In The Know – Issue 181
Posted in: In the Know
From Study Hall to Dining Hall: One Graduate’s Journey to a Career in Food and Nutrition
Alumna Sheridan Van Biert’s full-circle homecoming has taken her from Nutrition and Food Science studies at Montclair to a registered dietitian nourishing her alma mater’s community
Catch the Red Hawks In the NCAA Tournament Today
Montclair’s men’s basketball team will be in action today in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament at the Panzer Athletic Center. Tickets to Montclair’s game against Maine-Farmington, which begins at 5:15 p.m., will be sold at the door beginning one hour before tip-off.
HR Updates
Performance Management Key Dates and Reminder: AFT Professional Staff
2026 PARs Launched for CWA Employees
The 2026 Performance Assessment Review (PAR) is now live in Workday. Your Supervisor has received a task in their Workday inbox to complete the initial agreement. The initial agreement is due on January 31, 2026.
This year, we are providing all Civil Service employees with a self-guided employee-facing version of the Performance Assessment Review training.
If you have questions regarding the 2026 Performance Assessment Review or have not received your Initial Agreement, please email performance@montclair.edu. A ServiceNow ticket will be created on your behalf.
2025 W-2 Form Available in Workday
Employees have access to print and download their 2025 W-2 form in Workday.
How to Access Your W-2 Form
- From your Workday home page, please select the Pay Icon from your Apps list
- Then select My Tax Documents
- Once in My Tax Documents scroll down and you’ll see a table with available tax year W-2 documents that you can view/print
Paper W-2 Forms
In accordance with IRS Guidelines, employees who elected to receive a paper copy will have had their W-2 mailed out by Friday, January 30. Please note that if your W-2 is two pages, you will receive two envelopes in the mail.
If you have questions, contact Human Resources at askhr@montclair.edu or at x7700, option 1.
Updates
Faculty and Staff Commencement Registration
Montclair State University is excited to hold Spring 2026 Commencement exercises on Monday, May 11 and Tuesday, May 12, 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, March 30, 2026. Due to event coordination needs, faculty and staff MUST register by this deadline. Late registrations will not be accepted. Visit the faculty and staff Commencement webpage for more information or email officeofspecialevents@montclair.edu.
Montclair’s Middle States Self-Study: A Campuswide Reflection on Mission, Growth, and Resilience
The University’s self-study report has been completed and formally submitted to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The self-study has provided an invaluable opportunity to take stock of Montclair’s significant growth, examine how the institution continues to deliver on its mission and identify the ways we are strengthening institutional resilience for the future. The self-study report is available for the community to view online.
World’s Fair Day 2026 Planning
Interested in helping plan World’s Fair Day 2026? Attend a planning meeting! World’s Fair Day will be held on April 23, 2026. Contact Casey Coleman for more information. Planning meeting schedule as follows at 10 a.m. on Zoom
- Friday, March 13
- Friday, April 10
External Email Tagging is Now Active
Starting on March 16th, external emails will show [EXTERNAL] in the subject line.
This simple reminder helps you spot suspicious messages and reduce phishing or fraud risk. Note: Emails from external addresses may be legitimate. This reminder is designed to alert you to pause and check before clicking links, opening attachments or responding to unexpected requests for information. Quick Tip: If you receive a suspicious email, hit the Phish Alert Button to report. For more information, check out the Phish Files.
Reminders
“Know Before You Go” won’t run on Monday, March 9, 2026
Our weekly events digest, “Know Before You Go”, won’t run on Monday, March 9 due to Spring Break. For next week’s events, please refer to last week’s March 2 issue in your inbox.
Donate to Create Recharge and Restore Kits for Students
The Red Hawk Pantry, CART Performance Operations and CAPS are partnering to distribute Recharge & Restore Kits to students at the end of the semester. These kits are designed to encourage students and support their wellbeing during this stressful time. Kits can include a mix of salty and sweet snacks, study supplies, stress relievers and/or self care items as well as personal notes to boost morale.
You can support this initiative by donating supplies for the kits from the Amazon Wish List.
Monetary donations can be made online via the TIX.com CART Donations page. Select “Red Hawk Pantry Care Kits” (see image below) to donate to this project. The cost of 1 kit is about $15.50. Our goal is to give out 150 boxes this first semester.
In The News
- Dean Theodorea Berry (Bloomfield College of Montclair State University) gave an exclusive interview to Higher Education Digest about empowering learners through curriculum.
- Pevitr Bansal (Psychology) is quoted in this Telegraph article about signs of psychopathy in young people.
- Fanny Lauby (Political Science and Law) co-authored an op-ed on academic freedom for Le Monde. The piece encourages the French government to adopt stricter protections for scholars in the context of a worldwide increase in threats to academic freedom.
Kudos
- To Pascale LaFountain (College of Humanities and Social Sciences), who has been awarded a Goethe-Institut scholarship to attend a summer 2027 professional development seminar in Germany through the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
- To Laura Montanari (John J. Cali School of Music), who will serve on the Oral History Association Education Committee through 2028. This group promotes the use of oral history in the classroom at all levels of instruction and ensures that the OHA addresses teachers’ needs. Dr. Montanari received the OHA 2025 Mason Multimedia Award for the dissertation titled, “Songwriting Oral History Interviews: Archival Songs As Critical-Creative Pedagogy in Dialogue With Women of the Italian Resistance.”
- To Veronica Betts, Courtney Reinisch and Brenda Marshall (Nursing) on the publication of their article “Building Mental Readiness: A pilot study Evaluating the Effects of stress first aid Training on Prelicensure Nursing Students.”
Social Media Post of Note
When the study rooms are always taken
Photo of the Week
A winter stroll through campus. – University Photographer: Mike Peters
Quick Links
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.