In The Know – Issue 183
Posted in: In the Know
Montclair History Professor and ‘Good Morning America’ Producer Honored with Trailblazer Awards
Professor Leslie Wilson and alumnus Tommy Foster recognized at the 2026 Male Enrollment and Graduation Alliance (MEGA) Symposium, recognizing a career spent helping students understand not only history but their own power to shape it.
Cooking with Koppell
Café 1908 bartender Tom Ormond joins President Koppell in the kitchen to prepare his wife’s famous egg drop wonton soup, while sharing the story of making a major career change later in life.
HR Updates
Performance Management Key Dates and Reminders
2026 PARs Due for CWA Employee
The 2026 Initial PAR Agreement was due on January 31, 2026.
All Supervisors of Civil Service staff have received a task in their Workday inbox to complete. If you have not done so, please log into Workday to submit the task as soon as possible.
This year, we are providing all Civil Service employees with a self-guided, employee-facing version of the Performance Assessment Review training.
AFT Evaluations for Next Multi-Year Contracts
Employees currently serving in a Multi-Year contract expiring June 30, 2027 received a task in their Workday inbox on Monday, March 2 to complete their self evaluation.
Self evaluations must be submitted in Workday no later than Monday, March 23.
For the full AFT Staff Evaluation schedule with key due dates, please refer to the AFT Professional Staff- Evaluation and Reappointment webpage.
Questions? HR is Your Partner in What’s Next!
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.
The SECURE 2.0 Act
Effective January 1, 2026, the SECURE 2.0 Act introduces a mandatory Roth treatment for age-based catch-up contributions for certain high-income participants in the New Jersey Employees Deferred Compensation Plan (NJSEDCP).
This requirement applies to employees who:
- 50 years of age or older
- Had FICA wages of $150,000 or more in 2025, and
- Contribute more than the standard annual IRS limit in 2026
If you meet the above criteria then any contributions you make above the standard limit must be made as Roth (after-tax) contributions.
Talent Acquisition Team Office Hours
The Talent Acquisition team is launching monthly Office Hours to partner with the campus community through strategic recruiting and search process needs.
Whether you have questions about search processes, candidate engagement, best practices, or need guidance navigating Workday Recruiting, the sessions are designed to provide real-time support. Feel free to stop by to ask questions or troubleshoot recruiting-related challenges.
Upcoming Schedule:
Location: Cole Hall, Conference Room 147
Time: 1-3 p.m.
- Wednesday, April 8
- Wednesday, May 13
- Wednesday, June 10
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.
Introducing the Center for Teaching and Academic Innovation (CTAI)
The Center for Teaching and Academic Innovation (CTAI) serves as Montclair State University’s hub for teaching excellence, instructional design, and educational innovation. In partnership with faculty and campus collaborators, CTAI supports the design of engaging and inclusive learning environments through faculty development, instructional design, and thoughtful integration of educational technologies. Through this work, CTAI helps advance a university-wide culture of teaching and learning and contributes to student engagement, belonging, and academic success that define Montclair’s mission as a public-serving institution. Learn more about our resources, programs and services on the Center for Teaching and Academic Innovation webpage.
Call for Participation: Family Weekend 2026
Family Weekend is returning for its second year Thursday, April 23 – Sunday, April 26 and we invite you to be part of this exciting campus-wide experience that welcomes families to connect, explore and celebrate Montclair. Looking to get involved?
- Submit a Program or Table at the Street Fair on Saturday
- Invite a student artist or entrepreneur to participate at the Street Fair
Interested in volunteering or need support planning your involvement? Contact Kelsey Nyman at nymank@montclair.edu or x3288.
Reminders
Apply for a Plot in the Campus Community Garden
The Montclair Campus Community Garden, located on the side of the Student Center, will be opening for its 9th growing season! The garden will provide space and tools to support 40 garden plots on a first-come, first-serve basis. Due to the high quantity of applications, raised beds will be split into plot sizes per applicant(s). All interested gardeners of any skill-level are invited to sign up for a plot on campus. All students, staff and faculty are welcome to join us for the season! Questions about the garden season or growing on campus may be addressed to the Community Garden Manager, Brittney Portes, portesb@montclair.edu or the Office of Sustainability, sustainability@montclair.edu. Applications will close Wednesday, March 25.
In The News
- Gabriel Rubin (Justice Studies) is quoted in this NorthJersey.com article about why Gen Z is consuming less alcohol than previous generations.
- In this New Jersey Business Magazine article about how the state is reclaiming its legacy as a hub for film and television production, the University’s film program is specifically mentioned as being a pipeline for industry talent.
- Luis Portes (Economics) is quoted in this NJ.com article about industries in the state that are facing layoffs.
- Jaime Grinberg (Educational Foundations) appeared on Univision to comment on and analyze the recent terrorist attack on Temple Israel, the synagogue and school in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
Kudos
- To Antonio Talamo (Center for Student Involvement) who was awarded the Excellence in Volunteer Service Award from the Association of College Unions (ACUI).
- To David Trubatch (School of Computing) who provided expert testimony to the NJ Senate Higher Education Committee on March 16 about the use of generative AI in universities.
- To Paul McGroarty (University Communications and Marketing), who co-presented at two sessions at NASPA 2026 showcasing cross-divisional collaborations with Hannah Lindeblad Student Communications) and Bobby Serani (Discovery Program).
- To Cristina Guarneri (Writing Studies), who published two college writing textbooks to help students and professors navigate the use of AI in the classroom: Writing Reimagined: Mastering AI in College Writing (for students) and From Draft to Digital: Using AI in College Writing for Professors: An Instructor’s Manual and Exercises for Writing Reimagined.
- To María José García Vizcaíno (Spanish and Latino Studies), who was invited by Miquel Barceló to lead tactile explorations of his ceramics at the “Reflejos: Picasso x Barceló” exhibition on display in the Museo de Almería in Spain.
- To Teresa Fiore (World Languages and Cultures), who was interviewed on Radio In 102 about the ArcGIS project on the iconic site of Scala dei Turchi in Sicily.
Social Media Post of Note
Warm weather WHERE ARE YOU AT? ️ #springbreak
Photo of the Week
Blast from the past: The television control room in the Dumont Television Center in 2002. – 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.