SETON HALL Fall 2020
Hazard Zet
FORWARD Pirates Display Courage and Kindness During the Pandemic
SETON HALL Fall 2020
Vol. 31 Issue 2
Seton Hall magazine is published by the Department of Public Relations and Marketing in the Division of University Relations.
feature
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President Joseph E. Nyre, Ph.D. Vice President for University Relations Matthew Borowick ’89/M.B.A. ’94 Director of Publications/ University Editor Pegeen Hopkins, M.S.J. Art Director Ann Antoshak Copy Editors Kim de Bourbon Shanice Casimiro
Hazard Zet Forward The Seton Hall community responds with characteristic resilience in the face of a global pandemic.
departments
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Presidents Hall
4 HALLmarks 12
Possibilities
14
Roaming the Hall
Send your comments and suggestions by mail to: Seton Hall magazine, Department of Public Relations and Marketing, 519 South Orange Avenue, South Orange, NJ 07079; by email to shuwriter@shu.edu; or by phone at 973-378-9834.
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Profile
Cover: Christine Furber ’09 at New
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Profile
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Sports at the Hall
34
Alumni News & Notes
44
Last Word
News & Notes Editor Viannca I. Vélez ’10 Research Assistance Alan Delozier
York-Presbyterian Hospital. Photo by Noel Casiano Facing page: Fall on the South Orange campus. Photo by Earl Richardson
www.shu.edu
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Nick Mattiello transitions to working remotely as a busy M.B.A. student/ marketer/firefighter.
Juan Rios kept summer opportunities for growth alive for East Orange students despite massive shutdowns statewide.
Alice Milligan, M.A. ’01 makes her mark as an innovative company leader.
John Strapp ’69 took a popular businessskills training program to the next level.
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FR OM P R E S ID E NT S H A L L |
JOSEPH E. NYRE, Ph.D.
Words to Live By
O
f the many gifts bestowed on Seton Hall by its
risk.” We reduced density, began physical distancing,
founder, Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley, one of
transitioned instruction to remote settings and safely
the greatest is our motto. Adopted from the Seton
moved almost all students out of residence halls.
family, Hazard Zet Forward reminds us that
campuses and begin the 2020-21 academic year. As early
a dose of courage. And it teaches us that worthwhile goals
as May, the overwhelming majority of students were
are achieved only through sacrifice and determination.
telling us they wanted the option to return to campus
Since 1856, Seton Hall has delivered on its Catholic educational mission through wars, economic
for the fall semester. It was clear from the outset the virus would introduce
depressions, political and social unrest, and even prior
high levels of uncertainty into our decision-making.
pandemics. During those challenging times and these
So we set about developing a Restart Plan that would
uncertain days of 2020, our motto has served as more
provide maximum health and safety for everyone in
than a reminder.
the campus community while envisioning multiple
In such moments, Hazard Zet Forward — whatever the peril, go forward — acts as a beacon to light our way and a standard against which we measure our response to a crisis.
contingencies and building extraordinary flexibility and student choice into our approach. Through several committees and planning groups,
It compels us to take action, motivates our preparations,
we enlisted the creativity and organizing prowess of 140
and reassures us that no matter the circumstances, Seton
members of the University community — faculty, staff,
Hall will always continue to move forward.
administrators, clergy and students. The comprehensive
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Seton
Restart Plan they developed met or exceeded state
Hall was among the first universities to respond to the
and CDC guidelines for screening, testing and contact
outbreak — well before guidance from the Centers for
tracing. We were among the first universities in New
Disease Control and Prevention, executive orders, or
Jersey to submit its plan to the state for review, and one
government efforts to flatten the curve of infections.
of the first to receive confirmation.
By late January and early February, we had
One of many considerations was determining an in-
established a Health Intervention and Communication
person class schedule for the fall semester. This effort
Team to advance pandemic response recommendations
was challenging due to the size of our campuses and the
for campus operations and safety. The executive cabinet
many places Setonians call home. While New Jersey’s
served as the COVID nerve center, with seven teams
COVID-19 transmission rate fell throughout the summer,
reporting at four meetings each day.
the opposite was true elsewhere. Moreover, we knew
In early March, we moved to cancel study abroad, including destinations not yet classified as “high
2
Simultaneously, we began preparations to reopen our
creating a successful future involves a measure of risk and
flare-ups could occur at any time. We also needed to plan within the reopening guidance issued by the State of
SETON HALL MAGAZINE | FALL 2020
Students choosing on-campus study experience a blend of in-person and remote live instruction that achieves physical distancing. Those choosing off-campus learning receive entirely remote live instruction.
New Jersey. While we recognized these challenges, we also knew they could be addressed.
It is impossible to know what the coming weeks and
Seton Hall implemented a hybrid, flexible approach
months will bring. As we move through autumn and
known as HyFlex to classroom instruction to maintain
the annual cold and flu season, the risk of outbreaks
our signature educational experience. HyFlex ensures
has increased significantly. Regardless, our HyFlex
in-person, reduced-density learning while offering
approach allows us to meet and overcome whatever
students the choice to pursue their studies entirely
the coronavirus throws at us.
in a remote fashion. Students choosing on-campus study experience a
We have urged everyone on campus to maintain their focus on health and safety not only through the end of
blend of in-person and remote live instruction that
the in-person portion of the semester, but each and every
achieves physical distancing. Those choosing off-campus
day, on campus and off. And of course, we also have been
learning receive entirely remote live instruction.
preparing for a successful winter and spring.
Our efforts to stage a safe and healthy year have given
Regardless of what happens, Seton Hall will exhibit
us the opportunity to be together on campus. And thanks
the extraordinary perseverance on which it was
to the uncommon cooperation of hundreds of Setonians,
founded. No matter the circumstances, we will continue
the University has been cited for planning and executing
to move forward — in health and safety. We owe it
a successful return.
to our community — students, parents, faculty, staff,
Some skeptics and critics still say that on-campus instruction in a pandemic cannot be done, and that
Photo by Kristine Foley
appropriately sized gatherings — Hazard Zet Forward.
administrators, clergy and alumni — to do no less. I am heartened by the many notes and calls of
college students are incapable of adjusting their daily
gratitude and support so many of you sent over these
routines to protect themselves and others.
past several months. One of the characteristics that
Yet our students, by and large, have demonstrated
attracted me and my family to Seton Hall is its caring
a level of concern for the well-being of our campus
Catholic community. Your words and actions help sustain
community that is admirable. Everywhere I look, I see
all of us as we navigate through the pandemic to the
symptom monitoring, mask wearing, social distancing and
bright future that awaits us. n
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HA LL m a r k s l Christopher Tienken, associate professor in the College of Education and Human Services, has been selected as the lead author and principal investigator for the American Association of School Administrators 2020 Salary and Benefit Study.
In Brief
l Gregory Y. Glazov, professor of Biblical Studies, was awarded a grant from the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, administered by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, to develop an online database of Jewish and Catholic writings on the Holocaust. l The Center for Catholic Studies hosted its inaugural four-day virtual symposium, “Faith and Social Justice,” in September. Kelly Harris, director of the Africana Studies program and the event’s keynote speaker, helped kick off the campus-wide teach-in centered on the ways religious faith affects one’s pursuit of racial justice. l For the fifth consecutive year, College of Communication and the Arts students and alumni were featured in a Seton Hall University block of films on the SOMA Film Festival schedule. Based in the villages of South Orange and Maplewood, New Jersey, the award-winning festival celebrates and supports independent and emerging filmmakers. l Anthony D. Koutsoftas, associate professor in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology, received $1.4 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Science’s National Center for Special Education Research program to develop and test an intervention for improving writing in 4th and 5th grade students with language-based learning disabilities. l Seton Hall University students earned six awards for their on-air work at WSOU-FM from the Garden State Journalists Association’s 73rd Annual Memorial Journalism Awards competition. For the first time in WSOU’s history, the station, housed in the College of Communication and the Arts, swept two awards categories: Radio General News and Radio Sports.
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l The School of Health and Medical Sciences received the 2020 Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP) Award for Institutional Excellence and Innovation in Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Health Care. The school received this national recognition from ASAHP for outstanding achievement in interprofessional education and interprofessional collaborative practice. l The Stillman School and its Department of Accounting maintained AACSB dual accreditation, a hallmark of excellence earned by less than 5% of the world’s business schools. l From the more than 1,150 universities around the world that participated in the 2020 CFA Institute Research Challenge, the Stillman School of Business team was crowned the Americas Regional Champions and was one of only five universities worldwide to advance to the Global Finals. l Charles Grantham, former executive director of the National Basketball Players Association and director of the Center for Sport Management, appeared in the ESPN documentary “The Last Dance,” a 10-part series about Michael Jordan and the 1990s Chicago Bulls. l Laurence McCarthy, professor of management and director of the Institute of International Business, has been elected as 40th president of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), Ireland’s largest sporting organization. McCarthy is the first overseas candidate in the GAA’s 136-year history to win the presidency. l The Center for Diaconal Formation kicked off its yearlong celebration commemorating its 10th anniversary in September with a virtual celebration featuring Deacon Steve Javie, a retired NBA referee. Visit theology.shu.edu to view a recording of the event. l Susan A. Nolan, professor in the Department of Psychology, was invited to contribute a regular blog called “Misinformation Desk” on the online version of the magazine Psychology Today, in which she advises readers on how to analyze misinformation in their daily lives.
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Financial Help Amid COVID-19
A
lmost $3 million in federal COVID-19 pandemic
distribute the money to students as quickly as possible in
stimulus money was distributed to more than 2,000
the midst of the pandemic.
Seton Hall students this year, thanks to the Coronavi-
rus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The legislation earmarked $6 billion in emergency aid
“Team members literally worked around the clock to get this and other monies raised for the Student Emergency Relief Fund into the hands of our community members in
for students nationwide, with $2.87 million allocated to
need,” said Javonda Asante, director of the Financial Aid
the University, based on the number of students eligible to
Office and a Student Affairs Emergency Fund Committee
receive federal Pell Grants and on total student enrollment.
member. “In times of trouble, Pirates have always come
Seton Hall distributed 75% of the grant to 1,447 Pell
together, and that’s just what we did here.”
Grant recipients enrolled in the spring semester, who each automatically received a check for $1,495.
Other help has come from more than $420,000 in private scholarship and Student Emergency Fund donations from
The rest of the money, about $711,000, was distributed
alumni and others, as well as University refunds for room,
in $750 increments to more than 900 students who, due
board and parking fees and grants covering lost expenses
to the pandemic, could demonstrate having a hard time
for study abroad travel. The Board of Regents also autho-
paying for food, housing, course materials, technology,
rized a special scholarship fund for students struggling
healthcare and childcare.
with the fiscal impact of the pandemic, and an additional
Applications were reviewed by the Student Affairs Emergency Fund Committee, which worked hard to
$200,000 in scholarships for alumni who wish to pursue a master’s degree online.
DOVE’s Mission Still Soars
S
eton Hall’s Division of Volunteer Efforts, better known as DOVE, has not let the COVID-19 pandemic distract it from working with students to serve those in need. “The needs of the community remain, no matter what our circumstances,” said director Michelle Peterson. “And it is DOVE’s mission to answer those needs in whatever way we are able.” DOVE has been holding focused drives each month, raising $3,350 and collecting school supply kits for an orphanage in Haiti in September, followed by the “Christmas in October” toy drive for Appalachian families, and
the Hunger and Homelessness Drive to collect food for local missions in November. DOVE returned to in-person service at the end of September, serving more than 280 families with food and essential supplies at the Pierre Toussaint Food Pantry in Newark. But other help is being provided remotely. “We have been able to get creative with how we engage with our students and in how we serve our communities,” Peterson said, listing online tutoring, Zoom story hours for children through the South Orange Public Library, and virtual programs for senior centers.
To counter a sense of isolation many students are feeling, DOVE found ways to help, including a weekly half-hour online discussion covering topics such as social justice and the importance of serving others. There are also weekly sessions for students to reflect on campus mission areas. “The response to each of these initiatives has shown that there is great desire to provide support and care for those who need it most and how important and imperative it is that we keep moving forward with this work and adapting to the circumstance caused by the pandemic.”
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HA LL m a r k s
BY THE NUMBERS
An Excellent Voyage
Dual B.S. in Physics/M.S. in Engineering or Artificial Intelligence Program
2020
Year started
2*
Participating institutions
5
Total years to complete
3.2
Minimum required cumulative GPA
80
Percent of Seton Hall physics majors who conduct research
$86,980
Median income for jobs in STEM**
8%
Projected job growth for STEM jobs (2019-29)
3.4%
Projected job growth for non-STEM jobs (2019-29) *Seton Hall and Stevens Institute of Technology **Science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
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A
student-produced video series chronicling the 2019-20 Seton Hall men’s basketball season earned a top honor in the Sports Video Group College
Sports Media Awards this summer. “The Voyage,” a 21-part digital series produced by the Pirate Sports Network, took home the award for Outstanding Program Series by college students this summer, with an online ceremony hosted by ESPN personality Rece Davis. The series was produced by Keith Egan ’19, Joe Binder ’20 and Andrew Miller ’22. “These students worked so hard to promote Seton Hall men’s basketball and tell the story of an unforgettable season, and I’m grateful that receiving this award will help shine a light on their talent,” said Thomas Chen, associate athletics director for digital media and communications. Each year the College Sports Media Awards honor videos produced by athletic departments, conference offices, professional networks and production companies, as well as students.
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LEARNING THE HYFLEX WAY
S
eton Hall joined schools around the country in
hear the class as if they were there. Speakers and a large
adjusting to the COVID-19 pandemic by learning
screen enable those in the room to hear and see students
new ways to teach and learn, including a flexible,
taking the course remotely.
hybrid approach. In HyFlex blended classes, both remote and in-person classroom instruction is provided simultaneously —
Faculty members use the Microsoft Teams program on a laptop or — in some specially equipped classrooms — a wall panel that connects everything wirelessly.
students choose how they want to learn. Faculty engage
All students are able to post their homework, see
with students both ways at once, and technology enables
documents, videos and more, and can also take part in
everyone to work together.
discussion boards and take tests online.
“We began to design the technology needed in April
The technology has allowed the University “to continue
with the forethought that we would not have a regular
its tradition of offering students a rich face-to-face
summer or fall term,” said Paul Fisher, M.P.A. ’98,
learning experience, even in the face of a global pandem-
director of the Teaching, Learning and Technology Center
ic,” Fisher said.
and Seton Hall’s associate chief information officer.
“The success represents the dedication and commit-
“The University spent roughly $2 million outfitting the
ment of our faculty to learn new ways of teaching and
classrooms and it took thousands of hours of labor by
the staff that spent the last three months racing to
Facilities Engineering, Media Services and our partners
ensure the technology could support the faculty and the
to pull this off in time.”
students. It was a furious pace of change and work that
Every classroom has been equipped with microphones and a camera, allowing “remote” students to see and
in the end allowed the faculty to teach and the students to learn.”
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HA LL m a r k s
WORSHIP IN THE AGE OF COVID-19
L
ike everyone else in the time of COVID-19, the
been pretty lucky, often being able to gather outdoors
Campus Ministry staff is finding new ways to fulfill
but remaining very mindful of social distancing.”
its mission.
“From the very start, we have been livestreaming
The Alive in Christ: Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) program has started up again on Sunday
Mass on weekdays and on Sunday evenings,” says Father
evenings, with a combination of real and virtual
Colin Kay, director of Campus Ministry and interim vice
participation by those learning about the Catholic
president for mission and ministry.
faith and preparing to receive the sacraments.
And although live services have resumed in the
“Leave no one out. No human left behind. That’s how
University Chapel, no more than 20 worshipers
we’re trying to roll,” says Father Kay, noting that online
are permitted in the pews, so an outdoor service has
gathering tools such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom
been added.
“will continue to be an important part of what we do,
“We have been celebrating Sunday evening Eucharist ‘al fresco,’ outdoors in front of the Chapel, using the
as the weather gets worse.” “We’re learning a lot about how to stay ‘connected,’
main doors as a platform for altar and pulpit,” Father
albeit imperfectly, even when we’re not together. That
Kay says. “It’s been really quite lovely.”
opens up all sorts of possibilities for winter breaks and
Weekday noon Mass has moved to the Theatre-in-the-
summers to come.”
Round in the University Center, and once the weather prohibits the outdoor service, Sunday evening Mass will Programs such as spiritual hikes have been able to continue, taking advantage of nice fall weather. “We’ve
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A Boost for Students
A
new Student Support Services Program has been awarded a $1.3 million federal grant to help lowincome, first-generation, or disabled students pursuing an undergraduate degree at Seton Hall. Part of the U.S. Department of Education’s TRIO Program, the grant is intended to provide the kind of support that will help students stay in school and graduate. The money will be disbursed over the next five years through the University’s Division of Student Services and will help 140 eligible students succeed in their college careers. Students accepted into the program will benefit from a plan that provides for academic, professional and social support, including tutoring and coaching, personal and financial mentoring, and career counseling and planning. Applications are being accepted for the 2020-21 academic year — students may apply themselves, and members of the Seton Hall community also may refer students for the program. TRIO, given its name after its first three programs were implemented, consists of eight federal outreach and student services programs designed to identify and help students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Photos by Bob Handelman
move to the Main Lounge.
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SHU IN THE NEWS “Granted, police officers are not social workers, but you don’t have to be a doctor to know somebody needs one.” Juan Rios, College of Arts and Sciences, The Star-Ledger, on the shooting death of Maurice Gordon by a New Jersey State Police officer on the Garden State Parkway.
“They have this strong incentive to develop vaccines to show Chinese high-tech capacity, and also [to] give people the sense of national pride.” Yanzhong Huang, College of Diplomacy and International Relations, Vox.com, discussing China’s emergency use vaccine program.
“While not a panacea, a formal international investigation would have served as a clarion call to end and repair racial injustice and projected the U.N. as an agent of change to institutional racism.” Kwame Akonor, College of Arts and Sciences, International Press Service, on why the United Nations did not establish a full commission of inquiry on race following the killing of George Floyd.
“There is much convergence between Saint Mother Teresa and Pope Francis: they are bringing the throwaway culture, the marginalized, to focus.”
“It is another arrow in Beijing’s quiver to arrest people that Beijing has determined as breaking the law, and that law is construed broadly.” Margaret Lewis, School of Law, CNN, regarding Section 38 of the Hong Kong National Security Law, pro-democracy protests, and what is considered a crime punishable by lifetime sentences.
“The challenge today, as I see it, is that the platforms that the players are using now need a boost from the political power and strength of those who own teams. And that silence that I see is annoying.” Charles Grantham, Stillman School of Business, USA Today, on the activism of professional sports players.
“The devastating health and economic consequences of the pandemic will find the nation in the throes of an eviction crisis that, if not prevented, will relegate unprecedented numbers of displaced tenants to crowded shelters, the streets or households with no choice but to double or triple in size.” Paula Franzese, School of Law, NBC News, evaluating coronavirus relief measures set to expire as the crisis rages.
Ines Murzaku, Department of Catholic Studies, Voice of America, regarding her new book, Mother Teresa, Saint of the Peripheries.
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HA LL m a r k s
SAINT ELIZABETH ANN SETON Resilience and Faith in the Face of Daunting Hardship PART 1 OF 2 IN A SERIES
SETON HALL’S patroness was no stranger to the consequences of deadly infectious disease, crushing uncertainty and economic collapse. Dianne Traflet, associate dean of graduate studies and seminary administration at Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology, traces Mother Seton’s history from the 1790s through the early 1800s, and finds parallels — and lessons — applicable to our own unsettling times.
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SETON HALL MAGAZINE
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lizabeth Ann Seton was hardly out of her teens
from his injuries, leaving no will. William and Elizabeth
when she realized just how idyllic, even heavenly,
moved into his Stone Street home, caring for all the
her life was. She was married to a wonderful, loving
children, soon including their third child, Richard Bayley,
husband from a prominent family. She had a prestigious home and countless friends and acquaintances, includ-
who initially was very ill. Elizabeth was 24 years old.
ing George Washington. She was happily expecting her
When the new century began, the Setons’ financial
first child. It seemed like a scene from “Lifestyles of the
problems worsened, as did William’s physical health, a
Rich and Famous,” circa 1794, New York City.
constant challenge since his late teens. Diagnosed with
But all was not well. Elizabeth was worried. Her
tuberculosis, he could not afford to rest or focus on
husband, William, was struggling with persistent fevers
recuperation; there were urgent bills to pay, and debtors’
and coughs, and the city was anxiously bracing for a
prison loomed. Elizabeth, too, was severely fatigued and
possible outbreak of the yellow fever epidemic that had
worried.
devastated Philadelphia. Her father, Dr. Richard Bayley,
The day after Christmas 1800, Elizabeth was required
kept Elizabeth informed about the epidemic’s dangers.
by the bankruptcy commission to write an exhaustive
A renowned surgeon and chair of anatomy and surgery
inventory of the family’s possessions, including handker-
at Columbia College, Bayley issued public warnings,
chiefs and the children’s clothes.
researched the conditions that might spread the disease, and outlined preventative measures. When yellow fever reached New York in the summer
The following summer, Elizabeth and the young Seton children moved to Staten Island, living in quarantine with her father while William stayed in the city to tend
of 1795, many wealthy residents fled to the country.
to his business. Elizabeth watched her father comfort the
The Bayley and Seton families knew many people who
sick and the dying. When a ship arrived with passengers
contracted the disease and mourned those who died
suffering from typhus, he instructed his daughter to keep
from it.
a distance, but she saw their pained expressions and
By the time winter arrived, the epidemic had disappeared. Bayley continued his work, writing a study of yellow fever in New York City and cautioning residents
heard their anguished cries. “I cannot sleep,” she wrote, “the dying, and the dead, possess my mind.” One day, she found her father sitting slumped near the
of its possible return. In 1796, New York Gov. John Jay
docks, his head in his hands. He had contracted typhus.
appointed Bayley as health officer of the Port of New
For days, Elizabeth tried to comfort him, as he clung to
York, the first person to hold such a position. Within
her, gasping in pain. He took his last breath with her by
three years, Bayley authored the Quarantine Act of 1799,
his side.
the same year that yellow fever returned in full force to
No stately burial would be allowed for Dr. Bayley,
New York. With Bayley’s assistance, a quarantine station
since the quarantine had to be kept even in death. A boat-
and a marine hospital were established on Staten Island,
man brought his body to a neighboring town for burial,
where he went to work and live.
and family and friends were told to keep their distance
For Elizabeth and her family, the latter part of the 1790s was filled with both joy and fear. As they cele-
Photo by Earl Richardson
|
as a minister offered prayers in the churchyard. While Elizabeth mourned her father, she was acutely
brated the births of two children, they also faced serious
aware that her husband’s tuberculosis was worsening,
debt in the family shipping business. Bankruptcy
and the couple decided to travel to Italy, hoping William
loomed. Elizabeth assumed clerk responsibilities,
would recuperate in a better climate. He had been an
meticulously tending to the paperwork.
apprentice to the prosperous Filicci family in Italy before
She grew increasingly exhausted as she cared for her young children as well as William’s five stepsiblings, who
he was married, and now he accepted their gracious offer of help.
had lost their mother in 1792. She became more than a sister to them in 1798, when her father-in-law, William Seton Sr., fell near his home in lower Manhattan and died
Part one of two: the series’ next installment will continue in the Winter/Spring 2021 edition of Seton Hall magazine..
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P OS S IB IL ITIE S |
BOB GILBERT
HOW HE DOES IT Nick Mattiello wants to do it all. The M.B.A. student/marketer/firefighter had a busy summer, transitioning to working remotely and searching for people trapped in a burning building. 12
SETON HALL MAGAZINE
N
ick Mattiello is an ace at managing his time. Doubling up on his courses, the 25-year-
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and homes. During these times he often breathed bottled air.
old Stillman School of Business student is
In his professional life at Samsung Electronics,
earning his M.B.A. in just 14 months while
Mattiello has helped promote the Galaxy Note 9, Note
holding down a full-time marketing-strategy
10, S-10, Galaxy Fold, and other blockbuster products
job at Samsung’s North American Head-
through integrated marketing communications support,
quarters. There, among myriad other duties,
budgets, planning, contract agreements with vendors
he works with marketing and media agencies to book
and compliance, says his boss, Rey de los Reyes,
product placements and advertising on, say, “The Jimmy
a senior director.
Fallon Show.” Add to that, he’s a volunteer firefighter at
All this activity won Mattiello a Samsung Marketing
Rescue 1/Engine 2 in Secaucus, where he has to respond
“Guru Award” in 2018, his first year at the company.
to emergencies at any time.
And for his recent performance while the company
“There are sleepless nights,” he admits. Yet he says
reorganized amid the pandemic, he became a project
successful multitasking can be done with the help of
manager supporting the digital marketing team, says
mental flexibility, drive (which he calls “momentum”),
de los Reyes, who is “impressed by Nick’s ambition.”
and lots of support from understanding bosses and professors at Seton Hall. Mattiello’s race with time and his drive to do more
Equally respectful of Mattiello’s work ethic is Stillman Professor Paula Alexander. “During this summer, as part of our Leadership Seminar course, Nick led
likely began at age 18 when — on top of serving as a 911
an employee engagement initiative for his division of
operator for his local police department and the state
Samsung,” she says. That experience became not only
police — he took the oath as a volunteer firefighter. His
grist for a business school paper, but a template for
reasons were very personal.
Samsung best practices.
In 1997, when Mattiello was just 2 years old, he
It was created “to boost morale and bring everyone
saw a strip mall burn in Pompton Lakes with billowing
within my division together virtually,” Mattiello
black smoke. “I watched my family’s business and
explains. As co-chair, he devised online trivia contests,
livelihood go up in flames, literally and figuratively,”
an MTV Cribs event, a happy hour and “Family Feud”
he says. Then, in his teens, a natural gas leak obliterated
game to get “everyone together and laughing again
the house across the street from Mattiello’s “in a
from home.” On a more serious note, the group, which
huge ball of fire.” These two incidents convinced him
numbered as many as 50 employees per session,
that he “wanted to be on the other end of a fire —
discussed issues relating to the social climate of
by fighting it.”
the country, says de los Reyes.
This past summer, firefighter Mattiello entered a
Photo by Michael Paras
|
Whatever motivates the hyperkinetic Nick Mattiello
burning apartment complex. According to Deputy Chief
seems innate, and de los Reyes characterizes him
Joseph Schoendorf, Engine 2 arrived to find “heavy
as “thirsty to get things done.” Chief Schoendorf
smoke and fire in the building and people trapped.
calls him “a real go-getter.” For Professor Alexander,
Nick was inside conducting a search.” He won a unit
“Nicholas Mattiello embodies the Seton Hall ideal
citation for “effort under combat conditions.” Just
of a servant leader.”
weeks before, his company saved two tots locked inside an overheated car. He also played his part in New Jersey’s response
While living such a packed life may not appeal to everyone, he asserts that “as long as you have support, momentum and a focused mindset, anyone can do it.” n
to the COVID-19 pandemic, risking infection while responding to calls at senior centers, hotels, hospitals
Bob Gilbert is a freelance writer based in Connecticut.
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ROA M IN G T H E H A L L |
MOLLY PETRILLA
UNDAUNTED
Juan Rios and a new online summer jobs program have kept opportunities for growth alive for East Orange students despite massive shutdowns statewide. Rios knows firsthand the lifeline these jobs and programs can offer.
H
igher education was far from Juan Rios’s mind when he got his first job at age 14. Through a
believe in the [University’s] strategic plan — especially
local youth program in New Haven, Connecti-
the portion about community outreach to promote the
cut, he spent the summer cleaning up public
greater good of society,” Rios says. This year’s Virtual
housing complexes — restoring facades,
Summer Work Experience Program in East Orange is
tidying park areas, and often throwing away
“a direct, quick, immediate response to a need that’s
empty crack vials and used needles.
happening in the community,” he adds.
He earned $3.75 an hour (this was the
Rios and East Orange Mayor Ted Green became
early 1990s), and “it was because of that money that
the program’s co-directors, helping more than 300
I was able to buy lunch, dinner, and even my school
teens earn $10 an hour for a 20-hour online work-
materials,” says Rios, now an assistant professor and
week, with tracks focused on academics, trade and
director of the master’s in social work program at Seton
social activism.
Hall. “I can’t imagine what would have happened to me
Rios oversaw the academic track, which supplied a
if these programs had been canceled because someone
taste of college life, introduced “faculty members who
didn’t meet the call.”
look like them and may have had similar life experiences
But due to the global pandemic, that could easily have been the fate of a similar program in East Orange this summer if a team including Rios hadn’t stepped up to help. Through its annual Summer Work Experience Program,
to them,” and conveyed the crucial message that “I, too, can go to college,” he says. The slate of presenters included Majid Whitney, associate dean and director of Seton Hall’s Educational
the city offers teens summer jobs, just as Rios had at
Opportunity Fund Programs, and first-year adviser/ROTC
their age. Nearly 400 people participated in the six-
Military Science instructor Julius Moore. Rios presented,
week program last year, with assignments ranging from
too — and as he spoke to the East Orange teens about
sprucing up city fire hydrants to creating an art mural
trauma in low-income communities, “a lot of memories
to interning in the mayor’s office. These paid experiences
came flooding back,” he says.
were all put in jeopardy this summer, though, when
14
“I wanted Seton Hall to be involved because I really
Born in Panama and raised in New Haven and later
COVID-19 swept on-site work off the table. Then VIP
Jersey City, Rios was the youngest of three siblings. He
Online Academy, co-led by author and activist Jamila
recounts how his family experienced a range of issues,
Davis, offered to help put the program on the internet,
including financial struggles and frequent upheavals.
and soon Seton Hall became a partner in the effort.
“Many would consider me a statistic,” he says.
SETON HALL MAGAZINE
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GREATER GOOD Juan Rios oversaw the academic track for more than 300 students in the Virtual Summer Work Experience Program.
As he watched friends and neighbors die from drugs or violence, Rios never expected to live past 18 himself. “I
change the system from within,” he says. So he pursued
saw … where I didn’t want to go,” he says. “So what’s the
master’s and doctoral degrees in social work at Rutgers.
only [path] no one has tried? Stay in school.” He also need-
Today Rios’s research focuses on social justice and
ed the free meals that school offered, he says. At times,
its intersections with virtual reality. He plans to study
those meals were the only reason he kept showing up.
how children — “especially Black and brown children” —
Thanks to free social programs and a series of strong
respond to emerging technology, including online
mentors who became surrogate family, he got through
communities like the one he helped provide for East
high school and was accepted into Southern Connecticut
Orange kids this summer.
State University. “I didn’t care how many student loans I had to take out, I just wanted to get away,” he says. In the wake of his own experiences with social work-
Photo by Michael Paras
But after several years, “I realized that you can’t really
“If it wasn’t for the opportunity of this virtual community, what would have been the alternative for these children?” Rios wonders. He already knows the impact
ers and Child Protective Services, Rios majored in social
such programs had on his own teen years. But now,
work. “I swore, since 15 years old, I wanted to be a CPS
several decades later, he has the chance to evaluate and
worker because of all the influences they had in my life,”
measure them as an academic — a twist he never saw
he says. “I wanted to be someone who could help those
coming at age 14. n
kids being transitioned from home to home do it in a way that’s healthy and inspiring.”
Molly Petrilla is a freelance writer based in New Jersey.
15
P ROFIL E |
CHRISTOPHER HANN
THE CHANGE AGENT
Alice Milligan, M.A. ’01 works to bring a new perspective and make her mark in the companies she has helped lead.
16 16
SETON HALL MAGAZINE
W
hen Alice Milligan, M.A. ’01 was pursuing
questioning the status quo and pushing for innovation,
communications at Seton Hall, she wrote
all in service to the customer. It’s a role for which she
her thesis on “Development of a Line of
credits her Seton Hall education.
Greeting Cards for Alcoholics and Those Impacted by Alcoholism.” She says the
FA L L 2 0 2 0
She has relished the role of change agent, often
her master’s degree in corporate and public
At E-Trade, which was recently acquired by Morgan Stanley, it’s Milligan’s job to ensure customers make the
topic was personal. She had seen people she knew
most of the company’s website and mobile app. “That is
struggle with addiction and understood the pain and
where the brand comes to life today,” she says. “It’s often
isolation it could impart.
the only place people interact with your brand. If you can
For such a critical assignment as a master’s thesis,
make that easy, seamless, make them understand your
it was a nontraditional subject. But Milligan’s choice of
products and services, how to make an investment, how
topic spoke volumes about her willingness to bring a new
to find out what their return is, it’s extremely rewarding.”
perspective to any conversation. She’s applied the same
Milligan got her start in secretarial school before going
approach throughout her 35-year career in the corporate
on to complete 12 years of night classes at The College
world, in which she’s often been the rare woman in a
of Saint Elizabeth (recently renamed Saint Elizabeth
leadership position. Today, as an executive vice president
University) to earn a bachelor’s degree in business
and the chief customer officer at E-Trade, the online
administration with a concentration in marketing, all
brokerage and financial services firm, she’s one of just
accomplished while she held a full-time job. She followed
two women on the company’s executive committee.
with four years of night classes at Seton Hall to earn
All of which might explain Milligan’s insistence on mentoring younger female colleagues. “When you are a minority in a particular area, a couple of things are important,” she says. “One is paying it forward.” Andrea Zaretsky counts herself among those who have
her master’s degree. When Milligan mentors younger colleagues, perseverance is a common theme. “The degree I got from Seton Hall, a master of arts, gave me a more well-rounded background,” she says, “so when I started bringing things to the table, it was about how
benefitted from Milligan’s counsel. They first worked togeth-
customers would react emotionally and not just rationally.
er at American Express nearly 15 years ago, and last year
I think that difference has helped me, from a business
Zaretsky leaped at the opportunity to reunite at E-Trade,
perspective, bring a different point of view. And from
where, as chief marketing officer, she reports directly to
a leadership perspective, it makes me seem more
Milligan. Asked to assess her boss’s strengths, Zaretsky
approachable. I’ve always had an attitude that everybody’s
does not hesitate. “She’s fearless,” Zaretsky says. “That is her
viewpoint is valuable, so don’t be afraid to share it.”
defining characteristic to me. She’s willing to be the lone
Nearly two decades ago, Milligan’s thesis adviser at
dissenting voice in the room, and it’s usually a room full of
Seton Hall, Michael S. McGraw, displayed a similar attitude
men. I think that people really respect her for that.”
when she approached him with her idea for an uncon-
Much of Milligan’s career has focused on the customer
Photo by Ben Sklar
|
ventional line of greeting cards. “I was really questioning
experience. In 15 years at American Express, she rose
whether I should bring it up,” Milligan recalls. “But the
to senior vice president for American Express Interactive,
willingness to customize the master’s program to a student’s
responsible for digital sales and service across the
needs was a great experience. I feel like the experience I
company’s web, mobile and e-communications platforms.
had at Seton Hall really helped equip me and give me the
Before joining E-Trade in 2019, she served five years as
confidence to make my mark in the industry I chose.” n
chief digital client experience officer for Citibank’s North America Consumer Bank.
Christopher Hann is a freelance writer and editor in New Jersey.
17
P ROFIL E |
JEN A. MILLER
BOOT CAMP GOES DIGITAL
A
n effort to prepare Seton Hall students for their post-college lives has gone online. The digital
At that point, the annual program was an intensive
program, initiated by John Strapp ’69, was in
four-day, on-campus workshop for just 12 to 20 students,
place before the COVID-19 pandemic pushed
with participants living in Seton Hall residence halls for
learning and lives to the internet, but it feels
a completely immersive experience.
even more vital now.
The College of Arts and Sciences launched
Students “were there from 8:30 a.m. until 9:30, 10 o’clock at night,” says Chris Kaiser, associate dean of
its Business Boot Camp in 2017 with a specific goal:
undergraduate academic affairs at the college. Attendees
to help A&S students understand how the skills they
listened to speakers from the business community, many
learn in their courses apply to the business world and
of whom started with liberal arts degrees but hadn’t
how to build a portfolio showcasing those skills.
known how to take those skills into a business setting.
“We hope to create a return on investment for these
Business Boot Camp teaches students how to apply
kids,” Strapp says. “You could help them get a better
what they’ve learned about negotiation, career decision-
job and potentially a higher salary to springboard
making, communicating, and money management in a
their careers.”
business setting. “Then it goes one step further, making
Strapp, chairman and cofounder of a healthcare
sure they have a clear and concise way to convey who they
consulting company called The Kinetix Group, studied
are, why they’d be a good fit for that company and how
political science, but found that the writing and
that company would be a good fit for them,” Kaiser says.
sociology courses he took were critically important
When Strapp heard about the boot camp, he knew he
to his business. It’s why he’s put time, energy and
had to be part of it. And what started as just speaking to
resources into the program and expanding access to
students as part of the program evolved into a significant
the boot camp by creating free online modules.
investment of time and resources in order to expand it.
Business Boot Camp benefited from alumni support
18
donations be sent in his memory to keep funding it.
Through his company, Strapp and the College of Arts and
from the start. A grant from the late Gus Anselmi ’54
Sciences have created an online version of the program
helped get the program off the ground, and when
they hope can reach more than just a handful of students
Anselmi died in 2019, his family requested that
each year.
SETON HALL MAGAZINE
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John Strapp ’69 had a vision for taking a popular business-skills training program offered by the College of Arts and Sciences to the next level. His timing couldn’t have been better. “If you have 15 to 20 people who raise their hand to give you a week of their time, they might not need the
Kaiser and Strapp started the online option because
program as much as a student who wouldn’t,” Strapp
they wanted as many students as possible to take it.
says. The online program is more attractive to students
“We’d like to roll it out to every student at the College of
who may not think it’s necessarily for them but still are
Arts and Sciences and then the University,” Kaiser says.
interested, or who can’t spend four days away from their work or studies to participate. Photo by Michael Paras
help you create a career and academic plan.”
Kisha Duval ’20 took the on-campus course this year
Kaiser applauds the altruistic effort made by Strapp. “He is looking back at his life and on his college experience and saying ‘I wish something like this existed. Let’s
and said it taught her that writing skills are valuable,
create it for other students.’ He’s trying to leave a legacy
along with networking “to successfully earn that chance
for all the right reasons.” n
for opportunities and acknowledgement,” she says. She urges other students to use the program because it “will
Jen A. Miller is author of Running: A Love Story. She lives in N.J.
19
FE ATU R E |
The Seton Hall community responds with characteristic resilience in the face of a global pandemic.
Christine (Zuffante) Furber ’09
20 20
SETON HALL MAGAZINE
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Hazard Zet
FORWARD By Shanice Casimiro and Kim de Bourbon
T
he world has changed a lot since March,
when New Jersey reported its first COVID-19 case.
Photo by Noel Casiano
In the months since in the Garden State, we endured fearsome weeks as an epicenter of the United States’ outbreak, a devastating number of deaths, harrowing job losses and economic hardships — along with a disorienting upending of our normal routines. And yet, positive shifts have also taken place: families reconnecting, hobbies rediscovered, neighbors helping neighbors, and whole groups of people reassessing their priorities. At Seton Hall, we have always been guided by the ethos of Hazard Zet Forward, an exhortation to be persistent and to persevere, even in tough times. The stories that follow capture that spirit, along with another fundamental value we cherish: servant leadership. The vignettes here are infused with a light that shines through all the pain and fear 2020 has brought. They illustrate hope, determination, ingenuity, courage and love.
21
FE ATU R E |
PREPARING FOR WHAT’S AROUND THE CORNER
“Despite having worked for more than 12 years as a registered nurse, I could have never imagined what
Elizabeth Bigos, M.H.A. ’18
this past year would teach me, both
Chief nursing officer, ProHEALTH
professionally and personally.” She cites an understanding
Medical Management
learned at Seton Hall about what Bigos works for a large healthcare
it means to be a servant leader. “I
system that set up the first drive-
knew I had a decision to make —
thru COVID-19 testing site in New
to sit in the administrative suite
York and opened eight new urgent
and manage my team from a ‘safe
care locations in response to the
distance’ or to put their needs
need for care and testing.
and comforts above my own and
PROVIDING ONLINE OUTREACH TO THE FAITHFUL Father Joseph Furnaguera Parochial vicar, St. Paul the Apostle Church, Jersey City “It took away our priesthood,” Father Furnaguera says of his experiences during the height of
it reminds me of how miserable that time was.
COVID-19 restrictions in New Jersey. “We could
I know how much individuals were suffering. I
not pray with people at Mass, we could not visit
would spend a few hours on the phone every day,
certain hospitals, we could not be present.”
and we had about three to four burials a week.”
“Jesus embraced lepers and those that were
He is haunted by four parishioners he knew
considered ‘unclean’ in society. Our inner desire
well whom he couldn’t comfort in their last
as priests is to be near those who are hurting,
hours. “They died without the sacraments. I will
alone, and neglected because this is what
remember them for the rest of my life because
Jesus does. But, COVID made everyone ‘unclean,’
I carry a similar guilt as their family due to the
including us.” His church went online with its outreach
22
“It inevitably brings tears to my eyes because
fact that I was not able to visit them and do my priestly duty by administering the sacraments.
by livestreaming Mass and posting videos,
I pray for those four regularly, for their families,
including one featuring parishioners sharing
and for all the families and individuals that
words of encouragement and hope.
were affected by the virus.”
SETON HALL MAGAZINE
join them in the COVID trenches.
taking action in an outbreak.
Working alongside the clinical team
However, COVID-19 is different.
taught me how to be empathetic
It is unprecedented … with high
to their concerns and what they
infection and death rates compared
felt they needed to feel supported
to other pandemics.”
during this crisis.” “Being able to care for another
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“Public health workers are not viewed as part of the healthcare
human being is such an incredibly
system that is front and center
humbling experience; the surround-
in dealing with the pandemic.
ings and diagnosis may change, but
. . . People don’t remember that the
the feeling of inner peace that I get
reason the hospitals are not over-
when I am able to care for a strang-
flowing with patients and people are
er will always be the reason I stay.”
not dropping dead on the street is because of the extraordinarily work
OVERSEEING THE WELLBEING OF MORE THAN HALF A MILLION PEOPLE Paschal Nwako, Ph.D. ’17 Camden County Health Officer
performed by public health workers in public health departments.”
BUILDING A MEDICAL STATION FOR RECOVERING PATIENTS AT THE MEADOWLANDS
and Public Health Coordinator
Col. Stephen McKenzie, M.A. ’20
prepared as we head into the winter
Col. Stephen McKenzie, M.A. ’20
months, unsure what is in store for
The pandemic has proven what
Physician assistant, Summit
us as a state and a nation.”
Nwako already knew: The public
Medical Group; Commander,
health system and prevention
New Jersey National Guard
and panic because of the pandemic,
efforts don’t get the attention that
Medical Command; Ordained
it’s harder for people to heal and
they deserve.
deacon, Diocese of Paterson
this has had a negative psychological
“It is far better and less expensive
“Unfortunately, when there is fear
effect on our patients. It can also
to avoid an injury or illness than
In four days, on the front lines of
be difficult to provide the “human
to deal with the consequences. The
the pandemic, McKenzie’s National
touch” of healing — and hope — to
pandemic has revealed challenges
Guard team built a temporary
our patients as we are constantly
within our public health system —
medical station at the Meadowlands
challenged by masks and the physi-
however, it has been underfunded
Exposition Center in Secaucus. The
cal separation of social distance.
and overlooked for years.”
250-bed facility opened in April for
“Still, it is great to provide
Nwako’s work since March has
COVID-19 patients who were not in
patients with calming care, interact
been challenging. “Public health has
critical condition, easing the pres-
with them and, with their families,
responded to outbreaks and pan-
sure on overwhelmed hospitals.
plan what life will be like, when
demics for two centuries, protecting
McKenzie worked there through
they leave the facility. It’s a joy to
health and safety by preventing
June, when he was able to go back
help sick people, whether they have
infectious diseases and other health
to his job as a cardiology physician
COVID or not, and return them to
risks, informing the public, and
assistant. “I remain concerned and
their families.”
23
FE ATU R E |
SERVING AS A FRONT-LINE RESPONDER
all have a choice when working,
Sebin Vadasserril ’14
for our patients, and each other,
Nursing practice and quality
is all the motivation one needs
manager, St. Joseph’s University
to come back every day.”
but knowing how hard our colleagues are working to care
Medical Center, Paterson As preparations for a surge in COVID-19 cases began, Vadasserril
COMFORTING MOTHERS WITH NEWBORNS
was assigned to a command center
Christine (Zuffante) Furber ’09
that provided logistics tracking in
Registered nurse/lactation counselor,
the hospital system, determining
New York-Presbyterian Hospital
how much personal protective equipSebin Vadasserril ’14
ment (PPE) individual units needed
Furber relies on teamwork skills
and coordinating testing for patients
she learned as a Seton Hall varsity
and staff; later, he transitioned to
swimmer to manage the stress
give bedside patient care in a newly
of her job helping new mothers cope
converted ICU unit. The St. Joseph’s
with protecting their babies during
system saw patients peak at more
the pandemic.
than 130% of its ordinary capacity,
dedicated and supportive of each
testing positive or being investigated
other. When we won, we won as
for COVID-19.
a team. As a nurse, I’ve developed
Providing care throughout the
similar relationships with my
surge would not have been possible
co-workers. During the pandemic
without the support of nurses
we have leaned on one another
who traveled to the pandemic’s
every day.”
epicenter to help out, plus the
Furber’s work comes with a lot
many unsung heroes in the dietary,
of anxiety. But she loves being there
housekeeping and engineering
for her patients.
staffs and local businesses that
“I have learned so much about
donated food and supplies.
myself during this pandemic. I will
“The abundance of support and
one day share with my children
recognition from the community
the experiences of how I cared for
helped keep morale high.”
patients during that time. ... We
Vadasserril hopes people will
24
“My teammates and I were
with 72% of the admitted cases either
are stronger when we work together
continue to take public health
and help each other. My co-workers
recommendations seriously and
and I have become closer because
support each another so ultimately
we were put in situations that only
the virus can be overcome. “We
few can truly understand.”
SETON HALL MAGAZINE
MAINTAINING U.S./CHINA RELATIONS DURING AND AFTER THE PANDEMIC
an extremely unique experience for
Professor Zheng Wang
the country’s response against it.
Director, Center for Peace and Conflict Studies; School of Diplomacy and International Relations
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“The past few months have been me. I witnessed the start and spread of the coronavirus from China and I closely followed the developments to study how China was handling this unprecedented crisis. I never imagined that New Jersey, where I
Wang’s area of expertise is the
reside, would become a coronavirus
influence of identity politics and
epicenter, forcing me to home-
nationalism on international
quarantine for several months.”
relations, with a focus on China’s relationship with the United States. The Center for Peace and Conflict Studies received a Henry Luce
SERVING AS AN EXPERT SOURCE FOR NEWS MEDIA
Foundation grant to bring together
Professor Yanzhong Huang
former high-ranking defense
Director, Center for Global Health
officials, academics and policy
Studies; School of Diplomacy and
researchers from the U.S. and China
International Relations
for a series of online dialogues
Professor Yanzhong Huang
shared with me expanded my intellectual horizon and inspired
during the pandemic. “The value of
Huang is an expert on global health
me to write thought-provoking
this project is mainly that it keeps
governance, health diplomacy and
pieces about the pandemic that
both sides communicating with each
security, and public health in China
were published around the world.”
other during a time when we aren’t
and East Asia.
able to travel and bilateral relations are in bad shape,” Wang says. By the end of the year there
Since late January, when China confirmed human-to-human transmission of a novel coronavirus,
MAKING AND DISTRIBUTING HAND SANITIZER FOR HEALTHCARE COMMUNITY
will have been 15 Zoom meetings
he has handled about 500 media
shedding light on the Chinese and
interviews — up to three to four
Brian Fitzpatrick ’75
American views, identifying points
a day — as reporters sought to
Founder and CEO,
of consensus where they exist, and
understand the ramifications of the
Bentley Laboratories, Edison, N.J.
defining conceptual and strategic
global pandemic. As the author of
differences that have hampered
Governing Health in Contemporary
When COVID-19 hit, Fitzpatrick
cooperation.
China, he has also been in high
started making hand sanitizer at his
demand for speaking engagements.
beauty care products plant, churning
The group will publish a book based on the dialogues, with a
“Never before had I spent so much
out more than 50,000 bottles of the
critical essay and rebuttal on each
time dealing with media outlets. But
essential stuff and giving it all away
issue by experts from both coun-
I benefited both professionally and
to the medical and healthcare com-
tries, each addressing the other’s
intellectually from the experience.
munity as well as to first responders.
misperceptions.
The information the journalists
It was a job Bentley Labs could
25
FE ATU R E |
Jakovcic’s company develops electronic health records software for prisons and this spring he received an email from a client desperate for personal protective equipment (PPE). “They were most literally pleading if there were any connections we had where they could get PPE from,” he says, noting that since the prisons he deals with are government agencies, everything needs to go through layers of bureaucracy. “Our clients’ clinical staff was having to treat patients in a densely populated city with minimal PPE during the initial outbreak.”
Professor D. Brian Nichols
Jakovcic went into partnership take on easily, since it already had
with a friend who owns a New
a Food and Drug Administration
Jersey manufacturing company,
permit for alcohol-based products
making and distributing 25,000 clear
and could follow the federal agency’s
vinyl face shields to prison workers.
strict guidelines for making it. “When we were distributing these,
“Stillman taught me many lifeskills. … The school shaped me into
this was at a time when you could
a businessman who keeps an eye on
not buy them, you could not get
the horizon to see the storm coming,
them,” he says, noting that he and
rather than having my head straight
his wife, Kathleen, personally deliv-
down looking at pavement.”
ered at least a third of the product themselves. “We’d call and say, we are going to deliver you several
ENGAGING STUDENTS IN SARS-COV-2 RESEARCH
hundred bottles. It was so uplifting to do something at a moment of
Professor D. Brian Nichols
crisis. We didn’t make anything for
College of Arts and Sciences,
resale. We gave everything away.”
Biological Sciences Nichols has studied the original SARS-CoV virus — the cause of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS disease — and is coming up with ways he and his students can
26
Bryan Jakovcic ’09
contribute to the understanding of
President and owner, Fusion Health,
SARS-CoV-2, the specific new virus
Woodbridge, N.J.
that causes COVID-19 disease.
Photograph by Michael Paras
DONATING FACE SHIELDS TO CORRECTIONS OFFICERS AND PRISON HEALTHCARE STAFF
SETON HALL MAGAZINE
“Now that the labs have reopened,
“COVID-19, of course, implicates
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Riveter,” wrote a perspective piece in
I’ve taken several new graduate
virtually every area of doctrinal law
The Washington Post analyzing how
students who will take on projects
that we teach, and since I knew that
the American messaging effort in
related to the virus, including study-
our students would likely face many
World War II could be used to fight
ing how SARS-CoV-2 modulates the
of those challenges as new attorneys,
COVID-19. He reminded readers that
host immune response and possibly
I asked if I could teach a course that
“our collective memory has forgotten
evaluating novel antiviral strategies.
focused exclusively on COVID-19’s
the messy reality of what actually
We’ve also discussed collaborating
impact across several broad areas
happened — and what elements
with other members of the biology
— including criminal law and the
of persuasion were required to
and chemistry departments on
penal system, labor and employment
mobilize people.”
coronavirus-related projects. Social
law, education law, privacy law,
distancing guidelines make it diffi-
contracts, and of course, a number
out during WWII were occasionally
cult to have too many students in the
of areas of healthcare law with a
unfocused, he says, advertising firms
lab at the moment, so we’ve had to
focus on inequities in the healthcare
made sure the words and images
be creative in ways to engage under-
delivery system.”
people were seeing were as uniform
graduate students in research.” Undergraduate students are also designing ways to study coronaviruses using Seton Hall facilities that
Lawyers will have to grapple
While the public messages sent
as possible. “The messaging today, in
with the fallout from virus-related
contrast, appears to have a meager
claims for years to come, she notes.
sense of planning and cohesion at
Oliva is spending most of her
best. There is almost no comparison
could be used once a vaccine becomes
time writing and speaking about
available and it is again safe to have
COVID-19’s impact on vulnerable
multiple people in the lab.
patients — like essential workers,
“clear, consistent, repeated messaging
racial minorities, individuals with
as much as possible to encourage
LAUNCHING ONE OF THE FIRST LAW CLASSES IN THE COUNTRY ON COVID-19
disabilities, and individuals who
Americans to take steps needed to
lack socioeconomic resources —
slow the spread of the coronavirus.
and proposing legal solutions
This message must outline the stakes
that improve access to health care
in easy-to-comprehend terms and
Professor Jenn Oliva
instead of serving as a barrier.
offer clear guidance for action.”
LOOKING TO WWII FOR LESSONS IN HELPING CITIZENS FACE A CRISIS
HELPING STUDENTS CONTINUE TO SERVE THEIR MISSION
provoke many new and interesting
Professor James J. Kimble
Director, Division of
issues of law and policy, especially
College of Communication
Volunteer Efforts (DOVE)
regarding the Food and Drug Admin-
and the Arts, Communication
Seton Hall School of Law Oliva was teaching Food and Drug Law this spring when it became obvious the new coronavirus would
with the war era.” What’s needed now, he says, is
Michelle Peterson
DOVE typically helps student
istration, which regulates everything from vaccines to serology tests to
Kimble, an expert on domestic
volunteers serve vulnerable
ventilators to PPE. She is watching
propaganda and rhetoric in times of
communities and groups in need,
the FDA closely to keep up to speed on
war and best known for uncovering
placing an emphasis on a “ministry
all the issues the agency is juggling.
the identity of the real “Rosie the
of presence.” Though the pandemic
27
FE ATU R E |
upended this, Peterson shifted gears
“Nothing prepared any superin-
quickly to launch online visits with
tendent for moving from brick and
group homes and youth programs
mortar to the remote space.”
and to plan a slate of fall programs that feature social distancing. This semester, DOVE is sponsoring
Wrapping presents for a toy drive
In August the Orange school district held a livestreamed town meeting to present two possible
online student tutorials and English
“Return to School Plans” to the
as a Second Language classes, weekly
public, which Fitzhugh presented
discussions about service, equality,
alongside Tina Powell, Ed.D. ’14, the
and local and international need, as
district’s director of mathematics
well as Pillar Care Pals, a service to
and science. In September the
connect volunteers with homebound
district started a four-phased plan
individuals. Its perennially success-
that meant 100% virtual learning
ful toy drive was moved to October to
for the first four weeks of the school
match the academic semester’s early
year, followed by a gradual return
close. The Hunger and Homelessness
to the classroom for teachers in
Drive, running through November
October and a small number of
24, is collecting food, warm clothing
students in November, on limited
and toiletries for missions in Newark,
schedules.
South Orange and Philadelphia. “The pandemic is a shared experi-
“The crisis has shown me how to become more resilient as well as
ence that has shown each of us what
prepared for the unknown. The work
is important: our families, our com-
is never done. … Superintendents
munities, our connections. We have
work 24 hours a day, seven days a
learned the value of everything that
week, but this work is more targeted
was suddenly taken away — schools,
as families may need more support,
jobs, socialization and so much
and we have to be ‘on’ to ensure we
more. We have learned strength.”
have answers to their questions.”
NAVIGATING AN UNCHARTED TRANSITION TO REMOTE LEARNING
back letter to his district’s families,
Gerald Fitzhugh II, Ed.D. ’19
respective buildings.”
As Fitzhugh wrote in a welcome
Superintendent, Orange Township Public Schools
“Through remote means we will continue to embrace the students as if they were in front of us in our
PROVIDING ESSENTIAL WORK IN A GROCERY STORE
It seems an understatement: “The
28
problems involved in teaching
Matthew Seely ’21
during the pandemic seem almost
Supervisor, Kings Food Market,
insurmountable,” Fitzhugh says.
Florham Park
SETON HALL MAGAZINE
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Seely faced customers shopping
numbers from the store compared to
from “your typical waitressing job
in a panic this spring, sometimes
last year are up significantly, and we
to a true lifeline for our residents”
having to increase his schedule
are on top of making sure the store
when visitors were prohibited at
at the grocery store from 20 to 40
stays as clean as possible.”
facilities across the state.
hours a week while he was studying full-time.
Seely never thought of himself as
As several Brightview residents
an essential worker until the start
passed away early in the crisis,
of the pandemic but is humbled by
others were quarantined in their
balance the demands of his classes
the thought of helping people feel
apartments, and Sheeler began
and his job.
comfortable shopping — “though it
delivering meal orders to them rather
may be in a small way.”
than serving in the dining room.
Remote learning has helped him
Kings implemented strict safety guidelines to keep customers and
To help fight feelings of isolation,
SERVING AS A VITAL CONNECTION TO ISOLATED PEOPLE
she volunteered to take residents
shifts. All carts, baskets, credit card
Emma Sheeler ’23
stimulation and companionship.
machines, signs and dividers are
Food server, Brightview Senior
staff safe, including one-way aisles, plexiglass at registers, social distancing for customers waiting in line, and double maintenance
sanitized regularly.
Living Facility
“I think a lot of good has come
on walks after work, and Brightview planned new activities, including a happy hour to bring additional “I will remember the role I played during a global pandemic for the rest of my life. There is no doubt that
from these trials. Overall morale at
Sheeler’s job shifted dramatically
our residents deeply missed their
the store is better because we feel
in March when the pandemic hit
families, but we all worked hard to
like we really all are a team working
nursing homes and assisted living
bring them into our hearts and make
to make sure everyone is happy. The
facilities hard. Her work transformed
one big Brightview family.” n
STARTING AN ORAL HISTORY PROJECT ON THE PANDEMIC Seton Hall University Libraries staff The University Libraries launched a collection of personal narratives called “Together Again” to document how life in the Seton Hall community has changed due to COVID-19. Participants submit short video or audio recordings sharing personal stories and reflections. So far, the project has received more than 60 responses. “Our current social fragmentation results from our caring for each other,” says Sarah Ponichtera, assistant dean of special collections and the gallery, one of the many people working on the collection, which is posted online. “We hope this project, and others like it, allow that fundamental truth to shine through.” “Together Again” will remain open for submissions until the pandemic is declared over, but Ponichtera hopes future historians will use it to experience how COVID-19 affected society.
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S P OR T S |
SHAWN FURY
Hills, Hassles or Hampered Hamstrings… No Problem.
S
eton Hall senior cross-country runner Cristina Fernandez knows all about the challenges
is unclear due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fernandez is
that make her sport so difficult: hilly and
certain about her post-college career. She’ll help others,
rugged terrain, unpredictable weather that
just as she’s always done. Active in her local church,
runs hot and cold, muddy ground, the wear and tear
Fernandez volunteered at food pantries and also traveled
that causes injuries.
on trips to places like West Virginia where her group
Fernandez has a phrase for how competitors contend with all these factors. “It’s about embracing the discom-
repaired homes. “I always loved community service.” This kind of passion for service contributed to
fort,” she explains. “And as a team we do that together,
Fernandez being honored as a Seton Hall Student Servant
and that just makes us stronger when we’re on the
Leader. When Roberto Sasso, associate athletics director
starting line.”
for student-athlete development and leadership, saw the
“Embracing the discomfort.” That philosophy describes Fernandez’s approach to more than running. Because of her willingness to seek out global experi-
award criteria, he knew she would be a good candidate. “She’s exceptionally friendly … and loves to get involved.” A biology major with dreams of a career as a doctor,
ences, to experience new situations and cultures, she
Fernandez is president of the Seton Hall chapter of
has singled herself out for success and was honored with
MEDLIFE, a nonprofit group that works to improve access
one of five Student Servant Leader Awards this spring.
to medicine and education in Latin America and Africa,
Fernandez, a Parsippany native, originally focused on
30
Though the ultimate outcome of fall sports this year
and she has played a key role in increasing membership
soccer and basketball, even though she always enjoyed
on campus. On MEDLIFE service trips to Ecuador and
running. It wasn’t until her final years of high school
Peru, she helped on the front lines as physicians provided
that she took up cross country and “fell in love with the
medical care to impoverished communities. Fernandez
challenge of it.” She proved a quick learner, excelling in
took on a number of roles on these trips, from taking
high school and then at Seton Hall. She capped her first
down general patient information and vitals to shadowing
three seasons on the University team helping the Pirates
doctors, working with pharmacists, preparing Pap smears,
win at the 2019 ECAC/IC4A Championships, with a time
teaching kids the right way to brush their teeth and
of 20:07, fourth-best overall.
educating families on general hygiene and health.
SETON HALL MAGAZINE
Working in places where people sometimes didn’t even have access to supplies as simple and necessary
Photo courtesy of Seton Hall Athletics
as ibuprofen for an injured ankle took her out of
|
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campus … growing MEDLIFE … traveling to South America … it’s no easy task.” A typical day for Fernandez? Waking up 6 a.m.,
her comfort zone. “I was really distraught to witness
for practice at 7 a.m.; weight-lifting; classes; studying;
the kind of poverty that these people had to live in,”
afternoon practice; maybe more classes; maybe a
she says, “but I was inspired by the power that medicine
MEDLIFE meeting. “It’s a busy day but I’m surrounded
had to improve their lives. I just remember my heart
by people who are as passionate as I am, about running
feeling full, knowing how much medicine impacts
and pursuing a career in medicine, about helping the
people’s lives.”
community,” she says. “It’s exhausting but I love what
Sasso marvels at how Fernandez manages her own life. Even being named a Student Servant Leader
I do, and I wouldn’t change it.” Especially when she’s helping change the world. n
captures “just a fraction of the person she is,” he says, wondering how she finds the time. “All she does on
Shawn Fury is an author in New York City.
31
S P OR T S |
SHAWN FURY
Lizzie Win Is Back For More
32
S E TSOENT OHNA LHLA LMLA G MAAZGI ANZEI N |E
F
ive months after the COVID-19 pandemic
affect how you play the rest of the day. Sometimes
ended Lizzie Win’s senior season as a star
it’s hard to move on but you have to do it if you
golfer at Seton Hall, she remembers the dreaded
want to grow as a player and if you want to grow
March day when she and her teammates
as a person.”
received the news: “When we found out that we weren’t
Seton Hall women’s golf coach Natalie Desjardins
having the rest of the season, or our conference
watched that maturation. She calls Win a “grinder and
championship, that was one of the worst days of my
a fighter. She’s self-motivated. I never worry about
life,” she says.
her not doing what she’s supposed to be doing to get
The crushing disappointment brought Win’s senior
better.” Among Win’s accomplishments: winning the
campaign to an end, but it didn’t finish off her college
individual title in difficult weather at the Lady Blue Hen
career, as the NCAA granted spring-sport athletes
Invitational in Delaware; collecting the first hole-in-one
another year of eligibility. The day after she graduated
for any Pirate in tournament action with an ace at the
from Seton Hall in May with a double major in marketing
Nittany Lion Invitational in 2018; and having a 75.87
and information technology, Win began a master’s degree
career scoring average, the best four-year mark in
in marketing. She is hoping to play for the Pirates in
school history.
spring 2021. And while COVID-19 delayed Win’s pursuit of a career
Win also already has valuable LPGA Tour experience. Twice in her hometown she played in the Marathon
in professional golf, it also didn’t ruin that dream. When
Classic, a tournament her family’s very familiar with
she’s done at Seton Hall, Win will seek a spot on the
— for more than a decade the Wins have hosted LPGA
LPGA through its Q-School, where players battle for a
standout Brittany Lincicome when she competes in
tour card.
Ohio. For Win, “getting to play in the event with someone
“It’s actually going to be a big help,” Win says of another year of preparation. “I’m working with a new swing coach, who I wouldn’t have had before. … And
that I looked up to, and now being able to play at her level, was awesome and very eye-opening.” When it comes to a pro career, Desjardins talks with
I’m going to have all this time to myself, to go out,
Win about her own experiences from a decade ago,
practice, do what I love and be able to do it on my own
when the Pirate coach played on the smaller tours. “She
time while dealing with the schoolwork as well.”
has a great network of people, but the advice I gave her
Win spent the summer at home in Sylvania, Ohio,
Photo courtesy of Seton Hall Athletics
S| P RF IANLGL 2 0 2 10 8
is that you really are alone,” Desjardins says. “There’s
where she first learned the game from her dad, Tom.
no contract at the end of the day. You have to prove
The two teamed up in father-daughter tournaments in
yourself. You qualify, you play in those tournaments
her younger days, and he’s caddied for her. While her dad
and then slowly but surely, hopefully, you climb up that
helped her with golf’s finer aspects, Win says she never
leaderboard where people do recognize you and you’re
obsessed over technical details. “When I see something,
able to get those small sponsorships that turn a little
I’ll replicate it. I caught on to that learning style quickly,
bigger, then a little bit bigger.”
which helps in golf because you can sit at home, watch
Win accepts those challenges, especially after
it on TV and it makes you want to go to the course and
an unprecedented spring when a pandemic altered
replicate what you’ve seen.”
everything yet did nothing to deter her from her LPGA
Beyond that, “My dad’s pretty level-headed, pretty calm. I think I’ve inherited that trait. I try not to
goals. “I really think that if I didn’t try it, I would regret it and wish I would have gone for it.” n
let things bother me because in golf if you make one mistake and dwell on it too long, it’s going to
Shawn Fury is an author in New York City.
33
NE W S & N OT E S
alumni
60s
Patrick J. Conte ’62 received a lifetime achievement award from Marquis Who’s Who. … Martin F. Murphy ’62/J.D. ’65 was honored for 18 years of service to the borough of Essex Fells, N.J. … Daniel Williams ’62 received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the New Jersey Psychological Association. … Frank Schweighardt ’66 received a lifetime achievement award from Marquis Who’s Who. … Terence G. Conor, J.D. ’67 received a lifetime achievement award from Marquis Who’s Who. … Brian J. Fitzgerald ’67 was interviewed on WBGO radio about the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on Easterseals, an organization helping those with disabilities. … Frederick Schragger, J.D. ’67 was named the Harvey Cedars representative for the Long Beach Island, N.J. Consolidated Board of Education. … Raymond Chambers, M.B.A. ’68 was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from Princeton University. … John A. Niziol ’68 is teaching pediatrics at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. … William E. Ward ’68/M.A. ’73 published My Mosaic: Discovering Each Spiritual Piece One at a Time.
70s
Ronald W. Zilinski ’71 retired as director of the division of finance for Trenton, N.J. after serving the city for 13 years. … George Pizzo ’73 launched Caring Transitions of Somerset County, a senior -focused relocation and estate-clearing company, with his son, Damian. … John Yavelak ’73/M.B.A. ’79 earned a process-improvement award known as Six Sigma Black Belt at General Motors for the OnStar Project. … Donald A. Maxton, M.A. ’74 retired from a 35-year career of writing, editing and designing newsletters, magazines, brochures, and educational material for corporations and hospital systems. … Michael John Spedick ’74 received a lifetime achievement award by Marquis Who’s Who. … Jean Leuner ’75 was re-elected to
34
the board of directors and nominating committee of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. … Therese M. Mamel Shehan, M.A. ’75 graduated summa cum laude from St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary with an M.A. in Theological Studies degree and was the valedictorian for the program. … Donald Williams ’75 retired as an Ulster County, N.Y., judge after 40 years in law enforcement. … The family of Walter S. Zalewski Jr. ’77 posthumously published a novel he wrote called The Poohman about college friends discussing their lives at a class reunion. … Thomas C. Miller, J.D. ’78 was named the new assignment judge for Somerset, Hunterdon, and Warren counties in New Jersey. … Michael Ventura, J.D. ’78 was named to the SAGE Eldercare Board of Trustees. … Monsignor Gregory J. Studerus, M.D.M. ’79 was named an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Newark, N.J.
80s
Michael J. Fasano ’80 joined RIPCO Real Estate as a managing partner, overseeing its investment sales platform. … Theodore N. Stephens, J.D. ’80 was honored during the New Jersey General Assembly’s Black History Month celebration. … Rhonda Cardone ’81 has been named to the board of directors of the American Society of Highway Engineers New York Metro chapter. … Laurence Bodine, J.D. ’81 received a lifetime achievement award from Marquis Who’s Who. … Jamelle Hoskins-Nnakwe ’81 published a children’s book, I Can Speak Two Languages. … Robert Leszczak ’81 is writing his 11th pop culture book, scheduled for release in 2021, about the history and behind-the-scenes story of the NBC sitcom “Wings.” He also celebrated his 42nd year in the radio business. … Ron Manzella, M.A.E. ’81 retired as the business administrator of Union (N.J.) Township. … Daniel Pacicco ’81 was appointed executive vice president and chief financial officer of AmTrust Financial Services, Inc. … Carole Peet ’81 was named CEO of Virginia Mason Memorial hospital in
Yakima, Wash. … Christine Amlfe ’82 was sworn in as secretary of the New Jersey State Bar Association. … Ann Marie Mauro ’82/M.S.N. ’86 was named dean of the Marjorie K. Unterberg School of Nursing and Health Studies at Monmouth University. … Michele Papkow Bononi ’82 was elected to 10 more years as judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Westmoreland County, Pa. … Damian Braga, M.B.A. ’83 joined the board of directors for VBI Vaccines, Inc. … Patrick T. Collins, J.D. ’83 participated in a virtual town hall titled “COVID-19 Guidance: A Discussion about FFCRA and Other Employment Laws Impacting Medical Practices,” for New Jersey Medical Group Management Association and eight other state medical group management associations. … Mark Dorigan, J.D. ’83 was named CEO of Hoffman & Associates, a development firm in Washington, D.C. … Robert F. Guida, J.D. ’83 joined the Dentons law firm, focusing on insurance defense and general litigation. … Jack M. Ciattarelli ’84/M.B.A. ’86 is seeking the Republican nomination for the New Jersey governor’s race in 2021. … Adele Gulfo ’84 joined Myovant Science’s board of directors. … Mary A. Rusnak, M.B.A. ’85 published the novel Villages Ghost Stories. … Tim F. McGoughran, J.D. ’86 became second vice president of the New Jersey State Bar Association. … Suzanne Stess Williams ’87 was named Teacher of the Year for 2019-20 at Lillian Drive School in Hazlet, N.J. … Thomas P. Chester ’88 was appointed associate vice president for human resources at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash. … Wanda Knapik, M.B.A. ’88 hosted “Introduction to Permaculture Design” at the Essex County Environmental Center in Roseland, N.J., a program on reversing global warming using the diverse landscapes of New Jersey. … Anthony Sallustio ’88 was honored with the Private Practice Prosthodontist Award from the Northeast Region of the American College of Prosthodontists. … Richard P. Law ’89 became a managing director in the corporate value consulting practice of Grant Thornton.
SETON HALL MAGAZINE
PROFILE And the Emmy Goes to…
O
|
nly a handful of Roman Catholic priests have won
different experiences as far as socio-economics
Emmys, and this summer Father Michael Russo
and political experiences, what the Church has done
‘67/M.Div.’75 became one of them.
when it’s been its best throughout history is to meet
Father Russo, managing editor and host of the
people where they are, understand their needs, and
“Sunday to Sunday” television show, was awarded a 2020
then preach the Gospel to them,” says Father Walsh
Emmy Award for Outstanding Interview Program by
in the episode.
the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ San Francisco/Northern California chapter. “We’re thrilled about this honor from the television
FA L L 2 0 2 0
Other recent episodes feature Father Bob Stagg of the Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River, N.J.; Father Manuel De Jesus Rodriguez, pastor
academy,” Father Russo told the Religion News
of Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church
Service. “It’s truly a culmination of teamwork and
in Jamaica, Queens; and Father Ricky Manalo, a
support from many, and a sign that our work is
composer/liturgist and preacher. | SHANICE CASIMIRO
having an impact.” Father Russo, retired professor of media studies
at Saint Mary’s College of California, has combined media expertise with his religious calling throughout his career. His broad experience includes working as a desk assistant for Walter Cronkite during the broadcast of the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969 and serving as a freelance CBS News producer for elections, political conventions and his specialty, the news of religion. He spent 10 years in the Seton Hall priest community,
teaching at Seton Hall Prep and serving in other capacities at the University. After his ordination from Darlington Seminary in 1971, he obtained a Ph.D. from New York University and earned a Shorenstein fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School. As the Archdiocese of Newark’s director of commu-
nication, he created “New Jersey Catholic,” a weekly discussion program on Suburban Cablevision and was appointed to the New Jersey Public Television Commission. After retiring from full-time teaching in 2017, Father
Russo established “Sunday to Sunday,” which explores the art, craft and spirituality of preaching. The program can be seen on America Magazine’s website and a The Emmy Award-winning episode, “Father Chris Walsh,” follows a Philadelphia priest as he shares his experiences as the spiritual leader of the African American congregation of Saint Raymond of Penafort. “I think as we minister, not only to an increasingly non-white Church but also a Church that has very
Father Michael Russo
Photo courtesy of Randy Tunnell
growing number of cable news outlets nationally.
35
NE W S & N OT E S
Pirate Babies 1. Caroline Langowski ’14 and Robert Meade, a girl, Savannah Meade. 2. Maryan (Nasralla) ’10/D.P.T. ’14 and Johnathan Wicker ’10, a boy, Jeremiah Michael on June 29, 2019. 3. Kaitlyn (Patire) Urciuoli ’10 and Michael Urciuoli ’10, a girl, Ava Rose, on November 1, 2019.
1
2
3
4
5
4. Jessica (Socha) ’02/M.B.A. ’04 and Nathan Umbriac ’03/M.B.A. ’09, a girl, Stefania Marie, on June 3, 2019. 5. Andrew D. Rivera ’13 and Cara Rivera, a boy, Mateó Fear, on April, 13, 2020.
SHARE YOUR JOY WITH THE PIRATE COMMUNITY Please send us your wedding or baby photos to alumni@shu.edu or shuwriter@shu.edu. We may run your submission in a future issue of the magazine or on social media.
Tying the knot 1. Veronica Grupico ’13 and Thomas Schram ’14 married on November 9, 2019. 2. Erika Klinger, M.A. ’11 and Gary Thomas ’99 married on October 4, 2019.
1
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2
SETON HALL MAGAZINE
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Pirate Pride Tag us in your Pirate Pride photos @setonhallalumni or email us alumni@shu.edu
Don’t have a Pirate bandana yet? Visit www.shu.edu/alumni to request yours.
Angelo Marino ’14 and Ashley Sydlo ’14 married on January 24, 2020.
Share your news... Have you been promoted? Earned an advanced degree? Been honored for professional or personal achievements? Recently married? Added a baby Pirate to the ranks? We want to know! Visit us at www.shu.edu/alumni and share your success. Your news may be published in an upcoming issue of Seton Hall magazine. If you can’t log on, fill out the form below with your 1
news and send it to: Department of Alumni Engagement and Philanthropy Alumni News and Notes 457 Centre St., South Orange, NJ 07079 Fax: (973) 378-2640
Name
2
3
Class Year(s) and Degree(s) from Seton Hall
Home Address
Phone
Email Address
News to Share:
4
PRIDE IN ACTION 1) Patrick Parrish ’12/J.D. ’18 atop Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. 2) Michael Rholfs ’93 and Michael Freker ’93/M.P.A. ’97 at a Temple in Bangkok, Thailand. 3) Lisa Bettelli Longo ’86/M.A. ’92 at the Trevi Fountain, Rome. 4) Margaret Bystryk ’14 of the U.S. Army, Judge Advocate General’s Corps, and the current Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Army, MG Stuart Risch, J.D. ’87 in the courtroom of the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate at Fort Gordon, Georgia.
37
NE W S & N OT E S
alumni
90s
38
Charles Aaron ’90 was featured in Jersey’s Best magazine in a story about Jersey Girl Brewing Co., which he co-owns. … Abbot Elias Lorenzo, M.A.E. ’90 was named an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Newark, N.J. … Michael Murray ’90 joined the Tully Rinckey PLLC law firm as chief marketing officer. … Jack V. Corradino ’91 was certified as a member of The Lawyers of Distinction. … Patrick Dunican, J.D. ’91 was elected chair of the Iona College Board of Trustees. … Jeffery Goldsmith ’91/J.D. ’94 joined the insurance company AIG Claims, Inc. ... Evelyn Padin, J.D. ’92 is immediate past president of the New Jersey State Bar Association, having been the first Latina president. … Father Michael Saporito, M.D.M. ’92 was named an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Newark, N.J. … Michelle McLaughlin ’93/M.B.A. ’99 was appointed chief underwriting officer of the North America retail commercial property and casualty insurance division at Chubb Limited. … Judith E. Schmidt, M.S.N. ’93 was awarded the George J. Herbert Leadership Award for nursing leadership career at the 48th Annual Seton Hall College of Nursing Margaret C. Haley Awards. … Gene Hoffman ’94 is pursuing an online doctorate in Jewish studies at 91 years old. … Kenichi Iwama, J.D. ’94 was selected as chancellor of the Indiana University Northwest campus. … Shana Kelley ’94 wrote an article titled “We Need a Moonshot for New Diagnostics if We Want Effective Pandemic Control” about how to diagnose the COVID-19 virus. … Marina Barg, J.D. ’95 was appointed senior vice president of claims for the W.R. Berkley Corporation insurance company. … Susan Hairston, M.P.A. ’95 ran for Ward 1 councilwoman in Summit, N.J., this November. … Mark R. Peck, J.D. ’95 was named planning board attorney in Bridgewater Township, N.J. … Kevin G. Walsh ’95/J.D. ’98 was installed as the 123rd president of the Essex County, N.J. Bar Association. … Melissa Florance-Lynch ’96 ran for Morris County (N.J.) freeholder. … Frank S. Sorce, M.B.A. ’96 joined TEDOR
Pharma, a contract development and manufacturing organization, as regional business development director. … Nelson J. Aquino ’97 ran for a seat on the board of health in Winchester, Mass. … John L. Shahdanian, J.D. ’97 joined the McCusker, Anselmi, Rosen & Carvelli, P.C. law firm in Florham Park, N.J. … Katherine Howes, J.D. ’98 was appointed alternate municipal judge for Bridgewater Township, N.J. … Elaine A. Rocha, J.D. ’98 was elected vice chair of the board of directors for The College of New Jersey Foundation and became the chief of staff to the president of the AIG insurance company. … Vincenzo Stampone, J.D. ’98 was confirmed as a judge on the Paterson (N.J.) Municipal Court. … Beatriz Manetta, M.S. ’99, CEO of Argent Associates, a technology consulting company, was awarded the 2019 Ford Motor Co. Mujer Legendaria Award in Leadership. … Damian Shammas, J.D. ’99 was selected to the Thomson Reuters New Jersey Super Lawyer list. … Gregory T. Simpson, M.B.A. ’99/M.S. ’99 joined software company Saama Technologies, Inc. as vice president, head of marketing. … Melissa L. Van Der Wall ’99/M.P.A. ’01 was honored by the YMCA of Northern New Jersey during its annual Tribute to Women of Influence ceremony.
00s
Christopher Carola ’01 was appointed vice president, relationship manager for commercial lending in Denville/Totowa, N.J., for Lakeland Bank. … Sandy L. Galacio, J.D. ’01 was promoted to special counsel at the Windels Marx law firm. … Garrett Hoover, M.H.A. ’01 was named president and chief operating officer of Carroll Hospital in Carroll County, Md. … Christopher Piehota, M.A. ’01 joined Lowers Risk Group as executive vice president of business development and operations. … Theresa M. Pietrowski, M.A.E. ’01 was named principal at Chestnut Ridge Middle School in Washington Township, N.J. … Quovella Spruill, M.A. ’01 public safety director for the Franklin Township, N.J., Police Department, was the keynote speaker for a seminar at Hudson County Community College discussing “Women
in Policing.” … Lisa M. Antunes, Ed.D. ’02 was appointed superintendent of the Hillsborough, N.J., School District. … Alba L. Guadalupe ’02 is school counseling director at Atlantic Technical High School in Coconut Creek, Fla. … David Ondrejcak, M.B.A. ’02 was named to the board of trustees for the Cancer Hope Network in Chester, N.J. … Kamili Williams, M.P.A. ’02 was appointed head of the Union County (N.J.) Division of Social Services within the state’s Department of Human Services. … Barbara Boyle, M.S. ’03 was named a partner at Murphy, Miller & Baglieri LLP, an accounting firm. … Angel Diaz, J.D. ’03 donated saintly relics to Our Lady of the Lake parish in Sparta, N.J. … Marcus O. Hicks, J.D. ’03 is commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Corrections. … David Viana ’03, owner and chef de cuisine of Heirloom Kitchen in Old Bridge, N.J., gave a cooking demonstration at his alma mater Arthur L. Johnson High School in Clark, N.J., to support the school’s Parent Teacher Association. … Donna A. Higbee, M.A. ’04 was featured in an article in The Press of Atlantic City about her police career. … Maria Sikoutris-Di Iorio, M.B.A. ’04 hosted a Hellenic Therapy Center session on the mental health effects of COVID-19. … Timothy H. Brennan, M.S.T. ’05 was named partner at the Bederson LLP accounting firm in Fairfield, N.J. … Carrie Longstaff, J.D. ’05 was elected partner at BakerHostetler in the law firm’s intellectual property group. … Craig McGraw ’05 was featured in a Forbes article highlighting his work on the Forbes Business Development Council. … Olivia Ottens ’05 launched the Michalski-Ottens Law Office in Pompton Plains, N.J. … John A. Perez ’05 was promoted to director of military and veterans’ affairs at Johnson & Johnson. … Yeurys Pujols, M.A. ’05 was honored at Save Latin America’s “Los Tres Proceres Antillanos” gala. … Michael G. McNally, J.D. ’06 became a partner at the Fox Rothschild LLP law firm in Minneapolis, Minn., in the employee benefits and compensation department. … Heidi Williamson, M.A. ’06 is senior vice president for programs and initiatives at Berks County Community Foundation. … Erica A. Barker, J.D. ’07 was selected to lead the Postal Regulatory Commission’s
SETON HALL MAGAZINE
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GET CONNECTED
• V I R T UA L •
Seton Hall’s annual Many Are One alumni gala, held online in June, celebrated our 2020 Most Distinguished Alumna honoree, Catherine Alicia Georges ’65, a nationally recognized leader committed to improving the health of minorities and the disadvantaged, a former president of the National Black Nurses Foundation, and AARP’s national volunteer president. The celebration included remarks from Georges as well as thank you messages sent out to Seton Hall alumni and students who demonstrated servant leadership by working as essential or frontline workers throughout the pandemic. View a recap of our 2020 Many Are One digital celebration by visiting www.shu.edu/manyareone.
Have you taken advantage of Seton Hall’s exclusive professional development and networking platform, Pirate Connect? Join fellow Pirates and unlock a world of opportunities available only to the University community. Find or become a mentor, search or post jobs and keep up to date with Seton Hall happenings by visiting www.shu.edu/ PirateConnect or downloading the “Graduway” app on your smartphone.
Seton Hall Strong Overwhelming acts of kindness from Pirates around the world throughout the COVID-19 pandemic have shown the true meaning of being one Seton Hall family. Two fundraising campaigns aimed at supporting the University and its students, carried out in the initial, uncertain days of the crisis, set a bold precedent for the ways our community can rise to any occasion.
April’s Day of Caring 1,400 supporters counted. 365,000 dollars raised. In 36 hours. Despite the economic uncertainty caused by COVID-19, Setonians everywhere demonstrated their Pirate Pride in a time of need; they responded in droves to the University’s call for a “Day of Caring” to help students particularly impacted by the pandemic. Great Minds Forward The motto Hazard Zet Forward has served to guide Seton Hall through the toughest of times; it continues to do so, even now.
forward To help the University rise above the challenges and maintain its ability to educate students who will become future leaders, our Pirate community rallied throughout June and July, pushing Seton Hall’s Great Minds Forward fundraising campaign to exceed expectations. Originally launched with a goal of 500 donors, the campaign attracted 1,200 donors, raising more than $85,000 for the areas of greatest need.
39
alumni
NE W S & N OT E S Office of the Secretary and Administration in Washington, D.C. … Damian Bednarz, M.A. ’07 joined EnBW North America as the development company’s external affairs director. … Fanny Erazo Cedeno ’07 is the new Hudson County Freeholder for District 6 in New Jersey. … Ryan M. Jennings ’07/J.D. ’10 joined Unruh, Turner, Burke & Frees as a partner in the law firm’s municipal and land use practice groups. … Steven Miller, M.A. ’07 wrote a book titled Museum Collection Ethics: Acquisition, Stewardship, and Interpretation … Rashmee Sinha, J.D. ’07 joined Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck LLP as an employment practices liability partner in the law firm’s Woodbury, N.Y., headquarters. … Diane Vidal, J.D. ’07 was appointed a director of the Flagler County, Fla., Bar Association. … Wanda French-Brown, J.D. ’08 was selected to represent the McGuireWoods law firm on the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity 2020 Fellows Program. … Dawn C. Kumar ’08/M.A.E. ’11 is a trustee to the Wayne (N.J.) Board of Education. … Vittorio Mena Jr. ‘08/M.S. ’10 won the Young Optometrist of the Year Award for 2019 presented by the New Jersey Society of Optometric Physicians for his work with the Optical Academy’s mobile unit. … Brian Sabatelli, M.A. ’08 was sworn in as a sergeant for the Fairfield, N.J., police department. … Russell Cirincione ’09/J.D. ’12 was endorsed by Andrew Yang for his seat representing New Jersey’s 6th Congressional District. … Karen L. Kielczewski Robinson, J.D. ’09 was promoted to senior staff attorney at Volunteer Lawyers for Justice. … Lacey Lockward, M.B.A. ’09 was named the new head of stable value for Prudential Retirement, a business unit of Prudential Financial, Inc. … Steven Pantina ’09 is leading Proxy Analytics LLC, a new corporate governance intelligence firm.
10s
Elizabeth Ardolino, Ph.D. ’10 wrote a paper titled “Relationship between Movement Quality, Functional Ambulation Status, and Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters in Children with Myelomeningocele.” … Jennifer Eugene, J.D. ’10 is assistant municipal attorney for Hamilton Township, N.J. … 40
Wendy W. Lin-Cook, Ph.D. ’10 was appointed vice president of enrollment management at Montclair State University. … Brendan Lyons, Ed.D. ’10 was appointed superintendent of schools for the Lakeland (N.Y.) Central School District. … Rachel Mongiello, J.D. ’10 was elevated to a member of Cole Schotz P. C. law firm. … Vito T. Cataldo, M.S. ’11 became senior manager of the personal care team at AAK USA Inc. … Joseph A. Giordano, J.D. ’11 joined the litigation team for Porzio, Bromberg & Newman P. C. as counsel in the Morristown, N.J., office. … Tommy Ibrahim, M.H.A. ’11 was appointed president and chief executive officer of Basset Healthcare Network. … Michael Jacobson ’11 is president and chief executive officer of the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association. … Grzegorz S. Panek ’11 is chief financial officer of XCEL Federal Credit Union. … Emily Metz, J.D. ’12 is president and chief executive officer for the American Egg Board. … Raj Mukherji, J.D. ’12 is chair of the Assembly Judiciary Committee for Jersey City, N.J. … Katherine M. O’Brien ’12 was promoted to editor at Dark Horse Comics. … Edward Twomey ’12 was appointed to an assistant professorship in the Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine. … Joel Castillo, Ed.S. ’13 was appointed to lead the Academy of Our Lady of Peace in New Providence, N.J. … Katie Manzi McDonough, J.D. ’13 was promoted to partner at Egan, Flanagan & Cohen, P. C. law firm in Springfield, N.J., and was named one of BusinessWest’s “40 Under Forty” for 2020. … Briehan A. Moran, J.D. ’13 was named senior vice president, director of business development for The Gate New York, a communications company. … Justine Abrams, J.D. ’14 graduated from the Lead New Jersey leadership fellowship program in 2019. … Patrick Beatty, Ed.D. ’14 is a criminology and criminal justice instructor at the University of South Carolina. … Nicholas C. Sertich ’15 was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Newark, N.J. … Jonathan J. Weisbrod, J.D. ’15 joined Lyft as the global head of employee relations and workforce policies. … Katherine C. Aquino, Ph.D. ’16 finished work on an edited volume, Improving Postsecondary Choice and Pathways: Student
Success and College Match (Routledge). … Charles E. Beard, M.S.J. ’16 was appointed to the board of directors for Fresh Del Monte Produce. … Nicole M. Fiorino ’16 became the new curator at the Sitka History Museum in Sitka, Alaska. … Jillian Freda, J.D. ’16 joined Einhorn, Barbarito, Frost & Botwinick, PC as an associate in the law firm’s matrimonial/family and commercial litigation practice groups. … Aubrey A. Johnson, Ed.D. ’16 was named New Jersey Seal of Biliteracy Superintendent of the Year by the New Jersey Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages/ New Jersey Bilingual Educators. … Rachel McCarthy ’17 was accepted into the Peace Corps as an English co-teaching and critical skills facilitator in Panama. … Mitzi N. Morillo, Ed.D. ’17 was selected as the Morris County, N.J., Superintendent of the Year by the Morris County Association of School Administrators. … Brent Findon ’18 and Victoria Melendez ’19 joined the youth-in-development Peace Corps volunteers in Thailand. … Rafael Padron, M.D.M. ’19 was ordained to the priesthood at Immaculate Conception Church in Goose Creek, S.C. … Malwinder Singh, M.H.A. ’19 earned accolades from Government Medical College-Jammu in India for his work dealing with COVID-19 patients.
20s
Veronica Ruth ’20 will be participating in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps’ Northwest program in Portland, Ore.
Baby Pirates Erin M. Callahan ’08/J.D. ’11 and Terrance R. Gallogly ’09/J.D. ’12, a girl, Parker Elizabeth, February 9, 2020. Melissa (Fernandez) ’04 and TJ Cullen, a boy, Jaxon Joseph, on September 26, 2019. Victoria Forte ’10 and Frank Forte, a girl, Penelope Marie, on January 5, 2019. Erin (Egan) Harvey ’13 and Ryan Harvey ’15, a girl, Harper Rose, February 25, 2020. Caroline Langowski ’14 and Robert Meade, a girl, Savannah. Alonso Tangarife ’05 and Veronica, a girl, Madison, on October 11, 2019. Andrew D. Rivera ’13 and Cara Rivera, a boy, Mateó Fear, on April, 13, 2020. Jessica (Socha) ’02/M.B.A. ’04 and
SETON HALL MAGAZINE
PROFILE Lessons Learned Under the Sea
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hen David “Dave” Davis Jr. ’82 first saw the 1958 film Run Silent, Run Deep starring Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster as World War II
submarine officers, he immediately knew he wanted to become a submariner. A Newark native, he joined the Navy while still in
high school and went on to attend the Basic Enlisted Submarine School in New London, Connecticut. He was assigned to the USS Cavalla, the WWII submarine that famously sunk the Shōkaku, a Japanese aircraft carrier that took part in the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Davis had the unique pleasure of being aboard the Cavalla when it made its 5,000th dive — an accomplishment, he says, “no modern-day submarines will ever reach.” Davis credits his faculty adviser at the Stillman
School of Business, the late Professor Stanley Kosakowski, for developing his attention to detail and perseverance — skills that proved essential to his 30-year Navy career as a senior chief radioman, and New Jersey runs deep in the history of the U.S.
submarine force, which was founded in 1900 when the Navy commissioned its first submarine, designed by John Philip Holland, an Irish-born resident of Paterson. The only current American veterans organization David Davis Jr.
exclusively representing submariners — the United States Submarine Veterans, Inc. (USSVI) — was chartered in 1964 in Orange, New Jersey. (An earlier organization,
“There is room for everything onboard a submarine
the Submarine Veterans of World War II, Inc., was
except a mistake.”
disbanded due to declining membership.) Davis was recently promoted to base commander
Submariners do have access to books, television, cards and videogames aboard their crafts, for when they
of USSVI’s local chapter — New Jersey North Base —
have breaks — but these moments are rare. In Davis’s
and was inducted to the organization’s Holland Club,
words, “You never knew if the next ‘Emergency Action’
which honors 50-year submarine service veterans. “I
message one receives is a ‘drill’ or orders to launch
am excited about embracing the camaraderie of other
missiles upon an adversary.”
former undersea warriors,” he says of his new leadership
Now the president and CEO of David Davis Jr. &
role. “We all have something in common, the love of
Sons Funeral Home, Davis has faced the challenges
submarining and country.”
presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that it
Submarine duty is considered highly dangerous,
has been difficult to deal with the sheer number of
demanding utmost patriotism, adaptability, trust-
deaths and the disruption to funeral services such as
worthiness and vigilance. Submariners are said to be
embalming and public viewings.
part of the “Silent Service,” so named because of a
Photo courtesy of David Davis, Jr.
now, in his work as a funeral director.
But he has adapted to the circumstances in order to
submarine’s quiet, undetected prowess and the classified
deliver quality service, just as he learned to do in the
nature of the military assignments. As Davis puts it,
Navy. | SHANICE CASIMIRO
41
NE W S & N OT E S Nathan Umbriac ’03/M.B.A. ’09, a girl, Stefania Marie, on June 3, 2019. Kaitlyn (Patire) Urciuoli ’10 and Michael Urciuoli ’10, a girl, Ava Rose, on November 1, 2019. Maryan (Nasralla) ’10/D.P.T. ’14 and Johnathan Wicker ’10, a boy, Jeremiah Michael on June 29, 2019. Nicole (Faria) Wood’14/M.S.O.T. ’16 and Billy Wood, a girl, Guiliana, on May 24, 2019.
Weddings Jake Burke ’16 and Charlene (Oselador) Burke ’16 on September 6, 2019. Nick Caliendo ’11 and Jackie Taylor ’10 on March 2, 2019. Ben Canning ’13 and Paulina Canning ’14 on October 12, 2019. Hayley DiPillo ’15/M.S. ’17 and Andrew Kraemer, D.P.T. ’17 on March 21, 2020. Veronica Grupico ’13 and Thomas Schram ’14 on November 9, 2019. Erika Klinger, M.A. ’11 and Gary Thomas ’99 on October 4, 2019. Angelo Marino ’14 and Ashley Sydlo ’14 on January 24, 2020. Nicholas Luke Naumann ’11 and Melissa Rose on December 13, 2019.
In Memoriam Henry Homza ’41 Bridget C. Mastronardy ’45/M.A. ’54 Walter R. Sabo ’47 Stanley F. Maciolek ’48 Louis A. Bross Jr. ’49 Anthony F. Coccio ’49 Francis J. Dooley ’49 Vincent R. Farley ’49 Dr. George L. Sexton ’49 Joseph W. Spicer ’49 Saleem K. Boghdan ’50 Joseph J. Cooke ’50 Francis J. Nead ’50 Joseph E. Petrone ’50 James F. Tierney ’50 Raymond D. Abazia ’51 Jack A. De Rosa ’51 Arthur W. Gatesy ’51 Ernest L. Giordano ’51 Alex R. Lasorsa ’51 Thaddeus S. Lepcio ’51 Joseph D. McGlone ’51 Walter P. Ulicny ’51 Frank G. Adams ’52 Richard Crosta ’52 Vincent De Joy ’52 Anthony J. Hope ’52 Frank P. DelBianco ’53 42
John Jicha ’53 Raymond Mignone ’53 John F. Shine ’53 Robert V. Thompson ’53 Sister Bernadette Roessner ’54 Giacomo G. Rosati, J.D. ’54 Thomas J. Sharkey Sr. ’54 Henry J. Waksmundzki ’54 Virginia O. Allen ’55 Frank John Cagliari ’55 Joseph A. Garrigan ’55 Frank A. George ’55 Father Francis A. Heinen ’55 Edward J. Kernan Sr. ’55 Norman C. Lubeck ’55 William T. Nolan Jr. ’55 Neil J. Pirozzi ’55 Allan J. Handelman ’56 Vernon W. Little ’56 Father John J. Morris ’56 William Dziobko ’57 Brendan J. Morgan ’57 Edward W. Perry Jr. ’57 Joseph J. Stefaniak ’57 Eugene J. Westlake ’57 John R. Brady ’58 Albert G. Chlapowski ’58 Anthony Robert Comeleo ’58 Robert Stephen Harrison ’58/M.S. ’73 Julian L. Hill ’58 Garrett P. Kiely Jr. ’58 Father John F. Morley ’58 Vincent M. Stesner ’58 Raymond L. Costigan ’59 Carmen J. Daccurso ’59 M. A. Doyle ’59 Irene G. Gorek ’59 George Hahn ’59 Silas L. Lake ’59 Alexander R. Maccia, M.A.E. ’59 George W. Scott ’59 Thomas F. Sheelen ’59 Guy R. Sodano ’59 Dr. Joseph M. Williams ’59 Sister M. Blum, M.S. ’60 Dr. Robert J. Brabston ’60/M.D. ’64 Nicholas P. Conte ’60 Linda L. Damen ’60 Carl A. Presnal ’60 Peter M. Ryan ’60 Harry Agoratus, M.A.E. ’61 Gary A. Bionde ’61 John Arthur Conte ’61/J.D. ’67 Sister Mary J. Dougherty ’61 Eleanor Gallagher ’61
Lawrence B. Goodman ’61 Father Raymond M. Holmes ’61/ M.D.M. ’75 Edward C. Kruger Jr. ’61 Louise A. Mertens ’61 Sister Mary D. Power, M.A.E. ’61 John P. Rondinone ’61 Adam M. Stanislawczyk, M.A.E. ’61 Ronald P. Cecere ’62/M.A.E. ’65 Theodore P. Cielecki ’62 Bessie Hannan ’62 Joseph J. Lombardi ’62 Michael A. Medici ’62 Sadie T. Sergio ’62 Judith T. Barker ’63 Costante J. Bonapace ’63 Dr. Joseph Anthony Camillo ’63 Peter M. Caruso ’63 Thomas R. Crane ’63 Felizarda D. Gallagher ’63 Marie D. Manno, M.A.E. ’63 Kenneth F. Ralston, M.A.E. ’63 Wayne G. Schmitt ’63 James M. Smiley ’63 Carl G. Tinquist ’63 Robert F. Wyrwa ’63/M.D.M. ’76 Kenneth W. Chmura ’64 Donald M. Gallagher, J.D. ’64 James F. Isherwood, J.D. ’64 Richard C. Keller ’64 Robert L. Knapp ’64 Frank J. Kocun ’64/M.B.A. ’74 David J. Marec, M.S. ’64 Bruce J. Monroe, M.A.E. ’64 Louis A. Puopolo ’64 Frank P. Soltesz ’64 Harriet M. Sosely, M.A.E. ’64 Frank J. Vecchione, J.D. ’64 Peter M. Delaney, M.A.E. ’65 Dr. Joseph D. Fecher Jr. ’65 John J. Fletcher ’65 Donald R. Fronzaglia ’65 Deacon John M. Inguaggiato ’65 Joseph E. Johnson, M.A.E. ’65 Anita B. LoFaso ’65 Robert S. Olsen ’65 Patricia M. Richel ’65 Carmen Adornato ’66/M.B.A. ’72 Matthew S. Calabro, J.D. ’66 Sister Martha Harcar, M.A.E. ’66 Celeste A. Lambert ’66 Walter J. Wiechetek ’66 Richard W. Woods Sr. ’66 Sister Catherine Duignan ’67 Robert A. Marro, M.B.A. ’67
SETON HALL MAGAZINE John Murray Jr. ’67 James R. Napolitano, J.D. ’67 Daniel S. Popovitch, J.D. ’67 Peter J. Altamura Jr. ’68 Leonard G. Birnbaum, M.B.A. ’68 Marygrace L. Cicchelli ’68 James H. Magill, M.A.E. ’68 Charles J. Matthews ’68 John J. Moakler ’68 Jeanne Helene Murdock, M.A.E. ’68 Carolyn K. Utzinger ’68 John A. Wallace ’68 Frederick C. Clark ’69 Louis R. De Mattheis, M.B.A. ’69 Thomas J. Frain Sr. ’69 Henry D. Heberling ’69 James M. Rusignuolo ’69 Gregory J. Czura, J.D. ’70 Gerard C. Ferraro ’70 Howard E. Mclaughlin, M.A.E. ’70 Anthony J. Minniti ’70 William H. Montgomery, J.D. ’70 Anthony Podolski ’70 Robert E. Reilly Jr. ’70 Anita Grant Stephens ’70 George A. Zeppenfeldt ’70 Paul John Banik Jr., M.A.E. ’71 Carmelanne Dilkes ’71 Dr. Kenneth W. Faistl ’71 Daniel K. Marty Jr. ’71 Margaret I. Pflaging ’71 Charles A. Scuilla ’71 Ralph E. Turpin Jr., J.D. ’71 Sister M. Clare Arenholz, M.A.E. ’72 Cornelius J. Boylan, M.A.E. ’72 Roger P. Kindel ’72/M.S. ’76 M. Elizabeth LeBlanc, M.A.E. ’72 Robert J. MacNiven, J.D. ’72 Dominick C. Santini ’72 Albert Simmons Sr., M.A.E. ’72 Sister Ruth Borgersen, M.S. ’73 Robert John Garrand, M.A.E. ’73 Richard Konopka ’73 Adeline Lange, M.A.E. ’73 Harold Norcross, M.A.E. ’73 Sister Mary Kathryn Quinn, M.A.E. ’73 Father Charles Cassidy ’74/M.D.M. ’76 Matthew Dox ’74 Douglas Ernst ’74 Philip Hartung, M.B.A. ’74 Ann P. Miller ’74 Sister Andree Normandin ’74 Rose B. Atkins, M.A.E. ’75 Edward T. Bialecki, M.A.E. ’75 John Paul Cancillieri ’75
Joseph T. Harcarik, J.D. ’75 Neil F. Katz, J.D. ’75 Martin J. McGreevy, J.D. ’75 Lynne A. Deming ’76/M.S.N. ’82 Mary V. Harcar, J.D. ’76 Paul Kelaher ’76 Sister Regina M. McWilliams, M.A.E. ’76 Judith L. Simet, M.A.E. ’76 David Arbeitman ’77 Edward Chen, M.A.E. ’77 Sister Monica Dequardo, M.A.E. ’77 Gerald John Fabian, M.A.E. ’77 Dr. Michael G. Giuliano ’77 Ermina Hahn, J.D. ’77 David E. Hogenauer, M.A. ’77 Herbert Massa, M.A.E. ’77 Karen Massie ’77 Maxine Myers, M.A.E. ’77 Anna Cifune-Seeger, M.A. ’78 Patrick Mccarthy ’78 Frank Nicoletti ’78 Anthony J. DeMaria, J.D. ’79 Sister Maureen A. Murnane, M.D.M. ’79 Glenn E. Hogan ’80 Louis Long, M.A.E. ’80 Kathleen Miller ’80 Jeanne Kathryn Segelken, M.A.E. ’81 Daniel Colfer, M.B.A. ’82 Albert D. Latino ’82 Charles H. Newman ’82 William T. Petrick ’83 John D. Reinmann ’83 Jeannie C. Crocco, M.A.E. ’84 Elaine R. Stroppel, M.A.E. ’84 Robert Kern Curtis, J.D. ’85 Susan B. Joseph, J.D. ’85 Kenneth J. Singer, J.D. ’85 Adele Agnes Blewitt ’86 Mary Frances Leach, M.S.N. ’87 Maureen C. Bernor ’88 Sandra Warfel Kale, M.B.A. ’88 Justin W. Mcelligott ’89 Mirta Gonzalez-Capan ’90 Paul J. McCarthy, E.D.D. ’90 Seamus J. Regan ’90 Edward H. Sequeira ’90 Judith W. May, Ph.D. ’91 Diane E. Sugrue Franzese, J.D. ’91 Richard E. Weber Jr., J.D. ’91 Edward R. Weinstein ’91 Robert J. Kowalski, M.A.E. ’93 Monique Lueanna Jude-Harris ’95 Joyce Suzanne Romanski, M.A. ’95 Sharon M. Anderson ’96 Richard William Riker, J.D. ’98
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Hall Hub Seton Hall alumni engagement opportunities have gone virtual. Explore upcoming experiences — from happy hours to panel discussions — or listen to the Pirate’s Eye podcast and more by visiting www.shu.edu/HallHub.
Eye PirUaMtNeI P’sODCAST AL
NIV HALL U SETON
ERSIT Y
Mary Margaret Cavada, M.A.E. ’01 David H. Dilks, E.D.D. ’02 Jason James Innella, M.A.E. ’02 Nicole Lorraine Castonguay, M.A.E. ’03 Joseph A. Devine, M.A. ’04/E.D.D. ’07 Father Jorge Ortiz-Garay, M.D.M. ’04 John R. De Stefano, M.A.E. ’07 Robert N. Mansuetto, M.B.A. ’07 Nicole A. Durbin ’08 Corby O’Connor, M.A. ’10 Sheree-Ann Spencer, M.H.A. ’11 Lawrence John Sams, M.A. ’18 Owen A. Schabio ’21 Friends Father Gioacchino Basile Robert B. Bourne Nicholas D. DeProspo Richard G. Holt William F. Lynch Marion F. Millington John Obeji Robert E. Shapiro Nicholas G. Stathakis Kathleen A. Steinwehr 43
LAS T WO R D |
PEGEEN HOPKINS
Equity for All Protests against racial injustice swept across the United States in 2020, along with a burgeoning understanding that, as a nation, we need to address systemic racism. Seton Hall is taking its own steps to improve diversity,
clearly stated that: “Seton Hall condemns in no uncertain terms the sin of racism and the acts of degradation it engenders against members of our human family and particularly our Black community.”
who along with associate professor Jonathan Farina,
Today’s students are socially engaged and inclined toward activism. How is the University collaborating with them to find solutions?
chair of the Faculty Senate, is chairing a University-wide
We work very closely with our student leaders to identify
committee to foster change as part of the comprehensive
how students can be engaged civically. To give one exam-
strategic plan. Seton Hall magazine editor Pegeen
ple, Seton Hall recently won an award from New Jersey
Hopkins recently spoke with Cooper-Gibson to learn more.
for a student-run “get out and vote” campaign geared
equity and inclusion (DEI). A leader of this effort is Shawna Cooper-Gibson, vice president of student services,
Would you describe the University’s DEI efforts? We are evaluating needs within the Seton Hall community to reinforce a sense of belonging for all, recognizing we are all God’s children.
What projects have been launched so far? To name a few: in July, we held a four-hour retreat with 50 employees and students across campus to discuss challenging topics and envision possible solutions. We didn’t want to nibble around the edges of issues. We wanted to look at the structures, policies and procedures that will enhance the sense of belonging we hope to create. We have held anti-racism training with senior leadership and hosted a three-part policing panel to enhance dialogue related to law enforcement. We also developed a Bias Education Support Team, to
toward registering undergraduate students. Our students are coming to us with their ideas, thoughts and concerns; we have a genuine dialogue about how to create a more welcoming space for everyone — because we can’t do this work without their input.
As we’ve gone on this journey as an institution, what has surprised you most? I’ve been excited about the collegiality and partnership we fostered. Our nation is facing several pandemics right now: COVID-19, systemic racism and oppression, and people facing significant economic difficulties. And despite being in such challenging times, we are still coming together to enhance our campus and be one community.
What hurdles do you see Seton Hall facing in doing this work? We have to continue to talk to each other and engage. In
whom community members can report any instance of
the Division of Student Services, we follow the motto of
bias. The team can act as intermediaries and is designing
“communication, collaboration and coordination.” If we
programs and outreach to help prevent bias incidents.
are not incorporating those three things, it will be much
How does the University’s Catholic identity influence its commitment to racial justice and dealing with systemic inequity? Elizabeth Ann Seton helped found the Catholic educational system to address anti-Catholic prejudice, looking
more difficult to move the needle forward. But as long as we continue to talk to each other, work together and do not duplicate efforts or make things redundant, then I think we will continue to do well.
to create a welcoming space. I often quote Interim Vice
What gives you hope?
President for Mission and Ministry Father Colin Kay
The success of our students. I have been impressed with
when he says, “There are no strangers here.” We want to
how engaged they have been — getting out the vote, keep-
make sure no feels like a stranger on our campus. Being a
ing our campus healthy and safe, addressing injustices,
welcoming environment is part of our Catholic tradition.
not just across New Jersey or the United States, but across
So our DEI efforts follow our mission and our 44
patroness’s example. President Nyre has
the world. That gives me hope for a better future. n
We Can’t Thank You Enough We want to express our appreciation for your planned gift to Seton Hall University. But we may not know about it. Please tell us if you have included the University in your will or trust, or as the beneficiary of your IRA, retirement account, bank account or insurance policy. Your gift makes you a member of our Benjamin Savage Society — alumni and friends who are helping to make the Seton Hall experience possible for future generations. For more information, visit www.shu.edu/plannedgiving or contact: Joseph Guasconi Nora Nasif Rahaim 973-378-9850 973-378-9878 joseph.guasconi@shu.edu nora.rahaim@shu.edu
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Department of Public Relations and Marketing 519 South Orange Avenue, South Orange, NJ 07079
YOU AND SETON HALL MAKE A PERFECT PAIR As a thank you to all Pirate donors who make a gift of $30 or more by December 31, we are sending a pair, or two, of these exclusive Pirate socks. Learn more and make a gift at www.shu.edu/rockthesocks
New and improved easy-on/ easy-off fabric