March 4, 2024

Dear William Paterson Faculty and Staff,

While we are not yet halfway through the semester, I’m sure the warmer weather and the approach of spring have many of you thinking ahead to Commencement and beyond. To help with your vacation and other advance planning, I want to let you know that we will once again operate on a four-day work week for the summer, with the University open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., Monday through Thursday and closed Friday. This schedule will begin Monday, May 20, the week of Commencement, and end Friday, August 9, with a return to a normal, 5-day work week on Monday, August 12. As always, individual and departmental remote and vacation schedules for this period will be worked out with managers based on institutional need. Everyone should plan to be on campus on Wednesdays, when our fully on-site Summer Professional Development Series will take place. Watch your inbox for more details on the summer schedule and the Professional Development Series from Human Resources. 

As for Commencement, Higher Ed Managers and AFT Professional Staff are again expected to work both May 20 graduate Commencement ceremonies on campus, as well as the May 22 undergraduate ceremony at the Prudential Center in Newark. On Friday, Provost Powers communicated directly with faculty members regarding expectations for their participation. If you missed that email, you can read it here. Faculty and staff can RSVP at the link on the Commencement page. Commencement is the culmination of all of our students' hard work, and it means a lot to them and their families to see the faculty and staff members who helped them get there sharing in their big day.

I am pleased to share that Spring enrollment remains in good shape, with an overall headcount increase of 7.7% over last Spring. Looking ahead to Fall 2024, as of Friday, first-time student applications are up 12.3% over this time last year, and first-time student acceptances are up 12.6%. Deposits are also trending ahead of this time period last year. Of note, last week the Office of University Admissions communicated to students that due to the delays in processing of FAFSA data at the federal level, William Paterson would be extending the priority deadline for first-time students from May 1 to June 1. This extension mirrors the policies at several other New Jersey public universities, as well as many other institutions regionally and nationally. Overall, new student applications for Fall 2024 are up 13.7% and acceptances are up 14.1%. 

Looking ahead to some upcoming events, tomorrow is the kickoff celebration for Women’s History Month, where alumna and retired Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Fire Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr ’70 will deliver the keynote address, drawing on her trailblazing career as a leader in the field of public safety. Click here for the full details. Also, please join your colleagues for the chance to socialize and enjoy light refreshments this week at First Thursday, from 4:00-5:30 p.m., upstairs in Hobart Manor.

This week’s WP: We are Proud – Our reputation as one of New Jersey’s leading allied health educators has been growing by leaps and bounds, thanks to our significant new collaboration agreement with Atlantic Health, last week’s announcement that William Paterson has the largest nursing student enrollment in Northern New Jersey, and last summer’s announcement of our new School of Nursing. A special thanks to Provost Josh Powers, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and University Relations Guillermo de Veyga, Vice President for Finance and Administration and CFO Kirsten Loewrigkeit, and Dean of Students Eileen Lubeck for all of their work with Atlantic Health to make possible this new agreement, which will open the door to extensive new education, career, and teaching opportunities for students, faculty, and staff in the allied health fields. Thanks also to College of Science and Health Dean Venkat Sharma and School of Nursing Associate Dean Minerva Guttman for their leadership in helping the University achieve all of these important milestones. As these developments show, William Paterson is a “Powerhouse of Progress” and a vital part of meeting the healthcare needs of New Jersey and our nation. See some of the media coverage of the Atlantic Health agreement here and here, and the nursing enrollment announcement here and here.

Have a great week!