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.
University Vice President and Director of Athletics Marilyn McNeil, Ph.D., was honored as a guest speaker during the 2021 National Girls and Women in Sports Day virtual celebration on Wednesday, Feb. 3. The event was hosted by the New Jersey Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women.
Walter D. Greason, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Educational Counseling and Leadership, presented his research on the historical diversity of Union County in a virtual presentation co-sponsored by the Union Public Library and Vauxhall Historical Society on Tuesday, Feb. 2.
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).
Monmouth University health officials have encouraged students and faculty to receive the COVID-19 vaccination as it becomes available in order to return to normal campus life.
Chair of the Music and Theatre Department and Director of the Music Industry Program Joe Rapolla, joined music executive John Esposito on “The Smartest People in the Room” webinar. Hosted by music industry headhunter Tom Truitt, the episode detailed Esposito’s rise to becoming CEO of Warner Music Nashville.
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.
President Patrick F. Leahy Ed.D., and Communication faculty member Matt Harmon discussed the spring semester on their weekly “Monmouth Mondays” podcast on Tuesday, Jan. 26. The episode detailed health protocols and the return of sports,