Faculty / Staff / Students Home
Campus Connection: October 2009
| Faculty and Staff Kudos | Student And Alumni News |
The Achievements page on Ramapo College's Web site has been renamed Campus Connection. This new format will still provide updates of accomplishments by faculty, staff and students and also offer an opportunity to include photographs. In addition, Campus Connection will keep readers apprised of new staff, promotions, reclassifications and retirements.
| COLLEGE RECOGNITION |
40th Anniversary Celebration
This year, Ramapo College of New Jersey celebrates its 40th Anniversary. In honor of this event, President Mercer is inviting all students, alumni, current and retired faculty and staff to attend the Founders’ Day 40th Anniversary Celebration on November 18, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., in the Konica Minolta Spectator Lobby at the Bill Bradley Sports and Recreation Center. Please take a moment to review the invitation and RSVP form, which includes information about ticket prices, located on the Founder’s 40th Anniversary Web site:
Invite (PDF)
The 14th Annual Lee National Denim Day was celebrated on October 2. The event was a complete success, as event coordinators collected donations for breast cancer research from staff members, who then wore denim and pink ribbons to work. Coordinator Janet Murphy raised the most and was awarded a trophy. Altogether, coordinators raised $1,166 from nearly 200 participants.
| FACULTY AND STAFF KUDOS |
Dr. Ozgur Dogru, assistant professor of Engineering Physics, received a $59,373 grant from the National Science Foundation. The three-year grant will fund thedevelopment of technology that willassist industry by standardizing and improving measurement of C14, or the carbon 14 isotope. The research will yield data thatwill enable the development of a table-top, user-friendly instrument that can quickly and efficiently measure carbon 14 with high sensitivity. (photo left)
Stephanie Bursese, adjunct professor of Photography, was invited to participate in a unique project, “The Welcome House,” in which a number of artists/collaborators create new worksbased on their interactions with the public. The event took place in Love Parkin Philadelphia and Bursese chose to take photographs of those around her. The project will culminate in November, when the First Person Festival of Memoir and Documentary Art will produce a multimedia exhibit of the artists' Welcome House experiences. (photo right)
Associate Professor of Geology, Dr. Emma C. Rainforth, was recently elected President of the New Jersey Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability (NJHEPS). NJHEPS relocated to Ramapo in October. (photo left)
Stephen Jablonsky, associate professor of Digital Media, was involved in a project that promoted New York City’s Climate Week. He created a short public ` announcement about the event, which ran on screens in all NYC taxis, as well as on the eight-story Nasdaq screen in Times Square from September 22 through 26. The goal of the week was to take advantage of the United Nations session and gather international leaders to discuss climate change prior to a December meeting in Copenhagen. (photo right)
Carter Jones Meyer, professor of History, received the Bischoff Award for Excellence in Teaching at a ceremony held in the York Room on September 9. (photo right)
Sue Zhang, associate director of Academic Data and Assessment, was honored at the 15th New Jersey Association for Institutional Research (NJAIR) annual conference hosted by The College of New Jersey on April 17 for her nine years of service as NJAIR webmaster. She resigned from the position earlier this year. (photo left)
[ return to top ]
| STUDENT AND ALUMNI NEWS |
Michael Goldman, a senior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Biology, presented a poster, “Effects of Chronic Mild Stress on Fear Conditioning in Male and Female Rats,” at the Society of Neuroscience Conference in Chicago on October 16. This annual international conference, held in various U.S. cities, averages 40,000 attendees. Michael received a travel award of $750 from Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience of which his professor and mentor, Assistant Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience Christian Reich, Ph.D. is a member. Dr. Reich and Anthony Iskander, a recent graduate who majored in Psychology, accompanied Michael.
The Ramapo College Board of Trustees announced that a former Ramapo graduate, A.J. Sabath '93 (photo left) , is the new chair of the College's Board of Trustees. Sabath, owner of the Advocacy Group, LLC, a lobbying and government affairs firm, received his bachelor's degree in Social Work from Ramapo College. Sabath joined the board in 2005. The Rev. Dr. Vernon C. Walton, who served as chairman from 2007 to 2009, will remain on the board's Executive Committee as immediate past chair. Esther Suarez (photo right), counsel for the County of Bergen, is the newly elected vice chair.
Four Ramapo College students and alumni were part of a research team ledby Professor of Plant Ecology Eric Karlin who recently completed two research projects on peat mosses (Sphagnum). The outcomes of the research will be published in the premier North American scientific journal dedicated to the study of mosses and lichens. The two papers will appear in 2010 in The Bryologist: "Allopolyploidy in Sphagnum mendocinum and S. papillosum (Sphagnaceae)" and "Microsatellite analysis of Sphagnum centrale, S. henryense, and S. palustre (Sphagnaceae).” Seniors Graeme Gardner, of Point Pleasant Beach, and Katie Lukshis, of East Brunswick, are among the co-authors of the first paper; Melissa Giusti '09, of Old Bridge, and Rebecca Lake '09, of Budd Lake, are among the co-authors of the second paper.
| NEW APPOINTMENTS |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Ordinola, Oscar | Rainforth, Emma | Burns, Timothy | Clark, Regina | Blake, Bonnie | Jablonsky, Stephen |
| Title: Crew Supervisor Dept.: Facilities |
Title: Acting Vice Provost Curriculum & Assessmen Dept.: Office of the Provost |
Title: Associate Professor of Information Systems Dept.: ASB |
Title: Associate Professor of Journalism Dept.: CA |
Title: Professor of Design and Interactive Media Dept.: CA |
Title: Associate Professor of Digital Media Dept.: CA |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| Potocka, Katarzyna | Mitchel, William | Teigen, Jeremy | Olbrecht, Alexandre | Heinze, Peter | |
| Title: Associate Professor of Mathematics Dept.: TAS |
Title: Professor of Genetics Dept.: TAS |
Title: Associate Professor of Political Science Dept.: AIS |
Title: Associate Professor of Economics Dept.: ASB |
Title:Associate Professor of Psychology Dept.: SSHS |
| NEW HIRES |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Stackhouse, Sarah | Smith, Christina | Reck, Paul | Gillespie, James | Krase, Kathryn | Larson, Stephen |
| Title: Assistant Professor Communication Arts/Graphic Design Dept.: CA |
Title: Assistant Professor of Communication Arts Dept.: CA |
Title: Assistant Professor of Sociology Dept.: SSHS |
Title: Assistant Professor of Mathematics Dept.: TAS |
Title:Assistant Professor of Social Work Dept.: SSHS |
Title: Associate Professor of Finance Dept.: ASB |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Root, Rebecca | Vasishth, Ashwani | Suarez, Sandra | Simms, Shalei | DiGioia, Gina | Nunez, Enrique |
| Title: Assistant Professor of Politcal Science / International Studies Dept.: AIS |
Title: Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Dept.: SSHS |
Title: Assistant Professor of Biolog Dept.: TAS |
Title: Assistant Professor of Management Dept.: ASB |
Title: Assistant Professor of Biology Dept.: TAS |
Title: Assistant Professor of Management Dept.: ASB |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Skinner, Daniel | Carreon, Jay | Bolton, Sarah | Salter, Nicholas | Sawyer-Johnson, Denise | McLaughlin, John |
| Title: Assistant Professor of Political Science Dept.: AIS |
Title: Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Dept.:TAS |
Title: Assistant Professor of Chemistry Dept.: TAS |
Title: Assistant Professor of Ind/Org Psychology Dept.: SSHS |
Title: Assistant Professor of Management Dept.: ASB |
Title: Assistant Professor of Social Work Dept.: SHS |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| McFeron, Donovan | Budeva, Desislava | Johnson, Michelle | LaPorta, Michael | Torres-Baumgarten, Gladys | |
| Title: Assistant Professor of Mathematics Dept.: TAS |
Title: Assistant Professor of Marketing Dept.: ASB |
Title: Associate Director of Academic Advisement Dept.: CAAFYE |
Title: Residence Director Dept.: Residence Life |
Title:Associate Professor of International Business Dept.: ASB |
In addition to those pictured, the following have joined the staff of Ramapo College:
John Costa, Assistant Director Development/Coordinator, Student Center
John Peffer, Assistant Professor of Art History, CA
Dominique Johnson, Assistant Professor of Law & Society, SSHS
Shaziela Ishak, Assistant Professor of Psychology, SSHS
Gina DiGioia, Assistant Professor of Biology, TAS
Rowlett Scott, Assistant Professor of Communication Arts, CA
Robert Sproul, Assistant Professor of Social Science, SSHS
Naseem Choudhury, Associate Professor of Psychology, SSHS
Andrew Burns, Assistant Professor of Communication Arts, CA
Devin Buckley, Senior Library Assistant, Library
Erica VanAuken, Marsh Access Project Coordinator, Meadowlands Grant
Terra Meierdierck, Program Manager, NJHEPS
Renee Krupa, Program Assistant, Facilities Administration
Gina Chalkley, Building Maintenance, Facilities
| RETIREES |
Pat Reynolds, Secretarial Assistant, Office of the Provost
Ernie Kopp, Operating Engineer in Facilities
Please send your submissions to: Cindy Burns, D-211 (e-mail: cyburns@ramapo.edu; fax: ext. 7603). All information must be submitted in writing. Please include your name, title, unit and extension.
| Ramapo College of New Jersey recognizes the value of publishing on the Internet and encourages the campus community to produce personal World Wide Web pages to enhance communications. The College does not preview, review, censor, or control the content of these pages in any way as a matter of course. Personal Web pages are those of the authors, and do not in any way constitute official Ramapo College of New Jersey content. |
