|
February 5, 2024
Dear William Paterson Faculty and Staff,
I hope everyone’s semester is off to a great start. Thank you to everyone who joined us in Shea last Thursday for my Spring State of the University address, which, in addition to current updates, was dedicated to highlighting more than five years of significant collective achievements since I joined William Paterson as your President.
Will. Power. 101 and Student Success Teams, unprecedented scholarship support and better career outcomes, tremendous gains in the rankings, stabilized enrollment and increased retention, an expanded and updated campus, the tremendous success of WP Online, a new School of Nursing, the improvement of all aspects of the student experience, and more – we have accomplished so much in a relatively short period. It is all the result of your hard work and dedication to our students, as well as outstanding leadership from across campus, a collective embrace of a growth mindset, and the eagerness to take risks and try new things. Together, we have transformed William Paterson and built a broad, strong platform for future growth. I look forward to continuing this critical work with all of you. If you weren’t able to join us or would like to review my presentation, you can find the text and slides here.
Speaking of enrollment, as of Friday, Spring 2024 new student enrollment is up 2.9% over last year. New transfer student enrollments are up 11.7% and new graduate student enrollments are up 14.4%. New students will continue to be added through the start of Session II of WP Online, in late March. Looking ahead to Fall 2024, first-time student applications are up 11.7% over this time last year and first-time student acceptances are up 18.3%. While it’s still early, deposits are also trending ahead of this time period last year. Overall, new student applications for Fall 2024 are up 13.9% and acceptances are up 19.7%.
Last week, I had the pleasure of joining College of Education Dean Amy Ginsberg, officials from the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), and others for a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the state’s fourth Learning Resource Center, located on our campus at 1600 Valley Road. The Learning Resource Center at William Paterson was developed through an agreement with the NJDOE’s Office of Special Education to support the education of students with disabilities, helping them to succeed in the least restrictive environment. The Centers provide regional, targeted support to both educators and families of students with disabilities.
If you were away from campus over the break, you may have noticed upon your return that the Athletic Fieldhouse expansion and renovation project is making progress. As I mentioned in my Feb. 1 address, we have secured additional support for the work in the form of a $200,000 gift from the Foundation established in memory of the late Alan J. Anderson, a 1981 alumnus and outstanding Pioneer baseball player. In recognition of this generous gift, the Baseball Locker Room will be named in Alan’s memory. Thanks to Director of Development Andres Cladera for securing this support.
On Saturday, I had the pleasure of speaking to some 300 students and family members as part of our Parent and Family Day. It was a great opportunity for parents and family members to visit with their students and gain insight to their William Paterson experience. Congratulations to Vice President Miki Cammarata, Director of Parent and Family Relations Eva Reyes, and everyone in Student Development and elsewhere on campus who helped host these members of our Pioneer community, who are such critical partners in supporting our work on behalf of their students.
I am aware that there is at least one social media account falsely claiming to belong to me, which is soliciting inappropriate information. While it may be clear to most that the account is fake, it’s a good opportunity to remind everyone that I maintain only the @wpunjpresident Instagram account and a profile under my name on LinkedIn. I do not use any other social media platform, and I will never use these to contact anyone in the campus community. I would also never solicit any non-work-related information or assistance from any WP student, faculty, or staff member, no matter the means of communication. Please be on the lookout for any such communication that claims to be from me and also be aware of any phishing scams that may land in your WP email inbox. Please submit any suspicious emails either to Microsoft directly using the Report Message/Junk option or to the university’s IT Help Desk at www.wpunj.edu/helpdesk or (973) 720-4357.
| 
