Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. President | St. John's University website

St. John’s University marked the beginning of the 2025 academic year with a ceremony honoring faculty contributions and welcoming new members. The event took place on September 2 at the D’Angelo Center on the Queens, NY campus.

Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., President of St. John’s, addressed attendees by referencing St. Thomas Aquinas: “happiness cannot come from being honored ‘because the activity of being honored is not in the honorees, it’s in the honorers.’” He added, “What we’re doing today is the activity of honoring you—for your virtue, for your good work—and it’s entirely appropriate that we do this.” Fr. Shanley continued by stating that while happiness may not be derived from being honored, “it is what is received from people who know what they’re talking about. What [honorees] receive when they receive honor is what they deserve from people who have nothing better to give. There’s nothing better that we could give to you.” He emphasized, “What we do today is an important part of what we do with an academic community. We recognize and honor experience among us.”

Simon G. Møller, Ph.D., Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, highlighted the importance of faculty in student success: “Our students come to us with big dreams and much hope. Many of them are first-generation college students whose families have sacrificed much for them to be here.” Dr. Møller described this responsibility as a sacred duty: “We have to deliver on the promise that we have made to these students.” He also noted, “We must listen to our students. They’re young. They need our help. We must show them that we care and we’re with them on this journey at St. John’s.”

Kimberly E. Ng ’12Pharm.D., Associate Professor/Industry Professional in Pharmacy Practice and recipient of the Faculty Excellence in Student Engagement Award, spoke about her work advising pharmacy students: “My work with students has primarily been in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences as Faculty Adviser for the Student Society of Health-System Pharmacists,” she explained. “Every year we’ve been able to coordinate an annual showcase, which allows me to connect hundreds of students with over 60 programs throughout the northeast coast, in hopes that our students can match with those programs for their postgraduate training aspirations.” She said, “That day is really inspiring for us as faculty members.”

New faculty member Caitlin Roberts, RN, MSN, Assistant Professor/Industry Professional in Nursing, shared her enthusiasm for joining St. John’s: “Everyone has been so nice and welcoming,” she said. “It’s really great to see.”

Alejandro Hernández De la Lanza, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in Business Analytics and Information Systems at The Peter J. Tobin College of Business, cited his Catholic background as influencing his decision to join St. John’s: “I was familiar with the Vincentian charism because my wife got her M.B.A. from DePaul University,” he noted. “This was very intentional.”

Eric A. Akuoko, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in Curriculum and Instruction at The School of Education, also mentioned alignment with St. John’s Vincentian mission: “As a minority member, it is something with which I closely identify.” He reflected on his teaching experience elsewhere: “I have taught at other universities, and the students here are amazing. Coming from an African background as I do, when the students are respectful and responsible it makes the learning process so much smoother. That’s a great starting point.”