To thrive: (a) to grow vigorously; (b) to gain in wealth or possessions; (c) to progress toward or realize a goal despite or because of circumstances (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). | | | My daughter from Indiana visited me this past weekend, or to clarify, to attend a best friend’s wedding, something from which I benefited too. As a parent, what we want more than anything else is for our child or children to thrive. Lurking under the hood of every text, email, social media post, phone call, and face-to-face conversation is a parent’s desire for an answer to the question: How are they doing? We interpret or infer from what we read or hear, holding our breadth and reading through tea leaves that she, he, or they is OK. When I get to engage such a question in an intimate moment, I love that best. For my daughter and me, it was at a beautiful evening dinner on Roosevelt Island having just come from the amazing new Cirque du Soleil show Luzia one island north on Randall’s. Cocktails and appetizer small talk, insights about the wedding, funny anecdotes by each of us about siblings and parents (including teasing about my quirks), warmed the moment, and ultimately my question, “How’s it going?” Blessedly, the answer was positive – she likes her job as a cardiac sonogram technician, enjoys her colleagues, is in a meaningful relationship, sees her mom (my wife) and other family relatives including her 93-year-old grandfather with some frequency, and the car she drives, my former 2014 Subaru Forester, is holding up despite a breakdown a few months ago. Phew. | | |
What we really didn’t get to engage was what it means to be “doing well” as distinct from “thriving.” I’ve been frequently thinking about the latter, likely as a function of the real or perceived threats of late depending on one’s point of view—a federal government eviscerating programs and people’s livelihoods, higher education under fire, the implications of AI to life as we know it, and social media’s impact on a growing sense of isolation and loss of community, to name a few. On this latter point, my daughter did say that she’s sought to reduce time spent scrolling through posts that signal a warped sense of what “success” looks like as a counter to a chipping away of esteem and self-worth. Good advice.
| | Last Sunday, Ross Douthat wrote a powerful piece in the Sunday New York Times entitled, “Come With Me If You Want to Survive in an Age of Extinction.” Although his pieces are usually a window into conservative thought and orientation to issues, this one was quite different on the topic of technological change and its impact on cultures, customs, and peoples. Its lead-in is dark, including a piece about college students, but he offers a powerful call to arms: “to fight for a future where human things and human beings survive and flourish.” His closing is one of the most powerfully crafted pieces of prose I’ve read in some time (the English minor in me always appreciates a clever use of words): | | “I am perpetually talking, talking, talking…when the necessary thing is to go out into reality and do. Have the child. Practice the religion. Found the school. Support the local theater, the museum, the opera or concert hall, even if you can see it all on YouTube. Pick up the paintbrush, the ball, the instrument. Learn the language—even if there’s an app for it. Learn to drive, even if you think soon Weymo or Tesla will drive for you...Sit with the child, open the book, and read…Chose life, that you and your offspring may live.” | | | Last week we had children all over campus for Bring Your Child to Work Day, with proud parents in tow. I couldn’t help feeling that our call to arms is education and learning as the pathway to thriving. Have difficult conversations in class linked to your course material, whatever it is; meet colleagues for coffee or lunch; teach AI responsibly, not as a substitute for learning but as an accelerant; model listening for understanding and the withholding of judgement; share how equity is not necessary equality. Thrive and help our students to do so too. | | |
Academic News
Thank you to the Cheng Library for hosting a celebration of research, scholarship, and creative expression earlier this week in the form of the University Authors Reception as well as panel sessions on research, including with students, as part of Explorations. And thank you to the many faculty who participated and whose efforts we honored.
May Teaching and Learning Workshop Series. Faculty, including adjuncts (staff welcome too), are invited to pencil in Monday, May 19 for the Center for Teaching Excellence’s marquee virtual event, this year entitled, From Frameworks to Futures: Practical Tools for Purposeful, Inclusive, and Tech-Driven Teaching. Come for one or all of its pieces:
10:00-11:00 a.m.
Purposeful Pedagogy: Designing course syllabi and BB shells to reflect course SLOs.
11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Inclusive Pedagogy: Communication and consistency to support all learners and in particular our growing adult learner population.
12:30-2:00 p.m.
Tech-Driven Teaching: AI in higher education. Faculty who attended the EDUCAUSE Teaching with AI Conference will share what they learned from the experience.
In addition, the 2-day Diversity & Justice Pedagogy Workshop is set for May 15 & 16. Participants will explore systems of inequality as applied to pedagogy and explore discipline specific application of social justice concepts. Faculty in any college or discipline encouraged to participate
Be watching for more details on these events.
Office of Sponsored Programs Updates: Dr. Pei-wen (Winnie) Ma received a $7,000 contract with Paterson Public Schools for the continuation and expansion of the Cultural Adjustment Training Program. Among submissions in April, Dr. William Ernst, Psychology Department, requested $59,947 from the Spencer Foundation for his culturally competent education project. Casey Mathern, Director of University Galleries, submitted a $19,992 proposal to the NJ Historical Commission focused on everyday collecting and the meaning of memory. Melisa Rosario Jimenez, Small Business Development Center Director, applied for $222,700 from the Rutgers University Small Business Development Center to support New Jersey’s small business community in our region. David Fuentes, Associate Dean of the College of Education, applied to the NJ Department of Labor for a $581,525 project to assist rising high school juniors and seniors interested in pursuing a career in education.
Recent New Program Approvals. The Faculty Senate recently reviewed and approved two changes to the Professional Sales Major and Minor designed to additionally streamline and focus the degree. The Faculty Senate also approved the integration of ESG into the MBA curriculum. ESG is the acronym for environmental, social, and governance, shorthand for an investing principle that prioritizes environmental issues, social issues, and corporate governance and that aligns well with the values of many corporations as well as our institution’s commitment to social justice.
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Facts & Figures
Summer Enrollment: 2025 vs. 2024 (as of 4/30/25 and same date last year):
Main Campus Students:
UG: 1,159 vs. 1,218 (trailing by 59)
Grad: 558 vs. 573 (trailing by 15)
WP Online Students:
UG: 1,525 vs. 1,327 (ahead by 198)
Grad: 1,929 vs. 1,696 (ahead by 233)
Summer is a great way to catch up or get ahead, and aid programs are often available. Please encourage students to consider taking a class or classes in the summer, especially because they are commonly online and thus work friendly.
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Quotables
"The goal is not to simply live, but to thrive with passion, compassion, humor, and style."
—Maya Angelou
"To thrive is to grow beyond expectations, not just meet them."
—Unknown
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The Provost’s Office is Brenda, Claudia T., Claudia C., Jonathan, Kara, Rhonda, Sandy, and Josh. You can reach us at
973.720.2122 • provost@wpunj.edu
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