• Rider University's 2004 Homecoming Court was selected during Homecoming Weekend based upon their embodiment of campus pride, spirit and commitment to community service. Named Homecoming King: Robert Giorgio, a senior communication major. Named Homecoming Queen: Kat Zimoulis, a senior English major. First runner-up for King was John Valerio, a junior marketing major, and for Queen, Camielle Peaks, a senior journalism major. Members of the King and Queen's Homecoming Court were: Trisha Stienes, a senior elementary education/American Studies major; Casey Kocsis, a senior and elementary education/English major; Lynnette Dortrait, a senior elementary education/communication major; John LoGrasso, a senior English major; Jason Carmona, a junior psychology major, and Antonio Carannante, a junior business administration major.

• Thom Béchamps, '84, Mary Quinn, a junior liberal studies major, and James Morgart '01, M.Acc. '02, had their stories published in the Kelsey Review, Fall 2004, Vol. XXIV, a literary magazine for Mercer County writers. Béchamps' story is titled, "The Mother To Want," Quinn's story is titled, "Last Move," and Morgart's story is titled, "Ode to Americana: Campbell, Ohio."

• Drs. Sylvia Bulgar, Judith Fraivillig, and Suzanne Gespass, associate professors in the department of teacher education, provided in-service workshops for the teachers of the West Windsor-Plainsboro School District. The theme of the program was differentiated instruction.

• Dr. Robin Leaver, professor of sacred music, served as chair of two doctoral committees, one on "Eloquence as the Essence of Common Prayer" (David Buley) at Drew University, and the other on Bach's Cantata 67, "A Study of the Sources and their Implications" (Paolo Bordignon) at the Juilliard School, New York in April. An earlier dissertation he supervised was published as "With One Heart and One Voice": A Core Repertory of Hymn Tunes Published for Use in the Methodist Episcopal Church, 1808-1878, by Fred Graham in the series Drew University Liturgical Studies, co-edited by Dr. Leaver.

• Dr. Susanna Monseau, assistant professor of business policy and environment, and Yvette Essounga, ‘00, MBA’02, received the 2004 Curtis E. Tate, Jr. Award for the best case published in the Case Research Journal, Vol. 23. Of the 163 submissions that were submitted, only 24 were published. Their case, “Yahoo! Hate Groups, Censorship, and the Internet,” was judged by a panel of past presidents of the North American Case Research Association as the best case of all. Monseau has also been invited to become an Ad Hoc Reviewer for the Case Research Journal.

• Dr. Mildred Rice Jordan, associate professor of education and multicultural studies, is an alumna of Arcadia University in Glenside, PA. Her community service work caught the attention of Georgene Pillings, associate director of alumni and parent relations, who wrote an article featuring Dr. Rice Jordan's charitable initiatives. The article appeared in the summer edition of the university's Herald magazine. It highlighted Dr. Rice Jordan's work both at home and abroad to promote diversity, cultural understanding, and equal educational opportunities. Among the accomplishments featured in the article was her support of Kenyan school children through the "Teach My Kenyan Children Program" and her cultural exchange experiences as a delegate in the People to People Ambassadors' programs. Also noted were Dr. Rice Jordan's charitable initiatives at Rider University and in the larger New Jersey community.

• Dr. Jack Sullivan, professor of English and chairman of the American studies program, has been selected as a writer and academic advisor for "Harlem in Monmartre," a Channel 13, WNET public television documentary on the Harlem expatriate jazz scene in Paris between 1918 and the birth of bebop. This will be a major production with rare archival footage. Dr. Sullivan was chosen on the basis of his book New World Symphonies, (Yale University Press) which has a chapter on the international spread of jazz.

• Dr. Michele Wilson Kamens, associate professor of teacher education, was selected to be part of the New Jersey team at the Invitational Forum of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCCSO) in Charleston, SC. Funded by the US Department of Education, the Forum was held by the Center for Teacher Quality, an initiative developed to work with states for improving the preparation, licensing, and professional development of both general and special education teachers of students with disabilities. The state team is organized to serve "as the leadership for reform in the state." The team consisted of five members of the New Jersey Department of Education, from both general and special education. Dr. Kamens was the only representative from higher education.