Social Work Retreat

Monmouth’s Social Work Department held its 21st annual social work retreat in Magill Commons to provide students with an opportunity to connect with faculty on Wednesday, Sept. 4.

Sanjana Ragudaran, assistant professor of social work, said, “[The student retreat] helps to orient new and returning students (in addition to faculty and staff) to the Social Work Program and the campus in a fun and informal way.” 

These retreats give students a chance to interact with their advisors, faculty, and other students outside the classroom to extend their support network within the program. Students are also able to ask questions about the upcoming year, Ragudaran said. 

The retreat took place from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., ending before freshman welcome. Robin Mama, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Social Work, explained that each year, the retreat has a different theme and this year’s theme was overcoming obstacles. The goal of the theme this year was to get social work students to think about they have overcome obstacles in life and how to excel personally and professionally, as social workers. 

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Athletes Partake in Mentorship Program

Vernon Smith, Director of Educational Counseling and Leadership and Assistant Professor of education, Monmouth University Athletes, and the Big Brother Big Sisters of Monmouth and Middlesex Counties have partnered to form a Peer Mentorship program for students of Neptune High School.

Smith commented, “I’m just tired of seeing all the negatives about black males in the news and that’s not all we have to offer. Once I got here at Monmouth, I recognized that within Monmouth County and the community, we had young men of color, especially black males, who faced adversity and we want to make sure their surrounded by a strong support network.” 

Smith believes that this program will be beneficial based on the resources that Monmouth offers. “We have a lot of black males who are involved in athletics, the Equal Opportunity Fund (EOF) programs, and just solid students making a difference. How do we begin to at least give back to our community? I figured this is an important program that helps Monmouth students the importance of giving back and connecting with high school students encouraging them to move forward providing mentorship.”

With mentorship, Smith notes, it helps the mentors to grow, as well as the mentees. “It is a beautiful way to develop an empowering black male leadership opportunity,” he said.

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Datta is New Interim Provost

Rekha Datta, Ph.D., a Professor of political science, was appointed Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs on Aug. 1. 

In this new temporary role, Datta will work closely with President Leahy to provide leadership in planning, developing, implementing, and assessing the academic activities of the University and its Strategic Plan. 

While she serves as provost for this academic year, a new search for a permanent provost will be conducted in the meanwhile. 

“This is my 26th year of service at Monmouth University. I am grateful to Dr. Leahy and to the university community for the opportunity to serve as the university's Interim Provost for this academic year,” said Datta. “The opportunity to work with students, staff, administrators, and with my faculty colleagues to advance the academic mission of the university is energizing, exciting, and above all, humbling.”

She continued, “Since I took office on August 1, as Interim Provost, I have enjoyed working with faculty and the university community on the pragmatic aspects of my role, ensuring service to students and faculty, shared governance, personnel management, and empowering departments and schools.” Datta said that she welcomes the opportunity to work closely with students in order to advance their academic success at the university. 

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Mercedes Crashes into Hesse Hall

A Mercedes crashed into the front of Hesse Hall on Monday, Sept. 9 at approximately 2:15 p.m., leaving the driver injured. No student injuries were reported.

The 61-year-old man backed his white Mercedes Benz into the rear-end of a parked white Jeep, changed direction, and then crashed head-on into the dormitory. Both vehicles were then towed once the building was deemed safe.

The driver of the vehicle was rushed to Hackensack Meridian Health Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune. His condition is unknown at this time.

Morganne Dudzinski, the Director of News and Public Affairs said about the driver, “I checked in with the university’s police department and as this is an ongoing investigation, no further information can be released at this time.”

The university community was notified of the incident via email by new President Patrick Leahy, Ph.D. around 4 p.m.

“Hesse Hall was evacuated and the building damage is being evaluated by a structural engineer,” Leahy wrote. “Students housed in the affected areas of Hesse Hall will be relocated until those areas are deemed safe for occupancy.”

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Leahy Assumes Role as University President

Patrick Leahy, Ed.D., assumed his role as Monmouth University’s 10th President on Aug. 1, 2019.

Leahy emerged as the Board of Trustees unanimous selection from a nationwide search for President that considered 100 candidates. Robert B. Rumsby, of Alpha Beta Development and a current board of trustees’ member, said, “[Leahy’s] background, his attitude, and vision for the future make him best fit for the position.”

Mary Anne Nagy, Vice President for Student Life and Leadership Engagement, echoed Rumbsy’s sentiment about Leahy’s qualifications. She said, “[Leahy] is a quick learner, incredibly smart, very well-read on a variety of subjects and weaves that into his work. He knows that we have a lot of positive things going for us while also knowing that the business of higher education is going to be challenged predominately by changing demographics.”

The following questions and answers are from an interview with Leahy that took place on Friday, Sept. 6:

Last year, you explained how in order for Monmouth to move towards higher levels of success we must “broaden our notoriety and recruiting of students.” How do you plan to achieve this?

"To be honest, I’ve only been on the job a month so my answers will be pretty vague at this point, so I encourage [The Outlook and I] to continue to dialogue as my answers will become more refined as time goes on. [In general] I think it’s so important for the president of a university to create a shared vision and not presume to know best; I need a bit of time to create a shared vision for Monmouth. Then, we take that out and promote it widely.

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