Amber Flynn Charlebois

Assistant Professor of Chemistry
College at Florham

How long have you been at FDU?

I started this semester, September 2006.

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

… a carton of Starbucks Chai, and in the freezer is a container of vanilla ice cream. These are my comfort foods.

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

I saw “Click” with Adam Sandler, and it touched me because it made me realize that in a sense I was living my life in fast-forward mode, and that I needed to take time to stop and smell the flowers.

Something I’ve always wanted to learn is …

… quilting, and someday I will not only learn how, but I will make a beautiful quilt. One can dream, right?

I collect …

… cows (I prefer the black/white Holsteins, but really any cow will do) to decorate my kitchen and boxes, ranging from small jewelry-type boxes to large antique trunks.

Things that brighten my day are …

… the smiles and laughter of my two little boys, Steven (4 years old) and Matthew (18 months) and the look on a student’s face as the light bulb illuminates over his/her head as a concept becomes clear.

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

… was Wyoming County Dairy Princess during my senior year of high school. With the title came many public appearances where I promoted milk and other dairy products.

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 be a great chiropractor, but I have no interest in being an accountant.

Ernest “Bub” Kovacs

Assistant Professor of Adminstrative Science
Metropolitan Campus

How long have you been at FDU?

I started [working] full time in September. However, I have been teaching graduate classes in the MAS or MPA program since 1994, and since 2000, the Certified Public Manager program. In 2002, I co-directed a graduate class on global leadership in Barcelona, Spain.

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

Ellen MacArthur, [English sailor] who recently completed a solo circumnavigation of the world that also broke the time record. I admire people who set very high goals and achieve them; particularly when they do so independently.

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

… ice-cold cans of Fresca, that 1970s icon of citrus effervescence. It is difficult to find, and I have several friends who purchase it whenever they find it on the shelf.

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

Thomas Friedman’s The World Is Flat. I am using it in several of my graduate classes and the CPM program. I am asking how public and not-for-profit managers can use the lessons of global technology to change their organizations. I think that the lessons to be learned regarding reducing barriers and jurisdictions have not been yet learned by many managers.

I recently saw the movie “North Country” regarding the first successful class-action sexual harassment suit. It was about women who became miners in Minnesota. Very difficult to watch and very powerful.

Something I’ve always wanted to learn is …

… how to develop my artistic side. I can barely draw a stick figure, and while I’ve taken classes in art, I just don’t seem to see what others do in art.

I collect …

… carved ducks and duck prints, trivets, old bottles and wooden candlesticks.

Things that brighten my day are …

… the first few minutes of each class that I teach. I get a tremendous adrenalin rush every start of a class.

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

… am a National Public Radio addict. I am particularly fond of “Car Talk” and have had my picture taken at the offices of Click and Clack, at the firm of Dewey Cheatum and Howe in Cambridge, Mass., our fair city.

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

I would enjoy carpentry. I enjoy the smell of freshly cut wood, particularly cedar. I would avoid any profession that would have me spending considerable time in confined spaces.

Neena Philips

Associate Professor of Biological Sciences
Metropolitan Campus

How long have you been at FDU?

Since the start of fall 2006.

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

My dad, who has passed on. He is the basis to everything I was, am and will be.

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

… coffee grind.

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

Letters for Emily by Cameron Wright, for its life-lessons and reminder of my dad’s wisdom to me. Also, Death and Dying by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, for its insight into the detachment of a dying person from his or her environment.

Something I’ve always wanted to learn is …

… technological advances in my field — biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology.

I collect …

… insights, poems, wisdom, thoughts.

Things that brighten my day are …

… harmony between people.

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

… was a principal scientist at Chanel, chose to remain in teaching and miss Chanel sometimes. Also, people would be surprised to know that I value my mom’s strength and advice.

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

I would attempt writing nonfiction or nonscience, based on my life experience. I would not want to be in professions that need physical strength or labor for I prefer reading, writing and teaching.

Frederic Stiner, Jr.

Professor of Accounting
College at Florham

How long have you been at FDU?

Three weeks.

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

There are a number of people I would enjoy meeting. Being in business, it would be nice to have a conversation with someone who created a new industry, such as Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs [Apple founders] or Jeff Bezos [Amazon.com founder and CEO], or this year’s successes, Steven Chen and Chad Hurley [YouTube cofounders]. However, I am also interested in history, so I would like to meet Margaret Thatcher. Together with President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II, Lady Thatcher’s leadership, wisdom and courage ended the Cold War.

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

… sodas for when children and grandchildren visit.

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

I do my nonprofessional “reading” when commuting, listening to books on tape. Although the book appeared in 2000, I recently “read” Erik Larson’s Isaac’s Storm about the 1900 Galveston Hurricane that killed more than 10,000 people. The Weather Bureau knew the storm was coming but, through bureaucratic fighting between agencies, didn’t warn the Gulf Coast. Weather Bureau and Army officials in Cuba dismissed warnings from Cuban meteorologists, even forbidding the Cubans from using the telegraph to send warnings. The survivors’ stories recount the terror of the storm. After thousands perished, local and national Weather Bureau officials lied that adequate warning was given. Gullible media believed the government and sensationalized the story. State rescue efforts were inadequate. Incompetent local officials later portrayed themselves as heroes and victims. I would recommend it as a warning against building cities in a hurricane-prone area without adequate levee protection and as a study on how politicians and government employees acted in their own self-interest while posturing as knowledgeable and helping. It’s also a caution against believing sensational stories in the media and scientists who proclaim that scientists can accurately forecast the future because they have indisputable data and brilliant mathematical models.

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

… how to sail.

I collect ...

… accounting journals. I have more than 30 years’ worth, and just can’t bring myself to throw out the oldest ones because they are not in electronic databases. I am disappointed to see that many literature reviews in scholarly papers end in the late 1980s when electronic databases began; apparently some young scholars believe no knowledge was created before the invention of databases.

Things that brighten my day are ...

Aside from enjoying my activities as a professor, some things I enjoy are going for a walk in the morning, reading the newspaper, talking to one of my children or grandchildren and working in the garden. Any day that the Orioles win is an excellent day.

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

… have a degree in agriculture. I didn’t start a career in accounting until I was taking MBA accounting classes.

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

I think history, anthropology and law are interesting. Before a university career, I had full-time experience with CPA firms in Virginia and Nebraska. One of the educational aspects of being a CPA is visiting different clients in different industries. Thinking back to accounting and auditing engagements with those clients, I know I could never be a roofer, make and retail waterbeds or manage an art gallery. I also could never do dentistry. These are all honorable activities, but time at those businesses crawled.

October 2006

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

Metro =
Metropolitan Campus, Teaneck, N.J.

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