April 30, 2026

The Brains Behind World’s Fair Day at Montclair State University

Associate Director of Campus Activities Casey Coleman is helping to bring more than 250 events to life at Montclair in honor of the U.S. Semiquincentennial, including a trifecta of celebrations to end the spring semester

Posted in: Alumni, Montclair Life, University

Casey Coleman walks along a campus pathway, holding a travel coffee mug, with long rows of empty folding tables on one side. — Coffee in hand four hours before showtime, Associate Director of Campus Activities Casey Coleman ’14 walks past rows of empty tables on Alumni Green as he begins setting the stage for World’s Fair Day. (Photo by University Photographer Mike Peters)

Montclair Life by University Photographer Mike Peters

On World’s Fair Day, Montclair State University’s campus becomes a maze of tables, food and performances. From the first cup of coffee to the last folded tablecloth, Associate Director of Campus Activities Casey Coleman ’14 is everywhere at once, quietly directing behind the scenes. “I’m just organizing the chaos, and it’s a chaos in a good way,” he says.

This year, that chaos is part of an even bigger assignment: Casey is helping lead 250 events in honor of the U.S. Semiquincentennial, including a three‑in‑one celebration on April 23.

In the video below, a photo montage follows Casey through World’s Fair Day – from his early‑morning coffee on Alumni Green to the final breakdown after a trifecta of end‑of‑semester traditions.

On that day, Montclair celebrated the flavors, sounds and languages of World’s Fair Day, rallied support for scholarships and programs with One Day for Montclair, and welcomed the children of faculty and staff for Take Your Child to Work Day.

As he thinks back to those quiet hours before the crowds arrived, Casey remembers the feeling that set the tone for the day: “I was anxious but in a positive way. I always feel with event planning you get to a certain point, it’s just letting go of balloons. You can’t get it back, you can’t, it’s going to happen. You do the work in advance and then hope that it all works out the way it’s supposed to.”

On a sunny morning under leafy green trees, Casey Coleman stands holding a clipboard and points across campus while two Facilities staff members sit on the edge of a table listening. — Casey Coleman confers with University Facilities staff as they finalize the World’s Fair Day layout. “I’m trying to figure out the blueprint because we had the highest demand ever for participation this year. The Facilities request was technically for 71 tables for about 60 participants. It’s a pretty decent split, about one‑third academics, one‑third student organizations and then about one‑third departments across campus.” (Photo by University Photographer Mike Peters)

Keeping events on track

In his work for the Office of Student Engagement, Casey leads the Campus Activities team, supports commuter students, civic engagement and more, and over the past 10 years has helped run large and small campus events, from Welcome Week activities for freshmen to seating graduates at Commencement and everything in between

“Whenever people ask about World’s Fair Day, they’re like, it must be stressful, and I’m like, honestly, to me it’s one of the easiest events we do,” Casey says. “If I was cooking the food, I’d feel stressed, but I’m not laying the tables out, I’m not cooking the food. I’m getting the ducks in a row.”

Casey Coleman and a student, Hannah Minor, stand side by side on the lawn, both holding clipboards as they look ahead thoughtfully, conferring about a checklist. — Casey Coleman runs through the checklist with Hannah Minor, a senior Communication and Media Studies major interested in pursuing a career in higher education who shadowed him throughout the day. (Photo by University Photographer Mike Peters)

Planning for a Semiquincentennial year

When Montclair announced a plan to host 250 democracy‑related events in honor of America’s Semiquincentennial, Casey was all in. Those events have included novelties like a Pickle Palooza challenge (“Pickles tend to be polarizing. They are often loved or hated, rarely is someone in the middle – a good metaphor for the times”) and a host of other programs.

“What I really enjoy about this work is the freedom and trust to be able to bring people together,” he says.

Close‑up of a printed aerial map of campus covered with hand‑drawn circles, numbers and arrows, showing Casey’s scribbled notes and table placements for the World’s Fair Day event layout. — Casey’s “super high‑tech diagram” for World’s Fair Day. “I try to keep the departments together. I try to keep the student organizations together, because on the logistics side it makes it easier to direct the different groups when they show up.”

From soundboard to campus stages

A Montclair alumnus who earned a BA in Broadcasting in 2014, Casey enjoys the community aspect of his job.

“I fell into activities and other things before I ever got deep into my major. It is funny because whenever I encounter a tough problem at work, I think about one of my sound mixing classes. They always tell you, ‘OK, where’s the problem, and then work backwards.’ I picture myself sometimes at the soundboard: it’s stuck here, how do I break it free?”

Community on Alumni Green

Casey Coleman cradles a fluffy black‑, white‑ and brown‑colored mini Bernedoodle while Johnny Ross leans in to greet the dog. — Casey’s husband, Johnny Ross ’19, and new puppy, Lenny, join the festivities. Technically short for Linguini, Lenny is a one‑year‑old rescued mini Bernadoodle. “We try to bring him to campus, number one, to tire him out, but it was Take Your Child to Work Day, and I felt I wanted to bring my kid to work too.” (Photo by University Photographer Mike Peters)

Casey Coleman pauses to talk with a colleague and young child holding a balloon animal. — Casey stops to greet a family on Take Your Child to Work Day. “I’m so invested in the Montclair community. It’s people I’ve worked with for a decade or more, and it’s watching their kids grow up or get accepted to schools.” (Photo by University Photographer Mike Peters)

Large crowds of students, families and children fill campus, weaving between rows of red‑topped booths, game tables and food lines. — Crowds pack Alumni Green as students, families and children rotate through food lines, games and performances. “I estimate at least 3,000 people swing by. We do 900 servings of ice cream, which every year people complain about because they run out.” Joking about his future plans, Casey adds, “I think my retirement gig will be opening an ice cream truck because that’s where the money is.” (Photo by University Photographer Mike Peters)

Casey Coleman stands in the background checking a phone while dancers in black pants and patterned tops move in a circle, their blurred legs framing the scene. — As a dance group performs, Casey sneaks a glance at the time to make sure the program stays on schedule. (Photo by University Photographer Mike Peters)

Why World’s Fair Day matters

World’s Fair Day is what Montclair is all about, Casey says. “It is an open environment to learn, to try something different, to put yourself out there – to experience something you wouldn’t necessarily do. This to me is what it’s all about. It’s trying water from Poland because you can, and taking a bite of a Jamaican beef patty because you’ve never had it. It’s a celebration of what truly makes Montclair the place to be.”

Coleman says that feeling is rooted in the students themselves. “College was transformational for me, and so I feel very intrinsically motivated to give that back. You’re not going to remember your 8 a.m. Biology class at graduation. But you’re going to remember the movie night you went to, or the group project you had, or some of those other little experiences along the way. So, it does bring me great joy to just kind of be sprinkled throughout a college student’s experience.”

As the event winds down, Casey Coleman pulls a wagon full of supplies across the chalk‑covered sidewalk. — At the end of the day, wheeling supplies off Alumni Green, Casey reflects on how much ground he’s covered: “I’m pretty sure I clocked 16,000 steps that day.” (Photo by University Photographer Mike Peters)

A picture‑perfect ending

“Honestly, this was probably one of the best World’s Fair Days, mostly because of the weather. It was warm, but not too hot. The sun was out, it wasn’t too windy. “There was one year I remember when, in the span of 30 minutes, it snowed a little bit and then the sun came out — it was wild. This was the most picturesque. We could not have asked for a better day, and in comparison to what the rest of the weather was looking like that week, I felt somebody was looking out for us. My karma chips were all cashed that day.”

Below, see how World’s Fair Day looked once everything was in full swing.

Our Montclair Life series highlights how students, faculty and staff embody the University’s mission on campus and beyond.

Photography by University Photographer Mike Peters. Story by Sylvia A. Martinez and Marilyn Joyce Lehren, University Communications and Marketing. World’s Fair Day video by University Videographer Christodoulos Apostolou.

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