The rejuvenated space adds to the beauty of Ramapo’s campus, already named one of the 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses by Conde Nast.

June 4, 2026

by Lauren Ferguson

For years, Ramapo College of New Jersey students, faculty, staff and community members had access to a peaceful spiritual center in the heart of the College’s picturesque, Mahwah, NJ campus.

The Salameno Spiritual Center – on the edge of natural Kameron Pond – was first dedicated back in 2010 and served as a serene place for reflection, where individuals could feel closer to nature, faithful groups could meet, and Roadrunners could connect with each other in a thoughtful way.

But after structures on the center’s grounds suffered from water infiltration, they were deemed unsafe. Then, college leaders imagined a rejuvenated outdoor spiritual center that was officially unveiled in the spring.

“After considerable reflection and planning, the College undertook this rejuvenation to honor and sustain the Salameno Spiritual Center’s original purpose—renewing not just a place, but the light it was meant to shelter and share with generations to come,” Ramapo College President Dr. Cindy Jebb said during the ceremony to officially open the center in April.

The Salameno Spirtual Center is a peaceful place close to nature.

The reimagined outdoor Salameno Spiritual Center “continues to draw on our beautiful setting along Kameron Pond,” President Jebb said. It is a peaceful, open space tucked into the heart of campus, and close to nature.

“Spaces like this remain essential to student well-being and to collegiate life … Here, students can gather for quiet conversation, for solitude and reflection. They will be able to participate in yoga, meditation and prayer. Student organizations will find community here,” Dr. Jebb said. “And all members of our campus community will continue to find what this place has always offered: space to pause, to listen, and to search for meaning.”

The renewed space adds to the beauty of Ramapo’s welcoming campus in the foothills of the Ramapo Mountains. The College has been named by Condé Nast Traveler as one of the 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America.

The Salameno Spirtual Center is adjacent to Padovano Commons, a renovated indoor space that can hold intimate gatherings.

During the ceremony, Jebb thanked Theresa and Larry Salameno, and the Mann, Padovano, McBride and Marino families, whose generosity she said, shaped the space. The renewed space features preserved stone etchings with the families’ names, as well as a larger stone etching honoring “many other individuals, families, and foundations who supported the College’s vision for such a space,” she said.

Theresa Salameno attended the ceremony with her family.

Theresa Salameno spoke at the opening of the revamped Salameno Spirtual Center on Ramapo’s Mahwah, NJ campus.

“On behalf of Larry, my late husband, and my family, and everyone else who was involved in this idea and this mission, it is such a joy to see it opened again,” Salameno said. “It gives me so much pleasure to see how students can use this site … It just warms my heart that it’s back again.”