May 23, 2022
Dear William Paterson Faculty and Staff,
Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make last week’s Commencement ceremonies so special for our graduates. Both the undergraduate ceremony at the Prudential Center and the graduate ceremony in the Rec Center were wonderful events, which made our graduates feel truly celebrated. I know their families and friends were similarly impressed with all the festive touches and how well organized the ceremonies were. Our success was the product of lots of advance planning and hard work behind the scenes. In particular, I want to thank the members of the Commencement Committee under the leadership of Associate Vice President for Student Development and Commencement Coordinator Francisco Diaz, along with everyone in Academic Affairs, Student Development, Marketing and Public Relations, the Registrar’s Office, IT, including IRT, and the President’s Office, as well as all the departments across the University that supported the above offices in putting on these events and provided the many volunteers, who helped make it all possible.
Thanks also to all the faculty and staff who came out to help celebrate our graduates and see the results of all your good work educating, mentoring, and supporting them throughout the years.
Congratulations to William Paterson baseball on the close of a fantastic season in which the team won the NJAC Tournament and earned a spot in this weekend’s NCAA Baseball Tournament Regional in Granville, Ohio. The Pioneers managed a big win in the Regional before their season ended yesterday. Well done to all the players and coaches!
Registration for the Division of Human Resource’s 2022 Summer Learning and Development Program opens June 1. Please look for an email after Memorial Day with the link to register and full schedule. For now, please save the dates (all Wednesdays) of June 29; July 6, 13, 20, 27; and August 3 and 10 for this series of professional developmental workshops, which will build on the growth mindset work established by previous summer programs. This year’s theme is accountability in the four focus areas of diversity and inclusion, a hybrid work environment, self-care, and using technology tools. The University is closed to all but essential business on these Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. (8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on July 6) so that everyone can participate. As in past summers, there will also be a required diversity and inclusion workshop. I am pleased that we will be returning to an in-person kickoff in the Shea Center on June 29. The remainder of the program will be held online. This program won a prestigious CUPA-HR Innovation Award last year, and I look forward to another summer of meaningful growth and learning.
