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November 14, 2022
Dear William Paterson Faculty and Staff,
On Thursday evening, the William Paterson community celebrated the power of student scholarships at our annual Scholarship Dinner, where donors and recipients came together to connect and share their stories. Thanks to Vice President for Institutional Advancement Pam Ferguson and her team for producing another great event. We are fortunate to have so many alumni, faculty, staff, and friends who support scholarships and so many talented students who are putting them to great use. You can start or continue your support for our students tomorrow on William Paterson’s Fall Giving Day, which is a great opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the life of a student. Every gift given has the power to transform a student’s experience, and I hope that you will consider supporting one or more of the six worthy projects. Please visit the Fall Giving Day page to learn more, and thank you for your support.
I am happy that the weather cleared and it was a beautiful day Saturday for another session of Admissions Fall Open House, which brought 432 students and their families to campus to learn about and experience what makes William Paterson a special place. That number represents a 55% increase over the November 2021 event and is up 14% from last month’s Open House. Thanks to Vice President Guillermo de Veyga, who is overseeing Enrollment Management while we search for a new division VP, Associate Vice President for University Admissions Steve Quinn and his team, in particular Assistant Director of Admissions Tyler Schreckenstein, and everyone who helped host prospective students and their families.
Many of you have written about the Factbook, and its migration to Power BI. We were not aware that access was limited by this migration, and I apologize for not catching it until it was brought to my attention. We have been able to increase the number of Power BI users, which will provide default access to the Factbook for full-time faculty and most staff groups. If you have questions or encounter any problems, please email the Office of Institutional Effectiveness.
William Paterson has expanded its global partnerships through the recent signing of agreements with several international partners. We are building on our existing relationship of exchange enrichment activities with South Korea’s Kongju National University through an academic exchange agreement I signed in October, which lays the groundwork for both a more formal student exchange program and joint faculty research. Also this fall, William Paterson signed a memorandum of understanding with Birzeit University in the West Bank, which again will build on an existing relationship by providing a framework for potential future student and faculty exchange, joint research, and other collaborative opportunities where the two institutions have compatible offerings and interests, such as music. Another set of agreements will bring four cohorts of at least 30 Chinese students annually to participate remotely in our online MBA programs before coming to campus for a capstone program.
These latest agreements seek to build mutual cultural understanding and awareness while expanding our portfolio of relationships with international universities in ways that provide new opportunities for our students and faculty while growing international enrollment by leveraging online education. As with all of our partnerships, they ensure equal opportunity for all, regardless of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ethnicity, religion, or national origin.
Chief Diversity Officer David Jones recently informed me that he has accepted a new position with NJIT and will leave William Paterson at the end of this month. During his tenure as the University’s first CDO, Dr. Jones oversaw the creation and launch of the Council for Equity and Justice, development and implementation of our new Land Acknowledgement Statement, and established the annual President’s Diversity Lecture. These and his many other accomplishments will have a lasting impact on our institution, and I thank David for his good work and wish him well in his new job.
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