{"id":211751,"date":"2022-11-23T10:36:48","date_gmt":"2022-11-23T15:36:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/?p=211751"},"modified":"2022-11-23T11:38:18","modified_gmt":"2022-11-23T16:38:18","slug":"a-night-to-remember","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/2022\/11\/23\/a-night-to-remember\/","title":{"rendered":"A Night to Remember"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photo: President Jonathan Koppell and Rocky with the BAAC founders (l to r): Doreen Tucker \u201883, Diane Gipson \u201880, Brenda Coleman-Caldwell \u201878, Donna Teel \u201880, Joanne Bowman \u201882, Antoinette Clay \u201880, Greg Collins \u201879, Randal Yorker \u201889.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alumni and friends gathered October 28, 2022, for the first-ever Black Alumni Advisory Council (BAAC) Gala to reconnect with classmates, rediscover their alma mater and pay it forward to students. They honored former Associate Dean of Students and University Ombudsman James Harris \u201968, \u201970 MA, recognized BAAC Rising Star Medinah Muhammed \u201916 and celebrated the legacy of Sam Mills \u201981. Proceeds raised from the gala supported the Emergency, EOF and James Harris book funds.<\/p>\n

The BAAC was launched in June 2021 to strengthen relationships with the Black community and promote social justice, equity and inclusion among alumni and students. BAAC President <\/span>Joanne Bowman<\/span><\/a> \u201982 remarked on the progress of the Council, \u201cI am grateful to lead the BAAC\u2019s efforts as President and am proud of the good work we have done throughout the last 16 months.\u201d The group\u2019s inaugural gathering took place on campus during Homecoming 2021, followed by a panel discussion during Black History Month featuring the Jersey Four and a summer social event at McLoone\u2019s Boathouse, all leading up to the excitement of Homecoming 2022 and the Gala Celebration.<\/span><\/p>\n

University President Jonathan Koppell commended the Council on their achievements and highlighted the University\u2019s commitment to diversity, student success and social justice. He noted the University\u2019s recent <\/span>merger with Bloomfield College<\/span><\/a>, which preserved the only four-year college in New Jersey recognized as a Predominantly Black Institution (PBI), Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and Minority Serving Institution (MSI). He also noted the University\u2019s partnership with the city of Paterson to inspire the city\u2019s youth to envision a future as students at Montclair State University.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gala attendees enjoyed an evening of dinner and dancing, including a moving performance by the University\u2019s Voices of Unity Choir, and a visit from Rocky, the University mascot, who posed for group photos throughout the evening.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The evening\u2019s distinguished honorees were praised for their accomplishments. James Harris \u201968, \u201970 MA made a tremendous impact on many students who graduated from Montclair State University in both their personal and professional lives with 42 years of dedicated service as associate dean of students and university ombudsman. Harris was inducted into the Montclair State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998. He served as president of the African American Caucus, as a member of the President\u2019s Commission on Affirmative Action, men\u2019s varsity cross country coach, as well as faculty advisor for many student organizations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the BAAC rising star, Medinah Muhammed \u201916, at only 23 years old, was tapped to serve as Chief of Staff for Assemblywoman Britnee N. Timberlake of the 34th legislative district. Prior to serving in this role, she worked for the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders, serving as a liaison between the media and members of the Board. She has also served as senior aide to Governor Phil Murphy in Legislative Affairs and currently works as director, Intergovernmental Affairs at New Jersey Economic Development Authority.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The group also celebrated the legacy of Sam Mills \u201981. Among the best athletes the University has seen, Mills was an NCAA Division III standout from 1977-1980. He set school records with 501 career tackles. Montclair retired Mills\u2019 No. 62 in 1981, inducted him into its Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992 and bestowed an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree upon Mills in May 1998. Mills was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2022. His legacy continues to inspire Montclair students, alumni and the entire community to courageously \u201ckeep pounding\u201d to achieve one\u2019s dreams.<\/span><\/p>\n

Foundation Board Chair Greg Collins \u201979, commented on the evening, “I am excited to be a part of this journey with the Black Alumni Advisory Council, and to witness the growth from our re-establishment in June 2021 to this fundraiser gala. I am looking forward to finding additional ways to advance the cause of the BAAC, and champion equity and inclusion for Black alumni and students at Montclair State University.”<\/span><\/p>\n

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Check out more <\/span>photos from the event<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

To join BAAC and help build and strengthen the network and support student success, please complete this <\/span>brief survey<\/span><\/a>. For additional information, email or call the Office of Alumni Engagement at <\/span>baac@montclair.edu<\/span><\/a> or 973-655-4141.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alumni and friends gathered October 28, 2022, for the first-ever Black Alumni Advisory Council (BAAC) Gala to reconnect with classmates, rediscover their alma mater and pay it forward to students. They honored former Associate Dean of Students and University Ombudsman James Harris \u201968, \u201970 MA, recognized BAAC Rising Star Medinah Muhammed \u201916 and celebrated the legacy of Sam Mills \u201981. Proceeds raised from the gala supported the Emergency, EOF and James Harris book funds. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":326,"featured_media":211752,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-211751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-76_alumni-news-and-events"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/326"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=211751"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211751\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":211766,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211751\/revisions\/211766"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/211752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=211751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=211751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=211751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}