Faculty, Staff — Update, In Memoriam, Announcing, Welcome January 2025
Update
From left are John Niser, Jarrett Bachman and Peter Woolley.
The University announces the following appointments: John Niser will become the new campus executive of the Vancouver Campus effective June 1 and will continue to serve as FDU’s vice president for international operations. Jarrett Bachman, hospitality/tourism management (Van) and interim director, International School of Hospitality, Sports, and Tourism Management (ISHSTM), has been serving as interim associate provost for the Vancouver Campus since December 1, 2024. Peter Woolley, political science (Flor) and founding director, public/global affairs, has taken on the additional role as ISHSTM’s interim director since December.
FDU has received a new Clean Slate Initiative Grant amounting to $306,821, which will cover the period from January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2027. Douglas Evans, criminal justice and graduate program director, criminology/criminal justice (Metro), is principal investigator of the project, “Notification of Individuals Eligible for Clean Slate Record Clearance.” According to Evans, “this research project will explore the pervasively low awareness of criminal record clearance policies, examine factors that facilitate and hinder awareness, assess the effectiveness of broad and targeted notification strategies and generate insights into the perceptual and behavioral impacts of knowing versus not knowing about record clearance. Our ultimate objective is to determine the most effective methods for enhancing awareness to facilitate the full benefits of criminal record clearance.”
“In Defense of Boring and Other Supposed Teaching Taboos,” an article by Peter Burkholder, history (Flor), was among the 10 most popular columns out of more than 200 published in The Teaching Professor in 2024. In addition, he wrote a chapter on “The Numbers Don’t Lie — or Do They? An Exercise in Decoding Medieval Pop Culture Artifacts,” for Teaching Popular Culture in the Humanities Classroom, which was published by Lexington Books in December 2024. Burkholder; David Rosen, emeritus, anthropology (Flor); and Sarah Rosen, honorary fellow, anthropology, Durham University, England, cowrote “Heroism, Silence, and Erasure: Jewish Children in Holocaust Cinema” for Jewish Film & New Media: An International Journal.
Several graduating seniors presented their theses on December 4 at the Florham and Metropolitan campuses and via Zoom. Their mentors were Madelyn Ferrans, law (Flor); Patti Miller, writing analyst, Academic Support Center (Flor); Richard Palm, aquatic director, athletics (Flor); Neena Philips, biological sciences (Metro); and Jon Budish, BA’77, MBA’85 (Flor), Silberman College (Metro).
Ihab Darwish, computer science and director, cybersecurity program (Flor); and Yaoqing Liu, cybersecurity/information assurance and program coordinator, MS in cybersecurity and information assurance (Metro), were among the speakers at the Provost’s Leadership Council virtual workshop on “Safe Scholars: Navigating Cybersecurity in Higher Education and The Weakest Link” in November.
Peter Woolley, political science (Flor); founding director, public/global affairs; and interim director, International School of Hospitality, Sports, and Tourism Management, interviewed New Jersey State Senator Bob Gordon, a Democrat, and New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority Commissioner Gail Gordon, a Republican — an interpolitical couple — for a postelection forum entitled “Sleeping with the Enemy.” He cohosted a postelection event for students at the Metropolitan Campus in November and presented on “The Politics of Life” for Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) students in October. Also in October, Woolley and Daniel Cassino, government politics and executive director, FDU Poll (Flor), co-presented on “The State of the Polls” at the Morris County (N.J.) Chamber of Commerce. As part of the University’s Political Conversation Series, Woolley interviewed Democratic Congressional candidate Sue Altman and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Curtis Bashaw.
Kara Alaimo, communication, and deputy chair, communication (Metro), wrote the following analysis pieces for cnn.com: “There’s going to be even more harmful content on social media as Meta drops fact-checkers. What to tell your kids” (also appeared on yahoo.com); “Parents are up against the ‘mother lode’ of holiday stress. Here’s how to make it easier”; and “Your kid’s teachers are not the enemy. How to handle the parent-teacher conference.” She also wrote an op-ed, “TikTok is a National Security Threat. The Supreme Court Should See That,” for usnews.com. On December 19, Alaimo was among those featured in the World Economic Forum’s “Meet the Leader” podcast on “13 leaders on the books that changed how they work, live and lead.”
“Ladies Tailor”
Benjamin Rifkin, Russian and University provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, wrote an op-ed on “Making Class Participation Grades Meaningful” for insidehighered.com. At screenings held on January 27 and 28 at the Metropolitan and Florham campuses, he introduced the film and led a discussion after the screening of “Ladies Tailor,” a film about the about the last 24 hours in the lives of a Jewish tailor and his family prior to their deportation and execution at Babi Yar. It was held in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. In November, Rifkin participated in the 2024 American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Annual Convention and World Languages Expo, held in Philadelphia, Pa. He co-presented on “Cultivating Dialogue: Addressing Bias-based Trauma Across Cultures” and moderated a discussion on “Strengthening College-level World Language Programs in the Financial Crisis of Post-secondary Education.”
On February 10, Bruce Peabody, government/politics and director, Fairleigh Institute for Lifelong Learning (Flor), will talk about “Understanding Conspiracy Theories” in the East Village, N.Y., as part of “Lectures on Tap.” The event series features professors, experts and storytellers who give thought-provoking lectures in various bars in New York City. In January, Peabody spoke about “Constitutional Literacy: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly” in Tribeca, Manhattan, N.Y., as part of the same lecture series.
Ellen Mandel, physician assistant studies and director, physician assistant studies (Flor), announced that Zoe Tenney has been chosen as the FDU PA 2025 EJI Excellence in Medicine Scholarship recipient. Students are selected for “demonstrating excellence in any of several ways, including but not limited to, scholarship, research, leadership, civic engagement and public service; and their intent to practice in New Jersey.”
Daniel Cassino, government/politics and executive director, FDU Poll (Flor), wrote the article “Trump issued a series of executive orders on the very first day, what is the intention and what will be the effect?” for presswire18.com. He also wrote the following op-eds for the Times of India: “Guns, Trucks & Shoulder Shrugs” and “Bonnie and Clyde…and Luigi.”
Frederick Engram, Jr., higher education (Metro), wrote the article “Critical Analysis of the Performative Nature of DEI” for the Higher® Education Digest.
“‘The frontiers of love’ and Queer Literature of Place: Sexual and Territorial Ambiguity in Lawrence Durrell’s Novels,” an article by James Gifford, literature/humanities, director of University core and director of editorial committee, FDU Press (Van), was published in Deus Loci: The Lawrence Durrell Journal. His travel narrative, “Asclepius in Albania,” was also published in The Nashwaak Review. Gifford’s latest book, Of Sunken Islands and Pestilence, was reviewed by Barry Gough in BC Studies and by Coral Ann Howells in the British Journal of Canadian Studies. He spoke about “Durrellian Hermeneutics: The Gospels, Inerrancy and Method The Alexandria Quartet,” at the On Miracle Ground XXII conference held at the Hellenic American University in Athens, Ga., in July, and virtually presented on “Hermeneutics of Fantasy: Inerrancy and Eisegesis of Allusion in Jemisin, Le Guin, Delany, Lewis and Tolkien” International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts held in Orlando, Fla. In addition, Gifford announced that Speculative Poetry and the Modern Alliterative Revival: A Critical Anthology by Dennis Wilson Wise that was published by FDU Press, was among those listed in the “2024 Literary Studies Book and Journal Article List” published in Contingent Magazine.
Kathleen Stein-Smith, languages (Metro), did several presentations in fall 2024: “Language Advocacy — Access and Opportunity for All to Learn Languages” at the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) convention in Philadelphia, Pa.; “The Significance of Québec and of the French and Francophone Presence in the Americas in the Future of French Language Learning and Use in the United States” at the American Council on Quebec Studies (ACQS) conference in Québec, Canada; “Why French? — French Language Advocacy — Current Trends and Future Directions, with a Special Focus on Postsecondary Learning” and “Language Advocacy — Empowering Students to Navigate a Changing World with Languages” at the Foreign Language Association of Virginia (FLAVA) conference in Norfolk; and “The Importance of Multilingualism, Heritage Languages and World Languages in Global Learning” at the American Association of Colleges and Universities conference on global learning in Washington, D.C. Two of her articles were also published: she wrote “The Gift of Languages and the Gifted Learner — The Role of the Gifted as Change Agents in a Multilingual World,” for the June issue of International Journal of Language & Linguistics; and cowrote “Language Advocacy in the Post-WVU Era — Challenges and New Directions: Perspectives from French,” for the November issue of the Journal of Language Teaching and Research.
Marie Roberts, fine arts (Metro), was among the artists who participated in “Artists Protest: In Words and Images,” a one-week pop-up exhibition that ran from January 20 to 25 at the Dunoon Museum of Contemporary Art in Scotland, United Kingdom. The exhibit was held to coincide with the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump. Roberts and art majors Litzy Duran, Destiny Davy and Ashlee Stanley from the Metropolitan Campus were part of Visión Musical, a project of the Latino Arts of Long Island, which was held in December at La Sala de Pepe in New York City. The FDU group was invited by artist Kelynn Alder, curator of Visión Musical, who had met them when she had her solo show at FDU in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. They were asked to illustrate their favorite Latin songs for the exhibit. For Roberts, it was “La Bamba” by Ritchie Valens, which brought back memories of a childhood friend. “In the early ’60s, my friend and her family escaped Cuba and settled on my block in Brooklyn, N.Y.,” she says. “I remember summer nights at her apartment drinking her mother’s Cuban Coffee (I drank coffee before I was 9). My friend had a little record player and played ‘La Bamba.’ The song brings back pleasant memories of Cuban coffee and my friend.”
Artwork that were displayed at the Visión Musical exhibit in December were, from left, “La Bamba” (Ritchie Valens), by Marie Roberts, fine arts (Metro); “Vampiros” (ROSALÍA and Rauw Alejandro), by student Destiny Davy; “Ahora Te Puedes Marchar” (Luis Miguel), by student Litzy Duran; and “El Hijo del Pueblo” (Vicente Fernández), by student Ashlee Stanley.
Marie Roberts along with Toni-Lee Sangastiano, BA’98 (Metro), Becton College (Metro); alumnus Jayden Spratley, BA’23 (Metro); and student Destiny Davy were also part of a Banned Books Trading Card Project held at the Valley Cottage Library, New York, in September 2024, where they reimagined cover designs for some banned and/or challenged books. Roberts did a cover design for Can I Touch Your Hair: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship, which was cowritten by FDU alumnus Charles Waters, AA’93, BA’96 (Metro). To raise awareness of book bans and challenges that are still happening, a deck of cards representing book covers created by local artists was done.
Reimagined cover designs in the Banned Books Trading Card Project 2024 included, from left, acrylic on canvas by Marie Roberts, fine arts (Metro), for Can I Touch Your Hair: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship (Irene Latham and alumnus Charles Waters, AA’93, BA’96 [Metro]); ink on Stillman & Birn™ paper by Toni-Lee Sangastiano, Becton College (Metro), for The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald); watercolor on paper by student Destiny Davy for A Child Called “It” (Dave Pelzer); and digital art by alumnus Jayden Spratley, BA’23 (Metro), for The Walking Dead (Robert Kirkman).
Zakia Clay, social work and program director, Master of Social Work (MSW) (Flor), announced that Lorillee Guerrero has been selected as the recipient of the Governor Richard J. Codey Scholarship for the Master of Social Work program. She will receive a $3,000 scholarship for the spring 2025 semester. According to Clay, Guerrero’s application stood out for her “clear passion and well-defined plans for providing mental health services to the community, especially to traditionally underserved populations.”
Bradford Hurlbut, senior associate vice president/director of athletics (Metro), announced a partnership agreement with Hydr8, a company committed to providing the cleanest and purest drinking water in the market. The Brooklyn, N.Y.-based company will provide two hydration stations to FDU athletics — one in the Bogota Savings Bank Center and the other in the Toyota of Hackensack Field House — that will give the 21 varsity athletics programs direct access to the purified water. “Providing purified water to our teams is just another resource that will help the athletes succeed on and off the field,” he said. To read more go to “FDU Announces Partnership with Hydr8.”
In the news …
President Michael Avaltroni was quoted in the November article “Bridging Worlds of Health Tech Innovation in New Jersey and Israel: The Future of Health,” posted on webpronews.com. As one of the guest speakers at the American Friends of Sheba USA/ARC US event held at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, N.J., he spoke about the role that FDU has in the future of the health-related job market.
Peter Woolley, political science (Flor); founding director, public/global affairs; and interim director, International School of Hospitality, Sports, and Tourism Management, was quoted in the article “With 11 months to go, N.J.’s gubernatorial race is already crowded, but most voters don’t know who the candidates are,” posted on whyy.org in December 2024.
Benjamin Rifkin, Russian and University provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, was quoted in the January article “Fairleigh Dickinson University to Screen ‘Ladies Tailor’ for International Holocaust Remembrance Day,” posted on jewishlink.news.
Bruce Peabody, government/politics and director, Fairleigh Institute for Lifelong Learning (Flor), was quoted in the January article “Huge clue Donald Trump could run for unconstitutional third term,” posted on news.com.au.
On January 23, Martha Papson Garcia, director of veterans services (Metro), was interviewed for WPIX-TV Morning News on “NJ bill looks to eliminate hurdle for student service members.”
Kara Alaimo, communication, and deputy chair, communication (Metro), was interviewed on KTVU Mornings on 2 about “Protecting Students from Deepfakes.” She was also quoted in the following: “Parents Need To Up Their Game in Fact-Checking” (modernparenting-onemega.com); and “On gender equality, the real challenge is social” (taketonews.com).
Daniel Cassino, government/politics and executive director, FDU Poll (Flor), was guested in the following shows: the January 20 (“Inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump”) and December 30 (“‘Breath of fresh air’: A look at Jimmy Carter’s legacy”) episodes of Pix11 News on; and the My9 New Jersey Now December 8 episode about “How Gov. Phil Murphy will handle second Trump administration.” He was quoted by various sources about the following FDU polls:
- “NJ Voters Favor Social Media Warning Labels” (morningstar.com and nj1015.com); and
- “Voters OK with Magnet Schools to Reduce Segregation, Divided on District Mergers” (chalkbeat.org).
Cassino was also quoted in the following articles: “Governor hopefuls take ‘easy political aim’ at House Dems not voting on immigration bill” (newjerseymonitor.com); “Montclair Holiday Party to Honor Town Manager Raises Eyebrows” (montclairlocal.news); “RFK Jr. is against fluoride in your drinking water. New Jersey is, too.” (nj.com); “The best true crime books of 2024” and “The most anticipated true crime properties in 2025” (realityblurred.com); “Six Democrats eyeing governor’s seat in 2025” (usnewsandbusiness.com, Yahoo Finance and New Jersey Monitor); “Democratic NJ Governor Candidates’ Trans Sports Bill Vote Could be ‘Costly’” (newsweek.com); and “New Jersey Governor to Lay Out Unfinished Business in State of the State Address” (thesunpapers.com).
In Memoriam
Ann DeMeskey, retired assistant director of human resources (Metro), died on January 17 at the age of 92. A long-time resident of Rutherford, N.J., she joined FDU in 1966 as and had various roles in human resources before retiring in 2014. Ann was dedicated to the University and a well-respected member of the community. She enjoyed her role, specifically interacting with faculty and staff. She was predeceased by her husband Frank in 2011, and her children, Judy Novack (2014) and Mark DeMeskey (2005). She is survived by her grandson, Frank Novack, BA’06, MA’08 (Metro), and his wife Stephanie; her son-in-law, Bill Novack, corporal, public safety (Flor); and many nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Tunnel to Towers, 2361 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island, NY 10306, and to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St Jude Pl., Memphis, TN 38105.
Lisa Layne, Becton College (Flor), died on December 26, 2024, at the age of 74. A longtime adjunct faculty member, she started in January 2002 and taught in the University Core department, specifically teaching Cross Cultural Perspectives for the Maxwell Becton College of Arts and Sciences. Highly regarded by her colleagues, she was a patient representative for CareWell Health Medical Center (formerly East Orange General Hospital) and a former foreign service officer with the U.S. Department of State with postings in Germany, the Bahamas, Honduras, Spain, Haiti, Martinique, the French West Indies, the United Nations and Washington D.C.
Anjali Saxena, emerita, biological sciences (Metro), died on January 9 at the age of 94. She joined FDU in 1967 as assistant professor of biological sciences. While at FDU, she mentored students and furthered her research in animal behavior, endocrinology and magnetic resonance. In 1997, Saxena received a University grant-in-aid to continue her scientific research on anti-tumor cells. She retired in 2000 as professor of biological sciences. She is survived by her son, Ranjeet Saxena; her son’s daughter, Jaya, and her mother, Beth Johnson; her daughter-in-law, Rochelle, and her daughters, Kiara and Alika; her brother, Aparajit Chattopadhyay; and cousins, nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to SOFKIN (Support Organization for Kids in Need), the World Wildlife Fund and New York City’s Wild Bird Fund.
Announcing
Leilani Cabrera, assistant director of payroll operations, human resources (Metro), announces the birth of her first grandchild, Sierra Lei, on January 2. Sierra Lei is the daughter of Erin Manansala David, BSN’17 (Metro), and Roseller Dan David.
Welcome
The University welcomes new full-time and part-time employees who joined FDU as of January 21, 2025.
Welcome to Michael Barzal, officer, public safety (Flor); Hyungjoo Choi, assistant professor, civil engineering/civil engineering technology (Metro); Airam Cruz, officer, public safety (Flor); Lester De Guzman, marketing and communications manager, marketing and recruitment (Van); Diana Heesemann, registered nurse/case manager, Wellness Center (Flor); Tamara Hill-McDowell, adult nurse practitioner/case manager, student health services (Metro); Christopher Karch, visiting lecturer, biological sciences (Flor); Dipti Karkar, senior accountant – treasury/investments, accounting (Metro); Aysha Khawaja, psychological counselor, student affairs (Metro); Kwong Ki “Keith” Lo, administrative support specialist, Campus Executive’s Office (Van); Patricia Miraglilo, research and instruction librarian, Metropolitan Campus library (Metro); Katrina Musto, director of corporate/foundation relations, University advancement (Metro); Rachana Nair, visiting lecturer, biological sciences (Metro); Johnson Ng, controller, finance (Van); Ruben Perez, University admissions counselor, undergraduate admissions (Metro); Andree-Anne Pouliot, housing coordinator, student services (Van); Katherine Reeves, University admissions counselor, undergraduate admissions (Flor); Scott Rundecker, officer, public safety (Flor); Rosa Santana, University director, career development (Flor); Bernard Showers, lecturer, social work (Flor); Marlise Silva, academic adviser, Academic Advising and Student Support Services (Metro); Theresa Westgard, associate professor, occupational therapy (Flor); and Minzhu Zou, research scientist, pharmacy/health sciences (Flor).