The Board Bulletin is a monthly publication for the Board of Trustees that highlights
Ramapo College of New Jersey news and achievements.
October 15, 2012
Ramapo Students' Default Rates Way
Below National Average
3.2% of the Ramapo student population defaulted on their student
loans in FY10, putting them way below the national average. In 2010
the national average for students who defaulted on their Stafford
Loans reached a peak of 9.9%. Further, the three-year average default
rate among Ramapo students is 3.1%, lower than the 4.1% rate of our
8 peer NJ institutions.
At Ramapo College, the Office of Financial Aid works with students to
alleviate the cost of tuition, room & board, books, and other expenses.
Financial Aid offers scholarships, grants, loans and awards each year to
eligible applicants. Other RCNJ departments like the Educational
Opportunity Fund (EOF) Program and the Cahill Career Development
Center provide support to students seeking part-time jobs or
internships to lessen the costs of their education and to help them
avoid taking on more loans.
Department of Education:
Federal Student Aid
For additional information provided by the Department of Education on
default rates, please visit the following link:
http://www2.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/defaultmanagement/cdr2yr.html.
Public Question #1
Building Our Future Bond Act: A $750 Million Bond
Initiative for Higher Education
Elections are right around the corner and there are many resources at
stake in this year’s November ballot. Nearly a quarter century ago
marked the last time capital funds for higher education were provided
by the State of New Jersey. New Jersey is one of only five states that
has not spent money on capital improvements across its public
campuses.
In addition to voting for this year’s President of the United States, New
Jersey residents will have the opportunity to vote on a $750 million
bond referendum for higher education. Bill A-3139, Building Our Future
Bond Act, will keep New Jersey competitive nationally and
internationally and guarantees that all money will be spent on
academic and research related facilities.
President Mercer stated, “New bond monies could help offset costs for
much needed capital projects that support academic programs:
renovating of our aging academic buildings, construction of a new
library, a new communications art center and campus-wide upgrades
to technology infrastructure that will improve the campus
tremendously.”
Voting on this initiative will take place on Tuesday, November 6.
For additional information on the Building Our Future Bond Act, please
visit http://buildingourfuturenj.com/
Image Source:
SpringHillFresh.com
Ramapo's Haitian Art Collection A
Global Success
Since the opening of the Russ Berrie Center for Performing and Visual
Arts in 1999, the Center has been home to dozens of art exhibits
featuring the works of renowned international artists including Miguel
Calderon, Aziz & Cucher, Cathy de Monchaux, Willie Birch, and many
more.
A recent Haitian art exhibit made possible by the Selden Rodman
Collection brought global attention to Ramapo College. Institutions
including Yale University and the Smithsonian Museum of Art have
visited Ramapo to conduct research on our Afro-Caribbean collections
that are frequently featured in curriculum, books, and other
publications.
To add to the success that these art collections are gaining, three
international conferences within the next several months will feature
Ramapo’s art collections as topics of discussion. Many of the
collection’s masterpieces were decimated after the 2010 earthquake in
Haiti; the surviving pieces on display at Ramapo serve as a valuable
asset for teaching art and culture.
Selden Rodman Collection Philomé Obin, Haiti,
On the Beach
For further information on upcoming events by the Russ Berrie Center
for Performing and Visual Arts, please visit
www.ramapo.edu/berriecenter/index.html.
Bioinformatics Program Marks 10th
Year Anniversary with Yale Journal
"How To" Article
In 2002, Ramapo College became the first institution in New Jersey
and one of the first primarily undergraduate colleges in the United
States to offer a baccalaureate degree in bioinformatics. Dr. Paramjeet
S. Bagga, professor of biology at Ramapo, was one of the original
founders of the Bioinformatics Program. Through his leadership and
dedication, the program is now celebrating its 10th year anniversary.
Dr. Bagga was recently published in Yale University’s peer reviewed
Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine where he wrote of the challenges
of establishing a highly interdisciplinary program and how those
challenges can be overcome to offer a successful curriculum that
prepares students for a wide variety of careers in high demand.
"The majority of the Ramapo College of New Jersey trained
bioinformatics students have been accepted into elite doctoral
programs like those at the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell
University, Albert Einstein College, Columbia University, and Yale
University. RCNJ bioinformatics have also been very successful in
finding jobs in the pharmaceuticals and biotech industry. I am hoping
that this article, which is first of its kind published for an
undergraduate bioinformatics program, will be helpful to other
undergraduate educational institutions for developing similar
programs,” said Bagga.
Dr. Paramjeet S. Bagga
To read Professor Bagga's article, visit
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3447195/
25 Recommendations on How to Keep
NJ's Best and Brightest in NJ
Commerce Magazine of New Jersey recently published its “2012 Annual
College President’s Roundtable” article. New Jersey is one of the
biggest exporters of college students in the nation. The article featured
President Mercer as one of the state’s 14 top education leaders
discussing the challenge of losing some of the state’s best and
brightest students to out-of-state institutions.
Ramapo College Arching
Ceremony
The roundtable discussion yielded more than 25 recommendations
that, if implemented, could make NJ’s colleges and universities more
competitive.
President Mercer commented on the importance of funding support and
fostering partnerships between higher education, private industries,
and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to “effectively
develop and retain educated, employed citizens.”
Former Governor Thomas Kean, Chairman of Governor Christie’s Task
Force on Higher Education, reiterated the need for New Jersey to
increase its support for higher education. “Companies locating today in
New Jersey demand well-educated employees. Without those college
grades, companies will go elsewhere. A good system of higher
education is essential to our economic future,” he said.
Ramapo's Class of 2012
Family Day 2012 Features Academic
Leadership Panel
As part of Family Day programming on October 13 the Office of the
President hosted "Inside Academia: Breakfast with President Mercer
and the Academic Leadership." The interactive breakfast for students
and their families featured remarks by student leaders Catherine
Morris and Mark Ellebract, as well as President Mercer, Deans Steven
Perry, Samuel Rosenberg, Hassan Nejad, Elizabeth Siecke, Lewis
Chakrin, and Assistant Dean Kathleen Burke. Dr. Patrick Chang
moderated the discussion. Topics addressed ranged from state support
for higher education in NJ, to the value of internships, to the unique
faculty/student mentoring relationships at Ramapo.
Family Day 2012
"Inside Academia" Panel
Real Roadrunner: Thomas Ammazalorso
‘95
Thomas Ammazalorso ’95 graduated from Ramapo College with a BA in
International Business and a minor in Italian Studies. He went on to
earn an MSEd. at Pace University, an MA in International Commerce
and Public Policy and an MEd. in Educational Leadership from George
Mason University.
After teaching social science in Bronx, New York, Falls Church, Virginia,
and the District of Columbia for 15+ years, Ammazalorso returned to
the Bergen County area with his family. He is currently employed by
the Newark School District as Founding Principal of the Newark Hybrid
High School.
Thomas Ammazalorso '95
Contact Details
Brittany A. Goldstein, Special Assistant to the President
(201)684-7609, bwillia1@ramapo.edu
Have you visited the President's Post lately?