Founders' Day: Honorees

Quarter Century Club Inductees

Quarter Century Club Members (PDF)
Helen Kelly Hire Date: May 3, 1982 Title: Secretarial Assistant Department / School: Athletics	Gene Ritchie Hire Date: July 14, 1980 Title: Associate Director of Facilities Department/School: Facilities	Joyce Van Dyke Hire Date:  July 26, 1982 Title: Academic Advisor Department / School: Advisement Center

Emeriti/ae

Emeriti/ae (PDF)
Fred Champlin Hire Date:  September 1, 1990 Title:  Dean of School of Business Department/School: Anisfield School of Business	John Scura Hire Date:  September 1, 1972 Title:  Associate Professor of Administrative Law Department/School:  Anisfield School of Business

New Retirees:

William Alagna Hire Date:  July 15, 1991 Title:  Director of Facilities Department/School:  Facilities	John Byrnes Hire Date:  July 20, 1992 Title: Public Safety Officer Department/School:  Public Safety	Susan Carozza Hire Date:  March 18, 1984 Title:  Residence Life Program Specialist Department/School:  Residence Life	David Caruso Hire Date:  September 26, 1987 Title:  Painter Department/School:  Facilities

Connie Dispoto Hire Date:   July 27, 1981 Title:  Secretarial Assistant Department /School:  Public Relations	Florence Echevarria Hire Date:  December 1, 1992 Title:  Technical Library Assistant Department/School: Library	Bonnie Franklin Hire Date:  February 27, 1995 Title: Assistant Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs Department/School:  Institutional Advancement	Albert Frech Hire Date:  August 30, 1976 Title:  Director of Center for Health and Counseling Department/School:  Student Affairs

David Freund Hire Date:  September 1, 1973 Title:  Professor of Photography Department/School:  School of Contemporary Arts	David Greene Hire Date:  September 1, 1973 Title:  Professor of Psychology Department/School:  School of Social Science and Human Services	Peter Hellawell Hire Date: September 1, 1981 Title: Associate Professor of Marketing Department / School: Anisfield School of Business	Nancy Jaeger Hire Date:  October 26, 1970 Title:  Director of Admissions Department/School:  Admissions

Robert Karesch Hire Date:  July 22, 1996 Title:  Grounds worker Department/School: Facilities	Daniel Kavanagh Hire Date: November 23, 1998 Title:  Public Safety Office Department/School:  Public Safety	Philip McLewin Hire Date:  September 1, 1974 Title:  Professor of Economics Department/School:  School of Social Science and Human Services	Margaret Monges Hire Date:  September 7, 1993 Title:  Program Support Specialist Department/School:  Berrie Center

Linda Padley Hire Date:  October 22, 1979 Title:  Director of Academic Services Department/School:  Office of the Provost	Sam Pinn Hire Date:  September 1, 1974 Title:  Associate Professor of Social Science Department/School:  School of Social Science and Human Services	Yolanda Prieto Hire Date:  February 1, 1978 Title:  Professor of Sociology Department/School:  School of Social Science and Human Services	Russell Reinhardt Hire Date:  August 12, 1976 Title:  Institutional Advancement Comptroller Department/School:  Institutional Advancement

Jesse Reisman Hire Date:  January 18, 2000 Title:  Business Operations Manager Department/School: Library	Roberta Saiff Hire Date:  July 11, 1983 Title:  Graduation Officer Department/School:  Registrar’s Office

Bonnie Franklin

Following nine years in public relations and grant-writing at County College of Morris, Bonnie Franklin began working at Ramapo College of New Jersey in February 1995.  As the assistant director of public relations, she reported to Tom Jones and Rita Tepper.   With Tom’s departure, Bonnie was promoted to director of public relations, first reporting to Cathleen Davey and then Rosa Diaz-Mulryan.  Bonnie later was named assistant vice president for communications and public affairs, again reporting to Cathleen Davey.

Major responsibilities during her tenure at Ramapo included serving as college spokesperson and advisor to senior staff on public relations issues; launching the Ramapo Magazine; overseeing production of the Viewbook and recruitment video/DVD; and promoting feature stories on faculty, college administrators, new facilities, Berrie Center offerings and college programs.  She was involved in producing the Russ Berrie Award for Making a Difference program for 11 years.  She supervised the staff in the Office of Communications and Public Affairs.

Bonnie is married to John Franklin and has two grown children and two children-in-law.  Daughter Chloe is married to Mark Millea; they are expecting their first baby, Bonnie and John’s first grandchild, in October.  Son Josh is married to Kara Solu. 

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Albert Frech

Al Frech was hired in the Counseling Center in August of 1976 as a Psychological Counselor. He became Coordinator of Counseling Services and subsequently Director of the Center for Health and Counseling Services (CHCS) managing multiple psychological and medical programs and services until his retirement in May 2007. He is a licensed psychologist.

From 1979 to 1989 Al developed and coordinated the New Student Orientation and established a year round Office of Orientation and Student Assistance utilizing student peers, faculty and staff. In 1989 while Director of CHCS, he became project director for the college-wide alcohol and other drug prevention program until his retirement.

From 1990 through 2006 he was appointed by the US Department of Education as a Regional Coordinator, and an Executive Committee member for the Network, a national prevention organization overseen by the Department. From 1995 until retirement he served as Chair of the NJ Higher Education Consortium for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention and Education. In 2000, Al   was appointed as Chair of the President’s Alcohol and Other Drug Task Force whose final report in 2006 recommended the current Presidential Alcohol and Other Drug Committee, which Al continues to Chair. 

He was a successful applicant for federal, state and institutional grants for   prevention every year for 16 years from 1990 through 2006.

Al has taught psychology related courses in the Schools of Contemporary Art, Social Science and Human Services, Theoretical and Applied Sciences, and the School of Administration and Business, and currently teaches counseling courses in the Substance Abuse Minor.

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David Greene

I came to Ramapo in 1973. I contributed to pedagogy and the curriculum by being involved in a broad range of disciplinary, interdisciplinary and team-teaching efforts, including: psychology courses, women’s studies courses, the Tutorial, College Seminar, Introduction to Metropolitan & Community Studies, Social Issues, Senior Seminar, Cooperative Education, independent study and the MALS program

I immediately became involved with the AFT. Over the years, I served as: Delegate to the statewide Council of New Jersey State College Locals, Vice-President for Grievances, a member of many bargaining teams for the statewide contract, and Campus Strike Coordinator for a 2.5 day AFT state-wide strike.

I also played several administrative roles. I was: Director of the School of Social Science and Human Services, Acting Associate Vice-President for Academic Affairs, Convener of the psychology program, Acting Convener of the Women’s & Gender Studies program, Co-Convener of Social Issues, and co-founder and Director of Ramapo Focus on Teaching (a program that was a pre-cursor to the faculty Resource Center).

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Yolanda Prieto

Yolanda Prieto has taught sociology at Ramapo College for 30 years. She teaches courses on the Sociology of the Family, Sociology of Religion, Sociology of Community and Fieldwork in Sociology of Community. At the graduate level, she has taught The U.S. in a Changing World and Does Race Matter? Dr. Prieto’s scholarship focuses on migration, in particular the post –1959 Cuban exodus to the United States. She has written extensively on the experiences of Cuban immigrant women in this country. Dr. Prieto has widely researched the role of religion in U.S. Latino communities as well as the relations between Cuban Catholics in the island and those abroad. At present, she is finishing a book on Cubans in Union City, New Jersey. She often presents papers in scholarly conferences.

At Ramapo College, Dr. Prieto has been an active member of the community by participating in numerous committees ranging from personnel to the EOF Program Advisory Board. For many years, she has been the advisor of the OLU (Organization for Latino Unity) student organization at the college. Dr. Prieto has been the recipient of various awards: the Fred and Florence Thomases Award, the Henry Bischoff Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the 2006 Exceptional Service Award for Long Service as a Student Organization Advisor. Outside of the college, she received the Scholarly Achievement Award from the Hispanic Association for Higher Education of New Jersey, the competitive award to study The Movement of Caribbean Peoples from the Ford Foundation, and the Recognition Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Understanding of Cuban American Affairs from the Hispanic Civilization and Language Studies Program of Rutgers University.

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Roberta Saiff
Roberta Saiff began her service to Ramapo College in 1983. She worked in the School of Social Science and Human Services until she transferred to the President's Office in 1986. She remained there for five years until transferring to the Department of Human Resources (Benefits), where she remained for three years. Then, after seven years on the staff of Institutional Advancement, she was selected in 2001 to take over the Graduation Office. During her years overseeing all things graduation, the size of the class grew from 895 graduates in 2002 to a 2007 class of 1300! She was a member of the College-Wide Events Committee from its inception until her retirement

In addition to her busy workday, Robby has contributed numerous hours of her own time as a volunteer to various Ramapo College constituencies. She assisted through the several years of "Fall Fest" and helped during a number of Parents' Weekends. She volunteered her services to the Center for Health and Counseling Services following the events of 9/11 and again the following year. She also was a member of Safe Zone and the advisor to Theta Phi Alpha. She has been for a number of years, and continues to be, a volunteer at the Berrie Center.

Robby has been one of Ramapo College's "lunchtime walkers" for 15 years and has led the 3-mile college walk for employee health and fitness week for the last several years. Her daily breaks with "the walkers" is one of the things she misses most.

Awards

Henry Bischoff Excellence in Teaching Award:  David Freund

The Fred and Florence Thomases Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, Scholarship, and Service: Shalom Gorewitz, Art Felix

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