Surpassing the mark

Together We Can: The Campaign for Scholarship, which concluded on July 31, raised $19,644,297 in gifts and pledges, including planned gifts, surpassing the initial target by more than 30%. “The success of this campaign will support our ongoing efforts to attract exceptional students from economically, geographically, and culturally diverse backgrounds,” said President Patrick F. Leahy.

Monmouth on the big screen

Blinded by the Light, the based-on-real-life movie about a Pakistani immigrant living in England who finds solace in the music of Bruce Springsteen, includes a shout-out to Monmouth College (the movie is set in 1987). Eileen Chapman, director of the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music at Monmouth, says filming took place in and around campus, and that the film’s director, Gurinder Chadha, visited the archives prior to filming. Some of the production and promotional items will eventually be donated to the archives, says Chapman, who attended the film’s Asbury Park, New Jersey, premiere along with President Leahy and several University faculty members.

Monmouth on the small screen

In July, the National Geographic Channel aired an episode of When Sharks Attack that was partially filmed aboard Monmouth University’s R/V Heidi Lynn Sculthorpe. The episode, titled “Jersey Gore,” looked at the infamous Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916 that inspired Jaws, and examined theories about the causes. During the filming, which took place last year, the crew interviewed Assistant Professor of Biology Keith Dunton aboard the vessel and observed as he and student researchers caught and tagged sharks off Sandy Hook.

Green is good

The University is now recognized as a New Jersey Sustainable Business, joining small businesses across the state on the New Jersey Sustainable Business Registry. The University achieved this recognition through pursuing green initiatives on campus, such as the development of the Sustainability Advisory Council (SAC), environmentally friendly purchasing, waste reduction, reuse, recycling, energy efficiency, and air quality improvements, among other accomplishments.

A fab win

A Beatles-inspired illustration that was commissioned for the fall 2018 issue of this magazine was honored with a bronze Circle of Excellence Award from the Washington, D.C.–based Council for Advancement and Support of Education. The illustration was created by artist Julie McLaughlin.

ABOVE: Monmouth University ambassador and current senior Angelo Napoli (holding flag) shepherds members of the Class of 2023 between events during July’s New Student Orientation. (Photo by Anthony DePrimo.)