Convocation 2026
Honorees (from left) Yong Guo, Bruce Peabody, James Salierno, FDU President Michael Avaltroni, Annie Rohan and Marion McClary. (Photo: Bill Blanchard)
September 24, 2026 — The Fairleigh Dickinson University community celebrated Academic Convocation on September 23, 2026, welcoming new faculty and honoring faculty and staff achievements.
Danielle DeNigris, associate professor in the Marion Turpan College of Psychology and Counseling and co-director of the General/Theoretical Psychology M.A. in China program, delivered the keynote address on “meeting students where they are” and how “identity shapes student experience.”
Danielle DeNigris and Benjamin Rifkin (Photo: Bill Blanchard)
“Learning is a process, not an end point. Scaffolding is the strongest tool in our arsenal. It not only teaches the skills required to complete a task, but also encourages the process of learning itself. It empowers a growth mindset rather not a fixed one,” DeNigris said.
“When we meet students where they are, our standards remain high with the same competency, the same depth of thinking, the same quality of work. What adjusts is the support structure underneath: office hours that meet a working student’s schedule, a draft reviewed early instead of critiqued only at the deadline, a rubric shared in advance so expectations aren’t a mystery.”
Each year the University honors four faculty members in the areas of service, teaching, research and scholarship, and student success and belonging.
Yong Guo, professor of pharmaceutical sciences and chair of the pharmaceutical sciences department, Distinguished Faculty Award for Research and Scholarship.
James Salierno, professor of biology, Distinguished Faculty Award for Service
Marion McClary, professor of biological sciences and chair of the biological sciences department, Distinguished Faculty Award for Excellence in Student Success and Belonging
Bruce Peabody, professor of government and politics and director of the Fairleigh Institute for Lifelong Learning at Florham, Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching
Anne Nicola (left) and Laurie Eick. (Photo: Bill Blanchard)
This year’s Pillar Award recipients are Andrea Mosca, director of the Center for Academic Advising and Student Success at the Metropolitan Campus; and Anne Nicola, lead account clerk for enrollment services at the Florham Campus.
University President Michael Avaltroni bestowed a Presidential Citation upon Annie Rohan, dean of the Henry P. Becton College of Nursing and Allied Health, for her “outstanding leadership.” The college, Avaltroni said “is one of our main flag bearers as we set ourselves apart in health and health-related programs. For all of these accomplishments and for building on the college’s extraordinary legacy and history of innovation, I am privileged today to present you this Presidential Citation.”