Dear Colleagues,

As I continue to meet new members of the university and community, they invariably ask, “Do you like it here?” My answer is always a resounding yes. Every week, I’m filled with the sense of privilege of being in such a mission-oriented and intellectually vibrant institution. The dedication I witness on a daily basis is stimulating.

My week begins with a Monday meeting in the dean’s office, where we share our goals for the week, and will end with a Friday meeting with department chairs, where we continue to converge and make collective progress. This deliberate collective stewardship of the institution is energizing. Throughout the week, the rich tapestry of opportunities for learning and engaging intellectually with key topics and with thoughtful colleagues is an unmatched privilege.

On Wednesday, at 10:00 am, we have our second distinguished speaker, Dr. Tina Eliassi-Rad, who will talk about algorithm-infused social systems. She will help us reflect on how nearly every decision we make, from the food we eat, to the books we read, and the opinions we hold is infused by algorithmic decisions made on our behalf, some visible, and many hidden from our view and consciousness. This infusion has profound implications on our individual lives as well as on the social and civic structures we build and interact with. The infusion of technology in our systems is disrupting foundational assumptions and values of our social systems and academic disciplines. I look forward to engaging with this important topic and hope to see you there. Please register if you have not already done so.

On Thursday, at 5:30 pm, President Koppell will hold the second lecture in the series The American Experiment: 250 years and beyond. Through this forum, he is seizing on this upcoming 250th anniversary to engage us all in exploring America’s founding principles, the role of higher education, and contemporary and future challenges and opportunities. The talk this week is titled “Rule of Law and the Core American Institutions,” and will take the form of a conversation between President Koppell and the New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. They will explore the rule of law as a foundational pillar and guiding framework for addressing the conflicts that have shaped this experiment even before the founding of the United States as a country. As a university, we have the privilege and duty to frame current events in their historical context, and help each other, our students, and the community to make sense of the current situation and articulate appropriate solutions and actions. The lecture will be held at the Leshowitz Recital Hall, Cali School of Music. No registration is required. I hope to see many of you there.

That same evening, The Coccia Institute, the Italian Program in the department of World Languages and Cultures, will hold the Opening Plenary for the 2025 Italian American Studies Association Conference. The theme this year explores the intersection between preserving cultural heritage while building local communities, shaping a national identity, and bridging connections between roots and aspirations. Montclair State University members can register and attend the conference at a discounted rate.

This weekly snapshot of my calendar is not just a collection of independent happenings. It is a perfect illustration of the intellectual wealth, actualized and potential, we are all immersed in, as a college of humanities and social sciences, and as Montclair State University.

Credit: Martin Neuhold via Unsplash

The three topics addressed by the three events are representative of the criticality and complexity of contemporary issues, challenges, and opportunities we face as a society. These topics are too complex and too important for a single lecture or conversation to be sufficient. We need underlying structures, processes, and embedded habits to make these explorations sustained, actionable, and truly impactful.

A key impetus of our restructuring initiative is to maximize the interaction between different disciplines and to make the diversity of disciplines and disciplinary expertise an asset to address societal challenges and opportunities. The intent is to create the structures, the culture, and the processes that initiate important conversations, integrate different disciplines and perspectives, broaden solution spaces, sustain the focus, and generate actionable and impactful solutions. We are building the architecture for our own Future Resilience and our collective stewardship.

I fully appreciate the effort we are all to undertake and am very grateful for your engagement and commitment on the most important endeavor.

With gratitude,

Fatma

You're Invited!

AI Distinguished Speaker Series

Join Tina Eliassi-Rad, professor of Computer Science at Northeastern University, for “The Truth of the Matter in the Age of Generative AI,” a conversation on how tools like ChatGPT and Gemini are transforming truth, trust, and accountability in our algorithmically infused society—and why a digitally savvy public is key to shaping their impact.

Date & Time: Wednesday, November 5, 10 - 11:30 a.m.

Location: Presentation Hall, College of Communication and Media

The American Experiment: 250 Years and Beyond

As part of his ongoing lecture series, The American Experiment: 250 Years and Beyond, President Koppell will be joined in conversation by New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. Together they will trace rule of law as a through-line of American democracy that predates the founding of the United States and has served as the logic model for the conflicts and controversies that have shaped this country. No registration required.

Date & Time: Thursday, November 6 at 5:30 p.m.

Location: Leshowitz Recital Hall, Cali School of Music

Upcoming Events

Día de los Muertos

Join us for a heartfelt celebration of Día de los Muertos, honoring our loved ones through art, memory, and culture organized by CLaSE - Center for Latino Heritage and Spanish language Excellence-, Pueblos Originarios and sponsored by the Spanish and Latino Studies Department. Come and share with us the worldview and wisdom of Indigenous peoples, rooted in memory and ancestral tradition.

Date & Time: Monday, November 3, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Location: Cole Hall 340

Indigenous Peoples in National Parks: An Alternative History

Most histories of national parks and Indigenous peoples have focused on dispossessing the wilderness, ‘fortress conservation’, and the creation of human-free wilderness zones. This talk, with Ezra Rashkow (History), instead examines the history of a parallel and similarly problematic conception of protected areas —- as spaces meant to preserve peoples imagined as ‘wild’, who were to be saved alongside wildlife and wilderness.

Date & Time: Wednesday, November 5, 2:30-3:30 p.m.

Location: Schmitt Hall 104

Human Trafficking and Libraries

Join the Global Center on Human Trafficking for a presentation of research findings on how libraries across New Jersey engage in human trafficking awareness, prevention, and response efforts.

Date & Time: Wednesday, November 5, 3:00 p.m.

Location: Zoom - Register to Attend

Philosophy for Lunch: Which Animals are Conscious?

Animal consciousness is a major topic of debate among philosophers, neuroscientists and psychologists. Most experts agree that some nonhuman animals, such as cats, are conscious and experience sensations like sight, sound, pleasure and pain. However, there is less agreement about animals beyond mammals. This discussion will explore which animals may have conscious experiences, whether any lack consciousness and how we can determine the difference.

Date & Time: Thursday, November 6, 12 - 1 p.m.

Location: Cohen Lounge, Dickson Hall 178

2025 Italian American Studies Association Conference

Intersecting Transitalia in Communities: Nation(s), Transnation(s), Neighborhood(s)

The theme of this year’s conference navigates community in the Italian diaspora, historically and in the present day. The programs and panels of this conference will explore how, historically, Italians have worked in building their local communities and how they have attempted (successfully or not) to bridge (linguistic, cultural, etc.) gaps across communities throughout the country or even the world.

Date & Time: Thursday, November 6 - Sunday, November 9, 2025

Location: University Hall Conference Center

The Future of Work: A Roadmap to Higher Education and Career Success

This exclusive session bridges federal policy and cutting-edge data to strengthen the education-to-workforce pipeline. Hear directly from the New Jersey Secretary for Higher Education, Dr. Brian Bridges and the New Jersey Department of Labor Analyst, John Ehret as they share the latest data-driving, state workforce policy and discuss how state education initiatives are evolving to meet today’s employment needs. This event is open to Faculty and Staff only and registration is required.

Date & Time: Wednesday, November 12, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Location: University Hall, 7th Floor Conference Center

Connecting the Dots: Using Canvas Outcomes and Nuventive for Meaningful Student Learning Outcomes Assessment

Looking for ways to streamline your program's student learning outcomes assessment processes? Come see how Canvas Outcomes and Nuventive can help. Canvas Outcomes allows programs to seamlessly collect assessment-related data from designated courses on Canvas. Nuventive, which is integrated with Canvas, can then be leveraged for data analysis and insights into collected assessment data.

Date & Time: Friday, November 14, 11 - 11:45 a.m.

Location: Online

Kudos

Kudos is a space to celebrate one another—whether it’s expressing gratitude to a colleague, sharing milestones, or recognizing accomplishments and awards. Help us spotlight the people and moments that matter: send us your Kudos for an upcoming edition.

To Arnaud Kurze (Justice Studies), whose policy brief “Justice-Ready Digital Public Infrastructure: Building a Third Layer of Trust for Democratic Resilience” was published by the Global Governance Institute. The brief proposes a new “third layer of trust” framework for designing digital public infrastructure that embeds justice, accountability, and democratic resilience into global governance systems.

CHSS Faculty and Staff in the News

Jessica Henry (Justice Studies) was cited throughout a piece, by journalist Radley Balko, which follows a man cleared by multiple law-enforcement agencies, who still finds himself fighting to reclaim his life and reputation.

At Your Service

CHSS Resource Guide

This guide is designed to support our faculty, instructors, and staff by providing quick access to the tools, policies, and information you need to carry out your work effectively. Inside, you’ll find resources on office operations, administrative processes, technology support, and campus services all in one place. Whether you’re new or a tenured colleague, this guide will help you throughout the academic year. If you have a question and cannot find the answer in this guide, or don’t know who to contact, start with the Administrative Services Team.

Apply to Join The PROPEL Project

As part of Montclair’s commitment to managerial professional growth and development, the University is excited to announce that applications are open for The PROPEL Project. The program focuses on funding active participation in professional conferences, complemented by coaching support to help employees maximize their conference experiences for career and professional growth. Please visit The PROPEL Project website.

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