Brendan Flanagan

“Many of us know Brendan Flanagan as a student leader even if we have not had him in class,” says Literature Professor Monika Giacoppe. “He is a leader in Sigma Tau Delta (the Literature honor society) and in the Literature Club,” continues Dr. Giacoppe. Brendan is a senior majoring in International Studies as well as Literature, and has earned a 3.82 grade point average. He is from West Keansburg, NJ.

Awarded Scholarships

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2012

Christopher, Professor Robert J. Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship will be awarded in Spring 2024. Applications open 12/28/23 and close 1/28/24.

The Robert J. Christopher Memorial Scholarship honors the long and positive relationship between Robert J. Christopher (1937-2006), a distinguished professor of literature and Ramapo College of New Jersey. For 32 years, Dr. Christopher served as an academic administrator in addition to introducing generations of students to the depth and beauty of English and American literature. In addition, Dr. Christopher created and directed the Oxford Honors Program, the College’s first honors program and one of the early study abroad programs for liberal arts students enrolled at Ramapo College. The program brought Ramapo College students to Oxford University for summers of study and travel in England where they were introduced to the places that produced the greats of English literature.

The Professor Robert J. Christopher Memorial Scholarship was created by Dr. Christopher’s family and friends to recognize superior academic achievement among literature and documentary film/video majors, which reflects Dr. Christopher’s teaching and research interests.

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2011

Baer, Senator Byron M. Endowed Scholarship

The Baer Scholarship is named in memory of New Jersey State Senator Byron Baer.  In the early 1960s, Mr. Baer was a Freedom Rider and participated in the Selma to Montgomery March.  He was an advisor and friend to Martin Luther King, Jr.  Mr. Baer served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1972 to 1993 and in the State Senate from 1994 to 2005 representing the 37th District.  Mr. Baer was the primary author of New Jersey’s Sunshine Law and was an advocate for open government throughout his career.  At his death, his wife Linda and their daughter, Lara Rodriguez, sought a permanent means of honoring his memory and created this endowed fund with contributions from individuals and organizations throughout New Jersey who admired and valued his leadership.

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2010

Biener, Marcel Scholarship

In 2010 Dr. Alexander Biener created this scholarship in honor of his father, Marcel Biener. Marcel, who passed away in 2012, was a Holocaust survivor by virtue of Jagendorf’s Foundry, a factory that kept thousands of Jews alive. Marcel was fluent in seven languages and was able to parlay his language skills into a career as an engineering professor in Romania and Israel, before moving his family to America.

“The purpose of this scholarship is to further the understanding of survival from genocide,” says Dr. Biener. “It is offered in the hope that talking about the roots of genocide, such as bigotry and lack of education, remembering the terrible instances and celebrating the survivors, regardless of how they survived, will bring us one step further from letting this happen again.”

“This scholarship is offered to students who demonstrate interest, understanding, and compassion in these matters or who plan, through community service, or service in the Peace Corps or our armed forces, to help oppressed people everywhere. In giving to others, we hope to demonstrate the strength of the human spirit — to overcome — and that even one life saved can open a whole new universe. In fostering remembrance and study of the past, we hope to strengthen the abilities and resolve of our youth to seek a better future for all.”