Rider’s Science Stairway of Fame grows by four

Four Rider University emeritus faculty members were inducted into the Science Stairway of Fame on Saturday, June 10, as a part of the Rider Alumni Awards Ceremony at the annual Rider Reunions.

Dr. Mary Leck, Dr. John Sheats, Dr. Marvin Goldstein and Dr. Joseph Edward Nadeau were inducted in the Science Stairway of Fame, located in the research wing of the Science and Technology Center. The Science Stairway of Fame honors individuals from Rider University who have achieved significant professional success in their chosen careers, and those who are loyal and generous supports of Rider’s science programs.

Dr. Mary Leck was a professor of biology at Rider from 1970 until her retirement in 2001. She is a winner of the Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award and continues to publish research in peer-reviewed journals since her retirement. She taught courses in general biology, field natural history, marine biology and plant biology, and received many accolades for her distinguished teaching and research career. Leck earned her bachelor’s from the University of Massachusetts and a doctorate from the University of Colorado, both in botany.

Dr. John Sheats joined Rider in 1970 as an associate professor and became a professor of chemistry in 1978, a title he held until his retirement in 2007. During his distinguished teaching career, Sheats co-authored or edited several books on polymer science and received many fellowships and awards. Sheats also served as chairperson of the Chemistry, Biochemistry and Physics Department from 1996 to 2004. He earned his bachelor’s in chemistry from Duke University in 1961 and a doctorate in organic chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1966.

Dr. Marvin Goldstein joined Rider’s psychology department in 1968 and taught until his retirement in 2006. Goldstein received the Distinguished Teaching Award from Rider in 1995, and he was instrumental in building the Julius and Dorothy Koppelman Holocaust / Genocide Resource Center, for which he served as director, co-director, and after retirement, associate director. His research included the study of prejudice and its causes. Upon his retirement, the psychology department created an annual Prejudice Reduction Lecture Series in his name.

Dr. Joseph Edward Nadeau, emeritus dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Education, and Sciences, was a member of the Rider community for more than 36 years. He passed away on June 26, 2015. After joining Rider as an assistant professor of geology in 1971, Nadeau became dean in 1998, a role he excelled in until his retirement in 2008. Nadeau, who was considered a role model for incoming deans, served as a mentor to his team, supporting the professional development of his staff.