Dear Colleagues,

As we move into the final months of the academic year, several important milestones are ahead. I want to update you on our Middle States visit, our leadership searches, and the Graduate Center.

Middle States Commission Site Visit

This week, we welcome the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) Evaluation Team to our campus. This visit marks the culmination of a two-year process that engaged hundreds of colleagues and students to produce our Self-Study Report.

This report is more than a requirement; it is a vital reference point for our history, our institutional character, and our future ambitions. I encourage you all to review it:

A massive effort of this scale requires extraordinary leadership. I want to extend my deepest gratitude to Joanne Cote-Bonanno, Christine Lemesianou, Brandon Fralix, and Danielle Insalaco-Egan for their tireless dedication to this process.

Strategic Leadership Searches

Our collective reflection has helped shape several key leadership positions. Your participation in the upcoming campus interviews is essential to our success. Please hold the following dates:

Detailed schedules and candidate information will be shared as they become available.

Graduate Center Leadership

Regarding the internal search for the Director of the Graduate Center: after a thorough process and careful consideration of campus feedback, the university has decided not to make a new appointment at this time.

As we continue the Graduate School’s transition into a Graduate Center, maintaining stability is our priority. I am pleased to share that Dr. Stefanie Brachfeld has graciously agreed to continue in her interim leadership role. I am deeply grateful to her and the entire Graduate Center team for their continued professionalism and unwavering commitment to our students during this period of evolution.

With my best regards,

Fatma

Governing Beyond Elections: Accountability, Prosperity and the American Administrative State

Date: March 23

Time: 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Location: Presentation Hall

Info Sessions for Revised Faculty Roles and Expectations

Faculty are invited to attend upcoming information sessions on the revised Faculty Roles and Expectations, which will take effect in the 2026–2027 academic year.

Sessions will be held on March 19 (3:30–4:15 p.m.) and March 25 (9:30–10:15 a.m.). RSVP on the OFE website.

Women's History Month Employee Mixer and Closing Reception: Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future

Join the ACE Women’s Network and the Office of Inclusive Excellence as we celebrate the closing of Women’s History Month with a special keynote by Ms. Margaree Coleman-Carter, Associate Vice President and Dean of Students at Montclair State University.

Date: Monday, March 30, 2026

Time: 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Location: University Hall Conference Center 7th Floor 

Register to Attend

May Faculty Showcase: Toward an Engaged University

In this 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the question of what sustains an educated, engaged citizenry has never felt more urgent. The faculty of Montclair are uniquely positioned to address this question. Every day, through your teaching, research, and community partnerships, you help shape the habits of mind and civic capacities that a healthy democracy requires.

This May's Faculty Showcase, sponsored by the Provost's Office, invites faculty to come together to share and learn from one another about the role the university plays in this ongoing American experiment.

Please review the CFP (deadline April 10th) and save May 5th for a day of faculty engagement.