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In Recognition of Women's History Month


Dear Members and Friends of the NJCU Community,

As Women’s History Month culminates today, for the first time in the history of our country, a woman is serving as the newly elected Vice President of the United States.
Kamala Harris’s election as our new Vice President gives her the distinction of being the highest-level elected woman, Black woman, and South Asian woman in the history of our nation. Her election to the vice presidency is a major milestone in the story of women’s evolving role in American politics as well as in our nation’s history. Earlier today, NJCU hosted a historic conversation on gender, race and power dynamics, entitled The Kamala Effect. Among our three guests was current New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver — herself a pioneer. The archived video of this event will be available soon on our NJCU.edu and our social platforms.
The fact that Vice President Harris was elected in November 2020 — a year that was celebrated as the centennial of the 19th Amendment which gave women the right to vote — makes the moment even more significant. As the first Women's History Month since the election concludes, regardless of your political beliefs, let us pause to reflect on what this means and how Kamala Harris’ appointment may signal power shifts for women, for people of color, immigrants, and other marginalized groups. 
Earlier this month, I was the keynote speaker in West New York during the city’s International Women’s Day celebration. There were many young women and other community leaders who participated in the event and the theme was Choose to Challenge and students were asked the important question — were they willing to conquer the challenge. Young women today have the right to know that their dreams are possible, their voices will be respected, and their actions will result in their goals being achieved.
Finally, I want to celebrate some historic women (and men) on our own campus. This weekend, the NJCU women's basketball team will play for the New Jersey Athletic Conference championship (see below). What these women and their coaches have accomplished in such a short window of time is truly remarkable and I encourage you to give them your full support as they strive for their own historic moments. And I want to congratulate the NJCU men's basketball team for winning their own conference championship on March 19. I was in attendance and I can say with certainty, it was the greatest comeback and ending to a basketball game I have ever had the good fortune to witness live. It was a moment for the ages! Congratulations to the Gothic Knights for giving the NJCU community our own March Madness.

Sue Henderson, Ph.D.
President

NJCU NEWS & INITIATIVES

Commerce Magazine March 2021 Ad_28552_v2 (800x460)
President Henderson Featured on Cover of Commerce Magazine
NJCU President Sue Henderson is one of 15 women statewide featured on the cover of the March 2021 edition of Commerce Magazine: The Business of New Jersey. The special edition is a tribute to Women’s History Month and is entitled ‘Celebrating Women Leaders’. President Henderson is the lone woman in higher education honored. The monthly publication is produced by the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey (CIANJ).
Fort Monmouth from the GothicOne Drone
NJCU at Fort Monmouth Continues to Progress
NJCU @ Fort Monmouth continues to make progress towards completion ahead of its anticipated grand opening for the Fall, 2021 semester. The project, which will allow NJCU to move its Monmouth County campus from Wall Township to the historic Squier Hall at Fort Monmouth, will ultimately offer students a state-of-the-art learning facility with 15 classrooms, a nursing education center, a cybersecurity lab, and a Bloomberg Terminal computer classroom, among other features. The project was featured in three recent media stories in the Asbury Park Press, The Two River Times and Construction Equipment Guide. To see the updates to the project, we offer a photo gallery of images taken earlier this month by NJCU’s Paul Gargiulo including aerial photos from the GothicOne Drone.
Kenise Brown with Theta Pavis-Weil
The Gothic Times Wins Three Awards
The Gothic Times, the official newspaper of NJCU, has recently won three awards. Most notably, on March 20, The Gothic Times claimed first place in the College Newspaper, four-year university (published less than weekly) category at the Spring National College Media Convention in the "Best in Show" Contest.
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NJCU Faculty and Staff News
In an effort to celebrate the accomplishments of NJCU's faculty and staff, NJCU University Communications has launched a NJCU Faculty and Staff: Notables section of the website.
Among the news this month, The National Leadership Academy for the Public’s Health (NLAPH) has announced that two NJCU professors — Dr. Erin O’Neill, professor in the Health Sciences Department, and Health Sciences Adjunct Professor Stacey Flanagan, the Director of the Jersey City Department of Health and Human Services were each selected as 2021 Fellows. Read More...
Handwritten Lettering of Happy Retirement. Template for Greeting Card. - stock vector GettyImages-1223758194
NJCU Faculty and Staff: Comings and Goings
Each month, we will highlight faculty and staff who have retired, those joining our community, and others we say goodbye to, in our new Comings and Goings section. We wish a happy and healthy retirement to Luis Morales, Director of Payroll and Risk Management. There were no new additions to the NJCU community in the last month.
Hudson Articulation Agreement (800x460)
NJCU and HCCC Enter Criminal Justice Articulation Agreement
NJCU and Hudson County Community College extended its long-standing relationship by signing an articulation agreement on March 16 for the seamless transfer of Criminal Justice students. HCCC students who complete an associate degree in Criminal Justice will be admitted with full junior status to NJCU’s Criminal Justice program within the School of Professional Studies. It is the eighth degree program in which NJCU and HCCC have established an articulation agreement.

NJCU ATHLETICS UPDATE

NJCU Men's Basketball Wins NJAC Championship
Men's Basketball Wins Record 13th NJAC Title on Buzzer-Beater
Down 21 points with 14 minutes remaining, the NJCU men's basketball team pulled off the greatest comeback in the history of the New Jersey Athletic Conference on March 19. Junior Kayton Darley hit a championship-winning three-pointer at the buzzer to unleash jubilation in Jersey City as the Gothic Knights stormed back to shock Stockton University, 79-77. The win gives NJCU its first NJAC men's basketball championship since 2011 and extends the school's all-time conference record for championships to 13 since 1957-58. Additionally, the win vaulted NJCU into the Top 15 in the final D3hoops.com Top 15 poll of the abbreviated 2020-21 COVID-shortened season.
NJCU Women's Basketball to Play for NJAC Championship
NJCU Women's Basketball to Play for NJAC Championship April 3
Just three years removed from a season where the New Jersey City University women’s basketball team went 0-21, the Gothic Knights will play for the New Jersey Athletic Conference championship on Saturday, April 3 at 3 p.m. In a remarkable transformation under third-year head coach Patrick Devaney, Sr. `12, NJCU upset The College of New Jersey on March 12, 73-63, and will face No. 1 seeded Montclair State.
Visiting fans are not permitted to attend in person due to COVID restrictions, but are invited to follow the game via Live Video or Stats.

NJCU ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Dr Ronald Hurley (NJCU Alumni Association Advisory Board Member)
Meet Alumni Association Advisory Board Member: Ron Hurley
NJCU recently announced the launch of its first Alumni Association. Meet Alumni Association Advisory Board Member Dr. Ron Hurley '00, `09 M.S., 15 D. Sc. He also serves as Associate Vice President of Public Safety at NJCU. Over the coming months we will introduce you to all of our members who are volunteering their time to serve NJCU and you — our nearly 55,000 graduates.
Darren Savino `15
Darren Savino, Member of 1992 NJCU Final Four Team, Heading to 2021 Final Four with UCLA
Darren Savino `15, a member of NJCU’s second men’s basketball NCAA Division III Final Four team during the 1991-92 , is heading back to the Final Four — as the associate head coach of the Division I UCLA Bruins.

The 11th seeded UCLA Bruins upset No. 1 seeded Michigan, 51-49, on March 30 in the East Regional final played in Indianapolis, Indiana. UCLA became only the second team to play in the First Four — a series of play-in games played since 2011 — to reach the Final Four in NCAA Tournament history.

NJCU ALUMNI HEADLINES

Each month, we will share headlines of NJCU alumni. Do you have news to share? Email us at news@njcu.edu:


  • Danielle Freire `09, a resident of Jersey City Heights, has announced that she will challenge current Councilman Yousef Saleh for the Ward D seat in the November 2 City of Jersey City municipal elections. [Read more]
  • Jim Morganti `49, a Golden Gothic from the class of 1949 and now 95 years old, is profiled in this feature about ushers the historic Loew's Jersey  — a 3,187-seat "movie palace" in Jersey City, which will undergo a major restoration. [Read more]
  • Robert Myers `75 MA recently published a new book, The Little Book of Silly What Do You Call Jokes. It is currently available on Amazon. The writer, actor and model previously released a book entitled 365 Knock-Knock Jokes in 2006.
  • Pawla Wenga, `11 BSN received the 2020 Excellence in Nursing Award, Baltimore Top Nurse recognition and was featured in Baltimore Magazine’s September 2020 issue. The prestigious award was given to 67 top nurses throughout the entire Baltimore Metro area.

NJCU CENTER for the ARTS

The Honey Dewdrops
Virtual Live Concert Coming April 17: The Honey Dewdrops
Live music returns to NJCU on Saturday, April 17 at 8 p.m. Join us for a wonderful evening with the Americana duo The Honey Dewdrops. The husband/wife, singer/songwriter tandem will perform from their latest album, Anyone Can See, which is drenched in sonic roominess. Each of the tracks stretching to fill the space, but with a warmth that allows the album to fit comfortably anywhere. The free event is sponsored by the NJCU Center for the Arts.
Barron Ryan in Concert
Coming April 24: Barron Ryan in Concert
On Saturday, April 24 at 8 p.m., join us for a live streamed concert with pianist Barron Ryan, from the Margaret Williams Theatre. Smithsonian Magazine recently named Barron "One of Ten Innovators to Watch in 2021". He has just released the funkiest, ‘countriest’, most calypso-y classical music album you’ve ever heard, on his third solo album, First of Its Kind.
Tickets (General Admission: $15; Students/Seniors: $8) at njcu.edu/arts.

CITY of JERSEY CITY UPDATE

Renderings of the Sci-Tech ScityCourtesy of Jersey City
A plan for a new public high school — Liberty Science High School —  which is considered a breakthrough for STEM education in the City of Jersey City, is continuing to make progress within the city council and school board. The school, which would be at SciTech Scity, near the Liberty Science Center, is said to have the structure and support to eventually be one of the best public schools in the country.

The state-of-the-art, elite science-based high school, will be operated by the Hudson County school system. The city donated 12.5 acres to the 30-acre SciTech Scity campus to launch the project and is collaborating with the Hudson County Schools of Technology, the LSC and the Hudson County Improvement Authority on the concept.

Mayor Steve Fulop recently announced an agreement with the Hudson County Board of Education and the Liberty Science Center to have Hudson County School of Technology oversee the operations of the new Liberty Science High School. It is said that Jersey City students will fill 60% of the seats of the proposed STEM-based school.

In a news release on March 22, Mayor Fulop noted: “The goal of the new school is to provide one of the best academic options for Jersey City students and to become a model for technology education, with a work-study program that leverages Liberty Science Center’s expansion. With this goal in mind, we also know that the need is outstanding. Thousands of families apply every year to Hudson County Schools of Technology and simply put - there just aren't enough seats. Parents in Jersey City have expressed their urgency and desire to fix this, and we see this as a perfect opportunity to address this.”

Meriem Bendaoud Ph.D., NJCU Assistant Professor of Biology and the Director of NJCU’s Proyecto Science summer program said: "I am certainly thrilled about the creation of this new high school at Liberty Science Center. As the director of NJCU's Proyecto Science STEM  program for our community’s youth, I am consistently impressed by their intelligence, ambition, and dedication and am confident that they are well poised and eager to take advantage of all the wonderful opportunities that will be offered to them by this invaluable new outlet for world-class STEM learning. I am excited to witness the beginning of a new era in STEM education hosted within our community and see young and talented students from Hudson County grow into tomorrow’s leaders."   

Each month, we will share notable news pertaining to the City of Jersey City. Sign up for more updates from Mayor Steven Fulop and the City of Jersey City by using this form.
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