October 27, 2025

Dear William Paterson Faculty and Staff, 

With fall colors having peaked on campus and in our region and Halloween and November just days away, we are now more than halfway through the Fall semester, which is always a busy time of year.

On October 18, Admissions held its first Open House of the Fall, hosting 340 students and their families. With great weather to showcase our beautiful campus, students and families heard during academic information sessions, as well as academic and services fairs, about the wonderful opportunities that William Paterson can provide them. Guests also toured campus and attended a variety of other information sessions, including Honors, Financial Aid, and EOF. Thanks to Vice President for Enrollment Management George Kacenga and his team, including AVP for Admission Steve Quinn, as well as all their campus partners who helped show our guests the Pioneer spirit. Leveraging the event’s success, first-year applications for Fall 2026 are currently trending well ahead of this time last year.

We also enjoyed beautiful weather for our October 16 Wellness Day, which was the perfect opportunity to get outside and enjoy the fresh air, sunshine, and the company of colleagues while taking in the Health Fair outside University Hall and lawn games on Speert Green, along with the many fun, engaging, and informative events online and across campus. Thank you to Dr. Jill Guzman, Director of Counseling Health and Wellness; Dr. Sandy Hill, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs; and Pete Lazzaro, Director of Employee Benefits and Leave Management, for their leadership, along with all the faculty, staff, and administrators who led sessions, staffed information tables, and participated in the many events. It is important for all of us to take time focus on our wellbeing, personally and as members of a campus community.

There are many great upcoming campus events that I encourage you to take advantage of, including Collage! on Sunday, Nov. 2, when the Music Department will showcase the musical talent of its students, from jazz to pop to classical, in the Shea Center for Performing Arts. The concert benefits the Department’s endowed music scholarship fund. Click here for more information and here to buy tickets.

For another opportunity to support our students, philanthropically, join Provost Powers on Friday, November 7, for his annual Trek for Success Hike in the High Mountain Park Preserve, bordering campus and help support the Provost Powers Emergency Grant, which provides vital assistance to students facing unexpected financial challenges. Provost Powers will match every gift made towards the hike. This is a great way to enjoy the great outdoors together with alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends, while supporting our students. Click here to register. 

This week’s WP: We are Proud – Congratulations to Associate Vice President for University and Government Relations Carol Cuadrado, Vice President for Finance and Administration Kirsten Loewrigkeit and her team, Director Charles Lowe and his University Police team, and everyone who helped make the October 17 groundbreaking ceremony for our new Recreation and Health Sciences Center a great success. The event drew many federal, state, and local officials, including Congresswoman Nellie Pou, Lt. Governor Tahesha Way, and Assemblyman Al Abdelaziz. Thanks also to Trustee Idida Rodriguez for sharing remarks on behalf of the Board of Trustees and to Recreation Administration Graduate Assistant Myles Bowery for sharing the student perspective on how this transformational state-of-the-art facility will support our growing allied health science programs and serve as a center for athletics, recreation, and wellness that will serve our students and the broader community. Thanks also to Vice President Stuart Goldstein and his Marketing and Public Relations team for helping generate extensive press coverage of the event, examples of which you can view here and here.

Have a great couple of weeks!