SPRING 2021 Magazine
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SPRING 2021 Magazine BRINGING A SOLUTION TO THE WORLD How CFO and Executive Vice President Frank D’Amelio ’79 and his team helped bring the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to market INSIDE: SCHUH SCHOLARS AT 20 Pure Joy Peacock Nation had a lot to celebrate on March 12. The women’s basketball team’s defeat of Rider University in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) semifinal in Atlantic City marked the first time in 19 years the program advanced to a conference championship. The Peacocks made their 13th appearance in the MAAC Championship Final, the second-highest total by any school in the conference. Despite falling to Marist in the final the next day, the Peacocks concluded a historic season with 13 wins—accounting for their highest single-year win total in well over a decade. PRESIDENT’S Message The Best Measure of Our Impact? Our Graduates! featured on these pages, all I can say is, wow! The work these Saint Peter’s alumni are doing—and the contributions they are making to medicine, industry and the country—is a testament to the personal care we show all of our students, every day and in every discipline at this great University. You have many more reasons to be peacock proud as we close out an academic year in which we all continued to grapple with the global pandemic. We honored two classes, 2020 and 2021, at virtual and in-person commencements, launched a new strategic framework to navigate the challenges and opportunities over the next three years and came together as a community for Hearts & Minds: The Saint Peter’s University Scholarship The best way to illustrate the lasting impact of Celebration in support of the General Scholar- Jesuit education at Saint Peter’s University is to ship Fund. look at our graduates and what they go on to do. For a small university and an active alumni body that numbers 35,000, Saint Peter’s has “For a small university and produced an extraordinary share of leaders in an active alumni body that nearly every profession, including business, numbers 35,000, Saint Peter’s education, law, nursing, government, public has produced an extraordinary policy and more. One of these leaders is Pfizer CFO and share of leaders in nearly every Executive Vice President, Global Supply Frank profession, including business, D’Amelio ’79, who played a critical role in education, law, nursing, delivering the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to the world to combat the coronavirus, COVID-19 government, public policy pandemic. Like so many of our alumni, Frank and more.” was the first in his family to graduate college and his story is a powerful reminder that a There will be more to celebrate as we pre- Saint Peter’s education can take you anywhere pare for the official kickoff of our Sesquicen- you want to go in life. tennial this fall. Stay tuned and engaged via We also celebrate in this issue The Rev. Saint Peter’s social media, our website and this Joseph E. Schuh, S.J. Scholars Program that magazine. We will honor our glorious past and began 20 years ago to support science students look forward to the next 150 years of educat- in the pursuit of medical school, doctoral ing students who change the world. programs and advanced degrees in medicine. It was inspired by Rev. Joseph E. Schuh, S.J., Sincerely, endowed by the late John Connolly, M.D. ’57 to pay homage to Professor Schuh, and led by an incredible scientist and mentor since 2001, Schuh Professor of Health and Natural Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D. Sciences Leonard Sciorra, Ph.D. After reading President the stories of the eight Schuh Scholars Saint Peter’s University 1 IN THIS Issue HOW TO REACH US Alumni News & Notes Email: [email protected] Office of Alumni Engagement 2641 John F. Kennedy Boulevard Jersey City, NJ 07306 Letter to the Editor Email: [email protected] Editor, Saint Peter’s University 2641 John F. Kennedy Boulevard Jersey City, NJ 07306 Telephone: (201) 761-6239 On the cover: Frank D’Amelio ’79, Pfizer CFO and executive vice president, global supply FEATURES CONNECT 11. Schuh Scholars at 20 18. 10 Minutes With…Frank D’Amelio ’79, Pfizer CFO and Executive Vice President, Global Supply 20. Hearts & Minds: The Saint Peter’s University Scholarship Celebration Photographs taken on campus for 22. Corporate Partners Step Up this issue followed the University’s coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic DEPARTMENTS social-distancing protocols. 3. University News 24. Peacock U 26. Class News & Notes 32. Last Take: The Finer Points of Saint Peter’s University History ADMINISTRATION SPRING 2021 SAINT PETER’S UNIVERSITY Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D. Leah Leto, M.Ed. ’05 Volume 40, Number 2 President Vice President for Advancement and Editor Contributors & Editorial Assistance Virginia Bender, Ph.D. ’78 External Affairs Sarah Malinowski Ferrary Angeline Boyer, M.B.A. ’15 Special Assistant to the President for Erin McCann Executive Director of University Photography Institutional Planning Vice President for Student Life and Communications Deyra Acosta ’21 Frederick Bonato, Ph.D. Development Editorial & Design Services Christine Christian ’20 Provost and Vice President for Elizabeth Sullivan Erbach Communications Group Carlisle Stockton Photography Academic Affairs Vice President for Enrollment GR Productions Michael Marmora Paul Ciraulo Management and Marketing Claudia Pope-Bayne, M.A. ’16 Vice President for Finance and Business Saint Peter’s University Archives Rev. Andrew Downing, S.J. Vice President for Mission and Ministry 2 Spring 2021 UNIVERSITY News CELEBRATING THE CLASSES OF 2020 AND 2021 Saint Peter’s University celebrated the and Medina each received an honorary Doctorate of Humane accomplishments of 1,694 graduates from the Letters, honoris causa. classes of 2020 and 2021 virtually and in smaller, Two Baccalaureate Masses, a long and popular tradition at in-person commencement exercises held during the Saint Peter’s, were held in May and June to give thanks to God months of May and June. Virtual commencement for our graduates and their many accomplishments and to ceremonies were held on May 21 for the Class of 2020 ask God’s blessing upon them as they begin new chapters in and on June 3 for the Class of 2021. their lives. Rev. Gregory Boyle, S.J., H ’20 founder and director of the A series of personalized commencement experiences world’s largest gang-intervention and rehabilitation program, for both classes took place in June. Recipients of bachelor’s, Homeboy Industries, addressed the Class of 2020 at the master’s and doctoral degrees, along with their guests, had the 129th commencement exercises for the University. Carlos opportunity to attend an in-person ceremony for their college A. Medina, Esq., H ’21, president and CEO of the Statewide or school at The Duncan Family Sky Room in the Mac Mahon Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, addressed the Student Center. The events were live streamed for graduates to Class of 2021 at the 130th commencement exercises. Fr. Boyle share with family and friends. Saint Peter’s University 3 UNIVERSITY News COMING BACK TO Guarini Institute Brings Leaders of Distinction to CAMPUS University Community Peter’s University community on February 11. “Do the work” was one piece of straightforward advice offered in “Lessons in Leadership: A Conversation with Gabrielle Sulzberger,” a Zoom event moderated by Ginger Gold Schnitzer, executive director of the Guarini Institute for President Eugene J. Government and Leadership and director of the Cornacchia, Ph.D., Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program. announced on March Sulzberger also stressed the importance of 12 that Saint Peter’s finding mentors and shared that her own path University intends to was not a straight line to success, but one that return to primarily in- required patience, persistence and competence. person classes, programs The Guarini Institute brought leading figures and events for the fall in public policy and government to its virtual 2021 semester. “We are campus throughout the spring. Jeanne Fox, certainly looking forward former administrator of EPA region 2 for the U.S. to returning to ‘normal,’ Environmental Protection Agency and former Gabrielle Sulzberger but be aware that commissioner of the New Jersey Department things may look and feel Gabrielle Sulzberger is widely known as a of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) spoke on different as we prioritize successful financier, former chairman of the “Climate Catastrophe: How Do We Mitigate the health and well-being board of Whole Foods and breaker of glass It,” and a panel of experts discussed “Can the of our students, faculty, ceilings. The co-founder of the private equity firm Constitution Survive COVID-19?” The Institute staff and administrators,” Rustic Canyon/Frontis Partners also grew up in also introduced the “Healing America” series Dr. Cornacchia stated. Trenton, N.J., and was the first in her family to which featured Hon. Bonnie Watson Coleman, the On April 6, the go to college, so a natural affinity was already U.S. representative for New Jersey District 12, and University resumed established when Sulzberger spoke to the Saint U.S. Senator Cory Booker. limited capacity tours for prospective and accepted students TWO OF A KIND from New Jersey, New Deyra Acosta ’21 believes any moment is a York, Pennsylvania, great moment to capture a beautiful image. Connecticut and The fine arts major is one of seven graduating Delaware. The seniors whose work was featured in “The Rebel’s resumption of all on- Revolution: Senior Thesis Art Exhibition” which campus operations premiered virtually on IGTV on April 15. is being done in “Two of a Kind” (see photo left) was taken by accordance with the Acosta on an iPhone 8 Plus.