New & Noteworthy

Campus updates, philanthropic highlights, key hires, and more from the previous year.

Coastline

Monmouth Receives Federal Funds to Improve Coastal Resilience

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onmouth’s Urban Coast Institute (UCI) received federal funding for two projects that will bolster resilience to extreme coastal storm and flooding events in Naval Weapons Station (NWS) Earle and its surrounding communities and help economically disadvantaged New Jersey municipalities improve their resilience and readiness for climate threats.

Rep. Frank Pallone secured $450,000 as part of the Department of Defense (DOD) appropriations for the NWS Earle project, which will be led by Thomas Herrington, UCI associate director and New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium Resilient Communities and Economies specialist. The project will build upon a 2019 Raritan/Sandy Hook Bay Coastal Resilience Planning Study conducted by Monmouth County and the DOD that created 11 concept plans for projects that would improve resilience in and around NWS Earle, including steps to address worsening bayfront erosion that could jeopardize the long-term operation and safety of the installation’s pier, facilities, and navigational channels.

The funding will advance one or more of the highest-priority projects through the design and engineering phases needed to make them shovel-ready. The project team is expected to include Monmouth University faculty and students, NWS Earle, and other partners involved in the 2019 study.

The second project, secured by Sen. Cory Booker and supported by Sen. Robert Menendez, will receive $460,000 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the UCI to partner with local leaders and stakeholders in overburdened communities and planning and resource experts to produce climate adaptation plans that foster equitable community resilience. Herrington will lead a project team that works with selected municipalities from Atlantic, Camden, Cumberland, Essex, Middlesex, and Union counties that express interest in receiving planning assistance.

The project will pilot methods for engaging stakeholders in socially vulnerable communities who are often difficult to reach in planning processes. To overcome these barriers, the team will use collaborative approaches that aid in engaging all community members. The community-centric engagement and planning process will develop resilience and adaptation plans that can serve as a model for disadvantaged and environmental justice communities throughout the state.

Brittany Scardigno
Jennifer Stolte

Two Alumnae Receive Fulbright Awards

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rittany Scardigno and Jennifer Stolte received Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards for English Teaching Assistantships for the 2022–2023 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Scardigno, who earned a master’s degree in English from Monmouth University in May 2021, will service students in South Korea and focus on building confidence in their linguistic identity. She will guide students to become effective communicators, within a wide variety of audiences, through mock interviews and speaking with professionals in their desired areas of study.

Stolte, who holds a bachelor’s degree from Monmouth in secondary education and foreign languages and earned her master’s degree in education from Monmouth in January 2022, will service students in Galicia, an autonomous community in Spain. There she will participate in a multilingual educational system that teaches Spanish, English, and the Galician native language, Galego. She plans on implementing experiential education by getting students outside of the classroom and lecturing while walking through town.

“Monmouth takes great pride in offering impactful global experiences to our students, and we are delighted that Brittany and Jennifer will be able to put their academic framework into action as Fulbright recipients,” Pamela Scott-Johnson, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, said. “They have distinguished themselves as leaders, and we expect they will make a rich contribution to the work of the Fulbright Program.”

Kislak Institute

$2 Million Pledge Will Establish Endowed Director Position for Kislak Real Estate Institute

The Kislak Family Foundation pledged $2 million to establish a permanent endowed directorship for the Kislak Real Estate Institute at Monmouth University. The endowment honors the memory of the late Jay I. Kislak, an inspiring entrepreneur, real estate pioneer, and philanthropist. By establishing the Jay I. Kislak Endowed Director position, the institute will be well poised to meet the needs of aspiring real estate professionals today and tomorrow, as well as facilitate and address opportunities for the economic impact and societal impact of the institute regionally and beyond.
The Kislak family’s philanthropic support and connection to Monmouth University dates back to 2006, when a generous and transformational gift helped establish the Kislak Real Estate Institute as a center of excellence in teaching and research within Monmouth’s Leon Hess Business School. Together, the foundation and the University established the first credit-bearing academic real estate program in New Jersey—one of approximately 65 in the country at the time.

“Jay Kislak was a patron of education and ideas,” Jason Pucci, chief operating officer of The Kislak Company Inc., said. “His ongoing commitment to Monmouth University allowed him to forge a living legacy by helping to develop students who will become the next generation of real estate professionals. The Kislak Family Foundation is proud to support the strategic vision of the institute, and to facilitate regional growth, development, sustainability, and socially responsive impact.”

Golf Outing Raises Over $200,000 in Support of Student-Athletes

The Monmouth University Golf Outing was held on Monday, June 6, at Metedeconk National Golf Club. Thanks to the philanthropic support of more than 50 sponsors, 150 players, and many more auction donors and winners, Monmouth raised over $200,000 in support of the Athletics Director’s Excellence Fund, which will benefit almost 600 Hawk student-athletes.

This record-setting success for the annual marquee Golf Outing will help Monmouth become even better positioned to compete in the Colonial Athletic Association (see p. 10). It also serves as inspiration for Monmouth’s student-athletes as they compete on the field and in the classroom in the year ahead.

Golf course

Monmouth Launches Fourth Doctoral Program

The new Doctor of Social Work (DSW) in Human Rights Leadership program welcomed its inaugural cohort of students this fall. The program is unique among DSW programs across the country in that it prepares students to be agents of change at the executive level, teaching them to design, evaluate, and implement effective human rights programs and policies that positively impact individuals and communities. The launch of Monmouth’s fourth doctoral degree–granting program marks a major step in the University’s journey toward achieving national doctoral university status.

Financial Markets Lab Renamed

The Tom Byer ’67 & Susie Byer Financial Markets Lab was dedicated on Sept. 24, 2021, in recognition of the Byers’ generous six-figure gift in support of the University’s strategic plan initiatives, as well as Mr. Byer’s service as a former member of the Board of Trustees, his active involvement in the Alumni Association, and his decorated career in the financial industry. The lab enables Monmouth University students to get hands-on experience analyzing real-time market and financial data employing the same technology and techniques used by Wall Street professionals.

Student Newspaper Wins Multiple Awards

The Outlook, Monmouth’s student-run newspaper, earned First Place for Best School Newspaper and Outstanding Sports Coverage in the 2022 American Scholastic Press Association (ASPA) national competition. The paper also won Best Weekly University Newspaper and First Place with Special Merit (for the staff’s efforts in publishing during the pandemic) in ASPA’s 2021 competition.

Giving Days Inspires More Than 1,400 Gifts

Giving Days
In just its second year, Monmouth Giving Days raised over $195,000 through more than 1,400 gifts in support of the University’s students. Gifts came from alumni and friends around the world, including Australia, Kuwait, Mexico, and Great Britain, and domestically from 39 states.
Student working

State Legislators Laud Students’ Diversity and Inclusion Work

The founding members of Monmouth Artists for Diversity and Inclusion (MADI) received a joint senatorial and gubernatorial proclamation from the state of New Jersey for their work on MADI Volume I. The album, which features current and former Monmouth students, celebrates diversity, inclusion, and cultural awareness through music, spoken word, and art. The proclamation cited it as a “significant educational example of how college students can creatively, constructively, and effectively use artistic expression to impactfully support themes of diversity, inclusion, and belonging in an educational manner in our society.”
Group photo of students

New Campus Center Will Play Leading Role in Helping the UN Meet Its Sustainable Development Goals

Last December, the International Federation of Social Workers established the IFSW Social Work at the United Nations Initiative in Monmouth University’s School of Social Work. The initiative fulfills a need to combine international social work experience, networks, and key contacts with the global strategies of the U.N., and it will play a key and high-profile role fostering the relationships necessary to achieving the U.N.’s sustainable development goals. “A number of our faculty have been active representatives of the IFSW U.N. Team in New York for over 20 years,” Robin Mama, dean of the School of Social Work at Monmouth University, said. “Our expertise working with the United Nations made the Monmouth University School of Social Work the ideal setting for this innovative center.”

Monmouth Adds Women’s Rowing Program

Last September, Monmouth added women’s rowing as the University’s 24th Division I sport. The program, which will begin competing this fall in the Colonial Athletic Association, will be led by Head Coach Scott Belford. “This is a strategic investment both in athletics and academic excellence and will help to serve our growing number of women students enrolled at Monmouth,” President Patrick F. Leahy said. The program’s launch was supported by a significant commitment from John B. Paolella Jr., who serves as vice chair of the Leon Hess Business School’s Business Council.
 Myrna and Bob Raskin, Jeff Stapleton, Patrick F. Leahy, Marilyn McNeil, and Henry Byzinski

Dr. Marilyn A. McNeil Arena Dedicated

Last November, the Board of Trustees approved the renaming of the University’s basketball arena in honor of former Vice President and Director of Athletics Marilyn McNeil, who during her 28 years of service had a profound impact on the University and countless student-athletes. The renaming was supported by a six-figure commitment from Bob and Myrna Raskin ’87M, ’95M that will ensure significant enhancements to the arena. McNeil, who was the first woman to serve as a college athletic director in New Jersey, elevated Monmouth’s Division I athletics program into one of the premier mid-major programs in the country while championing gender equity during her tenure.

Accolades

  • William Craig, vice president for finance, was recognized as an honoree of the 2022 NJBIZ Leaders in Finance awards, which celebrates New Jersey’s financial executives at all levels who “contribute to the success of their companies as well as their communities.” Honorees were chosen by a panel of independent judges with experience in the financial field. In addition to involvement in their industries and communities, the selections were chosen for their “achievements, energy, and innovative ideas.”
  • President Patrick F. Leahy was named to the 2021 NJBIZ Education Power 50 list. NJBIZ editors noted that even amidst a global pandemic, Leahy had advanced numerous areas of the University, citing the creation of Monmouth’s Doctor of Occupational Therapy program; the hiring of Pamela Scott-Johnson, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, and Raj Devasagayam, dean of the Leon Hess Business School; and the partnership with Monmouth Medical Center to jointly open the Linda Grunin Simulation Lab and Learning Center, a state-of-the-art training center for practicing health care professionals and students, at Monmouth’s Graduate Center.
  • President Leahy was also named to ROI-NJ’s Influencers: Higher Education 2022. In addition to citing Leahy’s key hirings of Scott-Johnson and Devasagayam, ROI-NJ lauded Monmouth’s recent move to the Colonial Athletic Association, an initiative led by Leahy.
  • Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, was named to the 2021 NJBIZ Education Power 50 list. Editors noted that the Monmouth University poll, which Murray runs, “is one of the most highly regarded measures of public opinion in the country. In fact, it is one of a handful of gold standard polls, recognized as rigorous and reliable.”
  • ROI-NJ called Pamela Scott-Johnson, who joined Monmouth as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs in August 2021, the “perfect pick” for the job. While lauding her credentials, which include a Ph.D. in psychology and neuroscience from Princeton University, eight years in the private sector as a research scientist at Kraft, and academic leadership roles at Morgan State University and Cal State-Los Angeles, as well as her expertise at getting government grants, the publication’s editors declared her a “different type of leader” who “understands [that] the relationship between a teacher and student, a school and a student, and the world and a student is changing rapidly.”

Alumni Couple’s Major Gift Will Spur Entrepreneurship

Stephen Gerard ’89M and his wife, Laurie ’84, made a six-figure commitment to support the enhancement of Monmouth’s Center for Entrepreneurship, which fosters opportunities for University students, alumni, and faculty to create, connect, and collaborate with local community members, makers, mentors, teachers, and professionals, as well as national and international institutions and organizations. Enhancing the center is one of the core objectives outlined in Monmouth’s Strategic Plan, which was approved last year. Stephen, a University trustee, is a successful entrepreneur who now focuses on bringing other entrepreneurs’ visions to life as an investor, advisor, and public speaker. He is the author of Stuck in the Middle Seat: The Five Phases to Becoming a Midcareer Entrepreneur.

Endowed Scholarship Will Help Prepare Tomorrow’s Nurses

Dr. Joseph W. Kouten Jr. established the Agnes L. Kouten ’77, ’85 Distinguished Endowed Bachelor of Science in Nursing Scholarship with a six-figure gift in memory of his late wife. The scholarship is intended to encourage aspiring nurses to pursue their professional ambitions. The late Mrs. Kouten, who earned a Bachelor of Science in Health Studies and Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Monmouth, and a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania, worked as a psychiatric nurse practitioner in several New Jersey hospitals.
Group of nurses and doctors

Monmouth Partners with NOAA to Build Diversity in Marine Fields

The University hosted 15 students from academic institutions around the country in June as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Inclusive Fisheries Internship Program (IN FISH). Now in its second year, IN FISH provides paid internships to undergraduates from underrepresented populations with the long-term vision of building skills for success within marine resource fields and diversifying the NOAA fisheries workforce.

Joe Compagni Track Dedicated

In May, the outdoor track at Monmouth University was dedicated in honor of longtime Director and Head Coach of Cross Country and Track and Field Joe Compagni. The men’s and women’s cross country and track and field teams won a total of 58 conference titles under Compagni’s watch, as he helped build and grow the programs into what they have become today.

Monmouth’s Telehealth Clinic Wins Award

The Monmouth University Community Care Telehealth Clinic (MUCCTC) was honored with a Bronze Award in the Outreach to Vulnerable and Disenfranchised Communities category at the 2022 Companies That Care Awards. The awards are hosted by the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey and Commerce Magazine. The MUCCTC is a free, online clinic that offers accessible telehealth counseling services to New Jersey residents, 18 years or older, who are not members of the Monmouth University community. The clinic is also a field internship opportunity for clinical social work graduate students.
Filming of Miranda's Victim on campus

Major Motion Picture Filmed on Campus

In June, Navesink River Productions shot parts of an upcoming feature film on Monmouth’s campus. The film, Miranda’s Victim, stars Abigail Breslin, Andy Garcia, Ryan Phillippe, Sebastian Quinn, Donald Sutherland, Emily VanCamp, and Luke Wilson and was co-written and co-produced by University Trustee George Kolber. It chronicles the 1963 arrest and conviction of Ernesto Miranda for the kidnapping and rape of an 18-year-old woman, Trish Weir, in Phoenix, Arizona. Weir’s life is destroyed by her quest to put Miranda in prison, while it subsequently leads to the establishment of the Miranda rule, which the Supreme Court recognized as a constitutional right in its 1966 decision Miranda v. Arizona, requiring that suspects be informed of their Fifth and Sixth Amendment rights prior to interrogation if their statements are to be used against them in court. Navesink River Productions also hired 10 Monmouth student interns, providing an opportunity for both practical professional experience and academic credit.
Crowd of graduates with their decorated hats

Celebrating the Class of 2022

This spring marked the formal return of Commencement to campus as well as the start of a new University tradition, the all-undergraduate class gathering.

From 2004 through 2019, Monmouth had held Commencement at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey. But when COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the 2020 ceremony at PNC, President Patrick F. Leahy mobilized administrators and faculty to ensure that year’s graduates were celebrated with an in-person Commencement. What followed was a series of 17 smaller, in-person, on-campus, socially distanced ceremonies over the next 18 months honoring the Classes of 2020 and 2021.

With COVID-19 restrictions eased this past academic year, Leahy decided to make the temporary solution permanent, returning to a storied University tradition of on-campus Commencement celebrations. Three school-specific ceremonies for undergraduates, and another for graduate and doctoral students, were held in May in Kessler Stadium. In total, the University conferred 1,001 bachelor’s, 556 master’s, and 18 doctoral degrees to members of the Class of 2022.

“From the first moment I set foot on our magnificent grounds, I knew that our team had to find a way to return to on-campus ceremonies,” Leahy said. “The student experience is anchored to our campus community, and our students deserve a capstone event that celebrates this connection.”

3 students holding yellow flags

A Trajectory of Success in Enrollment

Monmouth’s entering first-year class for Academic Year 2021–2022 set new University benchmarks for enrollment, boasting the highest academic quality as measured by GPA. The class also had the highest percentage of students from out of state (and second-highest percentage of ethnically and racially diverse students), the highest number of Honors students, and the highest number of students enrolling in five-year dual-degree programs.

Robert Sculthorpe ’63, ’15HN Receives the Inaugural President’s Medal

Trustee Emeritus Robert B. Sculthorpe ’63, ’15HN was presented with the University’s highest honor, the President’s Medal, during a special ceremony last December. Sculthorpe has been a champion of Monmouth for more than a quarter century, serving with distinction on the Board of Trustees while generously supporting diverse initiatives that have benefited students and enhanced the cultural and intellectual life on campus. “I can think of no one more deserving of receiving the inaugural President’s Medal than Bob, whose extraordinary leadership and support have provided countless opportunities for Monmouth students through the years,” President Patrick F. Leahy said.
Robert Sculthorpe and Patrick F. Leahy
Campus building at sunset

First-year Milestones in Implementing Our Strategic Plan

This past year, Monmouth University began to successfully implement several key priorities of its five-year strategic plan, Excellence. Access. Ambition. The plan, grounded in six interlocking and mutually reinforcing themes, informed virtually all of our decisions and guided our activities over the past year, advancing our ambition of building the best university we can while making it as accessible as possible to students.

As part of our efforts to enhance the student experience and modernize infrastructure, the University built out several marquee spaces across campus for programs essential to student success, including the Career Development Center, the Intercultural Center, the Parton Broadcasting Center, the Occupational Therapy Program space, and study and lounge areas throughout the historic Great Hall. The University also demonstrated exciting progress toward enhancing the student experience through the development of an Intercollegiate Rowing Association/NCAA women’s rowing program, which begins competition this fall.

Additionally, this fall Monmouth launched its fourth doctoral program, the Doctor of Social Work in Human Rights Leadership, demonstrating the University’s ongoing investment in academic excellence and moving us closer to national doctoral university status.

And, in the wake of global financial challenges emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, Monmouth took strides to ensure its continued financial stability, including the rollout of two new signature fundraising events as well as the creation of an Innovation Fund to support fresh and inventive revenue-generating ideas among our community. Surpassing both our 2021–2022 undergraduate and graduate enrollment targets also helped shore up our financial strength over the past year.

Together, these accomplishments represent significant progress in the early stages of the strategic plan and help establish a trajectory for successful implementation of other targets and objectives in the next several years.

New Hires and Appointments

headshot of scott belford

Scott Belford joined Monmouth in September 2021 as the University’s first head coach in women’s rowing. He previously oversaw the varsity crew program at Christian Brothers Academy in Middletown, New Jersey. Belford earned his B.A. in economics from Rutgers University, where he was a team captain and four-year member of the lightweight crew team.

headshot of susan gupta

Susan Forquer Gupta, Ph.D., was appointed associate provost in July, a role she had filled on an interim basis since 2019. Gupta oversees the Office of Graduate Studies and the Office of Global Education as well as the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and the Center for Student Success.

headshot of carlos ortiz

Carlos Ortiz joined Monmouth as chief of police in March. Ortiz is a 26-year veteran of the Montclair State University Police Department, where he served most recently as lieutenant. He earned his B.A. in justice studies and M.A. in educational leadership from Montclair.

headshot of michelle resnick

Michelle Resnick joined Monmouth in April as the director of disability services for students. She was most recently the director of disability accommodations and support services at California State University Channel Islands. Resnick earned her B.A. in psychology from the State University of New York at Albany and her M.A. and Ed.M. in counseling psychology from Columbia University and is working toward her Ed.D. at Fairleigh Dickinson University. 

headshot of beth ricca

Beth Ricca ’94M joined Monmouth as executive director for career development in September 2021. She most recently served as director of the Cahill Career Development Center at Ramapo College. Ricca earned her B.A. in English education from the University of Delaware and her M.S.Ed. in student personnel services from Monmouth.

headshot of gloria schopf

Gloria Schopf was appointed registrar in August 2021. She has been with the University in the Office of the Registrar since 2007, serving most recently as the associate registrar for NCAA compliance, curriculum management, degree audit, and Commencement. Schopf earned her B.A. in English from Brooklyn College.