kind of wanted to let them know we’re not machines trained to answer questions correctly.”

that had long cultivated some heady ambitions and could now boast the credentials to match. The late-December vote by the association’s board of directors capped a five-year review in which the AACSB subjected the Anisfield School to a withering battery of tests designed to prove it deserved to be counted among the 5 percent of business schools worldwide to be accredited by the organization. “They torture you pretty well,” says business school Dean Lewis Chakrin. “It’s the highest level of accreditation that any business school can achieve. It’s hard to be competitive, with the large number of top rated business schools in the New York metropolitan area without being AACSB - accredited.”

Whatever his motivation, two months later the AACSB granted Escudero his wish, approving Ramapo’s accreditation and cementing the stature of a business school

It’s difficult to overstate the significance of the association’s blessing. With accreditation, Ramapo has joined an elite group of business schools, a stature that

At the close of the meeting, one of the visiting deans asked the students to complete this sentence: “The Anisfield School of Business would be better if…”

Escudero piped up first: “If you accredited us,” he said, unsure whether an attempt at humor during such sober deliberations might violate some unwritten code of accreditation protocol. Fortunately, it didn’t. The deans all laughed.

In April Ramapo College’s Anisfield School of Business was named a Regional Chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma. (L-R): Dean of ASB Lewis Chakrin proudly accepts the chapter designation and accreditation from Immediate Past Chair and Treasurer of the Foundation’s Board of Governors Bernard Milano.

Beta Gamma Sigma is the leading international business administration honor society serving business programs accredited by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Membership in Beta Gamma Sigma is the highest recognition a business student anywhere in the world can receive in a business program accredited by AACSB. At Ramapo College and long afterward, membership provides access to networking and career-building events.

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On April 13 a team of ASB students bested competitors from top schools across the nation in the recent CME Commodity Trading Challenge. Two Ramapo teams from the Finance Club participated with one team advancing to the final round, finishing fifth place out of 85 schools. The two teams were facilitated by faculty advisors Assistant Professor of Finance Juan Cabrera and Assistant Professor of Economics Timothy Haase ‘06. The state-of-the-art Global Financial Markets Trading Lab located in ASB was utilized as the site for the competition. Ramapo’s winning team included: (L-R-Seated): Brian Noll ‘12 and Brian Malloy ‘11.

(L-R Standing): Kevin Medvecky ‘12, Guido Alonso ‘11, Maritza Guananga ‘11 and Marvin Mensah ‘13.

(L-R): President Peter P. Mercer, Millicent Anisfield, Richard Anisfield and Vice President of Institutional Advancement Cathleen Davey at the press conference to announce the Anisfields’ $2.5 million gift.

will help the college in recruiting future students, faculty, and donors while enhancing the résumés of Anisfield graduates applying to master’s programs or searching for a job. For years, Chakrin says, he’d stand before groups of prospective Ramapo parents and explain, in response to often-pointed questions, why 10

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students should come to the Anisfield School of Business even though it was not yet accredited. “They were visiting other schools that were accredited, and were told not to send their kids to schools that were not accredited,” Chakrin says. “I am so happy that I do not have to give that speech any more.”

Ramapo’s accreditation process was already under way when Chakrin arrived on campus in the fall of 2006. He’d spent his career in the business world, not in academia—first as a researcher for Bell Labs, later as an executive with AT&T. He was the first dean that President Peter P. Mercer, who’d arrived at Ramapo only a year earlier, hired from outside the faculty, which means Chakrin had to prove himself. Mercer says the new dean’s impact was immediate. “When he came in, he was a question mark,” Mercer concedes of Chakrin. “He very quietly but very effectively went about meeting with all the faculty, getting to know where their heads were. I’ll tell you, the atmosphere changed within three months.”

Chakrin’s primary charge was never in doubt: He was to shepherd Ramapo’s application through the AACSB’s demanding screening process. The organization judges business schools on 17 fundamental standards, among them the composition and qualifications of faculty, the management of curricula, the ratio of faculty to students, and a school’s “assurance of learning” standards. It doesn’t hurt that a business school’s application has the full support of the administration, and Ramapo had Mercer’s in spades. The president had long since signed on to the importance of accreditation, and his backing never wavered. “I think it was a kind of psychological significance for the dean and faculty that they had the president and provost behind them,” Mercer says. “And not a hundred miles behind them—right behind them.”

Mercer calls Chakrin’s leadership essential to the success of the AACSB application.

“Lew Chakrin has a phenomenal ability to lead in the successful completion of a project,” Mercer says. “He’s tremendous at keeping his eye on the goal and keeping everyone properly oriented.”

By the fall of 2006, the AACSB had approved what’s known as a pre-eligibility application. The process seemed to be

Ramapo’s team of participants who competed in the 2nd district section in the Fed Challenge 2011 competition are (L-R-Seated): Petar Dobrev ‘12, Nikhil Bhatia ‘14, Smeeda Das ‘12, Martin Cohen ‘12, John Merchant ‘11, Laura V. Arias ‘12, and Marta Zborowicka ‘10. (L-R-Standing): Associate Professor of Economics and founder of the Fed Challenge team Alexandre Olbrecht, Assistant Professor of Economics Timothy Haase ’06 and Associate Professor of Economics Xiaoyu Wu. The College Federal Reserve Challenge of the Federal Reserve System is a yearly academic competition sponsored by several reserve banks and is administered by the Eastern Economic Association in the 2nd and 3rd Districts. The Challenge consists of teams of three to five students from the area colleges and universities who create a professional presentation delivered to a panel of academic and professional economist judges. There are three rounds of competition, and successful teams win recognition, with the first place team continuing to Washington D.C. to compete against other regional winners at the Board of Governors.

moving in the right direction. Just a few months earlier, longtime supporters, Richard and Millicent Anisfield, had announced a donation of $2.5 million gift to launch the construction of a new business school building, endow the deanship and student scholarships, and fund faculty research at Ramapo. For the success of the accreditation process, their timing could not have been better. The gift was the largest in the history of the College, and it would prove vital to Ramapo’s application before the AACSB. “It was clear,” Chakrin says, “by virtue of the Anisfield gifts and the strong support that we were receiving from President Peter P. Mercer and the entire administration, that the College wanted to achieve this objective.”

The building, which bore the Anisfield name, provided much more than just a new home for the business school.

Opened in the fall of 2007, the school was Ramapo’s first new academic building in nine years. Standing five stories tall, the building includes 14 classrooms, two lecture halls, a student lounge, and

Nancy Anisfield, Anisfield School of Business benefactor Richard Anisfield, Board of Trustees member W. Peter McBride, Trustee Gail Brady, President Peter P. Mercer, and Trustee David Schlussel at the dedication of the Global Financial Markets Trading Lab and the 5th Floor of the Anisfield School of Business.

a 1,400-square-foot trading lab with an electronic ticker that delivers up-to-theminute news reports and real-time data on stock prices, exchange rates, and other market reports. The school is also home to the Eastern Economic Association (EEA), whose executive director is Alexandre Olbrecht, a Ramapo associate professor of Economics. Olbrecht’s role

with the association puts him in some rarefied company. A past president of the EEA is Harvard economist N. Gregory Mankiw, a former advisor to President George W. Bush. The current president is Paul Krugman, the Princeton economist and New York Times columnist who in 2008 received the Nobel Prize in

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(L): Assistant Professor of Finance Juan Cabrera addresses ASB’s Finance Club members in the Global Financial Markets Trading Lab. The Finance Club offers business majors a variety of extra curricula activities to augment their understanding of finance and investing, including managing a mock investment portfolio and competing in the Barron’s Undergraduate Investment Challenge. Through speaking engagements, the Finance Club, mentored by Cabrera, and part of the ASB Mentoring Program, allows students to gain insights from professionals in the financial community about prospective career paths and sponsors trips to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the New York Mercantile Exchange.

economics. Krugman was the honored guest at Ramapo last September when the college officially dedicated the new Global Financial Markets Trading Lab at the school.

The glass-and-steel structure did more than just provide a high-tech home for the business faculty and students. “In some ways the business school was part of a new renaissance because it showed we were going to pay even greater attention to academic programs,” Mercer says. “It was a significant psychological uplift to everyone associated with the school.”

In the course of the AACSB’s protracted review, the Anisfield School re-examined pretty much everything about itself, a soul-searching that ultimately led to some significant changes—among them a new career placement center, more full-time faculty, and a renewed focus on business writing. The new 12

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curriculum, known as Business Writing Across the Core, teaches students elementary and advanced lessons on writing five business documents, from a simple memo to a proposal to create a new business. Chakrin says the writing program grew from an obvious need on the part of business students. “They don’t receive enough specific instruction on writing a business document that gets to the point, that’s easy to read, that’s clear, concise,” he says.

As the AACSB review process unfolded with painstaking deliberation, Chakrin wanted to make sure the students were kept apprised. In the hallways of the business schools, television monitors served as electronic billboards, providing status reports on the application. A month before the campus visit by the peer review team, Chakrin asked faculty members to talk to their students about the importance of accreditation. He had earlier formed the student advisory committee,

which met regularly with Chakrin and Karen Norton, a special assistant hired to marshal the business school’s resources in pursuit of accreditation.

“It was a way for us students to be heard,” David Escudero says of the student advisory committee, “and let it be known to us that we’re important, and our suggestions and our opinions matter.”

“I think it really speaks volumes that Dean Chakrin and the school of business really take into consideration the viewpoints of the students, and take care to relay our ideas,” says Tracy Pastorini, who also served on the student advisory board.

Escudero, who lives in Maywood, NJ, graduated in May with a degree in accounting and a job waiting for him at the Parsippany, NJ office of Deloitte, the international accounting and consulting firm. Pastorini, from Wash-

Ramapo’s SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) Team won as Champion of the 2011 Regional Competition. (L-R): Takanri Tanahashi ‘12, Michael Ryan ‘12, Katherine Sabbagh ‘14, Stephanie Wootton ‘14, Jane Lee ‘14, Rachel Hecky ‘12, Associate Professor of Accounting and SIFE Mentor Kathryn Yeaton, Renee Schneider ‘12, Maritza Guananga ‘11, Amanda Leach ‘13, Zachary Shatz ‘14, Christia Chavez ‘14, Brian Dressel ‘12, Jeremy Dela Cruz ‘11.

SIFE is an international non-profit organization that works with leaders in business and higher education to mobilize university students to make a difference in their communities while developing the skills to become socially responsible business leaders. Participating students form teams and apply business concepts to develop outreach projects that improve the quality of life and standard of living for people in need.

ington Township in Bergen County, graduated in May with a degree in business administration. She has been accepted to Columbia University where she will pursue a master’s program in higher education administration.

The visit to the Ramapo campus by the peer review team from the AACSB gave constituencies from across the campus an opportunity to express in person what had already been expressed in mounds of paperwork. The three visiting deans met with tenured and untenured faculty, with President Mercer and Provost Beth Barnett, and with, by Chakrin’s estimation, no fewer than 150 students, including those on the student advisory committee. By all accounts, the team left Mahwah mighty impressed. In the final act of their visit, they left a highly laudatory report.

“The team’s visit affirmed the hard work and the existing excellence within the school,” says Provost Barnett. “It was an important step and it left us excited about the future.”

Six weeks later, Chakrin received word from the AACSB that Ramapo’s business school had been officially approved for accreditation.

“After five years of working for something that culminates in a relatively short event,” Chakrin says, “you are simultaneously relieved and so gratified and so proud of the organization that helped get us here—the faculty, the students, and the administration. It just does a tremendous amount for your credibility. It’s one of those cases where the journey was just as important as the destination.”

The Anisfield School of Business Global Financial Markets Trading Lab is a 1,400-square-foot space, designed to broaden students’ financial literacy, provide the next generation of financial managers with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the financial market and to build student understanding of the relationship between public policy and capital markets. The trading lab, on the fifth floor of the ASB, was the last phase of construction for the School, named after Millicent and Richard Anisfield, whose donation of $3 million allowed for the floor’s completion.

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NEW COLLEGE HONORS PROGRAM CREATES FACULTY, STUDENT COMMUNITY

2010-2011 Student Executive Board. (L-R-Standing): Ivaylo Balabanov ‘11, Michael Chananie ‘12, Keryn Lemp ‘11. (L-R-Seated): Adrianna Loback ‘12, Veronica Cavera ‘11, Maritza Guananga ‘11, Sarah Galo ‘13, Dana Branch ‘12, Danielle Mazza ‘12, Jacqueline Ostrander ‘11.

Ramapo’s College Honors Program has been redesigned with a new mission: to establish and to nurture a community of faculty and students dedicated to intellectual, creative and moral engagement, supported by a distinctive curriculum and an honors community suite created in the A-Wing for students and faculty to congregate.

An Honors Program Task Force was convened by Provost Beth Barnett in 14

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Spring, 2008, with the view of assessing contemporary trends in program innovations at similar colleges, including at “Honors Colleges,” and of proposing reforms which would meet the present and future academic expectations of interested and academically talented students.

After conducting focus groups on campus and researching the successful options and best practices which might

best serve our students at Ramapo College, a four-course, four-year course of study was proposed for incoming students. Pilot courses for this curriculum were first offered in Fall 2008, with the collaboration of participating faculty and the Deans of the Schools of Theoretical and Applied Science and of American and International Studies. By Fall 2009, the full College Honors curriculum had been put into place.

College Honors student artist Jessica Huynh ‘11 redesigned the graduation regalia medallion. Jessica’s design was selected for capturing the spirit of EXPLORAMVS. LACESSIMVS. COLIMVS. – We Explore. We Challenge.

We Cultivate. Her design represents the themes of growth, community, and liberal arts learning throughout all the schools at Ramapo. College Honors student Sarah McConkey translated the text to Latin.

Professors from throughout Ramapo serve as College Honors faculty on a twoyear rotating basis. In addition, students must complete a two-semester College Honors Senior Project in their major.

The first semester is dedicated to preparatory work, and the second to completion of the project and its presentation at the College Honors Symposium in April.

The resulting paper is to be of publishable quality for undergraduate research.

The College Honors Program Director, Marta Vides Saade, who was also co-chair of the Honors Task Force, characterized the redesign initiative by saying: “We wanted to have a curriculum that authentically reflected our liberal arts tradition here. We also, and equally as important, wanted to establish a new community which would encourage disciplined growth for students who had intellectual interest and curiosity, and who had moral inclinations to use their skills and talents in the world, whatever they might become professionally.” Vides Saade considers the Senior Project to be the “crown jewel” of the College Honors program.

The project must be student conceived and initiated and requires the collaboration of three faculty members. The experience, Vides Saade says, “provides a vital

Danielle Mazza ‘12, Antonio Regalado ‘12 and Professor of International Business Bill Frech relaxing in the Honors Lounge “oasis.”

transition for students into the graduate studies or professional world because of its need for careful project management by the student.”

For student Alec Clark, a Business Administration major who will graduate in December 2011, one of the more dynamic aspects of the revised program has been the way it brings together students from many majors, reflecting Ramapo’s commitment to interdisciplinary learning. This past Spring, Clark participated in the Honors 420 Senior Seminar, taught by Professor of Finance Jason Hecht, “Economic Ideas, Issues and Ideologies” with other students having little experience in business or economics. “The way we went about it, you don’t need a background in business,” Clark says. “I think that’s been one of the great successes in class so far. People who wouldn’t be exposed to this material are learning a great deal.”

Antonio Regalado, a junior history major, says he learned about the distinctive value of the College Honors program when he took his first-year seminar, “An Ecological Framework,” taught by Associate Professor of Environmental Science Eric Wiener. “When looking at ecology from a history major’s perspec-

tive I see it one way,” Regalado says. “But from a science perspective someone may see it the other way, and from a psychology perspective someone may see it even in another way. Just being able to incorporate all those views into the topic really broadens how we see the topic as a whole.”

Professor of International Business William Frech says his initial concerns about teaching his section of the Honors International Seminar, “The Mystery of Capital: Market Economics in Developing Countries,” to non-business majors were quickly allayed by what he calls “the cohort process.” Although only three of the 16 students were business majors, Frech says, he found that the students benefitted from their community familiarity. “This group of students comes early to class, they stay late, and in between they participate,” he says. “There seems to be a social cohesion in the group that really helps with the learning process.”

In addition to the synergy created in their honors courses together, students gather to study and exchange ideas at the College Honors Suite. The classroom space functions as a computer lab, community space, and provides equipment www.ramapo.edu

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board nearly stretches the length of a third. On the whiteboard someone has written—this being the College Honors Suite —“Where are you going to grad school?” Among the answers: “GWU (Art Therapy and Trauma Counseling)” “Northwestern (Criminal Justice)” “Rutgers (Microbial Genetics)” “UMDNJ (Osteopathic Medicine).”

Acceptance to the College Honors Program includes an admission interview by a three-member panel of the College Honors Advisory Board. (L-R-Standing): Associate Professor of Philosophy Bernard Roy, Associate Professor of Journalism Edna Negrõn, Associate Professor of Chemistry Arthur Felix and Professor of the History and Philosophy of Science and then Dean of the School of Theoretical and Applied Science Bernard Langer. (L-R-Seated): Professor of International Business William Frech, Associate Professor of Law and Society Marta Vides Saade and Assistant Professor of Experimental Psychology Jacqueline Braun.

Ivaylo Balabanov ’11 described his senior project ”Solid Phase Synthesis of Multi-Pegylating Reagents” to Assistant Professor of Analytical Chemistry Anita Brandolini at the April Honors Symposium. Balabanov’s joint student-faculty research sponsor for the project was Associate Professor of Biochemistry Arthur Felix.

and supplies necessary for students to practice presentations of their own work.

Vides Saade credits Associate Professor of Philosophy Bernard Roy, her co-chair on the Honors Task Force, with insisting that a new student community also required a new space. As he foresaw, the suite has become a unifying element for the 135 students enrolled in the College Honors Program. “They needed someplace where they could meet as students,” Roy says. “They use it quite often and they use it quite well. For a program to fold together, it’s necessary to have a place we can call our own. That was the 16

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idea, to give those students a sense of importance, and a sense of—a little bit— privilege, because they have this room for their use only.”

Shortly before the start of finals, the Suite is abuzz. Students are collapsed on the long black leather couch and easy chair, seated at the three round tables and the desks outfitted with computers and printers, or just standing about, reconnecting with friends until their next class begins. A small refrigerator stands against one wall, a large-screen television is bolted to another, and a long white-

A note announces an upcoming “lunch with a professor” event entitled “Finger Food for Thought” where designated professors attend at the specific invitation of student hosts. Another note offers a reminder about the annual College Honors Symposium, where Honors students present their final projects. There, College Honors graduation regalia is presented by faculty mentors to their students in celebration of their work and transition into a new phase of academic or professional life.

Sophomore Sarah Galo, a Literature major, comes to the Suite for academic and co-curricular reasons. After first living in College Honors Program housing as a freshman, an experience that enabled her to make meaningful connections with her fellows in the Honors program, Galo then began commuting from her home in Allendale, NJ. When she was not in class, you could probably find her in the Suite. And that is the point.

This unassuming place in the A-Wing was created three years ago. It is attached to the College Honors Program office and conference room. Students have 24-7 access to the Suite study space.

“It’s really nice because it works as a good place to study,” Galo says. “It also works as a great place to socialize. This is where I come in between classes. You see the same people a lot so you develop friendships even just being in there together. It really helps build the community of the College Honors Program.”

College Honors students and faculty at the April 2011 Scholarship Dinner

Community building is an additional objective because engagement in co-curricular activities is one of the requirements of the College Honors Program. Vides Saade says that the program encourages College Honors students to get involved in their communities and to become leaders on campus, an invitation that students such as Galo have taken to heart.

“Being involved in the College Honors program also has encouraged me to be involved in other things that maybe I wouldn’t have ordinarily pursued,” says Galo, whose extracurricular résumé includes contributions such as: Secretary of the Ramapo chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the Literature honors society; founding member and vice president of a campus group called the Human Rights Society; and member of Golden Key, an international honor society. This fall she will be inducted into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

Senior Danielle Mazza calls her participation in the College Honors Program “the best decision I ever made at Ramapo.” A Chemistry major, Mazza serves on the College Honors Student Executive Board, helping to plan events such as the brown-bag lunches with professors in the Honors Suite. She has also worked as a peer facilitator in Honors 101 courses and co-curricular activities,

helping first-year students make the transition to college life in and out of the classroom. “I wanted my course work to be a little more challenging,” Mazza says.

“I really like the thrill of the challenge.

Becoming part of the College Honors Program has been so much more important than that.”

Students apply to the College Honors Program through a process separate from admission to Ramapo College.

Students complete an application, write a 300-word essay, submit an example of previous academic work, and, if invited, interview with the Director and two members of the College Honors Advisory Board. Students already attending Ramapo College must also provide two letters of recommendation from Ramapo faculty. “The questions are based on assessing their independent intellectual curiosity,” Vides Saade says. “We expect students to have a spark about the work they have submitted. Basically, we are looking for a student who is going to flourish in a small intellectually and morally engaged community as well as contribute to it.”

Executive Board. The Faculty Advisory Board was originally composed of the members of the Honors Task Force.

Since then, various faculty members have rotated on the six-person Advisory Board. Members of the Board also serve on the Admission Panel which conducts student interviews, assist in the allocation of several donor scholarships dedicated to College Honors students, and generally advise the Director on policy.

The Student Executive Board is largely responsible for the creative direction of the co-curricular activities. The brown bag topics, the lunch with a professor invitational, and even a college-wide “Professor Swap” event during which faculty guest lecture for one session in a course unrelated to their discipline – in true liberal arts tradition, are student initiatives.

The Student Executive Board has plans for a new Fall initiative: a College Honors Family Day. Recently, a colleague asked Vides Saade if the redesigned program had some “lift under its wings.” She smiled, “It does.

But it could fly higher.”

Describing the transformation, Vides Saade credits the success of the College Honors Program to the active Faculty Advisory Board and equally active Student www.ramapo.edu

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College news

By Morgan Balog ‘11

Ramapo College to Offer New Students Present Research Findings at Tenth Annual School Master of Arts in Educational of Theoretical and Applied Science Symposium in April Leadership Beginning Fall 2011 More than 50 students presented posters and talks in April describing their collaborative undergraduate research with faculty and scholarship at the Tenth Annual Theoretical and Applied Science (TAS) Student Research Symposium. LeCroy Corporation of Chestnut Ridge, New York, sponsored the day.

Increasingly, students have been diving more deeply into more mainstream topics.

Ramapo’s new and exciting Master of Arts in Educational Leadership graduate program will make it possible for teachers in Northern New Jersey to further their careers and obtain a New Jersey Administrator/Principal Endorsement. With classes commencing in fall 2011, the program is designed to produce talented and confident contemporary New Jersey school leaders well-grounded in administrative practices, and equipped with the dispositions, characteristics and skills essential for success.

“The annual Student Research Symposium is a celebration of student-faculty collaboration,” said Assistant Professor of Chemistry Arthur Felix. “It provides faculty with an opportunity to carry out research in their areas of expertise and to share this knowledge with their students. It also provides faculty with opportunities to make important contributions to their fields and prepares our students to move on to graduate or professional schools and/or careers in the biological sciences.”

“Our new program will provide tomorrow’s education leaders with the interpersonal, problem solving, technical and organizational proficiencies critical to their careers and the futures of New Jersey’s schoolchildren,” said Provost Beth Barnett upon announcing the program last semester.

The 36-credit program is designed to meet the unique needs of working education professionals. For more information about the MAEL program visit www.ramapo.edu/mael/

The research presentations included various topics from how to make some of the organic chemistry labs on campus more

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environmentally friendly to the cloning of the full human androgen receptor to the use of aminocaproic acid as a spacer for multiple pegylation of peptides.

Conference on “Spill Effects: Teaching About BP in the Gulf, New Jersey and Beyond” Attracts Experts

Volunteer International Education Liaison Position Bestowed on Ramapo’s Director for International Education Director of International Education Ben Levy has been selected to serve as the International Education Liaison for Region X (New York/New Jersey) for NAFSA, the Association of International Educators, the world’s largest professional organization for international education.

The volunteer position’s purpose is to coordinate and advocate for professionals serving in similar college and university international education positions thereby rewarding greater visibility and contribution by Ramapo College to the field of international education.

An additional benefit is strengthening

(L-R): Alex Ucci ‘11 and Danielle Hirsch ‘11 explain their Chemistry project to her father and Board of Governor’s member, Corey Hirsch during the Tenth Annual TAS Symposium.

Director of International Education Ben Levy

knowledge and expertise necessary to increase the quality and implementation of the College’s work through the sharing of best practices. An increase in visibility further supports Ramapo’s efforts to recruit students from other regional schools during our faculty-led programs, as well as raise awareness about the College’s international education impact in the region.

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The school of Social Science and Human Services held a two-day symposium “Spill Effects: Teaching About BP in the Gulf, New Jersey and Beyond,” organized by the College’s Sustainability Studies Program. The programs brought together national, regional and College experts to discuss issues a year after the epic spill.

(L-R): Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Ashwani Vasishth, Dean of SSHS Sam Rosenberg, Assemblywoman Connie Wagner and President Peter P. Mercer.

New Project Management Certificate Takes Off Photo Courtesy of Lorali Deming

New Chapter of The National Society of Collegiate Scholars Established A new chapter of The National Society of Collegiate Scholars was recently established on campus, a national honors organization open to high-achieving freshmen and sophomores.

It is the only interdisciplinary honor society that recognizes freshmen and sophomores for their academic accomplishments and provides them with an opportunity to network with other scholars, perform service activities on the campus, and apply for scholarships.

Students with a GPA above 3.4 may apply if they are in the top 20 percent of their class.

The NSCS has chapters throughout the United States, including Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.

“That a group of energized and dedicated students were able to do all of the research and legwork involved in bringing this wonderful new opportunity to campus, speaks volumes about the future promise of Ramapo’s newest honor society,” said Associate Professor of Management Rikki Abzug. The chapter has already attracted more than 300 students. Maria Zampetoulas ‘11, a founding student, has been awarded the Founding Office Scholarship.

Abzug and Associate Professor of Law and Society Marta Vides Saade are advisors to the chapter.

Director of Project Management Certification Program John Thomas with a Project Management class.

Do you desire the training necessary to compete in one of the most rapidly growing career fields in North America? Then get to your computer and apply for the Project Management Certification program at Ramapo College.

This maturing career field offers vast opportunity across a spectrum of industries for those with the proper credentials. The Ramapo College Project Management Certification program provides the educational requirements for the standardized tests administered by the Project Management Institute (PMI), the global standard for Project Management credentials. And you can finish the program in as little as eleven weeks.

“Project management is an in-demand skill set that employers currently seek.

And certification provides more and better job opportunities,” said John Thomas, Director of Professional Business Certification Programs in the Ramapo College Anisfield School of Business. “We also help you prepare your credential application. We find that some professionals meet the experience requirements for the PMP® or other advanced credentials and do not know it.”

At Ramapo, students receive 96 hours of in-class instruction taught by instructors with advanced degrees as well as decades of practical project management experience.

Classes forming for fall, winter and spring.

To apply online, visit www.ramapo.edu/cipl/ project-mgmt.html. For additional information contact Thomas at 201.684.7699 or jthomas3@ramapo.edu.

AIS Holds Symposium on Immigration in the 21st Century

(L-R): Professor of Spanish Iraida H. Lopez, Executive Director of the American Friends Service Committee in Newark Amy Gottlieb, Executive Director of New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE) Valeria Treves and Assistant Professor of American Studies John Gronbeck-Tedesco on a panel on “Multiple Perspectives on Immigration: Key Issues for Attorneys, Activists, and Scholars/Teachers” held at Ramapo on April 4.

In April, the School of American and International Studies at Ramapo College held a symposium, “Inventing a Home Immigration in the 21st Century.” The day-long event included a series of panel discussions involving faculty and guests with opening remarks by Dean Hassan Nejad. Amy Gottlieb, executive director of the American Friends Service Committee, and Valeria Treves, executive director of New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE), participated in a discussion on “Multiple Perspectives on Immigration: Key Issues for Attorneys, Activists, and Scholars/Teachers” with Assistant Professor of American Studies John Gronbeck-Tedesco. Other events included a book discussion on “Brother, I’m Dying,” by Edwidge Danticat, presentations from Grupo Cajola and Adhikaar. www.ramapo.edu

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College news Since 1960, the New Jersey Business & Industry Association and New Jersey Business magazine have presented the New Good Neighbor Award to hundreds of companies across the state that have built, expanded or renovated outstanding buildings and development projects. The winning projects are recognized for their economic benefit to the community (including the creation of new jobs), architectural merit, and community involvement. An independent panel of judges selects the winners. The New Jersey Business & Industry Association awarded the Anisfield School of Business a 2011 New Good Neighbor Award.

Of the 13 awardees, Ramapo College was one of only two receiving an award in the “Special Projects” category, which goes

beyond the norm, and is granted for projects that are considered to have a dramatic, extraordinary impact and benefit business in New Jersey.

Congressman Scott Garrett nominated the project on the College’s behalf, with kudos given to SNS Architects & Engineers of Montvale, NJ, the project architects; architectural consultant Dennis Wyckoff; Cambridge Construction Management, the project’s construction managers; and Dean of Anisfield School of Business Lewis Chakrin, who provided helpful background information, which was incorporated into the award nomination package. Associate Vice President of Finance and Administration Richard Roberts provided oversight for the project.

“Understanding & Preventing Bullying” Conference Draws Area Educators, Media The Ramapo College Child Development Institute hosted a daylong “Understanding & Preventing Bullying” conference that attracted educators and media from throughout the region as faculty from the School of Social Science and Human Services examined this high-profile issue. The interdisciplinary event was designed for direct service providers in mental health and education and brought together educators, social workers, psychologists and other social service professionals who serve children in area communities. Ramapo faculty members discussed current research on the topic, developmental issues related to bullying, and presented information about prevention and effective responses for parents and educators.

“Bullying is a major social concern that reverberates throughout society,” said Dean Samuel J. Rosenberg. “We at Ramapo College are committed to providing information and support to the larger community.”

Sessions included a wide range of topics from educational policy to prevention in the classroom to gender variance and bullying.

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2011 Congressional Art Competition Held At Ramapo in February

Photo Courtesy of Garrett.house.gov

Anisfield School of Business Receives 2011 New Good Neighbor Award in June

Rep. Scott Garrett with Congressional Art Competition awardees (from left to right) Hye-Jin Jeon, Kayla Osborne, Kim Verost and Kyle Muys.

Ramapo College recently hosted the 2011 Congressional Art Competition for the Fifth District. The competition allows members of Congress to showcase the talent of high school students from their districts and acknowledge the nation’s most gifted young artists.

“I always look forward to springtime when the submissions for the Congressional Art Competition start rolling into my offices,” said Congressman Scott Garrett. “It’s one of my favorite events of the entire year. The caliber of art that is produced in the Fifth District proves what I have known all along – young people in North Jersey are some of the most talented and inspired artists in the country.”

The contest was open to all Fifth District residents in grades 7 through 12. In February, the artwork was displayed at Ramapo College and Sussex County Community College for judging. Artwork by the first-place winner will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol building for one year, and the second-, third- and fourth-place winners will have their submissions displayed in the Congressman’s Washington, D.C. and New Jersey offices.

Faculty news

By Morgan Balog ‘11

New Jersey Association of Colleges of Teacher Education Elects a Ramapo Member Alex Urbiel, assistant dean of Teacher Education was elected a member-at-large for the Executive Committee for the New Jersey Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (NJACTE) at a recent meeting. In this position Urbiel will help advise the officers on topics and issues for consideration that would help better shape the agenda of the NJACTE. The New Jersey Association of Colleges of Teacher Education is an organization whose work is focused on the preparation and professional development

of teachers and educational leaders within the state. The group provides an effective voice for teacher education at the state level on all types of matters including policies related to teacher education, educational leadership, and advanced study in education.

The group promotes the learning of all PK-12 students through the high-quality, evidence-based preparation and continuing education of teachers and teacher leaders.

Assistant Dean of Teachers Education Alexander Urbiel

Art History Professor Named Featured Santa Fe Art World Artist

Professor of Art History Judith Peck

Professor of Art Judith Peck was named Featured Artist on Santa Fe Art World for the month of May. This distinction relates to the showing of Professor Peck’s outdoor sculptures from June through Labor Day in the Stamford, Connecticut Downtown Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit “Out of the Museums and Onto the Streets.” The exhibit, consisting of seven sculptures, is titled “Wit and Whimsy.” The sculptures will be placed along with others in various locations around Santa Fe. Previously this annual exhibition has had superb reviews in the New York Times and elsewhere, with notable sculptors represented.

Appalachia mixed media life size

National Humanities Center in Research Awards Fellowship Ellen Ross, professor of History and Women’s Studies was awarded a fellowship by the National Humanities Center in Research in Triangle Park, North Carolina. With more than 400 candidate applications, only 32 were selected and awarded fellowships. Of the 32 selected, nine of them were historians like Professor Ross.

Her proposal for the fellowship was titled: “Missionaries, Philanthropists and ‘Valiant Warrior Queens:’ From Social Work to Global Activism

in Britain, 1914-1950.” “Valiant Warrior Queens” is a phrase from Edmund Spencer that was used to describe the early 20th century generation of women activists and philanthropists whom Ross studied.

Ross will be on sabbatical in North Carolina this coming year to work and attend seminars at the Center with the other fellows. She will be moving to North Carolina for the year with her husband and pit bull so that she can conduct her work.

Professor of History and Women’s Studies Ellen Ross

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Faculty news

Social and Individual Memory Presented at Leibniz Germany Conference Henri Lustiger-Thaler, professor of Sociology, presented a paper at the Social Memory Conference at Leibniz University in February.

Associate Professor of Communication Arts Ruma Sen

Globalization and Indian Media/Culture Studies in Bangalore and Kharagpur Ruma Sen, associate professor of Communication Arts, returned to Ramapo College after a successful sabbatical leave in India where she conducted extensive research on Indian television content and audiences.

She presented a preliminary report from this research at the International Communication Association (ICA) Conference in Singapore in May 2010. The report received positive feedback from industrybased researchers and media producers who were keen to collaborate on the study to bridge their work with that of Professor Sen’s project.

While in India, Sen gave lectures on globalization and Indian media/culture at several universities and institutes, including the Global Citizens for Sustainable Development in Bangalore, Jadavpur University in Kolkata, and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Kharagpur.

She also was invited this past winter to lecture and lead workshops with graduate and doctoral students on “Transcultural Entertainment: Globalization and the New Indian Television” at the Mudra Institute of Communication Ahmedabad (MICA) in India.

The conference, which took place in Hannover, Germany, brought together renowned historians and social scientists throughout Europe and the United States to present their work on the intersection of social memory and individual memory. They explored how national memory narratives of World War II and Nazi crimes have created a landscape of trans-national and global forms of remembrance and in particular how the world-changing events of 1989 (the end of The Cold War) have opened significant social spaces for the expression of individual memories.

The presentation by Professor LustigerThaler examined multiple forms of individual and collective memories that emerged, amongst survivors, in the post 1945 to 1950 displaced persons camps of Occupied Germany. The presentation is a chapter in his forthcoming book titled “Lost Memory and the Holocaust,” to be published by Yale University Press.

Professor Lustiger-Thaler’s paper was titled “Orthodox Historiography and Lost Memory.” It will be published in German by Wallstein Press in December.

Music Industry and Production Professor’s Work Featured in BAM Ben Neill, assistant professor of Music Industry and Production, had a theater piece that he co-wrote, “Persephone,” featured in the Brooklyn Academy of Music Next Wave Festival in October of 2010. The music from this piece will be released in an album form called “Songs for Persephone” this month.

Professor Neill and co-writer/vocalist, Mimi Goese were commissioned by BAM to create the lushly staged work with multimedia company Ridge Theater. “Persephone” co-starred actress Julia Stiles with the book by Tony award-winning playwright Warren Leight, and grew out of the 19th century themes that Goese and Neill were exploring in the music.

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Neill is a composer, performer, producer, and inventor of the mutantrumpet, a hybrid electroacoustic instrument. He has recorded eight CDs of his music on labels including Universal/Verve, Thirsty Ear, Astralwerks and Six Degrees. His most recent CD “Night Science” was released in 2009 on the Thirsty Ear label.

Aside from their recent sold-out week of performances at BAM, Goese and Neill have performed at such venues as World Financial Center, Etnafest in Catania, Italy, Bard College Summerscape Festival and the Festa Serralves in Porto, Portugal.

Assistant Professor of Music Industry and Production Ben Neill

Comic Book Project Engages Students Michael Bitz, assistant professor of Education, worked with his Reading Theory and Practice class at the Westwood Public Library during the spring semester to help 25 third to sixth graders in developing their own original comic books.

The project was designed to help future teachers solidify reading and writing theories and techniques they learned in the classroom.

The elementary school students, with the help and guidance of the Ramapo students, created and developed characters and plots for their comic books, and illustrated them.

Bitz, who is the founder of the Comic Book Project, an organization that engages children in a creative process of literacy reinforcement said that “there seems to be a tight connection between pictures and words, allowing this club to help kids become better writers in the long run.”

“Helping the kids design comic books is not just about having fun,” said Ramapo student Rachel Coviello ‘09. “Professor Bitz has shown us a creative way to improve students’ literacy skills. We were helping them develop various writing abilities, such as grammar, spelling, word choice and punctuation, under the guise of an enjoyable project.”

Bitz also created a Youth Music Exchange program which was featured on WFUV-90, the NPR affiliate in the Bronx. In recogniz-

The Reading Theory and Writing Practice class held at the Westwood Public Library in Westwood, NJ during the spring semester was designed to help Education students at Ramapo work with elementary and middle school students to create original comic books. (Middle): Melanie Orinski ‘12 is reinforcing writing techniques with the students enrolled in the project.

ing the importance of linking learning and life, YME reconnects children to education by transforming classrooms into recording studios and blank paper into business plans.

The purpose of Bitz’s YME is to incorporate music, production, art and marketing to school-based record labels and focuses on students’ working together to launch and sustain their company. Although social skills and character building are inherent to the concept, academic reinforcement is at the core of YME. Each session begins and concludes with children writing in required journals and engaging in mathematical reasoning related to their business forecasts.

Each participating site culminates with an on-site recording session, followed by a CD release and launch party. YME collaborates with sites throughout the implementation cycle in order to produce the recordings and establish the self-sustaining record labels.

Olbrecht Selected to Attend Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting for EEA Alexandre Olbrecht, associate professor of Economics and the executive director of the Eastern Economic Association, was selected to attend the 2011 Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings in Economic Sciences in Germany in August. The meetings, held every few years, are designed to offer the best young researchers in the world an opportunity to exchange ideas and opinions with Nobel Laureates in Economics. Currently, 20 past winners of the Nobel Prize in economic sciences are scheduled to present during the five day conference.

The conference format includes traditional lectures from Nobel laureates, small discussion sections of 10 to 15 people led by presenters,

Associate Professor Lysanda Perez-Strumolo Receives Fred and Florence Thomases Faculty Award Associate Professor of Developmental Psychology Lysandra Perez-Strumolo was this year’s recipient of the Fred and Florence Thomases Award. The Fred and Florence Thomases Award for Faculty Research and Development was established in 1975 as an endowment from founding trustee Florence Thomases and her husband. The award is given annually to honor a faculty member who has made significant and ongoing contributions to the development of the College. This can be expressed, as with PerezStrumolo, through her teaching, scholarship, service to committees and outstanding fulfillment of professional responsibility.

and some social activities. In excess of 20,000 young researchers apply to each meeting, with only the top 400 selected this year. Olbrecht Associate Professor of Economics will be among 27 Alexandre Olbrecht economists representing the United States this year and is (L-R): President Peter P. Mercer, Associate Professor of Developmental Psychology in SSHS Lysandra Perez-Strumolo, the only economist from one of New Jersey’s and Dean of the School of Social Science and Human Services public colleges. Selection into the conference Sam Rosenberg at the March Fred and Florence Thomases Award Ceremony is concurrent with a grant which covers a participant’s expenses covering room and board www.ramapo.edu Ramapo magazine 23 during the conference.

Planned giving

Bequest Honors Daughter’s Service to the Disabled The Estate of Jeannette B. Aronow gifts $100,000 to establish the Evelyn Aronow Scholarship and Fellowship Jeannette B. Aronow, a long-time Springfield, NJ resident, was a beloved teacher, a devoted wife of the late Bernhard and loving mother to the late Evelyn. In her will, Jeannette sought to honor her daughter Evelyn, who served as Executive Director of the New Jersey Governor’s Commission on Employment of the Handicapped.

“Before her death Evelyn Aronow worked tirelessly on behalf of disabled persons in the State of New Jersey and beyond,” says family member Lisa Cohan Aronow.

Evelyn suffered from severe cerebral palsy and worked for the State of New Jersey in the Department of Community Affairs.

The Department created an award in her memory, The Evelyn Aronow Dolan Citizens Award for Advocacy and Promotion of Recreation for Individuals with Disabilities. This award is given to an individual who has made a lasting contribution to

Evelyn Aronow

community recreation services for individuals with disabilities in New Jersey.

The Evelyn Aronow Scholarship will be awarded to students who have shown potential to be advocates for the disabled. In addition, an Aronow Fellow will be selected to participate in an internship at a social service organization advocating for people with disabilities.

Since its earliest years, Ramapo College has been responsive to the needs of men and women with disabilities, providing services and reducing barriers toward attainment of a college degree. Thanks to the commitment of the College’s founding president, George Potter and his wife Laurie, and the ongoing work of the staff in the Office of Specialized Services, sensitivity to persons with disabilities is an integral part of the campus culture.

(L-R): Trustee George C. Ruotolo, Jr., Senator Paul Sarlo, President Peter P. Mercer, News 12 reporter Walt Kane, Senator Kevin O’Toole, Trustee W. Peter McBride, Board of Trustees Chairman A.J. Sabath ’93, Trustee Gail Brady, and Student Trustees Laura Hahn ’11 and Erin Kaplan Burns ‘11

Legacy Society Dinner Ramapo College held its Seventh Annual Legacy Society Dinner at the Trustees Pavilion in December to honor alumni and friends who have created an endowment or who have provided for the College in their estate plans.

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This year’s event included a panel discussion titled “The Future of Higher Education in New Jersey.” News 12 reporter Walt Kane moderated the discussion by panelists Senator Kevin J. O’Toole, Senator Paul A. Sarlo and President Peter P. Mercer.

Endowment and planned gifts from Legacy Society members provide student scholarships, fund faculty research projects and enhance campus facilities and programs.

For more information about the Legacy Society, contact the Foundation Office at 201.684.7612.

Grant news Crucial Grants Augment OSS Services

The integration of qualified students with disabilities into the community has been the Ramapo way since the College opened in 1971. The College’s Office of Specialized Services (OSS) facilitates equal access and offers academic support to students with physical, sensory, learning or psychological disabilities. This year, the U.S. Department of Education and the Verizon Foundation recognized the invaluable work of the OSS, thanks to the grant-writing efforts of Ramona Kopacz, learning disabilities specialist.

Support From the U.S. Department of Education Ramapo College received a five-year $1,331,853 grant from the U.S. Department of Education Student Support Services Program to provide an array of services for students with disabilities. The program provides academic advisement, independent living counseling, career development, and graduate school and financial aid counseling. The program also offers peer tutoring, professional tutoring in writing and mathematics and computer instruction.

The grant, obtained through a competition with other higher education institutions, is crucial to augmenting services provided

by OSS. Ramapo first received funding in 1976. Since then, the College has vigorously competed for renewed funding. Approximately one half of all United States colleges and universities apply; about 25 percent receive funding.

Scholarships From the Crane Fund for Widows and Children

(L-R): Diana Vargas, a Human Resources executive with Verizon, congratulates Verizon Scholarship recipient Christopher Lowenhaupt ‘11 for his academic success at an end of the semester luncheon hosted by the Office of Specialized Services in May.

Verizon Makes A Good Call Investing in Students The Verizon Foundation provided $18,000 in scholarships that benefited students registered with OSS. To be eligible, students must major in Business Administration or Computer Science, fields that are relevant to Verizon’s core business. “We recognize that students of different abilities will play a key role in society and in our business,” says Diana Vargas, a Human Resources executive with Verizon. Verizon scholarship recipients have an opportunity to complete an internship at the company.

Perhaps Patrick Cua, a Verizon Scholarship recipient, sums it up best. He is a Business Administration major who plans to attend law school. “All the help I am fortunate enough to receive will better my experience at Ramapo College and make me well prepared when I look for a job.”

Joshua Wanger ‘12 received a scholarship from the Crane Fund for Widows and Children.

The Crane Fund for Widows and Children provided a $5,000 grant for financially-needy Ramapo students, preferentially those whose father has passed away or is disabled. Four OSS students received Crane Fund scholarships this past year, including Joshua Wanger, a Political Science major.

The Crane Fund for Widows and Children was started in 1914 at the death of the founder of Crane Co. by his sons. Formerly a manufacturer of plumbing and other equipment, Crane Company currently manufactures highly-engineered industrial products.

“My Mom has always had to face the challenge of a single income household, so this scholarship was a big help,” Joshua says. “I look forward to graduating, getting a job, and becoming more independent so she can rest and maybe work only one job.”

“The scope of the Crane Fund for Widows and Children has changed over the years,” says Fund Administrator Robert Culbertson, “and now supports organizations that serve financially needy individuals.”

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Foundation news Scholarship Recipients and Donors Honored

Academically motivated students, many with financial need, benefited during the 20102011 academic year from scholarships offered through the Ramapo College Foundation.

On April 7, nearly 250 recipients were invited to the annual Scholarship Dinner, where they had an opportunity to meet the benefactors who made their award possible.

Cathleen Davey, executive director of the Foundation and Vice President of Institutional Advancement, was pleased to announce six new scholarship endowments.

They recognize students who are advocates for those with disabilities, students in the Educational Opportunity Fund program, Business Administration majors, students from South Plainfield, NJ, Physics majors and students of any major who are in good academic standing. The scholarships will be awarded next year.

John Brewster ’75, senior vice president with UBS Financial Services, gave the evening’s remarks, citing the positive changes he has seen at the College since his graduation.

Jackie Garber ‘75 and her husband Paul, have made annual scholarship contributions to Ramapo College since 2001. (L-R): They are pictured with recipients Cardacia Davis ‘12, Tia Cappello ‘13, Sabina Ulysse ‘11 and Maria Molina ‘11.

The Kossowsky family has established two scholarships at Ramapo, both for students who are involved in the community.

Pictured are (L-R-Standing): Lindsey Cesara, Jacob Kossowsky ’10, Robert Kossowsky and Nancy Kossowsky. (L-R-Seated): Lauren Magenta ‘14, Miranda Wyatt ‘12, Jolie Bonnett ‘11 and Lauren’s father, Michael Magenta.

Lisa Cohen Aronow and Martin Aronow join President Peter P. Mercer (center) at the Scholarship Dinner on April 7. The Aronows represent the estate of Evelyn Aronow, which made a bequest to the Ramapo College Foundation for students who are advocates for those with disabilities.

Distinguished Citizens Dinner With the understated elegance of the Rockleigh Country Club serving as a backdrop, the 29th Annual Distinguished Citizens Dinner honored Dr. Anthony J. DeCarlo ’77, co-founder and co-owner of Red Bank Veterinary Hospital; Ralph Izzo, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated; Gary Kallenbach, vice president of UPS Information Systems, and Candida Romanelli ’90, director, New York International Automobile Show and vice president for both the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association and the Center for Automotive Education & Training. The honorees were lauded for their personal and professional commitment to advance higher education and for their significant service to the community. They were joined by more than 200 guests for an evening of dinner, dancing and dialogue. One highlight of this year’s event was the auction of a 2011 Subaru Impreza 26

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(L-R): Foundation Board of Governors board member Brian Smith, President Peter P. Mercer, DCD Dinner Co-chair Frank Shapiro, honoree Dr. Anthony J. DeCarlo, Jr. ‘77, Ramapo College Board of Trustees Chairman A.J. Sabath ‘93, honoree Candida Romanelli ‘90, Board of Governors Chairman Robert Tillsley, honoree Gary Kallenback, Dinner Co-chair Fran Hackett ‘80 and Ramapo College Foundation Executive Director Cathleen Davey

2.5i generously donated by Rick DeSilva, owner of Liberty Subaru. The dinner is the Foundation’s largest fundraiser, raising

unrestricted funds for student scholarships, faculty research opportunities and ongoing campus capital projects.

Russ Berrie Award for Making a Difference Celebrates 15 Years of Saluting Unsung Heroes The Russ Berrie Award for Making a Difference celebrated 15 years of recognizing common people for their uncommon acts at the event’s 2011 awards ceremony.

The Honorable Cory Booker, mayor of Newark, gave the keynote address. There were several special tributes including a moving, video retrospective highlighting winners during the past 15 years. A commemorative booklet, recounting the efforts of previous winners, was presented to Angelica Berrie, president of the Russell Berrie Foundation.

assailant attacking his two female neighbors with a knife and an axe. Without hesitation he ran to his car and returned with a small baseball bat. He struck the assailant and was able to stop the vicious attack.

Jane Geoghegan of Toms River, New Jersey received the $25,000 award. She and her family were nominated for their collective years of service with the Silverton First Aid Squad. Three generations, spanning 47

years, have selflessly contributed time and talent, making a meaningful contribution to the community.

In all, 10 finalists were selected by a committee comprised of eminent New Jersey business leaders and professionals. Cash awards of $5,000 were presented to the remaining finalists. The program, administered by Ramapo College, was established in 1997 by the late Russell Berrie.

At the conclusion of the program, Mrs. Berrie surprised the audience by announcing a gift of $150,000 from the Russell Berrie Foundation to the Adler Center for Nursing Excellence. Elaine Adler, who accepted the gift, has enjoyed a long friendship with Mrs. Berrie. Mrs. Adler and her husband, Myron, made a $2 million gift to Ramapo College last November to establish the Center. The announcement was a capstone to a ceremony filled with compelling stories of ordinary citizens doing extraordinary good deeds.

Catherine Carisi of Lodi, New Jersey received the $50,000 award. She was recognized for her work with disabled children and establishing Camp Acorn, a summer/winter social and recreational program for children and young adults with multiple disabilities. Carisi’s mission is to give individuals with special needs experiences they are denied elsewhere.

(L-R): Josh Weston, Angelica Berrie, The Honorable Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark, and Peter P. Mercer

Taking home the $35,000 award was Hernan Agudelo of Union, New Jersey.

He put his life in danger to help two assault victims. This past January, he heard a commotion in his neighbor’s backyard.

He went to investigate and observed an

Angelica Berrie congratulates Board of Governors member Elaine Adler

(L-R-Seated): Catherine Carisi ($50,000 award winner), Angelica Berrie, Jane Geoghegan ($25,000 award winner), Hernan Agudelo ($35,000 award winner), Josh Weston.

(L-R-Standing): Steve Adubato, Kristin Kosch, Laura McKirdy, Jane Fiedler, Dr. Kye Eun Ma, Deean Brauch, Gary Oppenheimer, President Peter P. Mercer, Shannon McNamara, and Gail Dunlap Reuben

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Alumni news Alumni Association Grows in Members and Events The influence of Ramapo alumni, and the value of a Ramapo College education, has national reach as alumni on the East and West coasts reconnect, recruit other alumni and host events. As the number of alumni chapters grow, so does the number of

programs and events sponsored. In addition to fun outings such as the 33rd Annual Alumni Ice Hockey Reunion, the Ramapo College Alumni Association presents events that promote career growth, professional education and personal knowledge.

(L-R): Ifeanyi Igbo ‘09, Board of Governors member Debra Perry ‘84, Ghazi Gaber, Jr. ‘09, Steven Collins ’10 and Sami Asaad ’03 attended the New York City Alumni event held in May.

An Alumni Speed Networking event in April offered alumni an evening of professional development. Participants learned how to develop effective talking points and navigate the multi-generational workplace from seasoned veterans of the workforce. (L-R-Standing): Steven Collins ‘10, Vincent Pittaro Jr. ‘07, Antonia Perez ‘11, Adam Lella ‘07, Robert James Kobus ‘10, Ian Miller ‘08, Andrew Farkas ‘10, Zachary Messerschmidt ‘11, Robert Boesch ‘03, Joseph Dec ‘88. (L-R-Seated): Sarah Doron ‘11, Kathija Mohammed ‘08, Phaedra Cress ‘95, Leann Lydon ‘08, Thomas Chenoweth ‘95, ‘04.

The Alumni Association sponsored a luncheon for the UPS Alumni Corporate Chapter at the company’s headquarters in Mahwah, NJ. In attendance were (L-R-Standing): Board of Governor member and Vice President of UPS Information Services Gary Kallenbach, President Peter P. Mercer, Ruxandra Tirisi ’05, Harry Bolton ‘10, Carmelo Guarneri ‘10, Stanislav Burd ’06, Timothy De Vries ’94, Joseph Pelleteri ’94, MIchael Glass ‘01 Keith Kelleher ’07, Eric Woltering ’08, Ricardo Black ’09, Jonathan Schwartz ‘01 and Joe Monaco ‘06.

(L-R-Seated): Debra Kelly ‘80, Jennifer Bishop ‘93, Rosanna Gonzalez-Rivas ‘08, Laura Roberts ‘81 and Jane Hammett ‘97.

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Jonathan Marcus ‘93, Esq., assistant general counsel of KPMG and president of the Alumni Association, welcomed members of the KPMG Alumni Corporate Chapter to a luncheon at the company’s Montvale, NJ office. During the event, sponsored by the Ramapo College Alumni Association, President Peter P. Mercer and Vice President of Institutional Advancement Cathleen Davey presented information about new campus initiatives. More than 40 alumni are employed

by KPMG. (L-R-Standing): Elaine Santiago ‘01, Heather Wolff ‘03, Juby Thomas ‘03, Jonathan Marcus ‘93 Esq., Nazanin Malekalktab ‘93, Arleen Zabala ‘90 and Mitchell Biarsky ‘90.

(L-R-Seated): Donna Sullivan ‘81, Satoshi Tsuboi ‘92, President Peter P. Mercer, Steven Abaci ‘09 and Sevan Sprofera ‘91

Art on a Sunday Afternoon

Photo courtesy of Louis Dipaolo ‘14

The Friends of Ramapo hosted Art on a Sunday Afternoon in March. Attendees enjoyed a presentation by Professor of Painting Warner Wada who discussed his pinhole art, created amongst the exotic ruins of Angkor Wat, Cambodia. Gallery Curator Sydney Jenkins, pictured left, and author/photographer Phyllis Galumbo spoke about rare works of Haitian art loaned from prestigious private collections that were on view in the Kresge Gallery.

Herb Gardening An Alumni Tea and Culinary Herb Gardening presentation was held May 17 at which alumni learned more about eating flavorful foods without adding salt. Susan Petro, Biology lab coordinator, demonstrated how to grow, harvest, preserve and use herbs. Susan Petro (far right) gave participants a tour of the College’s greenhouse.

Business Students Network with Alumni to Learn About the Workplace Students enrolled in the Anisfield School of Business were eager to meet and learn from alumni at the fourth annual Alumni Networking Roundtable on March 23.

Business students had the opportunity to network with ASB and other Ramapo alumni and learn about their professional experiences and career paths to help shape their own.

J. Patrick Hunter ‘02, ‘05 (center) discusses networking with Ramapo students at the recent roundtable event.

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Alumni news

A Staged Event The Bergen County Regional Alumni Chapter hosted a reception and an evening of theater for a student production of Trojan Women 2.0. (L-R-Standing): Vice President of Institutional Advancement Cathy Davey, Laurence Moran ’86, Lisa Moran ‘85, Michael Brower, Antoinette Brower ‘02, Matt Keller, Robin Keller ‘98, ‘02, ‘07, William Topken, Marina Topken ‘87, Mary Ippolito ’82, Joseph Ippolito, Mr. and Mrs. Yong Man Kim ‘97, Kasey Rigby, Purvi Parekh, ‘01, ‘04. (L-R-Seated): Becky McAdams ‘04, Geoffrey Orozco ‘09, Tammy Marcus, Jonathan Marcus ‘93, Joyce Schader and Kathleen Moskin ‘97. Marilyn Moux ’07 was in attendance but not pictured.

AIS Alumni and Student Roundtable

TAS Alumni Advisory Board Holds Spring Dinner

Scott Stahlmann ‘79 (above) was among alumni of the School of American and International Studies who participated in a networking roundtable March 31 and discussed the skills needed when seeking employment and the fields that are available to AIS graduates.

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Members of the School of Theoretical and Applied Science Alumni Advisory Board met for a spring dinner and were apprised of the exciting plans to renovate the G-Wing, in which the School is located. Pictured, Row 1: Janet Pepperted ‘79 ‘81; President Peter P. Mercer; Dr. Jackie Ehlert-Mercer; Joanne Florio, D.C. ‘81; Row 2: Carolyn Merkel, Ph.D. ‘78; Teresa Karcnik, M.D. ‘84; Row 3: Richard Roberts; then Dean Bernard Langer; Warren Shafer, Ph.D. ‘76; Row 4: Friend of Ramapo Daniel Connelly; Frank Magdits ‘78; John Doherty ‘99; Dr. Timothy Finley ‘94 and Gregory Romero.

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The Legacy Continues President Peter P. Mercer and Dr. Jackie Ehlert-Mercer (center) hosted a regional alumni reunion in Los Angeles. The event attracted alumni from the greater Los Angeles area. Several members of Ramapo’s Board of Trustees also attended. The San Francisco Regional Alumni Chapter also held a reunion in January.

Photo Courtesy Louis Dipaolo ‘14

Erin Kaplan-Burns ’12, student trustee, and Chelsea Mei ’13, student governor, present President Peter P. Mercer with the names of the 2011 graduates and their families who participated in the Senior Legacy Drive. Pictured with them is Joyce Schader, associate director of the Ramapo College Foundation’s Annual Fund. This longstanding Ramapo tradition is part of the Annual Fund Campaign. It unites the class and encourages graduating seniors to give back to the College. The money raised provides scholarships and financial assistance for deserving students, funds student research grants and provides resources for innovative academic programs and diverse co-curricular activities.

Dr. Timothy Finley ’94, recipient of the 2011 President’s Award of Merit, toasts the Class of 2011 at Celebration at Sunset.

Photo Courtesy Louis Dipaolo ‘14

Alumni ice hockey team coach and Bursar Director Art Chill ’74 made sure the team followed the rules at the 33rd Annual Alumni Ice Hockey Reunion in April. The alumni team faced off against rival alumni from Fairleigh Dickinson University and won 4 – 2. The game was followed by a reception in the Trustees Pavilion.

The 3rd Annual Nursing Alumni Brunch was held in April. President Peter P. Mercer provided updates about College programs and Cathleen Davey, executive director of the Ramapo College Foundation and vice president of Institutional Advancement, offered details about the Adler Center for Nursing Excellence. The nurses also received continuing education units (CEU) for participating in a professional education presentation.

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Class notes In Memoriam Joseph W. Ruzanski ‘73 Dorothy Segall ‘73

2009 and Emily, another daughter, graduated in May. His son, Charles, has been accepted to Ramapo and expects to start in September.

College Performing Arts Guild Advisory Council and the Warren County Human Services Senior Service Advisory Council. She is a Centenary College academic liaison.

Beatrice A. Van Eck ‘77 and her

David Sherman ‘83 was appointed

husband Art celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary last August.

Van Eck is a docent in a museum located in the historic lumbering village of Fife Lake, MI and also travels coast-to-coast to visit children, grandchildren and greats.

Thomas Scherzer ‘73 Mark LeRoy Eshenaur, Jr ‘75 Elizabeth Quackenbush ‘75 James McNamara ‘77 Marvin D. Miller ‘78

Evan Weiner ‘77, a sports journalist/

Thomas Lehmann ‘79

commentator whose columns are about the business and politics of sports, has been named the winner of the United States Sports Academy’s 2010 Ronald Reagan Media Award. Weiner has been a contributing columnist for Newsday, the New York Sun, the Orlando Sentinel, Metro Philadelphia, Metro New York and the Washington Examiner. He often is a guest on “Politics Live” with Sam Donaldson.

Rosemary A. Cullen ‘80 Dale Francis Dirkswager ‘81 Maralyce “Molly” Henchey ‘83 Herbert John Schank ‘84 Roderick B. Perry ‘87 Ryan William Powell ‘06 Garrett Gurrieri ‘10

Cynthia Mitchell Sherman ‘80 is en-

Daniel P. Quinn ‘74 was a directing

assistant at La Scala, Italy as a guest of Claudio Abbado. He established five arts festivals celebrating the links between Paterson, NJ and Lyons, France as a guest of French Cultural Services. He also has guest-directed or produced plays at the Park Theatre, Foundation Theatre, Mitzi Newhouse Theatre, William Carlos Williams Center, Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, Art Awareness Festival, Rutgers University/Newark, Snug Harbor, Ohio Theatre, Irish Arts Center, Dublin Theatre Festival, Teatro Trianon and the Bickford Theatre.

Patrick O’Hagan ‘75 of Midland

Park, NJ is a candidate for mayor of the borough. He has served on the Town Council for 22 years and also served 10 years on the Board of Adjustment. O’Hagan is a realtor with Terrie O’Connor Realtors in Allendale, NJ. Jim Marlowe ‘76 is pleased to share

that he and his children are all Roadrunners! His daughter Rachel graduated from Ramapo in

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rolled in the MBA program at DeSales University in Center Valley, PA. Jim ConwaySpera ‘80

and Andrew Conway-Spera, celebrated their first wedding anniversary June 5.

Suzanne Adrion ‘83 is a professor of Anthropology, History, Political Science and Sociology at Monroe Community College.

Sarah Brelvi ‘83, president and CEO of United Way of Warren County, was elected to the Warren County Regional Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. She co-chairs the United Ways of New Jersey Women’s Leadership Program, is secretary of the Warren County Community College Foundation Board, serves on the Centenary

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managing director of sales for ARAG, a comprehensive legal and financial services company. He will work throughout the Northeast to offer a unique employee benefit, the ARAG Legal Center.

Dr. Phyllis DiAmbrosio ‘84 is a grandmother of six. She also is the director of Admissions and a psychoanalysis training supervisor for the National Institute for the Psychotherapies’ National Training Program in Contemporary Psychoanalysis in New York City.

Lester H. Williams ‘84 received a master’s degree in Human Services and Counseling in 1984 from Montclair State University. Williams is a county director for Community Services for the NJ Division of Developmental Disabilities.

William DeVries ‘87 is

the proud father of Samantha, a junior at Ramapo.

Ed Herter ‘87 obtained his Massachusetts real estate license. He is working at WPKZ, a local radio station, both on and off the air.

Herter is an ambassador on both the Wachusett and North Central Massachusetts Chambers of Commerce and in his spare time teaches at Mount Wachusett Community College.

Sarah Ann Lofaso ‘87 retired in 2005 from the U.S. Department of Justice as a government analyst with the F.B.I. Lofaso has six grandchildren.

Robert Skead ‘87, children’s sports author of Wyckoff, NJ will publish “Mighty Mike Bounces Back,” a book about dealing with epilepsy, for children ages 9 through 13, in September. The story is based on

the experiences of his friend Mike Simmel, an Allendale, NJ resident who plays with the Harlem Wizards basketball team. The book was written to help kids learn to live comfortably with epilepsy and to take control of their life. For additional information, log on to www. robertskead.com.

Terence Brady ‘90 is president of

Brady Financial, Inc., a full service financial planning company offering investments through LPL Financial, Inc.

Keith Cozine, Ph.D. ‘90 was awarded a doctorate of Philosophy in Global Affairs from Rutgers University in January after successfully defending his dissertation, “Transgovernmental Networks as a Tool to Combat Terrorism.” Cozine is employed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Kristine Denning ‘90 has been an associate at Harwood Lloyd, LLC in Hackensack, NJ since 1994. She practices insurance law, fraud and insurance defense. She gained partnership in the firm in January.

Steven Margulies ‘91, and his wife, Eileen, welcomed their son, Eric William, October 13.

Stacy B. Greenhut ‘93 and her

husband, Andrew, adopted their son, Lucas, in March, 2010.

Cathy Ramey ‘93, chief marketing and export officer at Ozapp France, was named a partner of the company. She lives and works in Montpellier, France.

A. J. Sabath ‘93 and Lynn Haynes were married September 10. They have four daughters who will be future Ramapo students. Sabath is the owner of the Advocacy Group in Moorestown, NJ and formerly served as chief of staff to Senate President Richard J. Codey and as the commissioner for the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Sabath is the chair of the Board of Trustees at Ramapo College.

Jason Simon ‘93 successfully

defended his dissertation, “Does Campus Type Really Matter?

National Patterns of Alumni Giving in the 2008 Voluntary Support of Education Study,” and was awarded a doctorate of Philosophy in Higher Education in May. He is director of Research, Assessment & Planning at the University of North Texas. Jason and his wife, Rachel, established the Willie & Hertha Rubel Memorial Scholarship at Ramapo for firstgeneration college students.

Thomas Dowling ‘94, a police officer in Waldwick, NJ, was promoted to sergeant. He has been with the department since 1994. He serves as bias officer, alarm enforcement officer and also served as a field training officer for new hires. In addition, Dowling is a certified EMT. Faye (Morgan-Hill) Kyles ‘95 and James Kyles were married September 18.

Lesley Ann Thomson ‘95, a tenth, eleventh and twelfth grade History teacher at Barnegat High School, was honored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars as National Teacher of the Year. Thomson is the first New Jersey teacher to win this honor. In quick succession, Thomson won the county, the state and then the national award, which she accepted at the VFW’s national conference in Washington, D.C. Barnegat VFW Commander John Rivers said Thomson, of Pine

Beach, NJ was considered along with more than 49 other teachers at the high school level. Thomson, who majored in History at Ramapo College, has been a teacher for six years. As a student, Thomson always enjoyed guest speakers and she’s invited veterans, Holocaust survivors and other special guests to come into her classroom to relate their experiences.

Payman Rabiei ‘95, a

doctor of podiatry medicine, has a compelling life story, one that has allowed him to land on his feet in more ways than one. As a teenager, Rabiei escaped from Iran and crossed the border to Pakistan before coming to the United Stages. OHEL Children’s Home and Family Services placed him in foster care in Rockland County, NY, where he attended high school and Rockland Community College before becoming a Ramapo student.

After graduating from Ramapo, he earned a degree at the New York College of Podiatric Medicine. He has a flourishing practice, Metropolitan Foot Care, with several offices in New York City. He was recently honored by OHEL for his passion about the organization’s mission, his tireless efforts on behalf of the community and his determination to bring OHEL’s vision to the broader community.

Robert Oddo ‘96 has

been appointed senior director of Enrollment at Berkeley College.

Oddo will oversee the Corporate Learning Partnership Program and Berkeley College Online Admissions. Oddo has been with Berkeley College in Paramus, NJ since 2003, where he served as director of Admissions. In 2005 Oddo founded the Charity Car Show, which unites the College and the community. Oddo is a graduate of Leadership Berkeley and has received the Berkeley College Associate of the Year Award for Leadership, the Associate of the Year Award for Teamwork and the President’s Award for Excellence and Commitment.

Joseph Carelli ‘97 was appointed vice president/branch sales manager for Valley National Bank’s Waldwick, NJ branch. He has more than 17 years of experience and, prior to this position, served as a branch manager for a financial institution.

He is a member of Greater Ramsey UNICO, Waldwick Chamber of Commerce and Allendale Chamber of Commerce.

Jamie E. Schultz ‘97 graduated from Ross University’s School of Veterinary Medicine in 2002.

Claire Blaney ‘98 and her

husband welcomed Caroline Jill Rhodes (a.k.a. Callie) February 13 at 3:35 p.m. She weighed 6 lbs., 8 oz.

Robin Keller ‘98, ‘02, ‘07, a project specialist in Information Technology Services at Ramapo College, is exploring several new directions in her artwork. She is using wooden panels beneath her paintings to hold text captions. She also is doing a series about Girl and Boy Scout fundraising issues and another about how two people view one photo. To view her work, visit http://robincrosskeller.com/.

Laura A. Schick-Cormier ‘98 married

her best friend March 26. They rescued two Pomeranians, Mojo and Tim Bur, to complete their family.

Mojo was Mr. August in the Bide-aWee Home Association’s calendar.

Peggy Whiteside ‘98 is co-founder

of the Women’s Coming Out Support Group at the Pride Center of New Jersey in Highland Park, www.pridecenter.org.

Robert G. Bush ‘99

is the managing director at Crossroads Finance Discount Mortgage.

Bush’s company was featured on a segment of the CBS Evening News dealing with changes in home financing. Bush has presented seminars before boards of realtors, finance professionals and the gen-

Marriages and Unions Jim Conway-Spera ’80 to Andrew Conway-Spera A.J. Sabath ’93 to Lynn Haynes Faye (Morgan-Hill) Kyles ’95 to James Kyles Adel Marie Carlock ’99 to Max Pappas Robert John Dooley ’00 to Catherine Linsay Nicholl Walter Michael Curioni ’01 to Erica Leigh Golle Jeanette Leah Laforet ’02 to Jason Szapka Gregg Marshall ’02 to Jessica Cirone ‘03 Reginald Punla ’02 to Jamie Michele Danischewski Eric A. Caruso ’04 to Nicole K. Martin Jessica R. Smith ’05 to Douglas R. Meier ‘05 Melissa Walker ’05 to Jeffrey Brown Ryan James Doyle ’06 to Jessica Lee Heinbach Jill Freudenfels ’06 to Michael Stanley Cristina Prumos ’06 to Mark Ward ‘07 Dana Ashley Braff ’07 to Bryan Pineiro ‘07 Devon Kot ’07 to Matthew Mazza ‘07 Megan Ann Myers ’07 to Kim Moeller Skov Stephen A. Wren ’07 to Mary-Elizabeth C. Fuhrman Courtney Beth Hayes ’08 to Kevin Santo Guglio Taylor Thomas ’08 to Larissa Rota ‘09 Kari Siegel ’09 to Jeremy LoVerde

eral public, educating consumers on the ins and outs of home financing and explaining how the changes to the current law affect consumers. Crossroads is licensed in NJ, NY and CT. Adel Marie Carlock ‘99 and Max Pappas were married in May at the Briar Patch Inn in Middleburg, VA. Carlock is employed in human resource management with the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C. Kate Faust ‘99 had oil paintings on exhibit at the West Side Presbyterian Church Gallery in Ridgewood, NJ in March and at the Salmagundi

www.ramapo.edu

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Class notes

Club in NYC. A professional photographer, her photos have been featured in The Ridgewood News, Town Journal, The Record and (201) magazine. She works with World Camp for Kids and provides educational messages about the spread of HIV. She is a member of Oil Painters of America, the Lancaster Art Association, the Southern Vermont Arts Association, Ridgewood Art Institute, the Professional Women’s Photography Association and the Salmagundi Club.

Deborah Sandford ‘99 is national communications and events manager at Jaguar Land Rover North America. Previously, she served as West Coast product communications manager. She is responsible for leading all Jaguar and Land Rover public relations events, including new product media launches and media activities at North American auto shows, the Land Rover Experience Driving Schools and the Jaguar R Performance Academy.

Louie Williams ‘99

launched a DJ business in 2002. In 2008 he expanded and formed New York Event Sound, a DJ entertainment company that also provides public address systems and sound equipment. With the company came the emergence of his alias, D.J. Louie Luv-it. He teamed with the New York Road Runners in New York City, serving as production coordinator for their events. In November, the music of the ING NYC Marathon was provided by Williams and his staff at three locations. New York Event Sound moved the crowd of more than 2 million and motivated the 45,000-plus runners.

Kristina Koch Cahayla ‘00 and

her husband Jason welcomed their daughter, Jillian Rose, February 17.

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Robert John Dooley ‘00 and Catherine Linsay Nicholl were married May 15, 2010 at Grace Lutheran Church in River Edge, NJ. Dooley is an environmental scientist/project manager at an environmental consulting company. They reside in Randolph, NJ.

Vickie Colman ‘04 and Jon Jengo ‘05

announced their engagement. An April 2012 wedding is planned.

Eric A. Caruso ‘04 and Nicole K. Martin Gregg Marshall ‘02 and Jessica Cirone ‘03 were married August 2009 at

Allaire State Park in Monmouth County, NJ. Cirone works at Marlboro High School as a math teacher and Marshall is the director of sales at Access 360 Media in New York City.

Kimberly Givins-Miller ‘00 and her husband Jason Miller ‘00 welcomed

Jason Caribe Miller Jr. June 20, 2010. The couple celebrated their four-year wedding anniversary August 5, 2010.

Walter Michael Curioni ‘01 and Erica Leigh Golle were married November 21, 2010 at the Corpus Christi Parish in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ. Golle received a bachelor of arts from Lehigh University and is studying for a master’s degree at Teachers College, Columbia University. She works as a Social Studies teacher in the Westwood Regional School District. Curioni received a bachelor’s degree from Ramapo College and a master’s degree from New Jersey City University. He is supervisor of Special Services for the North Arlington School District. He also works at his family’s business, Curioni’s Pizza, in Lodi, NJ. Jessica Levatino DeCicco ‘01 and Vincent DeCicco ‘01 are expecting their

second child.

Alan Finkelstein ‘01, co-founder and president of Inmod, an online furniture retailer, announced that the 2010 Inc. 500/5000 list created by Inc. Magazine of America’s fastestgrowing private companies, ranked Inmod number two as grossing furniture retailer and 32nd in the entire retail industry.

Jeanette Leah Laforet ‘02 and Jason

Szapka will wed in July. Laforet is a first grade teacher at Roosevelt School in Hawthorne, NJ.

www.ramapo.edu

Reginald Punla ‘02 and Jamie Michele Danischewski were married at The Chapel at the Moon Palace Resort, Cancun, Mexico where a reception followed. Punla is an executive producer and partner for a design and animation boutique in Manhattan.

Jon Cino ‘03 is the father of Olivia, born August 2008.

Tryon Eggleston ‘03 was featured

in The Acorn, Drew University’s student newspaper, in an article about his personal quest to find all of the Waldos of “Where’s Waldo?” legend on campus. Eggleston is Drew’s webmaster. Waldos were spray painted all over campus.

He’s found 22 of the suspected 50. Eggleston has been cataloging them in the U-KNOW University Knowledge Platform, Drew’s internal wiki-like catalogue. He’s also part of Drew 360, a project to renovate Drew’s internal data systems and the entire web site.

He’s also coordinated efforts to bring Twitter, video and the web together as part of the university’s social media communications.

Michelle Maskaly ‘03 is social media coordinator at Beckerman, one of the largest independent public relations firms in the industry. Maskaly also owns and produces a successful pet lifestyle web site called My Tail Hurts From Wagging So Much.

were married June 5, 2010 at Farmstead Golf and Country Club, NJ. They reside in Green Township, NJ.

Kyle LaForge (Ridge) ‘04 and James LaForge ‘04 announced the birth of

their daughter, Emily Barclay, born July 19, 2010.

John R. Moran ‘04 received a Master

of Science degree from Temple University in Quality Assurance/ Regulatory Affairs December 2010.

Kevin Sebastian Pertusiello ‘04, who goes by the stage

name Kevin Sebastian, made his Lincoln Center debut in Richard Strauss’s Intermezzo, a NYC Opera production. The performances ran selected dates in October and November.

Ryan W. Walters ‘04 and Jamie Cannici announced their engagement. Walters is employed in office sales in Oakland, NJ. They reside in Boonton, NJ. Lindsey Blum ‘05 and Jonathan Holmes ‘05 announced their

engagement. A 2011 wedding is planned.

Jessica R. Smith ‘05 and Douglas R. Meier ‘05 were married July 17,

2010 at St. John Evangelist Church in Bergenfield, NJ. Smith works for UBS in Weehawken, NJ as a senior branch administrator. Meier works for AFLAC Insurance in New York as a district manager. They reside in East Rutherford, NJ.

Melissa Walker ‘05 and Jeffrey Brown were married at St. Joseph Church September 5, 2010. In 2010, Brown received her MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University and is employed at Medco in Montvale, NJ as a financial analyst. They reside in Oak Ridge, NJ. Ryan James Doyle ‘06 and Jessica Lee Heinbach were married August 6 at Alexandria First Presbyterian Church in Holland Township.

Doyle is a freelance editor working in television production as a video editor. They reside in Milford.

Jill Freudenfels ‘06 and Michael Stanley

were married October 2 at Brooklake Country Club in Florham Park, NJ. They reside in East Rutherford, NJ. Freudenfels is active on the Alumni Board and the Anisfield School of Business Alumni Advisory Board.

marketing director for all Wedgewood brands. They reside in Gillette, NJ where they purchased their first home.

Cristina Prumos ‘06 and Mark Ward ‘07

Dana Ashley Braff ‘07 and Bryan Pineiro ‘07 were married November

6. The couple met during their freshman year at Ramapo; they thought it would be symbolic to marry on campus. The ceremony took place in front of The Birch Mansion. They reside in Cranford, NJ and are looking forward to becoming homeowners.

Carole Shipman ‘06 is the grand-

mother of five-year-old Jack, and two-and-a-half-year-old Madison.

Shipman is a home birth midwife, a Lamaze instructor and clinical instructor of Ramapo Nursing students doing obstetric rotation at Valley Hospital, Ridgewood, NJ. Teresa Colon ‘06 and Noel Colon ‘06 wel-

comed their second child, Savannah Faith, January 14. Savannah was welcomed by big brother, Elijah. She was born at 5:09 a.m., weighed 6 lbs., 11oz. and measured 20 inches.

Eric Oakland ‘06 and Edy (Edith) Ramotowski ‘06

celebrated their three-year wedding anniversary September 22, 2010. Oakland works as a benefits consultant for the Ruggieri Consulting Group in New York City and Ramotowski works as a

Megan Ann Myers ‘07 and Kim

Matthew Tyahla ‘07 opened a restau-

Taylor Thomas ‘08 and Larissa Rota ‘09 will marry in July. Thomas is

rant, Matthew’s Italian Restaurant, in Clifton, NJ in December.

Stephen A. Wren ‘07 and MaryElizabeth C. Fuhrman were married July 1. Wren is pursing a master’s in Educational Leadership at Montclair State University and works as a special education teacher at Eric S. Smith Middle School in Ramsey, NJ. Christina Zarrello ‘07 has joined IEEE as project editor of eXpress Conference Publishing and eBooks in Piscataway, NJ. Zarrello is responsible for producing conference proceedings in printed and digital formats.

were married July 23, 2010.

They reside in New Milford, NJ.

Hsu-nami, an internationally renowned progressive rock band comprised of Jack Hsu ‘07, Brent Bergholm ‘07 and Derril Sellers ‘08 performed September 12 at Citi Field as part of the Mets’ Taiwan Night.

Devon Kot ‘07 and Matthew Mazza ‘07

exchanged wedding vows at Saint Justin’s Roman Catholic Church, Toms River, NJ August 13. Kot is a Curriculum and Implementation manager for the Literacy Differentiation Program Achieve3000 and Mazza is a psychiatric access specialist for St. Barnabas Behavioral Health, NJ. The couple purchased their first house in Toms River, NJ. Michael Maher ‘07 and Kimberly

Kinzler announced their engagement. Both are 2002 graduates

Marissa Lauren Marino ‘08 and

Michael Ehlers were engaged December 5, 2010 in Cape May. Marino is an assistant athletic director and softball coach at Newark Academy in Livingston, NJ. An October 2012 wedding is planned. They reside in North Haledon, NJ.

Moeller Skov were married September 25. Myers is a food industry analyst at The Food Institute in Upper Saddle River, NJ. They reside in Little Falls, NJ.

Kelly Lloyd ‘06 and Christopher Lundy ‘07 announced their engage-

ment. An August 2011 wedding is planned. Lloyd is a 2009 graduate of Seton Hall University School of Law and is an associate at Lowenstein Sandler in Roseland, NJ. Lundy is pursuing post-baccalaureate studies in History and Special Education.

of Sparta High School. Kinzler graduated from Marist College in 2006 with a degree in Information Systems. She works as a quality assurance analyst at Thomson Reuters. Maher, who majored in Accounting, is pursuing a CPA. A fall wedding is planned.

Elliot J. Bernard ‘08 marked

the completion of his first full year as a full-time police officer. The Union County officer credits his four years at Ramapo College and his time with Ramapo College EMS for helping him to achieve his lifelong dream.

a certified financial planner for Highland Financial Advisors in Riverdale, NJ. Rota is enrolled in the elementary education program at William Paterson University. A July 2011 wedding is planned.

Alison Rigoglioso ‘08 received a

Masters of Science in Jurisprudence from Seton Hall Law School in May.

Nicole Helen Brunner ‘09 and Lauren Smith ‘08 curated a group

exhibition, “In-Between Places,” that was on display in the Berrie Center Photo Lounge. The featured artists explored how one is affected by his or her external environment.

Michael Kull ‘09 was named Employee of the Month for April at Shore Memorial Hospital, where he is a registered nurse. He has worked at the hospital since 2009.

Courtney Beth Hayes ‘08 and Kevin

Santo Giglio wed May 14 in Stamford, CT. Hayes is a level two research associate at Roche Pharmaceuticals-454 Life Sciences in Branford, CT.

Brittany Lauren ‘08 established her

own design studio. She plans on launching her stationery online.

A selection can be found on Etsy. com. She also plans on creating everyday stationery and a wedding invitation collection.

Kelly Grapentine ‘09 and John Atti ‘08 announced their engagement;

no wedding date has been set. Atti is working with Americorps NCCC branch in Colorado and Grapentine is a ninth grade World History teacher at Malcolm X. Shabazz High School in Newark, NJ.

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Class notes

Kari Siegel ‘09 and Jeremy LoVerde

were married July 9 at Good Shepard Lutheran Church in Glen Rock, NJ. Siegel is a registered nurse at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center. They reside in Little Falls, NJ.

Darren Templeton ‘09 is enrolled in Rutgers University’s MBA program.

He completed an internship at International Specialty Products.

He is active in Push to Walk, an organization founded by his parents that is affiliated with Project Walk, a spinal cord injury recovery certified facility. The goal of Push to Walk is to redefine possibilities for the spinal cord injury community, of which Darren is a member.

Rose Carmagnola ‘10

and Christopher Laprus announced their engagement.

Carmagnola is an accountant for Lawrence B. Goodman & Co. in Fair Lawn, NJ. The couple plans a November wedding at St. Thomas More Parish in Fairfield, NJ.

Images of America: Galloway Township, a book by Joseph Federico ‘10 and Matthew McHenry, with an introduction by Robert Lee Reid, was published by Arcadia Publishing. Federico will be doing a book tour this summer in South Jersey.

the Number 5 spot on NJ Underground’s list of New Jersey Bands to Conquer 2011.

Monique Simpson ‘10 was selected as

an Amos Christie Scholar as a firstyear medical student at Vanderbilt School of Medicine. This program provides the opportunity for students to gain clinical experience in pediatrics.

Ryan Pierce Mancini ‘10 and

Steven Drejman announced their engagement.

A November 2012 wedding is planned. Mancini is a publicist at Maximum Exposure Public Relations in Woodcliff Lake, NJ. Brian Sella ‘10, and band member

Matt Uychich, have formed The Front Bottoms. They produced an extended play, “Grip N’ Tie.” They were featured on PureVolume. com, AbsolutePunk.net and landed

Kimberly Mahaffey ‘11, a double major in Psychology and Sociology, presented a poster session, “Text Messaging: A Study of Language, Gender and Generations” at the Eastern Sociological Society meeting held in Philadelphia this past winter. Mahaffey chose the topic

because she believes new forms of communicating are creating new languages and distances between people. “They are changing the way people communicate in person.”

Mahaffey read the text messages of women of different ages. She found that younger women use text messaging more often and talk about everything to the extent that their cellular phones are used almost exclusively for text-based communication. Older women prefer to use the phone for voice calling and use text messaging in emergencies or to send short messages. She also found that younger generations use text messaging as a means of control; they edit their messages more than they do in face-to-face or in phone conversations. Mahaffey found that “LOL” and its variations no longer mean anything. “These are all important trends in language and communication,” she said. Mahaffey will take a year off to study for her GREs and to do consulting work. She plans to earn a master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, the scientific study of the workplace.

Award of merit

Dr. Timothy Finley ‘94 Receives Award at Commencement Extolling the accomplishments of the Class of 2011, Dr. Timothy Finley ’94, this year’s recipient of the President’s Award of Merit, met and spoke with students and parents at Celebration at Sunset. The next day, he donned cap and gown, and joined the procession for Commencement. On stage at the Bandshell, he was bestowed with the President’s Award of Merit.

Initiated in 1994, the President’s Award of Merit recognizes distinguished accomplishments by Ramapo College alumni. Nominations are suggested by members of the Ramapo community and reviewed by the presidents of the Alumni Association, the Student Government Association, the Faculty Assembly, and the Professional Staff Association. The final selection is made by the President of the College. The award is made of crystal and inscribed.

The Award serves as an inspiration to students and alumni. Recognition of Ramapo College alumni in this manner serves as a reminder 36

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of the College’s commitment to excellence in teaching and learning as well as to its continued attention to raising the aspirations of students.

This is the highest award presented by the College to an alumnus.

Dr. Finley is an anesthesiologist practicing at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, New Jersey. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree at Ramapo College, he went on to graduate from UMDNJ School of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed a residency in anesthesiology at Drexel University College of Medicine.

For several years, Dr. Finley traveled regularly to Haiti as a volunteer offering his medical services to residents of that impoverished country. He did so again recently, following the earthquake that devastated Haiti in 2010. Dr. Finley has donated generously to Haiti earthquake relief and is raising funds to provide scholarships for two Haitian students to attend Ramapo College.

Dr. Finley, a graduate of the School of Theoretical and Applied Science of Ramapo College, serves on the School’s Alumni Advisory Board.

(L-R): Dr. Chris Englert, Dr. Timothy Finley ‘94, Mrs. Ellen Finley, Mr. Peter Finley and Dr. David Butler

(L-R): President Peter P. Mercer presented Dr. Timothy Finley ‘94 with the President’s Award of Merit at the Fifty-Third Commencement Ceremony

Courts and f ields Van Leeuwen Reaches New Heights at Ramapo

Scholar Athletes of the Year: Marino & Walsh

He’s a New Jersey Athletic Conference Champion. But most importantly, Craig Van Leeuwen ‘13 is a National Champion. He is only the second student-athlete in the Craig Van Leeuwen history of the College to win a National Championship in Track and Field. Van Leeuwen cleared a season best in the pole vault event hitting 17-5 1/2 (5.32 meters) at the 2010-2011 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championship in Bexley, Ohio. The championship, hosted by Capitol University, took place on March 11, with Van Leeuwen entering as the No. 2 seed; but he proved to be the best when he earned the championship crown.

Ramapo College Athletics honored 62 seniorathletes at the May 1 Awards Banquet held at the Bill Bradley Sports and Recreation Center.

Among the senior-athletes, two individuals were named Student-Athlete Scholars of the Year after proving their dedication to both their sport and their educational studies.

“Winning the National Championship was definitely the highlight of my career,” said Van Leeuwen. “Not only was it an amazing accomplishment, but it was also the best I had ever competed. I cleared the height on the first attempt; I had never done that before.

To do it in the biggest meet of the year was just incredible.”

Van Leeuwen was recently tabbed, for the second time this year, as the USTFCCCA Atlantic Region Men’s Field Athlete of the Year, after proving his success in the pole vault event.

Van Leeuwen’s hit his previous best (17-3/4) (5.20 meters) at the 2010-2011 New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship where he earned the first place crown.

In 2009, and again this past May, Van Leeuwen placed fifth overall at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships to earn AllAmerican honors when he cleared 16’ 1 3/4” (4.92 meters) and 16’ 7.25” (5.06-meters) feet respectively. He was also recognized as the USTFCCCA Atlantic Region Field Athlete of the Year in 2009.

“My career at Ramapo was a great experience.

I was blessed with great teammates as well as amazing coaches,” he said. “Coach Jackson and Coach Miric are two of the best coaches I have ever worked with. Without them, I would never have had the success that I had this year and throughout my career.”

Robert Anderson and Chuck McBreen

Kelly Kernan Cameron and Kevin Kernan

William and Andrew Boyajian

Chuck Podgurski and Art Chill ‘74

Jim Buntzen and John Spazante

Kay Collins and Beth Foster ‘88

Ken Ritoch and Frank Marino

Seven Inductees in the Athletic Hall of Fame On April 30, seven individuals were inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame. The ceremony was held at the Bill Bradley Sports and Recreation Center. For the 17th induction ceremony the Hall of Fame Selection Committee honored Robert B. Anderson III ‘02 for men’s basketball, William Boyajian ‘75 for his service to the track program, Chuck Podgurski ‘80 for his service to the ice hockey program, Kelly Kernan Cameron ‘03 for softball, John R. Spazante for baseball, Ken Ritoch for his service to the football program, and Kay Collins for her service to athletics.

The Athletic Hall of Fame identifies, selects and honors members of the Ramapo athletic community whose on-field contributions bring distinction to their teams as well as to themselves. This includes former players, coaches and other contributors to the success of Roadrunner athletics through the years.

Congratulations induction class of 2011!

Brielle Marino competed on the Roadrunner Cheerleading Squad for four years, while serving as the captain for the last two seasons. During her four years at the College, Marino has been on the Dean’s Brielle Marino ‘11 List, in the Chi Alpha Sigma National Athletic Honors Society and Ramapo College’s All-Academic First Team, while representing her team as a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). She also participated in the Leadership National Honor Society and served as a Peer Advisor. In 2009-10, she was named Most Improved Cheerleader for her efforts on the court. Marino graduated this past May with a degree in Psychology and a 3.807 GPA. Ken Walsh is a three-sport captain for Ramapo serving the role for the Cross Country, Indoor Track and Field, and Outdoor Track and Field teams during the 2010-2011 seasons. He recently received the Jerome Lee Ken Walsh ‘11 Memorial Award for his outstanding leadership, while also being honored as a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma National Athletic Honor Society, the Dean’s List, Beta Gamma Sigma Honors Society, and Who’s Who. Walsh has also been named the Information Systems Outstanding Student while being named to the NJAC All-Academic 1st Team, Ramapo College All-Academic 1st Team, and USTFCCA All-Academic Team. He served as President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and graduated this past May with a degree in Information Systems and a 3.9 GPA. He will be working full time for AT&T as a software designer. www.ramapo.edu

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Faculty spotlight For the Love of Peat

Eric Karlin, a professor of Plant Ecology, made a startling discovery in his research of the peat moss Sphagnum subnitens.

All individuals of this species, widespread in northwestern North America, descended from just one parent. Ramapo Magazine asked Professor Karlin about the project.

Q: What did you discover?

A: Across a 4,115 kilometer stretch of northwestern North America, every sampled plant of Sphagnum subnitens was found to be genetically identical. Every specimen across this swath of landscape can be traced to a single parent. It also appears that this species has been present in northwestern North America for a relatively short period, perhaps less than 300 years.

Q: Why is it important?

A: It can be argued that this is the most genetically uniform widespread group of plants known. It is very surprising to find that a plant with no genetic diversity can grow in such a wide variety of environments.

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Q: What inspired your interest in peat moss?

A: My training is in wetlands plant ecology, with a focus on bogs (special wetlands where peat accumulates). Peat mosses (Sphagnum) are among the dominant plants growing in bogs. It was important for me to understand their ecology and taxonomy. A further ecological significance of Sphagnum is that large amounts of carbon are stored in the extensive deposits of Sphagnum peat that exist in bogs. The plants have economic significance as well, being used extensively in horticulture and as an energy source. My research has been focused on Sphagnum for more than 25 years.

Q: With whom did you work with on this research project?

A: I worked with Dr. Richard Andrus (Binghamton University in New York), Dr. Jon Shaw (Duke University in North Carolina) and Sandra Boles (Duke University). The lab work for the genetic analyses was undertaken at Duke University.

Q: Were students involved in the research?

A: They weren’t. However, when appropriate, I have involved students on other research projects. This affords them an opportunity for a dynamic research experience, working with real data. This past spring semester, two students, who had taken Genetics in fall 2010, worked with me on a project examining aspects of microsatellite DNA in five Sphagnum species. This study brought what they had just learned to life. Over the past four years I’ve worked with 10 undergraduates on a number of genetic research projects. All have presented posters based on their research at research symposiums; four were included as secondary authors on two papers, which were published in a professional journal.

Q: The present project, published in the prestigious journal Molecular Ecology, has gotten widespread attention in non-scientific media outlets. How important is this?

A: Of the many thousands of papers published in refereed scientific journals each year, only a small fraction are featured by the popular press. It is this small group of papers that bring “life” to the public’s awareness of scientific inquiry, informing the nonscientist about the relevance and dynamics of science. The conclusions of this study, which were discussed by BBC Earth News, Smithsonian Magazine, Brittanica’s Science Up Front and Der Spiegel, were made available to a large audience on a global basis. Many who may not have been aware of Sphagnum now know something about these ecologically prominent and cool looking mosses.

Another benefit of widespread attention by the popular media is the enhancement of the institution’s reputation that a researcher is associated with.

Q: Do you think you’ll make other interesting or exciting discoveries?

A: I already have. My current project is focused on the population genetics of a different Sphagnum species that occurs in Hawaii. The preliminary results are most interesting!

Commencement 2011

Thomas Butler ‘08, ‘11 received his MSN as his proud godmother Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor congratulates him.

Today is a momentous day for each of you, the graduates. I know you will celebrate and take pride in your graduation from this wonderful institution. I applaud each of you for all you have accomplished and also applaud your family, friends and professors who have helped you reach this moment in your lives.

I learned in college that dreams do not come true simply because of luck or innate talent, they only come true if you work hard to make them come true. I also learned that dreams come true not just because of your own efforts, but because other people in your life help you succeed … no one of us succeeds in life alone.

I know many if not all of your family and friends have made enormous sacrifices to make this day happen. They are beaming with pride today. I am sure many of them could never have imagined the feelings they are feeling today, when the

The largest graduating class in the history of Ramapo College participated in Commencement ceremonies on May 13. Surrounded by family, friends, faculty and staff, the 1,511 graduates of the Class of 2011 marched beneath the Havemeyer Arch as is the annual tradition, on their way to collect their diplomas.

This symbolic procession beneath and through the Arch on their way to the Bandshell, completes a journey students began on Move-In day, their first day on campus, when they walked beneath the arch, shook hands with President Peter P. Mercer, and began their undergraduate life at Ramapo College.

U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, as in last year’s Commencement ceremony, joined Ramapo on this momentous occasion to support our graduates and introduce U. S. Supreme Court Associate Sonia Sotomayor who was the Class of 2011’s keynote speaker.

realization hit that you have finally grown up, graduated from this wonderful institution and are about to embark on the challenges and discoveries of your adulthood and future careers.

We are proud of the hard work you put into your studies and the determination, will and passion you have demonstrated to reach this day.

Being an active and giving person to your family and friends, and participating in your community and contributing to their development will bring you joy and a sense of fulfillment beyond any individual accolades or accomplishments.

Class of 2011, I thank you for letting me share this day with you … I hope you take pride in your personal accomplishments and take strength and confidence from your memories here. Congratulations to each of you.

Brandon Martin, the Class of 2011 representative, spoke of the hard work by the graduates and vocalized praise to the students’ support by family, friends and faculty.

Adding to the 53rd Commencement celebration, President Mercer presented the President’s Award of Merit to Dr. Timothy Finley ‘94, who graduated with a bachelor’s of Science in Biology from Ramapo and is an anesthesiologist at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck. Dr. Finley regularly travels to Haiti as a volunteer to offer his medical services and did so again recently, following the earthquake that devastated the country. Dr. Finley has donated generously to Haiti earthquake relief and is undertaking a fundraising effort to provide scholarships for two Haitian students to attend Ramapo College.

Photo Courtesy Jeff Rhode

Excerpts from Justice Sotomayor’s Speech

The Class of 2011 processes through the Havemeyer Arch.

Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor as she receives the stole denoting her Honorary Doctorate of Laws Degree with the assistance of Board of Trustees Chairman A.J. Sabath ‘93

(L-R): Chairman of the Board of Trustees A.J. Sabath ’93, Secretary of the Board of Trustees David G. Schlussel, President of the Ramapo College Alumni Association Jonathan N. Marcus, Esq. ’93, President Peter P. Mercer, Dr. Timothy Finley ‘ 94 and recipient of the 2011 President’s Award of Merit, The Honorable Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice, United States Supreme Court, Board Member George C. Ruotolo, Jr., The Honorable United States Senator for New Jersey Robert Menendez LL.D. ’10, Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Trustees the Reverend Dr. Vernon C. Walton, Trustee Vice Chair Sharon K. McGahee, Esq., Board of Governors Chair Robert Tillsley and Student Trustee Laura Hahn ‘11

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Datebook Monday, July 11-Friday, July 22-Session 1 Monday, July 25-Friday, August 5-Session 2

Ramapo Explorers Summer Camp The Ramapo Explorers Middle School Academic Camp focuses on learning activities while having fun. The program is for middle school children entering 7th and 8th grades. Students in 6th grade may apply by special recommendation only. The academic courses are taught by highly qualified certified middle school teachers and are supported by trained college-age counselors. Call 201.684.7370 or email cipl@ramapo.edu for more information.

2011 TD Bank Summer Concert Series

52nd Street Band

Little Deuce Coupe

Ring of Fire Band

Join us for great music and enjoy a picnic with friends on the Bandshell lawn at the TD Bank Summer Concert Series hosted by the Ramapo College Foundation with the support of additional concert sponsors, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Rockland Electric Company, Ramapo College Alumni Association and the Friends of Ramapo. The concerts begin at 8 p.m. Concerts are free; parking is $5 per vehicle. In case of rain, concert will be held indoors.

For more information or to request disability-related accommodations, please call 201.684.7093.

Thursday, July 14 - 52nd Street Band Thursday, July 21 - Little Deuce Coupe Thursday, July 28 - Ring of Fire Band

Adult Learners Program Information Sessions The Adult Learners Program (ALP) at Ramapo provides access to higher education for non-traditional and working adult students beginning or completing their undergraduate degree. The goal of this program is to support adult learners in their pursuit of academic, intellectual, career and personal success and to enhance their educational experience.

We offer small class size and personalized attention, day, evening and weekend classes and accelerated semesters and weekend courses. For information visit www.ramapo.edu/alp/ to register for these free information sessions.

Tuesday, August 2, A-236, 5:20 p.m.

Tuesday, August 16, A-236, 5:20 p.m.

Tuesday, August 30, A-236, 5:20 p.m.

Project Management Certification

The Foundation’s 24th Annual Golf Outing will take place on Monday, July 18 at the award-winning Tuxedo Club. Enjoy lunch, a round of golf at one of the area’s premier courses followed by cocktails & dinner on the patio. The Prestige Skills Challenge, Hole-in-One Cars, Specialty holes, Scholarship Challenge, silent auction and raffle games provide additional funding for student scholarships, faculty development and campus capital projects. For additional information or to request disability-related accommodations, please call 201.684.6834 or email lkloak@ramapo.edu.

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Yoga Teacher Certification The 200 Hour Yoga Certificate program meets the Yoga Alliance requirements to become a yoga teacher.

Explore the deeper, contemplative, ethical, and philosophical aspects of yoga. Begin this summer or fall.

Yoga Studies Certificate Deepen your practice with a 100 Hour Certificate!

Learn the practice of yoga from an academic perspective and further your knowledge of the ethical and philosophical elements of the practice. Asana classes held on campus.

Visit www.ramapo.edu/cipl/yoga for information.

Web Development Certificate Program Online Information Sessions

August 4, 25, 27, 31; September 7, 10, 12 Weekdays: 7-8 p.m. Saturdays: 1-2 p.m.

Offered fully online! Three courses = Certificate • Technology Enhanced Business • Advanced Web Development • Java Programming Visit www.ramapo.edu/cipl/webdevelopment for information.

Immediate Decision Day Immediate Decision Day allows students who are interested in attending Ramapo to apply and receive an immediate decision on their application. This year we will be offering students the opportunity to attend an IDD that is designed to maximize their interaction with faculty from specific areas of interest. To be considered for a seat in our IDD Program, a student should be in the top 20 percent of their high school class with a critical reading and math SAT score of 1150 or greater or an ACT composite of 24 or greater and a grade point average of 3.3 or higher. For information, and to see if you qualify for attendance, contact the Office of Admissions at 201.684.7300.

Wednesday, August 24-IDD for students interested in examining all majors before declaring a major.

Tuesday, October 4- IDD for students interested in our Nursing Program.

Sponsored by The Marino Family and Century 21 Monday, July 18 - The Tuxedo Club Tuxedo Park, New York

Wednesday, September 7, 6-7 p.m.

Thursday, September 8, 1-2 p.m.

Enhance Your Skills & Advance Your Career!

Convenient year round evening/afternoon classes.

Four modules with an online component. Complete in 16 weeks. Module A begins September 14. Visit www.ramapo.edu/cipl/project-mgmt for information.

Tuesday, September 27- IDD for students interested in the accounting, business, information systems in our Anisfield School of Business.

24th Annual Foundation Golf Outing

Yoga Certificate Program and Yoga Teacher Certification Information Sessions

Tuesday, October 11-IDD for students interested in the visual and performing arts in our School of Contemporary Arts.

Tuesday, October 18- IDD for students interested in the sciences and mathematics in our School of Theoretical and Applied Science.

Tuesday, October 25-IDD for students interested in the environment, law and society and social sciences in our School of Social Science and Human Services/Teacher Education Program.

Tuesday, November 1-IDD for students interested in a comprehensive understanding of civilizations of the United States and other societies in our School of American and International Studies.

Tuesday, November 15-IDD for students interested in examining all majors before declaring a major.

Wednesday, September 7, 1-2 p.m. and 6-7 p.m.

Web Development Certificate Online

Financial Strategies for Successful Retirement Workshop Dream of financial freedom in retirement? Prepare for the realities of retirement. Discover how to increase your savings now without seriously reducing your current standard of living! IRAs, 401ks, and other investment and insurance choices are explained to help you make wise choices. No selling.

Visit www.ramapo.edu/cipl/ to register.

2 Sessions: Tuesdays, September 13 and 20 Thursdays, September 15 and 22, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Middle School Certification Information Session Tuesday, September 13, 5-6 p.m.

Add a Middle School endorsement to your resume.

Elementary teachers and candidates for NJ teacher certification: Broaden your job prospects. Adolescent Psychology, a focus in one content area and two seminars are required for the certificate.

Visit www.ramapo.edu/cipl/middleschool for information.

Saturday, September 17

Livingston Taylor

8 p.m., Sharp Theater Livingston Taylor has enthralled audiences for 40 years with a diverse original repertoire of country, folk, bluegrass, and blues.

For information and tickets call the Box Office at 201.684.7844 or visit www.ramapo.edu/berriecenter/

Study Abroad Fairs

Undergraduate Admissions Open House Event

Tuesday, September 20 - 11a.m. – 3 p.m.

C-Wing Underpass

Ramapo welcomes students and families to visit us at Open House, which provides a wonderful opportunity to tour Ramapo’s campus, speak with faculty and learn more about what Ramapo College has to offer prospective students. For information contact the Office of Admissions at 201.684.7300.

Sunday, September 25 Saturday, October 15 Sunday, December 4

*Rain site – Friends Hall Join us for our first big event of the semester and learn more about all your study abroad options as a Ramapo College student. Representatives from our partner organizations and schools, faculty, past study abroad participants, and study abroad office staff will be available to answer your questions. For more details, please contact the Roukema Center for International Education at 201.684.7533 or goabroad@ramapo.edu. Visit our website at http://ww2.ramapo.edu/international/ ieweek.aspx

Passport Day Tuesday, September 20 - 11a.m. – 3 p.m.

C-Wing Underpass *Rain site – Friends Hall Do you need a passport? Do you need to renew your passport? Not sure where to get started? Join us to meet with a passport official to answer all your questions about obtaining a new or renewed passport.

Visit http://ww2.ramapo.edu/international/

Saturday, September 24

Ramapo College Theater Programs Ramapo College Theater Program presents “Laundry and Bourbon and Lone Star” by James McLure. Two one act comedies performed together directed by Sheila Tousey.

October 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21 and 22 at 8 p.m., October 22 at 2 p.m., Adler Theater Ramapo College Theater Program presents “Viet Rock” by Megan Terry. Directed by Mary Ellen Allison.

November 11, 12, 13, 17, 18 and 19, 8 p.m., Sharp Theater For information and tickets call the Box Office at 201.684.7844 or visit www.ramapo.edu/berriecenter/

2nd Annual Ramapo Rumble Kick start our scholarship fund and join us for a beautiful ride on Northern New Jersey scenic back roads. Run begins at Ramapo College with registration starting at 8:30 a.m. Lunch, door prizes, awards and a 50/50 included. For more information email: motorrally@ramapo.edu.

Saturday, September 24

Remembering Les Paul A Benefit Concert featuring Bucky Pizzarelli and Lou Pallo 8 p.m., Sharp Theater

Saturday, October 15

The Capitol Steps Musical political satire ripped right from the headlines!

4 and 8 p.m., Sharp Theater Capitol Steps began 30 years ago as a group of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the very people and places that employed them and has continued to win award after award. Always a new show with new material being written daily -- it’s fresh, it’s fun, a guaranteed laugh.

For information and tickets call the Box Office at 201.684.7844 or visit www.ramapo.edu/berriecenter/

Bucky Pizzarelli

Bucky, a long time friend of Les Paul’s, played with him in local clubs in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

Lou Pallo joined Les at Fat Tuesdays and later at the Iridium as part of the Les Paul Trio. All proceeds from this concert will benefit the Mahwah Museum, which will open its exhibit to Les Lou Pallo Paul on September 25, 2011.

For information and tickets call the Box Office at 201.684.7844 or visit www.ramapo.edu/berriecenter/

Sunday, September 25

Magic Off The Hook! Starring Tommy Wind 3 p.m., Sharp Theater Time Out Magazine calls him “mind boggling,” and Awe Magazine quotes, “he takes the audience to another place.” Tommy Wind won the “Best Teen Magician of the Year” from the World Magic Awards. Now 21, Tommy is the youngest magician to have his own show on the Las Vegas strip and to have achieved the title of Master Illusionist.

For information and tickets call the Box Office at 201.684.7844 or visit www.ramapo.edu/berriecenter/

Sunday, October 16

Jazz at the Berrie Center presents The Girl from Ipanema: Bossa Always Nova featuring Maucha Adnet and Samba Jazz 3 p.m., Sharp Theater Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Maucha Adnet began her professional singing career at the age of 15, touring and recording with legendary composer Antônio Carlos Jobim and his band “Banda Nova.” She is joined by her stellar quintet for an evening of the best music of Brazil.

For information and tickets call the Box Office at 201.684.7844 or visit www.ramapo.edu/berriecenter/

Saturday, October 22

“Forever Ray” A Tribute to Ray Charles 8 p.m., Sharp Theater From country to blues to jazz to R&B and even funk, Ray Charles set the aesthetic standard for more than five decades.

Forever Ray pays tribute to his music with songs such as “Hit the Road Jack,” and “Georgia on My Mind.” Whitley and the Hard Times Band features a stellar line-up of musicians.

For information and tickets call the Box Office at 201.684.7844 or visit www.ramapo.edu/berriecenter/

International Education Week Monday, November 14 – Friday, November 18 Events will be scheduled throughout the day & night (Locations TBD) Every year thousands of schools take part in celebrating International Education Week. This year Ramapo will host many events including film screenings, lectures, dances, food events, martial arts exhibitions, and so much more. Check back with us in early November for a complete, detailed schedule.

For more details, please contact the Roukema Center for International Education at 201.684.7533 or goabroad@ ramapo.edu. Visit our website at ww2.ramapo.edu/ international/ieweek.aspx

Saturday, December 10

Jazz at the Berrie Center presents: Live from Milan!

Stride and Swing Piano Summit With Rossano Sportiello and Paolo Alderighi 8 p.m., Sharp Theater There’s nothing better than hearing fabulous stride and swing music played on one piano . . . unless it’s hearing it played on two pianos! Rossano Sportiello – one of the top stride pianists in the world today, and young piano lion Paolo Alderighi – both hail from Milan, and will face each other in a piano duel on the Sharp Theater stage.

For information and tickets call the Box Office at 201.684.7844 or visit www.ramapo.edu/berriecenter/

Sunday, December 11

Cherish the Ladies Irish Christmas Show 7 p.m., Sharp Theater

When describing Cherish the Ladies, the critics say it best: “It is simply impossible to imagine an audience that wouldn’t enjoy what they do,” the Boston Globe “An astonishing array of virtuosity,” the Washington Post. “Expands the annals of Irish music in America, the music is passionate, tender and rambunctious,” The New York Times.

For information and tickets call the Box Office at 201.684.7844 or visit www.ramapo.edu/berriecenter/

Sunday, December 18

Russian Music and Dance Festival! Featuring Barynya

Online Test Preps: LSAT/GRE/GMAT $250 Next Online Sessions begin October 17 Add a Middle School endorsement to your resume.

Ramapo College has partnered with the Center for Legal Studies (CLS) to offer convenient online test preparation at a very affordable price. CLS is an educational provider with decades of experience in the delivery of online coursework.

Visit www.ramapo.edu/cipl/test-prep to register.

3 p.m., Sharp Theater Thrilling Russian, Cossack, Ukrainian, Jewish and Gypsy Roma traditional dance and music performed by world renowned folk ensemble Barynya will bring you to your feet!

For information and tickets call the Box Office at 201.684.7844 or visit www.ramapo.edu/berriecenter/

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CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED 505 Ramapo Valley Road Mahwah, NJ 07430-1623

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Celebrating Spring at Ramapo College The Ramapo College Foundation 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. We thank you for your support.

Giving To Ramapo…It’s Easier Than Ever!

So just POINT, CLICK, GIVE! www.ramapo.edu/giving/annualfund

New Jersey’s Public Liberal Arts College

Ramapo College’s Haiti Relief Committee has raised more than $27,000 over the past year in order to bring two Haitian students to Ramapo College in September for a yearlong scholarship. Scores of Ramapo staff, students and alumni came together following the horrific earthquake that shattered the island nation in January 2010 and raised the money, which includes donations from the Rose Foundation and the Links Foundation. Students held a tent-a-thon one frigid April night to simulate the living conditions of many refugees, others designed T-shirts that were sold around campus and the Ramapo Chorale held a concert fundraiser. But the work has just begun and organizers plan a series of events for the fall to continue the momentum and reach their $100,000 goal in order to fund four full years for the two students, who will be asked to spend the first three years after graduation working in Haiti on behalf of their country. In the 2011/2012 school year look for a fundraiser concert/dinner, a 5K run, and another tent-a-thon. For Ramapo employees, the donation can be a simple paycheck deduction.

MORE THAN $27,000 RAISED FOR SCHOLARSHIPS

Allendale Bar and Grill chef Pierre Romain took a recent trip to his native Haiti. The Rose Foundation, which Pierre named after his mother, continues to raise money to help the Haiti relief effort. The Rose Foundation presented Ramapo College with a $5,000 check that will go toward the scholarship fund.

(L-R): Professor of Video Art and New Media Shalom Gorewitz, President of the Rose Foundation Pierre Romain, Berrie Center Operations Manager Ed Eloi, Associate Professor of Vocal Music Lisa Lutter and Professor of Painting Warner Wada.

For more information visit www.ramapo.edu/haiti/relief

And remember, 100% of all monies collected fund the scholarships.