President-office-Header

February 1, 2021

Dear William Paterson Faculty & Staff:

I hope you all had a nice weekend and are ready for this snowy start to February. Today marks the start of Black History Month, and William Paterson has a wonderful series of lectures, discussions, and arts performances and workshops scheduled in the coming days and weeks, beginning with tomorrow’s kick-off event. This year’s theme, “Protecting the Crown: Breaking Generational Curses,” is intended to engage the community on topics related to liberation, Black identity, family, and culture. Black History Month events are always some of the most interesting and informative of the academic year, and I encourage everyone to participate in as many as your schedule allows. Black history is American history. Click here for the complete list of events. 
 
I am pleased to report that our enrollment numbers continue to improve ahead of the February 3rd census. As of Sunday, total enrollment stood at 9,275, which is 1.3% above our goal. However, due to the pandemic and other disruptions in the lives of our students and their families, more students have moved from full-time to part-time. As a result, we are down 257 full-time, in-state students, which translates into a $135,000 gap between the current revenue forecast and our goal. Graduate enrollment is up 10.7% over goal, due in large part to WP Online. We all know how critical enrollment and retention are to the health of the University, and while more work remains, I want to thank everyone who has a part in increasing these numbers during the difficult environment in which we are operating.
 
Senior Vice President for Administration and Finance Steve Bolyai, who has served William Paterson well, will retire on May 31. We thank Steve for his many years of dedicated service to our institution and will find important ways to celebrate and honor his service in the coming months. While the layoffs continue to loom large, I want everyone to know that I, along with the Cabinet, take the financial situation very seriously. Therefore, I have decided not to replace his position. Instead, beginning June 1, Associate Vice President for Administration and Facilities Kevin Garvey and Chief Information Officer Eric Rosenberg will report directly to the President. 
 
Additionally, on June 1, Samantha Green, Associate Vice President and Controller, will add Treasurer to her title and will serve as the chief financial officer for William Paterson. Green, Garvey, and Rosenberg will all begin attending weekly Cabinet meetings in April, during a transition period. Then, effective June 1, they will formally join the Cabinet. Also, as of June 1, the Budget Office will report to Dr. Guillermo de Veyga, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and University Relations, and University Police will report to Vice President for Student Development Miki Cammarata. Together with the joining of the College of the Arts & Communication and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, which Provost Powers recently announced, these changes will help us operate more effectively and efficiently, while realizing cost savings by reducing the number of higher education managers. I look forward to welcoming the new members to Cabinet, where I know they will be a valuable addition.
 
This week’s WP: We are Proud – The William Paterson chapter of ACE-NET, the networking group for advancing women in higher education, recently launched The Period Project, part of an international campaign to distribute menstrual products to people in need. ACE-NET is collecting feminine hygiene products to distribute in the WP and local communities, including the WP Pioneer Pantry, for our students, and for the women and girls at Oasis, a Paterson social services agency. Thanks to Dr. Djanna Hill, chairperson of the Department of Community and Social Justice Studies and professor of teacher education; Mari Rodriguez, Associate Director of Campus Activities, Service, and Leadership, and; Johanna Prado, Director of Adult Degree Completion Programs for leading this effort and to everyone who has contributed so far. If you can, I encourage you to support this worthy cause, either by making a gift that will be used to purchase these items for the Pioneer Pantry by designating it for “Period Poverty,” or by purchasing items directly through ACE-NET’s Amazon Wish List to benefit both the Pioneer Pantry and Oasis.
 
Thank you, stay safe in the snow, and have a great week! 
 
Sincerely,
 
Richard J. Helldobler, Ph.D.
President