Fred Englander

Professor of Economics
College at Florham

How long have you been at FDU?

I am beginning my 26th year at FDU.

If you could meet anyone in the world, whom would you pick? Why?

This is a tough question and I have given it a great deal of thought. I have always admired newspaper columnist/humorist Art Buchwald. I admire his creativity and his humor. I admire his subtlety, his use of language and his ability to see the foibles in all of us. He also sees the tragedy in triumph and the lighter side of disaster. Art Buchwald has been dying these last several months. But he has done so with a characteristic sense of irony and a great dignity.

I would love also to meet some of the great crime mystery writers that I have enjoyed so much over the years — Marjorie Allingham, John le Carré, Colin Dexter, Elizabeth George, Caroline Graham and P.D. James. Of course these writers are remarkably creative, have a great insight into human nature and often display a subtle wit.

One of the things I have in my refrigerator all the time is ...

… diet soda. I confess that my taste in beverages (and other things as well) has never matured. I rarely drink coffee or tea.

What book or film did you recently enjoy? Why would you recommend it?

Please allow me to mention three reasonably recent films — “Munich,” “Match Point” and “Good Night and Good Luck.” I liked all of these films for their ability to portray modern characters faced with difficult, or even excruciating, moral choices and the insights that the viewer may gain by observing how these challenges were addressed.

Something I’ve always wanted to learn is ...

Unless I have misunderstood the question, this seems like an odd question to ask a college professor. Learning is our business. If I have a desire to learn something, I make an effort to do so. Sometimes such efforts bear fruit; often I find that a subject is more complex than I thought and I move on.

I collect ...

I mentioned above my interest in crime mystery writers. I have a small collection of video tapes and DVDs which contain some of my favorites.

Things that brighten my day are ...

I expect that you’ve heard this one before. I always feel better if I am able to teach a successful class — provoke students into thinking about things or seeing things that they were not inclined to think about or understand. I am especially happy if I stumble upon a new approach to teaching a subject matter which achieves such a result. Of course, many classes do not end as happily, and many efforts to arrive at a new approach fall flat.

I have two daughters in their 20s. Like most any father, I take great pleasure when one of them is able to accomplish a goal that is important to her.

Complete the phrase: People would be surprised to know that I ...

This is also a tough question for me. When I interact with people, both in and out of class, I try not to hide things about myself. I expect that I often reveal more about my life and personality in class, for example, than students have any interest in knowing. At the end of a course, there may not be many surprises left.

What profession other than your own would you most like to attempt, and what profession would you want nothing to do with?

When I was much younger, I toyed with the thought of being a journalist. Now, I can see the similarities between journalism and teaching. There is a process of discovery — gathering facts, opinions and insights. There is a process of taking the collected information and distilling it down to finite, manageable portions. And there is the task of trying to find an interesting way of sharing the story with others. I made a few meager attempts at journalism when I was in college. But around the same time, a few friends asked me if I would try to tutor them in some of the economics concepts they were having trouble learning. When I discovered how much fun it was for me to do this tutoring, I knew what kind of career I wanted.

I have always tried to avoid activities with a lot of heavy lifting.

Mary Ford

Learning Specialist, Freshman Intensive Studies
College at Florham

How long have you been at FDU?

I’ve been at FDU for almost two years.

If you could meet anyone in the world, whom would you pick? Why?

The person I would want to meet is Willa Cather, who is one of my favorite writers. I completed my graduate work in Cather’s spiritual novels: Death Comes for the Archbishop and Shadows on the Rock. Every time I reread her works, I experience new insights on how her landscapes serve as the voice of the main characters, communicating their innermost thoughts and emotions. I would love to have met Cather just so I can ask her whether she intended to make some of the connections between her work and Dante Alighieri’s work that I discuss in my graduate thesis. I also would like to have met Pope John Paul II to ask him about some of our world leaders and to hear his accounts of people in various countries experiencing great suffering, injustice and turmoil. Finally, the child in me cannot forget Charles Schultz. I’m a big Peanuts fan. In elementary school, my sister and I drew the Peanuts characters on stage during every talent show. I would like to have asked Schultz about how he got started and how he developed ideas for his comic strip.

One of the things I have in my refrigerator all the time is ...

… baking soda. I live in a town where we tend to lose power every time a storm hits so the baking soda seems to help keep the odors away when we lose power in the fridge.

What book or film did you recently enjoy? Why would you recommend it?

I am currently reading Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake and am enjoying it thus far. It is interesting to learn about the challenges faced by Indian immigrants. The various themes in the novel — identity, family rituals, displacement, belonging, escape — appeal to readers of all cultures.

Something I’ve always wanted to learn is ...

… how to swim very well. I wish I could dive into the waves as easily as my husband does. I also would love to learn some professional dance steps.

I collect ...

I don’t collect anything, but my interests include arts and crafts (I love stores such as AC Moore and Michael’s) and photography. I have become the designated photographer at family functions.

Things that brighten my day are ...

… my husband leaving cheerful notes in my lunch bag; my mother’s delicious dish of pasta and calamari; the excitement in my niece’s voice when she tells me that I have to come over her house because she saved “one Dorito chip” for me; the energy of my other nieces and nephews, all eight and one on the way; and of course, FIS students coming by the office to let me know that they aced their exam or finally got that “A” on a paper they have been working on for a few weeks.

Complete the phrase: People would be surprised to know that I ...

… love going to Bon Jovi concerts. I have been attending Bon Jovi concerts ever since I was in high school. The energy of the band and its music provides an escape from the stress and demands of daily life.

What profession other than your own would you most like to attempt, and what profession would you want nothing to do with?

I truly love doing the kind of work that I do in the Freshman Intensive Studies program, but if I had to do something else, it would probably be to start a writing center at a university. The number of students who enter college unprepared for the demands of college writing is so high that it is worth having a strong facility where the focus is solely on tutoring in writing. I think the feedback we give to students, both verbally and written, is so crucial, and I would love to be the person who guides tutors on how to provide that feedback to students. I would want nothing to do with working at the Division of Motor Vehicles. I would not want to be the one who has to tell a disgruntled driver that he has to drive back home (after waiting for two hours in line) because he is two points short in his identification materials.

Iris Gersh

Senior Lecturer of Hospitality Management and Associate Director of Jersey City Location (Hudson Community College), International School of Hospitality and Tourism Management
Metropolitan Campus

How long have you been at FDU?

Five years.

If you could meet anyone in the world, whom would you pick? Why?

Hillary Clinton because I admire her leadership skills.

One of the things I have in my refrigerator all the time is …

… fruits and vegetables.

What book or film did you recently enjoy? Why would you recommend it?

I am learning to meditate, so I read an instructional book.

Something I’ve always wanted to learn is ...

… how to become the ultimate time manager.

I collect ...

… fine wines.

Things that brighten my day are ...

… spending quality time with my six-year old daughter, Aliza.

Complete the phrase: People would be surprised to know that I ...

… love to rollerskate.

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 small business owner. I would not want to work in information technology, because I like to interact with people.

Keith Williams

Coordinator of Instructional Design
Metropolitan Campus

How long have you been at FDU?

I am starting my ninth month.

If you could meet anyone in the world, whom would you pick? Why?

The one person in the world that I would like to meet is the Dalai Lama because I have read two of his books and find that he is a very wise man with an interesting perspective on the modern world. He has a strong desire to blend science with spirituality/religion and his views on how traditional culture and the modern world can coexist and enhance one another are very interesting.

One of the things I have in my refrigerator all the time is ...

… freeze pops, because my little girl and I love them for a treat.

What book or film did you recently enjoy? Why would you recommend it?

The most recent book that I have read and would recommend is probably The Universe in a Single Atom by the Dalai Lama. It is a very interesting book that offers an interesting perspective on science. It is not about Buddhism; rather, it is about science and the Dalai Lama’s goal of bringing the study of the sciences and the scientific method to Tibet.

Something I’ve always wanted to learn is ...

… how to scuba dive.

I collect ...

… guitars and amplifiers; however, I only have a very small collection.

Things that brighten my day are ...

… my wife and three-year-old little girl.

Complete the phrase: People would be surprised to know that I ...

… have a very wide range of interests — from physics to philosophy and literature.

What profession other than your own would you most like to attempt, and what profession would you want nothing to do with?

I would most likely go into the field of either environmental science or psychology. I would probably not want anything to do with being a stockbroker.

September 2006

View text only for this complete issue.

Flor =
College at Florham, Madison, N.J.

Metro =
Metropolitan Campus, Teaneck, N.J.

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