Alumni News
President’s Office Dedicated in Honor of Francis J. Mertz
FDU President Michael Avaltroni and Gail Mertz, widow of the late Frank Mertz. Mertz served as president of the University for nine years. (Photo Bill Blanchard)
With family, friends, colleagues, and scholars present, the University formally dedicated the Francis J. Mertz Presidential Suite in Hennessy Hall in memory of FDU’s fifth president, who passed away in 2025.
President Michael Avaltroni reflected on the extraordinary leadership of “Frank” Mertz, who guided the University through some of its most challenging years in the late 1980s and 1990s. “Frank often called himself a caretaker of the University,” he said. “But he was far more than that. His courage, vision and grace positioned FDU for a brighter future.”
Among Mertz’s achievements: the completion of more than $40 million in construction projects— including significant renovations to Dickinson Hall on the Metropolitan Campus and the construction of the Roberta Chiaviello Ferguson and Thomas G. Ferguson Recreation Center and the Martin F. Stadler, Patrick J. Zenner, Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. Academic Building (the ZEN Building) on the Florham Campus.
Avaltroni emphasized that Mertz’s true legacy was not bricks and mortar, but the students whose lives he and his wife, Gail Mertz, touched through mentorship, encouragement and the creation of the Francis J. and Gail W. Mertz Endowed Scholarship.
Isabella Ochoa, a current Mertz Scholar who is studying cardiovascular sonography, shared that the scholarship made her dream of attending FDU possible.
Since its establishment in 1999, the scholarship has provided more than $700,000 in support to over 200 students. For each scholar, it has meant encouragement, mentorship and a reminder that they are part of a community that believes in their future.
The morning concluded with a procession from Lenfell Hall to the newly dedicated Francis J. Mertz Presidential Suite, where a portrait of Mertz was unveiled. Avaltroni said, “May everyone who walks through these doors be inspired, as Frank was, to be caretakers of something larger than ourselves.”
Sports Standouts Recognized with Hall of Fame Induction
Dante Fedeli, head softball coach (2000–2020); Alyssa McDonough, BS’17 (Flor), women’s basketball; Makayla Pak, BA’19, MA’20 (Flor), field hockey; Lindsey Parent, BA’11, MA’12 (Flor), women’s lacrosse; Malik Pressley, BS’21 (Flor), football; Phil Santiago, BA’75 (Flor), men’s soccer; Bohdan Semak, BA’18 (Flor), men’s swimming; Taylor Torre, BS’18, MA’19 (Flor), softball; and the 2010 women’s lacrosse team were inducted into the Division III Hall of Fame. Each received a glass trophy.
Mentorship and Student Networking
FDU alumni returned to campus on November 11 for an evening of mentorship, networking, and meaningful dialogue with current students. At Career Conversations, co-sponsored by Alumni Relations and Career Development, alumni shared their professional journeys, offered career insights and guided the next generation of FDU graduates.
Alumni panelists — Agnes Zaranski, BS’05, MS’06 (Flor), senior national sales executive, Visit Lauderdale; Matthew Armendinger, BS’20 (Flor), financial adviser, Merrill Lynch; and Joseph Cerciello, BA’24 (Metro), assistant director of veterans services, FDU — set the tone with an engaging and inspiring discussion.
Coming Home
(Photos Bill Blanchard and Brian Lewis)
Under clear fall skies, the Florham Campus came alive on September 27, as alumni, parents and students reconnected at Homecoming. Classmates in the Alumni VIP Tent chatted, including members of the Class of 1975, who celebrated their 50th year since graduating.
A full slate of family-friendly activities included a food truck festival, a pumpkin patch, where families picked out fall decorations and snapped seasonal photos, and the Devils football game.
By the Numbers:
42 Hours of Giving
Donors:
1,025+
Raised:
$528,299
Causes Supported:
65
Dr. Stephen Klasko, former president of Thomas Jefferson University and CEO of Jefferson Health — who received an honorary doctorate from FDU in 2024 — led this year’s campaign with a $200,000 challenge. One thousand participating donors would unlock a $200,000 gift from Klasko to establish the Klasko Innovation Humanics Challenge Fund. FDU met the goal and unlocked the funds to support the next generation of leaders driving interdisciplinary collaborations that reimagine education, technology, and the human component in an AI-driven world!
Ann Schwartz and her family presented a $37,000 challenge to benefit the Center for Dyslexia Studies and the Student Emergency Funds on the Florham and Metropolitan campuses.
Corporate partner Veolia North America offered a matching gift. For every dollar donated to student scholarships, the company matched up to $15,000 to support STEM scholarships.
A U.S. Army veteran from the Class of 1983 offered a dollar-for-dollar match up to $4,000 for veterans services at FDU.
Members of the Alumni Association Board of Governors challenged the FDU alumni community to rally 250 donors to unlock $25,000 — a goal the alumni community easily surpassed, with nearly 400 alumni donors participating in 42 Hours of Giving.
“These challenges reflect what makes FDU extraordinary — a community where belief becomes action and generosity becomes transformation,” said President Michael Avaltroni.
Since its inception in 2018, 42 Hours of Giving has raised $2.5 million for FDU students.