"Work is either

fun or drudgery.

It depends on

your attitude.

I like fun."

-Colleen Barrett

Welcome!

Welcome to the first edition of the iLead student leader magazine sponsored by the Lisa A. Pierce Center for Leadership. This newsletter will appear four times throughout the academic year.

The purpose of this magazine is to inform NJIT students of the leadership resources and opportunities that are available. It will feature articles, book reviews, student highlights as well as provide information regarding leadership development opportunities that are available, such as conferences and workshops.

As the Inaugural edition, we are dedicating this edition to Lisa A. Pierce, a former NJIT employee who passed away after a tragic boat ride. Lisa supported student growth, created the Center for Leadership and advocated for student leadership programs. She left a lasting impression on those she touched. Although Lisa is no longer with us today, we want to celebrate and honor her hard work, passion, integrity and legacy. In these pages we have created a tribute to Lisa. We hope you enjoy our magazine and will continue to read our pages. If you have suggestions or feedback, please feel free to contact us.

iLead

Lisa A. Pierce Center for Leadership

Issue 1

October 2011

Student Leader Magazine

About the staff My name is Sherlene Ayala, and I am the newest Campus Center staff member. I am the Assistant Director of Leadership, Diversity and First Year Programs. Prior to joining NJIT, I worked for Residence Life at SUNY Plattsburgh as a Hall Director. I also worked for the EOP office and the Office of Greek Life. I then worked for the Office of Student Development at Iona College as the Assistant Director for Leadership, Diversity, Programming & Commuter Initiatives.

I have my Masters Degree in College Counseling & Student Affairs Professional Practice.

My long term goals including teaching in a Mas-ters Program for students who want to join the wonder-ful field of Student Affairs.

I am a New Yorker! Born and raised. I am currently in the process of moving my family to New Jersey, including my puppy “OREO”. I am excited to be at NJIT and meet new people. Feel free to stop by my office to say, Hi.

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Hi! My name is Priyanka Datta, and I am the Office Manager for the Lisa A. Pierce Center of Leadership. This is my second year work-ing in this position. I am a 4th year in the 5 year Biology and Sci-ence, Technology and Society double major program. I am also the fundraising chair and Alumna Liaison for the Beta Upsilon chapter of Alpha Sigma Tau Sorority at NJIT.

My job this year as Office Manager is to assist with our numerous leadership programs offered this year. I also teach a section of the Emerging Leaders Program.

I can help any student who needs assistance with reserving the Leadership Center for a meeting or other group function. Please feel free to email me and I would be happy to assist you.

I hope that everyone has a productive and successful semester!!

My office hours are:

Monday & Wednesday

3:30pm-5:30pm

Thursday

2:30-4:30pm

Friday

1:00-5:00pm

Office:

494 Campus Center

E-mail:

Ayala@njit.edu

Phone Number:

973-596-5640

“Leadership is action, not position.” -Donald. H.

We are excited to announce the launch

of a new leadership program, “The

Emerging Leaders Program.” The

program targets first year, sophomore

and transfer students who wish to

explore their leadership potential. The

students will participate in a series of 8

workshops throughout the 2011-2012

academic year. The workshops will

explore values congruence, team work

and creating change in our community. At the end of the

program, the students will receive a certificate of completion,

and be offered the opportunity to serve as a Peer Mentor for the 2012-2013 class.

Emerging Leaders Program

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Hi! My name is Priyanka Datta, and I am the Office Manager for the Lisa A. Pierce Center of Leadership. This is my second year work-ing in this position. I am a 4th year in the 5 year Biology and Sci-ence, Technology and Society double major program. I am also the fundraising chair and Alumna Liaison for the Beta Upsilon chapter of Alpha Sigma Tau Sorority at NJIT.

My job this year as Office Manager is to assist with our numerous leadership programs offered this year. I also teach a section of the Emerging Leaders Program.

I can help any student who needs assistance with reserving the Leadership Center for a meeting or other group function. Please feel free to email me and I would be happy to assist you.

I hope that everyone has a productive and successful semester!!

Please welcome

our 11-12 Class!

Aya Elsekhely

Anthony Bejar

Brian Taylor

Hyun Keun Oh

John Dion

Kevin Holton

Nicole Federico

Nakib Junayed

Priyanka Nayer

Roydon Pereira

Shivum Gohil

Umang Shah

(8/31/1968—3/8/2004)

Lisa worked in the field of

Higher Education for over 10

years, and was extremely good

at it. She worked at Siena

College and Stony Brook

University before joining us at

NJIT. Lisa had this impact to

change people’s lives, both

students and staff. No matter

who she came into contact with,

she impacted them some way or

another.

During her time at NJIT, Lisa

worked for Residential Life and

then moved to the Campus

Center to work as the Assistant

Director for Leadership and

Wellness Programs. Her

aspiration was to improve the

NJIT campus community using

her strong leadership skills and

kind heart. She loved working

with students and improving

their college experience.

Lisa a. pierce A tribute to the woman who changed our lives & campus

Lisa impacted the NJIT campus in

many ways. She created the

Residence Hall Association, the

Leadership Certificate Program, the

MACUHO Volunteer Incentive

Program, ACUI College Bowl, and

helped create International Coffee

Houses. She did so because she

loved NJIT and felt that giving any

less than 110% of herself wouldn’t be

enough.

Her strong desire to promote

student leadership is exemplified

when she created the Center for

Leadership in the Campus Center.

Lisa brought energy and light to the

room. She was fun, lighthearted,

charismatic and loved by many.

When her colleagues created the

“Fun Committee”, she was on board

ready to plan parties, gatherings and

trips to watch local bands.

Lisa also loved to travel. It was no

surprise that when asked to

moderate a student trip, she asked

her parents to join her in Baltimore.

Family was her priority and she

wanted to spend a weekend with her

parents. Unfortunately we lost both

Lisa & her mom JoAnn M. Pierce in

a tragic water taxi accident that

weekend. It was a huge lost to the

campus community, students and

staff. Some described it as going

“numb”.

Although she is gone, many can

still feel the presence of Lisa’s

energetic, funny, radiant and

beautiful personality. In

reflecting on her life, many

colleagues have shared that they

are here today because of Lisa,

and some of her former students

have pursued a career in Higher

Ed to provide the mentorship

Lisa had given them.

As her dad,

Thomas E. Pierce,

wrote in his book

titled, The Last

Rose: A True

Celebration of

Eternal Life,

“With love, all

things are possible.”

As the season changes, and the

leaves fall, we ask that you as a

leader remember these words.

Leadership should not be about

position, it should be about

purpose & the impact you make

on others lives and our

community. We are humbled by

the gracious acts of Lisa, and

hope that her lessons will remain

with us as we lead our

community, others and our selves

for the years to come.

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“Lisa LOVED NJIT! She was always there for students to guide them, show them

how they could grow, challenge themselves to attain more out of their college career.” Karen Quackenbush

Assistant Director of Residence Life @ NJIT

“Lisa treated everyone with the same level of RESPECT, no matter who you were or what level position you held, she challenged them to accomplish their goals and grow

beyond their comfort zone.” David Clurman,

Assistant Director of Residential Education @ UMBC

“She was kind. Lisa had a subtle way of getting students to think about leadership and how they could participate. They

TRUSTED her. Students got involved because they knew

Lisa was dedicated to making them better individuals.” Sanjeannetta Worley

Assistant Director of Residence Life @ NJIT

“Lisa gave a sense of professionalism and

COMMITMENT to completing a task to the best of one’s ability.”

Leroy Thomas, Associate Dean of Students @ NJIT

“She never passed the buck. She was a pleasant person to work

with and SERVED the interest of the students well.”

Kenneth C. Welch Jr, Manager of Building Services @ NJIT

“Lisa was the mainspring for International Coffee Houses. She

took the idea and crested a VIBRANT place where

students can mingle. She was positive and energetic, funny, giving and possessed a wonderful smile and sense of humor.”

Jeff Grundy Director of the Office of International Students @ NJIT

“Lisa filled students with confidence and positive thoughts, convincing us that we could do whatever we wanted. I could not

have asked for a better ROLE MODEL to get me started on the path of Student Affairs.”

Micheal Robbins, Director of Residence Life @ McDaniel College

“A lady who exposed me & those of us in Res Life the true

meaning of the word DIVERSITY. I understood from her the importance of making an effort to work with others and learn

from others—especially those who were not like you.” Ekene Agabu, Director of A.R. Life @ Baltimore, MD

Lisa A. Pierce Center for Leadership Located on the 4th floor of the Campus Center, Room 495

Location: 4th Floor Campus Center, Room 495

Hours: 8:00am-11:00pm (Mon-Fri) Closed on the weekends (unless reserved)

Access: The room is open daily, except the weekends. It is available to any NJIT student, staff or faculty. If the room is not in use, feel free to come check it out, study, or read a book. If you would like to host a private meeting, you must reserve the space. Reservations can be done online on the NJIT Calendar or with LaTosha Wilson, Assistant Director. Point Person: Sherlene Ayala, Assistant Director for Leadership, Diversity & First Year Programs

Resources: A leadership library featuring over 150+ books, arts/craft supplies, a computer workstation, dry erase board, desks and chairs which can be arranged to accommodate groups of 15. We also have a brand new coat hanger to hold your belongings during this cold weather.

Visit the Center for Leadership!

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Personalized Leadership Workshops Want us to facilitate a workshop for your club/organization? All interested students are invited to submit a request to receive a Personalized Workshop for their respective club or organization. To apply, please stop by room 494 in the Campus Center, or e-mail Sherlene at Ayala@njit.edu. All requests must be submitted 3-weeks in advance.

National Leadership Honor Society The Omicron Delta Kappa Society, the National Leadership Honor Society is now accepting applications. ODK is for college students & recognizes and encourages superior scholarship, leadership and exemplary character. Membership in ODK is a mark of highest honor and distinction.

Students must be involved in one of the Five Pillars:

Scholarship Activities

Athletics

Journalism, Speech, and the Mass Media

Creative and Performing Arts

Campus or Community Service, Social and Religious/Cultural Activities and Cam-pus Student Government

*Students must also be a Junior, Senior or Graduate Student with a 3.0 GPA Applications are due on Friday, November 11, 2011 Questions about ODK? Please e-mail Sherlene @ Ayala@njit.edu

Student Conferences The Lisa A. Pierce Center for Leadership is willing to sponsor all interested students.

If interested, please contact Sherlene @ Ayala@njit.edu

“NJIT Student

Leadership Programs”

“@NJIT_Leadership”

Want to contribute to the

next newsletter?

Consider contributing to the next edition. We are looking

for :

Leadership articles

Recommended leadership books

Student leaders spotlights/shout outs

Upcoming Leadership workshops

All submission must be sent by Friday, November 11th to:

NJITLeadership@gmail.com

If you have any ideas or suggestions for future editions, feel

free to E-mail Us!

Lisa A. Pierce Center for Leadership

Campus Center Room 495

Phone: 973-596-5438

E-mail: NJITLeadership@gmail.com

WEBSITE COMING SOON!!!