Caldwell University Community Celebrates Homecoming and Family Weekend

The Caldwell University community celebrated Homecoming and Family Weekend on a picture-perfect weekend Sept. 18 -20.

President Blattner gave the State of the University address welcoming alumni back to campus, especially the Class of 1965, which was celebrating its 50 anniversary.

Alumna Lauren Podkul said she tries to come to Homecoming every year. “It’s always so good to see everyone again.  The term “homecoming” can be taken very literally here. So many people I talked to on Saturday were all in agreement that visiting Caldwell really does feel like ‘coming home.’ “

Chair of the Board of Trustees  Laurita Warner ‘70 presented Noel Ruane ’70 with the Peggy Harris Alumni of the Year Award for giving her “time, talent and treasure” to the university.

The award is presented annually to alumni who have shown outstanding service to the university. Warner said that Ruane has served and loved the university since 1967 and has been active in the university’s shore chapter serving with “dignity and hard work.”

Other activities included: a barbeque and carnival on the plaza, the art exhibition A Rising Tide: 3+3, mini university lectures on “What Exactly are those Kids Reading” with Education Professor Edith Ries and “Presidential Scandal, Feminism and DNA: The Warren Harding Story” with History Professor Marie Mullaney, a Golden Anniversary Tea and soccer games.

The Veritas Lecture Series featured a conversation with alumnae trailblazers Angela Zaccardi ’56 and Eileen Jones ’57 and was moderated by Dr. Nancy J. Becker, assistant to the president, special Projects.  They shared how their foundation at Caldwell University assisted them in their careers as successful women in government.

Jones ’57, who received the 1986 Veritas Award for Excellence in Government Law, was the first African American student and graduate of Caldwell College for Women. She holds a J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law, worked for the Social Security Administration and the Veteran’s Administration in Newark and then in Washington, D.C. where she was the first woman appointed as chief of the administrative review staff for compensation and pension.

Zaccardi ’56, who received the 1987 Veritas Award for Excellence in Government, worked for the U.S. Embassy in Rome and became one of the first female immigration officers at JFK Airport. She was also the first female president of the local New Jersey Chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees Union at INS and served as the Executive Director of the Federal Executive Board in Newark.

A Faculty Favorites concert kicked off the 20^th season of the concert series and featured the talents of faculty and alumni. Dr. Laura Greenwald, director of the concert series and an accomplished soprano, was recognized by President Blattner for giving her talent and dedication to the series for two decades.