The 2005 Academic Convocation officially ushered in the new academic year and celebrated the accomplishments of several outstanding faculty and staff. In addition, Richard J. Codey, BA’81 (Flor), acting governor of New Jersey, was presented an honorary doctoral degree.

Codey, who became acting governor last year, has served three decades in the state legislature and was elected senate president in 2004. He is particularly known for his advocacy for health and mental health issues, consumer protection, public safety, education and the rights of women, minorities and workers.

Left photo: Keynote speaker Leonard Grob. Center photo: New Jersey Gov. Richard Codey, right, receives his honorary doctoral degree citation from President J. Michael Adams and Board of Trustees Member Mary Kay Mastronardy Stratis, BA’69 (Ruth), MAT’71 (Metro). Right photo: Willard Gingerich, University provost and academic vice president, presides over his first Academic Convocation.

President J. Michael Adams said, “As a graduate of our University, your achievements bring us great pride, and it is our honor to recognize you today as a beloved son.”

Codey thanked the University and said that he is proud to be a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University. “As a young student with my future ahead of me, I never imagined I’d be back here addressing you as governor of the state of New Jersey.”

He added, “In many ways the foundation for my adult life was built at Fairleigh Dickinson University, and I have these hallowed halls to thank for much of what I’ve accomplished in my life.”

He told the students in attendance, “Education is clearly the best preparation for life’s trials, but an education doesn’t end with a cap and a gown. It’s a continual process, where you will find that each chapter doesn’t come with a corresponding test.”

He said the students would be tested by life’s experiences. “My true test was taking the lessons I learned at Fairleigh Dickinson and using them to advocate for people who have been left behind or forgotten.” He urged them to “take advantage of every moment because higher education is truly a privilege.”

But, he added humorously, if all else fails, they can always return to their homes, because “humans are the only species that welcome its children back home.”

Codey was originally scheduled to receive the honorary degree during the 2005 commencement in May, but was unable to attend the ceremony.

To read the citation honoring Codey, go to http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/honorees/codey.html .

The convocation also featured the presentation of Distinguished Faculty Awards, the Pillars of FDU Awards and Presidential Citations. The Distinguished Faculty Award for Service was presented to Richard Bronson, mathematics/computer science and senior executive assistant to the president (Metro). The Distinguished Faculty Award for Research and Scholarship went to Gary Radford, communication and director, corporate/organizational communication (Flor). And the Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching was given to Marlene Rosenbaum, education and associate director, education (Flor). Distinguished Faculty Award winners are chosen by their peers. (Scroll down to Distinguished Faculty Awards.)

The Pillars of FDU Awards were presented to nonfaculty who have made “extraordinary contributions” to the University. The College at Florham recipients were Patricia Geehr, director, Academic Support Center, and Deborah Pilipie, director, Becton College Advising Center. The Metropolitan Campus winners were Thelma Susann Demay, director, Academic Resource Center; and Catherine Liggett, head athletics trainer. (Scroll down to Pillars of FDU.)

Presidential Citations were presented this year to Dalila Suhonjic, director of global initiatives (Metro); Vincent Varrassi, director, Regional Center for College Students with Learning Disabilities (Metro); and Peter Woolley, political science and executive director, PublicMind (Flor). These citations recognize faculty, staff or administrators who have led innovative programs or processes and helped provide students with new opportunities to achieve a global education. (Scroll down to Presidential Citations.)

Adele Stern, faculty, Petrocelli College (Metro), also was scheduled to receive a Presidential Citation. Stern, however, died on September 26. Adams told the audience that he would present the citation posthumously during memorial services for Stern on September 29. “Adele, we will miss you. Your spirit, intelligence and life brought joy, love and learning to so many.” Adams added that the University created a scholarship in her name. Go to In Memoriam for information on the scholarship http://inside.fdu.edu/otw/0510/facultystaff.html .

The event also included the introduction of new faculty and the introduction of Student Government Association presidents Adam English, political science (Metro), and Dina Deleasa, psychology (Flor). Willard Gingerich, who joined FDU in August, presided over his first Academic Convocation as University provost and academic vice president. Retired faculty who came back to celebrate the day included Virote Angkatavanich, emeritus, economics/finance (Metro); John Becker, emeritus, English (Flor); Edna Charles, emerita, English (Metro); Liliane Gaffney, retired, education (Metro); Robert Naylor, emeritus, history (Metro); and Paul Strauss, retired, psychology (Flor).

Keynote Address

Leonard Grob, philosophy (Metro), delivered the keynote address, titled “Education as Thinking Against Oneself.”

In his address, Grob described the urgent need for a spirit of critique and reflection. He explained that “thinking that assumes it has hold of the truth … has played a major role in creating the conditions in which genocide has flourished and continues to flourish in our time.”

He said, “Only when we think against ourselves, only when we are willing — in dialogue — to examine beliefs closest to home, does the possibility for moral discourse at the heart of all genuine education emerge.”

Grob added, “The academy has a special role to play in fostering a consciousness which thinks against itself, which adopts a critical stance toward all that we study. … We must urge our students — and remind ourselves — to examine the ‘truths’ we hold dear.”

He concluded that the most significant social divide is “the divide between those who uncritically believe what they think, and those who think against themselves. Our survival as a civil society, our moral survival — perhaps even our physical survival — depends upon which of these two ways of being prevails. Let all of us in this University community renew a dedication to thinking against ourselves.”

For the full text of Grob’s address, go to http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/honorees/grob.html .

Distinguished Faculty Awards

President J. Michael Adams, second from right, and University Provost and Academic Vice President Willard Gingerich, second from left, join this year’s Distinguished Faculty Award recipients, from left, Richard Bronson (service), Marlene Rosenbaum (teaching) and Gary Radford (research and scholarship).

Richard Bronson, who was named senior executive assistant to the president in August, has been at Fairleigh Dickinson University for nearly 40 years. In addition to serving on many different committees and planning groups, he has been chair of the department of mathematics and computer science; acting dean of the former College of Science and Engineering, during which he led the development of the renowned SOS (Support Our Students) program; and interim provost of the Metropolitan Campus. In 1995, he received the Distinguished Faculty Award for Research and Scholarship. For the full citation go to http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/honorees/bronson.html .

A native of England, Gary Radford joined Fairleigh Dickinson in 1999. His research focuses on philosophical and critical treatments of the communication process, using as a foundation the work of the French philosopher Michel Foucault. He has written many articles and published four major books, including On the Philosophy of Communication and On Eco, a creative introduction to the work of cultural and literary theorist Umberto Eco. His work has been selected as a top paper at three conferences. In 1993, he founded the New Jersey Journal of Communication — now known as the Atlantic Journal of Communication. For the full citation go to http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/honorees/radford.html .

A faculty member since 1988, Marlene Rosenbaum has developed and taught a wide range of courses in education, earning tremendous acclaim from her students. Beyond the classroom, she has served as director of the Peter Sammartino School of Education for six years, increasing enrollment and revenues and helping to develop numerous academic programs. As associate director of the school, she now directs the critical teacher-education accreditation initiatives. She has also been an executive board member of the New Jersey Association for College Teacher Educators and editor-in-chief of the New Jersey Association for Teacher Educators Journal. For the full citation go to http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/honorees/rosenbaum.html .

Pillars of FDU

Left photo: Kenneth Greene, center, interim provost (Flor), with Pillars of Fairleigh Dickinson University award recipients from the College at Florham, Deborah Pilipie, left, and Patricia Geehr, right.

Right photo: Joseph Kiernan, center, provost (Metro), joins Pillars of Fairleigh Dickinson University award recipients from the Metropolitan Campus, Catherine Liggett, left, and Theresa Susann Demay, right.

Theresa Susann Demay has been director of the Academic Resource Center on the Metropolitan Campus since 1990. Previously she was instructor, then assistant director of the Learning Center. Demay has been active with the wellness, orientation, campus budget and special needs committees and is a member of the Metropolitan Campus Council and the New Jersey Test Administrators Special Interest Group (NJTASIG). In addition to her master’s degree in teaching from FDU, she has earned a Certified Teacher of Handicapped Students Certificate and is a Certified Learning Disabilities Teacher Consultant. For the full citation go to http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/honorees/demay.html .

Patricia Geehr joined the University in 1992 to teach English composition. She has been director of the Academic Support Center on the College at Florham campus since 1998. She also serves on the Campus Council, the Orientation Committee and the Academic Appeals Committee. Geehr has spent more than 30 years in academic life. She previously taught English in New York and Massachusetts and at the adjunct level at the University of Wisconsin and County College of Morris. For the full citation go to http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/honorees/geehr.html .

Catherine Liggett joined the University as assistant athletics trainer in 1990 and was promoted to head athletics trainer for Division I athletics on the Metropolitan Campus in 1998. In a collaborative effort with the School of Psychology, she arranged to have doctoral psychology students work with student athletes on sports psychology issues. She led the design of the weight and cardio rooms in the new Fitness Center and has arranged for speakers to discuss health issues on campus. She also has organized charity softball games and served on the Alcohol Threat Assessment Subcommittee and the Wellness Committee. For the full citation go to http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/honorees/liggett.html .

Deborah Pilipie started her career at Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1986, working in the Registrars and Records Offices. She joined the Becton College Advising Center at the College at Florham in 1995, and was named director in 1996. She also has served on the executive committee of the Professional Administrative Senate from 1995 to 2005. In addition, she has been the adviser for the Delta Phi Epsilon sorority, has coached cheerleading, served on the Campus Standards Judicial Board and taught Honors Freshman Seminar. For the full citation go to http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/honorees/pilipie.html .

Presidential Citations

Adele Stern joined the University in 1988. Born and raised in Brooklyn, she joined The Lear School in Miami, Fla., in the early 1940s and, in 1944, joined the American Red Cross in the World War II effort. After her return to the United States, she taught and administered in the New Jersey public school system. She came to the University as director of the Williams Institute for Aesthetic Education — spearheading a program to instruct elementary and high school teachers on the arts. She also directed FDU’s Arts in Education Program, and has taught in the University’s Core curriculum. For the full citation go to http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/honorees/stern.html .

Dalila Suhonjic joined FDU in 2001, and has been instrumental in several key initiatives relating to the global mission. She has been a key presence at the United Nations, helping the University gain NGO status and scheduling campus lectures, as well as orchestrating videoconferences broadcast from the United Nations to FDU and other universities. She further has arranged for students and faculty to visit U.N. headquarters and helped establish internships at the United Nations. Suhonjic also led the development of the Global Virtual Faculty, scholars and practitioners who bring students international perspectives via the Internet. For the full citation go to http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/honorees/suhonjic.html .

Vincent Varrassi joined the University in 1998. He became director of the College at Florham’s Regional Center for College Students with Learning Disabilities in 1999 and moved to director of the Metropolitan Campus’ center in 2001. He is a strong advocate for college students with learning disabilities and has authored articles and given presentations in support of access to education for the learning disabled. This year, he received a Special Service Award during the annual conference of the New Jersey Association for College Admission Counseling (NJACAC) for being “an incredible bridge between admissions and high schools for students with learning disabilities.” For the full citation go to http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/honorees/varrassi.html .

Peter Woolley joined the University in 1987 as a lecturer in the Maxwell Becton College of Arts and Sciences and is now a professor of political science. In 2003, he established the University’s polling organization The PublicMind™. As executive director, he has directed polls on issues as diverse as national and local elections, homeland security, the war in Iraq, consumer intentions and the impact of “The Sopranos” on the psyche of New Jersey. He has been featured in print and on radio and television by, among others, CBS, NBC and the New York Times. He also has involved faculty and students in the polling and analysis. For the full citation go to http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/honorees/woolley.html .

October 2005

View text only for this complete issue.

Flor =
College at Florham, Madison, N.J.

Metro =
Metropolitan Campus, Teaneck, N.J.

Information Deadlines