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Dean’s Letter: April 5, 2015

April 5, 2015

Dear Students:

Many in our community are celebrating holidays now:  for some, it’s a holiday of resurrection and renewal, for others, it’s a holiday of liberation and freedom.  If you’re celebrating a holiday, I hope it’s beautiful for you. 

For everyone, however, I think we can agree that there’s a different celebration unfolding:  the relief of the (likely) end of cold weather and the emergence of the sunshine, warm temperatures, buds on the trees and the earliest spring flowers.  I have terrible spring allergies, so this is a time of much sneezing for me, but no matter – as much as I love the winter, I love the spring, too.

As the weather gets warmer and the days sunnier, the notes in the weekly message shift in tone:  we have many more congratulations and fewer opportunities and events as the semester races to closure at this time of year.

This week our events focus on words:  a lecture on literary study, a fun debate, a celebration of Russian poetry (with the original and translation), and a slam poetry competition.  April is national poetry month, so be sure to take a moment to enjoy poetry in your life.  (And if it’s Russian poetry – I will see you there on April 9!)

I hope you enjoy both the poetry of spring and a spring full of poetry.

Sincerely,

Your friendly neighborhood dean, 

BR

 

Congratulations

Congratulations to the following HSS students who are among those being inducted into Phi Beta Kappa (bold = wow factor), the nation’s most prestigious (and oldest) liberal arts honor society, later this month: 

Anne Carenina Balicusto, Kimberly Bernstein, Albert Cavallaro, Erika Cepruneac, Michael Cort, Jillian DeMarco, Jennifer Dyer, Dan Eliades, Nicolas Dolce, Deborah Fade, Nicole Fasano, Mitchell Farrell, Rebecca Flores, Jaryd Frankel, Jennifer Fraunberger, Derek Giannone, Jason Hammer, Robert Handerhan, Dominick (DJ) Josso-Martin, Daniel Kaplan, Tom Kozlowski, Nicholas Lauda, Nicholas Macri, Tarika Mahal, Stephanie Mallinas, Sara Manzon, Kristi Marciano, Amanda Mastronardi, Swet Patel, Amanda Quijada, Neepam Shah, Brittany Saxton, Erin Shannon, Steven Schwering, Noelle Skrobola, Nicholas Spanola, Sara Stammer, Steven Thompson, Payal Ved, Andrew Wallach, Jack Werner, William Westerman, and Elizabeth Wimberg

Congratulations to Christine Petit for presenting her research at the Society for Research in Child Development Conference in Philadelphia last month.

Congratulations to Rebecca Flores who has ben invited to attend a Young Professional Panel organized by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy at the White House Executive Offices.

Congratulations to Christopher Dinon (Spanish) who has won a Sigma Delta Pi grant worth $2,500 to help him with his study abroad in Argentina.

Congratulations to TCNJ Circle K:  This service fraternity won a boatload of awards at its recent regional convention:

  • William Patterson Outstanding Club Achievement Award – TCNJ was recognized as the top Circle K club in the state, for the second year in a row
  • Distinguished President – Daniel Kaplan, History & Secondary Education Major, Senior
  • Distinguished Vice President – Kerrin McLaughlin, AIMM Major, Junior
  • Distinguished Secretary – Lana Rahal – English & Elementary Education Major, Senior
  • Distinguished Editor – Meg Beane-Fox, Spanish & Sociology Major, Sophomore
  • Outstanding Club Newsletter – Awarded to Meg Beane-Fox
  • Dues Incentive Program Award – Gold Status – Most Members in all of New Jersey
  • NJ Kiwanis Foundation $1000 Scholarship for Kelly Krickus (Biology Major, Junior,) Meg Beane-Fox, and Kerrin McLaughlin
  • Eileen Cater $2000 Scholarship – Diana Tenenbaum, Elementary Education Major, Sophomore. This was the scholarship awarded to the top applicant in New Jersey.
  • Recognition for Outstanding District Committee Chairs for Kerrin McLaughlin and Kathleen Lok (Accounting Major, Senior). Kerrin was also the recipient of the “Unsung Hero” award for her work as Technology Chair for the state.
  • Kiwanis Centennial Award – Dawn Kreder, Sociology Major, Senior. $1,500 was donated to The Eliminate Project in Dawn’s name in recognition of her success as the New Jersey District Governor for the past year. This award has only been given to 57 people internationally as of March 21st, Dawn being the 57th.

Congratulations to Julia Livesey for having been named a New York Women in Communications Foundation Scholarship recipient – Class of 2015.  As one of the recipients this year, she’ll appear on the TODAY Show on April 27 and will be honored at the annual MATRIX Awards Luncheon at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York.  (Julia is following in the footsteps of several previous TCNJ JPW recipients of this award in recent past.  We are very proud of Julia and of her faculty who continue to mentor their students to great success!)

Congratulations to Sociology alumnus Dennis Chin ’06 who was honored this weekend with a Community Catalyst Award from the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance: http://www.nqapia.org/

Congratulations to Dr. Rachael Goldman (History), who is profiled this week on TCNJ’s home page, for her work in appraising rare Judaica.  We are lucky to have you, Dr. Goldman!

 

Opportunities

Isles, Inc. founded in 1981, is a community development and environmental organization based in Trenton, New Jersey. With a mission to foster self-reliant families and healthy, sustainable communities, they design and develop effective services that support this mission and share what they learn with others who can make a difference.  Isles Youth Build is recruiting mentors and offering them an AmeriCorps position.  Participants can receive an education award after mentoring a youth.  For more information contact Esther Brahmi at 609-341-4772 or ebrahmi@isles.org and visit isles.org

Introduction to the new Rutgers University MA Program in Political Science – United Nations and Global Policy Studies: Tuesday April 7 12:30-1:50 in SSB 223.  Explore graduate study in international affairs through a learning partnership between Rutgers University, UN agency personnel and diplomatic representatives, and members of the internationally-oriented private sector, including law firms and NGOS.

 

Events

Mon., April 6       Bill Marimow, the top editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer, is coming to JPW 309 Media Ethics class from 12:30 to 1:50 p.m. in Bliss 31:  there are seats available for guests to come and hear this two-time Pulitzer Prize winner.

Tues., April 7      War of the Words: Come to a fun / serious / silly debate on topics such as Rap vs. Opera, between TCNJ’s Society for Parliamentary Debate and the Philosophy Club at 5 pm in the Social Science Atrium.  Food and Prizes, and opportunities for everyone to participate in the arguments.

Tues., April 7      Dr. Peter Brooks, an extremely accomplished scholar from Princeton University, will give a talk entitled “Persons and Optics:  The Idea of Character in Literary Study” at 5:30 in the Library Auditorium.

Wed., April 8       Study Abroad 101 for students thinking about applying for study abroad, at 2 pm in 130 Social Science 

Wed., April 8       Main Streets and Mental Health: Comments from the Main Street NJ Study by Dr. Mindi Fullilove, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University, at 5 pm in Education 115

Thurs., April 9     Celebration of Russian Poetry (with translation) at 4 pm in Business 122, with Dean Rifkin, Dr. Jens, and Ms. Colleen Lucey.  Refreshments will be served.

Thurs., April 9     “Discriminatory Design: From Park Bench to Lab Bench,” a lecture by Dr. Ruha Benjamin, at 5 pm in the Library Auditorium.

Fri., April 10        Slam Down the Walls Slam Poetry Competition at 8:30 pm in Bliss Lounge

Sun., April 12      Net Impact is hosting TCNJ’s first ever Social Innovation Challenge. The event will be on Sunday April 12 @ 1-4 pm in the School of Business LoungeLearn more about the event at its Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1620141154888823/

Contact

School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Social Sciences Building, Room 302
The College of New Jersey
P.O. Box 7718
2000 Pennington Rd.
Ewing, NJ 08628

609.771.3434
hss@tcnj.edu

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