Ramapo Magazine

Message from the Ramapo College Board of Trustees
An Exceptional Year at an Exceptional College

Photo: Arthur Ramirez - Chair, Ramapo College Board of Trustees

“The results we have achieved might be acceptable as the culmination of five years of effort at many other colleges. At Ramapo, they are representative of a single year’s achievement…”

U.S. News & World Report ranks Ramapo College second among northern public comprehensive colleges. That ranking is, to a great degree, a clear reflection of the quality and dedication of our wonderful faculty. But it’s also important to remember that faculty do not operate in a vacuum. Ramapo is a community made up of administration, faculty, staff, boards and many volunteers, without whose help and generosity, we could not achieve all we do each year.

As I look back over my ten years of involvement with the College, I realize that it would have been easy, each year, for everyone involved in our continuing success to sit back and bask in the glow of each previous year’s impressive achievements. Thankfully, no one does! Each year, Ramapo’s leadership, faculty, staff and volunteers come back with renewed commitment and drive to surpass the results of the previous year. Fiscal year 2000-2001 has been no exception and I would like to take this opportunity to highlight several achievements.

Our accomplishments for the past year have included the opening of Maple Hall and the Pavilion Dining Hall and Conference Center. We purchased the historic Havemeyer House for use as the presidential residence and as a formal meeting and hosting facility for the College. We have begun preliminary work on a new 528-bed residence facility and a new sports and recreation center.

We continue to see improvement in the academic preparation of incoming students with higher SAT scores and higher class rankings. Enrollment of both undergraduate and graduate students is up again, and full-time enrollment now represents seventy-two percent of the student body. Of equal, if not greater significance, is the continuance of the changing composition of the student body from commuter to residential, a trend that will continue as we add additional residence hall space in 2002, 2003, and 2005.

Additionally, on July 1, we welcomed our new president, Dr. Rodney Smith. His selection as the College’s third president was the result of a long and demanding search process conducted with the participation of every segment of the College community. Dr. Smith comes to us from Hampton University in Virginia, bringing with him an impressive academic background and broad range of experience. I ask that everyone join with me in welcoming our new president and his family to Ramapo College and offering him our every support.

The results we have achieved might be acceptable as the culmination of five years of effort at many other colleges. At Ramapo, they are representative of a single year’s achievement by an extraordinary community of dedicated administrators, faculty, staff, and volunteers. But, we must be careful not to take this level and quality of achievement for granted – all of this happens only because of the dedicated people who continually give “that little extra.” That is why those of us on the Board of Trustees take every opportunity to recognize and thank everyone for their continuing effort. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I thank each of you who have given “that little extra” and for helping to make this another exceptional year.

Arthur Ramirez
Chair, Ramapo College Board of Trustees