In the Know – Issue 88

Winter Commencement Returns to the Grand Stage at Prudential Center

Check out the recap, photos and highlights from Winter Commencement 2024.

The Power of Perseverance

Layla Tamimi’s inspirational journey from paralysis to graduation and a future in public health.

From Classes to Broadway

Before receiving his degree from Montclair, Nathan Angelo landed a dream job in the Broadway musical Here Lies Love.

A Game-Changing Legacy in Sports Communications

Billy Pinckney, a former New Jersey Jackals batboy, has written a book and amassed over 70,000 followers on social media for his interviews with professional athletes.

2023 Year in Review

Enjoy University highlights: Expanding impact beyond campus; some big achievements; and the adorable addition of Pebbles, the official pupscot!

In the News

• Teresa Fiore (World Languages and Cultures) is quoted in this New York Times article about Tommy DeVito, the Giants’ rookie star quarterback beloved by Italian Americans in New Jersey.
• Mark Rotella (Coccia Institute) also weighed in on Tommy DeVito, via a guest essay in The New York Times Opinion section; the essay was highlighted in the Spectrum News NY1 “In the Papers” segment (starting at 1:48).
• Jason Williams (Justice Studies) is quoted in this USA Today article about the possibility of President Biden losing support from some young Black voters as a result of backlash over the war in Gaza, as well as another USA Today article about President Biden’s recent speech at a historic Black church in Charleston in which he called out the nation’s history of white supremacy. Williams is also quoted in this NorthJersey.com article about ongoing gun violence in the city of Paterson.
• Early research by Gabriel Rubin (Justice Studies) on Gen Z is mentioned in this New York Post article discussing the generation’s struggles with anxiety. The study was also cited in Mashable, the New American and Blavity.
• Brigid Harrison (Political Science and Law) spoke to the Associated Press about Senator Menendez’s ongoing legal battles and what it means for Democrats in the Senate.
• Dawn Meza Soufleris (Student Development and Campus Life) is quoted in this NorthJersey.com article about emotional support animals on college campuses – and Pebbles the pupscot gets a shoutout, too!
• Keith Strudler (Communication and Media) was a guest on NPR’s Morning Edition to discuss how streaming, AI and world events have transformed sports reporting.
• Bond Benton (Communication and Media) is quoted in an article by global news agency AFP about online retailer Etsy being targeted by child trafficking conspiracy theories; the article was republished by Yahoo! Finance and other outlets. Benton and Daniela Peterka-Benton (Justice Studies) were also interviewed for this Rolling Stone article about conspiracies surrounding the disappearance of Sofia McKenna.
• Bond Benton is also quoted and his recent study highlighted in this CNN.com article about why it’s good business to mention Taylor Swift in media content.
• Stephanie Silvera (Public Health) offered expert advice to several publications including Montclair Local, NJ.com, NJ Spotlight News and Newsday about health risks during the recent holiday season.
• Joel Penney (Communication and Media) was a guest on the USA Today podcast The Excerpt to discuss the political gains that can be won through entertainment media.
• A Psypost.org article about psilocybin and how it alters self-perception mentions a study by Montclair researchers on the topic.
• Montclair’s recent Winter Commencement was documented in a photo gallery on NorthJersey.com.
• President Jonathan Koppell spoke with Steve Adubato about the importance of higher education and the recent merger with Bloomfield College.
• Emily Douglas (Social Work and Child Advocacy) is quoted in this Philadelphia Inquirer column about Thomas Blackwell VI, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party committee member who lost three of his sons and is now using his platform to raise awareness about domestic violence cases in which the victims are men.

Important Updates

• Information Technology will perform network maintenance on Friday, January 12 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. During this time, there may be intermittent disruptions for users signing in to Canvas and Panopto.
• Academic Affairs, Enrollment Management, and Student Development and Campus Life have developed a campaign to raise awareness of the behaviors and actions that strong students develop and implement regularly. The Office for Faculty Excellence web pages and workshops offer pedagogical strategies to support strong students throughout the semester and every week. Support the Be a Strong Student campaign by utilizing the slides that are available to download and customize. Use ONE slide each week, projecting it on-screen as students enter class. See Strong Student Campaign for more information.
• Faculty and staff are invited to submit publications to be entered in the University Authors Recognition Program. Published monographs, textbooks, exhibit catalogs and/or produced creative endeavors resulting in CDs or DVDs in 2023 or 2024 are eligible. To submit publications, use this form. For media (CDs, DVDs), use this form. Submission deadline is January 31, 2024. Publications will be listed in Montclair State University Digital Commons. For questions, contact Paul Martinez, martinezp@montclair.edu.
• The email listservs “For Sale,” “Campus” and “Discuss” are now opt-in only. All members have been unsubscribed and to participate you need to re-subscribe. In addition to changing subscriptions from opt-out to opt-in, please see below for the purpose of each list.
  • Campus: employees may share University events and similar information of broad general interest to faculty and staff.
  • For Sale: employees may post items they want to sell or give away, but this list is strictly for occasional personal use. It may not be used to promote a private business.
  • Discuss: employees may use this forum for the open exchange of views on a wide variety of topics.

Upcoming Events

• On Friday, February 2, the Global Center on Human Trafficking at Montclair will hold its 2nd Annual Legislative Breakfast and Smith/Wellstone Award Ceremony. This year’s breakfast will examine the issue of safe, affordable, and appropriate shelter and housing for survivors of human trafficking in New Jersey. Experts, lawmakers, policymakers and those with lived experience will discuss the challenges and gaps in housing and the impact on survivors’ recovery and reintegration.
• Save the date for Occupational Health’s blood drive on Wednesday, February 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The blood drive will take place in Student Center Ballrooms B and C. Registration information to follow.

Reminders

• Take advantage of the State Employee Discount Program with access to discounts in various categories.
• Worried about a student’s well-being? Please fill out a CARE Report form to connect students to mental health support and resources. Faculty and advisors can complete an alert via Navigate for academic concerns.
• EMS has installed hemorrhage/bleeding control kits and Narcan in Automated External Defibrillator (AED) cabinets on campus and is offering training sessions on how to use the hemorrhage control and Narcan kits. If you or your department would like to participate in these training sessions, contact EMS at 973-655-7836 or ems@montclair.edu.
• Did you know the Center for Writing Excellence is open to all University employees? The center provides free, confidential appointments for feedback on all types of writing including professional documents, emails, memos and improving general writing skills. In-person and virtual appointments are available.
• Land on a broken link or dead end on montclair.edu? Report your experience here.
• The new University Calendar is here. Powered by the University’s room booking system, 25Live, all event listings should be entered here. Still need training? Register for online or in-person training.

Support for Staff and Faculty

• The Employee Assistance Program provides free, confidential support services for employees and their families – including locating resources for substance abuse, mental health and self-help. For more information, view the CONCERN brochure.
• If you or a loved one is experiencing a mental health crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988, the nationwide 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for free, confidential support, 24/7.

Kudos

• To Heather J. Buchanan (Cali School of Music) and Steven W. Ryan (Cali School of Music), for leading the University Singers in two sold-out performances of Handel’s Messiah with the New Jersey Symphony last month. The concerts in Princeton and Newark received glowing reviews and gave students the opportunity to perform alongside top professional talent.
• To Danielle Insalaco-Egan (University College), who authored the chapter, “Integrating High-Touch with High-Tech on Campus” which appears in the book, Integrating Technology into Student Affairs.
• To Michael Kruge (Earth and Environmental Studies), who presented a paper at the 31st International Meeting on Organic Geochemistry in Montpellier, France.
• To Jason Torreano (Media Communications, Bloomfield), who partnered with Essex News Daily to give journalism students firsthand experience to conceive, pitch, write, edit and publish their stories.

Social Media Post of Note

Have an item you’d like included in Kudos or Reminders? Want to nominate a staffer for our spotlight? Use this form to tell us. Read more about our people and programs in the University News Center and in back issues of In the Know. And find out what’s happening on campus in the Events Calendar.