Taking Care
Attentive professors hold the key to graduate success
Shortly after receiving his diploma from Montclair State in May, Joe Remmert, an aspiring writer and journalist, landed a job at The Record of Bergen County. He credits much of his success to his professors.
“If I hadn’t had extra encouragement from some of my professors, I’m not sure I would have had the confidence to try certain things,” the history major says. “They made the difference for me.”
When it comes to predicting post-graduate happiness and success, it turns out that it’s all about the professors. According to a new Gallup-Purdue index, college graduates of all ages who were inspired and encouraged by even one professor are twice as likely to be engaged at work and three times as likely to be happy with their lives.
The study found that the type of school students attend, whether public or private, small or large, very selective or less selective, mattered far less than the support they received while in school.
“Just as it only takes one spark to light a fire, it only takes one person to believe in a student to help them start believing in themselves,” says Denise Rodak, coordinator of Veteran and Military Resources at Montclair State, who is one of many mentors and teachers who make lasting and positive impacts on students’ lives.
Kenneth Svolto, a 2012 Montclair State graduate, is the first to admit he wasn’t the typical student. A U.S. Army and New Jersey National Guard veteran, he earned a master’s degree in engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. He has recently begun working for Schlumberger, assigned to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, drilling for oil and gas and maintaining production. “The mentoring I received was very important,” he says. “The extracurricular activities that Denise supported and even created were comforting and helped me feel like I was a member of the Montclair State community, and at times a leader.”
Denise Rodak, center, coordinator of Veteran and Military Resources
“All of our faculty are dedicated and caring, making personal attention and interaction a hallmark of a Montclair State education .”
– Larry De Gaetano
Paying it forward
“The faculty was accessible, caring and served as the mentors I needed, with Dr. David Benfield and Dr. Marilyn Tayler leading the way,” remembers attorney Steven Resnick, who graduated in 1993. Resnick, a shareholder and partner in the family law department of the Short Hills firm Budd Larner, P.C., honored his exceptional mentors by establishing the Tayler-Benfield Scholarship for deserving pre-law students.
“Advisement continues to be a hallmark of my career,” says Tayler, a political science and law professor who takes pride in being there for her students for nearly 40 years.
“My department has a policy of listening carefully to our students and of strongly encouraging our faculty to teach to all students,” says Benfield, a philosophy and religion professor. “The Gallup-Purdue study results confirm the wisdom of President Susan Cole’s emphasis on student-faculty collaboration on research.”
Some alumni pay it forward by following in their professors’ footsteps. Monica Simal, who earned a bachelor’s degree in 2003 and a master’s in 2005, teaches Spanish language and Latin-American literature at Providence College in Rhode Island. She credits her success to Spanish and Italian Department Chair Linda Gould Levine. “She’s more than a mentor to me,” she says. “I am who I am as a college professor and scholar thanks to her ongoing support.”
For Levine, like the others, mentoring is one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching. “I regard many of my former students as friends and colleagues and learn a great deal from them as they forge their paths in the profession,” she says.
Last fall, David Sanders, audio and sound design professor in the School of Communication and Media, was named one of the nation’s most popular professors by Time magazine. Sanders loves what he does. “I want students to be excited about learning and about their futures – both in their careers and their lives in general,” he says. “I know my colleagues share that attitude and approach.”
His enthusiasm is infectious. Kristine Bates, who works at Westfield High School as a district media coordinator, was Sanders’ teaching assistant before graduating in 2006. “He allowed me to find my voice in an educational setting,” she recalls. “Now that I’m working with students, I find myself saying things he said and teaching students what he taught me.”
Encouraged by his broadcast professors, Rob Posner founded ProInnovation, a video production company, during his senior year at Montclair State. “The professors I met – including Dave Sanders, Larry Londino, Patty Piroh, Thom Gencarelli and Jeff Jones – absolutely changed my life for the better and made me the person I am today,” says the 2007 graduate.
David Benfield, philosophy and religion professor
“My department has a policy of listening carefully to our students and of strongly encouraging our faculty to teach to all students.”
– David Benfield
The secrets of great teaching
What makes a great teacher? “I think listening, rather than advising is key,” says Fran Greb, an early childhood, elementary education and literacy education professor. So is being responsive, whether with a timely response to an email or a quick text message.
Students know when teachers truly care. “Dr. Greb believed in me and pushed me to be a better student and teacher,” says Brett Grunau, a special education teacher in Randolph, New Jersey, who was Greb’s graduate assistant before graduating with a master’s in teaching in 2014. “She’s like family to me.”
“My students know I care about them, their lives, their careers and their education,” states Dean Hamden, a physics professor who has even set up a Facebook page for his physics students. “Students know it matters to us personally that they succeed.”
In May, College of Science and Mathematics seniors named Matthew Gorring, an earth and environmental studies professor, and Kirsten Monsen-Collar, a biology and molecular biology professor, outstanding faculty advisors. Gorring says academic advising is more than curriculum advice. “I think students most appreciate when faculty advisors demonstrate genuine concern for their current academic and future personal success.”
Monsen-Collar, who goes out of her way to be approachable and take a personal interest in student success, appreciates the University’s small class sizes. “I love the fact that I can walk across campus and be greeted by so many students I have come to know,” she explains.
For Lisa Lieberman, a College of Education and Human Services public health professor, being an inspiring teacher is about respect. “Most of all, I truly enjoy, respect and appreciate my students,” she says.
Larry De Gaetano, an accounting, law and taxation professor, sums it up: “All of our faculty are dedicated and caring, making personal attention and interaction a hallmark of a Montclair State education.”
Elizabeth McPherson, dance professor
“I work to give my students personal attention when they are here and to support them however I can after they graduate .”
– Elizabeth McPherson
The door is always open
“I work to give my students personal attention when they are here and to support them however I can after they graduate,” says dance professor Elizabeth McPherson. “It’s important to me that students don’t feel a door has closed once they graduate. I want them always to feel comfortable asking for advice or job placement help and just visiting.”
Stacy Albanese, a 2008 graduate in communications, recently became an assistant director in the Montclair State Office of Alumni Relations. “My career path didn’t bring me directly to this position, although I worked in the office in another capacity. Throughout my career, School of Communication and Media Professor Todd Kelshaw has continued to write letters of recommendation for me and stay in touch,” Albanese says.
Karolina Miziolek, a segment producer for Bloomberg TV Asia, continues to keep in touch with School of Communication and Media professor Marc Rosenweig eight years after getting a degree in broadcasting. “Marc’s advice resonates with me every day,” she says. “He taught me what journalism is all about.
“He helped me turn my weaknesses into strengths and to secure my first job.”
“We give advice,” Rosenweig says, describing his job. “It’s an ongoing process. My colleagues and I would all like job satisfaction – and this is it. It’s knowing our alumni are succeeding because they are using our mentoring well in their lives.”