The five University programs that participate in the survey include the master’s in Business Administration (MBA), master’s in Education, master’s in Information Technology, master’s in Business and master’s in Nursing.

Highlights from the 2024 Best Online Programs Rankings:

• �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s online Master of Arts in Educational Leadership program is ranked No. 15 in the nation and No. 1 in New Jersey. The education programs survey also ranked certain specialty areas, including Educational Administration and Supervision, in which the University also ranked at No. 15.
• �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s ranked at No. 74 in the nation, up 11 spots from 2023, and ranked second in the state. The program ranked at No. 71 in the nation.
• The University’s Master of Science in Information Technology with a concentration in Applied Information Technology (Professional Science Master’s) is ranked No. 47, the highest ranking the program has received since participating in the survey.
• In its second appearance in the rankings, the University’s Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program, launched in 2018, had a substantial increase, improving nearly 50 spots to No. 77 and is tied for second in New Jersey.

U.S. News & World Report program rankings are based on scores from five categories – student engagement, services and technologies, student excellence, faculty credentials and training, and opinions of academic experts.

“Our mission is to ensure students across disciplines can have access to affordable, high-quality educational options that meet them where they are,” says Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Junius Gonzales. “This latest recognition by U.S. News & World Report is a reflection of our efforts to ensure we are at the forefront of creating curricula and using educational technologies that serve graduates both now and in the future, and that support their 21st-century work and lives.”

91�����’s Online Offerings

91����� also offers several other online graduate degree and certificate options designed to equip working professionals with career-enhancing skills, including:

• A Master of Arts in Child Advocacy and Policy
• A low-residency Master of Fine Arts in Dance
• A Master of Arts in Social Research and Analysis
• A Master of Arts in Teaching Middle Grades Mathematics
• A Master of Science in Accounting
• Graduate certificate and certification programs in advocacy, business, education and technology for those who want to build out or update their skills.

For more information on all of Montclair State University’s online graduate programs, visit . Learn more about �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s rankings by visiting .

As part of the pilot initiative, School of Nursing faculty and students have held 28 screenings serving more than 250 community members. The communities being served are those where the most prominent health disparities exist, and in which residents have high morbidity or mortality risk from heart disease. Taking place in community spaces as well as on the University campus, the most recent screening was held on April 28 at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in West Orange.

“Our goal is to reduce and prevent cardiac disease by offering free screenings at local events to identify persons at risk, provide preventive education and refer at-risk individuals to affordable, appropriate follow-up care,” says School of Nursing Dean Janice Smolowitz. “We are grateful for this opportunity to address health inequities, while preparing our student nurses with crucial experiential learning in local communities.”

Associate Nursing Professor Mary Elizabeth Duffy manages the screenings and sees the benefit of being directly in the community. “The screenings provide hands-on, community-based training to our nursing students … It is wonderful to see our School of Nursing faculty and students working together to provide this service to educate community members about their risk for heart disease and the measures they can take to prevent it.”

“With the tremendous dearth of skilled nurses, Montclair State University is taking concrete steps to accomplish two important goals: providing care for patients today, and training the future nursing workforce in New Jersey,” says Michael Schmidt, executive director and chief executive officer of The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey. “The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey is proud to partner with Montclair State University to support this innovative pilot initiative.”

91����� collaborated with the West Orange Health Department to inform constituents of the screenings. Individuals were able to have their blood pressure, cholesterol and other risk
factors tested and have confidential healthcare conversations. They also received referrals to healthcare providers, along with follow-up after the event.

Building community

For Arielle Falcone ’23, who completed the pre-licensure Master of Science in Nursing in January, the screening event provided another opportunity to help others. “I am always grateful for volunteer opportunities, especially when it is directly beneficial and we can connect individuals with critical health resources.”

Falcone, who started her career working in research, neurology and computational psychiatry, enrolled in �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s Nursing program because she wanted to have a direct impact on patient care. “During the pandemic, I felt I could do much more for the health of others and knew it was time for me to pursue nursing.” She is now licensed as a registered nurse in New Jersey and New York and works on an inpatient oncology unit, bone marrow transplant, at Mount Sinai Hospital.

Emily Woznick ’23, another recent graduate of the pre-licensure Master of Science in Nursing program, said the experience helped prepare her to be efficient in managing a large volume of patients and to navigate how to communicate and take care of a patient who doesn’t speak the same language. “It was terrific to be able to get the community experience,” she says. “This added practice to serve those in the community, especially those who may rely on it as their only check-up, was very rewarding.”

For students and faculty, the opportunity to serve is paramount.

“With joy and humility, we partner with our communities to educate and give access to healthcare,” shares Associate Nursing Professor Yanick Joseph. “As nurse educators, we pass on the legacy to our students by building community and doing selflessly the work required to maintain the social contract we inspire to enforce in all we do – to infuse active hope and collective healing.”

Associate Nursing Professor Mary Elizabeth Duffy (right) prepares for the screening at Holy Trinity Church in West Orange with Professor Courtney Reinisch.

Arielle Falcone ’23 MSN shares information on cardiovascular health and community resources with a screening participant.

Emily Woznick ’23 MSN (left) and Associate Professor Yanick Joseph (right) take a fingerstick sample to test for cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

Assistant Professor Patty McGaughey (standing) talks with School of Nursing students before a cardiac risk screening held on the 91����� campus.

Story by Director of Development Communications Laura Iandiorio. Photos by Mike Peters and John J. LaRosa.

You May Also Like

• Pinning Ceremony Celebrates Nursing Grads
• Nursing Grads Rock The Today Show

As part of the School of Nursing’s observation of National Nurses Week and National Nurses Month, the University held a traditional pinning ceremony, a rite of passage held on May 5 that marks the transition from student nurse to professional nurse. The graduates celebrated with family, friends and faculty, a formal event that paid tribute to their journey.

“You have seen us grow, from being scared to wake a patient up for morning vitals, to administering meds with confidence,” DeRienzo, who served as student speaker, told the gathering.

The American Nurses Association chose for 2023 the theme “You Make a Difference.” Faculty speaker Elsie Alabi-Gonzalez, herself a graduate of �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s nursing programs, tweaked the phrase, telling the nursing graduates, “You make the �徱�ڴڱ����Գ���.”

“We encounter people at all stages of life. At any given time, there is a nurse watching as one individual takes their first breath, while another nurse watches someone take their last breath. In both instances and everything in between, our impact is felt,” Gonzalez said.

Last year, the School of Nursing held its pinning ceremony live on ������’s The Today Show as part of the program’s Nurses Week. While this year’s ceremony wasn’t seen by millions, it was memorable for the family and friends of the 53 graduates of the Master of Science in Nursing, RN to BSN and Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs.

“Some of you have had your blood pressure taken more times than you would like to admit, or remember, and others have had to sit through physical assessments and patient education. You complain of a headache and now you have to play 20 questions with your student nurse,” Gonzalez joked.

Photo Gallery

Story by Marilyn Joyce Lehren. Photos by John J. LaRosa

You May Also Like:

• Nursing Grads Rock The Today Show
• American Heart Association HSI Scholars Share Research Findings
• Innovative Research Takes Center Stage at Student Research Symposium

This year’s graduates of Montclair State University’s four-year bachelor’s in nursing program experienced a once-in-a-lifetime graduation moment on Wednesday, May 11: a special, live Pinning Ceremony on ������’s as part of the program’s Nurses Week coverage. 

The program’s 22 graduates, nursing faculty and 91����� President Jonathan Koppell appeared on the national broadcast, which is seen by more than three million people each morning. 

Set against the backdrop of The Today Show Plaza in Rockefeller Center, the Red Hawks received their nursing pins in a ceremony befitting an extraordinary college experience – one that included them participating in the vaccine initiative – that took place amid a global pandemic. 

But that wasn’t all the program had in store. As part of the event, students received special gifts including espresso machines and sneakers to wear on the job; and, to cap the unforgettable morning, event sponsor Johnson & Johnson honored the School of Nursing and its students with a $15,000 donation. 

“Today was truly a special moment for our students, the School of Nursing, and for 91�����,” said Koppell. “This ceremony was a testament to all they have accomplished, and all they will continue to achieve as they enter the healthcare industry. We also want to thank Johnson & Johnson for their donation, and look forward to building a relationship that gives future nurses the opportunity to learn and thrive at our University.”

Graduating students from the BSN program at Montclair State University during the pinning ceremony at Rockefeller Plaza. Photo: Nathan Congleton.

“This is a dream come true”

As part of the broadcast, three members of the Class of 2022 – Aminata Coundoul, Carin Adler and Alexander Ng – were featured in a pre-ceremony story, shot on campus in the weeks leading up to the event. 

In the piece, the trio shared why they wanted to pursue nursing, their chosen specialties after graduation and how the pandemic has brought them closer together as a class and only strengthened their determination to become nurses.

“To be part of something like this was incredible,” said Ng. “We have come so far as a class and been through so much together, we have become like a family. To share our story and show the world who we are and how far we have come, and do it on live TV in New York City, is a dream come true and an amazing experience I will never forget.”

“I could not be happier for our students, faculty and staff to have this moment on a national stage,” said School of Nursing Dean Janice Smolowitz. “What they have accomplished these past four years has been nothing short of remarkable. They deserve all of the accolades and attention they receive, and I have no doubt they will make an impact in the field from the minute they begin their careers.” 

For more information on �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s School of Nursing, visit montclair.edu/nursing.

Hosts from The Today Show joined President Koppell and Dean Smolowitz on stage for the special Pinning Ceremony. Photo: Nathan Congleton.

Carin Adler, one of the students graduating from the BSN program, shakes hands with The Today Show host Hoda Kotb. Photo: Nathan Congleton.

Hoda Kotb joined her Today Show co-hosts and the University in congratulating the graduating students. Photo: Nathan Congleton.

Al Roker (in the hat) interviews a team from Johnson & Johnson about the donation they gave to the School of Nursing. Photo: Nathan Congleton.

Dean Janice Smolowitz led the students in reciting the International Council of Nurses’ Pledge. Photo: Nathan Congleton.

President Koppell commended the graduating nursing students for persevering through extraordinary circumstances to get their degrees. Photo: Nathan Congleton.

After reciting the International Council of Nurses’ Pledge, graduating students from the BSN program accepted pins from the School of Nursing faculty. Photo: Nathan Congleton.

Alexander Ng was one of three students profiled for the special segment that aired on The Today Show. Photo: Nathan Congleton.

Twenty-two students from the School of Nursing, including Aminata Coundoul, took part in the live pinning ceremony. Photo: Nathan Congleton.

Three of the Jersey Four – Brown, Grant and Reyes – participated in a panel discussion on February 16, 2022, at the Montclair State University School of Communication and Media, hosted by the Black Alumni Advisory Council and moderated by Justice Studies Professor Jason Williams, a social justice activist and criminologist whose research focuses on racial and gender disparities and abuse in the legal system.

“It’s a sad reminder that we’re still here dealing with these issues today,” Willams said after the event. “It’s a powerful rallying call to be ever vigilant about police violence.”

Unlike many racial profiling run-ins with police, the Jersey Four are alive to tell about it. During the 23 years since their lives forever changed on the turnpike, the men have actively worked toward social justice for all and strengthening their communities. “Their resilience and perseverance has so much impact,” Williams said. “It says you can overcome these incidents, make something of yourself and pay it forward by giving back.”

They have worked hard, both physically and emotionally, to overcome the trauma of that night in 1999 and the dreams deferred, but it left scars.

“It’s hard for me to talk about. I still ask the question, ‘Why did it happen to me?’” Brown told the audience. “I never did anything wrong. I’m still really hurt by it.”

The four have worked with major nonprofit organizations in the tri-state area, and today are officially incorporated with their own , to help youth in their communities. Their story is also the subject of a documentary that is currently in production.

“We need to tell our story because we have to create the difference for the future,” Reyes, who lives with a bullet lodged in his stomach, said during the panel discussion. “We can never let up when it comes to equality and civil rights.”

As a result of their case, police cars now have cameras and the four continue to push for reform. Grant said he is often asked whether he is in favor of abolishing the police.

“We need police officers,” he said. “We just need reform. … A lot of changes need to happen to improve the police experience in America.”

The preeminent accrediting agency in the country for nursing programs, CCNE ensures the quality and integrity of nursing curricula through a rigorous self-examination process involving consumers, employers, students, faculty, staff and members of the University community.

Earning the designation positions �ѴDzԳٳ���������’s School of Nursing – and its graduate students – at the forefront of the industry, and recognizes the program’s ability to prepare graduates to provide the highest quality of care.

“This accreditation provides our MSN graduates job market competitiveness and the ability to advance their education in nursing,” says Janice Smolowitz, dean of the School of Nursing. “We are grateful for the input, feedback and contributions from members of the University community, as well as our partners in the local community. CCNE is often referred to as being the voice of academic nursing by ensuring program accountability to the community of interest, so we recognize the importance of receiving this recognition.”

�ѴDzԳٳ���������’s MSN degree program is one of the most flexible and affordable in New Jersey, and prepares registered nurses for advanced practice in administration, education and clinical research.

Students enrolled in the MSN program will be eligible to apply for advanced practice positions that advance their careers and pursue future opportunities through doctoral education. Graduates will also be prepared for administrative, educator and research roles in order to meet the needs of a changing health-care environment.

The MSN program offers three pathways to earning a graduate degree. In addition to the online MSN program, the online RN-MSN Bridge Program is designed for registered nurses who have a bachelor’s degree in another academic discipline. There is also a Pre-Licensure MSN program for students with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree who wish to become an RN and pursue a graduate degree.

“In order to help solve the health-care industry’s most pressing challenges, nurses need affordable, accessible pathways to earn new credentials and expand their skill sets,” says Smolowitz. “Our graduate programs are designed to develop the next generation of leaders in the field.”

For more information on the Master of Science in Nursing program at Montclair State University, visit .

In a show of respect on what was her 175th and final Commencement ceremony, employees lined Sprague Field as Cole walked off, applauding her after she was presented a bouquet of flowers.

Among those thousands of degrees conferred, 5,044 were earned by graduates in 2020-2021 whose resilience and determination not to let a pandemic get in their way of achieving their goals was celebrated in the course of the last week. The stories from those ceremonies provide a snapshot into the love and hope that propelled the graduates to earn those degrees and take that walk across the stage.

Ready to Take on a Complex World

Student speaker Allison Conlon, an Applied Math and Statistics graduate, told her fellow College of Science and Mathematics grads the story of how her mother, Ita Conlon, who earned a master’s degree in Accounting in 1998 from Montclair State, delivered her final term paper on her way to deliver Allison.

“She had barely hit print before my dad drove her to the hospital,” said Conlon.

Today, Conlon says, Red Hawk graduates met and overcame even greater challenges.

“We are one of the strongest graduating classes in the history of Montclair State. We took all of our advanced math and science courses through computer screens – most students avoid our challenging classes even when they are taught in person, so think about how much we must have excelled and learned by doing it online. We demonstrated that we are adaptable and dependable no matter the circumstances.”

Success, Despite COVID-19 Challenges

“I think we can all admit this year has been exceptionally hard for everyone,” said Amanda Leon, the student speaker for the College of Education and Human Services. “Either you had COVID, lost your job, a person whom you love, or questioned if life will ever go back to normal. It was as if the world stopped, all while spinning out of control.”

But for this Class of 2021, “even in the midst of a pandemic, we all made the decision to not let it stop us from getting to where we are today,” said Leon, who graduated with a degree in Family Science and Human Development, with a concentration in Families, Children and School Settings, and teacher certification for Grades K-6.

Caps Off to the Graduates

Khadijah Haraksin’s cap reflects her grit.

Creative caps make great fashion statements, and Khadijah Haraksin of Pleasantville, New Jersey, fashioned her mortarboard to sum up what she accomplished with a well-known phrase by the late rapper – “The game is gonna test you, never fold. Stay ten toes down.”

Despite a difficult path, Haraksin says she refused to fold, staying as the quote inspired, “ten toes down,” focused and determined to overcome personal setbacks and rebounding from poor grades to the dean’s list.

“I hit rock bottom,” she recalls, “and I refused to get any lower than that. I just felt it wasn’t me and I said to myself, ‘No, this is not going to work.’”

Accepting the help of advisors in the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) who pointed her in the direction of academic and emotional support, Haraksin turned her college experience around, earning her degree in Psychology and a minor in Child Advocacy.

“I’m grateful for that because I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for everything that they put me in front of,” Haraksin says. Her plans include graduate school and a career in mental health and trauma.

First-Gen Milestones

Nationally, only about 9% of Americans have earned a master’s degree, and fewer than 2% have earned a doctoral degree. Arielle Flores hopes to attain them both.

Flores earned the MA in Public and Organizational Relations, the first in her family to go to college and now attain an advanced degree. “My success is their success,” she says. “I wanted to be the one who becomes the trailblazer for my family and be that legacy bearer. I’m glad I continued; I grew professionally, academically, socially and emotionally. Perhaps, just maybe sometime in the future, I will change the outlook of my family and my identity, by being a Latinx woman with a PhD.”

Katherine Freedman says she was inspired by Montclair State alumni as she pursued her master’s. “I met alumni who went through this program (MA in Public and Organizational Relations) while pregnant, working full time and taking a class part time. They all went on to have fulfilling and diverse careers. Their stories helped push me to the finish line.”

Faith, Leadership and Confetti

In a photo that captured the spirit of Commencement, Caroline Gutierrez shoots confetti from atop the Red Hawk statue in celebration of her BA in Psychology – a degree she earned in just three years. She’s one of the first of the University’s Presidential Scholars to graduate. “I will forever treasure every moment I had at 91�����, and will always carry all I have learned here – in and outside of the classroom – with me,” she says.

Gutierrez was guided by her faith and spirituality on campus, and served as a University Fellow, providing support, guidance and mentoring to first-year students. “I could not be more excited for the future, but 91����� has been the most beautiful checkpoint I have ever known.”

Climb Every Mountain

“I don’t know about you, but I have parents who will tell you about how they climbed mountains and swam across the ocean to get to school,” said student speaker Joud Sharaf, BS in Biology, at the College of Science and Mathematics Commencement. “But fellow graduates, let’s agree on this: We’ll tell our kids that we survived the corona apocalypse marked by a toilet paper shortage and Wi-Fi becoming our best friend.”

Sharaf offered some advice: “I may be up here speaking right now but little did you know, there was a time that going to college was inconceivable in my mind. I was that kid in high school that teachers did not see a future for. What kept me going was realizing that if I let it, my life was just going to pass me by. … Even though as scientists we are in the field of solving problems, the bumps in the road aren’t there for us to solve, rather they are there to shape us to become our best selves.”

Leaning in to Obstacles

“Growing up as an immigrant in this country, I spent the better part of my childhood getting accustomed to the cultural changes around me,” student speaker Rayane Yamout, BA in Public Relations with a minor in Business, told her fellow College of the Arts graduates.

“I began looking at my difficult times as not ‘why is this happening to me’ but rather ‘this is happening for me.’ So many of us go through life accepting the outcome that is given to us, but what if we were to lean into our obstacles and reach for another way forward? I am a strong individual today because of my resilience, grit and determination to succeed. I am proud to be an immigrant as it is a big part of my identity.” Yamout plans to continue her studies in the MA in Public and Organizational Relations program.

Putting the Puzzle Together

Alexandra Torebka likened pursuing her degree to putting together a jigsaw puzzle.

“Out of nowhere, it was as if someone knocked a large part of the puzzle to the ground” when the pandemic struck, said Torebka, who earned a degree in Family Science and Human Development with a concentration in Families, Children and School Settings, and teacher certification for grades K-6.

“For some of us, reorganizing our puzzle meant overcoming sickness, loneliness and devastating loss,” she said as the student speaker at the Commencement ceremony for the College of Education and Human Services.

“I had to remind myself many times that rebuilding my puzzle wouldn’t be an easy feat, but with my support team of professors, mentors, colleagues, friends and most importantly, my parents, I was going to accomplish something much greater than any college degree, or puzzle, but I was going to learn how to appreciate my present and future obstacles and not let them control my journey.”

Deeper Experience Serving Others

Daniel Norvil

Daniel Norvil put in 300 hours of service each year during his four years at Montclair State, including being part of the Bonner Leader program and mentoring middle school students from the nearby community. He seized opportunities on campus, joined the track team and Student Government Association, and attended the national Bonner Congress Convention. His experiences led him to find his voice on social justice issues.

But while growing up in East Orange, New Jersey, going to college, let alone graduating in four years with a degree in Public Relations, wasn’t something he could imagine.

“Growing up, I heard it was too hard to accomplish,” he says. “It gets in your head a little bit. I never would have gotten this far without the people surrounding me who keep my head straight.”

That support network includes EOF, where he was a peer leader and learned what he was capable of, his strengths and how to improve – and where he found a family after his mother passed away during his sophomore year. “That’s when I knew EOF was not just a support program but a family to me,” Norvil says.

His mother, Anne Marie Norvil, inspired a strong work ethnic and motivated Norvil to graduate, to complete the degree she started but wasn’t able to finish. This summer, he heads to California for a six-week public relations internship with plans to begin Montclair State’s master’s program in Public and Organizational Relations.

Father, Daughter Graduate Together

It’s not easy to work a full-time job, raise a family and go to school “off and on for years,” but Lavone Broxton, motivated by his wife and daughters, finally earned his undergraduate degree. His walk across the Commencement stage was made even sweeter as he shared graduation day with his daughter, Tiiera Broxton.

“Congratulations Dad! You are a walking example that age is nothing but a number and you can achieve any goal you put your mind to,” Tiiera Broxton said.

Both father and daughter earned degrees in Sociology and their home in Newark, New Jersey, is now brimming with Red Hawk Pride: Lavone’s spouse and Tiiera’s mother, Rhonda Robinson-Broxton, earned two graduate degrees at Montclair State. Two older daughters, Siiera and Kiiera, also hold master’s degrees from other institutions.

“I didn’t want to be the only person in a family who didn’t go to school,” said Lavone Broxton, associate director of Postal and Warehouse Services at Montclair State, who took advantage of the University’s employee tuition waiver program to finish up what he started in 2007. “Once I saw that I could have the opportunity to graduate at the same time as Tiiera, that was the push that inspired me.” Read more about the Broxtons in our News Center.

A Second Family

Jaime Bock whooped up the crowd at the School of Nursing’s June 10 Commencement, leading a round of applause for Montclair State’s “inaugural Pre-Licensure BSN Class of 2021!”

“When I started nursing school, I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into,” Bock said. “If I had to sum up nursing school in three words I would say: stress, stress, and more stress. … Between the never-ending exams and the obscene amount of Red Bull and coffee, it was hard to differentiate the etiology of our heart palpitations.”

The upside?

“I did not expect to be given a second family.”

“We’ve seen each other at our worst and celebrated at our best. We understood each other, when it felt like nobody else did. We laughed, we cried, we panicked. Half the time I could not tell if we were laughing or crying. It was truly therapeutic. We never gave up; we uplifted, supported and learned from each other. But most importantly, we grew together.”

“I would not be standing here if it wasn’t for you all.”

Not All Superheros Wear Capes

Theresa Migliaccio, a mother of five who has also been a high-risk pregnancy nurse for 23 years, knows a thing or two about stress. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree on the post-licensure track while dealing with the pandemic personally and professionally.

“This past year has given us challenges that we could have never imagined,” Migliaccio told her fellow School of Nursing graduates. “The endless days fighting a disease that we knew nothing about and the feeling of hopelessness as we watched so many lives pass away.”

“We were considered heroes but in our hearts, we were just who we always are – nurses,” said Migliaccio. “We did what we always do – we did more. Sitting with the patient who was alone or calling a family from an iPad or comforting family members over the phone. There was no time but we made it.”

The light at the end of the tunnel came with vaccinations: “Being a part of the mass vaccination effort and vaccinating homebound patients was an experience that I will forever be grateful for. For the first time in a long time, I felt like a superhero.”

Climbing the Ladder

Michele Ansbacher, recipient of the Feliciano School of Business Distinguished Alumna Award, told graduates that, like many of them, “I came from humble beginnings. Though they didn’t go to college, my parents were very proud of their children who did. Wanting more helped fuel my success.”

Having risen to the ranks to a corporate vice president position, Ansbacher said the Class of 2021 has more than enough qualifications to make it. “You are more than equipped to succeed with your MSU education. You have survived the COVID upheaval and will take that quality of resiliency with you.”

A Degree, but First a Proposal

Dylan White earned his degree in Business Administration, a monumental day recognizing his efforts to balance work and school. “I was working full time and Montclair State helped me figure out a class schedule that fit my hours and educational requirements. My path wasn’t one of an average student but the University helped me juggle my busy lifestyle. I wouldn’t change a thing about my college experience.”

The highlight of his time on campus may have come a few months earlier. With the campus covered in snow, he proposed marriage to Ariana Leyton ’17, ’18 MS. She said, “Yes.”

Changing the World

When she landed at JFK Airport in 1986 as a “very excited, very scared 17 year old” bound for Montclair State, Wamwari Waichungo had the inspiring example of her parents to ground her.

Her late mother Charity Waichungo was in the first class of native African girls to go to high school in Kenya in 1951, ultimately earning her PhD and becoming principal of a girl’s high school in the village where she was born, while her father Asaph Waichungo was the first in his family to attend high school before traveling to the U.S. for a university education.

“Today, three decades later, a PhD in Food Science and 20+ years working in the food and beverage industry, I can confirm that the education and guidance that I received here at Montclair State was instrumental to my career success,” said Waichungo, as she accepted the College of Education and Human Services’ Distinguished Alumna Award. A CEHS Advisory Board member, Waichungo is vice president for Global Safety Assessments and Regulatory Affairs at SCJohnson.

“Both my mother and my father set an example that I have followed. In the words of the late Nelson Mandela, ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.’”

University Honors Benefactor

The multiple smaller ceremonies celebrated graduates in traditional style, with the tossing of caps, speakers and an honorary degree awarded to entrepreneur Mimi Turco Feliciano. It was a milestone long delayed for Feliciano who did not complete her bachelor’s degree when she attended Montclair State decades ago.

As a first generation student, Feliciano said two things dominated her thinking while a student: “I felt like I wasn’t good enough and that I never had enough money.” Still, she credits the University with providing the foundation for her successful career, and she has given back in many ways, including funding the Mimi and Edwin Feliciano School of Business, the Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, and The Global Center on Human Trafficking.

A Final Commencement

“I have marveled at your tenacity and resilience in the face of adversity, and I can tell you that your University could not be prouder of you and what you have accomplished,” said President Susan A. Cole, who spoke at each of the ceremonies, ending her own remarkable tenure leading Montclair State.

“So, today, in a way, I graduate with you. For the last 23 years, it has been my honor to contribute my efforts to building the University that would enable students like you to earn their degrees, walk across this stage and then proceed to realize their dreams. Today, it is my privilege to stand here with you,” she said.

… “We shall leave this place together.”

Story by Staff Writer Marilyn Joyce Lehren and Mary Barr Mann

Photo Galleries

See the full commencement photo galleries at the links below.

Their house calls were part of an ongoing partnership between the West Orange Health Department and the University’s School of Nursing to vaccinate homebound residents. On this day of visits, the RNs provided both the vaccine and the “simple gifts of company and conversation,” Cook says.

“As an inpatient acute care nurse, I have been caring for patients critically sick with COVID-19 in the hospital setting,” Cook says. “Many days I feel great about the work I do, but there are also days where you begin to feel helpless, like no matter what you do, patients continue to become more seriously ill. Being able to deliver vaccines was cathartic in a way I didn’t expect. Each dose put in an arm, represented a face I wouldn’t see on my next shift at work. I was finally on the proactive side of this battle and that felt wonderful.”

Vaccination visits to the homebound are just one part of the partnership between West Orange and Montclair State, says Acting Director of the West Orange Health Department Michael A. Fonzino. “Our partnership has given students the opportunity to participate in senior citizen home vaccination clinics, where they assisted with registration, line control and patient monitoring.” Students have also interacted with residents by making vaccination appointments and answering questions, he says.

“The partnership between Montclair State University and the West Orange Health Department  has been extremely beneficial to the township in meeting our nursing needs during this public health pandemic, while at the same time providing hands-on training to the School of Nursing students,” says Theresa M. De Nova ’97, a health officer of the West Orange Health Department.

For School of Nursing  faculty and students, the work with West Orange has been beyond rewarding. “The magnitude of what it means to receive the vaccine cannot be expressed in enough words,” says Associate Professor of Nursing Rachel Lyons. “The tears of joy that flow are testament that we are on the right path to bring loved ones back together again.”

Most of the registered nurses in the BSN program work in hospitals, but community nursing is a different experience. “The second we step inside the West Orange residents’ homes we are taking everything in,” Valencia says. “We have to understand this is their most private space and it speaks for who they are.”

A lot of work happens before students and faculty hit the road to make those house calls. Preparations for the home visits include the logistics of scheduling and mapping routes, and vaccine administration requirements must be observed. “It takes hours of work by multiple people in the county, at the school and by the students to coordinate,” says School of Nursing Dean Janice Smolowitz.

Among the team members handling vaccination registration and scheduling is Sandy Monk, an assistant nurse manager at Morristown Medical Center pursuing her BSN degree. “You feel like you are making a difference,” she says. “Working at a hospital, I’ve seen the hospital side, but this program allows me to see the community side of nursing. It’s a lighter note, a happier note. They’re happy to hear from us because they are all itching to get this vaccine.”

Undergraduates in the Nursing program have also assisted with the efforts, volunteering at onsite senior centers by helping with the vaccination registrations and monitoring after the older adults receive their shots.

“It’s an anxious experience for them, especially if they’re receiving their first shot,” says Cassie Armout, a sophomore BSN major.

Aisha Shabbir, a sophomore BSN student, who registered the center’s residents for their inoculations, says, “I was just taking names and they thanked me over and over. We started talking and I told them about my life and they told me about theirs.”

The initiative reflects the mission and commitment of the University’s School of Nursing “to think global and act local” in service to diverse communities, Smolowitz says. “During the pandemic we have stepped up, thought about the skills we have and partners who make a �徱�ڴڱ����Գ���.”

Story by Staff Writer Marilyn Joyce Lehren

You May Also Like:

• School of Nursing Gives Shots of Hope
• “Send them Home Safe” – A Message from the School of Nursing
• Arms Open Wide for Nurses

Associate Professor Courtney Reinisch is coordinating the School of Nursing’s response, adding COVID-19 hours into the senior practicum. “In order to return to our lives, we need to get the global population inoculated,” Reinisch says. “I thought this was a great opportunity for students and faculty to respond locally and give back to the community.”

Mark Rodrigues, left, sets up an Essex County vaccination station, while Theresa Migliaccio prepares to administer the Moderna vaccine.

Among the nursing students is Theresa Migliaccio, a mother of five who balances family life with her classwork and weekend hours as a registered nurse at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston. Juggling it all during the pandemic has been difficult, she admits. “You definitely learn your resilience and your limitations.”

But taking on even more at the vaccination clinic has actually eased her stress. “It’s made the pandemic not as devastating because at least I feel I’m doing something to help.”

RN to BSN students Jiwon Woo and Danica Arcena at the Essex County site.

On a recent shift at the Essex County immunization center in West Orange, New Jersey, Migliaccio was teamed with Mark Rodrigues – both are RNs set to graduate this spring from Montclair State’s RN to BSN program. As they prepared their vaccination room, they precisely readied syringes, making sure not to waste a single drop of the vaccine.

Throughout the country, inoculating people has been hampered by vaccine shortages and a complicated registration process, but Essex County’s response has been a bright spot in the rollout. Inside the former Kmart store in West Orange, any thoughts of the challenges people may have had getting their appointment are forgotten as they receive their shots of hope, Migliaccio says. “They cry, they’re overwhelmed and they’re so thankful.”

RN to BSN student Valentina Valencia at the Essex County site.

Rodrigues, who worked as an electrician before a career change to nursing, says this process has taken him out of his pandemic comfort zone. “Occasionally you go out for your shopping, but everything is so methodical about how you spend your time outside,” he says.

At the vaccination center, Rodrigues has a system for the way he sets up equipment, organizing Band-Aids and alcohol wipes in groups of 10 to match the number of doses in each vial. “We want to be prepared so we can more fluidly deal with patients,” he says. Rodrigues has a gentle rapport to ease any anxiety people may be feeling. Often, they haven’t even realized they’ve been given the injection.

The coordinated efforts pay off as the classmates inoculated more than 100 people on their shift, about 10% of all the Moderna doses given that day. “It’s exceptionally rewarding,” Rodrigues says, “knowing we are putting people on track for getting back some sort of normalcy.”

Associate Professors Marybeth Duffy, left, and Courtney Reinisch.

Their experience illustrates how Montclair State’s nursing faculty and students are engaged in the campaign to inoculate against the virus. Essex County has five vaccination sites spread across the county and the School of Nursing is joining in the effort to vaccinate citizens by participating in a variety of roles.

Faculty members and students are also assisting senior citizens with vaccination registration at a senior apartment setting. When the on-site clinic opened, undergraduates assisted with temperature checks, social distancing and monitoring. Associate Professor Marybeth Duffy, who participated in this outreach, helped register community members for appointments and answered questions about the safety of the vaccines. “They need reassurance that taking the shot would be better than not,” she says.

The School of Nursing is continuously looking for ways to serve the community and plans to help vaccinate homebound residents in partnership with the West Orange Health Department. This faculty-undergraduate effort will include students assisting with making calls to individuals, registering and scheduling them for appointments and going to their homes.

Story by Staff Writer Marilyn Joyce Lehren

You May Also Like:

• Arms Open Wide for Nurses
• Still on the Front Lines

Behind the scenes, academics and practitioners such as Nastassia Davis, an assistant professor in the School of Nursing; Kaitlin Mulcahy, associate director of the Center for Autism and Early Childhood Mental Health (CAECMH); and Jill Wodnick, a doula who has been the cornerstone of much of Montclair State’s maternal health efforts through CAECMH, were among those interviewed to help craft the state’s strategic plan. And, through their work at the University, they will be among an army of health practitioners and educators across the state helping to see its goals to fruition.

According to statistics cited in Murphy’s plan, New Jersey is currently ranked 47th in the nation for maternal deaths and has one of the widest racial disparities for both maternal and infant mortality: “A Black mother in New Jersey is seven times more likely than a white mother to die from maternity-related complications, and a Black baby is over three times more likely than a white baby to die before his or her first birthday.”

The plan “aims to reduce maternal mortality by 50% over five years and eliminate racial disparities in birth outcomes.”

One year ago, educational leaders from Montclair State’s Center for Autism and Early Childhood Mental Health, School of Nursing, and Department of Public Health discussed how the University’s cross-discipline approach is identifying, addressing and hopefully solving the myriad of complex problems that stand in the way of improved outcomes for mothers and infants.

“Our center through Jill’s advocacy has a seat at many discussions of what the strategic plan is talking about,” says Mulcahy. For example, CAECMH has been asked to be part of the , a federal grant awarded to multidisciplinary state departments. Wodnick is providing technical assistance to the New Jersey Department of Health on issues related to the Nurture NJ Strategic Plan, including childbirth education, reducing unnecessary caesarean sections, and increasing the childbirth education and doula care across the state.

Mulcahy adds, “We’ve also been asked to sit on other panels in the maternal health space,” such as  that “are looking to improve birth outcomes and developmental outcomes for low-income children and families in our state over the next three years.”

Mulcahy gives much credit to Wodnick in bringing the University to the table on the subject of maternal health.

“Jill is looked at as being the expert consultant, the expert technical assistant,” Mulcahy says. “She has influenced Mrs. Murphy’s thinking, and we spend a lot of time with Mrs. Murphy’s policy advisors as well on these issues.”

Wodnick is quick to share the limelight.

“There are many people in different multidisciplinary departments, and we find each other.” She cites Melanie Shefchik, instructional specialist, Department of Public Health: “She wrote the maternal infant plan for the City of Clifton – with a number of undergraduate and graduate Montclair State Public Health students – and that is a city-specific maternal infant health plan that focuses on increasing home visitation funding for doula care.”

Jill Wodnick, doula and project coordinator for the Center for Autism and Early Childhood Mental Health maternal health programs; Dr. Nastassia Davis, assistant professor, School of Nursing and founder of the Perinatal Health Equity Foundation.

Meanwhile, Davis, in both her role as assistant professor in the School of Nursing and as founder of the , was invited to speak at the introduction of the strategic plan in January. Last year, Davis introduced a new maternal and child health class for School of Nursing students. She reports, “It’s a dynamic curriculum and we’re adjusting it to respond to current social and political dynamics in our local communities.” Davis has also invited Wodnick to provide Lamaze childbirth education for this coming semester when students perform a clinical rotation.

“Our curriculum blends clinical experiences in the community, a concept that is unique to our program,” says Davis. “Students get exposed to the lived experiences of the families they serve as well as the social determinants of health that impact them. In addition to the Lamaze class, students will visit a local WIC [] center, prenatal clinic, and maternal child health home visitation program to name a few. This year, students will write a perinatal disparities paper where they will take a deeper look at the disparities in maternal child health from a national and local perspective. It was important to me that the course was infused with reproductive justice and cultural humility so that our future nurses have the social awareness to impact change as they enter the field.”

Mulcahy notes that CAECMH’s work extends beyond maternal and infant health.

“When we look at maternal infant health, we’re also looking at maternal infant relational health and making sure that there are services and policies and legislation in place to also look at that emerging relationship that begins in pregnancy,” Mulcahy says.“Our center and our University are looked to as policy and service experts in the aspect of maternal infant health that is moving from biophysical to the relationship.”

“I think one of the strengths that Montclair State has is that there’s so much interdisciplinary undergraduate and graduate student engagement from a clinical perspective, from the School of Nursing, to Public Health, to the Center for Autism and Early Childhood Mental Health,” says Wodnick. “People who are interested in improving maternity care can get policy, clinical and community internships and field work here at Montclair State – the interdisciplinary ability to do policy system legislative change concurrent with all of the other academic interdisciplinary partners.”

Wodnick’s role with the Center is publicly and privately funded. She notes the generosity of the DeTura family which bestowed another gift in December to the Montclair State Foundation, helping to extend free childbirth education through the University. “We’re now doing it online too, because of the COVID environment, and we’re actually able to touch hundreds of more people in terms of childbirth education than I was doing in person.”

Story by Staff Writer Mary Barr Mann

You may also like:

• Montclair State Partners With NJ First Lady Tammy Murphy to Positively Impact Maternal Health
• $8M Federal Grant to Encourage Inclusive Education in New Jersey