Education

from November 2021

Emancipation Day 2022: Positive Change, Freedom, and the Future +

the art + science of learning

(L-R) Kean University President Lamont O. Repollet, Ed.D and NJ Lieutenant Governor Sheila Y. Oliver

(L-R) Ada Morell, past Chair of the Kean Univ.Board of Trustees, Darlene Repollet, Lamont O. Repollet, Ed.D and Matthew McDermott, member of the Kean Univ. Board of Trustees Kean University President Lamont O. Repollet, Ed.D

Kean University President

Lamont O. Repollet, Ed.D. Installed

The Kean University Board of Trustees announced its selection of visionary educator Lamont O. Repollet, Ed.D, to lead the institution in May of 2020. One and a half years later, the president’s wife, Darlene, daughters Lauryn and Taylor, Kean faculty and students, state lawmakers, and presidents of other colleges and universities across New Jersey, gathered on October 14, 2021 to celebrate his investiture, which had been delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chosen at the end of a comprehensive national search, Repollet has strong ties to Kean and other New Jersey educational institutions. Repollet received his master’s degree in Educational Administration from Kean in 2000. He also served on the Kean Board of Trustees from 2011 to 2018, assuming the role of secretary as well as chair of Academic Policy and Programs Committee. He began his career as a mathematics teacher and coach in the East Orange School District and held positions as superintendent of the Asbury Park School District and principal of Carteret High School for more than nine years.

Before becoming Kean’s president, Repollet served two and a half years as the commissioner of Education under New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, during which New Jersey’s public school system ranked best in the nation by Education Week two years in a row. He oversaw the shift in remote education amid the COVID-19 pandemic and played a key role in planning for the 2020-2021 school year.

“As I accept this appointment as president, I acknowledge, ‘To whom much is given, much will be required,’” Repollet said in his inaugural speech. He also pledged to “…foster an environment where students learn, grow, take risks, make mistakes, regroup and keep climbing higher.”

Repollet, Kean University’s first Black president, is a man of many firsts including being the first African American commissioner of Education for the State of N.J. and the first Black principal of Carteret High School. —AAC

Essex and Union County Marching Band

Pastor Emeritus Rev. Dr. DeForest B. Soaries, Jr., First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, delivers the Invocation. Darlene (Mrs. Lamont) Repollet with daughters Lauryn and Taylor

(L-R) Luis Collazo, Adrian Council, Robyn Ince, Busie Matsiko-Andan, NJ Lt. Gov. Sheila Y. Oliver; LaTysha Gaines, Kevin L. Luing, Teri Duda, Newark City Council Member Larry Crump; Former President Berkeley College Michael J. Smith; and Bryan Santiago

Berkeley College Commemorates 90th Anniversary

This tree is actually going to be planted right next to the Tubman monument … that speaks volumes to the mission and vision of the college, making sure that you appeal to a diverse group of people in this city and making sure that they not only come to this school but they also graduate,” said Baraka.

The College was first established on September 28, 1931, in East Orange, NJ. Berkeley marked its return to Essex County with the opening of the Newark campus 15 years ago and has been part of the city’s economic revival.

“Besides our continued focus on student success where the student always comes first, Berkeley College maintains its dedication to being a part of the local community and giving back,” said Kevin L. Luing, Chairman, Berkeley College Board of Trustees, who also noted that since opening in 2006, more than 1,600 students have earned degrees from Berkeley’s Newark campus.

“Berkeley College has been part of (Newark’s) vibrance. We are a hub for technology, we are a hub for employment … we are also the epicenter for higher education institutions,” said Ruiz. “Berkeley has been a part of that fabric.” Michael J. Smith, former President of Berkeley College, said, “We are of this community. We take the young people

and those who want to reskill and prepare them so that when they graduate they are going to be hired.” Oliver, who served as the keynote speaker, also shared her long history with Berkeley College, which she said dates back to 2004 when she was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly. During her remarks, Oliver said, “The marriage of Governor Phil Murphy and Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver occurred in the Berkeley College building in Newark.” She recalled her first meeting with the New Jersey Governor, which she said took place at Berkeley's Donald M. Payne, Sr. Library. “I wanted to introduce this person who was contemplating running for governor to some of the institutions that existed in our community,” she said. “I wish you another 90 years of growth, another 90 years of service in our city and in the State of New Jersey,” said Baraka. Additional festivities were held on September 28, 2021, in the municipalities where Berkeley’s other New Jersey campuses are located: Woodland Park, Woodbridge and Paramus, coinciding with a proclamation issued by Kevin L. Luing, Chairman, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declaring September Berkeley Board of Trustees 28, 2021, as “Berkeley College 90th Anniversary Day.”

Mayor of Newark Ras J. Baraka

New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Sheila Y. Oliver

Former President of Berkeley

College Michael J. Smith