"In support of the idea of growing the University, I hope to help determine what are going to be strong areas of need with regard to business and industry in New Jersey."

-Judy Minier

Five years ago Judy Minier left Montclair State for an exciting opportunity that took her overseas. She recently returned to the University in a different position that may prove to be as exciting and diverse as her stint in Central and Southeast Asia.

In 1997 Minier resigned as the University's first director of the Center of Pedagogy to live and work abroad with her husband, a contractor with the United States Agency for International Development. During her time overseas, Minier became a language arts curriculum coordinator at the Jakarta International Schools in Indonesia, a professor and assistant to the vice president for academic affairs at the American University Kyrgyzstan and an educational consultant to the Center for Democratic Education in Kazakhstan. Her husband's contract was nearing its end when Minier was invited to apply for another position at Montclair State--associate vice president for Academic Affairs for Curriculum and Instruction.

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Richard Lynde is pleased to welcome Minier back. "I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to add Judy to the Academic Affairs team," he said. "She has a good sense of the institution as a result of her previous service on campus. She brings a fresh perspective and a good dose of imagination to the critical work we have to accomplish in the area of curriculum renewal and development, as well as a commitment to a collaborative approach to this task."

In her new role Minier helps shepherd curriculum changes and processes throughout the University, as well as through the state and the Commission on Higher Education. She oversees the offices of Global Education, the Center for Community-Based Learning, the Honors Program, and Summer Sessions and Special Programs, and she's looking at ways to create new programs to support the faculty with new strategies around instructional technology. "Part of this is in the mission of growing the University to 18,000 students," said Minier. "The best way to do that is through a strong curriculum."

Q. What are the most striking changes in Montclair State since you left, and what has remained the same?
A. The use of technology. It's light years ahead of where things were when I left. Also in the area of institutional research. Today we have access to much better data about various aspects of campus life. A lot of the policies, procedures and the mechanisms for working things through committees, and the basic structure of offices are very similar to when I left. Because of that I don't feel as though I've been gone so long. So there are some new and improved things happening, yet there's a comfortable stability to what's going on at Montclair State. I'm a generalist in my academic preparation, so I'm looking forward to working with faculty in interdisciplinary ways from across the University's colleges and schools.

Q. How can you help faculty to better utilize the computer as an effective instructional tool?
A. This summer I have taken several training workshops offered by Information Technology (IT), so I can encourage faculty to become involved in these wonderful courses. I'm pleased to learn that many faculty already are using Blackboard or WebCT for all or part of their courses. Secondly, the Provost's Office has teamed up with IT to sponsor 10 faculty members to participate in Educause, the national conference on technology and learning for higher education personnel. Finally, I intend to work closely with the academic computing committee in determining issues, directions and policies we need to put into place to encourage effective use of computers in instruction. At some point we'll need to determine the specific course management system that will standardize University operations at the enterprise level. The system we choose will affect the teaching platform we adopt, which, in turn, affects decisions we make about student services and other matters affecting Academic Affairs.

Q. What about distance learning and courses offered online?
A. We're already involved in distance learning. One example is Communiversity, a program in which faculty from Health Professions, Physical Education, Recreation and Leisure Studies, and the School of Business teach classes that are broadcast at Brookdale Community College. I suspect a small percentage of fully online courses eventually will emerge; however, there's still a lot of discussion about whether teaching online is a good approach for all courses and all students, and whether it's cost effective. But I imagine we will have some faculty who will be interested in trying out strategies for online courses.

Q. How will your experience in Asia help you in your new role?
A. Dealing with diversity is one area. As the population on campus becomes more diverse I can relate to being in a culturally different setting than I'm used to. I also can draw on the language skills I picked up; I've already used my Russian with students. A second area has to do with flexibility. I worked in countries that are developing economies and institutions in education, so I had to make do with little resources. What is going to serve me well is a deep-seated appreciation for America and American education. We're lucky to have the resources, facilities and opportunities that are here.

Q. What are some of your goals?
A. In support of the idea of growing the University, I hope to help determine what are going to be strong areas of need with regard to business and industry in New Jersey. Then we can see what the University should do to position itself to offer the programs, courses and majors that will address the state's needs and what we can do to help provide the right source of workers and citizens to serve New Jersey well.

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