Commencement 2013

Faculty Recognition Awards will be presented during the 2013 Commencement ceremony to three faculty for their outstanding accomplishments:

Excellence in Teaching: Maria Villar, Professor of Anthropology

Professor Maria Villar has been dedicated to excellence in teaching through the use of innovative teaching methods, nurturing student success, and interdisciplinary collaboration.  Her commitment to improved pedagogical practice led her to work in, and to co-direct from 2008 to 2011, the University’s Center for Teaching Excellence, which serves as an important interdisciplinary forum for faculty to explore various teaching philosophies, and for the dissemination of cutting-edge teaching methods. A 2009 fellowship from the Interactivity Foundation to study critical thinking skills is one example of Professor Villar’s efforts to enrich classroom practices and student learning outcomes.  A specialist in cultural anthropology, particularly the ethnography of immigrant groups in Mexico and the Dominican Republic, Professor Villar has collaborated with her colleagues throughout the University to teach cluster courses for freshmen, as well as courses in the Latin American and Latino Studies Program, for which she serves on the program committee, as well as for the Honors College and the First-Year Seminar program.  Professor Villar is the Department of Anthropology liaison to the University’s College of Education, and collaborated with education faculty to develop the course Equity and Diversity in Schools. A member of the faculty since 1995, she is the author of numerous journal articles and has delivered dozens of conference presentations and invited lectures. Professor Villar is a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico with a bachelor of science degree in physics and mathematics, and holds a master’s degree in computer science from Stony Brook University, and a doctorate in cultural anthropology from Indiana University.

Excellence in Scholarship/Creative Expression: Vincent Parrillo, Professor of Sociology

Professor Vincent Parrillo, who teaches and conducts research in the area of diversity and race relations, is considered a leader in his field. His current research, with fellow William Paterson sociology Professor Maboud Ansari, on the impact of moderate Muslim schools, took him to Bosnia and Albania last year, and will continue in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan this June. Recently selected as a Fulbright Senior Specialist for the second time, Professor Parrillo served as a Fulbright Scholar in the Czech Republic in 2000.  He has been awarded numerous grants from the U.S. Information Agency, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Department of Defense to lecture abroad on diversity, multiculturalism, and immigration. Professor Parrillo is the author of numerous books, several of which have been translated into ten different languages, including Strangers to These Shores and Diversity in America, both of which are used in college classrooms across the country. He also served as general editor of the interdisciplinary, two-volume Encyclopedia of Social Problems.  He is the writer, narrator, and co-producer of three documentaries: Gaetano Federici: The Sculptor Laureate of Paterson (2013), which recently aired on NJTV; as well as the award-winning Smokestacks and Steeples: A Portrait of Paterson and Ellis Island: Gateway to America; he also has authored a novel, served as co-lyricist for a rock opera, and written histories of William Paterson University and of Ridgewood. He is a member of the American Sociological Association and the Eastern Sociological Society. A graduate of Seton Hall University, Professor Parrillo holds a master’s degree in English from Montclair State University and a doctor of education degree in sociology from Rutgers University.

Excellence in Service: Stephen Shalom, Professor of Political Science

During his more than three decades as a faculty member at William Paterson University, Professor Stephen Shalom has demonstrated a deep commitment to service on the department, college, and University levels, as well as to the community.  He has served as chair of the Department of Political Science in the College of the Humanities and Social Sciences; as a member of the Asian Studies Program Committee; as a founding member of the First-Year Seminar Committee; as a member of the Faculty Senate; and of the College of the Humanities and Social Sciences Strategic Plan Working Group, among numerous others.  He serves as director of the Gandhian Forum for Peace and Justice, A University-wide initiative that seeks to promote peace and justice through cooperative engagement, dialogue, and respect for opposing views and opinions.  Dedicated to his students as well, Professor Shalom has served as advisor to the Political Science Club and the Model UN Club, which he initiated, and is frequently invited to speak to student clubs and community groups. Of particular note is his selection as the Student Government Association’s Professor of the Year in 2005. A specialist in international relations and U.S. foreign policy, Professor Shalom has written and edited several books, including The United States and the Philippines: A Study of Neocolonialism, Which Side Are You On? An Introduction to Politics, and Perilous Power: the Middle East and U.S. Foreign Policy, and is on the editorial board of New Politics and a writer for Znet. A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a bachelor’s degree in political science, he holds a master’s degree in political science from Northeastern University and a doctorate in political science from Boston University.