Montclair State University President Susan A. Cole seated with County College of Morris President Anthony J. Iacano at signing of automatic transfer initiative.

In a move that will give Northern New Jersey students a new path to an affordable education, Montclair State University and County College of Morris (CCM) have formalized an automatic transfer initiative allowing associate degree candidates at CCM to seamlessly transfer to the four-year, research doctoral university and pursue bachelor’s degrees in selected programs.

“Access to high-quality, affordable higher education should be available to anyone with the desire to pursue and the capacity to benefit by it, and this agreement will provide that opportunity for many students,” said Montclair State University President Susan A. Cole. “This partnership expands on a long and successful transfer relationship between the two institutions.”

For more stories about Montlclair, scroll down:

School of Nursing Welcomes Inaugural Class
Cali 10: A Decade of Excellence in Music
University Takes Initial Steps Towards a 100% Tobacco-Free Campus
Senators Booker, Menendez, U.S. Education Secretary King Host Education Roundtable at Montclair State

The program creates a two-plus-two model designed to ensure a guaranteed four-year path to an undergraduate degree from one of New Jersey’s most affordable public universities. To be eligible, CCM students must complete or be currently pursuing the Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degrees offered by the institution.

The initiative is poised to not only create a closer relationship between the two institutions, but also to improve student success through shared resources. Montclair State University representatives will regularly visit CCM to conduct academic advising and provide workshops, and CCM students will be invited to Montclair State’s 252-acre campus to participate in events and activities.

“This strengthened relationship is part of a concerted effort to increase the scope of our partnerships with New Jersey’s community colleges, and provide more opportunities for students at these institutions to transition to a four-year university of Montclair State’s caliber,” said Montclair State University Director of Undergraduate Admissions Jeffrey Indiveri-Gant. “This fall, Montclair State has once again posted record-breaking student enrollment with an enrollment of 21,000 students, and our latest incoming class is one of the most accomplished in our history. We have no doubt the students of CCM can and will continue this positive trend when they become Red Hawks as part of this initiative.”

Montclair State University School of Nursing students and staff

School of Nursing Welcomes Inaugural Class

This semester, Montclair State University has welcomed the first class of students to its newly opened School of Nursing. The 54 undergraduates, who already hold RN degrees from associate and diploma programs, are continuing their education in the School’s RN to BSN degree program. The first cohort consists of 53 women and one man, and is a diverse group, identifying as Hispanic, Asian, African American, Alaskan Native/American Indian and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. They live in 38 different New Jersey towns as well as New York.

“The BSN is the preferred – or even required – degree for generalist nursing practice,” says School of Nursing Dean Janice Smolowitz. “Our program provides working RNs with a course of study that enables them to refine and enhance their current skillsets at a pace designed to meet their individual needs.”

Beginning in January, the students will study in the newly renovated, state-of-the-art Partridge Hall, complete with mediated classrooms, an anatomy lab, as well as nursing lab spaces with dedicated areas where students can develop skills in specific medical procedures. A virtual simulation area and high-fidelity patient simulators will foster students’ decision-making, problem solving and patient care skills.

The School plans to expand its offerings with a full BSN curriculum and to eventually roll out graduate degree programs, such as the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Doctor of Nurse Practice (DNP) and PhD.

According to Smolowitz, the future looks bright for the School of Nursing’s first class. “Nationally, it’s projected that employment for RNs with BSN degrees will increase 16 percent by 2024, which is higher than the average for all other occupations,” she says.

Cali 10: A Decade of Excellence in Music

Montclair State University marked a decade of excellence in music performance and education with a gala celebration for the 10th anniversary of the John J. Cali School of Music.

Held at the Alexander Kasser Theater, the sold-out event featured tributes to benefactor John J. Cali ’09 HON and a special performance of Kaleidoscope 2016, which showcases the talents of the students, faculty and alumni of the Cali School through musical performances ranging from orchestral and choral offerings to jazz, string quartet and small ensemble pieces.

Montclair State University President Susan A. Cole, Trustee Rose Cali ’80 and John J. Cali School of Music Director Robert Cart offered words of welcome and spoke about the School and about the man for whom the School is named.

John J. Cali, whose love of music and of Montclair State inspired him and his family to make a generous gift to the University, greatly enhancing the music program, grew up in New Jersey and worked his way through college at Indiana University by playing saxophone and clarinet in jazz and swing bands.

Together with his brother Angelo R. Cali ’36, ’79 HON and associate Edward Leshowitz ’36, ’96 HON, he launched a successful real estate business, founding Cali Associates in 1949, and continuing in the industry until his retirement in 2003 as chairman emeritus of the Mack-Cali Realty Corporation.

A noted civic leader, Cali served on many boards of civic organizations and groups. A recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 1996, he was a generous supporter of many cultural, educational and community organizations, but held a special fondness for the Cali School.

“Nothing made John more delighted than coming to the Cali School of Music,” recalls Cole. “He would go backstage and talk to the students.”

“It was on the mark to put his name on this building; that was the greatest joy in his life,” says Rose Cali of Chapin Hall, where the Cali School is housed. “And about a month before he passed…we were here, they were unveiling his photograph. It was probably one of the more spectacular things he had experienced because at that time, he was dying. The sweetness of it will never go away.”

The evening’s entertainment, Kaleidoscope 2016, featured more than 20 musical performances by ensembles large and small comprised of Cali School students, alumni and faculty. In all, 20 faculty members and more than 350 students and alumni performed a wide variety of works ranging from Francis Poulenc’s Gloria and Felix Mendelssohn’s String Octet in E flat Major to Nino Rota’s Trio for Flute, Violin and Piano, J. Lawrence Cook’s The Johnson Rag and Lennon & McCartney’s She Loves You.

After the performances, guests had the opportunity to attend a reception at the nearby George Segal Gallery to meet and speak with the president and other University officials, as well as a number of the student performers.

University Takes Initial Steps Towards a 100% Tobacco-Free Campus

Montclair State University has been awarded a $19,415 grant as part of the American Cancer Society and the CVS Health Foundation’s Tobacco-Free Generation Campus Initiative (TFGCI), a $3.6 million, multi-year program intended to accelerate and expand the eventual adoption and implementation of 100 percent smoke-and-tobacco-free campus policies. The University is among the first 20 institutions nationwide to receive the funding, and is the only grantee in New Jersey.

With the funding, Montclair State will launch Tobacco Free Red Hawks – a program designed to engage and educate the campus community about the health and lifestyle issues related to tobacco and smoking. Focusing primarily on its 21,000 students, the initiative will include outreach events and smoking cessation groups with the ultimate goal of becoming a completely tobacco-free campus.

“The goal of Tobacco Free Red Hawks is to engage and educate the campus community and support those who are looking to make lifestyle changes,” says Montclair State University Coordinator of Health Promotion Marie Cascarano. “The University feels strongly about its role in creating a healthy living, learning and working environment for all students, faculty and staff, and this initiative is another way to act on that institutional commitment.”

The grants – which are distributed to colleges and university across the United States – are intended to address a critical, unmet need by helping colleges and universities work towards the ultimate goal of becoming 100 percent smoke-and-tobacco-free over the course of three years. Of the 4,700 higher education institutions in the United States, currently only 1,427 are 100 percent smoke-and-tobacco-free.

“In collaboration with other student development and campus life partners, the Montclair State University Office of Health Promotion has been working toward creating healthy tobacco-free lifestyles since 2011,” explained Karen L. Pennington, vice president for student development and campus life. “The University Senate charged the Campus Tobacco Task Force in 2012, and in fall of 2015 approved a recommendation that Montclair State adopt a 100 percent tobacco-free campus policy – including a ban on vapor and e-cigarette products. This grant will enable us to incorporate proven strategies and move towards ultimately becoming a tobacco-free campus.”

TFGCI is part of Be The First, CVS Health’s new five-year, $50 million initiative that uses education, advocacy, tobacco control and healthy behavior programming to help deliver the nation’s first tobacco-free generation and extend the company’s larger commitment to help people lead tobacco-free lives.

“To be successful in creating a tobacco-free generation, it is important that we prevent and eliminate lethal and addictive tobacco among America’s college students,” said Cliff Douglas, vice president for tobacco control and director of the American Cancer Society’s Center for Tobacco Control.

“We’re at a critical moment in our nation’s efforts to end the epidemic of tobacco use, but we know we can’t do it alone,” said Eileen Howard Boone, senior vice president for corporate social responsibility and philanthropy for CVS Health and president of the CVS Health Foundation. “Through the power of partnership and by increasing the number of tobacco-free colleges and universities, we can contribute to the progress being made where a tobacco-free generation in the U.S. seems possible, not a faraway dream.”

Seated L to R, Tamara Lucas, Dean, Montclair State University College of Education and Human Services; Cory Booker, U.S. Senator D-NJ; John B. King, U.S. Secretary of Education; Bob Menendez, U.S. Senator D-NJ, along with educators and thought leaders from throughout the state

Senators Booker, Menendez, U.S. Education Secretary King Host Education Roundtable at Montclair State

U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez (both D-NJ), with U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King, Jr., hosted a roundtable at Montclair State on Oct. 6, discussing with students, educators and community leaders New Jersey’s implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). ESSA takes steps to ensure that every student in the U.S. has access to a high-quality public education.

Moderated by College of Education and Human Services Dean Tamara Lucas, the panel participants included Provost Willard Gingerich and educators and thought leaders – two of whom are Montclair State alumni – from throughout the state who weighed in on issues of concern related to their respective districts and student populations.

“Every single student deserves access to a high-quality education to open doors and help them reach their full potential,” said Sen. Booker. “I was proud to write provisions included in this law that establish meaningful ways to support homeless and foster youth, protect our most vulnerable students, and invest in our dedicated teachers. ESSA reaffirms the federal government’s commitment to supporting student, teacher and school success while moving us away from the broken No Child Left Behind era, and I am pleased to join Secretary King and Sen. Menendez in highlighting its importance in New Jersey.”

“Education is the key to unlocking a child’s full potential, allowing them to fulfill their dreams,” said Sen. Menendez. “ESSA represents a critically important step towards fixing the failures of No Child Left Behind, and ensuring a quality education system for New Jersey students, parents and teachers by rejecting a one-size-fits-all approach for one that is more balanced. The law also gives student-athletes and their parents greater peace of mind by adopting safety provisions based on parts of my SAFE PLAY Act to provide federal funding for states and school districts to develop and implement student-athlete safety plans under a new grant program. I will continue to work with Secretary King and Sen. Booker to ensure New Jersey students receive the high-quality education they deserve.”

ESSA, which was passed with bipartisan support and signed into law by President Obama late last year, replaces the 14-year old No Child Left Behind law. The new law, which states and districts are implementing around the nation, offers an opportunity to uphold the civil rights legacy of this law, and provide access to a high-quality, well-rounded education so all children can be prepared for success in college and career.