Admiration and Accolades Aplenty at Management School Awards Ceremony

While Martin Tuchman School of Management ’s faculty, staff and students and their families could not gather traditionally this year for MTSM’s annual awards ceremony, the event, held virtually May 19, still emanated great pride in and affection for the school’s 2020 graduates. Like most other end-of-school-year celebrations worldwide, it was conducted online due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Dean Oya Tukel, attending from MTSM’s Leir Conference Room, remarked at the beginning of the Webex festivities, “All of our students, we can’t see you, but we miss you!

“We are all here, all of the faculty, staff, administrators from the NJIT community, our alumni, our amazing supporters. We are all here to celebrate this special day with you,” she later added.

MTSM Professor Shanthi Gopalakrishnan opened the ceremony with an inspiring quote from filmmaker Nora Ephron — “Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead” — and went on to introduce Ray Cassetta ’70, chair of the MTSM board of advisers, and keynote speaker Tom Gregorio ’08, former senior vice president and general manager of the healthcare division at New Jersey Innovation Institute (an NJIT entity), who is now chief innovation and technology officer at University Hospital in Newark. Both offered words of wisdom and tips for success.

Gregorio, an MTSM alumnus whose son will be a student at the school this fall, advised the graduates to never give up, make themselves noticeable, find their passion, lead with trust, learn to collaborate and network. “Stay in touch with peers, professors and industry experts,” he recommended, also noting, “Persistence will always pay off.”

After offering his congratulations, Cassetta commented that “each student who is here today is well prepared for a productive and honorable future” and asked that they all return to NJIT to help those coming behind them.

Special awards were bestowed for a variety of honors. Undergraduates Albert J. Bauer III, Daniel Chien and Kenneth T. Traina, along with graduate students Kenneth J. Cardenas, Daniel J. Carino, Xiao Chen, Dawn D’Angelo, Elizabeth D. Oliner and Rolguens Saturne, were inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma business honor society by Harry Silver, MTSM board of advisers member and former Goldman Sachs managing director. The society recognizes the top 10% of business school graduates across the country for their high work ethic and aptitude for business.

The top 1% of business undergraduates in the state are invited each year to join the New Jersey Collegiate Business Administration Association. NJIT’s honorees, announced by Melodi Guilbault, MTSM senior university lecturer and director of student engagement and success, were Marina Arrese, Amanda Bermel, Logan Heft, Charis Hwang, Joseph Kennedy, Sara Dos Santos, Jenna Sweeney and Monica Weglarz    

MTSM also presented Professor’s Student Academic Excellence Awards and Special Faculty Awards. Among the latter were the Community Impact Award given to Mike Ehrlich, associate professor of finance and co-director of the New Jersey Innovation Accelerator Center, and the Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award given to William V. Rapp, research professor.

The ceremony ended just as warmly as it began, with a 10-minute video featuring messages to the graduates from MTSM staff and faculty. Dean Tukel wrapped it up by leading the well-wishers in a round of applause for the MTSM Class of 2020.