Talk of the Town
Talented people are Rider University’s greatest competitive asset, along with high-quality academic and support programs and constantly improving facilities, as the institution advances under its Strategic Plan. This was the key message presented by President Mordechai Rozanski at the Town Hall Meeting he hosted on April 30 in the Cavalla Room.
“Allow me to begin with a declaration of great pride in Rider. I am proud of our University and confident about its continuing progress and future,” Rozanski declared to a large group of faculty, staff and students. “We are determined to take Rider to the next level of excellence. This means that we will continue to invest in our people, programs and facilities. Our progress may not always be linear but it is real because of all that each of you does every day.”
Rider’s student-centeredness is at the heart of this progress, Rozanski maintained. “As a student-centered university, we are committed to providing an academically challenging and supportive learning environment that motivates students to be actively engaged in their own learning,” he said. “A key aspect of this commitment is the engagement of students and faculty inside and beyond the classroom.”
Rozanski went on to highlight several of Rider’s learning communities and a variety of academic programs offered throughout the year in response to the provost’s initiative to support greater student-faculty engagement.
It is that inventiveness, Rozanski continued, that is already paying significant academic dividends. Rider has not only experienced an increase in the average GPA throughout the general student body, but among students in the Rider Achievement Program and Rider’s student-athletes, as well.
Terming the achievements of Rider students during this past academic year extraordinary, Rozanski said that while time simply would not permit him to enumerate the complete list, he did want to note several worthy examples. Two Rider students won New Jersey Student Entrepreneur of the Year Awards; a Rider education major was named the 2008 New Jersey Distinguished Student Teacher of the Year; two School of Fine and Performing Arts students have been accepted into the prestigious New York Arts School of Painting and Sculpture; Rider made it to the final four of the Institute for Management Accountants Case competition; Rider’s Model U.N. team won the Outstanding Delegation award at the National Model United Nations Conference; and Rider won first place in four of six programming categories at the national Broadcasting Society Conference.
“As you can see here, we have much to celebrate in terms of our students’ success both regionally and nationally,” Rozanski said, before proudly including the names of two Rider students who were awarded prestigious Fulbright Scholarships this year. Rebecca Lynch, a German and Elementary Education double major, will help students learn English at an Austrian school, and Sarah Khatcherian, a soprano and graduate voice pedagogy student at Westminster Choir College, will travel to Germany to continue her thesis work.
Rozanski also shared updates about ongoing facilities enhancements. “We are making a number of investments this summer in academic and residential facilities,” he said. “These projects include renovation of faculty offices, as well as the addition of a keyboard lab, studios, practice rooms, classroom technology upgrades, a new graphic design studio in Fine Arts and new furnishings in the Westminster Playhouse and Cottage.” Rozanski went on to detail other activities planned for this summer, including the renovation of several residence halls on both campuses and the expansion of Daly’s Dining Hall. Plans for next year include increased parking capacity on the two campuses and construction of new residence halls on the Lawrenceville campus by fall 2009.
Rozanski lauded the establishment of Westminster College of the Arts, composed of Westminster Choir College in Princeton and the School of Fine and Performing Arts on the Lawrenceville campus, which builds on the 1992 merger between Rider University and Westminster Choir College.
The University’s increasingly global perspective and focus on internationalization were also highlighted by Rozanski. “Much has been accomplished in the past year as we have sought to strengthen these efforts, with the help of the Task Force on Internationalization and many others throughout the institution,” he said. “I am pleased to announce the recent establishment of the new Office for International Education, which will focus initially on increasing study abroad opportunities, enhancing services for international students, and providing special events for exchange students.”
“There are a variety of other ways in which we are infusing an appreciation of global and diverse perspectives throughout the institution,” Rozanski continued. “This year’s Faculty Development Day focused on Institutional Excellence through Diversity and Internationalization. In addition, the New World Center, an initiative of the Diversity Task Force, comprised of students, faculty and staff, will further promote multiculturalism and leadership development throughout the institution. The Center will be located in the Bart Luedeke Center.
Rozanski also updated the community on faculty and staff successes, on plans for the new comprehensive fund-raising campaign and on preliminary enrollment activities for fall 2009.
At the conclusion of the Town Hall Meeting, Rozanski acknowledged the members of the Rider community who made these successes possible, admitting that he would have needed to speak much longer to be fully inclusive. “I am very appreciative of the time, energy and enthusiasm so many of you are dedicating to Rider’s renewal,” he said. “Thank you again for all you have done in moving Rider forward.”
