Wrestling and men's lacrosse teams reinstated as varsity sports
Wrestling and men's lacrosse sports teams were reinstated as varsity athletic programs, starting with the fall 2005 season. The University's decision to reclassify the programs came as a result of a successful joint effort on the part of MSU and its many supporters across New Jersey to raise the private funding needed to strengthen and sustain the University's intercollegiate sports program.

In addition to reinstating two of the five teams that were reclassified to club status early in the year, the additional funding will enable MSU to hire full-time coaches for women's soccer, women's lacrosse and wrestling, as well as an additional athletic trainer.

"The outpouring of support for our athletic programs is extremely gratifying," said President Susan A. Cole. "It was heartfelt, spontaneous and generous to the point where we feel confident that we have sufficient funds to operate an excellent 18 team intercollegiate program over the next several years."

ECELE conference calls attention to how children learn
The Annual Early Childhood, Elementary and Literacy Education (ECELE) Spring Conference held April 9, during the Week of the Young Child, drew more than 300 participants and 29 presenters. Paul Yellin, national director of the All Kinds of Minds Program, was the keynote speaker. The Student Success Centers, which Yellin directs nationally, are evaluation centers that bring together pediatricians, psychologists and learning specialists to pinpoint students' strengths and weaknesses and develop a learning management plan to help students succeed in the regular classroom. Workshops, including Responsive Classroom, Mulitple Intelligences,Teaching Children Self-Determination Skills and more drew interest from participants with individual sessions ranging from 15 to 40 people.

VP Hain panelist at ACENet conference
The American Council on Education Network (ACENet), Office of Women in Higher Education held its semi-annual conference at Brookdale Community College on April 15, where Montclair State Vice President for Human Resources Judith Hain was a panelist. The conference topic was "Creating a workplace environment that supports work and life balance." Claire Van Ummersen, vice president of ACENet and director of the Office of Women in Higher Education, was the keynote speaker. Thirteen members of the MSU faculty and staff attended the conference.

At the conference, photographs taken by Hain on a recent trip to Kenya and Tanzania, were on display. The photographs focused on her personal passion for the natural world, particularly of the African elephant.

Employee Relations offers NJ TRANSIT Business Pass Program
The NJ TRANSIT Business Pass Program provides University employees with an opportunity to purchase their monthly NJ Transit bus, rail, and light rail pass via payroll deduction on a pre-tax basis under federal legislation, IRS Code 132 (f). This legislation allows employees to set aside up to $105 per month, or $1,260 per year, from their paychecks on a pre-tax basis for their commuting costs. The program begins June 1.

British educators visit MSU
Nineteen educators from Sussex County, England came to campus during a visit to the Livingston public schools for a week in April. An article about inquiry based learning written by Assistant Superintendent Eunice Grippaldi in a Montclair State University publication caught the eye of Julie Wingard, a principal and lead teacher at a school who is interested in this topic. She e-mailed Grippaldi, obtained funding from the British consulate, and arrived in Livingston with a contingent of compatriots to examine and learn about the educational system.

"The trip came about via the partnership between Montclair State University and the Livingston public schools," said Grippaldi. The purpose of the visit, Grippaldi said, was to connect two groups of people who are studying the same topic – inquiry based learning--under the umbrella of Philosophy for Children, which began two years ago in Livingston with teachers trained through Montclair State's Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children (IAPC). During the visit, faculty from both systems participated in three days of workshops led by David Kennedy, Megan Laverty, Ann Sharp and Maughn Gregory of IAPC and James Heinegg, director of curriculum for Saddle Brook and a Philosophy for Children trainer.