The student newspaper of Stevens Institute of Technology, and creator of Attila the Duck.
Happy 120th anniversary to The Stute!
We write Stevens history VOLUME CXX No. 1
HOBOKEN, NJ | SEPTEMBER 9, 2022
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SGA names new VPAA and Secretary BY ETHAN GVILI AND EMILY RETINO
PHOTO COURTESY OF @STEVENSDUCKS ON INSTAGRAM
Stevens updates branding guidelines BY CLAIRE HANNAN, OPINION COLUMNIST On May 20, Stevens released its new brand guidelines, updating the school’s message and imagery. In addition to this, Stevens also updated their logo, replacing it with a new, more minimalist version of the old one. Over the summer, all images of the old logo
have been cleared from all digital and campus spaces, now replaced by the new image. Stevens chose to make this change quietly, not releasing a campus-wide email or releasing an official statement giving the reason for the change. This change seems to align with the goals of Stevens’ new 10-year plan, which aims to modernize
Dr. Jean Zu reappointed as Dean of School of Engineering and Science BY SERENA ISAHAK, CONTRIBUTING REPORTER The School of Engineering and Science (SES) has been so fruitful in the past five years because of the diligent efforts of its Dean, Dr. Jean Zu. Zu joined the Stevens community in 2017
and has over 30 years of experience in academia as she strives to evolve the world of engineering. Dr. Zu’s academic journey began in 1987 at Tsinghua University in China, where she worked as both a teacher and an impassioned researcher. She then entered
SEE DEAN PAGE 2
PHOTO COURTESY OF DR. JEAN ZU
NEWS (2-3)
SCIENCE (7)
Stevens rebrands Learn more about changes to the logo, messaging, and promotional material.
Bear sightings and monkeypox! Find out what’s going on in the world of science.
FEATURE (4-5)
PULSE (7)
Welcome to Stevens! Read the Stute’s guide to meal plans, athletics, clubs, greek life, and so much more.
Read answers from the Stevens community to our weekly Roving Reporter, plus solve our weekly crossword puzzle and sudoku
the university. The new logo depicts the top of the Edwin A. Stevens building, the first building on campus, showing some similarity to the old design but now in a modern, simplistic style. Below that is a small star, also borrowed from the old design, and block letters saying “Stevens Institute of Technology 1870.” The redesign as well as new
marketing material have an emphasis on bold, angular designs to give the school a more sleek, cutting-edge appeal. Along with changing the imagery used, Stevens also updated their brand messaging, and what words and phrases staff is allowed to use when writing pub
SEE BRAND PAGE 2
SGA President, Gabriella Poska and Vice President of Operations, Paulina Georgoutsos, will be appointing Olof Persson and Carly Teitelbaum as Vice President of Academic Affairs (VPAA) and Secretary, respectively. Their appointments will be pending the approval of the Senate during the upcoming Meeting of the Senate. This appointment follows the recent resignation of the previous VPAA, Eden Luvishis. The Stute conducted an interview with Poska and Luvishis to inquire more about this recent leadership change and what it means for the Stevens community. Why did Luvishis decide to step down from the position of VPAA? Luvishis is planning to study abroad at the University of Amsterdam in the fall semester and will not be able to perform all of her duties necessary for the role of VPAA while she is abroad. What is the process of refilling the position after a resignation? The President and VPO are the two elected positions by the student body. They will come together and conduct interviews to appoint
the position. Once the President and VPO appoint a candidate, the Senate has to approve the appointments by a simple majority. What does the VPAA do, and what traits are essential for a new VPAA to display? The Vice President of Academic Affairs is the bridge between the students and administration with any issues regarding academics. Any inquiries about academic policy, making a change on campus, or concerns that students may have would go to the VPAA. They would function as a messenger between professors and their students. Poska describes Luvishis as being well-versed in everything related to academic affairs, as someone experienced working with others. A model VPAA is an individual who is vocal about their beliefs and who would stand up for students. What changes are happening to the SGA, and how do you think these changes will affect student life at Stevens? With Luvishis stepping down from her position, having the current Academic Affairs Committee
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Stevens Stevens Board of Trustees approved the university’s 10-year strategic plan sports bling of research funds from Stevens aspires to track excel BY ALIONA HEITZ, $40M to $80M per year tar- quantitative and qualitative CONTRIBUTING get. performance on a regular nationally REPORTER Stevens has declared an ambitious goal to become a national and global technology-centric educational magnet by 2023, according to the Stevens 2032 Strategic Plan released earlier this June. The Strategic Planning Steering Committee has led a 17-month-long process of creating a set of goals and core values to follow within the next decade to perform 10 years of great success. Following the 2032 plan, the goals have been engineered to follow the vision Inspired by Humanity, Powered by Technology. As mentioned in the articulated plan, four strategic priorities within a batch of nine goals include enhancing the student’s experience and success, amplifying Stevens’ impact through research and innovation, elevating the academic reputation of Stevens, and strengthening and connecting the Stevens community. Each of these goals, along with the five others, are developed through a SMART-focused layout that comprises key initiatives and strategies that can directly be applied to a system of progression, like the dou-
The plan is bold but attainable. Stevens’ position can be modeled by four modules: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Starting with its strengths, the academic datasets show an increase in research awards and graduation rate, but also entail the accomplishments, which provide a strong foundation for Stevens to build upon in the future. Weaknesses must be assumed, as Stevens recognizes the limitation of their 55-acre campus, and the past incapacity to reach student satisfaction at its highest levels. Opportunities are taken for granted and the committee made sure to state them as mentioned by the example of the increasing demand for a technology-savvy workforce, and increasing acceptance of online education, both opening doors to a new virtual system of education. Threats are also mentioned in the plan, leading factors to unplanned misfiring if not taken seriously. These include the increased competitive pressures from peer schools, and the escalating cost of higher education closely related to postCOVID inflation rates.
basis, acknowledging the interconnection and interdependence between each of these goals, and will not sacrifice quality for quantity. Stevens’ committee also aspires to share the annual progress with the Stevens community on stevens.edu. This annual plan will be developed by the leadership team to execute smaller, annual targets, which are sent and revised by the Provost and Vice Presidents. The plan states integrity, diversity, equity and inclusion, and sustainability as core values that members of the community should follow in order for each of the goals to be achieved. Each dean is responsible for the proactive implementation of academic goals related to the 2032 Strategic Plan on a department level, whereas each student is encouraged to put forth their best knowledge and performance which will inevitably lead to higher marks on a bigger scale at Stevens. As declared by the Strategic Plan, each goal and its stakeholder is interdependent and woven together, guiding Stevens’ efforts to make the vision of 2032 an actual reality.
BY RUTHIE MULLISKY, CONTRIBUTING REPORTER The 2021-22 season for the Stevens Athletics Department was truly one for the books. With an outstanding 13 teams winning Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom Titles, 13 teams advancing to the NCAA Tournament, and a strong 309-135-7 record across all team sports, this past season proved to be extremely rewarding for the Stevens Ducks. All this success brought even more recognition — a 10th place finish of 326 Division III institutions ranked in the final Learfield Directors’ Cup. The Learfield Directors’ Cup is a joint program between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and USA Today. The final DIII standings consider 18 sports, and four must be men’s and women’s soccer and men’s and women’s basketball. The following 14 highest sports from each institution are
SEE SPORTS PAGE 2