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Dear Colleagues,
It was wonderful seeing many of you at commencement last week as we celebrated this important milestone with our students. Whether you were part of the procession on stage or volunteered behind the scenes, your presence mattered deeply to our students and their families. Thank you for being witnesses to and partners in their success.
We began this week observing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a national holiday honoring his life, legacy, and enduring impact. It is an opportunity for all of us to reaffirm the causes he championed: racial equality and justice, and to learn from his exemplary leadership.
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At a time when higher education faces pressure to treat all perspectives, regardless of evidence or ethical standing, as equally valid, we in the humanities and social sciences understand that our disciplines rest on fundamental commitments: to human dignity, to evidence-based inquiry, to justice and empathy. These are not political positions but the foundational values of an educated, democratic society. I know that many of you draw on the strengths of your respective disciplines to illuminate the significance of this holiday and its vital connection to our world. I want to use this opportunity to express my gratitude for your important role in helping our students make sense of their world through critical thinking and evidence-based inquiry. This role is more important now than ever.
Wishing you a meaningful and productive start to the semester.
Fatma
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Social Work and Child Advocacy
Contributed by the Interim Chair, Milton Fuentes
- The Bachelor of Social Work concept proposal was approved by the Provost’s office; efforts are underway to develop the full proposal.
- The Department received a generous donation to establish a Child Mental Training Fund for social work students.
Gender Sexuality and Women’s Studies
Contributed to by the Program Director, Zachary Dorsey
- GSWS students spoke at the transgender visibility week flag raising ceremony and participated actively in other events around campus.
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GSWS students published volume 5 of Color Theory, a GSWS zine, which is now available on our website.
English
Contributed to by the Chair, Jeremy Lopez
The English Dept hosted a number of high profile talks in the Fall 2025 semester:
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Prof. Shelley Fisher Fishkin of Stanford University spoke about her recent book Jim.
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Writer and musician Howard Fishman gave a presentation about his biography of 1950s folk musician Connie Converse. The event was co-sponsored by the Cali School of Music.
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Novelist Junot Diaz spoke about his work at an event co-sponsored by the English Department and the community group Latinos of Montclair.
Writing Studies
Contributed to by the Chair, Jessica Restaino
- WRIT 108 was approved as a new SEEDS Effective Writing I course for Business majors; we're working with Feliciano School of Business for their incoming class in FA 26.
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One of our Writing Studies student interns, Nicole Angrisani, created two Instagram reels featuring Public and Professional Writing majors, Nicole Ricci and Ben Albert, talking about their internship experiences and how PPW courses helped prepare them. Check out Nicole Ricci's reel here; she's interning at NBC!
- In FA 25, Writing Studies employed a total of 127 faculty (32 full-time; 95 part-time), making professional development and faculty assessment essential. Here's a sampling of our accomplishments in these areas for FA 25: 4 "pre-meeting" in-person workshops (held in the hour prior to dept meetings), focused on topics in writing pedagogy (including community-engaged teaching and AI); 4 evening, fully online zoom workshops (to reach adjuncts) focused on best practices in First-Year Writing; 32 classroom observations; and a mentoring program that pairs new faculty w/veterans.
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Markets and the Republic: The Political Economy of American Democracy
The relationship between American democracy and capitalism is complex – ranging from antagonistic to symbiotic. Tracing this relationship from the founding era through major economic transformations, social movements, and political reforms, this lecture examines how markets have both supported and strained democratic ideals of equality, liberty, and self-government. The lecture will consider pivotal debates over regulation, labor, innovation, and inequality, highlighting moments when democratic institutions reshaped capitalism – and when economic power challenged democratic accountability. Participants will be invited to reflect on what this evolving relationship means for the future of democratic governance in the United States.
Date: Monday, February 2, 6 - 7:30 p.m., Presentation Hall
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All Men Are Created Equal
Bloomfield College of Montclair State University kicks off Bloomfield 250, honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a lecture entitled “All Men Are Created Equal”. Guest speaker Danielle M. Conway will engage the audience in thoughtful conversation examining the Declaration of Independence’s most iconic phrase and what it means for our evolving and diverse nation.
Date: Wednesday, January 21, 2 - 3:30 p.m.
Location: Van Fossan Theater 449 Franklin Street Bloomfield, NJ 07003
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An Exclusive Cornerstone New Jersey Briefing from Curtis Dubay, Chief Economist, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Join us for an insightful virtual briefing with Curtis Dubay as he breaks down the key economic trends and forces shaping 2026. Drawing on national and global data, Dubay will explore what lies ahead for the U.S. economy – including inflation, interest rates, labor markets, public policy impacts, and emerging opportunities and risks facing businesses and households.
Date: Thursday, January 29, 9 - 10 a.m., Virtual Event
Register to Attend
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4th Annual Legislative Breakfast Addressing Human Trafficking in New Jersey: Law, Policy, and Practice
Hosted by the Global Center on Human Trafficking, the Legislative Breakfast unites policymakers, advocates, survivor leaders, and community stakeholders to drive meaningful dialogue and action on human trafficking law, policy and practice. This year’s theme, “Human Trafficking at the Intersection of Sports” highlights the urgent issues hidden behind the spectacle of global sporting events like the FIFA World Cup. From labor exploitation in stadium construction and hospitality to increased sex trafficking during major tournaments, the convergence of sports and trafficking demands both urgent attention and policy-driven solutions.
Date: Friday, February 20, 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., University Hall 7th Floor
Register to Attend
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This event is ideal for graduate and undergraduate students seeking jobs and internships in: Counseling, Child Advocacy, Justice Studies, Social Work, Political Science, Psychology and so much more!
Date: Tuesday, February 24 , 3:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Share with your students!
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Faculty Upskilling with Coursera
This past summer, the university partnered with Coursera to provide supplemental learning resources for our courses. As part of this agreement, Coursera has allocated a limited number of licenses for faculty to access their full catalog for professional development, referred to as “faculty upskilling.”
This is a great opportunity to explore topics such as AI, project management, data analytics and visualization, and more. If you’d like access to this extensive catalog for your own learning, please complete this form: https://forms.gle/xDofPhrXhQqtp2u2A.
Licenses are limited, so we encourage you to apply soon!
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Participate in Crash-A-Class Spring 2026!
The Crash-A-Class initiative is designed to support student engagement and academic exploration. We encourage you to consider participating, as this is a great way to showcase your courses, connect with students, and support their academic decision-making early in the semester.
Faculty who would like to participate should complete the sign up form here with full and accurate course details, including:
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the specific dates during February 23–27 when students may attend, and
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the number of students (“crashers”) that can be accommodated per class session.
Deadline to participate: Friday, January 30
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Presidential Excellence Awards - 2026 Nominations Are Still Open
The Presidential Excellence Awards honor individuals and teams who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to Montclair's mission, excellence in their work and service to our community. These awards are intended to highlight achievements from all members of our Red Hawk community, including faculty and staff, full-time and part-time, long standing and newly arrived. Together, we will continue our mission to make Montclair an inclusive and accessible University that creates transformative educational opportunities for students across the globe.
If you have any questions, please contact Mark Allman, Senior Advisor to the President, at allmanm@montclair.edu. Nominations close Friday, January 23 at 5:00 p.m.
To submit a nomination, please use the form linked here.
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Ludovika Calling - Transatlantic Course for Diplomacy
As part of a joint diplomacy course offered by Montclair and Ludovika University of Public Service, students from both universities joined online classes at the same time, gave each other short news summaries of events since the last session, listened to interesting and useful lectures, and worked on joint projects. The course, taught at Montclair by Zsolt Nyiri (Political Science and Law), covered timely topics including intercultural political communications, the war in Ukraine, AI and democracy, growing populism, and political science as a profession, among others.
"This course is a great example of how our students are more than 'just students'," Nyiri says. "They are also diplomats, representing their own countries, and they learn new perspectives and skills from one another."
Read More
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Join an AI Reading List
AJ Kelton is curating a living document of articles on AI in the humanities, social sciences, and/or pedagogy. The document is searchable and each entry includes a citation and a 150-word AI-generated synopsis, organized by topic headings.
If you’d like access to view the document, please complete this form.
Those with access receive a brief update on Fridays listing new articles added that week, including the citation and a 50-word summary.
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.
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