Spotlight — Kohn, Petracco, Salzman, Tantral
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Michael Kohn
Assistant Director, Academic Resource Center
Metropolitan Campus
How long have you been at FDU?
Seven years this September.
A perfect weekend afternoon is…
… a stroll north through Manhattan’s Riverside Park in early May or December, especially as the sun sets over the Hudson River and the street lamps that line the promenade flicker to life. I’ll sit on a park bench, put Mozart or Mahler on my headphones and people-watch until dusk.
If you could meet anyone in the world, whom would you pick? Why?
Pianist Keith Jarrett. His discography is unusually diverse: Bach’s “French Suites,” the preludes and fugues of Dmitri Shostakovich, sideman work with Miles Davis in the 1970s, solo piano improvisations and the full repertoire of jazz standards with his trio. His writings on music and culture are also very incisive.
One of the things I must have in my refrigerator at all times:
My homemade tomato sauce for pasta. I make it on the weekends and freeze what I don’t immediately use.
What book or film did you recently enjoy? Why would you recommend it?
The idealist in me says A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle; but the pragmatist in me says Mediated, by Thomas de Zengotita. The former is a deeply spiritual work about big questions of existence and meaning, while the latter is a work of postmodern Nietzschean philosophy masquerading as yet another media-studies analysis. The grammar nerd in me says Eats, Shoots & Leaves, by Lynne Truss — a very fun read.
My proudest moment was …
… winning an NYU [New York University] Wasserman Award in April of 2000 for a short film score that I composed and performed.
Complete the phrase: People would be surprised to know that I …
… often enjoy riding New York’s subways just for fun. Yes, it’s true. In fact, by the eighth or ninth grade, I had traveled the complete length of every subway line and committed the entire subway map to memory!
What profession other than your own would you most like to attempt, and what profession would you want nothing to do with?
I think the obvious answer for me would be a career in music, which I once envisioned for myself. I also enjoy writing for my department’s newsletter, The Learning Curve. I can safely say that a career in politics would probably be my last choice!
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Ann Petracco
Associate Athletic Director/Senior Women Administrator and Field Hockey Head Coach College at Florham
How long have you been at FDU?
It will be three years in July.
A perfect weekend afternoon is …
… a day at the beach with a good book.
If you could meet anyone in the world, whom would you pick? Why?
[Renowned medical intuitive] Caroline Myss.
One of the things I must have in my refrigerator at all times is:
Peanut butter and jelly.
What book or film did you recently enjoy? Why would you recommend it?
The romantic comedy “Just Like Heaven.” [The movie showed that] everything in our lives happens for a reason. There are no insignificant chance meetings; everyone we meet has something to offer us, or us them.
My proudest moment was …
… when I was selected to be part of the United States field hockey squad in 1977.
Complete the phrase: People would be surprised to know that I ...
… water ski.
What profession other than your own would you most like to attempt, and what profession would you want nothing to do with?
I would like to be a sports psychologist, but I cannot think of any profession that I would not want to try.
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Neil Salzman
Professor of History and Political Science College at Florham
How long have you been at FDU?
Forty years.
A perfect weekend afternoon is ...
… walking a wooded trail in a wilderness area far from human habitation.
If you could meet anyone in the world, whom would you pick? Why?
Gandhi would be among my first choices. I would want to take the measure of the real human being in contrast to the myth. I would also want to know his thoughts and responses to today’s challenges.
One of the things I must have in my refrigerator at all times:
Fresh fruit.What book or film did you recently enjoy? Why would you recommend it?
[United States Senator] Barak Obama’s autobiography [Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance]. If there are reasons for optimism and commitment in our society today, Obama’s responses to life’s challenges will reinvigorate both.
My proudest moment was …
… and is, the full embrace of each and every day.
Complete the phrase: People would be surprised to know that I ...
… am just as much a country mouse as a city mouse.What profession other than your own would you most like to attempt, and what profession would you want nothing to do with?
I’d like to attempt being a psychotherapist, and I’d never want to be a garbage collector.
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Panadda Tantral
Assistant Professor of Accounting Metropolitan Campus
How long have you been at FDU?
This will be my 26th year.
A perfect weekend afternoon is ...
… relaxing with my family while listening to music.
If you could meet anyone in the world, whom would you pick? Why?
I would like to meet the King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej, who has done a great deal to improve the lives of his people. I have seen him up close on two occasions — once at my college graduation when he presented my degree, and once at a dance in honor of his birthday — but have never spoken to him. I would love to talk to him because he is so intelligent and inspirational.
One of the things I must have in my refrigerator at all times:
Chinese oyster sauce because I use it everyday.What book or film did you recently enjoy? Why would you recommend it?
I really liked “March of the Penguins,” mainly because I love penguins. It really shows the lives of these amazing animals. There are sad scenes but that’s just part of life. I’m glad it won the Academy Award.My proudest moment was …
…when my parents gave me a jade ring for my eighth-grade graduation, as well as when the king granted my college degree.
Complete the phrase: People would be surprised to know that I …
… play the Thai zither, a stringed instrument that you play with little hammers.
What profession other than your own would you most like to attempt, and what profession would you want nothing to do with?
I think I would like to be a medical doctor. Besides the science, I would like helping people. And I would not want to be a politician.
top of this page table of contents for this issue
March 2006
| · | Commencement to Honor Internationally Renowned Figures |
| · | Middle States Update |
| · | Students Study in England, Spain, Switzerland |
| · | Grant Focuses on Burden/Twombly Archival Project |
| · | ‘Hot Topics’ is Hot! |
| · | Arts Critic Simon to Speak |
| · | Knights to Play in NIT |
| · | Rosalind Russell Film Series |
| · | New Members Chosen for Heritage Hall |
| · | FDU Press Publishes Nine New Books |
| · | Holiday and Time-off Schedule |
| · | Faculty/Staff — Update, Announcing, Welcome |
| · | College Happenings |
| · | Spotlight — Kohn, Petracco, Salzman, Tantral |
| · | This & That |
| · | Photo Stories — U.S. Secretary of Education Visits, Black History Month Events, Art on Exhibit. |
View text only for this complete issue.
Flor =
College at Florham, Madison, N.J.
Metro =
Metropolitan Campus, Teaneck, N.J.
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Inside FDU on the Web is published by the Office of Communications and Marketing. Newsletter Staff: Carol Black, editor; Mary Ann Bautista, Mariellen Brown, Angelo Carfagna, Scott Giglio, Howard Gilman, Doug Hall, Gretchen Johnson, William Kennedy, Lillian Lukac, Rebecca Maxon, Art Petrosemolo, Michael Russo.