University Honored First-Generation College Students

First-Generation Students Celebrated

The University celebrated first-generation students by participating in the country's annual National First-Generation Day. This entailed a discussion panel on Nov. 6 in Anacon Hall and a tabling event on Nov. 8 in the Rebecca Stafford Student Center. 

The day was established in 2017 by the Center for First-Generation Student Success, described on their website as a nonprofit organization “dedicated to furthering the expansion of college opportunities for low-income, first-generation students, and students with disabilities.” This is the second year of the annual celebration.

The initial panel session consisted of eight first-generation students who spoke about the successes of first-generation students of the campus community. This was a tabling event that was held to raise awareness about and celebrate first-generation students in the Student Center. 

The panel was moderated by Claude Taylor, Advisor-in-Residence for Academic Transition and Inclusion, who was joined by Jennifer Shendock, Coordinator of Transfer and Undeclared Services; panel members were asked to share academic, social and cultural issues related to being a first-generation student. Students and faculty were present in the audience, as well as University President Grey Dimenna, Esq., and Mary Anne Nagy, Vice President for Student Life and Leadership Engagement.

“It was informative and powerful to hear students and staff talk about what it means to be first-generation and also the successes and challenges they face as a part of their first-generation identity,” said Taylor. “The most moving discussion was about the family challenges students face in terms of meeting expectations and feeling a strong sense of responsibility and obligation to their loved ones that sometimes can be a source of stress.”

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Oakwood Hall: The Site of Water Leaks Prior to School Year

Water has been leaking in the residents’ bathrooms, as well as the stairwell in Oakwood Hall, prior to the beginning of the fall semester. 

Tony Conrad,  Area Coordinator (AC) for Oakwood Hall, said, “Leaks were reported at the end of August; we had about four bathrooms, a stairwell, and a laundry room all with leaks.”

The west side stairwell in Oakwood Hall has had multiple cases of water leaking through the roof. There were buckets placed in the stairwell to collect the leaking water and wet floor signs to notify of the water. Handwritten signs were also posted on the doors of the stairwell discouraging the use of this stairwell, instructing residents to use the stairwell on the opposite side of the building.

Jim Pillar, Associate Vice President for Student Services, said, “Facilities responded at the time of the incident being reported, they placed a collection receptacle to collect the water. The Residential Life staff placed signs on the stairwell notifying residents of the leak. Repairs occurred once the rain had concluded.”

The stairwell leak tends to happen only when it is raining. Pillar said, “The stairwell issue was a result of rain leaking from the roof... Facilities have been in the building making ongoing repairs and have repaired and resealed areas on the exterior and areas on the roof.”

Patti Swannack, Vice President of Administrative Services, confirmed the stairwell was leaking water due to the roof. She added, “Whenever a leak occurs, we immediately respond. We repaired the leaks about a month ago and have not seen a leak since.”

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Honors Students Present, Win at National Conference

Honors School Sends Eight Students to Boston Research Conference

The University’s Honors School sent eight students to the National Collegiate Honors Council’s (NCHC) annual conference from Nov. 7 to Nov 11 in Boston, MA, where one student won an award for their poster presentation.

Out of the eight students that attended on behalf of the Honors School, five students presented their Honors research: Nicole Sivetz, a senior biology and chemistry student; Harry Termyna, a senior psychology and political science student; Michal Kalisz, a senior biology student; Kirsten Lawson, a senior chemistry student; and Mehdi Husaini, a junior biology student. The others present to observe and attend the conference were Gianni Mazzone, a junior business administration student; Susan Schuld, a graduate student studying English; and Kelly Schuld, a junior education student. 

“The [NCHC] serves thousands of Honors colleges across the United States, providing advanced research in Honors education, professional development opportunities for Honors faculty, and hosting a national conference for undergraduate research every year,” said Walter Greason, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Educational Counseling and Leadership, as well as the most recent Dean of the Honors School.

Husaini won second prize for his poster presentation in the category of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

“Mehdi Husaini's prize-winning poster in the natural sciences is a reflection of his keen intellect and years of guidance from the outstanding faculty at Monmouth University,” said Greason. “Among a group of the best young scientists in the world, Mehdi showed that the Honors School sustains its role as a paragon of advanced undergraduate research."

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Monmouth Debate Team Wins Awards

The University’s Debate Team received two awards at the West Point Military Academy Debate Tournament this weekend, over the weekend of Friday, Oct. 26 – Sunday, Oct. 28.

Nine teams comprised of 18 debaters compete in several divisions of the tournament. The team of Julia Bialy, a junior political science student, and Maddy Doe, a junior political science student; the team of Matt Gruhler, a junior political science student, and JP Suttile, a junior political science student, received awards for making it into the playoff rounds on Sunday after debating in six rounds on Friday and Saturday. The Bialy and Doe team ultimately lost in the playoff rounds to a team from the United States Military Academy, and Gruhler and Suttile narrowly lost to a team from George Mason University.   

“We had a lot of new teams compete at the West Point tournament, which is a very prestigious national tournament. I really admire their grit and work ethic in that many of our teams practiced through eight 2-hour scrimmages in preparation for this tournament,” said Joseph Patten, Ph.D., adviser to the University’s Debate Team and an associate professor of political science. “We also have extraordinary leadership in our experienced debaters and co-captains. I have so much respect and admiration for all of our debaters and feel blessed to be affiliated with them.”

The tournament included approximately 130 debaters from teams from 12 universities including Cornell University, George Mason University, West Point Military Academy, West Virginia University, Liberty University, U of Rochester, NYU, and New School.  

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University Reacts to Pittsburgh Shootings at Chabad Club Event

Nearly 400 students and faculty participated in an event hosted by the Chabad club called #PittsburghStrong in front of the Rebecca Stafford Student Center on Oct. 30.

This event was held in light of the shooting on Sat. Oct. 27., the holy day of sabbath in the Jewish religion, which claimed the lives of 11 people according to CNN. 

The #PittsburghStrong campaign garnered the attention of members of the Monmouth community stopped by their tables in the Student Center to partake on various activities to show their support to the victims of the shooting and stand up to hate. While at the tables, supporters were given the opportunity to write letters to the Pittsburgh victims and pledge good deeds, or Mitzvahs, in their honor.

“In Judaism we look at bad situations with love so we wanted to do something positive and not negative,” explained Sophie Hans, a senior social work student and president of Chabad. “That is where the board on good deeds came into play.” 

Good deeds were written on bright post-it notes and placed on a giant poster board. University President Grey Dimenna, Esq., did the honors and placed the first good deed on the Mitzvah poster and by the end of the day, the board was overflowing, Greenberg further explained. 

“This affects me on a personal level,” said Rabbi Greenberg, an adjunct professor of religious studies and advisor for Chabad. Rather than be a solemn event, Chabad strived and succeeded at celebrating the lives of those lost and promoting the potential for goodness in the world. “The Jewish people are all one family and 11 people from my family were murdered for being Jewish.”  Greenberg explained that, the shooting itself, was a personal attack because of his status as a leader in the Jewish community, as well as how he has friends in the Pittsburgh community from his time teaching in Squirrel Hill, the neighborhood where the shooting took place.

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Students Win Awards at Oxford Model UN

The University’s Model United Nations (UN) Team competed at the University of Oxford, UK, and took home two individual Best Delegate Awards over the weekend of Friday, Oct. 26 – Sunday, Oct. 28. 

The three-day competition drew universities from across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Eight students represented the University as the only American institution competing in the international conference, serving on separate committees. 

“Oxford’s contest is a highlight on the European Model UN Circuit, and it is one of its most competitive,” said Kenneth Mitchell, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Political Science and Sociology and an associate professor of political science. He serves as one of the team’s advisers and accompanied them on their trip to Oxford. 

Mitchell noted that the conference was a great opportunity for students to interact with other students from around the world. 

“Each of our eight students worked hard and competed at the three-day event, and two students took home individual speaking awards Mackenzie Ricca (sophomore political science student) and Jackson Pope (senior political science student),” said Mitchell. 

"Competing at the Oxford Model UN competition was such an informative, eye-opening experience for me,” said Ricca, the University’s UN team captain. “Throughout the conference, I was surrounded by other very talented delegates who were students at major universities in Europe and around the world like Oxford University, London School of Economics, and Cambridge.”

Ricca explained that the contest was vigorous, which made her be sure to arrive prepared with binders full of research, elaborate speeches, and competitive policymaking strategy. “I was incredibly honored to receive an award for one of the best delegates in the contest and will be forever grateful for the experiences I had abroad,” she said. 

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Monmouth Hosts Employers at Annual Career Fair

The University hosted nearly 400 students and more than 100 employers at the annual Fall Career Day on Oct. 31 from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the second floor of the OceanFirst Bank Center. 

Open to all Monmouth students and alumni, the event was held to provide insight into potential career opportunities. According to William Hill, Assistant Dean of Career Services, government, business, non-profits, small, regional, and national employers were present at the fair.  Employers from organizations such as Hackensack Meridian Health, the United States Secret Service, and the New Jersey State Police were present.

“These job fair style events provide an excellent opportunity for employers and potential employees to connect,” said Jeffrey Mass, Assistant Director of Career Services. “Career Days typically attract hundreds of Monmouth students and alumni, as well as dozens of business, government, and non-profit employers. A career fair is a great chance to meet potential employers and to acquire more about career related options in your field of study,” he continued. 

Mass confirms that along with the 109 employers present at the event, 26 of the employers were present at Monmouth for the first time. “Career Day provides Monmouth University students and graduates the opportunity to obtain that much needed face time with recruiters to network and set themselves apart from the rest of the pack,” he said, emphasizing how unique the venue was.

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Parsons Hired as New Associate Vice President

Wendy Parsons has been hired as the University’s new Associate Vice President for Development in the Division of University Advancement after a stint at Saint Joseph’s University. 

Parsons said, “I’m thrilled to be joining the Monmouth advancement team and look forward to working with our leadership, faculty, alumni, parents and friends to achieve important new milestones in philanthropy for Monmouth.” 

The new Associate Vice President for Development will handle and oversee day-to-day supervisory responsibilities for the University’s major and planned giving programs. In her new role, Parsons will lead the school-based directors of development, the planned giving program, and prospect management and research.

Parsons said, “My goal is to work with faculty, students, and University leaders to build rewarding partnerships with our alumni and to bring more and more alumni back to campus so they can see what the difference their philanthropy makes in the lives of our students today.”

“In the near future, our top fundraising priority is maximizing the dollars we raise for student scholarships. This should make Monmouth more affordable for many of our students,” Parsons added.

“As we create more endowed scholarships and augment those we currently have, we will increase annual earnings earmarked for student support while simultaneously reducing the pressure on our colleagues in Enrollment Management who currently carry the burden of bringing in more than 94 percent,” said Jonathan Meer, Vice President for University Advancement.

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University wins Voter Registration Award

Students and faculty were hosted by Rutgers University-New Brunswick for a trophy presentation ceremony after winning the statewide 2018 Ballot Bowl voter registration competition, on Tuesday, Oct. 30. 

The New Jersey Secretary of State’s office informed Joseph Patten, Ph.D., an associate professor of political science and adviser to the Political Science Club, that the University won the statewide 2018 Ballot Bowl voter registration competition last Thursday, Oct. 25 for their registration effort called “Rock the Vote.” He and the Rock the Vote group were invited to attend the ceremony, which was aired by MSGNetworks.

Ten students, and the Rock the Vote campaign’s mascot, accompanied the group to be presented with the award and to give a few public words, to address their accomplishment on the New Brunswick campus on Tuesday evening. 

“The voter registration volunteers were all single minded in focusing on whether students would vote, not how students would vote,” said Patten, commending their successful efforts. “Political science student Landon Myers took the lead in organizing the Rock the Vote events on campus and in organizing nearly 30 students who visited approximately 50 classrooms to encourage students to vote.”

Patten noted that the voter registration group physically mailed in 350 voter registration forms, as well as an equal number of students who mailed the registration forms themselves, surpassing their initial goal to register 400 students. 

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University Announces New Fundraising Campaign

University President Grey Dimenna, Esq., announced the public launch of a campaign to raise $15 million in private funding to support student scholarships at the University during a meeting of the Board of Trustees on Thursday, Oct. 25.

The goal of the campaign, Together We Can, is to raise $15 million in gifts and pledges by June 30, 2019. The campaign has already made much progress toward reaching its goal. Current development stands at $10.3 million, about 68 percent of the way to reaching the University’s goal.

“Raising money to support student scholarship aid has been one of my top priorities as president of Monmouth, and it will certainly be an area of need for the University in the years to come,” Dimenna writes in an email announcing the campaign.

Dimenna continues, and explains that last year, the University provided more than $66 million in institutional scholarship aid, which is 11 percent more than the previous year, and 99 percent more than a decade ago. “These may seem like daunting numbers, but we have found that even $5,000 in scholarship aid can be the deciding factor in a student’s choice of Monmouth over a peer institution. By way of reference, annual scholarships at Monmouth can be established with a commitment of $1,000 per year over a five-year period,” he writes. 

“Most members of the Monmouth community are well aware of how expensive a private university experience can be for students, so many of our donors are stepping up with support for the Campaign so as to help Monmouth students address as much of their unmet financial need as is possible,” said Jonathan Meer, Vice President for University Advancement.

Efforts by the campaign are to reach and exceed its $15 million goal in order to accelerate the University’s trajectory of academic excellence, in order to enable highly qualified students from economically, geographically, and culturally diverse backgrounds to apply and attend.  

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