Montclair State University: Notable Alumni

Montclair State University (MSU), a public doctoral research university in Montclair, New Jersey, has a rich history of producing accomplished individuals across various fields. From the arts and entertainment to athletics and public service, MSU alumni have made significant contributions to society. This article highlights some of the university's most notable graduates and former students.

Montclair State University: A Brief Overview

Montclair State University was established in 1908 as the New Jersey State Normal School at Montclair. Over the years, it has evolved into a comprehensive university offering a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs. As of June 2024, the university has a total enrollment of 22,570 students, including 18,062 undergraduates and 4,508 graduate students. MSU is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities - High research activity."

Arts and Entertainment

Montclair State University boasts a number of alumni who have achieved prominence in the arts and entertainment industry.

Bruce Willis

One of the most recognizable names associated with Montclair State is Bruce Willis. The Emmy Award-winning actor, known for his roles in the "Die Hard" franchise, "Pulp Fiction," and "The Sixth Sense," attended Montclair State as a drama major. Although he left before graduating to pursue his acting career in New York City, his time at MSU undoubtedly contributed to his development as a performer.

Allen Ginsberg

Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with Lucien Carr, William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Generation. He vigorously opposed militarism, economic materialism, and sexual repression, and he embodied various aspects of this counterculture with his views on drugs, sex, multiculturalism, hostility to bureaucracy, and openness to Eastern religions. Ginsberg briefly attended Montclair State University (when it was Montclair State College) before transferring to Columbia University.

Read also: MSU's Impactful Alumni

Jason Biggs

Jason Matthew Biggs is an American actor. The accolades he has received include a Screen Actors Guild Award, alongside nominations for a Daytime Emmy Award and a Satellite Award.

Dania Ramirez

Dania Ramirez is a Dominican actress. Her credits include the roles of Maya Herrera in the NBC series Heroes, Alex in the HBO series Entourage, and Blanca during the last season of the HBO crime drama The Sopranos on television. Her film roles include Alex Guerrero in She Hate Me and Callisto in the feature film X-Men: The Last Stand. She portrayed Rosie Falta on Lifetime's Devious Maids from June 2013, until its cancellation in 2016. In July 2017, Ramirez joined the hit ABC series Once Upon a Time for its softly-rebooted seventh season in a starring role as Cinderella. In 2023, she began the starring role of Captain Nikki Batista in the Fox crime drama Alert: Missing Persons Unit. Dania graduated from Montclair in 2001 where she played volleyball and holds a rank in the Top 5.

Lorene Scafaria

Lorene Scafaria is an American filmmaker, playwright, musician, and actress. She wrote and directed the films Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012), The Meddler (2015), and Hustlers (2019), as well as writing the film Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008). Scafaria attended Montclair State University after leaving Lafayette College in Pennsylvania.

Camille Grammer

Camille Meyer is an American actress, dancer, model, and television personality. She is known for appearing on several seasons of the reality television show, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Grammer, an english study major and graduate of Montclair State University is best known for starring on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Justina Valentine

Justina Valentine is an American television host, rapper and singer from Passaic County, New Jersey, best known for her singles "Candy Land" featuring rapper Fetty Wap, "All The Way" and "Unbelievable". She is also known as a cast member on the improv comedy show Wild 'N Out.

Read also: Legacy of Montclair State

Jessica Vosk

Jessica Vosk is an American singer and actress, known for her work in musical theater.

Allison Strong

Allison Trujillo Strong is an American pop singer, songwriter, and actress of stage, television and film. She first gained notice for her Broadway work in the musicals Bye Bye Birdie and Mamma Mia!, has done voice-over work on the Nickelodeon's animated children's television program Dora and Friends, and appeared in other television series such as The Blacklist, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She gained wider exposure with her first feature film, playing Adam Sandler's daughter Sarah in The Week Of.

Josh Dela Cruz

Joshua Dela Cruz is an American actor. He plays a fictional version of himself as the host in Blue's Clues & You!. He is the third main host of the franchise, after Steve Burns and Donovan Patton.

Olivia Lux

Olivia Lux (born 1994) Drag Queen, performed on season 13 of Rupaul's Drag Race.

Melba Moore

Moore is an American singer and actress who was born on October 29th, 1945. Moore is most famous for performing as Dionne in the original cast of Hair on Broadway, playing ‘Bessie’ in The Fighting Temptations and for her award-winning career as R&B singer. She graduated Class of 1970 with a BA in Music from Montclair State University.

Christine Nagy

Nagy previously worked on Z100 and is currently a morning personality on 106.7 Lite Fm. Nagy graduated Montclair State with a degree in broadcasting and has had a brief career in television as well.

Kevin Carolan

Carolan attended Montclair as a theatre major in the late 1980s. He is best known for his performances on Broadway in classics like Newsies and Chicago. And most recently on television in Boardwalk Empire, Orange Is the New Black, Law and Order, All My Children and White Collar.

Michael Price

Price grew up in South Plainfield, New Jersey where he was an avid television watcher and fan of television trivia. While attending Montclair State, Price was a theatre major who wrote and directed a variety of plays on campus. Price is best known for his writing on The Simpson’s. His career started on the 300th episode and he wrote the 500th episode of the show.

Jackie Nese

Jacquelyn Nese is an American singer who was a contestant on American Idol in 2015. Her debut single titled "Lovin' Me Up" was released in 2017 along with the music video. The song was produced by Jimmy Greco and Russ DeSalvo.

Chris Opperman

Chris Opperman is a composer. Opperman is known mostly for his work orchestrating the music of guitarists Steve Vai and Mike Keneally for their respective performances with Holland's Metropole Orkest. Opperman also performed on Steve Vai's first round of orchestral concerts and the song "Lotus Feet" was nominated for the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. "The Attitude Song" from Vai's Sound Theories Vol. I & II album was nominated for the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

Athletics

Montclair State University has a strong athletic tradition, with several alumni making their mark in professional sports.

Sam Mills

Probably the most-known Montclair State Athletics alumni, Sam Mills is a Hall of Fame former football linebacker who spent seasons with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers. He grew up in southern New Jersey before attending Montclair State from 1977 to 1980. Sam died in the early 2000s, but he still holds two football records at the University - most tackles in a single game (22), and most tackles in a career (501). In addition, a residence hall on campus is named after Sam. He is the only Red Hawk athlete to be inducted into both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame and recorded over 1,300 tackles in the span of his 12-season NFL career.

Kim Barnes Arico

Kim Barnes Arico is a New York-born former basketball player and current coach. In her current position as the head coach of the University of Michigan’s women’s basketball team, over 200 wins in 10 seasons have earned her the winningest head coach in the program. Prior to coaching the Wolverines, Kim was also a part of the coaching staff at multiple other local schools - including Farleigh Dickinson University, New Jersey Institue of Technology, Adelphi University, and St. John’s University. Kim’s college basketball career started at Stonybrook University in New York.

Carol Blazejowski

Carol Blazejowski is a part of the inaugural class of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. This former basketball player, coach, and general manager is a North Jersey native who currently resides in Nutley. As a class of 1978 Montclair State alumna, Carol ended her career with the women’s basketball team with an average of over 30 points per game and just under 3,200 total points - earning her the University’s all-time leading scorer. Her career after college involved roles within the NBA, as well as being the president and manager of the WNBA’s New York Liberty for over 10 years.

Marco Capozzoli

One of the more recent Montclair State Athletics Alumni, Marco Capozzoli played pro football for the Jacksonville Sharks of the National Arena League (NAL). He first played football at St. Joseph’s High School in North Jersey before becoming a kicker for the Red Hawks football team from 2006-2009.

Mark Casale

This former quarterback and Union native played with Montclair State’s football team in the 1980s. Mark Casale is known to be the best of his time and left the Red Hawks with 16 records, over 6,000 total passing yards, and All-American honors. He was also inducted into the Montclair State Athletics Hall of Fame. He went on to be drafted by the NFL’s Chicago Bears in 1984, although he never played a game with the team.

Amod Field

Amod Field was a three-sport athlete and is in the Athletics Hall of Fame at Montclair State - he was a member of the football, men’s basketball, and track and field teams.

Keith Glauber

Keith Glauber grew up in Monmouth County before attending Montclair State to play baseball. He was a pitcher for the team in the 1990s and went on to play in the MLB with the Cinncinati Reds from 1998 TO 2000.

Herman Kull

Herman Kull attended Montclair State k in the 1950s, playing basketball and football for the Red Hawks. The Newark native coached basketball professionally up until the 1990s.

Brendan Suhr

Brendan Suhr was a member of the Red Hawks basketball team in the 1970s. The former guard is from Fair Lawn and is a current assistant coach of the Stetson University men’s basketball team. In addition to his current position, Brendan also spent time in various positions within the NBA, including an assistant coach with the Detriot Pistons when the team won two championships.

Mike Fratello

Fratello, a graduate of Hackensack High School, attended Montclair State where he played football. Fratello was the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies from December 2004 to December 2006. Fratello has been a sports broadcaster for NBC Sports, TNT and the YES Network.

Paul Mirabella

Mirabella, a graduate of Parsippany High School, attended Montclair State before he began his professional career as a baseball pitcher. In his career of thirteen seasons he pitched (left-handed) for the Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners and the Milwaukee Brewers.

Tom Reilly

The Kansas native played football for Montclair State until he dropped out. Reilly is most famous for his role as Officer Bobby “Hot Dog” Nelson in CHiPs, a television series about the motorcycle officers of the California Highway Patrol.

Politics and Public Service

Montclair State University has also produced a number of alumni who have gone on to serve in politics and public service.

Scott Garrett

representative for New Jersey's 5th congressional district, serving from 2003 to 2017. He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1990 to 2003. Garrett chaired the United States House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises. He lost his reelection bid in 2016 to Democrat Josh Gottheimer, becoming the only incumbent Congressman in New Jersey to be defeated that year.

Barbara Buono

Barbara A. Buono is an American politician who served in the New Jersey Senate from 2002 to 2014, where she represented the 18th Legislative District. She served from 2010 to 2012 as the Majority Leader in the Senate, succeeding Stephen Sweeney, and was succeeded by Loretta Weinberg. She is a member of the Democratic Party and was the Democratic nominee for Governor of New Jersey in the 2013 general election, which she lost to Republican incumbent Chris Christie.

Ana Maria Archila

Ana María Archila is an American attorney and activist serving as co-director of the New York Working Families Party. She previously ran for Lieutenant Governor of New York in 2022. She was formerly the co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) and a co-founder and co-executive director of Make the Road New York and Make the Road Action.

Jane Holl Lute

Jane Holl Lute is an American diplomat and security analyst currently serving as the UN special envoy on the Cyprus dispute. Senate on April 3, 2009. Previously, Lute was the United Nations assistant secretary-general for peacebuilding support. Before that, she was assistant secretary-general for mission support in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, beginning in August 2003. She is the president and CEO of the Arlington-based Council on CyberSecurity and senior advisor to Measure, a drone-as-a-service company. On January 5, 2014, she was appointed special adviser for relocation of Camp Hurriya residents outside of Iraq by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. On February 8, 2016, she was appointed special coordinator on improving the United Nations response to sexual exploitation and abuse. In 2020, Lute was elected as a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.

Joan Voss

Joan M. Voss is an American Democratic Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2004 until 2012, representing the 38th Legislative District. Voss was elected to the Bergen County Board of County Commissioners in 2011 after choosing not to seek reelection to her Assembly seat.

Henry Helstoski

Henry Helstoski was an American politician and veteran of World War II. Helstoski, a Democrat, represented New Jersey in the United States House of Representatives for twelve years, lasting from 1965 until 1977. He was the representative for New Jersey's 8th congressional district.

Matthew Feldman

Matthew Feldman was an American Democratic Party politician who served as a New Jersey State Senator and Mayor of Teaneck, New Jersey.

Regina Egea

Regina M. Egea served as chief of staff to governor of New Jersey Chris Christie. She was appointed in December 2013 and resigned in April 2016. She is the president of Garden State Initiative, a public policy think tank based in Morristown, New Jersey, which was founded in 2017.

Bonnie J.

The Honorable Bonnie J.

Other Notable Alumni

In addition to the individuals mentioned above, Montclair State University has a diverse alumni base that includes leaders in various fields.

William E. Gordon

William E. Gordon (1918-2010), physicist and astronomer, known as the "father of the Arecibo Observatory", director of the Arecibo Observatory and later Professor and Dean at Rice University. He earned B.A. and M. A.

Robert M. Price

Robert McNair Price is an American New Testament scholar who argues in favor of the Christ myth theory - the claim that a historical Jesus did not exist. Price is the author of a number of books on biblical studies and the historicity of Jesus. Enrolled in Montclair State University and Graduated with Bachelor of Arts.

Warren Farrell

Warren Thomas Farrell is an American political scientist and activist who initially came to prominence in the 1970s as a supporter of second wave feminism. He is the author of nine books on the issues of men, women, fathers, and couples’ communication. He served for three years on the New York City Board of the National Organization for Women (NOW). Farrell advocates for "a gender liberation movement", with "both sexes walking a mile in each other's moccasins".

Alan Weiss

Alan Weiss is an American entrepreneur, author, and public speaker.

Nelson J. Perez

Nelson Jesus Pérez is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who serves as the 10th Archbishop of Philadelphia, having been appointed by Pope Francis in January 2020. He previously served as Bishop of Cleveland from 2017 to 2020 and was an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre from 2012 to 2017.

Christopher Phillips

Christopher Phillips is an American author, educator, consultant, lecturer, and pro-democracy advocate. He is best known for his 2001 book Socrates Café. Public Radio International called Phillips the "Johnny Appleseed of Philosophy."

Don Norte

Don Korotsky Norte is an American gay rights political activist. Norte's career covers over thirty years of public service with federal, state, and local government, including the Department of Defense, the General Services Administration, and the New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

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