{"id":207649,"date":"2019-09-03T11:03:07","date_gmt":"2019-09-03T15:03:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/president\/?p=207649"},"modified":"2019-09-13T16:07:26","modified_gmt":"2019-09-13T20:07:26","slug":"presidents-address-to-the-university-september-3-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/president\/2019\/09\/03\/presidents-address-to-the-university-september-3-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"President’s Address to the University Community – September 3, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Opening Day Address to the University Community
\nPresident Susan A. Cole<\/strong><\/p>\n

September 3, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

I quote from Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress<\/em> by the Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker:<\/p>\n

We are born into a pitiless universe, facing steep odds against life-enabling order and in constant jeopardy of falling apart. We were shaped by a force that is ruthlessly competitive. We are made from crooked timber, vulnerable to illusions, self-centeredness, and at times astounding stupidity.<\/em><\/p>\n

Yet human nature has also been blessed with resources that open a space for a kind of redemption. We are endowed with the power to combine ideas recursively, to have thoughts about our thoughts. We have an instinct for language, allowing us to share the fruits of our experience and ingenuity. We are deepened with the capacity for sympathy \u2013 for pity, imagination, compassion, commiseration.<\/em><\/p>\n

And, so says the optimist Pinker, we are able to \u201ceke out victories against the forces that grind us down, not least the darker parts of our own nature\u201d and make progress. But we look about us, and we are depressed because we find ourselves living through a period where we are bombarded with the ugly images and sounds of regressive thinking, and, as Pinker notes and as we know, \u201cthe appeal of regressive ideas is perennial.\u201d But the optimist Pinker says, joined here by the optimist Cole, we have the resources to press forward in the face of regression and to make \u201cthe case for reason, science, humanism, and progress.\u201d Right here, in the community of a university, is where we can find those resources to make that case. And so, for that reason and others, I offer a warm welcome to all of you at this opening of the 111th academic year of 麻豆传媒在线, our home base where we nurture the resources, the people and the platform that enable us to contribute to the work of making the case for reason, science, humanism and progress.<\/p>\n

That work is never the effort of one person alone or one year. It is sustained across years, and decades, and even centuries, and, central to its core, it is given momentum and meaning by the flow of tens of thousands of students through the doors of this academy on their way to the future. While many institutions are struggling to maintain enrollments in the face of population demographics that show a steady decline in the number of high school graduates, 麻豆传媒在线 continues to attract a large pool of richly diverse, talented and motivated students, as evidenced by the approximately 16,000 completed applications for undergraduate admission received this year, to fill approximately 3,100 freshmen and 1,500 transfer places.<\/p>\n

The class of 2023 is an academically prepared group of students who are diverse by every interpretation of the word. Geographically speaking, the applicant pool hailed from 43 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and nearly two dozen foreign countries. Twenty-three percent of enrolled freshmen will join us from counties in the south or central parts of the state, as the University\u2019s applicant pool continues to expand in significant ways beyond the more traditional northern New Jersey counties. African American students comprise 21% of the incoming class and more than 30% of the class identifies as Hispanic, both groups exceeding their percentage in the general population.<\/p>\n

This class is ready for the rigors of a 麻豆传媒在线 education. The grade point average of admitted students continues to move steadily upward, as does the rigor in students\u2019 high school curricula. Now in its second year, the Presidential Scholars Program is playing an important role in attracting diverse and talented students to our campus. With 341 Presidential Scholars enrolled in the inaugural freshman class last year, this year we have seen that number grow by 35% to 461 students entering as Presidential Scholars with top-tier credentials. Offers of admission to the program were made solely on the basis of academic merit and resulted in a final class of enrolled Presidential Scholars, 50% of whom are students of color and a whopping 80% are women.<\/p>\n

Among the whole class of freshmen who have selected majors, the top choices of major are the nationally predictable Psychology, Biology, Business Administration, Computer Science and Justice Studies, and a large number of students also continue to express an interest in pursuing teacher certification in their academic disciplines. These are fields of study that entering students know about, and we are proud of our large and strong programs in these areas, but engaging more students in the rich array of majors and educational opportunities offered by the University that they may not know about when they enter the University, or that they may not have been encouraged to think about by family or school advisers, is an important goal. It is, therefore, significant to note that over 900 entering freshmen who have not yet selected a major were admitted to University College where, under the leadership of Associate Provost and Dean David Hood and an expert professional staff, they will have advising and support to explore, select and transition to a major consistent with their abilities and their educational and career goals. Among those 900 pre-major students are those for whom Chemistry or Mathematics, History or Medical Humanities, Public Health or Nutrition and Food Science, Economics or Philosophy, Nursing or Graphic or Product Design might be exactly the right field of study. University College is providing a growing number of ways in which the faculty and departments in all of the colleges and schools can engage with these hundreds of students who are looking for the right academic home for them within this large university. Programs and departments are encouraged to contact Dean Hood and explore how to engage with these students or expand the engagements they have already begun.<\/p>\n

For a more individual look at a small selection of incoming freshmen students:<\/p>\n

Israa Assaf<\/a> is entering as a Family Science and Human Development major. She graduated from Wayne Valley High School with a 3.79 GPA. In addition to her studies, Israa participated in the We Act Club, a group dedicated to uplifting local communities, and the Peer Leader club. She also volunteers as a teacher at the Special Needs Sunday School at the Islamic Center of Passaic County. Her goal is to become a school counselor. She was particularly attracted to 麻豆传媒在线\u2019s diverse and inclusive environment, and she says, \u201cI want my students to look at me, and see themselves. Someone they can look up to, and someone who can protect them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maggie Aube<\/a> has had her sights set on 麻豆传媒在线 for years. She is entering as a Theatre Studies major after graduating as one of the top students in her class at Woodbridge High School. Maggie has been an active member of her school and community theater, served as president of the Drama Club, vice president of the concert choir, and as a volunteer for the Community Emergency Response Team and Relay for Life, for which she received the Mayor\u2019s Youth Volunteer Award in 2018.<\/p>\n

Elisabeth Point Du Jour<\/a> is entering as a Chemistry major, through the Health Careers program, with a goal of becoming a transplant surgeon. She graduated in the top 2% of her class at Alexander Hamilton Preparatory Academy with a 3.7 GPA. Elisabeth came to the U.S. from Haiti at a young age and took full advantage of the academic opportunities available to her. She served as the vice president of the Student Government, was a Chemistry tutor, and a member of the School Improvement Panel, meeting with members of the Board of Education to discuss proposals for academic improvement. Additionally, Elisabeth was part of the Union County Student Training and Enrichment Program, where she participated in hands-on activities focused on leadership, personal growth and civic engagement.<\/p>\n

Nicole Hayden<\/a> is entering as a Child Advocacy and Policy major. She graduated from Lindenhurst High School in New York with a 3.9 GPA, and is one of our first National Student Scholars, a new University program that offers in-state tuition rates to exceptional out-of-state applicants. Nicole took a rigorous program of Advanced Placement courses and was also part of her school\u2019s Symphony and Chamber Orchestra, Marching Band, Peer Leadership program, Student Council, Yearbook Club, International Club and National Honor Society.<\/p>\n

Jordans Hertilien<\/a> graduated from Hillside High School with a 3.5 GPA and is entering University College where he will be on an exploratory path to identify the right major field of study. He is a well-rounded student who took eleven Honors and AP classes, while participating in the Newspaper Club, the Track team, the Poetry Club, the Academic Decathlon, the National Honor Society, his church\u2019s Youth Choir, and the C5 Georgia Youth Foundation, a 5-year leadership development program.<\/p>\n

Alan Reyes<\/a> is entering as an Economics major, with a goal of pursuing a career in law and politics. The child of a refugee who escaped the Salvadoran civil war, Alan has always been motivated to match the work ethic of his single mother of four. He received the highest SAT score in his class at Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy, where he took honors and AP courses and cultivated his love for the arts.<\/p>\n

Eseohe Igbinowanhia Ronald<\/a> graduated from Irvington High School with a 4.0 GPA and is entering as a Nursing major. She participated in the JROTC program and Special Olympics, the Future Business Leaders of America, Student Council and the African-American Heritage Club.<\/p>\n

So, here they come, as they do every September, over 4,600 new freshmen and transfer students. And now that they have been admitted and enrolled, the job for every one of us is to do all that we can to assure that they succeed and that they graduate from the University in a timely way with a rigorous education and a diploma that will be a meaningful asset for them as they seek to realize their life goals.<\/p>\n

The University has grown and developed over the years. Not that long ago in our history, most people thought of 麻豆传媒在线 as a teacher\u2019s college. With our current stature as a New Jersey Public Research University and our national designation as an R2 doctoral and research university, much has changed. But not everything. 麻豆传媒在线 has always differentiated itself as an institution intent on successfully providing a comprehensive and rigorous higher education to a population of students that is, in every way, truly reflective of the diversity of the society we serve. We have always cared about student success, and we have always cared about creating a supportive environment for teaching and learning. That has not changed, nor should it change with our more intensive engagements in research. That deeper research engagement gives us yet another resource we have to provide even better educational opportunities for our students and new avenues for successful completion of meaningful degrees.<\/p>\n

To support our work in the core institutional goal of student success, Associate Provost Hood has worked with a team of people<\/a> to introduce Navigate, a new software platform designed to help academic advisors, faculty, and all student support professionals to engage more effectively with students, to identify students who need attention, and to track student trends, allowing us to be more effective in the allocation of our resources and programs. The project leaders were Dr. Danielle Insalaco-Egan and Dr. Allyson Straker-Banks, the Technical Lead was Klavdiya Hammond, Technical Support was Puja Roy, Workflow and Training was covered by Courtney Cunningham and Amanda Carcione, Analytics by James Davison and Dr. Emily Isaacs, Communications by Dr. Daphne Gaulkin, and Functional Lead was Nicole Weir. Phase 1 of the Navigate launch went live this summer for professional advisors. Phase 2 will be implemented this fall for faculty users, and Phase 3 will be implemented in the spring for others who provide a wide range of student support services. The point of this technology is to create a consistent, university-wide academic advising, faculty and student services communication network. From department, to college, to university function, from faculty advisor to college advisor, to financial aid advisor, to registrar, to bursar, to Dean of Students, to housing advisor and more, the program will provide a richer and more accurate information and service platform for every person engaged in advising a student and, consequently, clearer, more consistent, and more accurate advice for the student. As the implementation of Navigate moves forward this year, I urge each of you to discover its potential and to let it help you contribute to the success of our students.<\/p>\n

Even more important than new software, this year also brings new faculty and staff to the University, including a new class of 16 tenured or tenure track faculty. To introduce a few among them:<\/p>\n

Professor Michael Bixter<\/a> received his PhD in Cognitive\/Experimental Psychology from Stony Brook University. He joins the Department of Psychology from two postdoctoral positions, the first in research on cognitive aging at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the second in identification of longitudinal predictors of academic success in college students at Arizona State University. Professor Bixter\u2019s multi-disciplinary research focuses on understanding how decisions are made about delayed and risky rewards, how decisions are made in small-group environments, and how cognitive behaviors develop across adulthood. He also has an interest in advanced quantitative and statistical methods, such as dyadic and small-group data analytic techniques, multilevel modeling, and longitudinal growth curve modeling. His work has been published in a number of important journals.<\/p>\n

Professor Nicholas DeMaison<\/a> received his PhD in Musical Composition from the University of California at San Diego. He joins the faculty of the John J. Cali School of Music as its new director of Orchestra Studies. Prior to coming to 麻豆传媒在线, he was the music director of the orchestra and concert choir at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as well as the director of the New York City-based Wavefield Ensemble. A former conducting student of Pierre Boulez, Gustav Meier and Peter E\u00f6tvos, he is actively engaged as a guest conductor. His discography includes recordings with the International Contemporary Ensemble and the Anagram Ensemble and, as a composer, he has written for opera, chorus, large ensemble, chamber ensemble, electronic instruments and film.<\/p>\n

Professor Mary Elizabeth Duffy<\/a> received her DNP from Columbia University and joins the School of Nursing from prior academic appointments at Columbia University and Rutgers University. She is a clinical expert in cardiac care, having worked as an advanced practice nurse in academic medical centers for over 12 years. In these positions she created new roles for advanced practice nurses that resulted in significant improvements in quality and efficiency of care. Her expertise includes management of persons with heart failure, pre-heart transplant evaluation and procedures in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. Her research and presentations focus on improving outcomes by expanding nurse practitioner scope of practice in acute cardiac settings.
\n<\/em>
\nProfessor Eli Lee<\/a> received his PhD in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. He joins the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Before coming to 麻豆传媒在线, he was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Postdoctoral Researcher at Berkeley and a visiting assistant professor at the University of Puget Sound. Dr. Lee\u2019s research is on the biophysical understanding of lipid membrane-protein interactions. He has a distinguished research record with publications in premier journals. His work with cutting-edge, single-molecule imaging and fluorescence spectroscopy has revealed the organization of living cell membranes involved in brain function. At 麻豆传媒在线, he plans to develop more advanced imaging methods, which have therapeutic applications in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries.<\/p>\n

Professor Sze Yan (Sam) Liu<\/a> received her PhD in Epidemiology from Brown University. She joins the Department of Public Health from her position as a research scientist at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Prior to that, she was a Kellogg post-doctoral Fellow in Health Disparities at Harvard University and a research associate at the Harvard University Center for Population and Development Studies. Professor Liu has published her research in highly regarded Public Health journals. <\/em>Her scholarship focuses on the impact of social policies on health disparities, including research on the causal effect of police brutality on emergency department use in New York State, the association of structural racism and maternal morbidity, and the risk of hospitalization among low birthweight infants enrolled in different versions of Medicaid.<\/p>\n

Professor Joshua Lupinek<\/a> earned his PhD in Sports Marketing from the University of Minnesota. He joins the newly created Department of Hospitality and Tourism, coming from four years at the University of Alaska. His research expertise is in sports marketing, brand communities, social network analysis, fantasy sports and virtual reality. At the University of Alaska, he founded the University of Alaska Virtual Reality Lab and is planning a similar lab at 麻豆传媒在线.<\/p>\n

New faculty always represent an expanded opportunity for collaboration with new colleagues, and I hope you will all make an effort to get to know them. As we welcome these and all our other new faculty members to the University, we have already approved about 30 searches to begin this fall for new tenure track faculty positions for the next academic year.<\/p>\n

New administrative and professional staff have also joined us this year, and a few of those include the following:<\/p>\n

Dr. Peter Kingstone<\/a> joined the University in July as Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. He comes to 麻豆传媒在线 after seven years at King\u2019s College London where he co-founded the Department of International Development and served as Head of Department and Professor of Politics and Development. Prior to his time at King\u2019s, he was a member of the political science faculty at the University of Vermont and the University of Connecticut, where he was also the director of the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Dean Kingstone earned his PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, and is the author of three books, including Crafting Coalitions for Reform: Business Preferences, Political Institutions and Neoliberalism in Brazil<\/em> (Penn State University Press) and The Political Economy of Latin America: Reflections on Neoliberalism and Development after the Commodity Boom<\/em> (Routledge).<\/p>\n

Carly Graham Garcia<\/a> joins the University as Executive Director of the Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. She holds a BA from Georgetown University and an MBA from New York University and comes to us from her position as Head of External Affairs for Google in New York City.<\/p>\n

Chelsey Watts<\/a> also joins the Feliciano School of Business as Director of Global Programs and Partnerships. She received a BS in Business Administration from High Point University in North Carolina and an MS in International and Comparative Education from Stockholm University. Chelsey most recently was the assistant director for Global Education Partnerships at Virginia Tech and was previously at the Booth School at the University of Chicago and at the University of Liverpool.<\/p>\n

In June, Robert Chesney<\/a> was appointed as the new Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, overseeing 麻豆传媒在线\u2019s 18 NCAA Division III men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams, comprising 475 student athletes. Over more than 30 years at 麻豆传媒在线, as a student-athlete, coach and administrator, Rob Chesney contributed to the department\u2019s many notable successes and has now been charged with the responsibility to move the University\u2019s successful athletics program to take its place as one of the top DIII programs in the nation.<\/p>\n

New students, new faculty and staff, and, ahead of us, a year of development of new programs. Among these initiatives, the Department of Theatre and Dance is continuing its work to reinvigorate the Theatre Studies programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Students will have two new options available to them, a combined BA\/MA in Theatre Studies and K-12 teacher certification. At the graduate level, the department will offer a new certificate in the Theatre of Diversity, Inclusion and Social Change.<\/p>\n

By 2022, Athletic Training certification will require a master\u2019s degree, and, in advance of this new requirement, the program has created a new MS in Athletic Training, which has admitted its first class this fall.<\/p>\n

Over this academic year, the College of Science and Mathematics has plans in place to develop a suite of 4+1 combined bachelor\u2019s\/masters degrees, pairing an undergraduate science discipline with an MBA, in collaboration with the Feliciano School of Business.<\/p>\n

This past spring, the School of Nursing received phase 1 approval for its application to establish a pre-licensure MSN degree program designed to serve students with baccalaureate degrees in non-Nursing fields, such as Biology, Nutrition, Exercise Science and Public Health. The phase 2 application was submitted during the summer, and the School of Nursing is planning to admit the first cohort of 20 students into the program in summer 2020.<\/p>\n

A major focus for The Graduate School in academic programs this year will be the creation of a team to partner with the Division of Communications and Marketing to advance online graduate initiatives, including identifying new markets, creating degree completion programs, and charting a clear direction for online program development.<\/p>\n

Continuing our successful enhancement of the University\u2019s physical campus resources, the most significant new addition to our academic facilities this year is the completion of the first phase of the renovations of Richardson Hall. The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Department of Physics and Astronomy have taken occupancy of their new laboratories and offices on the 2nd floor. It is a superb remake of the space. If you know and like any of your colleagues from Chemistry or Physics, ask them to give you a tour. You\u2019ll like it.<\/p>\n

In other facilities projects, the massive renovation of College Hall is moving well, on time and on budget, with project completion scheduled for the summer of 2020.<\/p>\n

However, most significant in regard to campus infrastructure is something that all of you will use, but most of you will never notice. This year will give us the first full year of utilization of our amazing new energy infrastructure and Microgrid, the brain child of Vice President Shawn Connolly<\/a>. 麻豆传媒在线 is the first university in New Jersey, and one of only a small number of universities in the country, with an innovative Microgrid that can function independently and generate its own power, basically guaranteeing that the lights will never go off. I will spend a moment of time on this subject because this infrastructure is extremely critical to the University today and to all our ambitions for the future.<\/p>\n

Following the historic 2012 Hurricane Sandy and the massive statewide interruptions to the power grid that it brought, we realized that we needed to begin to think about making the campus power-independent. The first step was completion, in 2013, of a new, modern co-generation facility, replacing a power plant that was at the point of failure at the end of its useful life. The problem with standard power plants is that they\u2019re inefficient because, to create electricity, they use a fuel \u2013 gas, oil, coal or nuclear power \u2013 to create steam that then drives a turbine. In the process, the system generates an enormous amount of useless heat, making it only about 30-35% efficient at best. The benefit of our new plant is its efficiency: it harvests that heat through a Heat Recovery Steam Generator and uses that steam to power chillers and boilers to provide campus-wide cooling and heating in addition to generating electricity. The result is an increase in efficiency to upwards of 80%, dramatically reducing our carbon footprint.<\/p>\n

Of course, all power plants need upkeep, and, in May 2016, while the gas turbine at the University\u2019s new plant was offline for annual maintenance, a car struck a power pole near the University, taking down one of two electricity feeders from the local utility, PSEG, to the campus. At this point, the campus was still fully powered from a second feeder, which operates in parallel. But then what can only be described as a quintessentially New Jersey event occurred. That remaining second feeder was taken out by a large turkey vulture which sat on a nearby power line, opened its wings, and bridged two lines causing the line fuses to blow. This left the campus with no electrical power except emergency generation for the most critical needs. It also, of course, was the sad end of the turkey vulture. May it rest in peace. Almost totally without power, the University was forced to postpone final exams and extend the academic semester, inconveniencing students, staff and University operations.<\/p>\n

Vice President Connolly refused to be defeated by a turkey vulture. The Red Hawk in his soul spurred him into action, and he developed a bold plan which the University adopted to create a campus-wide Microgrid that would be local, independent and automated \u2013 able to isolate itself from the regional electric grid. The automation features of the Microgrid allow it to input electrical load data, respond to off-campus power disturbances in milliseconds, and determine how much, when and where the Microgrid supplies power or needs to take additional power from the local utility. It is protected by a layered set of cybersecurity measures, further helping ensure no power interruptions.<\/p>\n

The University\u2019s new power plant combined with its Microgrid saves the University in excess of $4 million annually by lowering total energy costs and managing and controlling on-campus energy use. It can regulate how much power it purchases from the regional grid, and can actually sell power back to the grid when that is the best economic choice. By having the ability to export power back to the main energy grid, 麻豆传媒在线 is reducing its own energy use and becoming a more environmentally friendly and sustainable partner for its grid power provider, PSEG. What we have done here has caught the attention of a number of major universities who are interested in replicating our success. While I\u2019m not sure he will be an Oscar nominee, here is VP Connolly in a feature role in a brief film, which, if not playing in your neighborhood theaters, is a big hit in conferences of facilities engineers:<\/p>\n