Faculty, Staff — Update, In Memoriam, Welcome April 2026
Update
New and familiar faces were appointed to key administrative positions within FDU. Among them were Laila Khreisat, computer science (Flor), who was named dean of the Gregory H. Olsen College of Engineering and Science; Sean Jameson, who recently joined the University as vice president and chief information officer effective March 16; and Jonathan Mercantini, who was named dean of the Maxwell Becton College of Liberal Arts and Education effective July 1.
From left are Laila Khreisat, Sean Jameson and Jonathan Mercantini.
President Michael Avaltroni wrote an op-ed titled “The role of AI and humanics in training healthcare professionals” for techtarget.com. In his March op-ed, Avaltroni makes the case for humanics, an approach that embeds empathy and critical thinking alongside technical skills. He reasons that the future of healthcare education depends not on choosing between technology and humanity, but on training a workforce capable of practicing both at once.
Robert Houle, history (Flor) and chair, social sciences/history/criminal justice, spoke about “Ideologies of Genocide: Germany’s Long Path to the Holocaust” via Zoom in March. The Q&A session was moderated by Benjamin Rifkin, humanities (Metro) and University provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.
Hyunah Cho, pharmaceutical science and executive director, health innovation/strategy, pharmacy/health sciences (Flor); Carolynn Julien, associate provost for research and sponsored projects (Metro) ; and Annie Rohan, nursing and dean, nursing/allied health (Metro), will be recognized among the 2026 INNOVATE100 honorees, an annual initiative that highlights and elevates New Jersey’s finest innovation leaders from all sectors. The awards ceremony will be held on Wednesday, May 13, at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center.
Muhammad Umer, electrical engineering/electrical engineering technology (Metro), is a fellow in the inaugural cohort of the Faculty Futures AI Studio, “a cross-institutional initiative designed to empower New Jersey’s higher-education leaders from various disciplines and universities to shape the future of AI-infused teaching, learning and academic integrity at the state’s four-year institutions.”
Trustees Rosemary Trinkle Baran, left, and Miguel A. Crespo.
Alumna Rosemary Trinkle Baran, BS’83 (Ruth), and Miguel A. Crespo were appointed to the board of trustees for three-year terms. A graduate of the Silberman College of Business, where she did a concentration in hotel and restaurant management, Trinkle Baran is the manager of organizational development at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Crespo serves as chief information security officer and vice president for cybersecurity and digital risk at Becton, Dickinson and Company with headquarters in Franklin Lakes, N.J.
Daniel Cassino, government/politics and executive director, FDU Poll (Flor), spoke about his latest book, Bitcoin Bros: Masculinity, Cryptocurrency and the Future of Men, on March 23, on “The Smart Cookies” podcast. He presented on “‘Not the Man They Think I Am’: Gender Role Strain as a Predictor of Cognitive Decline” at the 2026 Current Innovations in Probability-based Household Internet Panel Research (CIPHER) Conference held in February at the University of Southern California Capital Campus in Washington, D.C., a recording of which is now available online. A recording of his CIPHER presentation may be viewed here. He cowrote the article “‘Men should watch football games instead of soap operas’: Masculine role norm endorsement as a population-level construct associated with harmful gambling” for Addictive Behaviors. Cassino wrote the following articles for the LSE (London School of Economics and Political Science) blogs: “Donald Trump is changing how men understand masculinity,” “Men who are overconfident in financial matters are often less confident about their masculinity” and “Why the candidates running in the 2026 midterm elections may be just as important as the voters.” His book, Bitcoin Bros, was named Book of the Week by The Syllabus, a nonprofit knowledge curation platform that “strives to unearth, disseminate and highlight high-quality information.” He also wrote the following op-eds for the Times of India: “Trump’s Iran folly is godsend for divided Democrats”; “God, Lefties, Tucker & Trump”; and “Politics of America’s Tariffs.”
Kyle Kattelman, political science and coordinator of the newly approved Social Sciences BA, Becton College; director of Fairleigh Institute for Lifelong Learning at Metro; and faculty adviser, FDU Model United Nations (MUN) (Metro), announces that the Metropolitan Campus team — specifically its Belize delegation — earned its first Honorable Mention at the National Model United Nations (NMUN) conference held from April 6 to 10 at the New York Hilton. NMUN is the world’s largest university-level Model U.N. simulation, bringing together more than 4,600 students from colleges and universities worldwide. The achievement, which places the FDU delegation among the top-performing teams, is equally impressive because it’s only been two years since the MUN program was started at the Metropolitan Campus by Sebastian Perez, BA’25 (Metro). Erick Vialet, information technology student, was the head delegate of this year’s NMUN. “I’m incredibly impressed and proud of our students,” Kattelman said. “Last year, I watched them build this program completely from scratch. This year, I watched them flourish in their committees and earn an Honorable Mention. I cannot wait to see how they will progress and succeed next year.” The award was presented in the General Assembly Hall of the U.N. Headquarters in New York City.
The FDU delegation at the U.N. Headquarters in New York City. They include, front row, left, students Suhaib Jawad, Angelica Garcia and Marissa Almonte; middle row, from left, students Angelica Ortiz, Nadia Ayala, Kyndal Ganoe, Dylan Guaman, Raul Fuentes and Hadi Martinez; and back row, from left, faculty adviser Kyle Kattelman and students Erick Vialet, Giorgia Vaschetti and Christopher Ordoñez.
Tiffany Timberman, social work (Flor), was a panelist in a discussion on “Neurodivergence and Mental Wellness: Living Authentically in a Neurotypical World” at the Fourth Annual Let’s Talk Women’s Health and Wellness Symposium held on March 14 in Newark, N.J. She also did a virtual presentation on “We need to talk about us: Abuse, racism, oppression, and educational trauma at school” at the Eighth Annual Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools Conference.
Fiona Gladstone, human geography (Metro), cowrote two articles that were recently published: “Market, states, and social movements shape commoning and commons,” for the Journal of Rural Studies; and “Social mobilizations for sustainability transformations,” for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The latter article, which comments on a major study by M. Walter and colleagues, underscores how grassroots social movements and protests are powerful and are often overlooked drivers of sustainability transformations and biodiversity conservation worldwide. To read more about Gladstone’s February article go to “Social Mobilizations are Transformative Forces for Sustainability.”
Several faculty and staff were chosen as Champion Awardees at the Educational Opportunity Fund’s (EOF) 52nd Annual Awards Ceremony this April. The honorees were selected for their exceptional service to the EOF Program and to its students. This year’s awardees include Shawn Harr, assistant director, Academic Support Center (Metro); Mary Hebert, campus director, Regional Center for Learning Disabilities (Flor); William Maurice, psychological counselor, Wellness Center (Metro); and Harry Tongue, University associate director, financial aid (Flor).
Andrea Cole, social work and director of Master of Social Work (MSW) experiential education (Flor), co-authored “Exploring associations between neighborhood amenities and mental health: Insights from parent reports of older youth in low-income households” for Wellbeing, Space and Society.
Outside Dickinson Hall on the Metropolitan Campus are, from left, Carolynn Julien, Brett Spear and Melody Bobe Galeano, sponsored program associate, grants/sponsored projects (Metro).
Carolynn Julien, associate provost for research and sponsored projects (Metro), announced that FDU has been awarded an Office of Sponsored Programs Seed Grant through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Support for Research Excellence (SuRE) program, which is administered by the University of Kentucky through the NIH SuRE Resource Center. As part of this award, representative Brett Spear, professor of microbiology/immunology/molecular genetics at University of Kentucky, and co-director, NIH SuRE Resource Center, visited FDU on March 30 and 31 to engage with University leadership, faculty and graduate students through a series of strategy discussions, workshops and individualized consultations focused on NIH funding mechanisms, proposal development and research career pathways. According to Julien, this grant supports institutional capacity-building within the Office of Grants and Sponsored Projects and the broader research enterprise. “At Fairleigh Dickinson University, we are intentionally building a research environment that supports faculty success and expands opportunities for discovery,” she said. “This partnership with the NIH SuRE Resource Center is helping us strengthen our infrastructure, elevate our competitiveness and position our faculty for sustained success in securing external funding.”
In March, Robert McGrath, psychology; deputy director of clinical training, psychology/counseling; and director of the Center for Character Development, Institute for Character and Leadership; and D. Scott Parsons, executive director, Institute for Character and Leadership (both Metro), presented a workshop on “Flourishing through Practical Wisdom: A Curriculum for Character Formation in Education and Leadership” at the Advancing Character Across Education Annual Conference held in Tempe, Ariz. McGrath cowrote the paper “An Inventory of Common Character Items,” which was posted on SSRN; and the article “The Relationship Between Character Strengths Imbalance and Common Psychological Symptomatology” for the International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology. In addition, McGrath has the following co-authored articles in press: The intersection of universal and ethnoracial-specific personal strengths: A comparative analysis, for the International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology; Seeing the forest for the trees: Reply to McKay et al., for Professional Psychology: Research and Practice; “Character strengths and PERMA+4 in the workplace: Using machine learning to assess simple and complex relationships” and “Character strengths as universal predictors of health? Using machine learning to examine the predictive validity of character strengths across cultures,” both for the Journal of Positive Psychology; and “The role of character strengths in predicting success and retention for United States Military Academy at West Point Cadets,” for Military Psychology.
Luz Helena Flores
In March, Luz Helena Flores, associate director for recruitment and community, Hispanic Center and Center for Student Success (Metro), was honored with the Lady Power Award 2026 “for her distinguished educational journey, professional accomplishments, leadership and impact within the community and commitment to representing Colombia with pride and purpose.” The awards ceremony was held at the World Fair Marina Banquet in Corona, N.Y. In celebration of Women’s History Month, Flores was a panelist in a discussion on “Women as Examples of Inspiration and Motivation” at Hudson County Community College in Union City, N.J. The discussion focused on the experiences, growth, and empowerment of immigrant women in the United States. Key topics covered were the challenges they faced as immigrants, their personal and professional growth and the importance of resilience, perseverance and self-belief in their own journeys. Flores also spoke about her book Whispers of My Soul: Through the Waves of Time (Susurros de mi alma: Entre las olas del tiempo).
Zakia Clay, social work and chair/director, Master of Social Work (Flor), wrote a chapter on “The Invisible Struggle: Navigating stigma and distrust in mental illness research” for the book Research Methods for the Marginalized: A Communication Approach for Vulnerable Populations, published by Routledge in 2025.
James Gifford, humanities, coordinator of Core program and director of editorial committee, FDU Press (Van), was a visiting professor at l’Université Toulouse – Jean Jaurès, France, in February, where he delivered the talk “Dwelling in Place: Poetics and Settler Colonialism in Canada.”
Frederick Engram, Jr.
Frederick Engram, Jr., higher education (Metro), was inducted into the 41st Annual Martin Luther King Jr. College of Ministers and Laity Collegium of Scholars on April 9 at the Martin Luther King International Chapel of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga. The Collegium of Scholars recognizes academics and leaders who demonstrate outstanding achievement, a deep commitment to community and society and dedication to peace and moral cosmopolitan ethics, which serve as a testament to Dr. King’s legacy. Engram was among 235 inductees who were honored along with 21 members of Dr. King’s family. Raphael Warnock, U.S. senator (Georgia) and senior pastor, Ebenezer Baptist Church, spoke at the event and reminded the honorees that “Your life’s project ought to exceed your lifespan!”
Christine Jansen, research and instruction librarian, Monninger Center for Learning and Research (Flor), co-authored a chapter on “‘They told me I was wrong, but they didn’t tell me why’: Slowing down IL lessons with contemplation and reflection” for the book Slow Librarianship: Reflections and Practices. The chapter is about applying slow librarianship and contemplative pedagogy to the creation and continued support of the INTEC1111 Digital and Information Literacy course at FDU. The book, edited by Ashley Rosener and published in February by Library Juice Press, is available at the library.
Metropolitan Campus faculty members who mentored honors program students during their senior thesis projects were Yelena Aronson, computer graphics; Gregory Bartoszek, psychology; Franklin Bridges, communication; Christian Davis, Turpan College; Roger Forsthoff, Becton College; Joseph Jennas, nursing and director, emerging clinical programs; James Jones, criminal justice; Kyle Kattelman, political science, director of Fairleigh Institute for Lifelong Learning at Metro and coordinator of individualized studies BA with social sciences concentration; Erdal Kose, computer science; Lauren Lipner, clinical psychology; Marion McClary, biological sciences and chair, biological sciences; Brian Mooney, education; Sharon Morris, Becton College; Christopher Stubbs, mechanical engineering/mechanical engineering technology and director, Center for Artificial Intelligence; and MaryAnn Valenti, anatomy/physiology.
Allison Buckingham, public health (Flor), presented on “Development of Lessons in Lactation Advanced Curriculum (LILAC): Integrating Didactic Instruction, Clinical Mentorship, and Research into a Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine Fellowship” at the American Public Health Association Conference; and “Building Expertise in Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine: Results from the Pilot Cohort of the LILAC Fellowship,” at the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine Conference.
Former FDU colleagues Anita Rivers, left, and New Jersey Lieutenant Gov. Dale Caldwell catch up at the grand opening of the New Bridge Medical Center.
Anita Rivers, chief community relations and workforce development officer (Metro), attended the grand opening of the emergency room at the New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus, N.J., where she got reacquainted with New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Dale Caldwell, former executive director of FDU’s Rothman Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, who was a guest speaker. Rivers also talked with Caldwell about the University’s 250 Acts of Kindness Campaign.
Eunsun Kwon, social work (Flor), cowrote two articles that were published in peer-reviewed publications: “Artificial Intelligence and Aging in Place: A Scoping Review of Current Applications and Future Directions,” in The Gerontologist; “The association between material hardship and physical and mental health among older adults: Multi-channel sequence Approach,” in PLOS ONE. In January, she co-presented on “Longitudinal Poverty Sequences and Cognitive Decline in Later Life” at the Society for Social Work and Research 28th Annual Conference held in Washington, D.C. She did two poster presentations at the Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting held in Boston, Mass., in November: “Living Arrangements as Dynamic Contexts for Cognitive Aging: The Protective Role of Social Participation” and “South Korea’s Highest Older Adult Poverty Rate Among OECD Nations: A Decomposition Analysis.”
Hossein Hakimpour and his latest book.
Strategic Thinking with AI: Foresight, Tools, and Leadership for the Digital Age, a book by Hossein Hakimpour, administrative science (Van), will be published in May by Palgrave Macmillan. The book explores how AI complements strategic thinking and decision making.
Kara Alaimo, communication and coordinator, communication (Metro), wrote the following for CNN: “‘We just can’t go back’: How one mom dramatically cut her family’s technology use”; “After two jury verdicts against social media companies, it’s time to reexamine your kids’ tech use” (also appeared on msn.com); “The amount of mom-shaming is ‘incredible,’ ‘One Bad Mother’ author says”; “Why you should tell a friend about that embarrassing that happened”; and “Landlines are ringing in homes again. Why parents are happy about that.”
Meghan Sacks, criminology and coordinator, criminology/criminal justice major (Flor), did a minicourse on “Criminology: An Examination — Causes and Solutions” on April 7 at the Madison (N.J.) Public Library. The lecture is part of the series organized by the Friends of the Madison Public Library.
Colleen Fischer, research and instruction librarian, Metropolitan Campus, presented on “Using ecological metaphors to create visual representations of the Information Environment” at the Third Annual STEM Information Mini Conference held at Barnard College, N.Y.C., in March, and on “Library Displays as Instructional Tools” at the New Jersey Academic Libraries Conference VALE (Virtual Academic Library Environment) held at Kean University, Union, N.J., in January. The presentations focused on finding new ways to incorporate Information Literacy topics into campus members’ lives from the displays they see when they visit the library to the instruction they receive in the classroom.
Janis Leinfuss, occupational therapy and doctoral capstone coordinator, OTD program (Flor), co-presented on “Empowering Inclusive Education to Support Neurodiverse Students’ Sensory Regulation” at the STAR Institute Virtual Summit; and “Guiding OT Students through the Sensory Emotional and Relational Aspects of Fieldwork through Understanding their Sensory Emotional Personality Styles” for the New Jersey Occupational Therapy Association.
For the second straight year and the third time in her career, Stephanie Gaitley, head women’s basketball coach, athletics (Metro), was named the Brenda Reilly NEC (Northeast Conference) Coach of the Year, an award given to head coaches voted as the most successful coach of the season by the league’s coaches. She also recorded her 750th career win after the Knights defeated the Chicago State Cougars, 66-52, on February 19. The victory made her the 15th women’s basketball coach in Division I women’s basketball history and one of five active coaches to achieve this milestone. To read more go to “Gaitley Records 750th Win as Knights Defeat Chicago State.”
Coach Stephanie Gaitley, center, celebrates her career milestone with her team.
Bruce Peabody, government/politics and director, Fairleigh Institute for Lifelong Learning (Flor), spoke about “What Is the Political and What Is It Good For?” in the Upper West Side, N.Y., on March 25 as part of Lectures on Tap, an event series where professors, experts and storytellers give thought-provoking lectures in various bars in New York City.
Nicole Zmuda, social work (Flor), co-presented “Creating safer and inclusive spaces in SUD treatment” at Helio Health Integrated Care Conference held in Syracuse, N.Y.
Marc Diener, psychology (Metro), cowrote two articles, which are currently in press: “Criterion Validity of the Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale: A Meta-analytic Review,” for Psychoanalytic Psychology; and “Relationship-related Anxiety,” in the Encyclopedia of Sexual Psychology and Behavior.
Deirdre Collier, accounting (Flor) and faculty adviser, Beta Alpha Psi (BAP), the international honor society for financial information students and professionals in accounting, finance and information systems, announced that Silberman College students Damien Lugo, junior finance major (Metro) and Carlo Trujillo, senior accounting major (Flor), won the Innovation Award in the Regional BAP Competition held in March in Cincinnati, Ohio. Their project featured a presentation on NuAnswers, an innovative tutor bot designed to support student learning. To read more go to “FDU Students Win Innovation Award at Regional Beta Alpa Psi Competition, Advance to National Championship.”
Metropolitan Campus psychology faculty members and several graduate students were among those who presented at the National Association of School Psychologists Annual Convention held in Chicago, Ill., in February. Among the presenters were Narmene Hamsho and Linda Raffaele Mendez (“Redefining Perfect: Transforming Maladaptive Perfectionism Through CBT-based Counseling”); Erika Oak and Kathleen Viezel (“Practitioner Errors on the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities” and “Enhancing Assessment Accuracy Through Performance Validity Measures”); and Hamsho, Raffaele Mendez and Jamie Zibulsky, director, school psychology programs (“Outcomes of University-School Mental Health Partnerships for Trainees and Children”).
Left photo: At the NASP Conference are, from left, Kathleen Viezel; Jessica Trindade, PsyD 22 (Metro), lecturer and associate director of clinical training, Kean University, Union, N.J.; and Erika Oak. Right photo: A get-together with psychology faculty, students and alumni.
Kathleen Frey, pharmaceutical sciences (Flor), wrote the article “Drug Design for Lymphatic Filariasis: Using the Protein Data Bank to Create a Defined Antifolate Screening Library” for The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. She also cowrote the following articles for various publications: “Mechanistic basis for a novel dual-function Gag-Pol dimerizer potentiating CARD8 inflammasome activation and clearance of HIV-infected cells,” for NPJ Drug Discovery; and “A virtual screening strategy to repurpose antifolate compounds as W.bancrofti DHFR inhibitors,” for Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters. She did several presentations: “Crystal structure of Wuchereria bancrofti dihydrofolate reductase in complex with methotrexate and TSD compounds” and “Identification and characterization of novel DHFR inhibitors for targeting lymphatic filariasis” at the American Chemical Society, Mid-Atlantic Regional Meeting (MARM) held in South Orange, N.J.; and “Drug Design for Lymphatic Filariasis: Using the Protein Data Bank to Create a Defined Antifolate Screening Library” at the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Annual Meeting in Portland, Ore.
Tyler Rozier, assistant women’s basketball coach, athletics (Metro), was among those named to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) “Thirty Under 30” for the 2025–2026 season. Honorees were chosen for their “involvement in community service, mentorship and impact on others, professional manner and attitude and professional association involvement.”
Florham Campus faculty and staff members who mentored honors program students during their senior thesis projects were Rudy Agresta, Becton College; Joseph Agugliaro, biology; Justin Bogart, inorganic chemistry and interim deputy chair, biochemistry/chemistry/physics; Charles Celestin, assistant director/counselor/financial aid coordinator, Educational Opportunity Fund; Deirdre Collier, accounting; Christina Cruz, Becton College; David Daniel, creative writing and director, MA in creative writing and literature for educators; Ihab Darwish, computer science/mathematics; Francesca Degiuli, sociology; Peter DePergola, Becton College; Michael DeStefano, biological sciences; Melissa de Waal, microbiology; Angela Finlay, Silberman College; Nandita Ghosh, literature; Robert Griffo, psychology; Luz Huertas Castillo, history; Stacie Lents, theater/communication and director, theater; Howard Libov, film and chair, arts/communication/media; Patti Miller, Becton College; Elise Morton, biology; Edith Myers, biological/allied health sciences and deputy chair, biological sciences; Janet O’Neil, graphic design; and program coordinator, graphic design; Harald Parzer, biology; Meghan Sacks, criminology and coordinator, criminology/criminal justice major; James Salierno, biology; Kenneth Sammond, college writing; Vijay Sampath, accounting; Cordelia Siporin, Becton College; and Sorin Tuluca, finance.
Anita Rivers, left, and Rashard Mills, read to students in Bryant Elementary School in Teaneck, N.J.
As part of FDU’s 250 Acts of Kindness Campaign, members of the Metropolitan Campus community worked in partnership with the Teaneck (N.J.) school district to participate in the town’s Read Across America program. Anita Rivers, chief community relations and workforce development officer, and Rashard Mills, director of student union and campus engagement, volunteered as guest readers at the Bryant Elementary School in February in celebration of Black History Month and again in April for the Week of the Young Child.
Emma Kaplan, occupational therapy (Flor), cowrote the article “Exploring Evidence-Based Opportunities for Interprofessional Collaboration in Adolescent Mental Health: A Narrative Review” for Occupational Therapy in Mental Health.
Jayoung Han, pharmacy practice, and Nicole Campbell, pharmacy practice (both Flor), cowrote “Real-world safety profile of lecanemab: A disproportionality analysis of adverse events in the FDA adverse event reporting system,” for JAPha Pharmcotherapy. In addition, Han cowrote “Immigration timing modifies the association between medication nonadherence and cognitive function in older adults,” for the Research in Social Administrative Pharmacy journal.
The FDU 250 Acts of Kindness Committee hosted a Virtual Faculty Lecture Series this spring. Among the speakers were Scott Behson, management and director, Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Leadership (Metro) (“Kindness and Support for the Whole People We Work With”); Benjamin Rifkin, humanities (Metro) and University provost and senior vice president for academic affairs (“Compassion in the Higher Education Curriculum”); and Chris Rasmussen, history (Metro) (“The Common Good: Lessons About Kindness from the American Revolution”).
Florham Campus faculty members presented their research posters at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy 25th Annual Meeting held in Chicago, Ill. Among the presenters were Eric Ocheretyaner, Jayoung Han and Anna Nogid, all pharmacy practice, on “Integrating Artificial Intelligence into Pharmacy Education: A Strategic Initiative to Advance Student Practice Readiness”; Aia Gamal Eldin, pharmacy practice, and Nogid on “Integrating Continuous Glucose Monitoring into Pharmacy Elective Curriculum: A Practical Learning Experience”; and Anna Dushenkov, pharmacy practice, Amanda Zelinski, pharmaceutical sciences and Nogid, on “Incorporating Generative AI into a Critical Literature Evaluation Exercise within Pharmacy Practice Skills Course.”
Danielle DeNigris, psychology and co-director, MA in general/theoretical psychology (China) program (Flor), and undergraduate student Giavana Caraccioli (first author) co-presented their research on “Links Between Theory of Mind, Screen Time and Sleep in School-aged Children” at the Eastern Psychological Association’s annual meeting in February.
Nicole Campbell, pharmacy practice, and Julie Kalabalik-Hoganson, pharmacy practice and chair, pharmacy practice, pharmacy/health sciences (both Flor), cowrote “Accuracy and teachability of artificial intelligence chatbots in solving pharmaceutical calculations: a descriptive study” for the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy. Campbell presented on “Advancing Medication Safety: Key Updates from ISMP’s Best Practices for 2024–2025” at the 2025 Joint March Conference presented by the New Jersey Public Health Association and the Garden State Pharmacy Owners.
Left photo: Rick Laughland, right, with Stephen Dembowski. Right photo: Rick Laughland’s latest book The Subway Series.
In March, Rick Laughland, Silberman College (Flor), spoke about his book, The Subway Series: New York City’s Illustrious Baseball Tradition, in a conversation with Stephen Dembowski, director of the Bergen Community College Scholars Program, Petrocelli Center of Continuing Studies (Metro), held at the Metropolitan Campus Library. The book was published in February by Lyons Press, Essex, Conn. Laughland also moderated a Sports Marketing Madness panel discussion on “Careers in Marketing — Real-world Insights from Sports, Media and Wellness Leaders” at the Florham Campus.
Yong Guo, pharmaceutical sciences and chair, pharmaceutical sciences (Flor), co-authored “Quantitative Assessment of Retention Mechanisms of Nucleosides on a Bare Silica Stationary Phase in Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography (HILIC)” for Analytica, and “Quantitative Assessment of Retention Mechanisms for Ionized Compounds in Hydrophilic Interaction Chromatography (HILIC)” for Analytical Chemistry.
In March, Brian Mooney, education (Metro), visited Bryant Elementary School in Teaneck, N.J., for Read Across America week. He was joined by four students from his EDUC6819 Language Development and Literacy II class: Olivia Vanelli, Emily Fogarty, Angie Quizhpi and Madison Fearon. The event celebrated Social Emotional Learning (SEL) with the theme “It’s Cool to Be Kind!” Mooney and his students read multicultural children’s books with SEL themes about exploring one’s emotions to Bryant School kids ages 3 to 5 years old.
In celebration of Women’s History Month in March, the biological sciences department, social science/history/criminal justice department and the FDU libraries hosted a variety of events in person and via Zoom. Francesca Degiuli, sociology (Flor) and Harald Parzer, biology (Flor), discussed “What You Thought You Knew: A Conversation About the Complexities of Sex and Gender in the Natural and Social World.” Robyn Lubisco, sports management (Flor), served as a moderator, and Jennifer Noon, Silberman College (Metro), was a panelist on the topic “More Than Gold: What the Olympics Teach Us About Women in Sports.” Michele McCormick, college writing (Metro), hosted a discussion on “Reflections on Resilience: A Panel Discussion of Women Healthcare Providers,” where Mihaela Leonida, chemistry and preprofessional studies/graduate school adviser (Metro) was a moderator. “University Woman: Conversations About Life and Work” featured panelists Denise Chiang, hospitality/tourism management (Van); Ana Fontoura, University librarian (Metro); Paulette Laubsch, public administration (Metro); and Rama Madhavarao, Becton College (Flor), with moderator Nicole Potdevin, associate University librarian for user services (Flor).
Pharmacy practice faculty members Anna Nogid and Anna Dushenkov (both Flor), cowrote “Integrating a digital health educational activity into a required didactic course: Reflections and lessons learned,” for Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning. Nogid also cowrote “Pharmacy faculty and students perceptions of artificial intelligence: A National Survey” for Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning; and “A Scoping Review of Teaching and Assessment Strategies for Pharmaceutical Calculations in Health Professions Education” for the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. Nogid co-presented two posters at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy 25th Annual Meeting in Chicago, Ill.: “Critical Thinking Engagement and Assessment in Pharmacy Education: A Scoping Review” and “Student Factors Associated with Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship Attainment.”
“Trends and Language Learning: Role and Significance,” the latest article by Kathleen Stein-Smith, Becton College (Metro), was published in the International Journal of Research Studies in Education.
Bernard Showers, social work (Flor), moderated a discussion following a virtual screening of the “The Alabama Solution,” a 2025 documentary about how incarcerated men defied the odds to expose a cover-up in America’s deadliest prison systems. Held in March, the virtual screening and discussion was presented by the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Master of Social Work (MSW) program in partnership with the MSW Student Association.
Florham Campus faculty members Robert Houle, history and chair, social sciences/history/criminal justice; Bruce Peabody, government/politics and director, Fairleigh Institute for Lifelong Learning; and John Schiemann, government/politics, served as panelists in the April 20 discussion on “Iran in Context” held at the Florham Campus and via Zoom. The discussion was moderated by Julia Ercolano, research and instruction librarian, Monninger Center for Learning and Research (Flor).
AnnMarie Murphy, occupational therapy (Flor), did two presentations: “Supporting Regulation and Reflection through Understanding your own Sensory Emotional Personality: Applications for Children, Their Families and the Workforce” at the ZERO TO THREE LEARN Conference; and “Guiding OT Students through the Emotional and Relational Aspects of Fieldwork through Understanding Sensory Emotional Personality (SEP) Styles at the New Jersey Occupational Therapy Association.
In the news …
Jennifer Sipila, vice provost for academic affairs and executive director, Lifelong Learning at FDU (Metro), was quoted in the article “How schools are helping adult learner make a professional pivot,” posted on jerseysbest.com on April 23.
James Gifford, humanities, coordinator of Core program and director of editorial committee, FDU Press (Van), was interviewed in the article “Faut-il relire… Lawrence Durrell? [Should We Reread Lawrence Durrell?]” for Le Devoir (Montreal) to discuss the British author Lawrence Durrell and FDU’s hosting of the International Lawrence Durrell Society’s conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in July 2026.
Anita Rivers, chief community relations and workforce development officer (Metro), was interviewed on ONNJ Mornings with Ken Rosato on March 2 where she talked about the University’s new initiative, “250 Acts of Kindness: A Legacy of Compassion.” Launched to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States, the campaign encourages FDU faculty, staff and students to give back through service projects and community partnerships.
President Michael Avaltroni was quoted in the April article “How colleges are preparing students for an AI-driven workplace,” posted on jerseysbest.com.
Daniel Cassino, government/politics and executive director, FDU Poll (Flor), was interviewed in the following episodes of New Jersey Now on My9: April 20 on the “Controversy Over NJ Transit/World Cup Fare” and “Politics and the Pulpit”; April 6 on the “Debate Over School Construction Funding”; March 30 on “Governor Sherrill and Affordability in the Garden State;” and March 23 on “Governor Mikie Sherrill’s Budget Recap,” which was also posted on Yahoo News and Fox 5 New York.
He was quoted in various publications about the following FDU polls:
- “FDU Poll Finds Voters Support Anything to Bring Down Prices” (njbia.org, insidernj.com and newjerseyglobe.com);
- “FDU Poll finds New Jersey Voters (Still) Don’t Want Casino Expansion” (gamblingnews.com, casino.org (“Poll: NJ Voters Still Oppose Casinos Outside Atlantic City” and “New Poll Finds Majority Support for Casinos in North and Central New Jersey”); nj.com, njbmagazine.com, yardbarker.com, newsnet5.com, roi-nj.com, yogonet.com, casinoreports.com (“The Sky Is (Not) Falling on Atlantic City” and “Poll: New Jerseyans Are (Still) Against Casino Expansion Outside Atlantic City” [also on yahoo.com]), focusgn.com, actionnetwork.com and igaming.org);
- “FDU Poll Finds Sherrill Budget Dodges Unpopular Spending Cuts, Tax Hikes” (newjerseyglobe.com, nj.com and centraljersey.com); and
- “Strong Approval Numbers at Start of Sherrill’s Term” (tapinto.net, newjerseymonitor.com, newjerseyglobe.com, insidernj.com, nj.com, njbiz.com, newsfromthestates.com, patch.com [Montclair], nj1015.com, roi-nj.com, thedigestonline.com, shorenewsnetwork.com; and yahoo.com).
Cassino was also quoted in the following articles: “NJ Rep. Tom Kean Jr. addresses sudden absence from Congress” (pix11.com); For MAGA, ‘Owning the Libs’ Means Being Hotter Than Them, Too” (huffpost.com); “In Trump’s Orbit, Women Aren’t the Only Ones Concerned About Their Looks” (nytimes.com); “He Wants Manly Men” (politizoom.com); “Trump officials under pressure to increase their ‘masculine appeal’: report” (rawstory.com); “Trump’s obsession is forcing his male staff to ‘cosplay their Rambo-ness’” (alternet.org); “Analilia Mejia Wins New Jersey Special Election for House Seat” (readers.id and asatunews.co.id); “Mejia wins 11th District race for Sherrill’s seat through January” (njspotlightnews.org); “Mejia wins 11th District in landslide; Hathaway ‘looking forward to the rematch in November’” (morristowngreen.com); “Winning the AI ‘arms race’ holds appeal for both parties” (rollcall.com); “Analilia Mejia, Joe Hathaway to return to campaign trail as regular primary nears”; “Joe Hathaway, Analilia Mejia stump in final week of special House election”; “58 line up to run in congressional primaries as Democrats eye gains”; and “Candidates with NJ special House election trade charges of extremism” (newjerseymonitor.com); “Voters Race to ‘Cure’ Ballots in Close Montclair School Tax Vote” and “Essex County Must Still Verify 400 Provincial Ballots in Montclair’s Close School Tax Vote, Clerk Says” (montclairlocal.news); and “Why Trump can’t afford to brush off the Iran war’s economic impact” (CBC News).
In Memoriam
Harry Keyishian, emeritus, English (Metro), died on April 4 at the age of 93. A renowned Shakespeare scholar, he was the lead plaintiff in Keyishian v. Board of Regents, the landmark legal case that ended the requirement of loyalty oaths in academia. He had been fired in 1964 by the State University of New York for refusing to take a loyalty oath required of all professors. But in 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court in Keyishian v. Board of Regents overturned its own 1952 decision, Adler v. Board of Education, which allowed exceptions to First Amendment protections. In Keyishian, the Court said the First Amendment held freedom of thought in the university as a “special concern” that needed protection. The decision is considered a landmark in the protection of academic freedom. Keyishian joined FDU in 1965, where he taught for 45 years and was the first to win the University’s Distinguished Faculty Award for Research and Scholarship. His books included Michael Arlen (1976); Collected Essays on William Saroyan (1996); The Shapes of Revenge: Victimization, Vindictiveness, and Vengeance in Shakespeare (1996); and Screening Politics (2003). He served as director of the Fairleigh Dickinson University Press and co-edited The Literary Review. He published extensively in scholarly journals and magazines and organized annual Shakespeare colloquia on campus. He was predeceased by his wife, Marjorie Deiter Keyishian, a poet, fiction writer and journalist who also taught at FDU. He is survived by his four daughters: teacher and dog trainer Sarah Keyishian; television writer and academic Elizabeth Keyishian Wilks; social worker and writer Amy Keyishian; and artist and actress Emily Keyishian; and seven grandchildren: Noah, Gabriella, Sophie, Harry, Jake, Shane and Abby. Tributes to Keyishian have also been published: “Harry Keyishian, Lead Plaintiff in Academic Freedom Case, Dies at 93,” on nytimes.com; “Commentary: Remembering Harry Keyishian, Greater Morristown mentor and landmark First Amendment figure,” on morristowngreen.com; and “Remembering Harry Keyishian, 1932–2006,” on insidehighered.com.
Elizabeth Parietti, retired nursing and associate director, undergraduate nursing, nursing/allied health (Metro), died on February 26 at the age of 89. She joined FDU in 2004 as associate professor of nursing, earned tenure in 2007, became associate director of undergraduate nursing in 2005 and was promoted to professor in 2015. She retired in 2016. In 2007, Parietti and other faculty from the Henry P. Becton School of Nursing and Allied Health received a Presidential Citation during Academic Convocation for transforming the nursing program to a highly respected and most successful one, with an all-time high enrollment. She was predeceased by her husband of 48 years, Frank; infant son, Mark; and brother, William. She is survived by her eight children: Christopher; Patrick; Michael; Daniel and his wife, Carmen; Thomas; Timothy and his wife, Irene; Ellen and her husband, Vasilios; Molly and her husband, Michael; and 16 grandchildren.
Welcome
The University welcomes new full-time and part-time employees who joined FDU as of April 23, 2026.
Welcome to Steven Arnold, head women’s flag football, athletics (Metro); Jasmine Epps, office manager for Student Wellness Services, Wellness Center (Metro); Akilah Gilliam, New Jersey GAINS (Growing Apprenticeship in Nontraditional Sectors) workforce student support administrator, grants/sponsored projects (Metro); Sean Jameson, vice president and chief information officer, information resources/technology (Flor); Kamar Jorden, assistant football coach, athletics (Flor); Faith Kallert, New Jersey Department of Labor GAINS (Growing Apprenticeship in Nontraditional Sectors) apprenticeship coordinator, grants/sponsored projects (Metro); Robyn Lynch, campus transfer evaluator, academic advising and student support services (Metro); Sebastian Montlouis, assistant football coach, athletics (Flor); Kyle Morris, operations coordinator and marketing consultant, strategic initiatives and government/community affairs (Flor); Lori Murphy, administrative coordinator for occupational therapy, pharmacy/health sciences (Flor); Tiffany Saji, payroll administrator, human resources (Metro); Herman Savage, officer, public safety (Metro); Spencer Scalamoni, University admissions counselor, undergraduate admissions (Flor); Vanessa Schwartz, business formation and planning consultant, strategic initiatives and government/community affairs (Flor); Irina Shakya, admissions officer (Van); Tianchu Shu, institutional research analyst, institutional research/assessment (Van); Shaun Tarantelli, academic adviser, academic advising and student support services (Metro); Morgan Timmermann, assistant director, financial aid (Flor); Elizabeth Uptegrove, professional tutor, Freshman Intensive Studies (Flor); Cynthia Vargas-Montero, Title IX and civil rights investigator, General Counsel (Metro); Thornton White, officer, public safety (Metro); and Marcela Zuchovicki, business planning, certification and capital readiness consultant, strategic initiatives and government/community affairs (Flor).