May 13, 2024

Dear William Paterson Faculty and Staff,

In the final week of another successful academic year, I want to express my gratitude to all of you for your dedication to our students and your great work on their behalf. The Class of 2024, along with faculty and staff, will celebrate the culmination of their efforts one week from today, at two Graduate Commencement ceremonies on campus and then, two days later, at the Undergraduate Commencement ceremony at the Prudential Center in Newark. I look forward to seeing you at the ceremonies to celebrate our graduates together.

Looking ahead to future graduating classes, as of Friday, overall enrollment for Fall 2024 stands at 5,040 students, which represents a 5.2% increase over this point last year. Main campus fall enrollment stands at 3,659 students, which is a 2.5% decrease over last year at this time, though this gap has improved since my last communication. Continuing student overall enrollment of 3,567 is 1% ahead of last year, but main campus continuing students are currently at 2,823, which is 6.8% percent behind last year. Efforts must continue to enroll as many students as possible for the fall, particularly this week, before students leave at the end of the semester. Overall, new student applications are up 14.9% and accepted students are up 14.4%, year-over-year. There are currently 652 first-year student deposits, which is 16.3% behind last year's number. This is somewhat expected with the shift of the priority deadline this year from May 1 to June 1 due to changes in financial aid timelines caused by FAFSA delays at the federal level. Overall, new student enrollment for the fall is up 17.5%. 

A reminder to please join us for the Annual President’s Diversity Lecture this Wednesday, May 15 at 5:00 p.m. in University Commons Ballrooms A and B, when Dr. Hakim Mohandas Amani Williams, Director and Inaugural Daria and Eric Wallach Professor of Peace and Justice Studies at Gettysburg College speaks on “Disorientation, Healing, and Freedom Dreaming: The Long Journey to Pluriversal Thriving.”

This week’s WP: We are Proud – Congratulations to WP Jazz Studies alumnus Tyshawn Sorey ’04, who has won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in music for his musical composition “Adagio (For Wadada Leo Smith)”. A renowned multi-instrumentalist, composer, ensemble leader, and conductor, Sorey is also a past recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, the prestigious “genius” grant, which recognizes exceptional creativity. In announcing the award, the Pulitzer Prize Board cited the work as an “introspective saxophone concerto with a wide range of textures presented in a slow tempo, a beautiful homage that’s quietly intense, treasuring intimacy rather than spectacle.” This is just the latest high-profile example of successful alumni who attest to the prominence of our world-renowned Jazz Studies program.

Thank you again for another great semester, and another successful year.