Governor Makes a Surprise Appearance in Class
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy surprised a communications class on Zoom in May, sitting in place of his communications director Mahen Gunaratna, who was the guest speaker that day, according to an article in the student newspaper, The Montclarion.
According to the article, Gov. Murphy’s interruption in Adjunct Communications Professor Linda Thomas’s class was completely unplanned: He knocked on the door while Gunaratna was speaking. Gunaratna got up to answer the door and Gov. Murphy sat down in his place and offered a few words regarding the coronavirus public health crisis to the students.
“There is no playbook for this, for none of us,” Gov. Murphy told the students. “It’s an educational matter, a life experience matter, a family matter. It is extraordinary. It’s okay to not know all the answers.”