Ramapo College Featured in the Princeton Review’s “Best in the Northeast”
Ramapo College of New Jersey is one of the best colleges and universities in the Northeast according to The Princeton Review. The New York City-based education services company selected the school as one of 212 institutions it recommends in its “Best in the Northeast” section on its PrincetonReview.com feature 2009 Best Colleges Region by Region. It also profiles the school in its book,” The Best Northeastern Colleges: 2009 Edition.”

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Science Writer and Author Natalie Angier to Speak at Ramapo College Opening Convocation
Pulitzer Prize-winning author and science writer Natalie Angier will be the guest speaker at Ramapo College’s Opening Convocation Wednesday, September 17 at 1 p.m. The Convocation will be held in the Arena of the Bill Bradley Sports and Recreation Center located on campus. The public is invited to attend; admission is free. In her book “The Canon,” Angier draws on conversations with hundreds of the world’s top scientists and her work at The New York Times to create an entertaining guide to scientific literacy. From stem cells and bird flu to evolution and global warming, the book helps readers understand scientific issues of the times.
For information, please call (201) 684-7910.

Ramapo College Singing Groups Excel at International Competition
Members of three of Ramapo College’s singing groups--CantaNOVA, Skylark and Take Twelve--brought home top honors this summer from the International Festival of Academic Choirs in Prague, the Czech Republic. The Ramapo College contingent was the only American groups invited to the festival. The competition included 17 choirs from South Africa, China, Russia, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic. This was the first time any Ramapo choirs have entered an international competition“I have an enthusiastic core of singers that wanted the opportunities a European tour and competition would bring,” said Dr. Lisa Lutter, assistant professor of vocal performance and director of the choirs. The trip was funded by a grant from the Ramapo College Foundation and the Office of the Provost.

An Eclectic Slate of Music, Theater and Comedy Will Take the Stage at Ramapo College this Fall
The Angelica and Russ Berrie Center for the Performing and Visual Arts at Ramapo College will present an eclectic slate of music, theater and comedy performances this fall. The season kicks off with Say Goodnight, Gracie: The
Love, Laughter and Life of George Burns Saturday, September 20 at 8 p.m. Starring Don McArt and written by Rupert Holmes, this play invites the audience to spend a hilarious, heart-warming evening in the uplifting company of the world’s favorite centenarian. Tickets cost $30, $27 and $24 for adults and $15 for children under 17.
Berrie Center for the Arts Website

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Song Written and Performed by a Ramapo Alum Featured at the Beijing Olympics
Ramapo College made it to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing when a song by Hsu-nami, an Asian fusion progressive rock band founded at the College in 2005, received significant airtime. “The Rising of the Sun” was played as the Chinese basketball team’s entrance theme. The song and the band received international attention. The group was formed by Jack Hsu ’07, Brent Bergholm ‘07, Vinny Belcastro ‘07, Derril Sellers ‘08, Adam Toth ’08 and current student John Manna. Their music is influenced by Chinese traditional music and hard rock. It incorporates the erhu, a two-string bowed instrument used in Chinese classical music and folk ensembles; an amplified erhu takes the place of lead vocals. In January, Belcastro departed and formed his own band, “Trust.” During a performance in New York City, the band was filmed by an Asian cable channel. The broadcast was seen by a representative of NBA entertainment, who later became music coordinator for the Olympics. In addition to being played during the basketball team’s arrival, the song was played during timeouts, halftime and incorporated into a martial arts entertainment routine.
YouTube Performance Video

Ramapo College Breaks Ground on New Spiritual Center
Funded with private monies, space for reflection, discussion
Community religious leaders, College officials and supporters of Ramapo College’s new spiritual center gathered today to break ground on the project. The Salameno Spiritual Center, which sits upon the shore of Kameron Pond on the College campus, is slated for completion in summer of 2009. It will be a gathering place for students and members of the College community to practice their faith, discuss ethical issues and reflect. The Center is named in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Salameno, of Allendale, New Jersey, who provided a lead gift of $500,000 for the Center. The establishment of the Salameno Challenge Grant served as an incentive to attract donors to the project. The Salameno Spiritual Center is being constructed on a half acre on the south side of the College’s Kameron Pond, a secluded and scenic area of campus.

President Peter Mercer updated his blog, the President's Post, with recent campus happenings.

Ramapo College of New Jersey Listed by Kiplinger’s As One of the 100 Best Values in Public Colleges
Ramapo College of New Jersey was listed in the February 2008 issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine as among the “100 Best Values in Public Colleges.” Kiplinger’s looked at more than 500 public four-year colleges and universities, using measures including the percentage of freshmen scoring 600 or higher on the verbal and math components of the SAT, student/faculty ratio, admission rates and graduation rates.  In addition, schools were ranked based on cost and financial aid, the average cost for a student with need after subtracting grants, the average cost for a student without need after subtracting non-need based grants, the average percentage of need met by aid and the average debt a student accumulates before graduation.
More Information

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