At the heart of FDU lies its tradition of excellence in the classroom, a legacy that continues to live on. "Over the past five years, FDU has developed programs that place it on the cutting edge of academic initiatives while continuing to fulfill its commitment to serve the diverse and ever-expanding communities that comprise our audience," said Dr. Geoffrey Weinman, vice president for academic affairs. "From an internationally recognized Core Curriculum to a wide variety of innovative programs in such areas as education, nursing, psychology, business, computer science, visual arts and public administration, the University both defines and responds to the changing needs of society."

Weinman added, "As we move into the 21st century, FDU is at once fulfilling the mission for which the University was created while dynamically expanding our parameters so that we can continue to provide the leadership and service that have become our trademark."

The academic initiatives undertaken in the last five years have been remarkable. They include:

• The Samuel J. Silberman College of Business Administration is in candidacy for accreditation from the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) with the self-study set for 1997-98.

• The Maxwell Becton College of Arts and Sciences has introduced honors tracks in each discipline. In addition, the Demanding Curriculum, which includes more rigorous academic guidelines for students and increased faculty-student interaction, has been implemented throughout the college's general requirements.

• University College: Arts Sciences Professional Studies was formed synergizing the resources of the former College of Science and Engineering and the College of Liberal Arts. Today, the college includes eight schools.

• Professional reaccreditation was granted to the nursing, education, electrical engineering, engineering technology, chemistry and computer science programs at University College: Arts Sciences Professional Studies.

• A Living-Learning Model that features a more supportive academic and social atmosphere was implemented at Edward Williams College.

• The University Core Curriculum was chosen by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) as one of nine curriculum programs nationwide to serve as a model core program. Also, the University Core program was invited by Liberal Education, the journal of the AACU, to submit an article for its spring 1997 issue on its recent assessments. (See Core Curriculum story on page 30.)

• The Office of Continuing Education has been restructured and this past year realized the largest net profit for noncredit offerings since its establishment. Currently under consideration is the establishment of a College of Continuing Studies that would merge the operation of Edward Williams College and the Division of Continuing Education.

• Both the undergraduate and graduate curricula of the Samuel J. Silberman College of Business Administration were revised with an emphasis on communication skills, intercultural relations and the creation of capstone seminars for all undergraduates.

• A Five-Year Educational Technology Plan was created by faculty and administrators in 1996 to further the development of FDU's educational technology infrastructure. Instructional Television (ITV) facilities have been created on the New Jersey campuses. Also, distance-learning initiatives are underway, including the offering of MBA courses through interactive desktop computer technology.

• FDU's Teaching on Television project has trained more than 20 faculty for teaching courses via telecommunications networks.

• The Roberta Chiaviello Ferguson Chair of Nursing, the first such endowment in the Henry P. Becton School of Nursing and Allied Health, was established this year.

• FDU's Public Administration Institute was awarded a grant from the New Jersey Department of Health to serve as the Region II Local Health Advisory Board (LAB II) for Bergen and Hudson counties.

• Since 1990, the Maxwell Becton College of Arts and Sciences has hosted a theme semester celebrating international and multicultural themes. Topics have included Islam, Africa, Japan, Russia, Mexico, the New World Order and music from around the world.

• A Minority Faculty Incentive Program was created in conjunction with the Office of Multicultural Affairs in 1992. The program supports members of under-represented groups as they complete their doctoral studies and assures them tenure-track faculty appointments upon the completion of their degrees.

• Four years ago, FDU formalized its annual Academic Convocation. The event recognizes distinguished faculty in the areas of teaching, scholarship and service.

• In 1995, the Samuel J. Silberman College of Business Administration underwent a significant reorganization in which campus-based associate deans were named and the number of academic departments was reduced to two on each campus to encourage interdisciplinary activity.

• The Odyssey program is a new cooperative venture in which Edward Williams College (EWC) sophomores and recent EWC graduates enrolled in the baccalaureate program at FDU's Teaneck-Hackensack Campus are placed as mentors to seventh- and eighth-grade students who need additional support.

• A branch campus was established and FDU degree programs were introduced at Biotechnical Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel. This fall, more than 200 students are enrolled.

• A Child Anxiety Disorders Clinic was created within the Center for Psychological Services on the Teaneck-Hackensack Campus.

• The Center for Asian Studies, the Center for Human Resource Management, the New York/New Jersey Economic Research Center and the Center for Pharmaceutical-Chemical Business Research were established.

• Project SOS (Support Our Students) was designed to provide University College students a more structured environment in introductory mathematics, science and engineering courses.

• FDU's degree completion program, which has served New York Giants players, was used as a model by the National Football League.

  New Majors and Programs

  During the past five years, a wide variety of degree and certificate programs have been introduced. The following are among the new offerings indicative of the University's commitment to being the region's leading institution of lifelong learning in an ever-changing global environment.

• A Master of Arts in addictions counseling, based on the "Practitioner-Researcher" model of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, prepares students for careers as counselors, administrators, program planners and policymakers in the field of chemical dependency and other addictions.

• An undergraduate degree in electronic filmmaking and digital video design provides students with the skills to make documentary and corporate movies, create interactive programs using graphics and motion video and take command of new methods of communication. Students benefit from cutting edge equipment and faculty members with professional experience.

• A graduate program in school psychology includes a master's degree plus certification. The goal of this new initiative is the education of professional psychologists with emphasis on direct service to school-aged children.

• The Master of Science in Nursing focuses on nursing as a human science, nursing education and advanced nursing practice. The courses provide nurse educators with practitioner skills and nurse practitioners with educator skills, thus allowing flexibility in career options. Graduates are qualified to apply for certification as adult nurse practitioners or staff development nurses. Also being offered is an associate in science degree in radiography in collaboration with the Hackensack University Medical Center and The Valley Hospital, Ridgewood, N.J.

• QUEST (Quality in Education, Schools and Teaching) is a five-year BA/MAT program that enables undergraduate students to major in a subject area and to obtain practical experience in teaching during each of the four undergraduate areas and a Master of Arts in teaching at the end of the fifth year.

• An intensive one-year MBA in global management emphasizes leadership, decision-making skills, foreign language proficiency in business conversational skills, international functional skills and cross-cultural awareness. Based on four, nine-week semesters, the program includes a three-week seminar on global business at Wroxton College.

• The School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management and the Saturday MBA programs were expanded to the Florham-Madison Campus, and graduate courses were offered for the first time at FDU's Fort Monmouth-Eatontown extension. In addition, off-campus offerings, leading to an MBA in management, were introduced at The Dun & Bradstreet Corp. and The Prudential Insurance Co. of America, and the MBA in pharmaceutical-chemical studies now is available at the Bayer Corporation and Schering-Plough Corp.

• As a result of the Living-Learning initiative at Edward Williams College, 1995-96 saw the introduction of two new required courses, "Cultural Arts" and "Introduction to Computers." In addition, new pedagogical approaches are being introduced in "Basic English" and "Basic Mathematics."

• The Bachelor of Arts in General Studies features the opportunity for adult learners to develop an educational plan that includes prior transfer credit, credit by examination, experiential credit through portfolio assessment and regular courses.

• New continuing education programs have included: public administration certificates offered at police and fire academies throughout the state, test preparation, computer instruction, the Insurance Institute, a safety training certificate program, a legal nurse consultant program, summer training institutes, certificates in payroll administration and human resource management, and a graduate certificate program in management information systems developed with the School of Computer Science and Information Systems and delivered through electronic computer conferencing. The latter initiative is the first distance learning offering in the University utilizing electronic computer conferencing. Also, programs in paralegal studies, real-estate studies and financial planning have been expanded. And, in conjunction with the visual and performing arts department, a certificate program was designed in electronic filmmaking.

• Certificate programs are being offered in instructional technology, optical technology, total quality management technology, database administration and information systems.

• Several new joint degree programs have been introduced including the MA in industrial psychology/MBA in human resource management and the MA in corporate and organizational communication/MBA in management.

• New concentrations at the University focus on a variety of technological, management and human resource areas. They include biotechnology; environmental studies; pollution studies; international business, languages and cultures; human resource management; construction management; and international relations.