Welcome to efocus — news & events for February 2006
Editor's Note: Efocus is published monthly by the Office of Marketing and Public Relations. Contact us with any questions or comments at efocus@wpunj.edu or call
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Jazz Icon Wynton Marsalis to Appear in Distinguished Lecturer Series and Jazz Room Series on Sunday, March 19
—Tickets are still available for both events

Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis

Wynton Marsalis, the jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer who is one of the world’s most recognized jazz artists, will be at William Paterson University in Wayne on Sunday, March 19, 2006, for a special dual appearance as part of the University’s nationally renowned Jazz Room Series as well as the 26th season of its acclaimed Distinguished Lecturer Series.
Marsalis and his Sextet will perform at 3:00 p.m. in Shea Center as part of the spring 2006 Jazz Room Series.  Later that evening, at 7:30 p.m., Marsalis will return to Shea Center for his Distinguished Lecturer Series address, titled “Letting Jazz Lift Your Soul,” which will focus on his music and on jazz as a unique American art form.



Spring 2006 Jazz Room Series begins on February 19

Avishai Cohen, bassist and composer, will perform at William Paterson University on Sunday, February 19 to open the spring 2006 Jazz Room Series.

The series continues on February 26 with Mulgrew Miller, a jazz pianist and composer of international stature and the new director of the jazz studies program at William Paterson University. On March 5, Chico Alvarez, a multi-faceted musician, vocalist, and bandleader will perform with the University's Latin Jazz Ensemble.

University Sponsors Arts Events on Campus

Peru Negro
Peru Negro

Defying Gravity, a play inspired by the 1986 space shuttle Challenger disaster that took the life of its astronauts, will be in performance from February 15 to 18 in Shea Center. Set in New York City, Stop Kiss, a play about star-crossed lovers who fall in love against all odds, will be presented from February 24 to March 4 in the University’s Hunziker Black Box Theater. A show heralding the wonders of the 21st century, Wow! What a Century, will be held on March 4 in Shea Center. Peru Negro combines the distinctive sound of Afro-Peruvian music with dance on stage on March 11 in Shea Center.

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News Notes

chemistry week
Students celebrate National Chemistry Week at Expo

William Paterson University’s Chemistry Club received an American Chemical Society Student Affiliate Honorable Mention for its activities during the 2004-2005 academic year. The Club joined the North Jersey section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison to celebrate National Chemistry Week and participated in the 13th Annual Chemistry Expo. Read More

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High Mountain Symphony Season Continues on February 25
—Viswa Subbaraman, assistant conductor of the Orchestre National de France, is guest conductor

The High Mountain Symphony at William Paterson University in Wayne continues its 2005-2006 concert season on Saturday, February 25, 2006 with a performance at 8:00 p.m. in Shea Center on campus.  Viswa Subbaraman will be the guest conductor. The program, titled “Echoes Through Europe,” will feature Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite, Rossini’s Italian in Algiers and Symphony No. 1 by Brahms.

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William Paterson University’s Political Science Department Sponsors Series of Lectures on Civil and Human Rights Issues

African debt, political issues in South America, and civil rights in the American south are topics of lectures to be held at William Paterson University during the month of February. All events are open to the public. Admission is free.


University Celebrates Mid-Year Commencement
  Arnold Speert
  President Arnold Speert

The wind was brisk, the sky a cerulean blue, and the air was full of anticipation on the afternoon of January 22 as William Paterson University held its 182nd commencement ceremony in the Rec Center on campus.

A total of 893 undergraduate students received bachelor’s degrees. President Arnold Speert and B. Marisol Lado, a graduating senior and president of the senior class, addressed the graduating class.  Donaldo Garcia, a senior faculty member in the College of Arts and Communication, led the academic procession in the role of University marshal.

“I join with your professors, family and friends in congratulating you on your success in completing the baccalaureate degree,” President Speert said.  "With that degree comes the expectation that you will use the knowledge and tools you have acquired here to make a difference in your lives and those of the people with whom you live and work. Our communities and our way of life depend on the active involvement of citizens like you.”

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New Jersey Secretary of State Wells to Participate in Panel Discussion at William Paterson University About the Legacy of Rosa Parks

Nina Mitchell Wells, New Jersey Secretary of State; Karen Brown, Passaic County clerk, and Charley Flint, William Paterson University professor of sociology will discuss the life and accomplishments of Rosa Parks on Tuesday, February 21 at William Paterson University in Wayne.

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Mulgrew Miller and Eric Alexander Perform at Midday Artist Series

Mulgrew Miller
Mulgrew Miller, the University’s new director of jazz studies, and Eric Alexander, a 1990 William Paterson graduate and one of the hottest tenor saxophonists on the jazz scene, performed in the opening concert of the spring Midday Artists Series on January 26.

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Composer Rob Fusari Speaks to Music Management Students

music students
Music management students crammed into the Shea Center Recording Studio on January 27 to hear Rob Fusari (right), a composer, producer and former William Paterson music management major, give them an inside look at the music business.  Fusari has co-written and produced several worldwide hits, including two that reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart:  Destiny’s Child’s “Bootylicious” and Will Smith’s “Wild Wild West.”

In Memoriam

Amy Job
Amy Job

Amy Job, technical services librarian, David and Lorraine Cheng Library, died on Sunday, February 12. She was 63. Recently retired, she was a member of the University’s staff since September 1968. She worked as a cataloger during those years, but assumed many additional responsibilities as technology changed the library. She participated in the changeover from the library’s Dewey Decimal System to the Library of Congress Classification System.  She taught cataloging on campus, and co-authored three books for school library media specialists. She was a member of the New Jersey Library Association (NJLA) and received the distinguished service award of the college and university section of that organization in 1992, and the president’s award in 2005. In addition, she received a citation from the New Jersey Association of School Librarians in 2005.  Job received the provost’s award for excellence in service in 2004. On her retirement, in her honor, the classroom in the curriculum materials department was renamed the Amy Job Classroom.

Lois Wolf
Lois Wolf

Lois Wolf, associate professor of political science, emerita, died on Saturday, February 11. She was 75. Wolf was appointed to the University’s faculty in 1964 and retired in 2004 after a forty-year career. She was the first recipient of the Alumni Association’s Faculty Service Award. A specialist in American politics, she was the first woman to chair the Faculty Senate, and is the only faculty member to have served four terms in that position.  Wolf was the first chairperson of the Institutional Planning Council, and also chaired the General Education Committee.  An educator known for her commitment to students, she was among the first recipients of the “Students First” award presented by the Student Government Association in 1993. Wolf was a Fulbright Scholar, and the author of four books, including one on map-reading skills, which has become a primer on the topic. Skilled at conflict resolution, she was named campus ombudsperson in 1996. Wolf served on numerous committees during her time on campus including the Middle States Interim Accreditation Committee, and the Sabbatical Leave and Promotion Committee.

 

Janell Fabor
Janell Fabor

Fabor and Johnson Capture NJAC Weekly Awards

William Paterson University sophomore guard Janell Fabor and freshman forward Asia Johnson were named New Jersey Athletic Conference Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week, respectively, on Feb. 13 after leading the Pioneers to two road victories.