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Photo courtesy of Abraam Dawound[/caption]
The 2015 recipient of the Woman of the Year award is Dr. Jo-Renee Formicola, from the Department of Political Science. Nominated by colleagues and students, Dr. Formicola accepted her award at the Conference on Women and Gender on March 27.
Heavily involved with the Seton Hall community, Dr. Formicola is a professor of political science, as well as academic advisor. She has previously served as acting dean and department chair. These leadership roles have allowed Dr. Formicola to help other women at Seton Hall.
“My past leadership roles opened my eyes to the problems of many faculty women and the struggles they perceived in trying to advance within the University,” Dr. Formicola said. “I enjoy being able to share what I’ve learned with other colleagues-both male and female.”
While Dr. Formicola helps colleagues advance at Seton Hall she also leaves a lasting impression on her former students. In the midst of all of her responsibilities, Dr. Formicola is a reliable professor for her students.
“Dr. Formicola has challenged me since the day I met her to be the best student I can be and to apply lessons she taught me to current politics and the world,” said a former student, Daniela Gloor, ‘14.
“Despite the challenges ahead of me that year during Senior Seminar, Dr. Formicola alleviated the stress of my thesis and gave me the scholarly advice and encouragement I needed to write every page of my paper.”
Dolores Bujnowski, who graduated from Seton Hall in 2014, had taken Dr. Formicola’s U.S. Parties and Interest Groups course. She says that Dr. Formicola’s commitment to her students and their successes is unparalleled.
“I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to meet her, as she is a remarkable role model, mentor and friend,” Bujnowski said.
Outside of Seton Hall, Dr. Formicola spends her time doing research, writing on religion and politics, and primarily focusing on Catholic involvement in the political process.
“The award makes me feel blessed to be associated with a group of people at the University who have given me opportunities and supported me in the past- something I hope to be able to do for others,” Dr. Formicola said.
Leah Carton can be reached at leah.carton@student.shu.edu.
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