Centenary College News, Events and Announcements
Centenary to Host Annual Scholarship Gala on April 8, 2010
Hackettstown, N.J., March 17, 2010 – Centenary College will host its annual Scholarship Gala at 6:30 p.m. on April 8, 2010, at the Hamilton Farm Golf Club in Gladstone, N.J. The event will honor David A. Lackland HA ’10 and Carol Burgess Lackland ‘54/’10 HA as Gold Dome Award recipients. This year’s theme is “Celebrating Leadership.”
The funds raised from this event help keep a Centenary education accessible and affordable. This year, $12,800,000 from the institution’s annual budget was awarded in financial aid to full-time undergraduate students. Since its inception, the Scholarship Gala has raised over $2 million dollars for the Centenary College Scholarship Fund. The 2010 Scholarship Gala Chair is D. Nicholas Miceli, Central Market President of TD Bank.
Centenary President Dr. Barbara-Jayne Lewthwaite says: “Funds generated by the Scholarship Gala have enabled hundreds of students to enjoy all Centenary has to offer. Without these scholarships, many may not have been able to pursue their degree at this institution.”
David and Carol Burgess Lackland received Honorary Doctorates of Humane Letters during Centenary College’s January 2010 Commencement. Carol is an alumna and a Centenary College President’s Circle Member, and David is a College Trustee. Together, they have committed time and resources that will leave a lasting legacy, including providing the lead gift toward the David and Carol Lackland Center at Centenary College.
The Center, which is expected to be completed this summer, will be the cultural hub for northwest New Jersey. The 68,000-square-foot building will include the following: a 500-seat theatre, a black-box theatre, a 400-seat dining hall, a 55-seat café; a dance studio; WNTI 91.9 FM, the listener-supported radio station; CCTV Channel 23, the Comcast-licensed television station; and classrooms, offices, meeting spaces and lounges.
If you would like to learn about becoming a sponsor for this event or if you are interested in attending, please call (908) 852-1400, ext. 2367.
The New York Times Bestselling Authors of "The Nanny Diaries" to Speak and Conduct Book Signing at Centenary College on March 24, 2010
Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus to Discuss Latest Novel, "Nanny Returns"
- "The Nanny Diaries" and "Nanny Returns" authors Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus.
Hackettstown, N.J., March 15, 2010 – The New York Times best-selling authors of The Nanny Diaries, will be returning to Centenary College at 7 p.m. March 24, 2010, at the George H. Whitney Chapel in the Edward W. Seay Administration Building. This opportunity is free and open to the public.
"Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus visited Centenary College last summer through our Summer Scholars Program and were very well-received," says Dr. Barbara-Jayne Lewthwaite, President of Centenary College. "I am so pleased that we have the opportunity to have them return and to open this event to members of the community who know and love their work."
McLaughlin and Kraus are going to talk about the new Nanny Diaries sequel, Nanny Returns, which was published by Atria Books in December. They will cover their own journey with writing and publishing, as well as read from their new novel. They will also discuss how they came to write The Nanny Diaries, which was declared a "phenomenon" by Newsweek, as well as what inspired them to continue the heroine’s story in Nanny Returns.
The Nanny Diaries is a New York Times best-seller and the longest-running hardcover best-seller of 2002. It went on to become a major motion picture staring Scarlett Johansson, Laura Linney and Alicia Keys. McLaughlin and Kraus’ follow-up novels, Citizen Girl and Dedication, were also New York Times best-sellers.
McLaughlin and Kraus have appeared numerous times on CNN, MSNBC, The Today Show, Good Morning America and Entertainment Tonight and in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Time, Elle, Town & Country and Harper’s Bazaar.They have contributed to the London Times and the New York Times, as well as two short story collections to benefit the War Child Fund: Big Night Out and Girls’ Night Out. In addition to writing for television and film, they travel around the country speaking to women and teens about gender issues, media literacy and professional collaboration.
In Nanny Returns, "Nanny" returns to New York 12 years after the events of The Nanny Diaries, and is once again drawn into the Manhattan elite’s world of decadence, power and wealth, and familial dysfunction. Just as fresh, biting and funny as The Nanny Diaries, but with the extra heart and wisdom of a few years’ experience, Nanny Returns brings both heroine and readers back to the exotic world of the Upper East Side – a community where appearances are everything, friendships can dissolve with the disappearance of a bank account, and children are often the casualties in the war between wealth and family.
Individuals interested in attending are recommended to pre-register by March 15, 2010. Those who pre-order Nanny Returns by that time will receive a 15 percent discount.
To RSVP, please call The Book Loft in Hackettstown at (908) 979-9400 who will be selling books for this event. Also, a special edition of their novel, Dedication, which will have a new fan-voted cover, will also be available for purchase that evening. The 15 percent discount for pre-orders also applies to Dedication.
Centenary College Adjunct Instructor Publishes Article in Journal of Literary and Cultural Disability Studies
Author’s Work is Inspired by Stepson’s Injury
Hackettstown, N.J., March 12, 2010 – Centenary College adjunct instructor of English, Henry C. Stewart, published an article in the Journal of Literary and Cultural Disability Studies this month.
The article, which is titled “In the Blink of an Eye: Teaching Jean-Dominique Bauby’s Diving Bell and the Butterfly While Learning from Eye Blinks” focuses on Stewart’s experiences teaching a course at Centenary called “Crip. Lit. for the Athlete” as part of the Academic Foundations program last year while simultaneously continuing to learn how to communicate with his recently brain-injured stepson.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a translation of the French memoir Le Scaphandre et la Papillon by journalist and Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby. It describes what his life was like after suffering a massive stroke that left him with a condition called locked-in syndrome. He composed the entire book through blinking his left eyelid – the only part of his body that remained within his control after the injury.
“I wrote ‘In the Blink of an Eye’ as part of my doctoral coursework,” says Stewart. “The article explores two of my many scholarly interests – pedagogy and disability studies. Pedagogy is so important to me because students are always my top priority professionally. Disability studies is a burgeoning field of literary criticism devoted to the further understanding of literature through the lens of both disabled authors and the portrayal of disabled characters. As the article reveals, my interest in disability increased dramatically after my stepson’s catastrophic injury. I dedicate my work in this field to him and to my wife – who tirelessly devotes herself to him.”
ABOUT THE JOURNAL OF LITERARY & CULTURAL DISABILITY STUDIES
The Journal of Literary & Cultural Disability Studies (JLCDS) focuses on cultural and especially literary representations of disability. Containing a wide variety of textual analyses that are informed by disability theory and, by extension, experiences of disability, it is essential reading for scholars whose work concentrates on the portrayal of disability in literature. More broadly, it is instrumental in the interdisciplinary of literary studies, cultural studies, and disability studies.
JLCDS was founded in 2006. It was launched at the Inaugural Conference of the Cultural Disability Studies Research Network, Liverpool John Moores University, 2007. It moved to Liverpool University Press in 2009. With an editorial board of 50 internationally renowned scholars, it is edited by Dr. David Bolt, lecturer and recognized researcher in Disability Studies, Department of Inclusion Studies, Liverpool Hope University and Honorary Research Fellow, Centre for Disability Research, Lancaster University.
Centenary College Psi Chi Students Recently Presented at the Eastern Psychological Association(EPA)
MATERIAL PRESENTED WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY A MINI-GRANT OF $1,400
Hackettstown, New Jersey, March 11, 2010 –Six Centenary College Psi Chi Psychology Honor Society students presented at the Eastern Psychology Association (EPA) Conference in Brooklyn last week, discussing findings that were made possible by a mini-grant of $1,400 from the Hackettstown-based institution.
The President’s Office of Centenary College earmarked funds for which faculty and staff could propose mini-grants to implement some of the innovative educational practices documented in High-Impact Educational Practices by the Association of American College and Universities (AACU). Undergraduate research experience was one of the AACU high-impact areas.
As a result of funds from the mini-grant, these six Psi Chi students were involved in a yearlong substance abuse project research team directed by Dr. Keith Morgen, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Centenary College. The team was only open to current Psi Chi (National Honor Society in Psychology) members or those who qualified for the 2009-10 Psi Chi induction.
As part of their preparation, students received extensive training and mentoring on substance abuse treatment, research methodology and statistics where they participated in weekly Friday afternoon two-hour sessions. Dr. Morgen taught these sessions with a focus on the gaps in the substance abuse treatment literature and why those gaps needed to be addressed.
Students were mentored in the process of reviewing and critiquing the substance abuse research literature, generating hypotheses, data analysis and placing research findings in the context of the scholarly literature on substance abuse treatment.
“I wanted to build a research training experience for a select group of stellar undergraduate psychology students who wanted to continue for graduate training once they earn their undergraduate degree,” says Dr. Morgen. “I was able to provide students at a small liberal arts institution like Centenary College with a research team experience more typical of a larger research-intensive university by infusing my substance abuse research colleagues into the mentoring process of my students and by giving the students access to large-scale National Institute on Drug Abuse funded datasets of substance abuse treatment process and outcome for their work. The end result was that all my students evolved into excellent young substance abuse scholars.”
As a result, the students spoke on substance abuse issues that range from a comparison of residential and outpatient and substance abuse treatment clients to longitudinal relationships between drug craving, psychopathology and gender to reconsidering the norms for a major measure of psychological distress used within a substance abuse treatment population.
The students who participated in this project were Megan Gajary of Jackson, N.J., Ashley Kimble of Washington, N.J., Justine LaBrutto of Mountainside, N.J., Alexa Lass of Middleton, N.J., Gabriella Mullady of Ridgewood, N.J. and Amanda Ziemba of Great Meadows, N.J.
Prior to presenting at EPA, the students presented their findings to Dr. David Kressel of the Center for the Integration of Research and Practice at National Development and Research Institutes in New York City.
“I felt that these presentations were being given by master’s or doctoral-level students and not undergraduates,” says Dr. Kressel. “Furthermore, the research topics were cutting-edge in that the findings have current relevance to yet-unresolved drug treatment research and policy issues, such as client-treatment matching and the appropriate planned duration of treatment.”
ABOUT DR. MORGEN
Dr. Morgen has more than 20 scholarly publications, over 40 national and international conference presentations, and a long history of research, clinical, and program/policy expertise in the area of substance abuse treatment, including having been a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Research Fellow between 2001 and 2004, where he was trained by numerous prominent substance abuse scholars.
- Centenary College junior Heather Rottner.
Centenary College Student Spends a Semester at American University
Hackettstown, N.J., March 8, 2010 – Heather Rottner, a Centenary College junior from Ridgefield Park, N.J., spent last semester at American University through the Centenary College/American University Washington semester.
Through this program, the Communication major landed a public relations internship with Earth Day Network, where she helped with the planning of Earth Day around the globe. Part of her responsibilities included Internet research on environmental stories to gain media contacts. She also conducted outreach for the Green Schools Campaign to familiarize grade schools with the program, as well as outreach for the Billion Acts of Green e-mail registry where individuals are encouraged to register information regarding their acts to help the environment.
Her classes focused on political print journalism and she had the opportunity to listen to industry legends, such as Bob Woodward and Helen Thomas. She also learned valuable information regarding new school journalism and studied how bloggers have changed the face of journalism and the impact of publications going online.
She also had the opportunity to go to Nationals Park where she met with the Public Relations Director and learned about the field of sports PR. Her class also watched a Supreme Court hearing about a railroad union case. She also visited the Library of Congress and the White House during the semester.
“This experience is one that I feel will be so valuable when I graduate,” says Rottner. “I cannot emphasize enough how this opportunity has provided me with a perspective and knowledge that would have been impossible to duplicate outside of Washington, D.C. I can take what I have learned and utilize it in my future.”
In addition to the academic and professional benefits of attending American University, Rottner also received cultural and social benefits. Her roommates were from Germany and Washington state and, as a result, she learned much about the German culture and about Western United States.
Confident that internships will continue to make her a strong job applicant in the future, Heather hopes to land additional internships at a national magazine or a local paper before she graduates.
Centenary College International Students to Participate in Hackettstown BID's St. Patrick's Day Parade
Hackettstown, N.J., March 5, 2009 – For the second year, Centenary College’s international students will be participating in the Hackettstown BID’s (Business Improvement District) Annual Saint Patrick’s Day Parade at 3:30 p.m. on March 14, 2010.
The international students will be marching with 13 different national flags and wearing wedding costumes and yukatas in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. The students also will be distributing confectionaries from their countries with the parade attendees.
“I am so pleased that our students will be participating in this opportunity yet again,” says Dr. Joseph P. Linskey, Dean of International Programs & Associate Professor of Criminal Justice. “This event allows them to become more involved in the community in which they live, plus provide them with a venue to share a little bit of the Korean culture with the people who will be in attendance.”
ABOUT THE CENTENARY COLLEGE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
The Centenary international community consists of students from 11 different countries (Bosnia, Canada, China, Finland, Ghana, Japan, Korea, Russia, Sudan, Turkey and Zimbabwe). The International Student Organization (ISO President: Dongwhi Daniel Koo from South Korea, Vice President: Xianfan Xu from China) has served as a key source of education on globalization. ISO has established a special role in the globalized world by reaching out to various communities and sharing the beauty of their traditions as cultural ambassadors.
For more information about the Town of Hackettstown and Hackettstown BID’s Saint Patrick’s Day Parade, please visit www.hackettstownbid.com.
More information is available at http://www.hackettstownbid.com/news/2010/1/2010-st-patricks-day-parade-3-14-10.
The Northwest New Jersey Regional Women's Center at Centenary College Will Write Women Back into History on March 29, 2010
Keynote Speaker of “N.J. Women Speak Their Minds” Is Alison Larkin, Best-selling Novelist, Screenwriter, Sitcom Writer and Comedienne
Hackettstown, N.J., March 1, 2010 – Centenary College is providing those who are interested in creative writing, publishing one’s work or the literary world in general an opportunity that is not to be missed! On March 29, 2010, in recognition of Women’s History Month, the Northwest New Jersey Regional Women’s Center will present an event, entitled “New Jersey Women Authors Speak Their Minds” in conjunction with the 2010 Women’s History Month theme of “Write Women Back into History,” from 10 a.m.to 3 p.m. in the Front Parlours of the Edward W. Seay Administration Building. Alison Larkin, comedienne and bestselling author of The English American, A Novel, will serve as keynote speaker and will deliver a presentation on “How My Personal History Inspires My Art – And How Yours Can, Too!” This event is free and open to the public.
“Attendees will have the privilege of meeting a group of women who are leaving their mark on history by writing and publishing their work,” says Dr. Deborah Diamond Fisch, Director of the Northwest New Jersey Regional Women’s Center at Centenary College. “Some of the guests are novelists, some have written autobiographies, some are historians, and some have written books to help us live more fulfilling lives.”
The schedule for “New Jersey Women Authors Speak Their Minds” is as follows:
10 a.m. - How to Begin the Process
Lorraine Ash, Author of Life Touches Life: A Mother’s Story of Stillbirth and Healing
10:15 a.m. - Honing Your Writing Skills
Lois Winston, Author of Talk Gertie to Me
10:30 a.m. - How to Get Published
Patricia Diesel, Author of A Simple Guide to an Organized Life
10:45 a.m. -How to Publish Academically
Diane Lang, Author of Creative Balance & Finding Happiness
11 a.m. -The Changing World of Publishing
Maryann McFadden, Author of The Richest Season
11:15 a.m. - Publishing in a Digitized World
Deborah Lev, Associate Professor of Communication at Centenary College
11:30 a.m. - Q & A Period
12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. – Lunch Break
12:45 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Keynote Speaker – Alison Larkin, Comedienne and
Best-selling Author of The English American, a Novel
1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. - Meet the authors and book signing.
Other authors who will be signing their books are as follows:
- Carol Binkowski – More than Petticoats: Remarkable New Jersey Women
- Helen Coronato – Eco-Friendly Families
- Valentine Dmitriev – Lori, Runaway Wife
- Naomi Drew – Peaceful Parents, Peaceful Kids
- Amy Edelman – Manless in Montclair
- Janet Pfeiffer – The Secret Side of Anger
- Marcia Ivans – Over Easy
During the book signing, information will be available on the Firefly Foundation, which is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to improving positive literary practices. The founder of this organization believes in fostering a balanced approach to literacy.
Please call (908) 852-9365 for more information about the day’s events.
About The Keynote Speaker
A Vogue “Most Powerful Book of the Season”, Family Circle’s “Best Beach Read” and Redbook “Book Club Pick of the Month,” Alison Larkin’s best-selling novel, The English American, is under contract to be turned into a major motion picture with Larkin writing the screenplay. In her speech, Alison will talk about how she draws from her personal history in her fiction – and how attendees can, too!
Alison was adopted at birth and moved from England to New York City to become a stand-up comic after meeting her birth mother in Tennessee. She appeared regularly at The Comic Strip in New York City and The Comedy Store in Los Angeles and on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and Comic Relief. She has appeared on Broadway and spent three years under Hollywood development contract to ABC and CBS to star in her own sitcom. Her internationally acclaimed one-woman show from her novel has been seen in concert performance all over the world. The audio book of The English American, narrated by Larkin, is no. 2 on Audible.com’s list of all-time great author-narrated books, above President Obama and Garrison Keillor! She lives in Morristown, New Jersey.
For more information about Alison Larkin, visit her Web site at www.alisonlarkin.com.
About the Northwest New Jersey Regional Women’s Center at Centenary College
The New Jersey State legislature established the Northwest New Jersey Regional Women’s Center at Centenary College in 1987 to provide educational and counseling services to women, men and their families in Northwest New Jersey, which includes Hunterdon, Morris, Sussex and Warren counties. The Center is a private, nonprofit organization. The main location is Centenary College in Hackettstown with service locations throughout the four-county area.
- Professor Breandan Mac Suibne.
Centenary College Expert on Irish History to Conduct Talk on The Changing Fortunes and Perceptions of the Irish in America to Mark Saint Patrick’s Day on March 10, 2010
Hackettstown, NJ, March 1, 2010 – Centenary College will mark St. Patrick’s Day with a lecture by Professor Breandan Mac Suibne entitled, “One Day the World Will Break Your Heart? The Irish in America”at 7 p.m. on March 10, 2010, in the Front Parlours of the Edward W. Seay Administration Building. This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be available.
“One Day the World Will Break Your Heart? The Irish in America” traces the changing fortunes and perceptions of the Irish in America.
Breandán Mac Suibhne is a historian of 18th- and 19th-century Ireland. He is editor (with David Dickson) of Hugh Dorian’s The Outer Edge of Ulster (2000, 2001), the longest lower-class account of Ireland’s Great Famine, and John Gamble’s Society and Manners in Early Nineteenth-Century Ireland (forthcoming 2010).
A graduate of University College Dublin and Carnegie Mellon University, he joined the faculty of Centenary College in January 2010.
For more information, please call (908) 852-1400, ext. 2238.
“Professor Mac Suibne has a wealth of background in this area and I am pleased that he will be sharing his broad knowledge with the community,” says Dr. James Patterson, Centenary College’s Vice President for Academic Affairs. “Those who will attend this event will be treated to an entertaining and enlightening experience.”
Join 2009-2010 Gates-Ferry Lecturer Mark Doty, Acclaimed Poet, Memorist and Teacher, for a Reading of His Recent Work with Author Tiphanie Yanique.
- Author and 2009-2010 Gates-Ferry Lecturer Mark Doty.
Reception and Book Signing to Follow
Hackettstown, N.J., February 18, 2010 – Mark Doty, Centenary College’s 2009-2010 Gates-Ferry Distinguished Visiting Lecturer and winner of the 2008 National Book Award, will return for a reading of his recent work on March 9, 2010 at 8 p.m. in the Little Theatre located in the Edward W. Seay Administration Building. Tiphanie Yanique, author of How to Escape from a Leper Colony (forthcoming March, 2010 from Greywolf Press) and Assistant Professor of Creative Writing and Caribbean Literature at Drew University, will also be reading. After the reading, there will be a short audience Q &A. A reception and book signing will follow in the Front Parlours of the Edward W. Seay Administration Building.
“It is a pleasure to have such a well-respected member of this profession serving as the 2009-2010 Gates-Ferry Visiting Lecturer,” says Dr. Christopher Adamo, Assistant Professor of English and Chair of the English and Foreign Languages Department. “Centenary is providing a cultural service to the members of our community that is quite unique. Attendees will also have the opportunity to become acquainted with Yanique’s novella, which has received rave reviews with the likes of Publisher’s Weekly and The Boston Globe.”
For additional information, please write to creativewriting@centenarycollege.edu.
ABOUT MARK DOTY AND THE GATES-FERRY LECTURESHIP
Mark Doty is the only American poet to have won Great Britain’s T. S. Eliot Prize and is the author of eight books of poems. The first, Turtle, Swan, appeared in 1987. His third collection, My Alexandria (1993), received both the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Since then, he has published Atlantis (1995); Sweet Machine (1998); Source (2001); and the critically acclaimed volume of poems, School of the Arts (2005). In 2008, Fire to Fire: New and Selected Poems was published, and it won the National Book Award for 2008.
Doty is also the author of three memoirs: Heaven’s Coast (1996), Firebird (1999), and Dog Years (2007). His interest in the visual arts is evident not only in his poems, but also in his book-length essay, “Still Life with Oysters and Lemon” (2001).
Among his many awards are two NEA fellowships; Guggenheim and Rockefeller Foundation Fellowships; a Lila Wallace/Readers Digest’s Award; and the Witter Byner Prize.
Doty also teaches at Rutgers University and is a frequent guest at Columbia University, Hunter College and New York University.
The Gates-Ferry Distinguished Visiting Lectureship at Centenary College recognizes the dedication to the College of Joseph R. Ferry, Trustee from 1948 to 1976 and treasurer of the Board of Trustees for 20 years. It was established to set high standards and goals for students and faculty alike, and to enrich the quality of life on the Centenary campus.
- Author Tiphanie Yanique.
ABOUT TIPHANIE YANIQUE
Tiphanie Yanique is from Hospital Ground neighborhood of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. She is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing and Caribbean Literature with Drew University and an Associate Editor with Post-No-Ills. She lives between Brooklyn, New York, and St. Thomas.
Publisher’s Weekly cites the following about How to Escape from a Leper Colony: The effects of colonialism throb in Yanique's vivid debut collection. The chilling title story is set in 1939, when the Trinidadian island of Chacachacare was still used as a leper colony; the narrator, a 14-year-old orphan with leprosy, befriends a curious boy her age, Lazaro, whose mother was murdered there when he was a baby, and whose troubled relationship with the nuns leads him to a terrible retribution.
The Bridge Stories are elucidating snapshots of islanders struggling to carve out lives for themselves on St. Thomas and elsewhere amid an exploitative tourist economy.
Centenary Student Fulfills Internship at the Career and Transition Center for Women
Hackettstown, N.J., February 16, 2010 – Megan Dunne, a Frenchtown resident and Elementary and Special Education and Sociology major at Centenary College, is currently taking part in a unique internship that is giving her a whole new perspective. She is working at Norwescap’s Career and Life Transition Center for Women (CLTC).
The Center is designed to help displaced homemakers in Hunterdon, Mercer, Somerset and Warren Counties find jobs through training and support. Those who can utilize these services are individuals who have lost their primary means of financial support due to separation, divorce, widowhood or disability of spouse. The Center focuses on providing quality services that will help women gain personal and economic self-sufficiency and reach their full potential through education, training, job readiness, community referrals and supportive services.
Some of Dunne’s assignments include promotion work for various fundraisers and being involved in a focus group to help young single mothers.
“Megan is a very diligent intern,” says Pat Moonjian, Program Director of the CLTC . “She is very interested in the mission of the organization and is a wonderful asset to us. She’s been a pleasure to have helping us in an assortment of various tasks, all that she’s taken on willingly and with great creativity and skills.”
What is in store for Dunne after she graduates in May?
“My goal is to be a special-education teacher,” she says. “I think I have found my niche and my experience at this internship provides me with a new perspective that I can bring to any position that I will hold.”
ABOUT NORWESCAP – CAREER & LIFE TRANSITIONS CENTER FOR WOMEN
NORWESCAP is a non-profit community action agency established in 1965 that creates opportunities for over 30,000 low-income people in northwest New Jersey by providing a large portfolio of self-sufficiency and emergency services. The mission of NORWESCAP is “Fighting Poverty. Creating Opportunities. Changing Lives.”
Centenary College Alumni Art Society Showcases “Viewer's Choice” Awards Exhibition
Exhibit to be Displayed Until End of February
Hackettstown, N.J., February 11, 2010 – The six members of the Centenary College Alumni Art Society felt that it was important to stay in touch with fellow artists, so they officially established the Society in 2007. Since then, they have met on a regular basis and have organized three individual exhibitions. The most recent one will be on display from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until February 27, 2010 in the Joseph R. Ferry Music and Arts Building at the Hackettstown campus. The "Viewer’s Choice" Art Alumni Awards Exhibition, includes artwork that viewers selected from a show the Society held in conjunction with the College’s Homecoming and Alumni Weekend in October.
This society is co-chaired by Lindsey Winkler of Branchville and Donco Tolomanoski of Stewartsville, who have put in countless hours of time and effort to bring the show to fruition. The work that is currently on display was created by the following alumni: Allison Doatch of Edison; Jessica Doerrer of Hackettstown; Annette Hanna of Boonton; Donco Tolomanoski; Alissa Walgren of Budd Lake; Lindsey Winkler; and Maureen Zeglen of Frelinghuysen.
"These alumni have been particularly devoted to Centenary College and to each other," says Carol Yoshimine, Professor of Fine Arts. "They are doing some remarkable work, while balancing the rigors of personal and professional responsibilities. I am particularly impressed with their growth, maturity and artistic development."
Many of these alumni have professional careers in the art field. Two examples are Maureen Zeglen, who was the 2007 recipient of the prestigious Brodsky Center Residency Prize for printmaking and is an adjunct professor who teaches drawing at Sussex County Community College. Donco Tolomanoski is completing internships with Maggie Norris Couture and Paul & Shark USA, Inc. and is learning how custom couture pieces are created. He has aspirations to continue his artwork and work in the fashion world.
"We all inspire each other and motivate each other," he says. "We are a positive influence on each other and remain as a constant in each other’s lives."
- Alumni artists (left to right): Allison Doatch, Lindsey Winkler, Alissa Walgren, Donco Tolomanoski, Jessica Doerrer, Maureen Zeglen.
- Pianist Rio Clemente.
Celebrate Valentines Day with Pianist Rio Clemente at Centenary Stage
CONTACT: Catherine Rust 908-979-0900 x5
February 1, 2010. There might be no better way to celebrate Valentines day than to spend it with the “Bishop of Jazz” and a medley of romantic ballads and an afternoon of unforgettable music, when the elegant Rio Clemente performs as part of The Piano in the Parlour Series at Centenary Stage in Hackettstown, on Sunday, February 14 at 4 PM.
From his many television appearances to his performances at Carnegie Hall, the Newport Jazz Festival and Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, Clemente’s concerts are infused with a rich depth of character, nimble facility, a classical background and a rich knowledge of jazz history which invariably leaves audiences calling for encores with a standing ovation.
A New Jersey native, Clement has been named “Musician of the Year” by the New Jersey Jazz Society, and has recorded with Melody Music, Satellite Records, Riff Records and Holland Labels, and his CD on Richard Rodgers led Linda Rodgers to say “Rio plays my father’s music better than anyone I ever heard – with unremitting style and sensitivity, and always with a technique that is elegant.”
Tickets for Piano in the Parlour with Rio Clemente are $15 in advance and $18 at the door and they can be purchased at the Centenary Stage Company Box office at 908-979-0900 .
The Piano in the Parlour series is made possible through the leadership of CSC Board Chairman Ed Coyne and Coyne Enterprises. Performances at CSC are made possible through the generous support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the NJ State Council on the arts and CSC members and sponsors.
The Northwest New Jersey Regional Women's Center at Centenary College Will Sponsor a Seminar on "Business Etiquette" on February 10, 2010.
Hackettstown, N.J., January 29, 2010 – Kerry Preston of Image Dynamics will be conducting a seminar on “Business Etiquette” at Centenary College from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 in the Front Parlours of the Edward W. Seay Administration Building. The event is sponsored by the Northwest New Jersey Regional Women’s Center at Centenary College. It is free and open to the public.
As the business environment becomes more competitive, appropriate business protocol and having the tools to handle any situation play an important part in one’s everyday lives. This workshop is designed to enhance the way business is done by making one more confident in all business situations. Some points discussed will be business protocol, which includes attitude, nonverbal communication, building an executive presence and much more.
Preston’s employer, Image Dynamics, offers specialized training for personal and business effectiveness and was one of the best 25 small companies to work for by Working Mother Magazine.
“This is an excellent opportunity for professionals to brush up on their skills,” says Dr. Deborah Diamond-Fisch, Executive Director of the Northwest New Jersey Regional Women’s Center. “I highly encourage individuals to participate in the resources that the Center has to offer.”
To pre-register, please call the Women’s Center at 908-852-9365. To learn more about the Northwest New Jersey Regional Women’s Center at Centenary College, please visit www.centenarycollege.edu/womens_center.
ABOUT THE NORTHWEST NEW JERSEY REGIONAL WOMEN’S CENTER
The Northwest New Jersey Regional Women's Center is a private, nonprofit organization established by the New Jersey State Legislature in 1987 to provide educational and counseling services to women and their families in Northwest New Jersey.
The main location is Centenary College in Hackettstown, New Jersey, with service locations through Hunterdon, Morris, Sussex, and Warren counties. The programs are open to men and women throughout the region.
Centenary Baseball to Host Beefsteak Dinner And Food Drive
HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (January 27, 2010) – The Centenary baseball team will host a beefsteak dinner and food drive to kick off its 2010 campaign on Sunday, Feb. 21, at 3:00 p.m., at the United Methodist Church in Hackettstown, N.J., head coach Scott Kushner announced.
The all-you-can-eat affair will take place in Starr Hall at the United Methodist Church, located at 213 Main Street in Hackettstown. Fans are asked to bring canned food, which will be donated to the church.
The cost of a ticket is $35.00 if you order your tickets early, or $40.00 at the door. Proceeds will benefit the Centenary baseball program. T-shirts, hats, gift certificates and many other prizes will be auctioned off during the dinner and fans will have the opportunity to meet the team.
Centenary finished the 2009 campaign 15-20-1 and 7-8 in the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC). The team earned a berth to the CSAC Tournament, falling to eventual champion Keystone in their first game and Gwynedd-Mercy in their second.
For more information, log on to www.centenarycollege.edu/baseball.
Assistant Director of the New Jersey Small Business Development Center at Centenary College is Named the Business Leader of the Year by Parsippany Area Chamber of Commerce.
Hackettstown, New Jersey, January 22, 2010 – Mary Adelman, the assistant director of the New Jersey Small Business Development Center (NJSBDC), recently received the Business Leader of the Year Award from the Parsippany Area Chamber of Commerce at the Annual Holiday and Awards Gala held at the Knoll Country Club in Lake Hiawatha.
The Business Leader of the Year Award is given to individuals who demonstrate dedication to employees and customers, as well as unwavering commitment to the community as both a member of the Parsippany Area Chamber of Commerce and an active member of the town.
“Mary Adelman has provided a tremendous amount of insight that resulted in the Chamber’s growth,” says Craig Schlosser, Executive Director of the Parsippany Area Chamber of Commerce. “It is a pleasure to work with her, and her knowledge is outstanding. Any Chamber member who has also consulted with her for NJSBDC purposes has found her to be extremely helpful and resourceful.”
Adelman is also very involved with NJAWBO (New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners). For the Sussex-Warren chapter, she has served as Secretary, President-elect, President, and, during 2007-2008, Immediate Past President and Boot Camp Co-chair. At the state level, Adelman has served as Vice President of Membership and was the Vendor Chair for the 2008 State Conference. She started a new program, Membership University, in 2007, selecting speakers to present business topics via teleconference to the NJAWBO membership.
Prior to her position as Assistant Director of NJSBDC at Centenary College, she worked for a variety of organizations. She is also the owner and founder of Green Star Services, LLC, a virtual assistant business providing administrative and marketing services to help support other businesses and organizations. In addition to her business activities, she has served on the board of Gentle Passages Care, Inc., where she was Chair of the Board. She has an AAS in Business Management from the County College of Morris.
For more information about the SBDC, visit www.centenarycollege.edu/sbdc or call (908) 852-1400, ext. 2127.
ABOUT NJSBDC AT CENTENARY COLLEGE
The Small Business Development Center, which services Warren, Morris and Sussex counties, became part of the Centenary College community in 2006.
The NJSBDC network is administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration nationally to provide management advisory services to current and prospective small business owners. NJSBDCs are located across the country and offer comprehensive assistance to small businesses by providing a wide variety of information and guidance in central and easily accessible branch locations.
The New Jersey Small Business Development Centers (NJSBDC) network has 11 centers throughout the Garden State, with state funding from the Department of Treasury and Economic Development Authority.
Centenary College Equine Lecture Series to be Held in February
Hackettstown, N.J., January 21, 2010 – Centenary College is sponsoring an Equine Lecture Series every Monday in February from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Centenary College Equestrian Center, 220 Middle Valley Road in Long Valley. It is free and open to the public and will be of interest to horse owners and enthusiasts.
On Monday, February 1, 2010, Centenary will sponsor “Understanding the Nature of the Horse.” Rebecca Huestis, Equine Facilities Manager, will speak. The evening will focus on the horse’s natural instincts and behaviors as they relate to safe handling and training.
The topic on February 8, 2010 will be “Shaping Your Horse’s Behavior.” Basic conditioning theories will be discussed as they relate to successfully shaping your own horse’s behavior. This session will be taught by Tara Clausen, Assistant Professor of Equine Studies.
On February 15, 2010, Timothy Cleary, Assistant Professor of Equine Studies, will discuss “Natural Horsemanship Techniques.” Modern day techniques will be introduced. The focus will be on ground work, body language and free schooling a horse.
On February 22, 2010, Tara Clausen, Assistant Professor of Equine Studies, will cover “Problem Solving for Safe Trailering.” This session will focus on solutions for common trailering problems and techniques to safely load and ship a horse.
“It is my hope that many people take advantage of this opportunity to expand their knowledge base in this area,” says Clausen. “Each session will cover topics that any horse owner could benefit from.”
For more information, please call (908) 852-1400, ext. 7232.
January Marks the Culmination of Centenary College's 20-Year Athletic Success
January 29, 2010: The Grand Opening Celebration of the Zeitler Wrestling Facility. January 30, 2010: The Debut of Centenary College’s Athletic Hall of Fame
Hackettstown, N.J., January 19, 2010 – This month marks the culmination of 20 years of athletic success at Centenary College, with the grand opening of the Zeitler Wrestling Facility on January 29, and the debut of the College’s Athletic Hall of Fame on January 30.
The grand opening celebration of the Zeitler Wrestling Facility will take place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the John M. Reeves Student Recreation Center. It will be followed by a wrestling match against McDaniels College at 7 p.m.
The Athletic Hall of Fame 2010 Induction Ceremony will take place with a program and brunch at 11:30 a.m. on January 30, 2010. At 1 p.m., the Women’s Basketball team will take on Cabrini College. At approximately 2:30 p.m., an induction ceremony will take place. Lastly, at 3:30 p.m., the Men’s Basketball team will compete against Cabrini College, as well.
Over the past 20 years, the Centenary athletic programs have grown in scope and size. In 1989, Centenary College became a co-educational institution, and the first athletic director, Catello “Cardy” Gemma was hired to manage five sports. It was also the year that the Men’s Basketball team achieved its first collegiate win, versus Sussex Community College.
Today, Centenary College offers 13 NCAA III Division teams and has increased in size from 53 athletes in 1999 to 226 student athletes in 2009.
“The Athletic Staff is committed to strengthening our sports programs and dedicates a lot of time and effort into this process,” says Billie Jo Blackwell, Director of Athletics at Centenary College. “Our coaches are passionate about coaching and put countless hours into providing our student-athletes a quality college experience.”
Some recent athletic successes include the Women’s Soccer Team reaching the semifinals of the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) tournament in 2008 and 2009 and also earned a berth to the ECAC South Tournament in 2009. Centenary Baseball, Softball and Men’s Lacrosse all earned a berth into their conference tournaments in 2009. The Softball Team also competed in the ECAC South Tournament finishing second.
“Centenary College has quite a bit to celebrate in regards to our athletic milestones,” says Dr. Barbara-Jayne Lewthwaite, Centenary College President. “The programs and successes have grown in leaps and bounds and holding both events in one weekend is an excellent way to showcase the new Zeitler Wrestling Facility and the Athletic Hall of Fame in the recently renovated John M. Reeves Student Recreation Center.”
ABOUT THE ZEITLER WRESTLING FACILITY
Wrestling is a sport that has increased in popularity and has experienced considerable success since it began at Centenary in 1992. The Cyclones Wrestling team was one of 34 NCAA Division III teams in the nation to earn a Scholar Team Award. Boasting a team GPA of 3.2, the team posted the 22nd-best GPA among Division III schools in the country. On the local front, The Wrestling Team has proved to be a good neighbor. After snowstorms, they regularly shovel the sidewalks and driveways of Centenary neighbors and have been highlighted for this good deed in the local press.
The team is led by Coach John Garriques, who was a three-time New Jersey state place winner in high school. He was also a Junior College National Champion at Gloucester County College, and an NCAA National Qualifier at Seton Hall University.
The Zeitler Wrestling Facility will contain a wrestling room and office space, and will make the John M. Reeves Student Recreation Center, which was renovated and expanded in 2007, an even more attractive facility for current and prospective student athletes. Funding for this facility was made possible by a gift to The Campaign for Centenary College from a single anonymous donor.
The new wrestling room also includes a wrestling mat that encompasses 3,928 square feet, a cardio room with stationary bikes, treadmills, climbing ropes that will reach 15 feet in height, pull-up bars and a storage area. A 55-inch flat-screen television will be mounted on the wall, and the room has a surround-sound stereo system as well.
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME
The Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony will feature the inductions of the late Catello “Cardy” Gemma and the 1995 Men’s Soccer Team. Every year, additional individuals and teams will be inducted. The Athletic Hall of Fame was established to showcase the many athletes, coaches and teams who have made an impact on Centenary sports.
Catello “Cardy” Gemma was a History teacher who coached boys’ and girls’ basketball at Glen Rock High School for many years. Gemma’s arrival at Centenary in the late 1980s marked a turning point for Athletics. Though Gemma retired in 1994, he remained committed to Centenary and kept up with the College’s many advances in NCAA Division III Athletics. In recognition of his service and contributions to the College, the Department of Athletics established the Cardy Gemma Award in 1998. Each year, the award is given to two graduating seniors who demonstrate outstanding athletic ability, attitude and leadership on and off the playing field.
Gemma passed away on May 21, 2008. He is survived by three children.
The 1995 Men’s Soccer Team had the best season in the history of Centenary soccer. Centenary College also won the National Small College Athletic Association Championship that year. Centenary’s Javier Velasco was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (see attached page for player roster). The fall 1995 season ended with 17 wins, 3 losses and 1 tie.
If you are interested in attending the Grand Opening of the Zeitler Wrestling Facility, please call (908) 852-1400, ext. 2468.
If you are interested in attending the Athletic Hall of Fame 2010 Induction Ceremony, please call (908) 852-1400, ext. 2296.
Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Today, January 18, 2010, we as a nation observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day in memory of the slain civil rights leader. As the President of Centenary College, an academic institution with a strong belief in community service, I want to remind you of Congress’ challenge to us as Americans to consider today a “Day of Service” to others. With the recent return of Centenary and Drew University students, faculty and staff from their annual Disaster Relief Trip to New Orleans, and international efforts to overcome the current tragedy in Haiti, I can think of no greater way to honor Dr. King on this day than to give of yourself for the betterment of your fellow man.
Among the many efforts to alleviate the suffering in Haiti, one is taking place right here at Centenary: The Omega Rho fraternity’s “Penny Drive,” which will take place this week in the Edward W. Seay Administration Building and benefit Doctors Without Borders, an agency both working to help in the wake of the tragedy, and at the same time affected by it. I would encourage all of you to participate if you can. Click here for details.
Although when Dr. King spoke of freedom and equality, he spoke specifically to the black experience in America, I believe in my heart we can carry his “Dream” to all corners of the globe, to all people, in all aspects of our lives. As teachers, we can strive to enrich the minds of our students; as students, we can strive to put our youth and enthusiasm to most fulfilling use; as people, we can give of ourselves, in Dr. King’s spirit, to assist all those who do not share our good fortune.
With thanks for all you do,
Dr. Barbara-Jayne Lewthwaite
President
- Centenary College President Dr. Barbara-Jayne Lewthaite
Centenary College President Responds to the Haitian Earthquake Disaster
Dear Colleagues and Friends of Centenary College:
The 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti this past Tuesday has left one of the world's poorest nations in shambles. Reports indicate the death toll may be in the tens of thousands. Many fear this number may reach much higher.
Even as you read this letter, good people from around our planet plus the resources of many nations are speeding aid to this fragile country. In spite of its devastation and unceasing poverty, Haiti prevails against impossible odds. It cannot prevail much longer without your help.
If apathy is the great divider of our species, surely love will be its redemption -- love that is matched by deeds.
For 143 years, when the trouble of a needy world has called, Centenary College has acted. Today, I encourage you as a representative of Centenary College and her proud mission to act, and act quickly.
What can you do? Below are some suggestions:
- You can text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti
- Call the Salvation Army: (800) SAL-ARMY or visit it online: www.salvationarmyusa.org
- Call UNICEF: (800) 4-UNICEF or visit it online: www.unicefusa.org/haitiquakel
- Make a donation using the Omega Rho Fraternity Penny Drive. Click here for details.
With gratitude,
Dr. Barbara-Jayne Lewthwaite
President
Local Business Boost Close to $20,000 in Sales through the Centenary College Cyclone Card.
Hackettstown, N.J., January 11, 2010 – The Centenary College Cyclone Card Program, which was launched in March 2008, yielded close to $20,000 in sales in 2009 for the 16 Hackettstown area businesses who participate in the program.
The program was launched as a response to Centenary College’s commitment to updating resources available to its growing population. The College partnered with the Hackettstown Business Improvement District (BID) to provide members of the Centenary community with the Cyclone Card program. Designed to encourage students to conduct business within the Hackettstown community, the Cyclone Card acts as a debit card where business transactions will result in a direct draw of funds.
"When we launched this program a year and a half ago, it was our hope that Centenary College would be able to increase its presence throughout the town of Hackettstown and the surrounding areas as a result of this project," says Dr. Barbara-Jayne Lewthwaite, President of Centenary College. "I am pleased that we can report that our students, faculty and staff are frequenting the local businesses and boosting the local economy through the use of their Card."
"This program is an economic success that was made possible as a result of the collaboration of Centenary and the BID," says David Rucki, executive director of the BID. "I anticipate that this program will continue to flourish and I look forward to continuing implementing this project with Centenary College."
Participating businesses include: Achieve 24 Hour Fitness, Brian’s Deli, Frank’s Trattoria, Harper’s Bagel & Bake Shop, IHOP, Main Street Ice Cream, Mama’s Pizza and Café Baci, Marley’s Gotham Grill, Michael’s Salon, Pasta Grill by Enzo, River Star Diner, Schooley’s Mountain General Store, Skylands Community Pharmacy, the Laundry Basket, Tickner’s and Westside Hair Care.
If you would like more information about becoming a participating business, please call (908) 852-1400, ext. 2402.
Centenary College, Drew University students return to New Orleans for fifth time to rebuild hurricane-damaged communities
Monday, January 11, 2010
By STEPHEN J. NOVAK
The Express-Times
This year marks the fifth time students and professors from Centenary College and Drew University helped New Orleans area residents rebuild from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
It won't be the last, they say.
Victoria Floriani, a Centenary senior from Atlantic City, said she plans to return with students even after she graduates in May, just as some alumni have already done.
"It's like a family," Floriani, a student leader on the trip, said of the groups that have traveled every year since 2006. The initial aid journey that January was five months after the hurricane overpowered the city's levies, flooding it and leaving widespread destruction.
"There's still such a need for people to be here," Floriani said over a cell phone after stopping work for the day Friday night. "Even though it's five years after Katrina hit, there's still such a need."
Stephen Davis, a first-year theater professor at the Hackettstown college, said AmeriCorps volunteers estimate it will take 17 years to completely rebuild the city at the current pace.
"People actually believe everything is fine ... and that's not really the case for a lot of people," said Centenary sociology professor Christopher Linne.
No winter break
The combined group of about 100 students is scheduled to return from New Orleans today after having been there a little more than a week.
Their mission was to help rebuild homes and work in a community center food pantry in St. Bernard's Parish, assisting the St. Bernard Project, which was co-founded by CNN's 2008 Hero of the Year Liz McCartney.
The group faced an extra challenge this year as frigid weather hit the area. Temperatures in New Orleans hovered in the 30s for most of the week with near- or record-breaking lows at night.
Students and professors slept in a church, where having heat at night was not always guaranteed.
Much of the home-building work this year was done indoors, such as putting up wallboard, scraping away mold or installing insulation, although it didn't provide the workers much warmth as they were doing it, they said.
Instead, Davis said they were inspired by hearing the stories of some of the locals. The owner of one of their project homes, an elderly woman, told students about how some of her family died in the hurricane floods.
"This is the kind of worldly education that Drew University and Centenary College are a part of that will have an impact on students' educations," Davis said. "I see such humanity among all of (the students), such compassion among every single one of them. That's something that I can't teach in a classroom."
Support at Centenary
The annual trip has support among the Centenary student body. Among the ways funds were raised were a golf outing and professional wrestling event.
Davis said he plans to bring the experience back to Hackettstown as part of a production of the Greek tragedy "Antigone." The play will be paralleled with New Orleans, incorporating video of Hurricane Katrina and images of the continuing cleanup.
Some students still visit with those whose homes they have rebuilt. Floriani said one of her friends found time to catch up with a homeowner from three years ago.
"It was neat to see that there still is that relationship," she said.
The group described the sights of those who are less fortunate, those outside the city's main business areas. Some families still live in government relief trailers; some homes are still marked with the symbols rescue groups used immediately following the hurricane.
"It's a ghost town almost," Floriani said. "It's almost amazing to think that this is still America."
Reporter Stephen J. Novak can be reached at 610-258-7171, ext. 3542, or by e-mail at snovak@express-times.com.
Kearney Brothers Make Hackettstown The City Of Brotherly Love
HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (January 8, 2010) – Centenary forwards Ryan and Corey Kearney have always played against each other. Growing up in North Arlington, N.J., the two took their competitions very seriously, no matter what the game was. But the one thing they never had a chance to do was to play together. That is, until now. The Kearney brothers are both starting for the Centenary men’s basketball team, and now their competitive fire is leading the Cyclones to success.
Ryan is two years, 10 months and 22 days older than his brother. They both attended Queen of Peace High School in North Arlington, but never played on the same team.
“Our mom always says it was a dream of hers to see us playing together,” said Ryan. “When we were younger sometimes we would play together and he was always Scottie Pippen and I was Michael Jordan. But we did not play together often. Centenary is really the first place we have ever played on the same team together.”
“Because he was older, we never really played on the same team,” added Corey. “I would go to his practices when he was in high school. I would shoot on the side and I could not wait to get on the court myself.”
The fact that they were not on the same team did not stop the two brothers from playing against each other. Whatever the stakes, whatever the game, the Kearney brothers did not want to lose.
“If one of us sees the other one getting better at something, at anything, we have to do something about it,” said Ryan. “Our mom always says it is a competition all the time between us. If one of us is doing well, the other wants to do a lot better. If he says he can count to 100 faster, I will say no I can count to 100 faster, and it has always been that way.”
“We play a lot of video games, and those get pretty intense as well,” said Corey.
The competition between the brothers also spilled outside to the basket their parents set up in the backyard.
“Our games were always evenly matched,” said Ryan. “Even though I was bigger, he put up a good fight. Those games got pretty heated.”
“Our backyard was small, so there was not a lot of room to move,” said Corey. “Basically you would take two dribbles and then shoot, so we always really knew where the other was going to go when they had the ball.”
Although the competition in the backyard was fierce, the two did not start using each other to get better at the game they loved until Ryan graduated from high school.
“I was always the older brother, but when I went to college I went from being a senior in high school to just a freshman, and he was still younger but all of a sudden he got bigger,” said Ryan. “When I came back home, I thought to myself we have to start working out together.”
Both brothers agree that they are better players because of the games in the backyard and the time spent lifting weights and taking shots together. Ryan had to put up with an opponent who would not give up, no matter what.
“When I was in high school, Corey would ask me to play one-on-one,” said Ryan. “I would think that there would not be much competition because I was so much taller, but all of a sudden we get out there and he is playing me tough. He always put up a fight and I really had to play hard to try and get a win.”
Corey, meanwhile, was facing a player taller than he was, but he always played hard and that scrappiness stayed with him as he grew taller and bigger.
“When I was little I always played guard,” he said, “so once I got bigger I was able to play more of a guard’s type game with a forward-type body.”
After Corey grew, their backyard games became even more heated.
“There is a lot of trash talking during our one-on-one games, definitely,” said Corey. “The games get pretty intense.”
Ryan agreed.”The games get really intense. It helps, especially if one of us is struggling, the other will get in his face and that is a good motivator to play better.”
Both players have exceptional one-on-one skills, learned in the backyard at their house. With their height (Ryan is 6-5, Corey is 6-3), and their skill set, they cause matchup problems left and right for opponents.
“They might put a bigger guy on us, but I think we can handle them defensively,” said Corey. “But offensively, they might have more problems with our speed. I think we benefited from playing against each other at home and covering each other in practice.”
“We are lucky to have both brothers on our team,” said second-year head coach Enrico Mastroianni. “Ryan is such a complete player – we always have a chance to win with him on the floor. The best attribute about Ryan is that he is committed to getting better every day – he never takes a day off. Corey is a quiet leader on the floor and he does so many things to help us that statistics do not always measure. Corey seems to always be in the right place at the right time; he has amazing basketball instincts.”
Ryan’s path to playing with his brother started at Caldwell College. Ryan appeared in 21 games as a freshman, averaging 2.2 points per game, before transferring to Ramapo. In 2005-06, he played in only nine games for the Roadrunners, averaging 3.7 points per game. He decided to step away from basketball for a year, but then he got the itch to play again when he saw his brother being recruited by Centenary.
“After I left Ramapo, I took a year off from school,” he said.
“Meanwhile I was being recruited to Centenary by the previous coach,” said Corey. “Ryan got in touch with him and then he started recruiting Ryan as well.”
“When Corey decided to go to Centenary, I said I wanted to go back to school and join him,” added Ryan. “I missed playing basketball. I went from playing all the time to not playing at all and it was tough. I felt like I needed to get back, and I wanted to go back to school as well, so I figured what better opportunity than the school where my brother was going to play.”
Sitting out one year became two years as Ryan had to complete a year of Academic Residency according to NCAA Division III Student-Athlete Transfer Rules.
“It was pretty frustrating,” said Ryan. “It was my second year away from basketball, so it was definitely tough. I just concentrated on school work so that I could make sure I was eligible to play when my year of residency was up. I went to most of the home games, so if I saw something, I would tell Corey what he did wrong. My mom always says my dad and I are Corey’s toughest critics, so if we see him doing something wrong we will not hesitate to tell him.”
The time away from the court was not only tough on Ryan, but also his brother.
“It was a rough year in general since we only won four games, and I knew Ryan really wanted to be out there with us,” said Corey.
“It was tough to watch, but it was a good experience for them,” said Ryan. “Anytime you put four freshmen starting at the college level, it is throwing them to the wolves. But they got a good experience out of it, they made the best of it, and now we are trying to turn it around. We did a pretty good job last year and we are trying to build on that.”
Finally, last season, the Kearneys were on the court together. They had been brothers all their lives, but this was the first time they were teammates, and it was a little strange for each at first.
“It was kind of weird to be on the same team for the first time,” said Corey. “The competition thing is still there, so if he misses a shot I get really upset, because I feel that I should have shot the ball instead, and it is probably the same for him.”
“It has its ups and downs, but in the end it is great to be on the same team as your brother,” said Ryan. “Even though it does get kind of heated sometimes.”
“But it does not take us much time to get over a fight,” added Corey.
“Half the time I do not even remember what we were arguing about,” said Ryan.
On the court, however, the two always remember where the other is. Although they were never teammates, playing against each other at home gives them a sense of where the other is on the court, which is invaluable during a game.
“If we are on a fast break, I always know where he is and he knows I am going to throw it up to him,” said Corey.
During practices the two brothers always guard each other, which helps during the games. Ryan has two inches on his brother and Corey usually defends against players who are taller than he is. Corey is more solidly built than his brother and Ryan has to guard players who have a little more bulk than he does.
The two brothers led Centenary to its best season in five years in 2008-09, as the Cyclones went 13-13, including 8-8 in the conference, before falling to Keystone in the first round of the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) tournament. The team’s 13 victories was more than the win total from the previous five seasons combined. Ryan averaged 16.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game while Corey chipped in 5.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per contest. They both worked hard in the offseason to improve their games.
“We both worked on our three point shooting,” said Corey. “With the offense we are running this year, our three pointers should be like layups. I worked hard on my shot and I am feeling good with it right now.”
“We can take the ball to the rim and we can both finish layups, but if we get an open three we have to be able to knock it down consistently,” said Ryan. “Our mom used to work at a gym nearby, and during the summer we would go four days a week to lift and we would close out the session by shooting. We did a drill where we would set up seven spots on the three point line, put four minutes on the clock, and you would not be able to move to the next shooting spot until you made two in a row. You have to go all the way around and back in those four minutes. It was tough and tiring and it worked our endurance, so we put in some good work over the summer.”
The hard work has paid off, as Ryan is leading the team in both points (18.9) and rebounds (8.1), while Corey is scoring 11.0 points and grabbing 6.0 rebounds per contest.
The brothers hope to use their improved play to take Centenary even further in the CSAC Tournament.
“Our goal is to make Centenary a consistently winning program,” said Corey. “Last year we played pretty well but we want to do better. Our goal is to win more games than last year.”
“With the talent we have on this team, I think the sky is the limit for us,” said Ryan. “Coach Mastroianni put together a really tough schedule, we are playing the preseason No. 2 and No. 9 teams in the country, as well as Montclair State who went to the NJAC championship, so our non-conference schedule should get us ready for our CSAC schedule. I do not see why we cannot be competing for the conference championship. We were knocked out of the conference tournament last year by Keystone and we want to do better this season.”
“They should not have beaten us,” said Corey. “We did not play as well as we could have.”
Although they are competitive, they each agree that Corey is the better passer, driver and post up player while Ryan is the better shooter. The two also agree that the goal is to make Centenary a winning program. After winning 13 games last year, they both want to take the Cyclones to new heights.
“If we come and play our game, things are already looking better at this point than last year, so we feel we can win the conference,” asked Ryan. “We are all working hard. I want to help the team however I can and be in the talk for player of the year in the conference. I was honorable mention last year and this is my last go around, so I want to make it count.”
Ryan is motivation enough for Corey.
“The fact that this is his senior year is a motivation for me, to work hard and help make his final season a good one,” he said.
Their head coach, and Centenary basketball in general, are reaping the benefits of the brothers’ hard work and dedication.
“It is great watching them compete against each other every day in practice and then put it together to work as one during games,” said Mastroianni. “With the Kearney brothers on the team, we truly feel that we can compete with anyone.”
Centenary College's Newly Launched Program Provides College Credit for Prior Life Experiences
Hackettstown, N.J., January 8, 2010 – Achieving one’s academic goals may not be as far reaching as one might think. Centenary College recently launched a new program where individuals can turn life experiences into college credit through the Prior Learning Assessment Program (PLA). Start this New Year right by making strides toward academic goals that may have been put on hold.
“This new program saves students time and money,” says Dr. Heather Pfleger-Dunham, dean for Outcomes Assessment Research at Centenary College. “It is a program that is designed for those who have a wealth of knowledge in certain areas. It is dedicated to bringing academic credibility to and awarding credit for life experiences.”
Starting now, eligible students can enroll in an eight-week, one-credit course (PLA1000) to learn how to complete a portfolio that reflects their professional experiences. Those who complete this course can then submit the portfolio(s) of their work for courses that they wish to receive credit for, if they meet all necessary criteria. A trained faculty assessor will then review the materials and determine the amount of credit to be awarded. Those who submit portfolios for evaluation will pay a reduced rate of 50 percent of the course’s cost that they wish to receive credits for, plus have the opportunity to finish their undergraduate degree at an accelerated rate. For student convenience, the PLA1000 course will be offered quarterly. Those interested in starting in January must sign up in the next two weeks.
Those who wish to participate in the Prior Learning Assessment process must be 23 years of age or older and must have completed eight or more credits at Centenary College.
“This new program is one that should be quite exciting to a student,” says Dr. Pfleger-Dunham. “This program is one that took a year to develop. The result is a well-thought-out and researched program and procedures that one-third of our faculty members are now participating in as assessors. It is a wonderful opportunity for our students. One that is not offered at many institutions.”
For more information about the Prior Learning Assessment Program, please call Robert Quade, director of PLA Portfolios at (908) 852-1400, ext. 2241 or Dr. Pfleger-Dunham at (908) 852-1400, ext. 2242.
Centenary Stage Cues the Blues in February with Holmes Brothers Concert.
“The undisputed masters of blues-based American roots music.” - Chicago Tribune. "The music kicks, the singing is a classic mix of gravel and honey, and the material is outstanding. The Holmes Brothers are an undiscovered American treasure..." - Associated Press, Eric Fidler.
January 7, 2010. Hackettstown, NJ. With spine-tingling harmonies, boundless energy and “telepathic musicianship, “ the Holmes Brothers will bring roadhouse rock with a gospel fervor to the Centenary Stage on Saturday, Feb 6 at 8 PM in Hackettstown.
“Jesus turned water into wine, not wine into water,” says guitarist Wendel Holmes, and the group’s chilling harmonies resonate with a passion matched only by their inspired musicianship and their ability to perform low-down roadhouse blues, sanctified gospel, deep soul, Americana/country and pure pop—all in one set. The Holmes Brothers have gigged on stages throughout the world, including the White House, and they have performed with countless luminaries of the music world, including Van Morrison, Peter Gabriel, Odetta, Phoebe Snow, Willie Nelson, Rosanne Cash and Levon Helm. They have been touted as “The undisputed masters of blues-based American roots music’ (Chicago Tribune) and Billboard Magazine declared the group, "Richly soulful and as daring as ever… The Holmes Brothers remain a musical force unto themselves."
Winners of the coveted Blues Music Award from the Blues Foundation, Rolling Stone Magazine called the music created by Bassist/vocalist Sherman Holmes, guitarist/pianist/ vocalist Wendell Holmes, and drummer/vocalist Popsy Dixon “Harlem grown soul with revival-tent ardor, finding God and grit in unlikely cover...” The Chicago Tribune hailed their album “Speaking In Tongues” as a “joyous, foot-stomping carnival…a gift to the world of music.” Their 2004 release, “Simple Truths” earned even more acclaim with The Chicago Sun-Times calling it, “A breathtaking and heartfelt journey through gospel-drenched soul, blues, funk and country.”
Tickets for The Holmes Brothers concert are $22.50 for adults and $17.50 for seniors and students, and they can be purchased through the Centenary Stage Company box office at 908-979-0900, and online at www.centenarystageco.org. Locally, tickets may be purchased at Green’s Beans (Greene Brothers Specialty Coffee Roasters) at 313 High Street in Hackettstown.
Performances at the Centenary Stage Company are made possible through the visionary support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the NJ State Council on the Arts, and CSC members and sponsors.
CONTACT: Catherine Rust 908-979-0900 x5
- Sting of Pearls performs January 23rd, 2010.
"String of Pearls" Ensemble Channels Artists from the Andrews Sisiters to Sinatra, Basie and Beebop at the Centenary Stage on January 23rd.
CONTACT : Catherine Rust 908-979-0900 x5
January 6, 2010. Hackettstown, NJ. "String of Pearls has produced a version of vocalese that is, to me, breathtaking in its beauty, startling in its simplicity and overpowering in its swing, without which, as friend Edward (“Duke”) Ellington so aptly says, ‘It Don’t Mean a Thing.’" - Jon Hendricks, Legendary jazz singer
With a repertoire ranging from the big band sounds of Count Basie and Glenn Miller to the vocal bebop of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross to the great harmonies of the Boswell Sisters, Andrews Sisters, and MacGuire Sisters to the beautiful original arrangements with a Brazilian flavor, the "String of Pearls" Jazz Ensemble will swing into Hackettstown on January 23rd, backed by a dynamic sextet of rhythm and horns, as the second event of the Centenary Stage Company’s sizzling Jazz in January series, with an 8 PM Saturday evening performance in the Whitney Chapel.
String of Pearls vocalists Sue Halloran, Jeanne O'Connor, and Holli Ross have been bringing vintage "girl group" harmonies and fresh modern jazz, swing and Latin arrangements to stages at home and abroad, with performances in Munich, France and Japan, and in the US at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C, the JVC Jazz Festival, Alice Tully Hall, Town Hall, The Manhattan Center, and the Battleship Intrepid. The "Pearls" have also been featured at Sweet Rhythm, Shanghai Jazz, and the Blue Note. Their bossa nova version of "Sukiyaki" recently reached the top 100 on the Tokyo FM radio charts.
Tickets for "String of Pearls" are $25 in advance and $30 at the door, and available online at www.centenarystageco.org and at the CSC Box office at 908-979-0900. Locally, tickets may be purchased at the Skylands Community Bank, Mama’s Café Baci, The Inn at Panther Valley, Hackettstown Trading Post, the Prickly Pear Restaurant, and the Schooleys Mountain General Store.
Jazz in January is made possible through the leadership of CSC Board Chair Ed Coyne and Coyne Enterprises, with the additional support of the Heath Village and Skylands Community Bank. The Centenary Stage Company is a not-for-profit performing arts series dedicated to serving as a cultural resource for audiences of the Skylands region with professional music, theatre and dance events and arts education programs throughout the year. All programs at the Centenary Stage Company are made possible in part through the visionary support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the NJ State Council on the Arts and CSC Members and Sponsors.
NEW THEATRE
Performances at the Centenary Stage Company will find a new home with completion of the Carol and David Lackland Center, scheduled for Spring, 2010. With a 22,000-square-foot performance space, the facility promises to become the most sophisticated performing arts venues in northwest New Jersey. The center will include a new state-of-the-art 500-seat theatre, a black box theater, a dance studio, scene shop, a costume shop, green room and dressing rooms. In addition to housing the theatre, the 68K square foot Lackland Center will be a home for a variety of cultural activity, and will include WNTI, the College’s listener-supported public radio station, CCTV, Centenary’s Comcast-licensed television studio, and gallery space for visual artists.
Named in honor of Carol Burgess Lackland, A Centenary graduate (Class of 1954), and her husband, David A. Lackland, a Centenary College Trustee, The David and Carol Lackland Center, has been designed to enrich student life and bring new cultural opportunities to northwest New Jersey.
Centenary College and CSC Offer Saturday Continuing Education Classes in the Arts.
Contact: Lea Antolini-Lid or Pat Lanciano 908-979-0900
January 5, 2010. Hackettstown, NJ. The Centenary Stage Company in conjunction with Centenary College will be offering continuing educations courses this spring semester in the disciplines of art of and dance. The Saturday classes are designed to offer the community affordable, high quality classes in the disciplines of art and dance.
All courses in The Saturday Art Conservatory continuing education program are taught by highly qualified instructors who are currently working as educators and professionals in the world of art and dance. Whether you are looking to brush up on your skills or take a class for fun, this is the program for you! Classes are recommended for ages 14 to adult. The classes run in two 6 weeks sessions starting 2/6-3/13 and 3/20-4/24. The following disciplines are being offered this term:
Adult Yoga: Saturday 10am-11am (Ages 17+). A great way to increase flexibility, strength, and energy while improving muscle tone. No previous experience required. Emphasis will places on deepening awareness of the body, and the understanding of alignment principles. The class will strengthen your posture awareness and breathing practices to help deepen your experience.
Gentle Yoga: Saturday 11:15am-12:15pm (Ages17+). The Gentle class is designed for students interested in a slower, but equally effective, practice to loosen and strengthen muscles while calming the body and mind. This is the class for times of high stress or low energy, giving you an opportunity to safely build strength, mobility and balance – even if you’re healing from injury or illness.
Open Level Hip Hop: Saturday 11:30-12:45pm ( Ages 14 to Adult). this class fuses a fluid street jazz and Hip-Hop style to create innovative movement with attitude. Most importantly is to have fun with the experience of dance.
Beginner tap: Saturday 10am-11:15am (Ages14 to Adult). Technique and terminology is taught through rhythm exercises, short combinations of steps and across the floor work which is then put together into a longer combination. Also different styles of Tap are introduced in this basic course.
Watercolor/Gouache Painting: Saturday 10am-1pm (2 credits). This course will introduce the student to watercolor and gouache as mediums in the creation of art. Techniques in their application will be demonstrated in order achieve various textural qualities and effects. Students will be able to develop their drawing abilities and painting skills through concentrated study of still-life and natural objects.
Photography: Saturday 10am-1pm (1 credit). This course will teach the student basics in camera and darkroom techniques by formulating an aesthetic judgment to the photography process. It will focus on developing film, printing and negatives, dodging and burning techniques, composition, form, space, lighting, tone, depth of field and action exposures.
Ceramics: Saturday 10am-1pm (1 credit). This class is designed for students who have an interest in working with clay and gives students experiences in making functional as well as sculptural pieces, using a variety of hand building techniques. W ell thought out forms, designs and functional use along with good craftsmanship is emphasized.
Intro to Graphic Design Saturday 10am-1p (1 credit). This course is an introduction to the principles of graphic design and digital illustration. Students will explore a range of problem solving design exercises using Illustrator, and Photoshop. At the end of this 6-week course students will be comfortable and able to use a wide range of software skills needed in the field of Graphic Design and Multimedia. This course will be great preparation for a more in depth study in these areas.
All the fine art classes are $225 per 6 week session. The courses may also be taken for credit. For more information please contact the admissions department at 908-852-1400.
The Saturday dance and yoga classes are $60 per six week session. For more information on the dance and yoga classes please contact the CSC box office at 908-979-0900.
Centenary is also offering the following dance classes to members of the community during the week. These Dance Classes are designed to allow young dancers to train without the pressure or financial strain of the traditional recital. There will however be opportunities to perform in the annual dance concert at Centenary if the student wishes.
Jazz I: Thurs. 6:40-8pm (Ages 14 to Adult). A beginner level jazz course designed to introduce the student to the technical fundamentals of Jazz dance. The class will focus on building a dance vocabulary which will bring the dance student to the next level .The student will be introduced to the various styles and techniques of the jazz world.
Ballet I: Tues. or Thurs. (Ages 14 to Adult). For the beginner student who wishes to learn and work slowly on the fundamentals of Classical Ballet. Vocabulary will be broken down and emphasis will be placed on understanding proper placement, coordination, musicality and the joy of moving the body in space
Intro to Dance: Wed. 6:40pm-8pm (Ages 14 to Adult). So you think you can’t dance? Well come to this class and learn the joy of dance in a fun supportive environment. This class will take you through the basics of ballet, modern and jazz.
For more information on any of these programs please contact the Centenary Stage Company at 908-979-0900 or visit www.centenarystageco.org.
Printer-friendly page
