(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)April 20, 2001

(Mahwah) — Dr. Allan E. Goodman, president and chief executive officer of the Institute of International Education, will deliver the commencement address and receive an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree at Ramapo College of New Jersey’s 2001 ceremony, scheduled Monday, May 21 beginning at 10 a.m. Congresswoman Marge Roukema, chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity and a member of the House Banking and House Education and Workforce committees, will be awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree. Dr. Alice Chandler, Ramapo’s interim president, will preside over commencement, during which a total of 736 students who completed their studies in January and during the spring 2001 semester will graduate. An additional 200 students who are expected to finish in August are eligible to participate.

The President’s Award of Merit will be given to Joshua Orwa Ojodeh, Ramapo Class of 1990, and a Member of Parliament in Kenya.

Chandler became president July 1, 2000 following the resignation of Dr. Robert A. Scott, who left Ramapo College to become president of Adelphi University. Dr. Rodney D. Smith, vice president for planning and dean of the Graduate College, Hampton University (Virginia), will become the third permanent president July 1.

Representative Marge Roukema, dean of the New Jersey delegation, was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1980. She is a champion of a strong economy, health insurance reform, welfare reform, immigration reform, campaign finance reform, financial services modernization, education funding and protection of the environment. Key components of Roukema’s Save and Invest in America tax policy package were made part of the Balanced Budget Act and Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997. Her get-tough child support enforcement legislation was written into the recent welfare reform law and has increased support collections dramatically. Her crackdown on abuse of student loans by scam trade schools has saved taxpayers $2 billion annually since 1992. And her sponsorship of the Family and Medical Leave Act marked a milestone in job security for American families.

Roukema was recently named vice chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee and chairwoman of its Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity. This follows a successful six-year term (the maximum allowed under House rules) as chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions. In that role she was a key author of landmark legislation that updated the nation’s Depression-era financial services laws and will make the United States more competitive in the global market of financial services. As chairwoman of the housing panel, she plans to address mortgage reform and other steps to help make the American dream of home ownership come true for as many families as possible.

Born in West Orange, Roukema holds a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Montclair State University and did graduate work at both Montclair State and Rutgers University. She and her husband, psychiatrist Richard W. Roukema, M.D. reside in Ridgewood. She taught secondary school American history and government before leaving teaching to raise their three children. Her career in public service began early as an active leader in a variety of volunteer community organizations. She was president of the Ridgewood Republican Club and won her first elected office as a member of the Ridgewood Board of Education in 1970.

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About Ramapo College

Ramapo College of New Jersey is the state’s premier public liberal arts college and is committed to academic excellence through interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and international and intercultural understanding. The comprehensive college is situated among the beautiful Ramapo Mountains, is within commuting distance to New York City, was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America by CondeNast Traveler, and boasts the best on-campus housing in New Jersey per Niche.com. Established in 1969, Ramapo College offers bachelor’s degrees in the arts, business, data science, humanities, social sciences and the sciences, as well as in professional studies, which include business, education, nursing and social work. In addition, the College offers courses leading to teacher certification at the elementary and secondary levels, and offers graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in Accounting, Applied Mathematics, Business Administration, Contemporary Instructional Design, Computer Science, Creative Music Technology, Data Science, Educational Leadership, Nursing, Social Work and Special Education, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

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