October 10, 2025

In The Know – Issue 163

Aerial view of Montclair State University’s main building and pathways with the book cover of “Dream School: Finding the College That’s Right for You” by Jeffrey Selingo.

Montclair Nationally Recognized as a ‘Dream School’

The University is featured among 75 institutions in bestselling author Jeff Selingo’s new book Dream School: Finding the College That’s Right for You.

Two women sitting side by side in a courtyard on the Montclair State University campus.

How the University is Meeting Growing Demand for Trauma and Resilience Training

Developed in partnership with New Jersey’s Office of Resilience, From Trauma to Healing equips professionals to better support youth, families and communities through healing-centered approaches.

Student organizing a stack of textbooks.

Preparing Students for Life After Graduation Through Campus Jobs

Montclair’s WORK initiative employs about 2,000 student employees across campus, ensuring they receive professional development and workplace training.

HR Updates

Benefits Open Enrollment
The New Jersey Division of Pensions and Benefits (NJDPB) has designated Wednesday, October 1, – Friday, October 31, as Open Enrollment. Open Enrollment is your yearly opportunity to review benefits and make changes for the next calendar year. All changes made during the open enrollment period will be effective on January 1, 2026. Log into the Benefitsolver website by accessing a link on MyNewJersey portal or via mynjbenefitshub.nj.gov.

Enrollment

No action is required if you do not wish to change or modify your medical or dental plans.
Action is required to enroll and re-enroll in Flexible Spending Accounts.

Flexible Spending Accounts

If you would like to participate in the Tax$ave Medical and/or Dependent Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) in 2026, you must enroll in the FSA plan(s) during Open Enrollment.
Enrollment in the Tax$ave FSAs do not renew automatically from plan year to plan year. You must re-enroll every year.
Enroll directly with Horizon online by visiting, HorizonBlue.com/enrollfsa or call 1-866-999-3531.

Updates

Shuttle Service To and From Overlook
To support employees traveling to and from the Overlook location, a dedicated Overlook Shuttle now operates Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The shuttle runs once an hour in both directions between the Montclair campus and the Overlook office building.

This service provides a convenient transportation option for all employees, including those traveling for I-9 processing and other HR services. For the most current schedule and real-time updates, including route changes or cancellations, please visit the Shuttle Services webpage or use the TripShot app.

New Building Entry Access Policy
Beginning October 18, academic and administrative buildings will lock at 8 p.m. on weekdays and at 6 p.m on weekends. Cole Hall will follow a different schedule, locking at 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Faculty and staff will continue to have 24/7 ID card access.
Students may badge in until 11 p.m.
Access resumes at 7 a.m. each day.

Please carry your University ID with you at all times. If you need a replacement or do not have an ID card, please visit the ID Card Office before Fall Break. This policy follows best practices for University security while ensuring access for teaching, research, and learning. For more information, visit the Access Control webpage.

Reminders

Faculty and Staff Commencement Registration and Regalia
Winter Commencement will be held on Tuesday, January 13, 2026 at Prudential Center in Newark. Advanced registration is REQUIRED for all faculty and staff attending Commencement. There are two registration forms depending if you are a staff member working the event or a faculty or staff member participating in the academic processional. Registration will close on Monday, November 17, 2025. Due to event coordination needs, faculty and staff MUST register by this deadline. Late registrations will not be accepted.

Faculty and staff participating in the academic processional must wear regalia. The deadline to order your rental regalia is Friday, November 7, 2025. Orders will not be accepted after the deadline. All orders will be shipped directly to the University Bookstore and MUST be picked up at the Graduation Fairs.For more information visit the Commencement webpage or email officeofspecialevents@montclair.edu.

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month
National Cybersecurity Awareness Month helps raise awareness about online safety and provides tips to protect yourself and our campus community. Montclair’s Information Security Team, Phish Files, publishes new articles weekly on cyber threats and online safety. Follow Montclair IT on Instagram to get real-time scam alerts, outage updates and tech tips. Be sure to complete your annual cyber/information security awareness training to learn how to avoid common cyber threats and keep your personal information safe.

Refer a Student to RADical Health! – Session 2 Begins October 27
RADical Health x Montclair is a dynamic 4-week program designed to support students’ well-being, foster peer connections and build valuable skills for health and resilience. Your referral can make a positive difference in a student’s experience, helping them thrive both personally and academically.

In The News

President Jonathan Koppell is quoted in this NJ Spotlight News article about the first statewide Student Mental Health Summit, held this week at Kean University.
Dan Geltrude (Adjunct, Accounting and Finance) appeared on Newsmax to weigh in on several topics related to the U.S. economy.
Dierdre Paul (Teaching and Learning) contributed an opinion piece to NorthJersey.com about the NJ gubernatorial race.
Jason Williams (Justice Studies) is quoted in this New York Post article about the 17-year-old accused of a deadly hit-and-run in Cranford.
Steve McCarthy (College of Communication and Media) contributed a piece to Montclair Local about the comeback of baseball in the town of Montclair.

Kudos

To Patricia Mathew (English), whose deluxe editions of two Jane Austen novels were published by Penguin Random House as a part of the global celebration of Jane Austin’s 250th birthday.
To Marilyn Davis (Center for Educational Innovation and Strategic Partnerships), who was invited to be a panelist at the 2025 American Educational Studies Association Conference. The invited panel also includes an afternoon working session to mentor academics new to the profession of teaching and learning in higher education.
To Arnaud Kurze (Justice Studies), who wrote an article for the Global Governance Institute on how technology risks being a threat to transitional justice.
To the Office of Annual Giving and Alumni Engagement within Development for winning a RNL ScaleFunder Innovation and Excitement Award for their campaign ONE DAY for Montclair at the 2025 Giveys. Montclair received the Giving Day Gamification Award for our “Thanks-a-Latte” initiative.
Montclair’s French Program has been designated “Exemplary with Honors” by the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF), making it the only university to receive this distinction in 2025.

Social Media Post of Note

The 2️⃣nd annual #BreakfastBowl is almost here! We’re posting all week leading up to the big matchup on Saturday between @montclair_fb & @rowanfootball

Photo of the Week

Italian American Heritage Month Flag Raising – University Photographer: John LaRosa

Quick Links

Approved Mascot Images	Montclair and Bloomfield Perks and Discounts	CARE Report Form
Request Team Rocky	Employee Assistance Program	Early Warning Program
Request Pebbles	Student Loan Repayment Support	Blue Envelope Program
Request Deacon	Lost and Found Items	988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Parking Logix App		Hemorrhage Control and Narcan Kit Training

Have an item you’d like included in Kudos or Reminders? Want to nominate a staffer for our spotlight? Use this form to tell us. Read more about our people and programs in the University News Center and in back issues of In the Know. And find out what’s happening on campus in the Events Calendar.