Seton Hall Magazine Spring 2021

SETON HALL Spring 2021

HISTORY LESSONS The Stories Seton Hall’s Objects Tell

SETON HALL Spring 2021

Vol. 31 Issue 3

Seton Hall magazine is published by the Department of Public Relations and Marketing in the Division of University Relations.

feature

18

Telling Stories

26

Great Minds Dare to Care

President Joseph E. Nyre, Ph.D. Vice President for University Relations Matthew Borowick ’89/M.B.A. ’94 Director of Publications/ University Editor Pegeen Hopkins, M.S.J. Art Director Ann Antoshak Copy Editors Kim de Bourbon Shanice Casimiro News & Notes Editors Viannca I. Vélez ’10 Erika (Klinger) Thomas, M.A. ’11 Christina M. Mojica

Send your comments and suggestions by mail to: Seton Hall magazine, Department of Public Relations and Marketing, 519 South Orange Avenue, South Orange, NJ 07079; by email to shuwriter@shu.edu; or by phone at 973-378-9834.

Artifacts of the past on campus have captivating tales to share.

Seton Hall launches a University-wide initiative to raise awareness about mental health issues and suicide prevention.

departments

2

Presidents Hall

12

4 HALLmarks 10

Profile

12

Possibilities

14

Roaming the Hall

16

Profile

30

Sports at the Hall

34

Alumni News & Notes

44

Last Word

Jen Cotter ’94 pursued an unexpected career path that led to her role as a Peloton executive.

Samantha Sinclair’s Pathway to Purpose helps diverse students acclimate to the college application process.

Cover: Set of stained glass windows

in Presidents Hall depicting, from left, Saint Joseph, the Virgin Mary and Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. Photo by Kristine Foley Facing page: Spring on the South Orange campus. Photo by Earl Richardson

www.shu.edu

Father Brian Muzás investigates how religious cultural heritage may have shaped the presidential approach to nuclear arms.

18

Anthony Ciavaglia ’77 gives back to his alma mater through the Ciavaglia Scholarship, given to one business student per year.

14

FROM P R E S ID EN T S H A L L |

J O S E P H E . N Y R E , P h . D.

A Vibrant Path Forward “When so rich a harvest is before us, why do we not gather it?

All is in our hands if we will but use it.”

S A INT EL IZA BET H A NN SET ON

S

eton Hall is at its best when we embody

will guide Seton Hall through the fluctuating higher

the knowledge, care and faith on which the

education landscape. For some time now, American

University was founded. Since 1856, we have

colleges and universities have been undergoing seismic

shown a continual desire to infuse those

changes. Many institutions are rightly concerned about

qualities more fully in our community. When we do,

shifting demographics. Competition for a shrinking

they blossom into treasures that benefit not only us,

pool of applicants leads to fewer incoming students.

but also the world around us.

This results in smaller budgets, rising debt and

Heeding the call of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, who encourages us to harvest our many treasures, we are excited to unveil the University’s new strategic

heretofore unseen regularity.

This disruptive trend began well before COVID-19

plan: Harvest Our Treasures. It extols our traditional

arrived on our shores. Since then, the pandemic has

strengths, animates them in inspiring new ways, and

intensified the trend and forced many colleges to abandon

charts a vibrant path forward.

strategic planning and enter crisis-management mode.

What are the University’s treasures? First and

Thankfully, Seton Hall’s planning continued to evolve

foremost, they are the people in our Seton Hall family.

throughout the tumult of 2020. More than 140 faculty

The strategic plan speaks to all of us and sets a course

and staff members, students and clergy met through the

to strengthen each of us individually and collectively

spring and summer to prepare reopening plans guided by

as a diverse community.

strategic planning principles. Those principles informed

Our community comes together in a specific context

our decision-making as we avoided pandemic paralysis,

developed over 165 years of teaching, learning, wor-

envisioned a successful return to campus and achieved

shipping, serving and encouraging students to reach

a safe and healthy fall semester.

beyond their grasp. In this context, the plan establishes a framework to fortify Seton Hall’s academic enterprise, spiritual foundation and vibrant campus life, as well as vital experiential and physical resources.

Writ large, the plan is a blueprint that will underpin all of Seton Hall’s decision-making for the next three years.

Embedded in its approach is a dynamism that

2

instability that causes institutions to close with

The Board of Regents unanimously endorsed Harvest Our Treasures in December.

Already the plan is bearing fruit. In line with the specific goals outlined in it, Seton Hall announced a major renovation of the University Center and has embarked on a master planning process for the South Orange and Newark campuses.

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

|

SPRING 2021

I appreciate our community’s thoughtful work to engage Harvest Our Treasures through an array of exciting new initiatives, with many more to come.

The University Center renovation and other vital capital projects are being made possible through the generous support of alumni and friends. Essential gifts

of us over the next three years and beyond.

We know our efforts will require ongoing review

such as these are critical to the sustainable growth of

to ensure peak performance, as we continue to

our University. As Seton Hall envisions and executes

successfully manage the pandemic while leading Seton

its next comprehensive philanthropic campaign, it will

Hall into the future. Regardless of the circumstances,

focus on advancing the pivotal areas of Harvest Our

we will be ready to adapt and adjust, just as we did

Treasures that will transform our campuses and the

throughout 2020.

quality of our University’s academic profile. This will

Photo by Kristine Foley

shu.edu/strategic-plan and learn where it will take all

I appreciate our community’s thoughtful work to

ensure that the aspirations and dreams embedded in

engage Harvest Our Treasures through an array of

the plan will be fully realized.

exciting new initiatives, with many more to come. And

You may be asking what role alumni and friends

I look forward to your commitment. More than ever,

can play. I assure you — this plan and the ideas it sets

we need you to do what you have always done — roll up

forth are as much for you as for the campus community.

your sleeves and participate in exceptional ways to

I encourage you to read Harvest Our Treasures at

ensure a more vibrant Seton Hall for all of us. n

3

HA LL m a r k s

In Brief

l Father Pablo Gadenz of Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology co-hosts the Catholic Faith Network’s “Living Word” talk show series, which last year focused on Lent, Advent and the Gospel of Mark. Three more episodes were filmed in early April. l Patrick R. Manning, assistant professor and chair of pastoral theology, and Jon Radwan, director of the Institute for Communication and Religion, were named Lilly Faculty Fellows in a program allowing mid-career faculty to combine Christian thought and practice with their academic vocation. l Economic professors Anca Grecu and Kurt Rotthoff earned a “Bright Idea Award” from the New Jersey Policy Research Organization Foundation. The award recognizes New Jersey business school faculty members whose publications significantly advance knowledge in the discipline and deliver relevant findings to business practitioners. l The Stillman School Market Research Center earned the 2020 Judges’ Award of Excellence from the University Economic Development Association. Seton Hall is the only university in New Jersey honored with the group’s top distinction. l Matthew Escobar, prestigious fellowships director and professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to study in Spain. His areas of interest include Latin American studies, immigration, and transatlantic literature and film. l During the fall semester, the Arts Council held a series of free online public events, including “A Night of Italian Opera Arias for Hope and Resilience,” and “A Brief History of Jazz and Jazz Vocalists.”

4

l Robert Kelchen, associate professor of higher education, was recognized by Education Week and the American Enterprise Institute think tank as No. 19 in the Top 200 United States education scholars and public influencers of 2021. l James Kimble, professor of communication, was appointed founding editor of the University of Nebraska’s Home Front Studies. This peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journal will take a broad look at the concept of the homefront during times of war, ranging from the late 19th century to the present. l Natalie Neubauer, director of clinical education and assistant professor in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology, was elected to the New Jersey Speech-Language-Hearing Association Board of Directors for a three-year term starting July 1. l Mirela Bruza-Augatis, assistant professor and assistant chair of the Department of Physician Assistants, was awarded the 2020-21 Don Pedersen Research Grant for a study investigating potential physician assistant program-application barriers for underrepresented minorities. l Jonathan Hafetz, associate professor of law, was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship for study in Japan. He specializes in constitutional law, national security and human rights, and was a previous recipient of a Fulbright for study in Mexico. l The New Jersey Law Journal named professor Paula Franzese as one of the “Top Women in Law.” Franzese was one of 20 women honored from more than 75,000 lawyers in New Jersey. l For the 14th consecutive year, the Stillman School of Business’ M.B.A. program has been included in the Princeton Review’s list of “Best Business Schools.”

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

|

SPRING 2021

Good Citizenship in a Digital World

T

here’s some irony that Seton Hall’s public Digital

adolescents, now expected to be scheduled this fall.

Citizenry Project has had its work delayed by

“With libraries closed and struggling to provide basic

the COVID-19 pandemic, at a time when people

services to their patrons, we decided to postpone

are turning to electronic interaction more than ever.

The project aims to help people use technology to

everything,” Balkun says.

But the books have been selected, so those who

engage with society in a responsible way. It began as

would like to take part may start reading: The Fire

a series of programs with citizens of South Orange

This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race, by

in 2017-18, a pilot project initiated by Marta Deyrup,

Jesmyn Ward, for adults, and Black Enough: Stories

co-head of technical services at the University Libraries,

of Being Young & Black in America, edited by Ibi Zoboi,

and English professor Mary Balkun, who heads the

for teens.

University’s Digital Humanities Committee.

They obtained a New Jersey Council for the Humanities grant to expand the project in 2020-21 to include

“We chose these because they bring to light one of the primary challenges to digital citizenry today — racial inequality.”

East Orange, Orange and Maplewood, where they planned to center their work around public libraries. But politics and the pandemic changed both focus and scheduling.

“First of all, we shifted from digital workshops about tools and applications to virtual town halls that dealt with digital citizenry topics,” they say. “We realized these topics were becoming of vital importance, especially in light of the presidential election and its aftermath.”

Two online panel discussions were held last fall: “Money, Technology and Elections” and “Traditional Media, Social Media and the Polarization of the Electorate.” Recordings of these talks are available on the project’s Facebook page.

“We’ve done our best to engage residents of the local towns virtually, but outreach has been challenging,” say the two. “We can’t advertise in public spaces by putting up posters, banners, and so on. Instead, we’ve been using social media platforms, especially Facebook, as well as reaching out to our various contact groups.”

One thing they’ve been able to do is start an online “Toolkit for Engaged Citizenship,” with guides to use Twitter and Facebook groups.

One event scheduled for June 1 is a two-hour online symposium to bring together local civic leaders, faculty, activists and local citizens to discuss digital citizenry.

Also in the works are two “Four Towns/One Book” public discussions, one for adults and one for

5

HA LL m a r k s

Global Studies Goes Local

T

he Newark School of Global Studies opened last fall, a four-year public high school giving students a worldwide perspective as they study international relations and business while learning foreign languages and getting real-world diplomatic experience.

Seton Hall’s School of Diplomacy and International Relations is a partner in this new “school without borders,” helping develop programs and curriculum aligned with its diversity, equity, inclusion and justice initiative.

Graduate students presented four lectures in the fall to the new school, where students continue to attend

monthly lectures and will be mentored by Diplomacy alumni.

The Newark school was founded to train students from diverse backgrounds as America’s future diplomats and business leaders, fluent in world languages. Students study diplomacy while learning to speak Arabic or take courses in economics while gaining fluency in Chinese culture and language.

All students are now taking Introduction to International Relations, a collegecredit course designed by Seton Hall faculty and offered through the University’s Project Acceleration.

The partnership was led by Kyle Younger Ed.D., a Newark native and former director of professional services at the School of Diplomacy and International Relations.

“I am thrilled to see that my hometown will benefit from this partnership that has the potential to introduce Newark high school students to coursework and careers that provide a global perspective,” Younger said.

First Aid for Mental Health

M

embers of the public as well as the Seton Hall

course, targeting help for children ages 6 to 18 years

community learn how to help struggling friends

old. That course, being taught by Mildred Kenney-Lau,

and family in two online courses providing

M.S.N., and Beth Jameson, Ph.D., discusses how

“Mental Health First Aid” instruction.

Those signing up for the one-day Zoom classes offered by the College of Nursing are trained to identify,

developing a mental health or substance-use problem.

The first youth course was held in January, Kenney-

understand and respond to signs of addictions as well

Lau said, with students from both the College of

as mental illness, such as depression and anxiety.

Nursing and College of Education and Human Services

Participants learn how to get help for those who may

taking part. A second one is planned for May 25.

be considering suicide or self-injury, and also learn how

For both courses, participants are required to

to respond to someone who is not in crisis but

complete two hours of online work on their own

still might need help.

before the four-hour online session for the whole class.

Seton Hall held its first such course, aimed at

Participants who passed an exam at the end of the

helping adults, in 2019, when it was an in-person class

course received certificates as Mental Health First

taught by Teresa Conklin, D.N.P., APN, FNP-BC, and Afua

Aiders, conferred by Mental Health First Aid USA.

Ampiaw, M.S.N., R.N.

Both courses are open to any student interested in

This year they taught the course online for the

mental health or health care, such as psychology

first time, with sessions held in January and March.

majors, education majors, science majors, social work

About 75 percent of those who signed up were students,

majors and students planning to live in the dorms

with the rest members of the general public and staff,

or who aspire to work in Residence Life. Seton Hall

Conklin said.

faculty, administrators, staff and the general public

New this year is a Youth Mental Health First Aid

6

to support children and adolescents who may be

are also welcome to register.

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

|

SPRING 2021

INBOX INSPIRATION

T

echnology offered the faithful a daily spiritual contemplation from Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology (ICSST), which hosted its second

annual Lenten Video Reflection Series this spring.

Those who signed up received a video in their email

assistant professor of pastoral theology.

“Theology has been really proud of its video reflection series, as have I,” said Christine Aromando of University Relations.

Last year’s Lenten video series focused on the Seven

every day from March 1 through March 19 in celebration

Last Words of Christ and were sent out to more than

of the feast of Saint Joseph.

1,200 subscribers.

The “Praying the Stations of the Cross” videos were

ICCST offers a similar video series during Advent.

presented by Monsignor Joseph Reilly, S.T.L., Ph.D.,

The 2020 series focused on Mary as she is celebrated in

rector and dean, and Dianne Traflet, J.D., S.T.D., associate

diverse cultures and is posted on the Seminary’s section

dean for graduate studies and administration and

of the Seton Hall University website.

SHU IN THE NEWS “Hopefully, the atmosphere we create is about creating “U.S.-Taiwan relations had almost a Kabuki theater element to it — so stylized and carefully managed. There’s an open, honest, frank discussion of the role of an intense sensitivity not just to the substance of those race, the role of intolerance and the role of hatred in American society. Not just in the contemporary sense, meetings but the optics. By having this shift, it does raise a lot of questions about how those interactions will be but the historical sense.”

Reverend Forrest Pritchett, senior adviser to the provost for diversity, equity and inclusion and director of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Program, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations at universities.

“The critical attitude of Enlightenment thinkers like Spinoza, Voltaire and Kant has entered into the common consciousness. In such a culture, it is virtually impossible for an unexamined faith to survive.”

Patrick Manning, Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology, America Magazine, discussing religious education in a culture of critical consciousness.

“We’re in a critical moment where young people are seeing injustice but not necessarily understanding the root and stem of this injustice. I think they want to learn. The challenge for institutions and faculty is to provide adequate, effective, sufficient content, curriculum and knowledge.”

Edmund Adjapong, College of Education and Human Services, Inside Higher Ed, on the need to understand other cultures as some states are mandating Black history and ethnic studies courses.

structured going forward.”

Margaret Lewis, School of Law, The Washington Post, discussing the shifting policy questions regarding China and Taiwan now facing the Biden administration.

“Mr. Sarkozy insisted, to the surprise of his contemporaries, that religion must have some serious role in French society. His endorsement was strongly seconded by Pope Benedict XVI who both in France and the U.S. spoke of a ‘healthy secularism,’ one in which the government, while always maintaining its autonomy, recognized the spiritual and transcendent dimension of humanity.”

Monsignor Thomas Guarino, Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology, The Wall Street Journal, on the importance of integrating Islam into French society.

“The recent news of vaccine breakthroughs has got to be enormously uplifting to those in the business of selling tickets, be it sports or entertainment.”

Charles Grantham, Stillman School of Business, ESPN, on how American sports fans are waiting for the COVID-19 vaccine before returning to the bleachers.

7

Saint

HA LL m a r k s

ELIZABETH ANN SETON Resilience and Faith in the Face of Daunting Hardship PART 2 OF 2 IN A SERIES

I

n 1803, hopeful that her husband would experience better health in Italy, Elizabeth Ann Seton boarded the ship Shepherdess for a seven-week journey to cross the Atlantic

with William and their eldest daughter, Anna. Their other children, including their fifth child, baby Rebecca, were left in the care of family and friends.

Elizabeth exuded prayerful serenity in the early weeks of the journey, “… confiding Hope and consoling Peace have attended my way thro’ storms and dangers that must have terrified a Soul whose Rock is not Christ.”

Upon arriving in Italy, Elizabeth happily ran with outstretched arms towards a relative, but was immediately stopped by a guard who instructed, “Do not touch!” Fear of yellow fever had gripped Europe, and William was falsely thought to be suffering from the disease. He, Elizabeth and Anna immediately were moved into a lazaretto — a quarantine station — in Livorno.

Faced with this unexpected and horrifying news, Elizabeth viewed her surroundings as a prison — dark, damp and bitterly cold. She cried alone in a closet so that her husband and daughter would not see her, yet she continued to look to heaven: “My eyes smart so much with crying, wind and fatigue that I must close them and lift up my heart.”

She fervently prayed for William, whose health was deteriorating rapidly.

After 25 days, the family was able to leave quarantine.

They moved to Pisa for a few days, but it was too late — William succumbed to tuberculosis two days after

Dianne Traflet, associate dean of graduate studies and seminary administration at Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology, traces Mother Seton’s history from the 1790s through the early 1800s and finds parallels — and lessons — applicable to our own unsettling times.

Christmas 1803.

Far from home and family, Elizabeth mourned her husband and faced an uncertain future in severe financial distress. She, who had co-founded the Society for the Relief of Poor Widows and their children, now was a single mother with five children under the age of 9.

And, yet, she stood and faced the heavy winds of hardship. Never would her husband’s family motto, Hazard

In the series’ first installment, published in

Zet Forward, mean so much to her. How was she able to

the Fall 2020 edition of Seton Hall magazine,

move forward despite the many obstacles and challenges

Elizabeth witnessed the death of her beloved

in her life? What was the key to her resilience?

father from typhus, the prospect of her family’s bankruptcy, and the declining health of her

declaration that “Faith lifts the staggering soul on one side.

husband from tuberculosis. Now, anxious to find

Hope supports in on the other. Experience says it must be,

a climate where William can recuperate from his disease, the Setons accept an offer to stay with friends in Europe.

8

A profound answer may be found in Elizabeth’s

and Love says let it be.”

It seems like such a simple reminder: the reality of the power of faith, hope and love. For Seton Hall’s patroness,

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

|

SPRING 2021

these words were not mere reminders, but a firm commitment to live what she believed, trusting in God’s power and loving guidance.

Elizabeth’s faith was not superficial. From childhood, she developed a strong prayer life, which was nurtured during her young adulthood. It was tested during William’s illness and death, when she wrote: “If I could forget my God one moment in these times, I would go mad.”

No, Elizabeth would not forget God, and she knew even in darkness that God did not forget her. She grew deeply in her Christian faith during the tragedies that came at frightening speed. She listened and waited for God’s Divine guidance, and discerning God’s will, she followed it on an adventure of faith.

Elizabeth’s resilience was not focused on “bouncing back,” but walking with steely determination and faithfilled focus. As she mourned William’s death, she accepted the kind invitations of the Filicchi family to travel the Italian countryside, visiting various churches, including the Benedictine monastery on Montenero. Slowly, witnessing the faith of the Filicchi family and engaging in many deep conversations about the Catholic faith, Elizabeth began to wonder if God were calling her from her Episcopal faith to Catholicism. She did not make any hasty decision, but she researched, asked questions and prayed. Spending considerable time in churches,

tomorrow.” It was a hope that signaled a determined

and learning to pray the Memorare, she found herself

“Yes,” a resounding fiat to turning, with God’s grace, to

attracted to the Eucharist, and to the Mother of God.

the next chapter of her life: “Who can help looking back

When she and Anna returned to the United States four months later, Elizabeth seriously and nervously

a child at the thought of them but resolved to brave the

considered the step she might take toward Catholicism,

future. I turn over the Page with rapidity and looking

one that could mean negative repercussions from her

toward Heaven there fix my aim. ...”

Episcopalian family members and fellow New Yorkers.

To life’s agonizing questions, Elizabeth responded

Anxious and alone, she spent time in a New York church

always with love — a love that never turned inward,

where she had worshipped for many years, and there,

but one that, by relying on God’s Divine Love, reached

she surrendered her misgivings to God. She felt a burden

out in compassion to others.

lifted and was at peace, and soon, in March 1805, she Photo courtesty of University Archives

on past pleasures without sorrow. … I could cry like

was received into the Catholic Church.

Remaining open to the Lord’s plan for her life, she

Elizabeth Ann Seton’s resilience bears witness to a faith that turns to God in all circumstances, a hope that sees the present against the backdrop of eternity, and

beseeched God to help her to know His will for her.

a love that gives from the depths of one’s heart, guided

Hope remained her constant companion, “for it will

by Divine grace. To staggering souls, our patroness says

not do,” she once explained, “for hearts and fortunes

confidently: Hazard Zet Forward in faith, hope and love.

to sink together.”

Elizabeth’s resilience was rooted in a hope that did not simply declare “things will get better or easier

Part two of two: The series began in the Fall 2020 edition of Seton Hall magazine.

9

P ROFIL E |

K AT H A R I N E G A M M O N

EXPERIENTIAL EXERCISE 10

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

|

SPRING 2021

Jen Cotter ’94 pursued a career path that led from a television internship in college to her role as a Peloton executive.

J

en Cotter ’94 says she’s been lucky in her life. But

— a process of elimination to find out what she liked,

fortune favors the prepared mind, and she has

she says. Eventually, she began developing content and

always been ready to tackle big challenges — from

talent, creating shows such as “Snapped” and “Girls

television shows to her current role as chief content

Behaving Badly” on Oxygen before moving to the Home

officer at Peloton, an interactive fitness company.

Shopping Network.

Cotter was in the first generation of her family

to go to college, and when she arrived at Seton

studio-style classes led by an instructor into her home.

Hall, she took a television production class — and fell in

Cotter instantly understood the importance of the

love with the behind-the-scenes aspects of the business.

connection because she had learned so much about the

“Why not do a job that you could have a lot of fun at?”

power of on-air hosts at HSN. “I got the Peloton, and I

Cotter recalls. She went on to major in communications

fell in love with it for all those reasons.” When a job

and minor in psychology and Japanese.

opportunity came up at the company a few years ago, she

In the spring of her senior year, Cotter lucked into a dream gig: a semester-long internship with the “Late Show with David Letterman” in New York City. She

saw it as the perfect fit, tailor-made for her professional expertise and passion for Peloton.

Cotter says Peloton is attuned to its 4.4-million strong

commuted in and out of the city by bus to work a full-

customer base, and members connect with each other

time job as her friends were enjoying the end of their

as well as the company. As chief content officer, she helps

college years on campus.

design classes and guide the instructors.

One thing that has led Cotter through her career, she

Peloton offers thousands of classes, and any one of

says, is a knowledge of her unique strengths. As she

them would provide a good workout. But Cotter knows

worked as an assistant to Letterman’s executive producer,

how much members love their instructors, so she and her

she realized she could use what she had to her advantage.

team spend a lot of time thinking about ways to curate

“I wasn’t the smartest person in the room. I was never

the lessons to suggest the best options for a busy member

the funniest person in the room — it’s hard to be [that] at

who may want to go on a quick ride but does not have

Letterman,” she says, in a characteristically understated

time to pick from all the options. “The entertainment

way. “But I was really focused. I knew my place; I was solu-

value is something that we cherish, and [we] continue to

tions-oriented. I wasn’t emotional, and I loved being there.”

develop the production quality, making sure it looks the

Allyson Jerome ’94 roomed with Cotter at Seton Hall —

Photo by Michael Paras

Then she got a Peloton bike and was able to stream

best and invites you in the quickest,” she says.

they met during their first year.“ [Jen] was smart, friendly,

Combining entertainment, personalities, and music

outgoing, humble and funny as heck,” Jerome says. “People

is all part of the promise of fitness content in the future.

gravitated towards her. I still see all these same qualities

Peloton now offers 10 types of workouts, including

in Jen today.” Cotter was working while her classmates

strength, running and yoga — with plans to keep inno-

were still wondering what to do with their lives. “We knew

vating. “I can’t even imagine that I got this opportunity

she was certainly capable of great things.”

in life – I’ve been so fortunate along the way.” n

Early on, Cotter worked as a writer’s assistant, a production coordinator, and at other entertainment jobs

Katharine Gammon is a freelance writer based in Santa Monica.

11

P OS S IB IL ITIE S |

KATHARINE GAMMON

COLLEGE PREP

Samantha Sinclair’s Pathway to Purpose helps students from diverse backgrounds acclimate to the college application process.

W

hen Samantha Sinclair was a high school senior, she wanted to visit colleges in

attended the University at Albany (SUNY), where she was

her home state of New York. But she

a campus tour guide for the Educational Opportunity

had no clear path to do so, since there

Program. She would welcome hundreds of students from

were no college preparation resources at

New York City to Albany, and through dozens of tours,

her school or her home. When she was

a few things stuck out: “All the students had the same

interested in visiting the State University

questions about affordability, the application process,

of New York at Fredonia, she bought a

and sometimes did not feel confident enough to complete

Greyhound bus ticket and took an eight-hour ride alone to get there. As challenging as it was to visit a college on her

the application process.”

That memory stuck with her as she completed

own this way, the in-person visits made it possible for

a master’s degree in higher education at Columbia

her to envision herself there as a student.

University in 2010. She still had a great interest in

Now Sinclair works to ensure high schoolers from diverse backgrounds have the skills and resources to prepare for college admissions — minus the long, lonely

working with underserved students, and she started to work in college prep positions.

Sinclair’s goal is to help students make intentional

solo bus rides. “I was able to do it, but many students

college decisions. Many students are making their way

can’t do it or won’t do it. I wanted to bring the resources

to college despite their socioeconomic backgrounds, she

right to their schools,” she explains.

says — the challenge for colleges is to retain them until

In 2016, Sinclair created Pathway to Purpose, an

graduation. “Understanding what factors to consider

organization that has partnered with 48 middle schools

when choosing a college is key. It’s about making sure

and high schools to provide early college prep services —

students are set up with the mindset, the terminologies

college trips, workshops, financial aid fairs and college

and family support to get them through college.”

awareness days — to give students and parents the critical information needed to make informed decisions.

Last year, Sinclair, now a doctoral candidate

12

Sinclair’s interest in this career was sparked when she

Pathway to Purpose tackles these challenges in several ways. It has partnered with schools in 23 districts across New York City, helped more than 10,000 students and

in higher education at Seton Hall, was selected by

started introducing college preparation as early as

American Express for its 100-for-100 Founders of

seventh grade. It hosts college tours for students —

Change program aimed at recognizing and assisting

many of whom have never left their hometown, or even

Black women entrepreneurs.

their neighborhood, Sinclair says. “For many students,

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

|

SPRING 2021

“It’s about making sure students are set up with the mindset, the terminologies and family support to get them through college.”

even going to upstate New York, they say: ‘This is so

ed backgrounds and making sure they have access

different. Where are the trains?’”

to education.” And while many Seton Hall graduate

Pathway to Purpose is ultimately about education innovation, Sinclair says. The organization recently

Sinclair’s as the head of an organization. This provides

created college study flash cards with five categories

a vital perspective in the classroom, Smith says, because

that allow students to home in on topics around college

she’s in the trenches, doing this work every day. “Higher

readiness. The cards explain concepts like FAFSA (Free

education is a field that has an opportunity to make a

Application for Federal Student Aid) and the difference

difference in a more equitable society.”

between subsidized and unsubsidized loans, and also

Photo by Michael Paras

students work full time, relatively few have a role like

For Sinclair, her career is a way to open doors

include affirmations that reinforce to students that they

for others — doors that she had to push for herself.

can and will succeed.

“At Pathway to Purpose, we want to make college

Katie Smith, an assistant professor of higher education, says Sinclair “stood out as a voice in the interest of

preparation easy and digestible, so that people are not terrified or paralyzed by the process.” n

equity” during a class she taught in 2019. “Samantha really cares about students coming from underrepresent-

Katharine Gammon is a freelance writer based in Santa Monica.

13

ROA M IN G T H E H A L L |

CHRISTOPHER HANN

Father Brian Muzás investigates how religious cultural heritage may have shaped the presidential approach to nuclear arms.

NUCLEAR EXPLORATION 14 14

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

W

SPRING 2021

ith a background steeped in science, reli-

way of saying, ‘What is your theory of human nature?’”

gion and public policy, it might seem that

“I call it religious cultural heritage to emphasize

Father Brian Muzás had been preparing all

that you don’t have to necessarily be an adherent

his adult life for the research project he’s

to the religion in order for its ideas — the moral and

undertaken during a yearlong fellowship

ethical framework, etc. — to have an influence on people,”

with the Council on Foreign Relations.

Muzás says. “It’s about a spectrum of different nuclear

After all, starting in 1996, Muzás earned bachelor’s

decisions. How do I behave in a crisis? Or deal with a

and master’s degrees in engineering from Princeton and

nuclear threat? What types of weapons should I develop

the California Institute of Technology, respectively, then

or maintain?”

a Master of Divinity degree in pastoral ministry and a second master’s in systematic theology from Seton Hall.

Ordained a Catholic priest in 2003, Muzás was assigned to serve a church in North Arlington, New Jersey, and became active in nongovernmental organizations

“I’m not saying that religious cultural heritage drives the decision,” he says. “But if we leave that factor out of the analysis, we have an incomplete understanding of the decision-making the presidents do.”

James M. Lindsay, a senior vice president at the

at the United Nations. In 2008, Muzás began a doctoral

Council on Foreign Relations, says the research topic

program at the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public

Muzás chose was instrumental in his selection as a

Policy at the University of Texas at Austin.

fellow. “What struck me is that Father Brian is asking

Five years later, Ph.D. in hand, he returned to Seton

the most interesting question and the toughest one to

Hall, where today he’s an assistant professor in the

answer,” Lindsay says. “Understanding American foreign

School of Diplomacy and International Relations and

policy, and American nuclear policy, is a lot about

the director of the Center for United Nations and Global

understanding why presidents made the decisions they

Governance Studies.

made. What I liked about Father Brian’s proposal is he’s

Now, as a Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, the New York–based think

trying to come to grips with that big question.”

Muzás, who spent three weeks at each of the four

tank, Muzás is using his experience to conduct research

presidential libraries, recalls coming across drafts of

he plans to develop into a book. The subject: four

Eisenhower’s famous “Atoms for Peace” speech, delivered to

American presidents — Truman, Eisenhower, Carter and

the U.N. General Assembly in December 1953. Eisenhower

Reagan — and the impact of what Muzás calls “religious

called for reducing worldwide stockpiles and committing

cultural heritage” on their nuclear arms policies.

to human aspiration rather than arms accumulation.

“I thought looking at nuclear weapons would be a

Poring through the files, Muzás came across the typed

great way to bring together the technical background of

draft on which Eisenhower had written the speech’s sub-

an engineer, the ethical background of a priest, and my

stantive central passage — in pencil. Muzás was stunned.

international background from the United Nations.”

The four commanders-in-chief held office at two

Photo by Michael Paras

|

“This is Eisenhower himself, in his own handwriting, writing the part of speech that everybody comes back

critical junctures — at the beginning and end of the

to,” he recalls. “It’s amazing when you’re going through

Cold War. Each pair is a Democrat and his Republican

archives and you find a president expressing his own

successor, enabling him to draw sometimes surprising

thoughts in his own handwriting — and so much the

comparisons. Underpinning his research is the role of

better when it helps the crux of your argument. That

religious cultural heritage, which combines one’s concept

was a moment like, ‘Eisenhower, I’ve got you.’” n

of right and wrong, one’s notion of government, and what Muzás calls one’s philosophical anthropology — “a fancy

Christopher Hann is a freelance writer and editor in New Jersey.

15

P ROFIL E |

JEN A. MILLER

SHARING HIS DREAM

A

nthony Ciavaglia ‘77 got his start in computing early. He took computer courses while a

and turned it into sales jobs for a few different companies

marketing student at Seton Hall, at a time

in the computer industry. That gave him a sightline to the

when “we had to use the IBM punch cards,”

potential future of personal computers.

he said, referring to how computers used to be programmed using thick cards with holes

But instead of selling products for someone else, he and a partner decided to sell their own. His experiences

punched into them. The holes formed a binary code

as a student and as a four-year member of the Pirates

that told the computer what to do.

football team, which he joined as a walk-on, showed him

Those cards had to be put in exactly the right order for the program to work. Heading to one class, he dropped them on the way to the computer lab. “The order got all messed up and I got a D on that particular project.”

But he didn’t give up. In fact, Ciavaglia turned

that it was worth it to take risks. “I was always considered a person with a ‘go get ‘em’ attitude,” he said.

In 1993, they founded RTP Technology, an information technology software provider and data storage company.

“We hit the sweet spot of the IT industry,” Ciavaglia

knowledge of a then nascent industry into his own

said. “Personal computers weren’t a popular thing

business and a lifelong career. Now he’s giving back

then, but they’re certainly a major part of everyday life

to the Seton Hall community through the endowed

now.” In 2019, the company was acquired by Mainline

Ciavaglia Scholarship to be given to one sophomore,

Information Systems.

junior or senior business student a year.

“There are a lot of people with the same dreams I had.

Ciavaglia decided to endow a scholarship to make sure that it would be available to students decades from

I want to help them,” said Ciavaglia, who, along with his

now versus a one- or two-time thing. He also directed

wife, Linda, has three children and three grandchildren.

the scholarship be given to students who were in their

In non-pandemic times, the Emerson, New Jersey,

second, third or fourth years in order to give a boost

resident attends Seton Hall basketball games.

to someone who didn’t necessarily excel in high school,

“There’s nothing like helping a local university that also happens to be my alma mater. It’s an investment in those students, and our community.”

16

After graduating, Ciavaglia took his marketing degree

but who is blossoming at Seton Hall.

“A lot of students may not be superstars early on, but they show great promise once they start working

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

|

SPRING 2021

Tech entrepreneur Anthony Ciavaglia ’77 started a scholarship to help business majors on their way to success.

Anthony Ciavaglia and his wife, Linda

towards their degree, and in the Seton Hall environment,”

recognize high school achievements. Having received

he said. “I want to make sure that they can stay here

this scholarship during my college studies made

and maybe ease a financial burden, so they can do

me proud of my work as an undergraduate and now

something great next without worrying as much about

graduate student.”

student loans.”

Photo by Michael Paras

Kyle Penny ’20 was the first recipient of the scholarship.

Penny hopes to turn both degrees into a career in advisory services, focusing on economic consulting.

He graduated with an economics degree and is now in his

“Not only did the scholarships help provide the financial

first year of graduate school, working towards a master’s

stability I needed to start my investment in higher learn-

degree in business analytics, also at the University.

ing, but it also boosted my confidence in my ability to

“As a current student, receiving this scholarship

perform as a student and continue my academic journey.” n

validated the work I have been doing at Seton Hall,” he said. “Most scholarships given to first-year students

Jen A. Miller is the author of Running: A Love Story.

17

FE ATU R E |

Telling Stories Artifacts of the past on campus have captivating tales to share.

O

bjects can speak.

If you walk through Seton Hall’s campus and listen closely, you can almost hear the narratives that the statues, paintings, books and buildings can tell about tens of thousands of lives over a period of more than 150 years.

Three people deeply steeped in Seton Hall’s history compiled a list of notable objects at Seton Hall: Monsignor Robert Wister, author of a history of Immaculate Conception Seminary, from which he recently retired as a professor; Dermot Quinn, a history professor who is writing the official history of the University; and Alan Delozier, the University’s archivist.

Some of these objects you may have encountered and then wondered about the stories that lay behind them. Others may have escaped your attention or are hidden enough that you may need to seek them out.

By Kevin Coyne

20 18

Photo by Noel Casiano

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

|

SPRING 2021

Sanctuary Light

19

FE ATU R E |

Seton Hall College Bell

is on the left, the Virgin Mary in the middle, and on the

Louis de Crenascol, chairman of the department of art

right is the first American-born saint, Saint Elizabeth

and music in the late 1960s, was an antiques collector.

Ann Seton, whose nephew, Bishop James Bayley, was the

When browsing in a Summit shop one day in 1969, he

first bishop of Newark and the founder of Seton Hall.

bent down for a closer look at a bronze bell sitting in

She is dressed in dark purple, and around her head

a corner. He rubbed at the inscription until he could

floats a green circle in a shape that seems to foretell an

read it better: “Seton Hall College,” it read, “Madison

event that did not happen until more than a century after

New Jersey.” De Crenascol had stumbled upon the bell

the window was made. “They just did it in the back-

that had summoned the first five students to class at

ground color of green, but they did a halo shape because

Seton Hall College when it opened in 1856 at the site of

Bishop Bayley was probably figuring that Aunt Betty

what is now St. Elizabeth University. By the end of that

would become a saint,” Monsignor Wister says. “Nephew

first year, the bell was ringing for 54 students.

Jimmy thought so much of her that he was looking

How the bell landed in a Summit shop more than a century later and where it had been before that is still

toward the future.”

Mother Seton was canonized in 1975, though Quinn

unknown. But the University bought it and hung it in

is less convinced about the intentions behind the green

the McLaughlin Library until that building was razed

circle. “I don’t want to pour cold water on it, but I’ve

to make way for Jubilee Hall. The bell now hangs on the

no evidence of that,” he says. “I’ve heard the story from

ground floor of Walsh Library, in the reading room of

different people, but I think you could record that as a

the Department of Archives and Special Collections —

piece of affectionate folklore.”

a silent link to the University’s birth.

Stafford Hall Brick The first building built specifically for Seton Hall College was simply called the College Building, and it was adjacent to Presidents Hall, home to the seminary.

It later acquired a name: Stafford Hall, after Reverend John Stafford, president from 1899 to 1907.

The building was badly damaged by fire twice over the next century and a half (in 1886 and 1909), before it was demolished and replaced by a new building in 2014.

“They were tearing the [old] building down. … It was the first building of Seton Hall College, and I said, ‘This is ridiculous, let’s save some of these bricks. Because once something’s lost, it’s gone,’” Monsignor Wister says. He gave Stafford Hall bricks to the president, the provost, College Bell

the chairman of the board, the archbishop and the rector of the seminary. “And I saved one to be in some way installed in the building.”

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Window

20

And there it is, on the wall as you enter the new build-

When you walk into Presidents Hall, three stained glass

ing, displayed behind glass with an explanatory letter

windows gaze back at you from the stairway landing,

— a brick that has seen and endured more than all the

lending the building an ecclesiastical air. Saint Joseph

others around it.

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

|

SPRING 2021

Benjamin Savage Memorial

SHP Initials

addition to his other accomplishments, Benny is also —

In the steady parade of students that marches up the

a philosopher.”

steps inside the entrance of Mooney Hall each day —

When he died on All Saints Day in 1933, his insurance

arriving on ROTC business or for meetings with coun-

policy was valued at $5,000 and his estate was worth

selors or academic advisors — how many notice the gray

$10,719.83. He left it all to Seton Hall. “Who in life

letters “SHP” set into the pink terrazzo floor, or know

labored faithfully for the College and in death

what they stand for?

contributed generously to it,” reads the memorial plaque.

Mooney Hall was built in 1909 as home to Seton Hall

“That’s a lovely commemoration of a lovely piece of

Prep. High school boys shared the campus with the

Seton Hall history,” Quinn says. “It’s one of those stories

undergraduates for generations — many of them living

that gets all the brighter in the retelling.”

on campus as boarders as well — until the Prep moved into its own home in West Orange in 1985.

Left: Courtesty of University Archives. Right: Photograph by Kristine Foley

“Seton Hall College started as a kind of boys school

Bishop Bayley Plaque Between two windows along the back wall of the sacristy

and in a way the Prep is the continuing existence of

in the chapel, beneath a crucifix and above the vesting

that reality,” Quinn says. Those initials in the floor are

table where priests prepare for Mass, hangs a small

a well-trod but often overlooked reminder of that.

bronze plaque inscribed with Latin script. It caught Monsignor Wister’s eye one day back when he was a

Benjamin Savage Memorial

Seton Hall undergraduate — he spent two years on the

On the left wall of the chapel, just below the third and

South Orange campus, as was customary at the time,

fourth Stations of the Cross, is a memorial to a man who

before going to the seminary at Darlington — and the

spent half a century working at Seton Hall as grounds-

chapel sacristan asked him to help serve Mass. “Back

man, handyman and attender of cows: Benjamin Savage.

then, every priest and most seminarians could sight-read

“Scarcely does he miss a day, but is always on hand in all kinds of weather, working at his beloved tasks.

Yet in spite of these he is never too busy to give a hearty

Latin,” he says, and he had already had four years of Latin at Marist High School in Bayonne.

Monsignor Wister saw Bishop Bayley’s name at the

response to the merry greetings of his friends, the

top of the plaque and “V. Mill” farther down, and as he

‘boys,’” The Setonian wrote in 1924. “And if you strike

read to the end he saw that it had been placed there in

up a conversation with him, you will find that in

1878 to mark a bequest by the bishop’s “very generous CO N TI NU ED ON PAGE 2 3

21

FE ATU R E |

The Sanctuary Light and the Altar Rail

1970s, but two pieces remain, one on each side, and

When you walk into the Chapel of the Immaculate

you can imagine those first 50 students kneeling there

Conception, it’s easy to think you have stepped back into

for Communion.

1863, when Seton Hall had just 50 students, and before

And when you look up from the altar rail to the taberna-

the steady procession of alumni returning for their

cle, a red light hanging on the wall beside it catches your

weddings or the baptisms of their children had begun.

eye — the gilt sanctuary lamp that has signaled the pres-

But you haven’t. The sandstone building is the same —

ence of the Eucharist ever since Bishop Bayley was saying

although 40 percent of the sandstone has been replaced.

Mass here. The lamp is the only piece of furniture that

But almost everything inside is different, altered by a

remains from the chapel furnishings of the 1860s; a tiny

series of renovations reflecting changing ecclesiastical

inscription “J. R. Lamb of New York” testifies to its maker.

styles and the institution’s increasing prosperity. Marble

One other feature might also be original, the small

statues replaced plaster, and the marble statues were

“eye of God” window at the peak of the chancel arch. “It

in turn replaced by polychrome hand-carved wood. A

reminds us that God is present in this Chapel and His

baldachin rose over the altar. Stained glass filled the

benevolent eye is always watching over us,” Monsignor

windows and expansive murals filled blank walls. Much

Wister wrote in his history of the chapel. “It also points

of the wooden altar rail that stretched across the whole

us beyond the world to the new creation and draws us

sanctuary was removed long ago, in a renovation of the

into the worship of God.” Altar Rail

22

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

|

SPRING 2021

providence.” Bayley had left Newark and Seton Hall in

an official one. Their trophies are displayed in a glass

1872 when he was named archbishop of Baltimore, but

case in the hall outside Walsh Gym.

he hadn’t forgotten the school he had founded. In his

Above the entries at each end of that hall are what

will, Bayley left “the sum of five thousand dollars as a

look from a distance like faded black-and-white photos

perpetual bursary,” the plaque says in Latin. “Through

— the basketball team at one end, the fencing team

this gift and by regulation, the sacrifice of the Mass will

at the other — but are actually grisaille murals, painted

be offered once each month for the repose of his soul.”

in shades of gray by Gonippo Raggi, the prominent ecclesiastical artist who painted the murals in the

The Pirate

Immaculate Conception Chapel and designed all the

There is a reason for the pirate on your Seton Hall

interior decoration of the Cathedral Basilica of the

sweatshirt — and on the rear window of your car,

Sacred Heart in Newark. The basketball players are

and cast in bronze in front of the athletic center, and

standing in their mural, which Raggi painted when

grinning at you from every corner of the Seton Hall

the gym opened in 1941, but the fencers are brandishing

world. It is because in the ninth inning of a baseball

their swords, captured at the peak of their success.

game in Worcester, Massachusetts, on April 22, 1931, the Seton Hall team, three runs down and one out away

Christmas Tree

from losing to a Holy Cross team whose fans were so

The 60-foot Norway spruce that stands before Presi-

sure of victory they had already started filing out,

dents Hall has long been garlanded for Christmas, but it

managed to score five runs, and, shockingly, won, 12-11.

wasn’t until 2010, at the suggestion of the new president,

“One of the sports writers was so excited at the

Gabriel Esteban, that switching on its lights — all 43,000

sudden change of events that he exclaimed with disgust,

of them at once, in a joyous blaze — became a treasured

‘That Seton Hall team is a gang of pirates!’” the Newark

campus ritual. It is a welcome burst of light in the dark

Evening News reported. “When the Seton Hall team heard

and frazzled days at the end of the semester; students

about it in the dressing room after the game they decided

gather in their blue Santa hats to cheer the start of a

from then on they would call themselves the Pirates.”

series of holiday events that Best College Reviews ranked

The pirate has evolved over the years into what Monsignor Wister calls “that tasteful pirate symbol we

as the No. 1 college Christmas in the United States.

In earlier Christmas seasons, before the tree was so

have now.” The fiercer earlier version he prefers, salvaged

tall and the lights so bright, other traditions prevailed.

from the old floor of Walsh Gymnasium, hangs now in

Animals snorted and bleated in a living creche outside the

the corridor outside the gym.

chapel: a sheep, a calf, a heifer and a donkey named Amos

Photograph by Kristine Foley

who was fond of chewing tobacco. “A student had to tend

‘Setonia Stabbers’

it, you can’t just leave these sheep by themselves, and the

As storied and beloved as basketball is at Seton Hall, the

story goes that this particular student forgot to do what

athletic team that scaled the greatest heights was the fencing

he had to do, and the animals escaped,” Quinn says. “They

team. “Our only national champions,” Delozier says.

were last seen going down South Orange Avenue.”

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, led by coach Gerald Cetrulo — a national champion at Dartmouth and a

The inanimate creche outside the chapel at Christmas now poses no escape hazards.

three-time Olympian — the Seton Hall fencers rarely lost.

In 1939 and 1940, they won the East-West and United

A Presidential Bust

States Intercollegiate Fencing Titles — the de facto

At the top of the entry stairwell in the Bishop Dougherty

national championship before the NCAA established

University Center is a bust of the University president

23

FE ATU R E |

“...students gather in their blue Santa hats to cheer the start of a series of holiday events that Best College Reviews ranked as the No. 1 college Christmas in the United States.”

Christmas Tree

throughout the 1960s for whom the building is named.

of Newark while he was president. “It went from being

“It’s perfect; that’s him,” Monsignor Wister says of

basically all-male to coed; new buildings went up. It

the likeness.

became more of a liberal arts university, and he presided

Wister was an undergraduate in the first years of Dougherty’s presidency, a product of the same Jersey

over all of that.”

Among those new buildings was the one where

City parish, Saint Aloysius. “When he gave talks here it

his bust now stands watch — the student center

was high drama. Everyone went because it was like a

that was his idea, and that includes the Theatre-in-

show. He’d come in with his flowing cape on, and he’d

the-Round he suggested to accommodate his love of

be flashing it up in the air, and he had this deep baritone

classical drama.

voice. He was a delightful character, and you couldn’t help but like him. He knew that people teased him about

The Detour on the Green

being a ham.”

Bishop Dougherty’s bust has a commanding view

That voice was familiar to the audience of “The Catholic Hour,” the show — first on radio and then television

onto the Green around which the campus radiates.

— that Dougherty hosted in the 1950s, like his media

A curious pedestrian traffic pattern prevails there:

counterpart Bishop Fulton J. Sheen.

As students cross the Green they veer slightly around

“He was a transitional figure in a way because Seton

24

through the University Center’s tall atrium windows

the University seal that is inscribed in a granite circle

Hall was kind of revolutionized in the 1960s,” Quinn

at its center. The seal was installed more than three

says of Dougherty, who also served as auxiliary bishop

decades ago in one of the many reconfigurations of

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

|

SPRING 2021

that central space where commencement was once

secret so that it wasn’t known that a Catholic was buying

held, and where a superstition quickly emerged: Step on

it,” Quinn says. “There was a bit of anxiety among the

the seal, and you won’t graduate. If you do — perhaps

local Protestants.”

inadvertently these days while engrossed in texting —

But the villa burned to the ground in 1866, and a new

there is an antidote that can reverse the curse: Run to

seminary, now Presidents Hall, quickly rose in its place,

the pirate statute outside the Richie Regan Recreation

with some pieces of the original marble repurposed in

and Athletic Center and touch its foot within 30 seconds

its foundation.

of your transgression. Hazard Zet Forward, the seal

“In wandering around the building, you can see they

commands, the school’s motto: “Whatever the peril,

had a few stones from the original that they integrat-

ever forward.” But please look both ways when crossing

ed into it,” Monsignor Wister says. If you approach the

Seton Drive.

entrance and then, instead of climbing the stairs into the building, veer into the bushes on the left side and

The Marble Stone

slip back toward the corner, you will see one. It’s easy to

Seton Hall moved from Madison to South Orange in 1860

miss, but it’s there, beside a downspout and beneath a

when Bishop Bayley bought a portion of the Elphinstone

mossy brown stone, one of the last pieces from the first

estate: 60 acres and a large villa built of white marble,

days of the school’s life. n

which originally housed the seminary.

Left: Photograph by Kristine Foley. Right: Photograph by Earl Richardson

“He had to have the [purchase] basically conveyed in

Kevin Coyne is a freelance writer based in New Jersey.

“A curious pedestrian traffic pattern prevails there: As students cross the Green they veer slightly around the University seal that is inscribed in a granite circle at its center.”

Seal on the Green

25

FE ATU R E |

T

aylor Russell ’22 has watched many of her friends wrestle with serious mental health issues. One would send her texts in the middle of the night, confessing that she was about

to inflict self-harm again. Others have shared their battles with depression, suffered serious traumas and developed tics from their anxiety. A close family friend died by suicide.

“College life can be stressful, especially right now,” says Russell, a psychology major and president of the student mental health group Active Minds. “We’re all under a lot of pressure to succeed, get good grades, be involved, make connections — everything. And that pressure isn’t just from other people. It’s also from ourselves.”

Seton Hall launches a University-wide initiative to raise awareness about mental health issues and suicide prevention.

by Molly Petrilla

Alarm over college students’ mental health has mounted in the last decade as rates of anxiety, depression and death by suicide on campuses keep climbing.

“Some definitely call it a crisis, an epidemic,” says Dianne Aguero-Trotter, the director of Seton Hall’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). “I don’t know what term I would use, but we are clearly seeing numbers that have been rising — although the factors behind it are complex.”

Seton Hall has been ramping up its support, with CAPS now offering more individual counseling, group therapy options and public programs than ever before.

Three years ago, the University pledged to become a Stigma-Free Campus — referring to the stigma around mental health issues — through the Codey Fund for Mental Health. Now 2021 marks an important advance: a University-wide Great Minds Dare to Care initiative, propelled by $250,000 from the state’s Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services. at Seton Hall,” says Meredith Masin Blount, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness – New Jersey. “It is so important that an entire campus adopt an approach to mental health and mental illness awareness.”

And as the data makes clear: this is the time for it.

26

Photograph by Michael Paras

“I’m so excited and happy to hear about this program

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

Students Are Struggling

|

SPRING 2021

“We’ve been seeing an increase in the need [for mental health services] across the board, but specifically with

Almost one in five adults in the U.S. is living with a mental

college students,” NAMI’s Blount says. “Eighteen-to-25 is

illness, but among young adults, it’s closer to one in three.

such a key age group for so many reasons: they’re moving

The numbers weren’t always this high. Just 13 years

into adulthood, going on to college — and it’s also the

ago, in 2008, 6.1 million 18-to-25-year-olds reported

time when serious mental illness tends to present itself.”

that they had a mental illness. By 2019, that number had

In fact, 75 percent of all mental illnesses develop by age

grown to 9.9 million, according to a report from the Sub-

24, according to data gathered by NAMI.

stance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

SAMHSA data also shows that more young adults are

At Seton Hall’s Counseling and Psychological Services, the number of students seeking new appointments has

having serious suicidal thoughts: up from 6.8 percent

risen 35 percent in the last five years, outpacing enroll-

in 2008 to 11.8 percent in 2019. Among college-aged

ment increases. The numbers are similar at campuses

Americans, suicide is now the second-leading cause of

around the country. And in another echo of national data,

death, and depression and anxiety are soaring. A 2019

more CAPS clients at Seton Hall have reported self-injury,

report by the American College Health Association

serious suicidal thoughts and past suicide attempts,

found that two-thirds of students had experienced “over-

Aguero-Trotter says. Over a third of these CAPS clients

whelming anxiety” sometime in the past year, and 45

say they’ve thought about ending their lives.

percent had felt “so depressed that it was difficult to function.”

There’s no single reason for the steep rise in mental health issues among college students. Some say it’s

“We all need social connections, but they’re at a place in their lives where it’s critical to their development.

The pandemic adds a new level of stress to students’ lives.”

Dianne Aguero-Trotter, director of CAPS, in her office.

27

FE ATU R E | Seton Hall has been ramping up its support, with CAPS now offering more individual counseling, group therapy options and public programs than ever before.

CAPS counselor Yu Chak Sunny Ho conducts telehealth sessions via Zoom.

because the stigma around mental health is finally

especially hard on young adults. “We all need social

fading, which means people feel less ashamed to seek

connections, but they’re at a place in their lives where

help. Others credit the widening awareness of mental

it’s critical to their development,” she says. “The

health issues and their warning signs, with schools now

pandemic adds a new level of stress to students’ lives.”

starting conversations as early as the elementary years and celebrities publicly acknowledging their struggles.

How Seton Hall Will Dare to Care

“Before, people may have suffered in silence,” Blount says. “Now you have athletes and rock stars and actors

Though the Dare to Care initiative marks a focused and

and politicians coming out and sharing their own histories

timely commitment, the University has been supporting

of living with a mental illness. It makes other people say,

students with anxiety, depression and other mental

if they can do that, then maybe I can look for help, too.”

health issues since it launched counseling resources in

There are also more troubling explanations. From academics to sports to Instagram-worthy social lives,

Today Counseling and Psychological Services provides

“there’s increased pressure on children to perform at

free, short-term individual counseling to nearly 800

higher and higher levels, from elementary school all

students each year and offers roughly a hundred inter-

the way up to grad school,” Blount says.

vention and training programs. Group therapy options

And the past year certainly hasn’t helped. The

range from groups focused on managing anxiety and

COVID-19 pandemic has dropped grief, isolation, fear

moods to an LGBTQIA+ support group. CAPS also steps

and stress onto college students, many of whom are

in for crisis interventions and connects students who

already struggling with their mental health. “We are

need longer-term help with off-campus therapists.

all going through this,” Aguero-Trotter says, “but in

Hoping to reach the entire University community,

this particular age group, it can really exacerbate any

Seton Hall became one of nine college campuses and

pre-existing anxiety and depression.”

32 towns in New Jersey designated “stigma-free” by the

Lockdowns, loneliness and physical distancing are tough on everyone, but Aguero-Trotter says they’re

28

the late 1950s.

Codey Fund for Mental Health in 2018. The new $250,000 Great Minds Dare to Care initiative expands on that, with

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

|

SPRING 2021

funds that former New Jersey Gov. Richard Codey — a

Mary Jo began to share her story publicly. “That was

state senator representing Seton Hall’s district, as well as

a sea change for our state,” Codey says now. By 2006,

the Codey Fund’s creator — helped the University secure.

he’d helped New Jersey become the first state to require

Aguero-Trotter says the new program aims to make

postpartum depression screenings for all new moms. He

everyone at Seton Hall aware of mental health issues

also signed a law that allocated $200 million to housing

and suicide prevention. “We know that approximately 80

for people with mental illnesses.

percent of the college students who die by suicide have

Today there are multiple mental health-related bills

not accessed counseling,” she says, “which is why a com-

on the table in New Jersey, many of them with Codey as

prehensive prevention program has to include everyone.”

a primary sponsor. One would require the state’s health

Plans include suicide prevention training for students,

offices to seek federal funding for maternal mental

faculty and staff; a 24/7 hotline through an outside

health support. Another establishes a task force to

behavioral health service; and a monitored peer-to-

examine public school programs on student mental

peer support program. An on-campus wellness room, a

health. Codey also sponsored legislation that Gov. Phil

traveling exhibit focused on the many young lives lost to

Murphy signed into law in 2019, requiring schools to

suicide, and bystander intervention training for sexual

weave mental health instruction into grades K-12.

assault are all on the list, too.

Blount says a University-wide program like Dare to

Codey says legislation focused on mental health is “an acknowledgment by the people of the state of New Jersey

Care is key to fighting stigma and reaching more people.

— through their elected representatives — that this is

“Having a campus mental health center is a great first

a serious subject, we need to address it, and we need to

step,” she notes, “but [awareness] needs to be woven

help our citizens on this particular issue, which for too

throughout the campus, so students and professors and

long had a stigma attached to it.”

staff are all aware of the services and warning signs both for themselves and others.”

“It’s very encouraging to see,” Blount says. “If people feel strongly about mental health, they should absolutely reach out to their local legislator and say, ‘Mental health

Legislating for Change

is important to me.’”

But even as promising new bills continue to emerge,

Long before he helped Seton Hall secure $250,000 to

Aguero-Trotter is already thinking ahead to the extra

fund Dare to Care, before he was governor of New Jersey,

support that college students will require post-pandemic.

and before he had established the Codey Fund for

“This has been a year of chronic trauma,” she says,

Mental Health, Richard Codey was fighting hard against

“and often once the stressor is relieved or minimized,

mental illness.

we then begin to recognize the full, long-term impact

He’s been focused on it since he was elected to the state Senate in 1982, although mental health took on

of our experience.”

“A lot of people I’ve come in contact with do need help,”

deeper meaning for him two years later, when his wife

Russell says of her fellow students. That’s why she’s excit-

Mary Jo gave birth to the couple’s first son. She suffered

ed to see Dare to Care spread resources and spark con-

from debilitating postpartum depression that required

versations across Seton Hall’s community. “I’m really glad

hospitalization, but at the time, this was something few

that they’re creating something like this,” she adds. “It’s

people talked about or even fully understood.

sad to say, but it’s very common in this world for mental

As soon as he became governor in 2004, Codey

health issues to go unknown in a lot of people.” n

established a Governor’s Task Force on Mental Health.

He also created a postpartum wellness initiative, and

Molly Petrilla is a freelance writer based in New Jersey.

29

S P OR T S |

J . P. P E L Z M A N

Advocate for Good, On and Off the Court

S

havar Reynolds Jr. was over 6,000 miles away

1,000-point career scorer back home in New Jersey at

from home when he had an experience that

Manchester Township High School. But that didn’t earn

shaped his athletic future and the way he saw

him any Division I scholarship offers.

the world.

His family lived in Japan for three years when his

“Belief,” Reynolds says. “I just knew I could. Even if I

father, Shavar Sr., a master-at-arms in the U.S. Navy, was

wasn’t good enough [at first], I would work hard enough

stationed there, and it’s where he attended fifth through

to be good enough.”

seventh grade.

“It changed my outlook on life,” recalls Reynolds Jr.,

He attended Covenant College Prep in nearby Belmar, and his coach, Ian Turnbull, set up an open-gym workout

now a Seton Hall point guard, “because it showed me no

at Seton Hall. Reynolds showed his stuff, playing with

matter where you go, people are people. I always thought

notable Seton Hall seniors such as Angel Delgado and

it would be a whole different world, but it’s really not.

Khadeen Carrington.

We’re all just people.”

That’s one reason he felt the need to speak out about social injustice on a podcast last year, in the wake of several racially charged incidents in the country.

The years in Japan “showed me we can live equally and peacefully but we have to want to. … I think that’s

“They really liked the way he played,” coach Kevin Willard recalls. “It was really about those guys saying they wanted him to be on the team.”

Reynolds was a walk-on at first. But that changed when he and Willard spoke after his freshman season.

“I thought he’d be a really good role player,” Willard

the big thing. … I’m always going to advocate for it and

says, explaining his reasoning for granting Reynolds a

speak out because it’s possible.”

scholarship. “You have to give him a tremendous amount

Reynolds’ time overseas also changed his athletic direction, which had been oriented around the gridiron.

of credit for his work ethic. He has an edge.”

“I went into this with the idea that I was going to earn

But only flag football was available on the base, while

a scholarship,” Reynolds says, “but it doesn’t compare to

basketball courts were plentiful.

the actual moment that it happened.”

“The passion for football went away,” he says. “I

Thrust into a starting point guard role this past season,

started falling in love with basketball because I started

Reynolds was outstanding for the Pirates, finishing in

playing it so much.”

the top-10 in the BIG EAST Conference in assists (4.2 per

He played it well enough to be a three-year starter and

30

So why didn’t he give up?

game), assist/turnover ratio (1.9) and steals (1.8 per game).

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

Willard “believed in me when nobody else wanted to,”

SPRING 2021

“I just try to live in the moment,” he says, although he

Reynolds says. “Technically I shouldn’t be here. … I’m

wants to play basketball professionally if he can. “What

not going to let that opportunity slip nor am I going to

I do know is I’m going to be the same guy that works

let him fall for taking that leap of faith on me.”

hard and try to be the hardest worker in the room.”

Shavar’s father recently retired and now can be there Photo courtesy of Seton Hall Athletics

|

As for his four years at Seton Hall, he says, “I’m just

physically for his son, even though he always was there

thankful for the culture here. … All of our fans, all of

in spirit. Equally instrumental in his upbringing has

our donors, I love them. … I’m glad I was able to be

been his mother, Teekemia, a social worker.

surrounded by such good people. For the four years

“She’s my rock. She’s always been there for me,” he says. “She has whatever I need. I love her a lot.”

I’ve been here, I appreciate every bit of it and I’ll never forget it.”

n

Reynolds is about to graduate with a degree in social and behavioral sciences with a minor in criminal justice but isn’t ready to think about his future.

J.P. Pelzman is a freelance writer who covered Seton Hall basketball for 14 seasons for The Record of Hackensack, N.J.

31

S P OR T S |

SHAWN FURY

To the Moon and Back 32

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

T

hough Cornelia Jerresand has always felt at home in a pool — as a champion youth swimmer in Sweden and throughout a standout freshman campaign on Seton Hall’s women’s swim team —

when it comes to her future, she sets her sights upward,

|

SPRING 202 11 8

Through it all, Leoni says, Jerresand achieves “amazing grades in her classes and still dedicates so much time to swimming. She is an ideal vision of what a student-athlete is and can be.”

far above Earth.

“I decided when I was pretty young that I wanted to be an astronaut and that was a dream job,” Jerresand

first time ever in the U.S. It was a big step, but I’m really

says. “I’ve worked towards it.”

happy I did it.”

Those aren’t merely the words of a young kid who

As Jerresand adjusted to Seton Hall and American

watched movies about space exploration and had stars

life, she experienced some culture shock but ultimately

in her eyes; Jerresand gears her classes and pursuits

flourished, both in the classroom and the pool, where

around the lofty goal.

in her first meet as a collegiate swimmer, she had

“She’s very ambitious and has a passion for becoming an astronaut, which I love,” says Carissa Leoni, Seton

relay against Rider University. At the BIG EAST

Hall’s assistant director of academic support services

Championships, she notched personal-best times in

for student-athletes. “We always joke anytime I’m on a

the 50, 100 and 200 free.

video call with her — typically, she has a NASA shirt or

Then COVID-19 hit. Jerresand returned home and

something with astronomy [around her], and that’s a very

spent much of the spring and summer with family,

clear passion. She said it since Day One. … I always find

grateful that Sweden’s pools remained open and

that international students, for whatever reason, have an

appreciative of her Seton Hall professors’ flexibility,

uncanny drive to learn, and she definitely has that.”

considering the time difference she faced attending

Jerresand’s family nurtured her love for swimming and

classes online. And though the pandemic has upended

her obsession with space. With two older sisters who both

her sophomore campaign, the BIG EAST announced it

swam, “I practically grew up in a swimming hall where

will hold conference championships in April.

my club team is,” she says. As a physics major who will

Through it all, Leoni says, Jerresand achieves

also pursue a minor in applied scientific math, she credits

“amazing grades in her classes and still dedicates so

her electrical engineer mom with inspiring her to always

much time to swimming. She is an ideal vision of what

go “toward technical and scientific stuff.” Jerresand

a student-athlete is and can be.”

watched one of her mother’s university professors — an

Jerresand’s vision for her future remains clear. She

astronaut — go into space as a kid, and both her mother

plans to pursue advanced degrees in engineering and is

and sisters read books about the cosmos to her.

considering service in the Swedish military in order to

Exploring faraway places is also nothing new.

Photo courtesy of Seton Hall Athletics

victories in the 50 and 100 freestyle and the 200-medley

become a pilot, “because I noticed it’s easier for people

Jerresand’s desire to prolong a successful swimming

who are pilots to become astronauts.” She is on the lookout

career led her to explore universities in the United

for opportunities to achieve her goal: one of her chemistry

States, following a path taken by a friend from Sweden,

professors’ contacts could lead to a NASA connection. The

which does not offer the equivalent of NCAA swimming.

European Space Agency looms as a possibility for technical

She researched schools remotely, using videos and

internships and summer jobs, and a private outfit like

Google Images, loving Seton Hall’s location and size,

SpaceX could be a future destination. n

which she feels allows for more personalized attention.

“When I came my freshman year, that was actually my

Shawn Fury is an author in New York City.

33

NE W S & N OT E S

alumni

60s

Catherine A. Georges ’65 became a board member of the National Alliance for Grieving Children and Easterseals. … Brian Fitzgerald ’67, Easterseals NJ president and CEO, was given a lifetime achievement award

by Vistage, a CEO coaching and peer advisory organization. … Richard C. Genabith ’69 was presented with the lifetime achievement award by Marquis Who’s Who for accomplishments as an entrepreneur, court officer and legal administrator.

70s

Richard Cushing, J.D. ’72 was elected president of the New Jersey Institute of Local Government Attorneys. ...

Mary A. Fierro ’72 was named director of behavioral health for Community Health Programs. …

Donald A. Maxton, M.A. ’74 published Chasing the Bounty, the first book to include eyewitness accounts from the 1789 rebellion on a British vessel that sparked the voyages of H.M.S. Pandora. … Nolan B. Dawkins, J.D. ’75 retired from the Alexandria Circuit Court (Va.) and was honored with a 100-car parade. … Hector L. Castillo ’77 ran for election to represent New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District. …

Walter Zalewski Jr.’s ’77 book The Poohman, about four college friends reconnecting at a reunion, was published posthumously by his brother. … Robert J. Carroll, J.D. ’78 was sworn in as acting Morris County (N.J.) prosecutor in October. … Joseph Camarota, M.A.E. ’78 was re-elected deputy mayor of South Brunswick, N.J. ... Charles J. Harriman, J.D. ’79 joined Bertone Piccini LLP, a boutique law firm based in Hasbrouck Heights, N.J., as of counsel. ... Walter F. Timpone, J.D. ’79 retired from the New Jersey Supreme Court — the first Seton Hall Law graduate to serve on the court — and was named senior counsel with Calcagni & Kanefsky LLP.

80s

Bruce H. Bergen ’80 was appointed by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders as county counsel. …

Annamarie Bondi-Stoddard ’80 was named a “Best Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers in America for 2021. ...

Yolanda Ciccone, J.D. ’80 was approved by the New Jersey state Senate as the Middlesex County prosecutor. … Clifford E. DeGray ’80 retired from ABC News after 40 years. … James A. Hicks ’80 joined Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer as counsel in the workers’ compensation law team. … William R. Abrams, J.D. ’82 was named president and CEO of the Wisconsin Health Care Association/ Wisconsin Center for Assisted Living. ...

Richard Krawczun ’82 was appointed

by Naples Airport Authority in Florida to the noise compatibility committee. …

Christopher W. Burdick, J.D. ’83 was elected to the New York State Assembly in District 93. … Sarah Draidfort ’86 joined the board of directors for the Wayne County Community Foundation, a nonprofit organization serving Wayne County, Pa. ... Pamela M. Kapsimalis, J.D. ’86 was promoted to principal (corporate/transactional) at the Porzio, Bromberg & Newman P.C. law firm in Morristown, N.J. … Kevin J. O’Toole ’86/J.D. ’89 joined New Jersey Globe as a regular columnist. … Chris Christie, J.D. ’87 launched a fund to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. … Jack Howarth, M.B.A. ’87 was appointed senior vice president of investor relations for MiMedx Group. ... Roger Clarke ’88 published the book Where Did Mommy Go? with his sons about dealing with the grief of losing a wife and mother. ... William Wielechowski ’89/J.D. ’92 was reelected to the Alaska state Senate to represent District H.

90s

Nancy Bangiola, J.D. ’90 was appointed executive director at Preschool Advantage, a Morristown-based (N.J.) nonprofit organization. … Deborah Brim

’90/M.B.A. ’00 was elected president of the board of directors for the Boys & Girls Club of Paterson and Passaic (N.J.). ... Mark Kahrer, M.B.A. ’90 was named senior vice president of regulatory affairs, marketing and energy efficiency at New Jersey Natural Gas. ... Hope D. Mehlman, J.D. ’91 was appointed general counsel and corporate secretary for Bank of West (a subsidiary of BNP Paribas), as well as corporate secretary of BNP Paribas USA, Inc. in San Francisco. … Lori (Pylkowski) Trotte ’91 and Greg Trotte celebrated 25 years of marriage in September 2020. ...

Margaret M. Calderwood, J.D. ’92 was promoted to first assistant prosecutor for Morris County, N.J. ... Carole Mortensen ’92 was named head of credit for Toorak Capital Partners Inc., a capital provider to the residential bridge real estate lending industry. … Christoph K. Kimker, ’92 was promoted to chief of detectives for the Morris County, N.J., prosecutor’s office. ...

David J. Adinaro, M.A.E. ’93 joined the New Jersey health department as deputy commissioner for public health services. … Laura T. Fluor ’93 was promoted to general manager of Circle BMW, an Eatontown, N.J., dealership. ... Andrew L. Hurst ’93 joined Baker Donelson’s business litigation group as a shareholder in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. …

Peter Marra ’93/J.D. ’97 was sworn in as president of the Hunterdon County Bar Association in September. ... Patricia O’Keefe, M.S.N. ’94/Ph.D. ’14, president of the Morristown Medical Center, was honored by the Tri-County Scholarship Fund at its annual awards celebration in October. ... Elizabeth L. Reiff, ’94 was named vice president, commercial loan underwriter, for Lexicon Bank, Las Vegas’ first community-chartered bank. … Kent Diamond, M.B.A. ’95 ran for a seat on the Westfield, N.J., board of education. … Faith Ogilvie-Alcantara, M.P.A. ’95 ran for Florham Park, N.J., school board seat. … Monsignor Joseph G. Quinn, J.D. ’95 was awarded the University of Scranton’s 2020 President’s Medal. ...

Susan Schleck Kleiner, J.D. ’95 joined Santomassimo Davis, a Parsippanybased boutique law firm. … Melanie M. Rosengarden ’96 was elected to the C ONTI NU ED ON PAGE 3 8

34

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

PROFILE Pollinator for Progress

T

|

SPRING 2021

ucked away in the Upper Clinton Hill neighborhood of Newark, New Jersey, lies Green Oasis Village, a community garden where residents can appreciate

and learn about nature. Since 2020, it has also been home to Apiary in the Sky, LLC and Marcellis Counts’ 60,000 bees.

Not all paths to success follow a traditional trajectory.

In 2014, Counts ’18 followed in his sister’s footsteps by enrolling at Seton Hall, hoping to become a surgeon. But after the independence of campus life proved difficult, he made the tough decision to drop out.

Counts began working with Newark youth programs,

gaining a new perspective and motivation to return to Seton Hall. Approaching his studies with more confidence, he graduated with degrees in social work and Africana studies.

Working at public radio WBGO 88.3 FM after

graduation, he met a man who kept bees in his backyard.

“The more research I did, the more I realized bringing beekeeping to Newark could change the landscape of the city,” he says.

Counts interviewed Tobias Fox, a leading urban farmer

in Newark, who introduced him to green living. After gaining a network of environmentally conscious mentors and using skills he learned in Seton Hall’s Business Boot Camp, Counts transformed his ideas into a business called Arkhive, a combination of Newark and hive.

Photo by Kristine Foley

Now called Apiary in the Sky, the company transforms

underutilized or vacant properties into beekeeping sites to support youth programs and training for Black and brown communities while it brings racial and socioeconomic diversity to the industry. The work is not without its challenges — there are high financial expectations in urban agriculture, and bee life faces

company and would love to add aquaponics and

global threats.

vertical indoor farming to his facility. “I think

“Although there are beekeepers all over the world, the overall industry is behind due to things like

having my own honey store would be pretty legit, too,” he adds.

climate change or the introduction of pesticides that

But at the heart of his dreams is a commitment to

drastically reduce bee populations,” Counts explains,

“injecting love” into his hometown. “There are tons of

noting that he is committed to protecting bees in an

amazing people in cities like Newark that are often

all-natural way.

neglected. I want people to be proud of who they are,

Counts wants Apiary in the Sky to gain B Corporation certification as a socially and environmentally sound

and where they come from because we all have beauty within us.” | SHANICE CASIMIRO

35

NE W S & N OT E S

Pirate Babies 1. Cheryl (Janus) McCloskey, M.A. ’12 and Ryan, M.A. ’19, a girl, Skyler Grace, April 24, 2020.

2. Caitlyn (Cafferty) Mehok ’11 and Ian ’11, a boy, Reed, June 8, 2020.

3. Anne (Touhill) Cantine ’10/M.S. ’17 and Mark ’10/M.P.A. ’12, a boy, Miles David, August 24, 2020.

4. Erin [Egan] Harvey ’13/M.S. ’15 and Ryan Harvey ’15, a girl, Harper Rose, February 25, 2020.

1

2

SHARE YOUR JOY WITH THE PIRATE COMMUNITY Please send us your wedding or baby photos to alumni@shu.edu or shuwriter@shu.edu.

We may run your submission in a future issue of the magazine or on social media.

3

Tying the knot From left: Rachel Sanford Nemeth ’07, Jessica Lackey (bride), Philip Sanford ’05 (groom) and Vincent Novicki ’05.

36

4

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

|

SPRING 2021

Pirate Pride Tag us in your Pirate Pride photos @setonhallalumni or email us alumni@shu.edu Jessica Lauria ’16, Margaret Kuntz ’16, Brianna Bisconti ’16, Thomas Calo ’16 (groom), Dana Grazia ’15 (bride) Mairead Glynn ’16, Ryan Hardardt ’16 and Billy Sheridan ’16.

Don’t have a Pirate bandana yet?

Visit www.shu.edu/alumni to request yours.

Share your news...

Have you been promoted? Earned an advanced degree?

Been honored for professional or personal achievements?

Recently married? Added a baby Pirate to the ranks? We want to know! Visit us at www.shu.edu/alumni and share your success. Your news may be published in an upcoming issue of Seton Hall magazine.

If you can’t log on, fill out the form below with your 1

news and send it to: Department of Alumni Engagement and Philanthropy Alumni News and Notes 457 Centre St., South Orange, NJ 07079 Fax: (973) 378-2640

Name

3

Class Year(s) and Degree(s) from Seton Hall

Home Address

Phone

Email Address

News to Share:

2

4

PRIDE IN ACTION 1) Dean Falcon ’17 displays an alumni banner at Abu Simbel, Egypt. 2) Kristen Santullo ’20, daughter of two alumni, travels to Russia. 3) Harry D. Snyder ’68 shows off his Seton Hall face mask. 4) Maritza Aisha Ahmed, M.P.A. ’03 displays her Seton Hall alumni banner at the Al-Fateh Mosque in Bahrain.

37

alumni

NE W S & N OT E S Flemington-Raritan (N.J.) regional school district board of education. ... James P. Gilligan, M.S. ’97 was appointed president and chief scientific officer for Tryp Therapeutics. ... Mary A. Hotaling ’97 was named a finalist for Ms. Veteran America, a competition that encourages female military veterans to uplift each other. ... J. Anthony Jalijali ’97 joined AAK USA Inc., a manufacturer of specialty vegetable fats and oils, as head of finance. … Grace E. Yoo, J.D. ’97 ran for a Los Angeles city council seat. … Jesus Cepero, M.P.A. ’98 has joined Stanford Children’s Health in California as chief nursing officer. … Melanie L. Cradle, J.D. ’98 was appointed to the Connecticut Appellate Court as a trial judge. …

Father Timothy L. Hubbs, M.A.E. ’98 retired as a military chaplain. … Thomas B. Keeling, J.D. ’98 ran for Mendham Township, N.J., school board. ... Radame Perez ’98 was featured in an online real estate publication for developing affordable housing in the Bronx, N.Y., for 26 years. ... Nicole M. Pride, M.A. ’98 was appointed as the 12th president of West Virginia State University. … Nyugen E. Smith ’98 opened an exhibition at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, Texas. … Heather Tormey ’98 was elected to serve on the Colts Neck, N.J., board of education. … Michael Valente, M.B.A. ’98/J.D. ’98, vice president and general counsel at GCP Applied Technologies, was featured in Profile Magazine for his career in global industries. … Angelica AllenMcMillan, M.A.E. ’99/Ed.D. ’06 was nominated by Gov. Phil Murphy to serve as the commissioner of education of New Jersey. ... Barbara L. Hadzima, Ed.D. ’99 was reappointed to the County College of Morris (N.J.) board of trustees. ... Thomas R. McConnell, J.D. ’99 will lead Bertone Piccini LLP’s new family law practice. … Margaret Wastie, M.A. ’99 gave a presentation called “The ABCs of Candy” at the Westfield Historical Society’s First Wednesday luncheon series.

00s

Louis J. Manger, J.D. ’00 joined Everest Insurance as head of casualty claims.

38

… Thomas C. Reilly, M.B.A. ’00 was named chief financial officer of Cara Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company. … Joseph L. Ricca ’00 was featured by News 12 New Jersey as an education ambassador for his role as superintendent of schools of the White Plains City district. ... Steven J. Robinson ’00 was named vice president of JLL’s Retail Advisory Services in Florida. ... Joanne Azulay, Ph.D. ’01 was named executive director of Hyde Street Community Services in San Francisco. … Joseph P. Burbridge, M.A. ’01 authored a book titled Suzi Softball, which focuses on a message of inclusion and acceptance. … Felicia I. Ladin, M.S. ’01 was named chief financial officer, vice president of finance and administration, and treasurer for Cyanotech Corporation. … Daniel Johnson, M.A.E. ’01/M.A.E. ’04/Ed.D. ’11 was appointed by the Butler, N.J., board of education to become superintendent of two Butler school districts. …

Nicole Malliotakis ’01 was elected to represent New York’s 11th Congressional District. ... John Scott Thomson, M.A.E. ’01 was featured in the National Catholic Reporter for his work as police chief in Camden, N.J. … Danny F. Tommasino ’01 joined the Metropolitan Commercial Bank as first vice president, senior healthcare lender. ... Michele P. Williams, M.A.E. ’01 was re-elected to the Toms River, N.J., board of education. ... Jessica F. Battaglia, J.D. ’02 was named inhouse corporate counsel for Larken Associates, based in Branchburg, N.J. ... Malgorzata (Margaret) Kot, M.B.A. ’02 was appointed vice president of Peapack Capital Team. … Tyrone V. Ross ’02 was appointed to the board of directors for Reality Shares. …

Barbara Boyle, M.A. ’03 was named partner for Murphy, Miller & Baglieri LLP. … Richard Rosell, M.A. ’03 ran for Indian River County sheriff in Florida. ... Robert C. Ellis ’04 was sworn into the Franklin Township, N.J., police department as lieutenant. ... Latronica Fisher, M.S.N. ’04/M.B.A. ’04 opened a science-based alternative healthcare

business in Houston, Texas. …

Jennifer Van Der Wende ’04 was promoted to corporal in the Bureau of Corrections of the Sussex County, N.J., sheriff’s office. ... Alexander L. D’Jamoos, J.D. ’05 was elected to the Long Hill, N.J., school board. …

Charnette Frederic, M.H.A. ’05 was featured in the online publication The World News for her work as an Irvington, N.J., council member. …

Jack N. Frost, J.D. ’05 was reappointed to the County College of Morris board of trustees (N.J.). ... Kathleen M. Grochala, J.D. ’05 was elected to the Basking Ridge, N.J., township committee. ... Craig McGraw ’05, vice president of sales and marketing for TransAmerican Trucking & Warehouse in South Plainfield, N.J., was named to the 2020 NJBIZ Forty Under 40 list. …

Christopher J. Morgan, M.A. ’05 was appointed chief of the Princeton, N.J., police department. ... Dean M. Pinto, J.D. ’05 is chief of police in Rochelle Park, N.J. … Alanso Tangarife ’05 was named regional banking manager for Charles Schwab, Southeast USA. ... Derya Taskin ’05 was named Democratic Party delegate for New Jersey, the first Turkish-American in the electoral college. … Freedom-Kai Phillips, M.A. ’06 was recently awarded a Canadian Centennial Scholarship to pursue a Ph.D. in land economy and international law at the University of Cambridge. … C. Lauren Schoen, Ed.D. ’06 retired as superintendent of Mahwah Schools. … Jeanette Baubles, Ed.D. ’07 was appointed as the Mount Vernon City school district’s director of education for K-12. … Svetlana Ros, J.D. ’07 joined Pashman Stein Walder Hayden as a partner. ... Paul N. Bowles, J.D. ’08 joined Fox Rothschild LLP in New York as partner in the aviation and litigation departments. ... Myra Garcia, M.A.E. ’08 was appointed vice president, institutional advancement, at the San Diego Symphony. ... Valeria Feit, Ed.D. ’08 co-authored a book titled Student Research for Community: Tools to Develop Ethical Thinking and Analytic Problem Solving. …

Monique K. Perry-Graves, M.A. ’08

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

Rock the Socks

Join our virtual community to connect with fellow Seton Hall University alumni, faculty and staff as we read and discuss books on lifelong learning and personal growth, novels and more. www.pbc.guru/seton

SPRING 2021

Pirate’s Eye ALUMNI PODCAST

SETON HALL UNIVERSITY

Seton Hall’s 2020 Rock the Socks campaign raised more than $70,000 from nearly 1,000 passionate Pirates. The campaign sent pairs of Piratethemed socks to loyal donors to acknowledge the impact they make supporting Seton Hall students.

Seton Hall Alumni Book Club

|

Pirate’s Eye Podcast Have you listened to the Pirate’s Eye? In this podcast, we interview alumni about their accomplishments and career paths. Visit www.shu.edu/ pirateseye or subscribe through your favorite podcast app.

Record-Breaking Giving Tuesday A semester-long philanthropy effort in support of the Division of Volunteer Efforts (DOVE) culminated with Seton Hall’s December 1 campaign for Giving Tuesday, an annual worldwide 24-hour movement that promotes the act of giving back.

During the campaign, Seton Hall community members raised $45,000 from more than 570 donors, helping DOVE exceed its fundraising goal by 96 percent.

Earlier in the semester, DOVE solicited donations for local and global communities in need through three successful initiatives: a relief drive for children at the Maison Fortune Orphanage in Hinche, Haiti; a “Christmas in October” toy drive; and a hunger and homelessness food drive.

39

alumni

NE W S & N OT E S joined NCCU’s College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities advisory board. ... Timothy Purnell, Ed.D. ’08 was appointed commissioner of the Middle States Association on Elementary and Secondary Schools. … Christopher C. Robinson, J.D. ’08 joined Proskauer, an international law firm, as a partner based in New York. …

Christopher Stark ’08 was hired as the executive director of the Massachusetts Insurance Federation. ... Magdalena M. Dewane ’09 was hired as copy editor for The Lincoln County News in Maine. ... Terry A. Morawski, M.A. ’09 was promoted to superintendent of the Fort Smith, Ark., school district. …

Ana Kolodzinski, M.A. ’06 was recognized by the State Department during its 2020 Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. … Ryan Smith, M.A. ’09 was hired as program executive and representative to the United Nations at the World Council of Churches in New York.

10s

Rahil Darbar, J.D. ’10 was promoted to counsel (litigation) at the Porzio, Bromberg & Newman P.C. law firm in Morristown, N.J. ... Alexander Grabois ’12 was promoted to serve as Chile’s trade representative in Philadelphia. …

Bijal Patel, ’10 joined the dental staff at Elegant Smiles in Brookhaven, Ga. …

Frank J. Sutter, M.A. ’10/Ed.S. ’18 was awarded a certification status by the New Jersey State Association Chiefs of Police. … Brian Connors, M.A.’11/Ed.S. ’14/Ph.D. ’20 published the first textbook on multiculturalism and diversity in applied behavior analysis. ... Kevin Webster ’11 was named “Man of the Year” by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s NYC chapter. … Jason E. Glass, Ed.D. ’11 was elected to serve as commissioner of Kentucky’s department of education. … Thomas J. DeFelice, J.D. ’12 returned to Circle BMW, an Eatontown, N.J., dealership, as vice president and general counsel. ...

Michelle J. Egan, M.A. ’12, corporate communications director for the 40

Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. in Alaska, serves on the Public Relations Society of America board of directors. ...

Charles Farmer ’12 was among four University Hospital members in Newark, N.J., to receive the state’s first COVID-19 vaccine in December. ...

Candace Marie Stewart, M.B.A. ’12, founder of Black in Corporate, was interviewed by Business Insider about her career as a social media consultant to the fashion industry. … John Cohrs, M.A.E. ’13 was named principal and supervisor of related services at Calais School in Whippany, N.J. … Kimberly Harrigan, M.A.E.’13 was appointed principal of St. Bartholomew Academy in Scotch Plains, N.J. ... Kerly Guerrero Narvaez ’13 was featured by News 12 New Jersey as a rising leader and scholar of the LUPE (Latinas United for Political Empowerment) organization, a nonprofit helping young Latinas. ... Daria Pizzuto, M.A.E. ’13/Ph.D. ’18 contributed to the book The New Teacher Guide, a resource for teacher educators and new teachers. ... Jorge L. Vasquez, J.D. ’13 became the director of the Power and Democracy Project for the Advancement Project National Office, a racial justice organization. … James J. Baber, J.D. ’14 joined the Goldberg Segalla’s workers’ compensation group in Princeton, N.J. as an associate. …

Brandon M. Erby, M.A. ’14 joined the University of Kentucky as an assistant professor in the department of writing, rhetoric and digital studies. ... Claire A. McGuinness ’14 completed a master’s degree in public affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. … Michael A. Preston ’14 was ordained a transitional deacon. … Rachel Simon, J.D. ’14 joined the Pashman Stein, Walder Hayden law firm as an associate. … Henry E. Ludeña, M.A. ’16 was appointed to the detective bureau of the Summit, N.J., police department. … Brian P. Regan, M.A. ’16 became a captain in the Franklin Township, N.J., police department. ...

Kevin Scimecca ’16 joined Fox Business Network as an associate producer. … Alyra N. Liriano, J.D. ’17

was appointed deputy regional president of the New York region of the Hispanic National Bar Association. … Tyrone Burton, Ed.D. ’17 wrote the book The Reframing of American Education about understanding inequities in the education system post COVID-19. ...

Dylan M. O’Byrne ’17 was elected to the Wood-Ridge board of education (N.J.). … James W. Love ’15/M.H.A. ’18 is writing educational content for Pharmacy Times Continuing Education.

His first published webinar was titled “Navigating Drug Shortages: The Role of Pharmacy Technicians.” … Joseph M. Zichelli Jr. ’18 was re-elected to the Cedar Grove, N.J., council. ... Eric Andrews, M.A.E. ’19 was sworn in to the Plainfield Public Schools’ board of education in January. ... Roxane Heidrich, M.A. ’19 accepted a full-time role as political and security trainee at the European Union Mission to the United Nations in New York, working on disarmament, peacekeeping and international security on behalf of the European Union.

20s

Maria Gonzalez Esquivel, M.A. ’20 signed a contract with DCAF Geneva to conduct research/analysis on hybrid security processes in Colombia. …

Joshua Smith ’20 and Olivia Trowell ’20 coauthored the book Wisdom of the Word: Women’s Prayer Journal: 52 Week Devotional Guide to Scripture, Spirit, Stress Relief and Reflection. … Gilbert Starcher, M.D.M. ’20 was ordained a priest by the Diocese of Metuchen in August during a livestreamed Mass. … Isabella Dicosmo ’21 was awarded the inaugural Carmen J. Liuzza Jr. ’92 Memorial Scholarship

by Seton Hall.

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

PROFILE In the Lab

E

|

SPRING 2021

dward Twomey ’12 realized he was hooked on scientific research and structural biology just weeks into his freshman year as a biochemistry

major. He loved being in the lab so much he never left it — he’s now an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of the school’s Twomey Lab, which opened in January.

Forbes magazine recently named him to its “30 Under

30” list of scientists, a recognition he regards as a “vote of confidence” for the research his team is doing in protein architecture and function, and in more targeted drug design.

Twomey made several key stops between Seton Hall

and his current post. Before heading to Harvard Medical School as a postdoctoral fellow, he completed his postgraduate work at Columbia University, receiving two master’s degrees in biophysics and a doctoral degree in structural biology.

Twomey works with proteins called glutamate

receptors, the main signaling agents in the human brain. One neuron releases glutamate and a second neuron receives the glutamate signal via glutamate receptors, and the communication between the two explains, “We are using structural biology techniques to understand the precise details of how this occurs, and also to understand how drugs interact with these proteins.”

This research has important applications, especially for developing treatments for neurological diseases

Edward Twomey holding a model of a glutamate receptor complex structure — showing it at 4.5 million times larger than it is in human neurons.

such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, stroke and schizophrenia. Because roughly 90 percent of

discern individual atoms in proteins, like glutamate,

communication in the central nervous system is carried

in ways not possible through X-ray and other methods.

out by glutamate, a patient needing treatment for

“It’s addicting, because often times we are the first

epileptic seizures due to signals in one part of the brain,

people to see how things in our cells work,” Twomey

for example, can experience adverse side effects from a

adds. Right now, cryo-EM has taken center stage in

drug that targets all glutamate receptors. Twomey and

the development of COVID-19 vaccines as well as in

his colleagues are trying to home in on what makes one

understanding how the SARS-CoV-2 virus functions.

receptor different from another in the hope of developing drugs with fewer side effects.

To do this, Twomey uses cryo-electron microscopy

Photo courtesy of Edward Twomey

neurons is critical for learning and memory. As Twomey

What comes next for Twomey? Building the lab, he says, with a diverse team of doctoral students and undergraduate interns to work alongside him and

(cryo-EM), which flash-freezes samples and fires them

his pup, Olive. His main advice for any aspiring

with electrons, resulting in the sharpest 3D imaging of

scientist is to “follow your interests, keep at it and

proteins yet. For the first time, scientists are able to

never give up.” | SHANICE CASIMIRO

41

NE W S & N OT E S Baby Pirates Cheryl (Janus) McCloskey, M.A. ’12 and Ryan, M.A. ’19, a girl, Skyler Grace, April 24, 2020. Aanchal Nebhnani ’06 and Banty J Patel ’06, a boy, Axl, May 21, 2020. Anne (Touhill) Cantine ’10/M.S. ’17 and Mark ’10/M.P.A. ’12, a boy, Miles David, August 24, 2020. Caitlyn (Cafferty) Mehok ’11 and Ian ’11, a boy, Reed, June 8, 2020.

Brianna Grande ’17 and Christopher Pirrello, twin boys, Nico and Luca, February 7, 2018. Erin (Egan) Harvey ’13/M.S. ’15 and Ryan Harvey ’15, a girl, Harper Rose, February 25, 2020.

Weddings Philip Sanford ’05 and Jessica Lackey on July 25, 2020. Dana Grazia ’15 and Thomas Calo ’16 on December 5, 2020.

In Memoriam Andrew S. Vitiello ’46 John A. McVey ’49 John A. Cancillieri ’50 Grace T. Crystal ’50 John T. Elwood ’50 Pasquale L. Lepre ’50 Francis E. Morgenthien Jr. ’50 Joseph J. Radest ’50 Louis M. Cochet ’51 Vincent P. Fahey ’51 Michael C. Galuppo ’51 Adolph H. Haug ’51 Karl G. Heinze ’51 Dennis C. Hogan ’51 Alex T. Kowalenko ’51 Thomas G. Madden ’51 John B. Reynolds ’51 William V. Weithas Jr. ’51 Raymond E. Wozniak ’51 Sal Edward Abitanta ’52 Michael Chicoris ’52 Attilio J. Giannico ’52 William J. McCullough ’52 Robert P. McDonough ’52/J.D. ’57 Valentino E. Pallotta ’52 Father Harvey J. Ballence ’53 John E. Runyon ’53 Irene M. Young, M.A.E. ’53 Robert L. Brady ’54/M.A.E. ’61 Rudolph J. Krukar ’54 Anthony Robert Volpe ’54 William J. Labus ’55 John J. Mooney ’55 42

Arnold W. Ring ’55 Dominick R. Cordiano ’56 Edwin P. Crowell ’56 Edward J. Loughrey ’56 Raymond M. Moran Jr. ’56 Mildred Strack ’56 Michael H. Cusack ’57 Thomas F. King, M.A.E. ’57 Anne V. O’Sullivan, M.A.E. ’57 Louis C. Radler ’57 Eileen T. Rooney ’57 Joseph N. Tarinelli ’57 Angela M. Viverito ’57 Michael J. Zecca ’57 William E. Barry ’58 Harry T. Hammond ’58 Norman F. Hughes ’58 Gerald W. Tamburro ’58 Father Frank W. Weber ’58 Anthony J. Giordano ’59 Virginia V. Lambert ’59 Thomas P. Leyden ’59 Richard C. Manz ’59 Joseph H. Shepard III ’59 Louis Mark Denegre ’60 Brian X. Duffy ’60 Robert Paul Forte, D.D.S. ’60 Arthur T. Frerichs ’60/M.B.A. ’72 Robert Patrick Greeley ’60 Ellen Miller ’60 Thomas F. O’Shea ’60 Robert H. Troester ’60 Gerald P. Brady ’61 Harold Eisen ’61 Thomas P. Maloney, M.B.A. ’61 Edward M. Milko ’61/Ed.D. ’95 James C. Orr ’61/J.D. ’64 Stephen E. Reznak ’61 William J. Tenerelli, D.D.S. ’61 Flora Maria Barlotta, M.D. ’62 Leonard V. Forte ’62 George L. Greene ’62 David J. O’Connor ’62 Nino Jerry Carnevale, M.D. ’63 Joseph R. DiNardo ’63 William S. Mazur ’63 Michael J. McNamara Jr. ’63 Anthony G. Potuto ’63 Lawrence Falcon ’64 John R. Fitzgerald ’64 Charles R. Guariglia ’64 Joanne Marino ’64 Father Arthur B. Schute ’64 Craig V. Smith ’64 Charles W. Demyan, M.B.A. ’65

Niva Romano Donohue ’65 Anthony Lamparello ’65 John H. McNeill ’65/J.D. ’68 Edmund V. Caplicki Jr. ’66 Bertha Fiore ’66 Thomas M. King, M.B.A. ’66 Ann M. Lorusso ’66 Edna Sturno ’66 Robert F. Fischer ’67 Mary Elizabeth Froustet, M.A.E. ’67 Joan R. Gadek, M.A.E. ’67 Robert Kobberger Jr., M.B.A. ’67 Kenneth C. Lougheed ’67 Sister Mary C. Mitrichka ’67/M.A.E. ’72 Anita Barker-Gawenus ’68 Peter F. Falco Sr. ’68 Carolyn M. Anderson ’69 Richard J. Hakim ’69 Thomas Michael Hunt ’69 Morris Lee Johnson Sr. ’69 Kenneth E. Kurek, M.S. ’69 Jane Anne Lauridsen ’69 Mary Jo Cecelia McDonough ’69 William Joseph Mulkeen ’69 Sister Claire E. Ouimet ’69 Monsignor Joseph F. Ambrosio ’70 Allegra Smith Rondinella, M.A.E. ’71 Verna G. Smith, M.A.E. ’71 Donald James Woodruff ’71 Anthony Paul Colavita ’72 Lawrence Fanning ’72 Barbara Vail Hollandt ’72 Raymond A. Levandowski, M.S. ’72 Paul D. Magna Jr. ’72 Beverly Mitchell ’72 Walter Vincent O’Grady Jr. ’72 Donna Gabriele Hunter, M.S. ’73 Robert Maul ’73 Donna M. Novak ’73 Beverly Obal Zygadlo ’73 Mamie Tam, M.A. ’73 Joseph Costello, M.A.E. ’74 Joe Louis Clark, M.A.E. ’75 Ernest V. Manzella Jr., M.B.A. ’75 Edward F. Martz ’75 Monica Neblett ’75 John L. Ramsay ’75 Anthony M. Lee, M.A.E. ’76 Douglas McAndrew ’76 Robert T. McGowan ’76 Leonora Damiano, M.A. ’77 Henrietta Dixon TuTu ’77/M.S.N. ’90 Garry Giammarino ’77 Carlos A. Baeza ’78 Roberta F. Zelasko ’78

SETON HALL MAGAZINE Virginia Earl Decesare ’79 Joseph S. Lepore ’79 Paul S. Hummel ’80 Tracy M. Cox ’81 Tozia Beckley Hemecker, M.S.N. ’81 Donald V. Stellhorn, M.A.E. ’81 Anthony Joseph Auriemma, M.A.E. ’82 Lawrence John Devenny ’82 Thomas Sim ’82 Patricia Sutter ’82 John F. LaToracca ’83/J.D. ’86 Phyllis Dianne Reynolds ’83/M.A.E. ’87 Joan M. Bushong, M.S.N. ’84 Santo M. Scaglione ’84 Michael J. Hovaniak ’86 Jon Brian Lanza ’86 Barbara J. Robinson, M.S.N. ’86

Edward Walsh ’87/J.D. ’90 Marcia A. Aloi, M.A.E. ’88 Father Hugh Murphy, M.A.E. ’88 Daniel William Brois, M.S. ’90 Paul Guglielmino ’91 Father Robert Drummond Bruso, M.D.M. ’93 Lenore M. Vega ’93 Mary Horsfield, M.S.N. ’94 Shannon Boyle ’96 Kerry K. Clifford ’97 Sister Maureen Elizabeth Hickey, M.P.A. ’99 Tim Kennedy, M.S. ’99 Timothy H. Rounds ’99 Thelma May Smith, M.P.A. ’00 Patricia Elmiger, M.A. ’02 Richard Ballas, M.A.E. ’04

|

SPRING 2021

Raymond P. Encarnacion ’05/ M.A.E. ’09 Judith L Gill, M.S.N. ’05 Steven J. Rush, Ed.D. ’05 Denise Bomba, M.S.N. ’06 Florin Butunoi, M.A. ’06 Michael R. Kunzmann, M.S. ’12 Courtney Michelle Mills ’13 Friends Most Reverend John Joseph Myers Emeritus Charles Yen Monsignor William C. Harms Janine P. Buckner Melvin J. Shay Rabbi Asher Finkel Joseph Moloy Michael Villanueva

Alumni Webinar Series Did you know you have free access to professional development sessions through Seton Hall’s Alumni Webinar Alumnai r Series? Each month you can hear Webin Y IVERSIT directly from industry experts on topics ALL UN H N O SET ranging from improving your social media for business to mental health and well-being. Learn more or watch previous webinars at www.shu.edu/webinars

Social Pirates Would you like to earn prizes for sharing Seton Hall content on your social media channels? Join Social Pirates today and become an ambassador for the University! Share news, events and announcements. The more you share the more points you can earn toward monthly contests.

Learn more at www.shu.edu/socialpirates

• V I R T UAL •

The 35th annual Many Are One Alumni Awards gala will be held online in 2021.

Alumni are invited to celebrate and continue the tradition of honoring our Seton Hall alumni, including our 2021 Most Distinguished Alumnus, Dr. Sampson Davis ’95.

Learn more at: www.shu.edu/ manyareone • • •

43

LAS T WO R D |

PEGEEN HOPKINS

A Lasting Tradition

The process of preparation and getting ready to present is a big benefit. I call it “the transformation.” In the first couple of weeks,

Seton Hall’s Petersheim Academic Exposition — where the

you can see students’ resistance to the idea.

University honors the best in academic achievement — got

But as time goes on, they get more invested, making sure

its start 25 years ago. The annual week-long celebration

they get everything right. Most importantly, they come

draws from undergraduate and graduate work at all

away from the process with tangible work — a research

three University campuses and includes research sympo-

abstract, poster and publishable manuscript. Many of

siums, poster sessions, presentations, panel discussions,

them never thought that as undergraduates they would

theatrical performances, art exhibits, debates and concerts.

have a publishable manuscript prepared. But they do.

Named after an innovative associate professor of biochemistry who passed away soon after launching the event, the expo provides students with a taste of scholastic rigor and presentation. Seton Hall magazine editor Pegeen Hopkins talked to Sulie L. Chang, a biology professor and co-chair of the expo’s steering committee, to learn more.

What was one of the most memorable of the student presentations over the years?

One thing that’s important are the topics, which can deal with subjects such as alcoholism, drug addiction, cancer.

But a couple of students come to mind. One was Xin Yu, a graduate student from China — he was so determined.

When anyone would pass by him, he would ask, “Can I

How did the expo get started?

present this to you?” to practice. Now, he’s a top scientist

In 1996, Matthew Petersheim saw that our campus had

in functional MRI at Massachusetts General Hospital.

many nonacademic celebratory events for students —

There was also Rachel Montel, a Ph.D. student in mo-

gatherings for sports or theater. But it didn’t have any

lecular bioscience. She presented her own idea at the

such events for academics or research. So, he reached

expo, rather than a professor’s suggestion, and won two

out to student affairs to get financial sponsorship for

awards. She’s now at Weill Cornell medical school as a

an exposition.

postdoctoral associate.

Not long after, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

He was so integral to the event’s development, I wondered if the initiative would continue if he got very sick.

He told me: “Don’t worry. I will continue doing the expo.”

He did, for as long as he could. After he passed away, we lobbied faculty senate to have the event named after him.

What was Professor Petersheim like?

This story gives a good idea of the kind of person he was:

How has the expo been evolving?

We recently introduced a travel award so that the students who give the top presentations at our expo can travel to academic conferences — locally, nationally or internationally — to present their work. There’s an award for each program. This allows students to share their research and network with scholars and researchers in their fields.

Also, many groups have brought in top-level speakers

I was new to Seton Hall. We had never been introduced,

to present to students. In 2017, Dr. Kamel Khalili, who

but his laboratory was near mine. I had young children

some say will eventually cure HIV, came to speak about

then, and I always had my two daughters come and

using the CRISPR-technique to remove the HIV gene

sit outside my lab. Because of their age, they were not

from the genome of the patients. The following year,

allowed inside for safety reasons. So, they would wait

Dr. David Goldman, the clinical director of NIAAA came

for me in the hallway, sitting on the floor. One day, he

to talk about how genetics explains our behavior. The

carried a big, long wooden bench over and told them,

expo continues to grow and transform.

“Now you can sit here, on this bench.”

44

What concrete benefits do students get from participating in the expo?

Visit www.shu.edu/petersheim for more information. n

There is no limit to what young Pirates can achieve with a Seton Hall education.

Those endless possibilities begin with you.

The Seton Hall Fund provides opportunities for students that give them the resources they need to accomplish their greatest dreams. Your support helps make the Seton Hall experience possible and accessible for even more students.

To support our students, please visit www.shu.edu/giving

Department of Public Relations and Marketing 519 South Orange Avenue, South Orange, NJ 07079

Ensure the future for your loved ones and support a cause you care about.

With estate planning, you can: n Save on taxes by giving appreciated

stocks, bonds or mutual fund shares. n Make a gift through your IRA. n Use a gift to reduce your estate tax

exposure and eliminate capital gains. n Receive payments for life.

Contact Joseph Guasconi 973-378-9850 joseph.guasconi@shu.edu or Nora Nasif Rahaim 973-378-9878 nora.rahaim@shu.edu www.shu.edu/plannedgiving

PRESORTED STD NONPROFIT US POSTAGE PAID STRASBURG, VA PERMIT #201