The Setonian speaks with members of the staff, faculty and student body
Several members of the Seton Hall community spoke to The Setonian about the recent changes to Seton Hall’s administration, as well as about the continuing presidential search. On July 1, 2010, Dr. A. Gabriel Esteban began his year-long term as interim president of Seton Hall University.
Guetti selected as Interim Dean of A&S
UPDATE: 7/23/10 The Setonian speaks with Dr. Guetti Dr. Joan Guetti has been named Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, as announced today by the Office of the Provost. Guetti will assume the role as interim dean on Monday. The message from the Office of the Provost also states that Guetti has “advised she will not be a candidate for the permanent position.
Former coach stole nearly $1,400 satchel
Update: according to the Associated Press, Gonzalez pleaded not guilty when arraigned Wednesday morning on shoplifting and criminal mischief charges. The former coach's arraignment was held in Newark. Former men's basketball coach Bobby Gonzalez, 47, has been charged with shoplifting from the Short Hills Mall, according to NJ.
Expresses wish to increase visibility
If you aren’t familiar with the “best kept secret” of Seton Hall, you might want to ask Professor Thomas Rondinella, the chair of the new Communication and the Arts Department. Students are often unaware of what goes on in the basement of Fahy Hall, and one of Rondinella’s goals is to reveal to the Seton Hall community what the department produces.
June 30 marks final day of 15-year tenure as University President
Wednesday marks the final day of Msgr. Robert Sheeran’s 15-year tenure as president of Seton Hall University. His announcement to step down from the position came on June 4, 2009, to the surprise of many. During a conference call that morning, Sheeran used the words “shock and awe” to describe the move.
Reports: Former Pirate implicates Whitney, himself
Former Seton Hall forward Robert Mitchell, who was indicted for an armed robbery that occured in March, has confessed to the crimes and implicated fellow former Pirate Kelly Whitney, according to The Star-Ledger who cited one of the criminal complaints filed against one of the defendants.
Former Seton Hall basketball players Robert Mitchell and Kelly Whitney have been indicted by an Essex County grand jury on 29 counts, as announced Friday by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. The two are charged with eight counts of kidnapping, eight counts of aggravated assault, burglary, robbery and weapons offenses.
Hall lets 26 staff members go, faculty unaffected
On June 10 and 11, Seton Hall laid off 26 employees when their positions were eliminated, according to Susan Basso, associate vice president for Human Resources. In a broadcast e-mail to the university community, Seton Hall President Msgr. Sheeran wrote Seton Hall would need to reduce its non-faculty workforce by 32 people as of June 25.
The Setonian sits down with Arts and Sciences dean for a Q & A
Joseph Marbach, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, will be leaving Seton Hall this summer to accept the Provost position at LaSalle University in Philadelphia. His last day on the campus will be July 14. The Setonian caught up with Marbach for a phone interview this week – likely one of his last interviews for the campus newspaper.
Dr. A. Gabriel Esteban has been named interim university president, according to broadcast e-mail and a release on the Seton Hall website Wednesday. Esteban, the current provost of Seton Hall since August 2007, will serve a year-long term effective July 1, as announced by Kurt Borowsky, chair of the Board of Regents.
University to appoint interim president
Msgr. Stuart Swetland, Seton Hall's only remaining candidate for its presidency, has announced he will withdraw his name from consideration, according to NJ.com "I wish Seton Hall well in its search for a new president ... I’ve discerned right now that God has other things that he wishes for me to do,” said Swetland in the article by the Star-Ledger.
Brian Wisowaty, the current Editor-in-Chief of The Setonian, recently took home first place in the "Radio Sports" category of the 2010 Garden State Journalists Association's Memorial Journalism Awards. He received the accolade for his WSOU-FM broadcast of Seton Hall men's basketball vs.
No decision made on Sheeran's replacement
The Board of Regents met behind closed doors yesterday but did not come to a decision on Seton Hall’s next president, according to a report Friday in The Star-Ledger. Msgr. Stuart Swetland has been the only candidate for the position since April 13.
UPDATE: At the Mission and Identity Committee meeting Thursday, no decision was reached regarding the gay marriage course, as reported by the Star Ledger. A campus spokesman told the Star Ledger that the course was discussed, but a “final recommendation” was not made.
Joyce Strawser, recently named acting dean of the Stillman School of Business, is “very excited and very proud” to obtain her new position. According to Strawser, she will “most likely” be acting dean for the next academic year, which is July 1, 2010, to June 30, 2011.
Will be successor to Karen Boroff at the end of June
Joyce Strawser has been named Acting Dean of the Stillman School of Business, according to a broadcast e-mail sent to the Seton Hall community on Wednesday. Strawser will replace former Dean Karen Boroff whose resignation will be effective June 30 as previously reported by The Setonian.
University adds over 1,000 to its alumni family at 153rd graduation exercises
Seton Hall University awarded degrees to 1,028 undergraduates at its 153rd Baccalaureate Commencement Ceremony on Monday at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford. University President Msgr. Robert Sheeran gave the keynote address. He is set to step down from the presidency this June after 15 years at the post.
Senate: presidential process “incomplete”
With the academic semester closing and exam week on deck, the Faculty Senate evaluated the search for the next university president Wednesday and returned a decision: “incomplete.” The Senate passed a resolution on the search at an emergency meeting Wednesday, concluding that a new search should occur.
Grammy-award winning-musician Wyclef Jean and Seton Hall students will trek down South Orange Ave to drop off donations to Yele Haiti organization headquarters at noon on Saturday, May 8. “Hands On For Haiti” will launch with a presentation by Yele Haiti members and Jean in the Main Lounge followed by students gathering with their donated goods on the Green to begin the walk down to the Yele Haiti headquarters at 6 West South Orange Ave.
The Archdiocese of Newark has expressed concerns with Seton Hall offering a special topics course on gay marriage next fall. The class, which will be taught by W. King Mott, will explore the issue of gay marriage from an academic perspective, Mott said.
As The Setonian reported online on April 29, Joseph Marbach, the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, is one of four finalists for the provost position at LaSalle University in Philadelphia. Marbach confirmed he would be looking to fill the position at LaSalle saying he didn’t necessarily put himself on the market, but that he targeted the position.
Sophomore forward Herb Pope remains hospitalized at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston as of press time, according to the latest updates on Jerry Carino’s NJ Hoops Haven website. Carino’s last report, from May 2, said Pope “is doing better” and that multiple sources say his condition “has not worsened as was originally feared.
The faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences approved the Dean’s proposal for reorganization of the College of Arts and Sciences with 74.8 percent of the voting faculty approving the proposal. Of the faculty who participated in the vote, 119 approved the proposal, 34 voted against the proposal and six voted to abstain.
Men's basketball player removed from Rec Center on stretcher
UPDATE, Friday afternoon: According to a report from the Beaver County (Pa.) Times, Robert Morris head coach Mike Rice spoke with Seton Hall officials about Herb Pope's condition. Rice told the newspaper that "Pope’s heart stopped...and (he) also suffered seizures, convulsions and was vomiting" during the incident on Wednesday.
At 8 percent, Seton Hall has one of the lowest alumni giving rates among Big East colleges and universities, according to an ad placed in the Winter/Spring edition Seton Hall magazine. Other Big East schools, according to the ad, have much higher alumni giving rates.
The Rev. James Spera, vice rector of St. Andrew’s College, the Seminary for Undergraduates, and director of Campus Ministry at Seton Hall, has been reassigned as a pastor to the Church of the Assumption in Roselle Park, N.J. and will be leaving Seton Hall at the end of the spring semester.
Stillman School of Business Dean Karen Boroff said she has decided to step down from her position mostly because she felt it would be best for the organization of the school. According to Boroff, the Stillman School of Business was just re-accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business and will come up for re-accreditation again in five years.
Exiting president will address graduating seniors
In his final weeks at Seton Hall, University President Msgr. Robert Sheeran will address students and their families as the keynote speaker at the 2010 Baccalaureate Commencement Ceremony on Monday, May 17 at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, NJ. The ceremony, which will feature the keynote speaker and the awarding of honorary degrees, will consist of several special details to celebrate Sheeran’s tenure at Seton Hall.
Mackin talks with Setonian, bows out a day later
UPDATE: On Thursday afternoon, after The Setonian was published, the Presidential Transition 2010 page on Seton Hall’s website changed. Both candidates’ names, biographies and campus visit schedules are no longer on display. Instead, a note on the page states that on April 14, the Presidential Search and Screen Committee recommended that all scheduled visit and the search process itself be placed on hold until further direction is given from the Board of Regents.
Bobby Gonzalez is back in the news with Seton Hall, yet the “court” in question has nothing to do with basketball. The former head coach of the men’s basketball team has filed a lawsuit for breach of contract against Seton Hall University, as announced at the federal courthouse in Newark on Friday.
A dispute over a former nursing faculty member’s contract was a factor in the vote of “no confidence” against Nursing School Dean Phyllis Hansell, according to several nursing faculty. The faculty member, Ann Marie Mauro, said she resigned in December 2009 after being denied renewal of her probationary faculty contract, which effectively removed her from the tenure track.
A course on gay marriage will be offered by the Women and Gender studies department next semester at Seton Hall University. W. King Mott, an associate professor of political science and a member of the Women and Gender Studies program, will teach the course.
The votes are officially in, and Melissa Boege has been elected Executive Board President of the SGA for the 2010-2011 academic year. Boege said she plans to focus on being a successful liaison between the administration and students. “Students need to know that they can utilize SGA as a source of information as well as a path to change and a platform from which they can be heard,” Boege said.
Mackin and Swetland to visit campus in coming weeks
The search is down to two. Father Kevin Mackin and Msgr. Stuart Swetland are the finalists to become the next president of Seton Hall University, as announced on the university’s Web site today. Mackin is the current president of Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, N.
Beginning with the summer 2010 semester, students will endure a larger bill, as Seton Hall University’s tuition will increase by five percent. This increase, which comes after a three percent increase for the current 2009-2010 academic year, is the product of several budgeting factors within the university as well as the state.
The South Orange Yele Haiti Donation Center has been a hot topic on Wyclef Jean’s personal blog lately. The founder and rapper has posted volunteer opportunities and walkthrough videos of the shop that doubles as a donation center. Yele Haiti is one of the premier organizations helping gather funds and donations for those suffering in Haiti.
Hoops alum Whitney arrested as alleged accomplice
Kelly Whitney can be added to the list of present and former Seton Hall basketball players who had their name placed on a New Jersey police report this year. On March 18, the 27-year-old Whitney was arrested by South Orange police officers and members of the Essex County Prosecutors Office in a hotel room in Newark, according to the Essex County Prosecutors Office.
The College of Nursing faculty voted “no confidence” in the leadership of Nursing Dean Phyllis Hansell on Feb. 24, according to a nursing professor. Nursing professor Judith Lothian said the vote of no confidence is a strong message from faculty expressing “lack of support” in Hansell’s leadership and the desire for change.
Former men’s basketball Kelly Whitney was arrested on Thursday night and is facing kidnapping and robbery charges, according to www.NJ.com. Whitney’s arrest came hours after fellow ex-Pirate Robert Mitchell pleaded not guilty to kidnapping and robbery charges of his own.
Head coach released, SHU moves forward
Bobby Gonzalez was fired as head coach of the Seton Hall men’s basketball team on Wednesday after a long-thought decision by Msgr. Robert Sheeran. According to Sheeran, Gonzalez’s behavior on and off the court did not meet the expectations that the university holds as its ideal.
Former basketball player charged with armed robbery
Former Seton Hall men's basketball player Robert Mitchell was arrested on Tuesday March 16, by South Orange Police Department officers near South Orange Avenue and Poe Avenue in Newark, NJ. He has been charged with kidnapping and robbery in the first degree, burglary in the third degree and weapon offenses in the second and third degree.
At least 50 Seton Hall students and alumni rallied Monday afternoon against the administration’s decision to eliminate all of Seton Hall’s track teams on July 1. The crowd of track students, supporters and alumni made their way around the Green chanting “Bring Back Track” and stopped outside the Richie Regan Recreation and Athletic Center to make speeches expressing their anger and disappointment at the decision.