2023–2024
FROM THE PRESIDENT
FROM THE PRESIDENTam very proud of the achievements and milestones we have reached together over the past year, many of which are featured on the pages that follow.
Over the year, our campus has been enriched by the vital dialogue and visionary voices of distinguished authors, educators, and civic leaders—including three former governors of New Jersey on one panel—who have shared their expertise on critical topics such as climate change, sustainability, politics, and art. Our faculty continues to receive national recognition, including a prestigious four-year, $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation, further advancing our research and academic excellence. We have also expanded our capabilities with the acquisition of the R/V Ocean Hawk, our fastest research vessel yet.
One initiative that blends academic excellence and community engagement is the ongoing development of the new home for the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music. Last fall, we unveiled plans for a new building, which will serve as an educational and cultural hub for the region. This past spring, we hosted the Archives’ second annual American Music Honors, an event that brought global music icons to campus and helped raise vital funds for the project. We’ve also had the pleasure of welcoming acclaimed presidential historian and Archives Trustee Douglas Brinkley as the first speaker in the new President’s Lecture on Music History and Contemporary America series.
This is Monmouth
ocated along New Jersey’s northern coastline, Monmouth University is a top-tier private institution that is home to innovative academic programs, expert faculty, and nationally ranked Division I athletics. Comprehensive in scope, Monmouth enrolls approximately 4,980 students in more than 55 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, including four doctoral programs.
Founded in 1933 as Monmouth Junior College, the institution became Monmouth College in 1956 and received its university charter in 1995. Today, Monmouth University consistently ranks among the best regional universities in the country in a host of measures related to excellence and access, offering proof that it is possible to make an exceptional private education both affordable and accessible.
This is Monmouth
ocated along New Jersey’s northern coastline, Monmouth University is a top-tier private institution that is home to innovative academic programs, expert faculty, and nationally ranked Division I athletics. Comprehensive in scope, Monmouth enrolls approximately 4,980 students in more than 55 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, including four doctoral programs.
Founded in 1933 as Monmouth Junior College, the institution became Monmouth College in 1956 and received its university charter in 1995. Today, Monmouth University consistently ranks among the best regional universities in the country in a host of measures related to excellence and access, offering proof that it is possible to make an exceptional private education both affordable and accessible.
A Prime Location for Academic Excellence
ess than one mile from the Atlantic Ocean and one hour from New York City and Philadelphia, Monmouth University’s beautiful coastal campus sits at the heart of a vibrant culture that is rich in history, the arts, technology, and entrepreneurship. This unrivaled location directly impacts and enhances the academic experience.
At Monmouth, students study marine and environmental biology aboard one of the University’s five research vessels. They build their professional networks by interning at Fortune 500 companies in New York and Philadelphia. They perform and pursue their artistic passions in Red Bank’s renowned theater district and Asbury Park’s legendary music scene, where such artists as Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi got their starts. They complete service-learning projects in coastal forests and on the sun-splashed beaches that lie just beyond the campus’s main gate.
At the center of it all is Monmouth’s picturesque campus, which has been named one of the 10 most beautiful in the world. The University’s 170-acre campus houses state-of-the-art labs and learning spaces, multiple theaters and art galleries, Division I–level athletics facilities, and two historic buildings: the Great Hall, which is a National Historic Landmark, and the Guggenheim Memorial Library, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Founders’ Day ConvocationMonmouth Celebrates 90 Years
n Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, members of the campus community gathered with distinguished guests in Pollak Theatre for Founders’ Day Convocation. This special event, held during the second week of October and coinciding with major anniversaries in University history, commemorates Monmouth’s establishment in 1933. Last year’s celebration held particular significance as it marked the University’s 90th anniversary. The day featured a formal academic procession, award presentations, and an inspiring address from President Patrick F. Leahy, making it a truly memorable occasion.
SPRINGSTEEN ARCHIVESA Year of Milestones
t was another momentous year for the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music at Monmouth University. Last fall, the University unveiled plans for a new building that will house the Archives and serve as an educational and cultural hub for the region. This past spring, Monmouth hosted the Archives’ second annual American Music Honors, an event that brought music icons to campus and helped raise vital funds for the new building.
Ideas and InsightsVital Dialogue, Visionary Voices
olleges and universities have long served as critical hubs for the open exchange of ideas. At Monmouth, this tradition is exemplified by our commitment to hosting visionary leaders who actively engage with our community on pressing societal challenges, while also inspiring us with their words, thoughts, and ideas. Such events not only enhance the academic journey for students, but also enlighten and inspire members of both our campus and local communities.
This year, Monmouth welcomed a diverse array of distinguished authors, educators, and civic leaders. They shared their expertise and perspectives on critical topics related to climate change, sustainability, politics, art, and the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence.
Here are some of the standout moments from these engaging discussions.
Faculty & Student Achievement
$3 Million Grant Will Help to Break Barriers in Biology
ssistant Professor of Wildlife Ecology Sean Sterrett, Ph.D., is part of a team that was awarded a four-year, $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation. The main goal of the Research and Mentoring for Postbaccalaureates in Biological Sciences grant is to diversify the field of biology while offering training and mentorship to a new generation of scientists who will be studying species in a world continually impacted by climate change.
In collaboration with scientists from Bridgewater State, Pennsylvania State, Michigan State, and Susquehanna universities, Sterrett will be working to integrate this new research and mentoring network into the existing Salamander Population and Adaptive Research Collaboration Network, known as SPARCnet.
A regional initiative designed to advance the understanding of environmental change on salamander populations across the eastern United States, SPARCnet is made up of a diverse group of scientists; educators; and university, federal, state, and nonprofit partners who up until now have been informally using it as a place to store and share data related to the study of salamanders.
New & Noteworthy
Claeyssens Scholarship: Transforming Students’ Lives
he Astere E. Claeyssens Distinguished Endowed Scholarship was established in 2023 when Monmouth received a historic $21 million donation from an anonymous donor. The gift was structured so that $20 million was invested in a perpetual endowment to sustain the scholarship, while $1 million was allocated for immediate use to support students at the greatest financial risk.
Thanks to this strategic foresight, 52 students representing each of Monmouth’s schools received $10,000 Claeyssens Scholarships last academic year. The impact of this support for the students was extraordinary.
By the end of the Fall 2023 semester, first-year Claeyssens Scholars achieved a GPA that was 0.55 points higher than their peers with similar academic and financial-need profiles who did not receive the scholarship. This indicates that the scholarship provided both a strong incentive to excel and the financial freedom necessary to focus on academics. Additionally, the fall-to-spring retention rate for Claeyssens Scholars was nearly three percentage points higher than that of their non-scholarship counterparts.
University Leadership | ACADEMIC YEAR 2023–20241
Mary Byrne
Associate Vice President and Controller
Edward W. Christensen, Ph.D.
Vice President for Information Management
Charlene K. Diana, Esq.
Vice President and General Counsel
Annette Gough ’16
Executive Assistant to the President and Board of Trustees
Amanda Klaus ’09
Vice President for University Advancement
Robert D. Mc Caig, Ed.D.
Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing
Emily Miller-Gonzalez, J.D.
Chief of Staff
Timothy Orr
Executive Director for Campus Planning and Facilities Management
James Pillar, Ed.D.
Vice President for Student Life
Joseph Pingitore ’00
Associate Vice President for Finance and Budgets
Director, Intercultural Center; Advisor to the President on Diversity and Inclusion
Robyn Salvo ’12M
Associate Vice President for Human Resources
Jennifer Sansevero, J.D.
Director of Athletics
Richard Veit, Ph.D.
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Shannon Clifford, Ph.D.
Acting Dean, Marjorie K. Unterberg School of Nursing and Health Studies
Joseph Coyle, Ph.D.
Interim Dean, School of Science
Raj Devasagayam, Ph.D.
Dean, Leon Hess Business School
David Hamilton Golland, Ph.D.
Dean, Wayne D. McMurray School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Wendy Harriott, Ph.D.
Interim Dean, School of Education
Leah Lazzaro ’04M, D.S.W.2
Acting Dean, School of Social Work
Jennifer Ross
Acting Dean, Honors School
Christopher D. Maher, Chair
Leslie N. Hitchner, Vice Chair
Tasha A. Youngblood Brown ’97, ’03M, Vice Chair
Stephen E. Gerard ’89M, Treasurer
Dean Q. Lin, FACHE, Secretary
Miles J. Austin III ’19
Michael V. Benedetto, Esq. ’90
John A. Brockriede Jr. ’07, ’10M
Thomas D. Byer ’67
John C. Conover III
Karyn F. Cusanelli ’89
Mary Vaden Eisenstadt
Jeremy Grunin
Kanesha K. Jones ’03
Raymond G. Klose ’77
George Kolber
Mari C. Kovach ’82, ’86M
Patrick F. Leahy, Ed.D. (Ex officio)
Nancy A. Leidersdorff ’97
Alaina L. Love ’79
Lisa McKean
Thomas J. Michelli
Valerie Montecalvo
Tavit O. Najarian, Sc.D.
Bayaan A. Oluyadi ’13 (Ex officio)
Jeana M. Piscatelli ’01, ’02M
Rocio F. Serey ’16
Christopher W. Shaw
Mark J. Skesavage ’11M
Carol A. Stillwell
Marianne C. Hesse
Harold L. Hodes ’65
William B. Roberts
Stanley S. Bey ’59
Alan E. Davis, Esq.
Judith Ann Eisenberg
Alfred L. Ferguson, Esq. ’13HN
Frederick J. Kaeli, Jr. ’61
Henry D. Mercer III ’87, ’17HN
Stephen M. Parks ’68, ’07HN
Charles T. Parton ’01HN
Michael A. Plodwick ’82
Thomas A. Porskievies ’82, ’86M
Steven J. Pozycki ’73
Robert B. Sculthorpe ’63, ’15HN
Pedram Daneshgar, Ph.D., Chair Professor, Department of Biology
Karen Mahoney, Chair
Assistant to the University Librarian
Tanner Purdy, President
1 As of June 30, 2024
2 Through May 3, 2024
