Monmouth University celebrates 75 years
The 2008 Founders' Day event held on campus last week
BY DANIEL HOWLEY Staff Writer

WEST LONG BRANCH — Prestigious alumni and guests gathered at Monmouth University's Pollack Theater last week to take part in the annual Founders' Day celebration.

The Monmouth University 2008 Founders' Day celebration was held on Oct. 8 and marked the 75th anniversary for the West Long Branch-based university.

The event was presided over by Monmouth University President Paul G. Gaffney and consisted of campus-wide events centered on a convocation ceremony at the Pollack Theater.

"The day's events were wonderful," said Petra Ludwig-Shaw, Monmouth University's public affairs officer. "The [convocation] ceremony is devoted to the remembrance and renewal of Monmouth University's dedication to education and scholarship.

"Students, staff, alumni and faculty enjoy coming together to celebrate Founders' Day," she added,

NBC News Chief Medical Editor Nancy Snyderman, M.D., delivered the keynote address, which focused on how citizens should live their lives with "grace and nobleness."

Snyderman, who was conferred with an honorary degree from the university during the ceremony, joined NBC News in 2006 and has reported on a wide array of medical topics for the network.

She is currently a staff member at the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery.

The Monmouth University Founders' Day event was first held in 1983 to mark the university's 50th anniversary. It has since become an annual tradition at the university.

"It is an important yearly event where the whole campus can come together and celebrate the university," Shaw said.

Originally known as Monmouth Junior College, the school was founded in 1933 under a federal assistance program.

"It was created to provide an opportunity for higher education to local high school graduates, who, during the Great Depression, could not afford to go to colleges out of the area," Shaw said.

Monmouth University continued to operate as an evening-only program at the Long Branch Senior High School for more than 20 years.

In 1956, Monmouth University was accredited by the state to offer baccalaureate degrees. That same year, the school acquired what is its current core campus, the former Shadow Lawn estate.

Granted university status in 1995, Monmouth University now comprises a 146-acre campus and is home to some 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

The university offers 29 undergraduate and 20 graduate degrees through eight different schools: the School of Business Administration; School of Education; School of Social Work; School of Humanities and Social Sciences; School of Nursing and Health Studies; School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Graduate School, and Honors School.

"The university is a community of unique individuals united in the common goal to educate students to succeed and lead," Shaw said.

Several notable figures

were on hand at the event, including Tim McLoone, the founder and president of Holiday

Express. At the event, McLoone received the university's Pollack Award for Community Service.

Also recognized at the event was Long Branch Realtor and land conservationist David Ennis, who received the 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award.

McLoone's Holiday Express is a grassroots, nonsectarian, nonprofit organization dedicated to delivering music, food, gifts, financial support and friendship to needy individuals during the holiday seasons as well as throughout the year.

The Holiday Express is composed of some 600 volunteers, including 70 professional musicians who provide support for adults and children who are physically and mentally disabled.

McLoone is also the owner of several restaurants, including McLoone's Pier House in Long Branch and the McLoone's Rum Runner in Sea Bright.

Ennis, who graduated from Monmouth University in 1974, was selected to receive the year's Distinguished Alumni Award. The award recognizes his 30-year career in land conservation and preservation.

Ennis, a native of Long Branch, received his Bachelor of Science degree in business while attending night classes at the university. He was instrumental in devising the Comprehensive Pinelands Management Plan that created the Pinelands National Reserve and helped create the state's Farmland Preservation Program.

Notable graduates of Monmouth University include two-time Olympic gold medalist Christie Pearce, Major League Baseball player Edward Halocki and Associated Press Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch.

Previous distinguished public figures to appear at the university include Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who gave a speech at the school in 1966, and Franki Valli, who performed with the Four Seasons, in 1969.

Contact Daniel Howley at

dhowley@gmnews.com.