When Kenneth Malmud \u201976 recalls his journey to becoming a student at Montclair, he is taken by how different the campus is today. He is also quick to note how much at the University hasn\u2019t changed.<\/p>\n
While enrollment has nearly doubled since he attended, with Montclair now the second largest public university in the state with more than 21,000 undergraduate and graduate students, the University\u2019s commitment to making quality higher education available to all who seek it has never wavered.<\/p>\n
Similarly, Malmud\u2019s commitment to his alma mater has been impressively steadfast \u2013 he has been a loyal donor to Montclair for the past 40 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was no question that I would attend a state institution of higher education,\u201d he says. \u201cMontclair was close to home, and my family could afford the tuition.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe education I got at Montclair was excellent as well, rivaling the experience I had later, when I studied at Georgetown Law,\u201d he continues. \u201cAt Montclair, the prime focus was on teaching. The classes were academically challenging, and the professors were available to answer questions. They wanted what was best for you<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n In fact, his decision to pursue law was due, in part, to the quality of his undergraduate course work at Montclair. He majored in political science with a public administration minor. \u201cI was thinking about going into teaching, but decided to sit for the LSAT,\u201d he says. \u201cMy scores were so high that it would have been crazy not to study law!\u201d<\/p>\n Montclair provided Malmud with more than academic preparation. During his undergraduate years he was deeply involved with the Student Government Association (SGA), serving as SGA attorney general and as student representative to the Board of Trustees which, he says, was a highlight of his college years.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a fascinating experience,\u201d he says. \u201cAs a student, I got to work alongside high-profile community and business leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n He also participated in Phi Alpha Psi Senate fraternity, helping work on concerts held in Panzer Athletic Center for artists such as Bruce Springsteen and James Taylor.<\/p>\n To this day, Malmud appreciates the opportunities he had to have real impact at Montclair. That includes his involvement as a student delegate to the presidential search that resulted in the appointment of David W.D. Dickson, the first African American to lead a four-year college in New Jersey.<\/p>\n As a donor to Montclair, Malmud views the University\u2019s combination of excellence in higher education and affordability as a high-value investment.<\/p>\n \u201cMontclair provided me with a quality liberal arts education, setting me up for success,\u201d he says, pointing to his 40-year career as an attorney. He was with Commercial Union Insurance Company for 10 years, and then at Selective Insurance for 30 years, first as a litigation trial attorney and later as corporate claims coverage counsel. He is now retired, spending time with his wife of 40 years and enjoying the company of his one-year-old grandson.<\/p>\n Malmud\u2019s support for Montclair is also a response to the changing nature of higher education funding. \u201cState funding comprises a much lower percentage of Montclair\u2019s budget than it did in my day,\u201d he notes. \u201cThere is much more pressure to maintain the affordability that makes the University accessible to all. Alumni support is more important than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI especially like to give to the general fund,\u201d he adds. \u201cThis way the University can use the funds to fill needs as they come up.\u201d<\/p>\n Malmud remains inspired by his undergraduate experience. \u201cMontclair helped make me who I am,\u201d he says. \u201cI want to ensure that Montclair is always a place where students find opportunities to develop confidence and grow as leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A loyal donor for the past 40 years, Kenneth Malmud \u201976 is inspired by the education and leadership opportunities he received \u2013 and that are still being offered to hardworking students who rely on Montclair\u2019s affordability and excellence. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1445,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-montclair-state-university-donors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1444","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1444"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1446,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1444\/revisions\/1446"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}