DR. FRED FITCH

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION

Director of Kean’s core curriculum course, Communication as Critical Citizenship
Created an interviewing course that has become a staple for many Kean students
Active in the Transition to Kean (T2K) initiative, an interdisciplinary program that prepares first-year students to succeed in college
Motivational speaker for Kean’s Student for a Day program, addressing parents from the viewpoint of a professor with children in college

[ January 8, 2008 ]

MARA COHEN

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF OCCUPATIONALTHERAPY

Chair of a developing, University-wide initiative for autism education called Kean InterDisciplinary Services (KIDS) for Autism
Works with Kean’s Institute for Urban Ecosystem Studies (IUES) on examining the environment’s impact on humans as it relates to issues such as autism, obesity and cancer
As a practicing pediatric occupational therapy clinician, she makes a difference in the lives of many clients and their families

[ January 1, 2008 ]

JENNIFER CRUPI

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF FINE ART , CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF FINE ARTS

Work shown in more than 40 national and international exhibitions, including exhibits at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City and the Museum für Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt, Germany
Received a New Jersey Council of the Arts Individual Artist grant in 2005
Award-winning metalwork featured in various publications such as Metalsmith Magazine and The Boston Globe
Featured in two recently published books, 500 Necklacesand 500 Brooches, by Lark Books

[ December 25, 2007 ]

DR. XURONG KONG

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, LITERATURES AND CULTURES

Developed a Chinese program at Kean that aims to connect students’ cultures, economies and ideas with those of China and to improve understanding of the global environment
Scholar of classical Chinese literature particularly interested in the emerging rhapsody of poetic prose that honors plants, animals and man-made objects
Active member of several prestigious academic associations such as American Oriental Society, Association for Asian Studies and Early Medieval China Group

[ December 18, 2007 ]

DR. JAMES DRYLIE

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE

A 1979 graduate of Kean University, Drylie returned to his alma mater in September 2006 following 25 years of service with the West Orange Police Department
Retired from the West Orange Police in 2006 after serving as the department’s director from 1996 to 1998
Previously served as an instructor for the Regional Community Policing Institute
Instructs graduate and undergraduate courses in criminal justice, terrorism and homeland security on Kean’s main campus, as well as at Kean@Ocean County College in Toms River

[ December 11, 2007 ]

DR. LINDA COSTANZO CAHIR

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, COORDINATOR, SECONDARY EDUCATION PROGRAM

Author of the books Solitude and Society in the Works of Herman Melville and Edith Wharton, now in its second printing; and Literature into Film: Theory and Practical Approaches, nominated for the prestigious LFA Welsh Award for Outstanding Scholarship
Co-editor of the Edith Wharton Review; contributing editor to Literature/Film Quarterly; and author of several scholarly articles and reviews
Recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant for work on Edith Wharton

[ December 4, 2007 ]

DR. JOSEPH MCGILL

Associate Professor, Department of Management

Following a long corporate career, most recently with communications giant Avaya, McGill joined the Kean faculty in 2003, teaching courses primarily in Strategic Management
In 2006, McGill was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to support research and seminars at the University of the Aegean’s business school in Greece
As a Fulbright fellow, McGill researched factors affecting the formation, governance and performance of strategic alliances in Greece’s coastal shipping industry
McGill is currently researching strategic alliances and their performance effects in high technology industries such as biotechnology and communications

[ November 27, 2007 ]

DR. LAURIE KNIS-MATTHEWS

Associate Professor and Acting Chair Department of Occupational Therapy

One of only 31.8 percent of occupational therapy faculty to hold a Ph.D. in OT, which she earned in 2005, from New York University
Published research with OT graduate students in peer-reviewed journals such as Occupational Therapy in Mental Health, Journal of Recreational Therapy and Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal
Received Presidential Excellence Award for Distinguished Teaching for Faculty in 2006 at Kean University
Co-chair of the New Jersey Mental Health Partnership whose purpose is to expand the visibility and leadership of occupational therapy practitioners in the area of mental health

[ November 20, 2007 ]

DR. MICHAEL HALPER

Professor, Department of Computer Science

Part of the team that recently earned a major ($1.4 million) National Institutes of Health grant generally reserved for “R1” universities, the 88 elite research schools in America
Extensive research and publications in the area of computer representation biomedical and health-care terminologies
A member of the Honor Society Phi Kappa Phi, Halper earned Kean University’s 2003 Presidential Excellence Award for Distinguished Scholarship
Halper’s work has been supported by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology
Other research interests include conceptual and object-oriented data modeling, part-whole modeling, extensible data models and object-oriented database systems

[ November 13, 2007 ]

DR. DAVID SHANI

Director M.B.A. in Global Management Program

Developed Kean's Global M.B.A. program, a unique initiative that prepares its students to become global managers by introducing them to a wide selection of globally focused business courses and global experiences through Travelearn and internships abroad
A pioneer of the academic sports marketing field. Co-founded the Sports Marketing Special Interest Group of the American Marketing Association and served as longtime editor of the International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship
Extensively published in top academic journals in the areas of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, Global Branding and Customer Relationship Management
Holds an M.B.A. in information systems from Tel Aviv University in Israel, as well as a Ph.D. in marketing from Columbia University Business School

[ November 6, 2007 ]

DR. JENNIFER CHEN

Assistant Professor, Department of Early Childhood and Family Studies

Published scholarly work in the areas of student achievement and child development
Co-editor of Journal of School Connections (JSC), an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed publication devoted to enhancing in-school student learning and teaching practices from preschool through high school
Recently authored a book entitled How the Academic Support of Parents, Teachers and Peers Contributes to a Student's Achievement: The Case of Hong Kong
Served as a grant proposal reviewer for the U.S. Department of Education, as well as a proposal reviewer for for its national and international conferences
Upon graduating from Harvard, received Outstanding Dissertation Award from Phi Delta Kappa International

[ October 30, 2007 ]

DR. GILDA DEL RISCO

Assistant Chair/Assistant Professor, Department of Elementary, Middle and Secondary Education

Co-developed an M.A. in instruction and curriculum, which provides students with initial K-5 certification, bilingual certification and a graduate degree
Developed course, titled English Language Learners in American Schools, required of all education majors by the state of N.J.
Created electronic publications on instructing English-language learners for the N.J. Department of Education; co-authored articles for the National Association for Bilingual Education and National Council for Teachers of Mathematics; authored articles for the New Jersey Teachers of English to Students of Other Languages

[ October 23, 2007 ]

DR. COLUMBUS SALLEY

Associate Professor, Department of Education Leadership

Serves as director of the Doctorate in Education: Urban Leadership program for the Nathan Weiss Graduate College at Kean University
Served as director of Policy, Planning and Program Development for the United States Department of Education
Former president and CEO of Wendy's Restaurants for Ivory Group, Inc.
Author of Black 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential African-Americans, Past and Present
Served as superintendent of the Orange, N.J., Board of Education and executive superintendent of the Newark, N.J., Board of Education

[ October 16, 2007 ]

DR. MATTHEW HALPER

Associate Professor, Department of Music

Received a Whitaker Reading Prize from the American Composer Orchestra for his orchestral work Stalin's Wake: Homage to Shostakovich
Member of Kean University's heralded Concert Artist Faculty and two0time recipient of a New Jersey State Council on the Arts Individual Artist fellowship
His String Quartet was awarded the Walsum Prize and premiered by principal members of the National Symphony Orchestra
Artistic director of Ars Vitalis: The New Jersey New Music Forum

[ October 9, 2007 ]

DR. GEORGE CHANG

Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science

Co-principal Investigator of National Science Foundation grant for a $420,00 supercomputer housed at Kean University
Pre-eminent computer scientist in data mining, computer systems and high-performance computing, published in numerous journals
Lead author of Mining the World Wide Web - An Information Search Approach, a book with international readership and translated to Japanese language
Student-oriented educator passionate about computer and information science education
Co-founder of Kean University's Computational Science Group and High-Performance Computational Laboratory

[ October 2, 2007 ]

DR. JOSE SANCHEZ

Professor and Chairperson, Department of Sociology and Anthropology

As chairperson, led the creation of the new Master of Arts in Sociology and Social Justice at Kean University - the first program of its kind in the region
At Kean, received Presidential Award for Teaching Excellence, Alumni Association Teacher of the Year award, and Alpha Sigma Lambda Award for Excellence in Teaching
Recipient of the Rotary Club of Elizabeth, N.J., “Good Corporate Citizen Award” in 2007 for his work with the community
Currently serving as principal investigator for a needs-assessment study of Union County sponsored by the United Way of Greater Union County
Published in psychoanalytic sociology, political role of Afro-Cuban religions on slavery and oppression, corporate and organizational deviance and group dynamics

[ September 25, 2007 ]

DR. PABLO ZAFRA

Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science

Studied under Operations Research (OR) pioneer Saul Gass, and introduced an ingenious improvement to the to the Fictitious Play Method in Game Theory resulting in publications in top industry journals
Past chair of the New Jersey chapter of the Institute for Operations Research and Management Science, and secretary for the New Jersey section of the Mathematical Association of America
Principal Investigator and project director of Kean STEM Scholarship Program - a National Science Foundation grant - which provides scholarships and enhanced academic experience for mathematics and science majors
Served as interim dean of the College of Natural, Applied and Health Sciences, and as chair of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science

[ September 18, 2007 ]

DR. KRISTINE MIRRER

Associate Professor, Department of Media & Film

Recipient of national Broadcast Education Association Interactive Multimedia Competition award and International Radio Television Society Fellowship, and is currently at work on an iTunes U project with a Quality First Initiative grant
Presented original faculty-student research at th International Conference on Technology, Knowledge and Society in India
Led media seminars for students from China’s Wenzhou Province and Kean University TraveLearn students studying in Paris, and trained newscasters for the ABC, NBC and Australian networks, as well as professional athletes

[ September 11, 2007 ]

DR. CATHLEEN M. LONDINO

Chair, Department of Media & Film

A Ph.D. graduate of the University of Michigan, she oversees a department offering majors in Broadcasting, Film, Multicultural Programming and Management, and International Broadcast Journalism
Has written, produced and/or directed more than 25 videos, including The Hannah Caldwell Story, an official selection of the 2006 Cape May, N.J., Film Festival and the PBS documentary on the first African-American golf professional, A Place for Us
Led a group of 44 students and faculty to Paris for a Travelearn experience focusing on French media this past March, and plans to take a new group to Dublin, Wales and London in spring 2008

[ June 26, 2007 ]

TERRY GOLWAY

Curator, John Kean Center for American History at Kean University

An accomplished writer and lecturer who has published seven books, including the critically heralded Washington’s General: Nathanael Greene and the Triumph of the American Revolution
Was a featured expert on two History Channel series, Washington’s Generals and A History of Ireland
This former member of The New York Times editorial board is a columnist whose works have been published in The New York Times, New York Observer, The Star-Ledger, PoliticsNJ.com, as well as magazines such as American Heritage and America

[ June 19, 2007 ]

DR.THOMAS BANIT

Professor, Department of History/Department of Elementary, Middle and Secondary Education

Director of the Battleship New Jersey Grant, under which he coordinates the Veterans Oral History Project and develops learning materials for middle-school to college-level students
Produces oral history videos for ship exhibits including Reflections of Service, New Jerseyans on the New Jersey and, most recently, Stars Over New Jersey: The Life and Times of Fleet Admiral William F. Halsey, which opened on March 30, 2007 ]
Directs the Kean Department of History student interns aboard the ship in oral history methods, archive research and museum operations

[ June 12, 2007 ]

LARRY LING-HSUAN TUNG

Assistant Professor, Department of Media & Film

Winner of the Best Documentary Award in the 2005 Honolulu International Festival for his documentary Daughters From China, which takes a close look at American families with children adopted from China
Directed the short documentary The Hannah Caldwell Story, which tells the story behind the Union County Seal and is an official selection of the 2006 Cape May NJ State Film Festival
A former reporter for the English-language Taiwan News in his hometown of Taipei, Taiwan, he has been writing about the immigrant communities in New York City for the award-winning online news site Gotham Gazette

[ June 5, 2007 ]

DR. CAROL GOODMAN

Coordinator, Deaf Education and Hard of Hearing Program

One of the most effective and sought-after interpreters of American Sign Language
Co-author of the groundbreaking text, They Hear Through Their Eyes, designed to help professionals who work with the deaf to identify the signs and symptoms of substance abuse
Founder of the Kean SIGNatures, a sign-language interpretation group that brings music and stories to life by performing for both deaf and hearing students throughout the Garden State

[ May 29, 2007 ]

DR. DENNIS KLEIN

Department of History/Director, Jewish Studies Program

Authored Jewish Origins of the Psychoanalytic Movement and edited Hidden History of the Kovno Ghetto and The Genocidal Mind
Founding director of the Anti-Defamation League’s Braun Center for Holocaust Studies
Served as senior consultant to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

[ May 22, 2007 ]

DR. DONALD LOKUTA

Distinguished Professor, Department of Design

A prolific educator, photographer, painter, teacher and historian, he has authored and co-authored six books, as well as many photography articles
His artwork has been included in more than 200 exhibitions and can be seen in many permanent collections, such as the Art Museum at Princeton University, the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, the Museum of the City of New York, The International Center of Photography and the Smithsonian Institute
During the ’80s and ’90s, Lokuta worked closely with renowned artist George Segal, who selected him to model for the central bronze figure in The Depression Breadline, part of Segal’s F.D.R. Memorial in Washington, D.C.

[ May 15, 2007 ]

DR. LEWIS KACHUR

Associate Professor, Department of Fine Arts

Specializing in installation art and the Surrealist movement, Kachur is much in demand as a lecturer, and often gives talks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City
Published two books, including Displaying the Marvelous: Marcel Duchamp, Salvador Dalí and Surrealist Exhibition Installations, which received accolades for covering unexplored territory in the way Surrealists displayed their works
Will lecture at the Surreal Things: Surrealism and Design exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London on Friday, May 11

[ May 8, 2007 ]

DR. LILY CHEN-HAFTECK Assistant

Professor and Assistant Chair, Department of Music

A renowned specialist in early childhood music education, Chen-Hafteck has taught in the United Kingdom, Mozambique, South Africa, Hong Kong and China
An accomplished researcher, she has published many articles in journals such as International Journal of Music Education, Music Education Research, Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, Psychology of Music and Early Childhood Connections, and is on the editorial board of the International Journal of Music Education, Asia-Pacific Journal of Arts Education and Music Education Research International
Former member of the Board of Directors for the International Society for Music Education

[ May 1, 2007 ]

ALLISON BREWSTER FRANZETTI

Concert Artist in Piano and Chamber Music

Internationally acclaimed for her virtuosity, musicality and versatility, she has been nominated for two Grammy Awards, and was a featured soloist on the Latin Grammy Award-winning CD Tango Fatal
Author of Synopses for 101 Opera Librettos, the most comprehensive one-volume collection of unabridged opera lyrics ever published
Has performed and/or recorded as a guest artist with the Denver Symphony, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the Long Island Philharmonic, the English Sinfonia, the Colonial Symphony, the Buenos Aires Philharmonic, the Orquesta de Buen Ayre, the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra and the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra

[ April 24, 2007 ]

STEVEN BROWER

Assistant Professor, Department of Design and Director of the Design Studio

Won the 2005 ForeWord Magazine's Silver Award and a gold award at the New York Book Show for his text, Woody Guthrie Artworks: The Journals, Drawings, and Sketchbook of an American Original
Co-authored 2D: Visual Basic for Designers
Former creative director for Print, America’s leading graphic design magazine
Is a former associate of The Pushpin Group, an acclaimed graphic design and illustration firm in New York City

[ April 17, 2007 ]

DR. KRISTIE REILLY

Dean, Nathan Weiss Graduate College

Under her leadership, Kean’s graduate college has seen unprecedented growth and developed landmark initiatives, such as the New Jersey Center for Science, Technology and Mathematics Education and the Master of Business Administration in Global Management
In addition to heading the College, Reilly sustains a teaching schedule that includes instructing doctoral students in gross anatomy and neuroscience in a joint program between Kean and UMDNJ
As a Kean alumna who earned a B.A. in psychology from the University before pursuing her doctoral degree, she is an inspiration to all Kean students

[ April 10, 2007 ]

DR. CHRISTOPHER BELLITTO

Assistant Professor, Department of History

Internationally renowned authority on reform movements in church history and theology in the Roman Catholic Church, as well as contemporary Catholicism
Has appeared as an expert on national television networks such as CNN, MSNBC and PBS and quoted frequently in international print media such as The International Herald Tribune, The New York Times and The Washington Post
Critically acclaimed author of six books and the co-editor of five others, including his recent work Ten Ways the Church Has Changed (2006)

[ April 3, 2007 ]

DR. JAMES A. CONNOR

Assistant Professor, Department of English

A prolific and celebrated scholar, author and lecturer on science, religion and culture
Most recent book, entitled Pascal’s Wager: The Man Who Played Dice with God (2006), is a critically acclaimed biography of Catholic mathematician, scientist, mystic and heretic Blaise Pascal
Director of studies for the Northeast United States for the Lessing Institute, an international studies program that brings together scholars and students in Prague each summer to discuss the relationships between Christianity, Islam and Judaism

[ March 27, 2007 ]

JAMES CONYERS

Director, Office of Africana Studies

Preeminent scholar and lecturer in the study of African history, African-American history and ancient Egyptian history, culture and language
Principal of the African Diaspora Travelearn Course, a program that offers students the opportunity to explore a variety of locales overseas, including Egypt, South Africa, Haiti, the Caribbean, Greece and Ghana
Member of the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilization, African Heritage Association, the National Afrocentric Institute and the National Council of Black Studies

[ March 20, 2007 ]

ALAN ROBBINS

Janet Estabrook Rogers Professor of Visual and Performing Arts

Published author of two dozen mystery, humor and puzzle books
Won the Sappi International Design Competition for the creation of the TalkChart – a communications device for stroke patients now used in hospitals throughout the world
The recipient of a New York Council for the Humanities fellowship that sponsored his lectures throughout the state

[ March 13, 2007 ]

DR. FRANK ARGOTE-FREYRE

Assistant Professor, Department of History

An expert on the history of his native Cuba, he authored Fulgencio Batista: From Revolutionary to Strongman (2006), the first scholarly biography of the controversial Cuban leader, and served as assistant editor of the Encyclopedia of Cuba (2003)
Active in many social causes, including the struggle for immigrant rights
Serves as policy adviser for the Hispanic Directors Association of New Jersey and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey

[ March 6, 2007 ]

DR. FRANK J. ESPOSITO

Dean, College of Education

A pre-eminent scholar in Native American, colonial and recent American history
Has authored or co-authored seven books, including Traveling New Jersey, Madison: An Intimate History of a Community in Transition, Public School Choice: National Trends and Initiatives, Ocean City, N.J., Victorian New Jersey, and Manhattan’s Musical Heritage
Formerly served Kean University as interim president, dean of its Nathan Weiss Graduate College and vice president for Academic Affairs

[ February 27, 2007 ]

ROSE GONNELA

Coordinator, Visual Communications

An accomplished artist, designer and author who serves on the executive board of the Art Directors Club of New Jersey
Her drawings are included in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C., The Museum of Art and Archaeology in Columbia, Mo., and other public and private collections
Has authored, co-authored and illustrated numerous books, including Sea Captains’ Houses and Rose-Covered Cottages: The Architectural Heritage of Nantucket Island, 2D Visual Basics for Graphic Design, and Creative Jolt Inspirations

[ February 20, 2007 ]

DR. XIAOBO YU

Acting Dean of the College of Natural, Applied and Health Sciences

The co-author of four articles that have appeared in the pre-eminent scholarly journal Nature
Discovered 400-million-year-old fishes in the Yunnan Province of his native China
Finds have provided Kean University much renown as a state university whose faculty conducts scholarship of international caliber
Principal investigator and project director of Epsilon Corps, which is funded by the National Science Foundation

[ February 13, 2007 ]

MARK LENDER

Chair, Department of History

One of the foremost scholars in early American history
Winner of the 2005 Richard J. Hughes Award, the highest honor conferred by the New Jersey Historical Commission
Authored and co-authored eight texts, including This Honorable Court: The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, 1789-2000; Drinking in America: A History; and A Respectable Army: The Military Origins of the Republic, 1763-1789

[ February 6, 2007 ]

ROBIN LANDA

Distinguished Professor of Design

The author of 12 published books about art and design
A partner in IdeaWorks, and a graphic designer and creative consultant to major corporations
Has won many awards for writing and design, including the New Jersey Authors Award, The National League of Pen Women, National Society of Arts and Letters, Art Directors Club of New Jersey, and the Presidential Excellence Award from Kean University

[ January 30, 2007 ]

DR. ERIC HAYAT

Distinguished Professor, Department of Biological Sciences

An internationally renowned scholar in the fields of electron microscopy and cancer research
Penned only book in any language that gives the fundamental chemical techniques for using electron microscopy
Has authored and edited more than 30 pioneering texts in the electron-microscopy and cancer-research fields, including a recent four-volume series, entitled Handbook of Immunohistochemistry and In Situ Hybridization of Human Carcinomas

[ January 23, 2007 ]

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