May 2008
News & Notes

MSU President Addresses MSU Community
President Susan A. Cole gave her annual spring address to the Montclair State community on Wed., April 16. "The ideas — that the acquisition of knowledge is valuable because it gives us tools to act constructively in the world, that a critical purpose of education is to teach us how to interact with others within the societal context in ways that are righteous, and that our complex and changing world requires the ability to think critically and maintain openness and flexibility of mind — have always been and remain the cornerstone philosophy of this university."

Student Rec Center Celebrates Grand Opening
Montclair State’s newest facility, the Student Recreation Center, officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Mon., April 7.
The ribbon cutting, officiated by New Jersey State Senate President Richard J. Cody and MSU President Susan A. Cole, was followed by a “Stress-Busting Day” of fun, food, games and prizes for the entire University community.
         
Located on the north end of the Montclair State campus, the 78,000-square-foot Recreation Center features a six-lane swimming pool, locker rooms, a two-court gymnasium with elevated running track, two racquetball courts, two-level fitness, strength and cardio training areas, space for aerobics and other fitness activities, offices and a café.

Alumni Connections will feature an article each month during the centennial year written by members of the Montclair State University Alumni Association. The retrospective stories will look back decade-by-decade at the school and the culture of the times. 

Alma Mater, dear Montclair: the '00s... a new millennium
So much happened in the world since the start of the new century, it’s hard to cover it all. With all the worry about computer glitches, January 1, 2000, Y2K went off with out a hitch. The same could not be said about the Presidential election that year. The election featured a controversy over who won Florida's 25 electoral votes (and thus the presidency), the recount process in that state, and the unusual fact that the losing candidate (Al Gore) had received more popular votes than the winner. When all was said and done, George W. Bush became the 43rd President.

Just one year later, the country experienced a tragedy unlike any other on Sept. 11. nearly 3,000 people lost their lives including Montclair State’s Jean DePalma '80, Robert "Bobby" Hughes '01, Dorota Kopiczko '99, Steven Schlag '82, Khalid Shahid '99, Dennis Taormina, Jr. '88 and Shari Kandell, a student who was made an honorary alumna by the Alumni Association.

The world experiences more tragedy, this time from natural disasters: the Tsunami that hits Sri Lanka in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The Montclair State community came together to aid in relief efforts to help those affected by the devastating hurricane.

The students of the ’00s are “millennial learners.” They grow up in computer savvy households. They’re used to texting and IMing and getting their information fast. This technology has changed the way students of today learn, and in turn, how MSU addresses students’ needs inside and outside of the classroom.

The new millennium has sparked unprecedented growth and accomplishment on the Montclair State campus.

In 2000, Police Headquarters opens, the studio theater is dedicated to L. Howard Fox who founded the Department of Speech and Theatre, and U.S. News and World Report ranks MSU as 8th in the top northern public universities. The Red Hawks baseball team captures its third NCAA crown, adding to the glory of its championships seasons in 1987 and 1993.

In 2001, the Red Hawk Diner opens. Designed with a ’50s flair, the eating establishment is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and serves traditional diner fare. The year 2003 marks the opening of the Institute for the Italian Experience in America, founded by Cav. Joseph Coccia, Jr., and his wife, Elda and housed in Dickson Hall.

The Village at Little Falls, the 280,000-square-foot Spanish Mission style residential complex with 850 beds in 212 apartments, opens. The buildings are named after famous New Jerseyans: Count Basie, Alice Paul, Millicent Fenwick, William Carlos Williams and Abbot and Costello.

In 2004, the 500-seat Alexander Kasser Theater, a multi-use facility for performances of drama, musical theater, dance, orchestral concerts, solo recitals and chamber opera opens adjacent to the Red Hawk Parking Deck and the amphitheater. That year, the amphitheater was restored and outfitted with lighting and sound systems. The restoration is the result of a fund drive through alumni gifts to the Alumni Association and the MSU Annual Fund.

A new Softball Stadium opens the same year. The 300-seat stadium contains a press box, locker rooms, restrooms and a concession area. The stadium is equipped with lighting for evening games and artificial field turf that looks, feels and plays like grass. The first game to be played in the stadium was a double header against Kean University.

The following year, what was formerly known as the Child Care Center becomes the Children’s Center and features a new building and new location. The 21,000-square-foot facility brings together children with identified special developmental needs with their typically developing peers in a setting that fosters learning and growth in a diverse environment.

After much anticipation, University Hall opens in 2006, becoming the largest academic building at 270,000 square feet and seven stories and the most technologically advanced. Other additions include the George Segal Art Gallery, a N.J. transit train station and parking deck on Clove Road and Café Diem, a sleek and modern 4,300-square-foot facility at Sprague Library offering food, beverages and wireless access to the Internet for students and staff.

The 2007 fall semester launches Montclair State’s centennial celebrations as the university prepares to mark the occasion through Dec. 2008.

Just last month, the $28.8 million Student Recreation Center opened on the north end of the campus. The state-of-the-art, 78,000-square-foot facility features a six-lane swimming pool, locker rooms, a two-court gymnasium with elevated running track, two racquetball courts, two-level fitness, strength and cardio training areas, space for aerobics and other fitness activities, offices and a café. Designed in the campus' signature Spanish Mission style architecture, the building has a glazed curtain wall entry space with terrazzo floors and glass partitions so that the activities are visible, designed to encourage student participation.

Contributions from supporters continue to aid in the growth and development of Montclair State. The John J. Cali School of Music, the first School for Music at a New Jersey university was established in 2006 with a $5 million gift from the John J. Cali Family in recognition of Montclair State University’s long tradition of academic and artistic excellence in music. The Cali School offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in performance, theory/composition, music education and music therapy. Graduate programs also include certification programs in education and therapy, the Performer's Certificate and Artist's Diploma. Construction is underway on the new School of Music building that will include the 250-seat Jed Leshowitz Recital Hall, teaching studios, music practice and rehearsal rooms, and faculty offices.

In 2007, Montclair State announced the receipt of an $8.25 million gift from Margaret and Herman Sokol -- the largest in its history -- to significantly expand the University's programs that prepare undergraduate and graduate students for careers in the state's pharmaceutical industry. The University also announced the creation of a new institute dedicated to pharmaceutical and medicinal sciences -- The Margaret and Herman Sokol Institute for Pharmaceutical Life Sciences.

With only two years left, only time will tell what else the decade will bring.