Performing Arts Dinner

Before listening to the melodic voice of Lorna Luft, Judy Garlandā€™s daughter, singing Garlandā€™s songs, Roadrunner community members enjoy one of the Foundationā€™s Performing Arts Dinners.

Ed Chapel ā€™77 holds a special place in the Ramapo College community. For 28 straight years, and 37 years in total, he consistently has donated to his alma mater through the Ramapo College Foundation. This makes him one of the most dedicated alumni supporters in college history.

ā€œIf not for Ā鶹“«Ć½, I would not be who I am today,ā€ Chapel says with a warm smile. He admits he was ā€œa terrible student in high school. All I wanted to do was work and play ice hockey.ā€ He wanted to be baker and worked many late hours at the Purity Bakery in Westwood, preparing the shop for the morning bakers. His parents were firm about his education, however, and Chapel landed at Ā鶹“«Ć½.

Despite what he called his ā€œless-than-stellarā€ academic history, Chapel was highly motivated once he arrived at Ā鶹“«Ć½. He excelled both in the classroom and on the ice. He recalls, ā€œIt was such a varied curriculum and that is the strength of the Ā鶹“«Ć½ education. And playing hockey made my college experience even more rewarding.ā€ A sociology major, Chapel fondly remembers taking a wide range of courses that he noted gave him the ability to think from multiple perspectives. By his senior year, he had received the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Scholar-Athlete award for his academic achievements and ascended to be captain of the hockey team.

Chapel continued his success after Ā鶹“«Ć½, going on to earn his doctorate in sociology. As he completed that degree, he made his first donation: $30 to the Fund for Ramapo College. He kept giving, and since 1998, he has made a gift every year. He directs his support among a few causes that matter most to him, especially the Ice Hockey Club Team.

Ed Chapel ā€™77, courtesy of NJEdge.net

1981

Anthony J. DePrima (Human Ecology) has been nominated by the governor of Delaware to serve on the stateā€™s Nuclear Energy Feasibility Task Force. Tony is the retired founding executive director of the Delaware sustainable energy utility Energize Delaware. He earned a doctorate in urban affairs and public policy from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree in regional planning from Virginia Tech.

Donald V. McCormick (Economics) joined Libra Industries as senior vice president of sales and marketing. The company provides electronic manufacturing services to a variety of industries.

1986

Timothy Nolan (Communication Arts) joined Quantum Life Systems as chief marketing officer. He has held senior roles at A&E, HBO and the History Channel.

1991

Timothy Greene (B.S. Business Administration) recently retired from his position as a special agent with the Internal Revenue Serviceā€™s ĢżCriminal Investigation Division after 25 years of service. He spent 22 years of his career assigned to the Drug Enforcement Administrationā€™s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Task Force. (As pictured)

2000

Sabrina Krawczyk (Political Science) recently was elected to a three-year term on the Westwood Regional Board of Education.

2003

Nikeisha van Sleeuwen (Contemporary Arts) was appointed chief human resources officer at DSM-Firmenich, a Swiss-based international manufacturing company. Nikeisha began her career at the company nearly two decades ago. She earned a degree in HR Management Studies from Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

2005

Jessica Cullen (Political Science) was named to a leadership position at Lockton Companies within its U.S. casualty business. She was appointed head of excess casualty and operations. Jessica joined Lockton in 2024 as head of the U.S. casualty practice in London. Previously, she served as managing director of casualty practice at Gallagher.

2007

Katelyn Tanis (Sociology) is the new sales director for Cedar Crest, an Erickson Senior Living-managed community in Pompton Plains. Before joining Cedar Crest, Kate served as director of sales at Lantern Hill, an Erickson Senior Living-managed community in New Providence.

Ze Zeon (Communication Arts) has been selected as one of only 25 senior administrators nationwide to participate in the 2025-26 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) ADA ĢżFellows program, which supports professional growth of senior-level collegiate athletics administrators. Ze is deputy director of athletics and chief development officer at Binghamton University.

2008

Gregory Elfers (History) recently joined Montclair State University as associate director of philanthropic engagement. Gregory previously was part of the fundraising team for the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic. He also leads fundraising for Gay Social, an organization dedicated to fostering connection and belonging within the LGBTQ+ community in New Jersey.

2009

Erin Colfax (MSET), a science integrationist at the Unity Charter School in Morris Township, has been named one of the winners of the 26th annual Governorā€™s Environmental Excellence Awards. She was honored for her work in environmental education, bringing sustainability and climate-focused learning to her students.

2010

Shanikwa Lemon-Watson (Psychology) has been named executive director at the Paterson Alliance, an organization supporting nonprofits in the city. Previously, she served as program manager and director of programs and impact. She is pursuing a master of business administration degree at William Paterson University.

2016

Ian Godfrey (Political Science) has been appointed director of New Jersey Congressional District 9. Ian, who was appointed by Congresswoman Nellie Pou, recently served as chief of staff for Passaic Mayor Hector Lora. Before that, Ian was on the staff of the late Congressman Bill Pascrell Jr.

2019

Achyut Gautam (Business Administration) recently received a master of business administration degree from the University of Oxford. He attended under a Skoll Scholarship, an opportunity for social entrepreneurs to pursue an Oxford MBA with full financial support. Achyut is the co-founder of Khetipati Organics, which seeks to minimize post-harvest loss and foster economic growth in rural Nepal.

2020

Ryan Greff (Business Administration), executive director of Fair Lawn Main Street Inc., was elected chairman of the Bergen County Workforce Development Board. Ryan is also a member of the N.J. Commission on National and Community Service. He is a member of the Anisfield School of Business alumni advisory board.

2023

Brooke Savercool (Sociology) has joined the Town of Boonton Police Department as a special law enforcement officer.

2025

Brielle Pelissier (BSW, MSW) joined West Essex Middle School in North Caldwell as a social worker.

Instagram posts, short films and creative writing focused on North Africa – for someone who spent a large part of his career writing about British Gothic literature, this is a 180-degree turn.

Ramapo College Literature Professor Benjamin Eric Daffron, currently based in Marrakech, Morocco teaching at Cadi Ayyad University as part of the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar program, once focused his scholarship and teaching on authors such as Jane Austen, Lord Byron and Mary Shelley. A few years ago, he underwent what he describes as a ā€œradical transformationā€ in his research pursuits. ā€œDuring the (COVID-19) lockdown, I sought to make sense of what was happening to and around meā€¦ As I wrote my way through and out of lockdown, I composed essays that blended the personal with the theoretical, something altogether unprecedented in my career.ā€

This type of writing and scholarship not only was new to Daffron but also to the world of contemporary literature. Daffronā€™s research has focused on autotheory, an emerging genre in the literary scene. Described as ā€œthe chimera of research and imaginationā€ (Arianne Zwartjes, ā€œAutotheory as Rebellion,ā€ Michigan Quarterly Review), the genre blends personal narrative with scholarly reflection. Daffron has introduced this new genre to Ā鶹“«Ć½ through a new senior seminar course for English and Literary Studies majors called Autotheory: Critical Reflections on Life, in which students examined the genre through memoirs, essays and more and used it to surface topics ranging from sexuality and race to language and affect. This blend reflects Ā鶹“«Ć½ā€™s distinction as a public liberal arts college – the interdisciplinary nature of critical inquiry.

In January 2023, Daffron experienced what he calls ā€œa watershed momentā€: his first visit to Morocco. ā€œThat trip ignited a love for the country that found expression in a series of creative and critical pieces, in particular travel memoirs, as well as translations from French to English of stories.ā€ He returned in an almost addictive manner, traveling there four more times in the next two years. ā€œSomething about the Marrakshi way of life kept summoning me,ā€ Daffron writes in ā€œMarrakechā€™s Medina: ā€˜A Simple Path of Reading,ā€™ā€ published in Panorama: The Journal of Travel, Place, and Nature.

Why Les Paul Matters Here

The studioā€™s name is no coincidence. Les Paul not only was a legendary guitarist but also a relentless innovator who helped redefine how music is created, recorded and experienced. His experiments with multitrack recording and sound layering changed the recording process, influencing generations of musicians and producers.

That spirit of experimentation aligns closely with Ā鶹“«Ć½ā€™s philosophy. ā€œWe never wanted to be a ā€˜button-pushingā€™ program,ā€ said Neill. ā€œWe wanted to train musicians who think creatively and technologists who understand music.ā€

That shared vision drew the attention of the Les Paul Foundation, whose mission is to preserve Paulā€™s inventive spirit through education. In 2013, the foundation awarded Ā鶹“«Ć½ a $150,000 grant, matched by the College, to help build a studio that reflects that approach to learning.

Ā鶹“«Ć½ was also a natural fit because of its local connection to Paul. He lived in Mahwah for more than 50 years, working from his home studio and remaining closely tied to the community until his death in 2009. The studioā€™s presence on campus continues that connection, linking Paulā€™s legacy of innovation directly to the next generation of musicians and producers.

The ribbon cutting at the Les Paul Studio in 2016.

Today, that legacy is most evident in how students use the space, experimenting, collaborating and finding their creative voice.

ā€œBack in the ā€™70s and ā€™80s, almost no one was doing this,ā€ Neill said. ā€œĀ鶹“«Ć½ was.ā€

As demand for music production education grew, the studio transitioned from a nice addition to an essential facility. After years of planning, building and selecting equipment, the Les Paul Studio officially opened in 2016 and has continually improved through regular upgrades that meet industry standards.

Beyond the Classroom Walls

The studioā€™s influence extends beyond coursework. Faculty use it for professional recordings and research-based creative projects, blurring the line between academic work and artistic practice. Neill recorded his opera ā€œFantini Futuroā€ in the Les Paul Studio, later performing it in Venice while continuing work toward its release – an example of how the space functions not only as a classroom but also as a working creative environment.

That creative momentum increasingly extends beyond campus. In November, students in Ā鶹“«Ć½ā€™s Creative Music Technology MFA program transformed Fridman Gallery in New York City into an immersive sound installation inspired by composer and performer David Tudorā€™s ā€œRainforest.ā€ The event, Rainforest+, reimagined Tudorā€™s concept of an ā€œorchestra of loudspeakers,ā€ where everyday objects became instruments vibrating and resonating to create a living soundscape. MFA students designed and performed original responses to Tudorā€™s work, turning the gallery into an evolving sonic environment shaped by experimentation, collaboration and audience interaction.

For faculty and students alike, projects like this reflect how the Les Paul Studio functions as a starting point rather than an endpoint. Ideas developed in the studio move outward into professional venues, connecting Ā鶹“«Ć½ā€™s creative work to broader artistic conversations. The experience mirrors the programā€™s philosophy: Learning happens not only through instruction but also through making, performing and sharing work in real-world contexts.

Although more institutions are investing in music technology, Neill believes that Ā鶹“«Ć½ā€™s early commitment to music technology and its liberal arts environment set it apart. ā€œTechnology will keep changing,ā€ he said. ā€œBut the ability to think musically, creatively and critically, thatā€™s what lasts.ā€

Ten years in, the Les Paul Studio remains one of Ā鶹“«Ć½ā€™s most distinctive academic spaces, honoring a legendary innovator while preparing students to help shape the future of the music industry. ā€œThe studio gives you the chance to take your work seriously,ā€ Strain said. ā€œYouā€™re surrounded by people who want to make something real, and that pushes you to grow. A decade later, itā€™s still a place where students can walk in with an idea and leave with something they never thought they could make.ā€

Vanessa Garcia ā€™28 never lost her smile.

Not when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at 10 years old. Not when she spent weeks and months at a time on the pediatric oncology floor, out of her school and away from her friends.

ā€œI never once felt sad. I always used to say, ā€˜I feel so uncomfortable with the chemo,ā€™ because it literally felt like a house breaking inside of you, but I was never down. I was always smiling,ā€ Garcia said of the three-and-a-half years she spent in and out of St. Josephā€™s Childrenā€™s Hospital in Paterson, NJ.

There were many people who kept her spirits up. Her mother spent the days and nights with her. Her father visited after work. The child life specialists played with her and gave her toys and activities. Staff of the nonprofit the Valerie Fund supported her and her family both financially and mentally ā€“ even sending her to Camp Happy Times, a summer camp where she connected with other pediatric cancer patients.

And the nurses ā€“ many of whom were childhood cancer survivors themselves ā€“ made her feel comfortable, like she was not alone. Their kindness and example ultimately inspired her future.

Inspired to Help

ā€œThe experience definitely impacted me and changed me a lot,ā€ Garcia said. ā€œI wouldnā€™t be the same person if I hadnā€™t gone through that. I know that it shaped me to be stronger.ā€

Garcia went into remission in 2016, and in 2019 finished the intense treatments she had to undergo to ensure the cancer did not return. Five years later, backed by a scholarship for childhood cancer survivors from the Valerie Fund and support from the New Jersey Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF), she enrolled in theĢżBachelor of Science in Nursing programĢżat Ramapo College of New Jersey.

ā€œI was always a child running around and helping everyone. So I always said I would want to come back one day and be a nurse to kids with cancer, and be like, ā€˜itā€™s okay. I know what you are going through.ā€™ā€ Garcia said. ā€œI feel like thatā€™s what keeps me going because Iā€™m going to be able to help them just like they helped me.ā€

Garcia said all of the nurses that treated her were amazing, but one in particular, named Danny Garcia, stood out. To transfer chemo and medicine into her body, she had a port inserted deep under her skin. He taught her how to stand properly so hospital staff could find the port and inject the medications in a way that would not hurt her, she said.

ā€œHe stood out to me because he was the one that always helped me and showed me how to do things properly so I wouldnā€™t get hurt,ā€ she said.

Choosing Ā鶹“«Ć½ Nursing

Garcia said she first looked at Ā鶹“«Ć½ because she wanted to attend a small college close to her Paterson, NJ home. When she visited Ā鶹“«Ć½ā€™s welcoming, picturesque campus in nearby Mahwah, NJ, she thought, ā€œI can actually see myself going here.ā€

Then she researched Ā鶹“«Ć½ā€™s nursing school, and decided, ā€œThatā€™s it. This is where I am going.ā€

ĢżA top nursing school in New Jersey, Ā鶹“«Ć½ consistently demonstrates ā€œsuperior nursing education and quality,ā€ and ā€œstands out with its exceptional NCLEX pass rates,ā€ according toĢż. An impressive 223 students who graduated from Ā鶹“«Ć½ and sat for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) exam inĢż2023ĢżandĢż2024Ģżyielded a 100% pass rate.

ā€œI love my decision, because I love being here,ā€ Garcia said.

She creditsĢżĀ鶹“«Ć½ā€™s EOFĢżstaff with helping to keep her smile bright as she transitioned into college life. The initiative features a five-week summer program for incoming freshmen, one-on-one advisement, mentorship, academic support, tutoring and financial assistance. ā€œEveryone in that office is just amazing. They literally know how to help me anytime I go in,ā€ she said.

Biology and computer science once asked different questions about the world. One aimed to understand living systems while the other focused on logic, algorithms and machines. Today, those questions increasingly intersect. Modern science produces vast amounts of data, from genomes and proteins to health and environmental information, and understanding it requires computational tools alongside laboratory work. The discipline that unites these fields is bioinformatics.

At Ramapo College, bioinformatics has been part of that discussion for more than 20 years. The bioinformatics program was developed as biology entered a data-driven era, when advances in sequencing and computing began generating more scientific data than traditional methods could interpret. Today, Ā鶹“«Ć½ is known for preparing students to work at the intersection of biology, technology and data, an area transforming medicine, biotechnology and scientific research.

Ashley Stuart, right, associate professor of biochemistry, works with a student collecting laboratory samples.

What is bioinformatics?

Ashley Stuart, an associate professor of biochemistry whose work focuses on structural biology and computational modeling, explains bioinformatics simply: It helps scientists find meaningful patterns in complex biological data. Instead of studying one gene or protein at a time, researchers can analyze entire systems and better understand how biological processes interact.

As biology generates data on an unprecedented scale, this approach has become vital. Bioinformatics enables researchers to organize large data sets, recognize patterns and ask clearer questions about how biological systems work.

Paramjeet Bagga, a biology professor and founding faculty member of Ā鶹“«Ć½ā€™s bioinformatics program, says the field has sped up progress in areas such as disease diagnosis, drug development and vaccine research. He emphasizes that the quick development of COVID-19 vaccines showed how computational analysis of genetic data enabled researchers to work faster toward solutions and guide lab efforts more effectively. He explains that computational methods do not replace traditional science. Instead, they help scientists understand complex systems more clearly and allow them to focus their efforts more efficiently. A few years ago, four Ā鶹“«Ć½ alumni were part of Pfizer Inc.ā€™s development of its mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, with members on the vaccine development and research informatics teams.

Paramjeet Bagga, right, a biology professor and founding faculty member of Ramapo Collegeā€™s bioinformatics program, speaks with students Magdalena Nikolova, left, a senior biology and neuroscience major, and Hristo Denev, a senior computer science major, about their GutFeel research project.

Research with real-world impact

At Ā鶹“«Ć½, bioinformatics extends beyond theory. Students frequently collaborate with faculty on research projects that use data analysis to solve real scientific problems.

One example is GutFeel, a digital health research project led by Bagga in collaboration with undergraduate student researchers. The project investigates how wearable biosensing data, including glucose monitoring, can help researchers better understand the connections between gut health and broader physiological responses.

Participants record meals and daily activities while faculty and student researchers gather physiological data from biosensors. The aim is to explore potential links between gut-related responses and biological markers, such as glucose changes and cardiovascular signals. Still in the exploratory phase, the research demonstrates a growing interest in personalized and preventive health care approaches.

Equally important is the way the work is conducted. Ā鶹“«Ć½ students actively engage in research, learning how to analyze real data sets and develop research questions instead of following prescribed experiments. Faculty emphasize critical thinking and adaptability rather than mastering any single tool. Students usually start working with biological data sets after they have built a foundational knowledge of biology and computer programming, often by their sophomore or junior year.

ā€œItā€™s not about following instructions,ā€ Stuart says. ā€œStudents learn to ask questions, analyze data independently and make connections. Thatā€™s when real research begins.ā€

Learning at the intersection of science and technology

Many students are not familiar with bioinformatics before college. Magdalena Nikolova, a senior from Varna, Bulgaria, majoring in biology and neuroscience, says she learned about the field while working in research labs and studying how biological data is analyzed.

ā€œAs I started working in labs, I realized that understanding how to obtain and analyze biological data was essential,ā€ Nikolova says. ā€œBioinformatics is the natural evolution of biology.ā€

Her experience mirrors a typical path in the program. Students move among biology, chemistry, computer science, data science and mathematics, gaining scientific knowledge and computational skills and learning to work across disciplines while engaging in projects with real-world applications.

Students involved in the GutFeel research share a similar experience. Hristo Denev, a senior computer science major, explains that the project demonstrated how computational and biological expertise together are used to explore important health problems. ā€œSeeing how computer science and biology combine to create something with real-world impact made me realize these are the problems I want to work on,ā€ he says.

Faculty say the programā€™s undergraduate focus enables students to gain hands-on research experience earlier than they might at larger universities. By the time they graduate, students often have both computational skills and laboratory research experience, an increasingly valuable combination in modern scientific careers.

Ā鶹“«Ć½ alumni have gone on to work at organizations such as Pfizer, Bristol Myers Squibb and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where bioinformatics plays a growing role in drug discovery, clinical research and precision medicine.

The future of bioinformatics

As biological data continues to grow, bioinformatics is expected to become increasingly important in areas such as personalized medicine and early disease detection. Bagga and Stuart emphasize that many of these applications are active research topics, but the trend is clear: Understanding biology increasingly depends on understanding data.

At Ā鶹“«Ć½, that future isn’t seen from a distance; it’s being created in classrooms, research labs and student-led projects where biology and computation come together. By combining interdisciplinary teaching with hands-on research and early student involvement, Ā鶹“«Ć½ is shaping how future scientists approach data-driven discovery. Students graduate not only with technical skills but also with the ability to think across disciplines, ask better questions and turn complex data into meaningful insights. As science and technology continue to merge, Ā鶹“«Ć½ plays an essential role in preparing and guiding the future of bioinformatics.

Who at Ā鶹“«Ć½ had the greatest influence on you, and what did you learn from them?

Nappi and Trish Laprey at Ā鶹“«Ć½ā€™s 2025 Commencement ceremony.

What skills that you learned at Ā鶹“«Ć½ do you still use today?

Ā鶹“«Ć½ taught me advocacy skills that I use every day. My professors taught me the history of disability rights, how I can attend college and navigate public spaces. They taught me how to ask for what I need and to stand up for myself as a person with a disability. Those skills I gained and the confidence to advocate for myself helped me develop as a clinician with a disability, apply those skills to working with people like me and help them build their lives back. Those skills are essential in my program, where I serve as the American Occupational Therapy Association representative for my cohort and continue to advocate accessible education. They also will be foundational in my future clinical work, especially as I pursue my goal of working in inpatient rehabilitation.

What made you decide to pursue adaptive sports?

Growing up, I was always athletic. I was a ski racer, ballet dancer, ski instructor and eventually worked as a ski patroller. Adaptive sports became a crucial part of my rehabilitation. When I started adaptive sports, it felt like coming home. I had felt for a long time like I was just trying to survive rather than challenge myself, and even my doctors put me in a bubble, saying ā€œgentle swimmingā€ was the best way to preserve my function. The challenge of learning new skills and pushing myself to my limits gave me something to work toward during recovery. Eventually, adaptive sports felt less like Ģżā€œrec therapyā€ and more just like doing sports and I just happened to be disabled.

What are one or two accomplishments you are really proud of?

Iā€™m really proud to have returned to Ā鶹“«Ć½ after becoming disabled. It would have been easier to give up on higher education, but I chose to come back. Iā€™m also proud of accepting the support of my community. As someone who worked in emergency medical services and was used to being the helper, learning to receive help was its own kind of strength. Now Iā€™m proud to be pursuing my Occupational Therapy Doctorate at Rutgers School of Health Professions, where many faculty members have built their careers and continue to collaborate with Kessler Institute. Learning from the clinicians connected to one of the places that helped me rebuild my life feels like a full-circle moment.

What advice would you give to students or anyone looking to follow your path?

Sometimes the pivot you’re forced to make becomes the best thing that ever happened to you. When I had to leave EMS behind, I thought my health care career was over. Instead, I found occupational therapy, a field that lets me combine my clinical knowledge, my love of adaptive sports and my lived experience with disability. Donā€™t be afraid to reimagine what your path could look like. The detour might lead somewhere better than you originally planned.

Please tell me a bit more about your advocacy efforts. What have you done that has the most meaning to you?

My goal isnā€™t to inspire able-bodied people simply because they see a disabled person existing. My advocacy is about visibility and representation of disabled people in health care. I want to be visible to other people with disabilities so they know this career path is possible for them, that they can be competent clinicians too. When clinicians reflect the populations they serve, it improves care. Itā€™s beneficial for our patients, for our health care systemā€™s outcomes, and for our lives and our possibilities as disabled people, as individuals and as a community. My work is about normalizing disabled health care providers and opening doors for my community.