June 24, 2024

Dear William Paterson Faculty and Staff,

I hope you all enjoyed your Juneteenth holiday weekend. I am looking forward to seeing all 12-month employees this Wednesday, June 26, at 8:15 a.m. in the Shea Center for the Summer Professional Development Series Kickoff Assembly. The event will launch a great series of professional and personal development workshops under this year’s theme of “’Lifting While You Climb’, learning and developing new practices and skills as a strategy for individual and team success.” You have received details via email, but if you haven’t yet registered for Wednesday’s kickoff event and the summer’s workshop and training options, please do so here. 

Turning to enrollment, as of Saturday, overall enrollment for Fall 2024 stands at 6,763 students, which represents a 4.4% increase over this point last year. Main campus enrollment, however, stands at 4,654 students for Fall 2024, which is a 2.6% decrease over last year at this time. Continuing student overall enrollment of 4,985 is 3% ahead of last year, with main campus continuing students currently at 3,449, which is 5.9% behind last year. Overall, new student applications are up 16.6%, and accepted students are up 16%. There are currently 1,083 first-year student deposits, which is 22% ahead of last year. Overall, new student enrollment for Fall 2024 is up 9.7%.

I am pleased to report that our Powerhouse marketing campaign is going strong, and we will take a big step further in its ongoing development and integration with the launch of the first phase of a refresh of the University website on Monday, July 1. Wpunj.edu will be updated with a look and feel consistent with the Powerhouse campaign. This work is being done in partnership with our marketing agency, Ologie. Vice President Stuart Goldstein and his Marketing and Public Relations team is leading the project in close collaboration with Enrollment Management.

The refresh will not affect the existing architecture of the website but will impact how we present ourselves to prospective students and how we guide them through web content that is significant to recruitment. You will see the changes on the University home page, the undergraduate admissions home page, the international student recruitment page, and at the top and bottom of all pages on the website.

Then, on September 1, the launch of the second phase will bring a refresh of the academic department home pages, integrating the new web design with the existing content of those pages. The Marketing and Public Relations team will coordinate this effort with the Deans and Chairs prior to the implementation, and design elements on additional pages will be made over time, consistent with what you’ll see during this first phase. This work will bring the impactful elements of our Powerhouse campaign to our website, which is one of our most important means of attracting and interacting with students and families.

Please note that with the new fiscal year on Monday, July 1, the Payroll office will be leaving the Division of Finance and Administration and returning to the Division of Human Resources. I am confident that this move, along with the recent rollout of Workday, will make for a smoother and more efficient operation for the Payroll team and for all WP employees. We realized that benefits and payroll are interconnected in important ways and, upon further reflection, that when it comes to customer service and onboarding of new employees, moving them back to HR will benefit our end users. Thanks to everyone in the office and both divisions for their good work during this transition.

I am very pleased that at its June 20 meeting, the Board of Trustees unanimously voted to grant me a new, multiyear contract, that will be effective until July 1, 2029. I appreciate the Board’s support for my leadership and everything that we are all doing to build a stronger, more resilient William Paterson. There is a lot more to do, and I am excited to continue this important work with all of you.

My next communication will be Monday, July 8. In the meantime, have a great couple of weeks, and I hope you all have an enjoyable Independence Day!