Welcome to the 2004-2005 academic year. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the University’s 150th anniversary and I thought that I’d give you a sense of how I get into the sesquicentennial frame of mind. I often think about what times must have been like in 1855 and how I might have fit into that era. Sometimes, I even feel like I’m back in those days.

PLEASE NOTE: At this point in the speech, a slide was projected that showed President Speert in a business suit that could have been worn in 1855.

For better or worse, I decided not to wear my 1855 garb for today’s address – or ever again for that matter --but, the suit is probably what I would have worn if I had walked out onto a stage in the West Ward Schoolhouse in Paterson to address the faculty of the Normal School in the fall of 1855. Not only would I have looked different than today, the audience would have looked quite a bit different. If this was 1855, today’s event would be a much more intimate occasion because I’d be greeting the Normal School’s four faculty members.

In 2004, thankfully, we begin the semester with 363 full-time faculty members.

Now, please join me in welcoming our newest tenure track colleagues:

COLLEGE OF THE ARTS AND COMMUNICATION

Department of Communication
Keith Obadike

Department of Music
Payton Mac Donald
Timothy Newman

CHRISTOS M. COTSAKOS COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Department of Accounting and Law
Wei Xu

Department of Economics, Finance and Global Business
Demissew Ejara

Department of Marketing and Management
Cesar Perez-Alvarez
Richard Plank
David Reid

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education
Andrew Pachtman
Linnea Weiland

Department of Secondary and Middle School Education
Geraldine Mongillo

Department of Special Education and Counseling
Jeanne D'Haem
Christopher Mulrine

COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

Department of Anthropology
Shubhra Sharma

Department of English
Marina Budhos
Mischa Edwards
Ian Marshall

Department of History
Jason Ambroise
Ana Margarita Gomez
Michael Innis-Jimenez
George Dewar MacLeod
Lucia McMahon

Department of Languages and Cultures
Gladys Scott

Department of Political Science
Aaron Tesfaye
Michael Thompson

Department of Psychology
Jane Austin
Mark Chae
Justina Ekeocha

Department of Women’s Studies
Ileana LaBergere

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND HEALTH

Department of Biology
Michael S. Peek
Carey Waldburger

Department of Communication Disorders
Nicole Magaldi

Department of Nursing
Melissa Scollan-Koliopoulos

Among our new staff colleagues, I would like to welcome:

Jack Bernardo, Assistant Director, Office of Sponsored Programs
Elizabeth Feehan, Associate Director, Career Services
Kathleen Muldoon, Interim Director, Small Business Development Center
Jaime Ortiz, Executive Director of International Programs
Melissa Reynolds, Assistant Director, Campus Activities
Amanda Vasquez, Director, Office of Scholarships

In addition, please join me in saluting our newly tenured colleagues:

Bruce Diamond, Psychology
Lisa Ekmekjian, Accounting & Law
Peter Griswold, Special Education & Counseling
Betty Kollia, Communication Disorders
Wooi Lim, Mathematics
Lawrence Mbogoni, African, African-American & Caribbean Studies
Madhuri Mukherjee, Languages & Cultures
Stephen Newton, English
Thomas Owusu, Environmental Science & Geography
Pradeep Patnaik, Biology
Madeleine Rosar, Mathematics
Elizabeth Stroppel, Communication
Christopher Weaver, English

Also, we’re fortunate this academic year to have Dr. Morris Rossabi join us as a University Distinguished Fellow. Dr. Rossabi, an expert on east and central Asian history, has served since 1987 as Professor of History at the City University of New York. He will lead a faculty seminar, teach a course and give public lectures and presentations.

I’d like to welcome Bob Taylor from the University’s Board of Trustees. We’re also joined today by a group of retirees who are committed to working with our students as mentors in the Institute of Creative Aging’s Students of Life Program. Thanks for being with us this morning.

Today, we officially kick-off the 150th anniversary celebration that will culminate with a party next year for faculty, staff and friends. Our anniversary committee, under the leadership of Lorraine Terraneo and Bob Seal, includes faculty, staff, students, retired faculty and alumni. The committee is organizing a series of celebratory events and each of the five colleges is planning academic events that will highlight the anniversary during the coming year. Please visit the 150th anniversary Web page for updates on events.

Plans for a number of activities are in full gear. A University archive is being established in the David and Lorraine Cheng Library. The archive subcommittee is working closely with the Alumni Association and the University community, particularly retired faculty and staff, to collect, organize and preserve materials. The subcommittee is still accepting donations of materials so please contact Bob Wolk or Anne Ciliberti if you have anything to offer. In particular, they’re interested in videos, yearbooks, graduation programs and memorabilia. An opening date for the archive exhibit will be announced shortly.

The archive subcommittee is also creating a portable University timeline exhibit that will be displayed on campus at anniversary events and off campus at events such as the NJEA convention in Atlantic City.

A highlight of the anniversary celebration will be a commemorative book featuring more than 200 photographs and a narrative written by Vince Parillo of sociology. Vince shared the manuscript with me and I’m confident that you, our alumni and former faculty and staff will love it. It will be available in 2005 in bookstores and on campus.

This is an historic year for William Paterson. While we may spend time reflecting on all that’s been accomplished through the years, we also will take advantage of the occasion to explore new initiatives and innovations that, I hope, will become part of the ongoing, vibrant history of the University.

An anniversary provides us with perspective. It provides a point of reference for us to look back and help us reflect on what we and our predecessors accomplished through the years. More importantly, and more constructively, a milestone such as this gives us an opportunity to build on history, to take a proud glance backward as we march forward, guided by a plan that will help us reach the highest levels of institutional achievement.

As we begin the 2004-2005 academic year, I’m conscious of where we have been and I’m focused on where we are going. I’m proud of both.

In 1957, as the growing enrollment exceeded 1,000, the college purchased frame structures that had been used to house veteran’s families in West Orange. The buildings were cut apart, re-constructed on this very site where Shea now stands, and were configured to provide 15 classrooms. We’ve come a long way.

In 2005, I look forward to breaking ground for a newly renovated Science Building that will provide classrooms and laboratories that enable students to learn in modern facilities from science faculty who, for the first time in many years, will have facilities that match their teaching and research excellence.

We are committed to developing and maintaining the facilities and technological infrastructure that are necessary for faculty to teach and students to learn in an environment that reflects the real world. I’d like to thank Steve Bolyai, vice president for administration and finance, for his leadership in this area. We will soon begin working with an architect to develop a plan to refurbish the laboratories, classrooms and departmental offices in the Science Building. Built in 1972, this building is long overdue for a complete renovation.

Last December, we opened the Russ Berrie Professional Sales Lab in the building at 1600 Valley Road. This state-of-the-art lab is a unique facility custom designed for students and professionals to develop and improve sales skills in an interactive environment that simulates business offices. The lab will be in the spotlight beginning September 13 when the television program “One-on-One with Steve Adubato” broadcasts a series called “ The Art of the Sale” on the Comcast network throughout the northeast. Five shows, including one that features Russ Berrie Institute’s executive director, Jim Brown, were taped in the lab.

We are striving to provide facilities that contribute to excellence in teaching, learning and creative expression. In the future, funds permitting, we plan to enhance our role as a regional cultural center by creating a new performing arts complex that will serve students and faculty in our music program and will provide an outstanding venue for audiences to enjoy a wide range of performances. The new complex would include a 500-seat recital hall with state-of-the-art acoustics. The recital hall would be the home of the Jazz Room Series, which begins its 27th season this fall.

Faculty and staff continue to employ advanced technology to benefit students. Online courses increased 41 percent this year to 116 and more than 200 faculty now use Blackboard for 413 courses in which technology is employed in traditional classes.

The implementation of Banner, part of the campus-wide Enterprise software upgrade, is underway and is expected to greatly improve administrative functions. WPConnect, the new portal for students, will be released this semester. It will allow the University to more effectively reach students with announcements and will allow students to communicate via a bulletin board, conduct meetings online or share work as part of group projects. The seamless integration of the forthcoming Banner student system with Blackboard will facilitate faculty teaching of on-line and hybrid courses.

One important technology change concerns the new levels of security necessary to protect our ability to communicate in today’s complex world. Security has been tightened for students logging on to access University information technology resources and for computer users in the library. Anti-virus software must be used by students who access the University network from their personal computers. And firewall constraints have been expanded to minimize risks from the Internet. The security upgrades represent quite a cultural change from the early days of this institution when communications security, at best, meant a wax sealed envelope.

In 1962, 148 women moved into what was then known as Pioneer Hall – now Matelson -- the first dormitory on the young campus. The college’s second dormitory – Heritage Hall – now White -- opened with 100 beds in 1964. We’ve come a long way from those days.

Just seven weeks ago, we broke ground for two new residence halls that will help meet the growing student demand for a 24-hour a day, seven-day a week campus experience. Four additional residence halls are scheduled for construction by 2009 when our resident population will reach 3,300 students – 40 percent of fulltime undergraduates.

In conjunction with the construction, we are re-routing the campus perimeter road – College Road – to bypass the student housing area and divert traffic away from the residence halls. Construction is moving along steadily and the road is scheduled for completion sometime this winter.

Based on the University’s masterplan, we are transforming the campus to ensure an outstanding academic and extra-curricular environment that supports the wide ranging, growing needs of both commuter and resident students. Our student activities and residence life programs have increased in scope and sophistication and I’m confident that our campus is ready for the future.

Many of you returning to campus this week for the first time since the spring probably noticed that construction of the student center is proceeding smoothly. We’re on schedule for completion of the new ballroom and conference rooms by this coming spring. The extensive interior renovations of the Student Center and Wayne Hall are scheduled for completion in 2006.

You also may have noticed more trees on campus. A number of trees needed to be cut down as part of the road construction, so we’re replanting new trees in various spots.

In the coming months, a committee of faculty and staff will take the next steps in a university wide program that addresses issues of civic engagement in a range of academic departments and student activity programs. This civic engagement across the curriculum project is an illustration of the potential for students and faculty to participate in civic and political activities that help to make a difference in our communities.

Led by faculty initiatives, we continue to create opportunities for students to gain academic and experiential knowledge in programs that reflect the changes and challenges in the world that surrounds us.

Our civic engagement initiative is part of William Paterson’s participation in the American Democracy Project, a national program that works to create an understanding and appreciation for civic engagement by undergraduate students. The project is sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and by The New York Times. On our campus, Christine Kelly of political science is director of the project and has been working with a coordinating committee of faculty and staff. Last spring, Christine and Wartyna Davis, also of political science, team-taught an innovative civic engagement course and will do so again this coming spring. The American Democracy Project will also conduct numerous voter registration activities this fall as we approach the Presidential election. Kathleen Korgen of sociology is coordinating a faculty discussion group that will address how to create courses with a civic engagement focus in disciplines in each of our five colleges. I encourage participation throughout the campus in this important initiative.

Other developing academic programs support the full range of student interests, demonstrate our commitment to issues and challenges in our community, nation and world, and ensure that we meet our responsibilities as a regional comprehensive university. For example, the University’s Asian studies baccalaureate program, approved by the Board of Trustees last May, is unique in its extensive offerings covering South Asia as well as the more traditional focus on East Asia.

Our academic programs continue to meet the rigorous requirements of the accreditation process. In the College of Education, the Counseling Program gained CACREP accreditation, the Child Development Center was accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the College is preparing for its re-accreditation visit by NCATE in the fall of 2005. The Cotsakos College of Business is in the final preparation stages for its accreditation visit by the AACSB next month.

In 1943, player-coach Ed Jankelunas pitched the college’s first no-hitter in a baseball game played during snow, rain and hail at Montclair State. The fact that the game was on the road was no surprise – the college did not have a home field at the time. We’ve come a long way since those days.

In July, we broke ground on a major project to improve our athletic fields so that our student athletes compete and practice on fields that support their ability to excel.

Our athletic program now fields 18 teams, including a women’s tennis team that will re-start this month after a 15-year hiatus, and our recreation program offers a full range of activities that provide important and healthy pursuits outside of our classrooms.

The football and baseball fields are being resurfaced with a durable grass-like artificial turf that requires minimal maintenance (so I’m told). The softball infield is being upgraded and a new grass practice field is being constructed adjacent to the tennis courts. The football field has been completed for Friday night’s first home game of the season against Delaware Valley. The field hockey team will also be playing on the new surface.

Long-range plans include a renovation of the Rec Center as a venue for our intercollegiate athletic programs and to meet the growing needs of our students. An updated and expanded Rec Center would serve the entire campus community by providing space for intramural sports and other recreational activities, as well as an expanded fitness center, which is sorely needed.

In 2004, just as in 1855, this institution is committed to the success of each and every student. That has not changed through the years. Teaching techniques, faculty and staff innovations, scope of academic offerings, technology, and facilities have dramatically transformed the University. But the commitment to students remains the bedrock of William Paterson’s existence.

The University adopted its newest Student Success Plan in 2004 under the leadership of Provost Chernoh Sesay to help ensure that every department of the University – academic as well as administrative – works to achieve and maintain excellence in support of our students. The plan guides all of our activities, in concert with the Timely Degree Completion Initiative, and provides the framework for individual action plans in each of the academic and administrative departments of the University. The plan is in concert not only with our own standards of excellence, but with Middle States guidelines for student learning outcomes and institutional effectiveness. All academic and administrative units have been charged with developing action plans that address the appropriate sections of the Student Success Plan. This thorough and inclusive planning process demonstrates the commitment to our students.

Student success is impossible without faculty and institutional excellence. Members of our faculty consistently function at the highest levels in teaching, scholarship, performance and mentoring. There are scores of examples. I’d like to share just a few recent accolades that are representative of the work being accomplished by our faculty on a daily basis:

•	Brad Gooch of English was named a Guggenheim Fellow for the 2004-2005 year – the first William Paterson faculty member to earn this prestigious honor. He is working on a biography of Flannery O’Connor.
•	Gary Kirkpatrick of music, as a member of the Halcyon Trio, will join the New Jersey Symphony on Sept 10 at NJPAC to perform in the world premiere of Schifrin’s Concerto for Clarinet, Viola and Orchestra.
•	Steve Bryant of music continues to perform around the world, including a spring performance in Seoul, Korea at the Tongyeong International Music Festival.
•	Rochelle Kaplan of elementary and early childhood education is working on a National Science Foundation-funded project, led by Teachers College at Columbia University, to develop new curriculum and online resources for training future pre-school teachers to teach math to their students.
•	Emmanuel Onaivi of biology accompanied students Zoila Mora and Alex Perchuk to the national meeting of the Council on Undergraduate Research in Washington. Zoila’s research was selected for presentation before the U.S. Congress as representative of the high quality of undergraduate student research across the country.
•	Ki Hee Kim of marketing and management sciences was invited to speak about international business this summer at the prestigious Oxford Roundtable at Oxford University.

Before proceeding further this morning, I’d like to express my sadness about the loss of Professor James Williams, director of our Jazz Studies Program, who passed away in July. He was a true professional – an extraordinarily talented musician and an educator who was greatly respected by his students and his colleagues. We’ll miss him greatly. A tribute concert in James’ memory is being organized for September 19 here in Shea with proceeds to benefit the James Williams Memorial Scholarship Fund.

As we look toward the future, public funding for higher education in New Jersey remains uncertain, particularly in light of the changing situation in Trenton.

You know we have a long-standing agreement with the Senate and the Union that if at all possible, no significant change in program or policy will take place while faculty are away during the summer. It occurred to me that such an agreement within State government might serve us all just as well.

Last month, the Governor announced that he will resign effective November 15. The Acting Governor will be the President of the Senate, Richard Codey, who will continue to serve as leader of the State Senate and as Acting Governor until January 2006 unless 21 senators think otherwise.

In that context, the State approaches the planning of a 2005-2006 budget which is already 4 _ billion dollars in the red, so we’re told. The State Supreme Court noted that it was not constitutional for the State to borrow to meet operating expenses but permitted it for this year only. Having no visible source of additional revenue, Acting Governor Codey and the legislature will be expected to enact a budget. And by the way, all this in the midst of an election for Governor and the entire Assembly in November 2005.

So for the 20th time I’ll note for you an obvious corollary -- it doesn’t look good for higher education. One, because we are seen as having our own revenue source, tuition and fees. And two, because we’re assured problems elsewhere are worse. I’ll keep you informed as things progress (or regress).

Our ability to excel as an institution depends on support from philanthropy. During a continuing period of fiscal constraint, we must work harder than ever to form the partnerships necessary to assist us in our mission as a comprehensive regional university.

Our success in philanthropy depends on alumni and friends who believe in the heart and history of this University. With pride in the past and hope for the future, they believe in our traditional core of students who are the first in their families to attend college, who work hard to balance their studies and their jobs, and who are highly motivated to gain knowledge that will help them succeed in careers and lives. Fortunately for the future, our alumni and friends also believe in the institution’s age-old ability to keep reaching higher levels of excellence by creating unique opportunities for learning and invigorating the educational process to meet the up-to-the-minute demands of a fast-changing region, state, nation and world.

We are now in the final phase of our $30 million comprehensive campaign and I am confident that the power of philanthropy will continue to enhance student success, our academic mission and faculty innovation by providing support for scholarships, programs and facilities.

During this final phase, we are working to secure $10 million to complete the campaign with an emphasis on supporting endowments, scholarships, the annual fund, academic initiatives in each of the five colleges, and capital projects. In this regard, we are fortunate to have the leadership of Sandra Deller, vice president for institutional advancement.
We hope to generate funds for endowed faculty chairs that would enhance the learning of students and add to the prestige of the University. Endowments would also recognize the importance of faculty development by supporting research and scholarship and advancing teaching excellence by providing innovative technology.

Through the years, scholarships have often been the difference between young people only dreaming about college and actually attaining the intellectual and personal benefits of a college education. Over the last five years, we’ve awarded close to $2 million to more than 1,000 students.

Last year was the best year ever for the University’s annual fund and the potential for the future is vast. The annual fund provides financial support that can be directed to the University’s areas of greatest need. Annual fund gifts help to fund new research projects, upgrade technology, provide support for faculty travel, and give the University the ability to quickly implement new opportunities. More traditionally, the annual fund is recognized as a source of scholarship and grant funds. We saw an exciting example of this last spring when Michael Perry, a 1990 graduate with a degree in political science, pledged $100,000 to establish a scholarship in honor of Marty Weinstein of political science. The gift created the Martin Weinstein Scholarship to honor Marty and his impact on Michael Perry’s life.

Academic initiatives supported by the comprehensive campaign include the Asian studies program, the Paterson Teachers for Tomorrow program, the E*TRADE Financial Learning Center, the Russ Berrie Institute for Professional Sales, and the development of an Honors College. As I mentioned earlier, our capital plans include the Science building, a performing arts complex and Rec Center renovations.

As we work through this crucial final phase of the campaign, collaboration across the campus remains important to our success. I’d like to publicly thank the deans, chairs and faculty members who have provided counsel and insights to our advancement staff throughout the campaign. We will continue to look to you for support and advice and, of course, to help us connect with former students – like Michael Perry -- who may be interested in supporting the institution that set them on paths to successful careers.

In addition to philanthropic support, this past year, 111 faculty received a total of $45,000 in support through the Research and Travel Incentive program.

And external grants totaling more than $3.5 million were awarded to the University from 34 Federal and state agencies, foundations and corporations. This represents a 26 percent increase compared to FY 03 and sets a new record for the total grants received by the University in any one year.

The spirit of collaboration and a commitment to shared governance throughout our campus is essential to the future of the University. All members of the University community – our Board of Trustees, the faculty, the administration, the faculty senate and the unions – demonstrate a proud commitment to the goal that ties everyone and everything together – student success.

The Provost and I look forward to continuing to work with faculty and student leadership. We look forward to working with Miryam Wahrman of biology, chair of the faculty senate, and Sue Tardi of sociology, president of the AFT. We also look forward to working with Louis Newton III, the new president of the Student Government Association.

As we celebrate our institution’s 150th anniversary, I look forward to continuing the spirit of collaboration that has helped us achieve so much. I can’t help but think ahead and wonder how our accomplishments at William Paterson University will be viewed through the years.

Let’s work together so that 150 years from now, William Paterson’s faculty and staff will look back and marvel at our vision, creativity and academic innovations. Let’s work together so that 50 years from now, William Paterson’s faculty and staff will look back with pride at how we positioned the institution to meet the complex needs of the next generation. Let’s work together so that eight months from now, the students in our class of 2005 will graduate knowing that our collective expertise, insights and energies combined to help them develop the knowledge and skills to succeed in the world that awaits them, and to help make that world a better place for all of us.

I wish you a wonderful academic year filled with success and satisfaction. Thank you.