March 28, 2022
Dear William Paterson Faculty and Staff,
This is the season when we must simultaneously focus on the end of this academic year and the start of the next one. With Commencement just weeks away, the important work of registering students for the 2022-2023 academic year is underway. Priority registration has closed, and while we are currently registering rising seniors, it is not too early for faculty and staff to prepare our rising juniors and sophomores to register. This year’s seniors are rightly thinking about crossing the finish line and graduating. While the rest of our students are also working toward a strong finish to the semester, please help guide and remind them that they should be dedicating some of their time and attention to getting into the right classes next year so they can continue on the path toward their degree.
As I mentioned, Commencement, one of the quintessential milestones in the life of the University, is rapidly approaching. I am looking forward to celebrating the William Paterson Class of 2022, and the return of the undergraduate ceremony to the Prudential Center and the graduate ceremony to the campus Sports and Recreation Center will make these great occasions extra special. I hope you will join us, as a large faculty and staff presence at Commencement is one of the most visible ways we can show our students how much we care about them. If you haven’t already, please click here to register for the May 18thundergraduate ceremony and/or the May 19th graduate ceremony. In both cases, it is important that the Commencement Committee knows how many people to expect to help ensure smooth ceremonies.
I want to remind everyone of two important events happening this Thursday, March 31st. At 12:30 p.m. in the Library Auditorium and on Zoom, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and University Relations Guillermo de Veyga and Vice President for Enrollment Management Reg Ross will host the Enrollment & Budget Forum, and the members of the Finance, Audit and Institutional Development Committee of the Board of Trustees will hold the annual Tuition & Fees Hearing.
I encourage everyone to join me later that day, at 4:00 p.m. on Zoom, for the 2nd Annual President’s Diversity Lecture, featuring Deborah A. Santiago, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Excelencia in Education, America’s premier authority on efforts to accelerate Latino student success in higher education, which is one of William Paterson’s most urgent challenges. Thanks to those of you who have already registered for what promises to be an informative and thought-provoking event. If you haven’t yet registered, you can do so by clicking here.
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This week’s WP: We are Proud – Last week, I had the pleasure of joining a full-house of jazz fans, including WP faculty, staff, alumni, and friends, for wonderful performances by many of our talented WP jazz students. The evening marked William Paterson’s post-pandemic return to the iconic jazz spot, Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. The 18-piece William Paterson Jazz Orchestra, directed by Coordinator of Jazz Studies David Demsey, was joined by guest soloist, the legendary trumpeter and composer Randy Brecker, for a program including the premieres of two new arrangements done for Brecker by two WP graduate arranging majors, Thomas Avella and Raymond Doell. The second set featured two of the Jazz Program’s 24 small jazz groups, directed by Grammy-winning pianist and WP Jazz Studies Director Bill Charlap and WP jazz adjunct faculty member and saxophonist Vincent Herring. Congratulations to all the students, faculty, and staff, who once again showed that WP shines on the world’s biggest stages.
I look forward to seeing you at Thursday’s events. Until then, have a great week.
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Sincerely,
Richard J. Helldobler, Ph.D.
President
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