EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/FEATURES EDITOR,
FEATURES EDITOR,
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STAFF WRITER,
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Monmouth University’s new Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program will launch in May 2021 with a class of 30 students. The three-year, full-time program received approval from the Faculty Council in January 2020, becoming the second OT program in New Jersey to offer an entry-level doctoral degree after Kean University, according to John Patro, OTD, OTR/L Chair and Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy.
Dr. John (Jack) Burke, former Associate Professor and Chair in the Department of Music and Theatre Arts, passed away on Dec. 10 at the age of 75 due to cancer. Burke taught at the University for about 25 years, served 15 years as the Chair of the Department of Music and Theatre Arts, and served over a decade as Director of the Theatre Arts program before retiring after the spring 2020 semester.
Patti Swannack, Vice President for Administrative Services, will be retiring after the spring 2021 semester. Swannack currently oversees facilities management, campus planning and construction, human resources, student employment, and the Monmouth University Police Department (MUPD).
This Valentine’s Day, love is in the air…but so is COVID-19. While typical date ideas like eating at a restaurant and going to the movies might be off the table for some couples, there are still plenty of ways to safely celebrate with your significant other this year.
Rebecca Ley’s story starts with running. Having grown up in Rumson and currently residing in Spring Lake, NJ, it’s the reason she decided to attend Monmouth. She ran distance on the women’s cross country team, won a school record in 2018, and aimed for the spring outdoor record for the 5K—until her life took an unexpected turn.
Taylor Swift has done it again. Evermore, her second surprise album of 2020 following the release of folklore, has already taken the world by storm.
The third annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Distinguished Speaker in Social Justice featured guest speaker Ibram X. Kendi, Ph.D., award-winning author of How to be an Antiracist, on Jan. 27.
University faculty held a virtual panel discussion in response to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol Building. During the event, titled “The White Supremacist Terrorist Siege on the U.S. Capitol: The Roles and Responsibilities of Universities in Times of National Crisis,” faculty explored the motives behind the siege through their various disciplines.
2020 has been a big year for Taylor Swift, having released her eighth studio album folklore in July, directing and producing the documentary concert film Folklore: Long Pong Studio Sessions on Disney+ for November, and even posing casually with Paul McCartney on the cover of Rolling Stone’s December issue. Now, she is hitting the studio to re-record her first six albums.
It’s still the most wonderful time of the year for many, even during a global pandemic. However, this might not be the year for the large family gatherings and traveling typically associated with the holidays.