Kimberly Ammiano ’13 looks back at her favorite Acorn interviews.

What led me to sit down at Drew with so many bold-faced names, from Kofi Annan, former secretary-general of the United Nations, to my most recent, former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice? You might say The Acorn’s news editor my first year had an overabundance of confidence in me. Before I head off to Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism, Drew Today asked me to list my top interviews:

#1 Condoleezza Rice

From the second it began, I knew the interview with Ms. Rice would prove to be one of the most memorable. For my first question, I asked how growing up in racially segregated Birmingham, Ala., shaped the person she is today. I was stunned by her response: “I lost my best kindergarten friend in the bombings of the Birmingham church,” she said, her eyes welling up. By Rice’s own account, she will never run for president. While she feels the United States is ready for a female president, she assured me it would never be her. “I love policy, not politics. I don’t have the right DNA,” she said, laughing. “When I worked alongside President Bush, he would be up all night working. I like to go to bed.”

#2 Anderson Cooper

I’m in sweatpants, straightening my hair well in advance of the big interview with the CNN anchor when my phone rings. “ANDERSON IS HERE RIGHT NOW. YOU DON’T HAVE TIME FOR ANYTHING. RUN. I DON’T CARE IF YOU’RE IN PAJAMAS,” boomed the voice on the other end of the line. I had just three minutes to ask Cooper one question. “What advice do you have for aspiring journalists,” I asked, shaking as I looked one of my idols in the eye. From that moment on, I’ve carried with me his response: Find your passion, dive in head first, stick to the facts and don’t be afraid to outhustle anyone.

#3 Tom Brokaw

As someone who lost a loved one at the World Trade Center on 9/11, I was anxious to ask Brokaw what reporting on that day was like for a veteran journalist. “It was all a blur. It happened so fast, but I immediately knew we were at war and any second now, it was going to be my job to go on air and tell the public that. It was the single hardest thing I’ve done thus far in my career,” he said. Afterward, it hit home for me that journalism is much more than ‘reporting the news.’ It’s being an authority figure, someone people can trust, a steady presence to rely on during times of crisis.

#4 Arianna Huffington

Know how every little boy in the world wants to be Derek Jeter when he grows up? That’s how I’ve always felt about Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington. As a media mogul and advocate for women’s rights, she represents the culmination of my professional desires. After she dished about her black flats, I was impressed by her thoughts ranging from the limitations on access to the American Dream to the connection she makes between success and recharging. According to Huffington, a good leader is simply a well-rested one.

#5 Robert Gates

I don’t think I’ve ever been more nervous in my life. I had no idea what to expect from the former secretary of defense and director of the CIA. I was intrigued by what he said about there being no “do-overs” in national security, and that as a nation, we must work together to make decisions that will influence the nation in positive ways, even after heartbreak and loss. It’s now time to turn our attention away from large-scale attacks on U.S. soil, he says. They are no longer our main concern. Instead, it is time to monitor self-radicalized terrorists. They are now the threat.

#6 Gerry Adams

The walls were lined with CIA agents—every one of them eyeing me, a first-year student only two months in, intent as I took my seat. After anxiously settling in, I found Adams, the Sinn Féin president, highly capable of creating a lasting impression. After saying he had “no opinions” about former British Prime Minister Tony Blair speaking at the Drew Forum just days earlier, he shared his opinion about singing in the shower. “There is no better relief for anyone who has been through trials and tribulations than belting out a melody,” he said. “Sing at least five songs a day.” Given the intense topics we were discussing, that was the last thing I expected to hear.—Kimberly Ammiano ’13

MADISON, N.J.—Otto Maduro, professor of world Christianity and Latin American Christianity at Drew University’s Theological School, passed away on May 9 at the age of 68. Maduro, who joined the Drew faculty in 1992, was known as a prolific author and multilingual teacher in his public life, and as a gracious and kind individual by those who knew him personally. His professional acclaim extended beyond the university through his many guest lectures and visiting professorships, as well as his recent service as the first-ever Hispanic president of the American Academy of Religion.

“It has been my great honor to serve as dean to a scholar of such significance and a person of such gentleness,” said Jeffrey Kuan, dean of the Theological School. “We have lost a great theologian and a great friend.”

More than 250 of Maduro’s current and former students and colleagues echoed Kuan’s praise by posting their remembrances on an online tribute page.

Maduro was born in Venezuela in 1945. He earned two master’s degrees and a Ph.D. from the Catholic University in Louvain, Belgium, before coming to the United States in 1987. His life’s work includes over a hundred articles published in a dozen languages on five continents, and five books in five languages—many of which address his scholarly interest in how religion relates to the liberation of oppressed groups. Much of his work also tackled wider issues of peace, social and ecological justice, epistemologies and sexualities.

According to Laurel Kearns, associate professor of sociology of religion, Maduro’s scholarship and passion for justice earned him his global reputation.

“I had the sense that we had a prophet among us,” she said. “Otto was willing to speak truth to power and, in doing so, called us to justice.”

Maduro’s widespread prominence took him around the nation and world as a visiting professor. Among many other institutions, he taught at the USC School of Religion, Maryknoll School of Theology, Union Theological Seminary, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Notre Dame, Candler School of Theology and at his alma mater in Belgium.

His status as a globally recognized scholar of religion was reaffirmed as recently as March 2013, when he was featured on an NPR broadcast on Pope Francis’ historic election.

In addition to his international repute, Kearns said he was also a devoted and integral member of the Drew community. His legacy at the university lives on through the Hispanic D.Min. program and the Hispanic Institute of Theology, which he co-founded in the late 1990s.

Maduro was also a past winner of the Will Herberg Distinguished Professor Award from Drew’s Graduate Students’ Association as well as the prize for teaching excellence awarded by the Graduate Division of Religion.

A service in honor of his retirement was held in Seminary Hall’s Craig Chapel last week. Photos from that event have been published on the university’s Facebook page as a tribute to the late professor. A memorial service was held on Tuesday, May 14, at 2:00 p.m. in the Craig Chapel at Seminary Hall on Drew’s Madison campus.

The Fund for Hispanic Latina/o Scholars and Ministry (Fondo Para Academicos y Ministerios Hispanos Latina/os) has been established at Drew to commemorate Maduro’s legacy. To make a gift in his memory, please visit the fund’s website or call the Office of Advancement at (973) 408-3644.–Michael Bressman ‘06

For more on Otto Maduro’s legacy, please see Drew Magazine’s 2008 article on his work with Newark churches and his interview with the American Academy of Religion.

All summer long, Assistant Professor of Art Lee Arnold’s digital installations are on view at the Montclair Art Museum. On Thursday, May 2, at 6 and 7 p.m. at MAM, Arnold discusses how past and present come together in his work.

The Swim, 2012

Swimming in a lake in Maine.

The Wanderer, 2012

Following a Monarch butterfly through a meadow in Maine.

Drew’s plan to renovate and expand its Hall of Sciences took a step closer toward reality yesterday when Secretary of Higher Education Rochelle Hendricks included $6.8 million for the project in a higher education facilities funding plan that was submitted to the state legislature for approval. The money would allow the university to complete the first phase of the project, which includes construction of a new research annex, renovation of the psychology wing, new laboratory space and improved network infrastructure.

“The sciences have always been one of Drew’s great strengths,” said President Vivian A. Bull. “This project represents a much-needed investment in undergraduate and faculty research, particularly in areas that are in high demand by students. I hope the legislature acts quickly so that we can get right to work.”

The key pieces of this phase of the project include:

• Research Annex: Construction of a 4,600-square-foot research annex behind the existing building that would benefit the psychology, biology and neuroscience programs. The university has already received final site plan approval from the Borough of Madison for this addition, which means construction could begin as early as the fall if the legislature acts quickly on the funding proposal.
• Psychology Wing: Renovation of the psychology wing in the Hall of Sciences will provide improved teaching and research spaces for one of the university’s always popular fields of study.
• Environmental Science Labs: Two biology labs on the first floor of the Hall of Sciences will be renovated and converted into teaching laboratories that will support research and research-based instruction in environmental science, ecology and microbiology—fields of study in which faculty expertise and student interest are significant.
• Chemistry Lab: A new research laboratory will be constructed on the third floor of the Hall of Sciences to serve faculty, students and RISE Fellows working in the field of chemistry.
• Network Infrastructure: Improvements will be made to the network infrastructure in the Hall of Sciences, upgrading to gigabit connectivity and adding wireless access throughout the building. The transport of network data between the Hall of Sciences and the central data center in Brothers College will also be upgraded. Given the central role that advanced technologies plays in the teaching and learning of science, this project promises to benefit faculty and students working in all of Drew’s STEM fields: biology, biochemistry and molecular biology, neuroscience, psychology, chemistry, physics, mathematics and computer science.
• Equipment: The purchase of equipment and instrumentation to be used within the research annex, renovated psychology wing, chemistry laboratory and environmental science teaching laboratories, as well as other instrumentation needed to enhance instruction and learning in its STEM fields, is included in this phase of the project.

Dr. Bull thanked her predecessor, former Drew President Thomas H. Kean, for this crucial state support.

“In 2010 Governor Kean chaired Governor Christie’s Task Force on Higher Education,” Bull said. “He recognized the great need for the state to invest in its colleges and universities and help them build the kind of academic facilities essential to a 21st-century education.”

That recommendation was included in the task force’s final report and led to a state higher education facilities bond referendum, which New Jersey voters approved last fall. It, along with other dedicated state funding programs, will provide $6,811,109 of the project’s $7,690,986 price tag. Drew will provide $879,877 from funds donated to the project by alumni and other donors.

The university has plans for a second phase, which will involve the construction of new interdisciplinary teaching and research laboratories along the south side of the Hall of Sciences. Fund-raising for this is underway.

The Hall of Sciences is home to the university’s biology, chemistry, mathematics/computer science and physics departments, as well as the Charles A. Dana Research Institute for Scientists Emeriti (RISE) and the New Jersey Governor’s School in the Sciences.

Hosted at Drew on Friday night, the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life raised more than $25,000. Ted Johnsen talks to one student who knows just how important that is.

Drew Magazine intern Kathryn McMillan ’13 gets right to the point with theatre arts major and former Upright Citizens Brigade summer intern Ariel Gitlin ’13.

KM: Did you meet anyone famous?
AG: I met a lot of people who are really well respected in the improv scene in New York.  So I wasn’t sitting down and having lunch with Amy Poehler (a founder of the Upright Citizens Brigade), but I got to see her perform. I also got to take improv classes. My teacher was John Murray and he was one of the silent writers on 30 Rock. And I got to tell Bobby Moynihan from SNL that he had a great show one night. He is such a fantastic performer and I got to see him do improv at the place where he learned to do improv.

KM: That’s cool.
AG: The really cool thing is that most of the professional performers there took the same classes I was taking. They have pictures on the walls of old teams and one of my jobs was to reframe them. I was seeing people working there now back when they were on teams at the theater.

KM: How did you afford New York City?
AG: If you get a theater internship you can apply for the Patenaude Grant. It’s something really, really great that the theater department does, and I hope they have it forever. You submit a budget for what you’ll need over the summer. It paid my rent. I was very, very lucky. Go theater department!

KM: Do you have any crazy stories?
AG: I got to witness pretty crazy audience members, but I would say the most fun was helping with the UCB marathon. I remember me and one other intern, Lizzy, were sent to Kmart to get things for it, like coolers. We were rolling these huge coolers down the streets of Chelsea, and sweating. At one point we had to push carts of beer to the theater, a lot of beer because a lot of beer is involved with improv shows.

KM: What was the best thing about the internship?
AG: I wasn’t paid, but I got free access to all the UCB shows. The best part was being so close to the theater and getting to see a show every night if I wanted to. Being in the city makes you more available for things, especially in theater. I got to work on two friends’ shows in festivals because I was in the city.

KM: You’re centered where you should be.
AG: I’m from Rhode Island. My whole life I would go down to New York to see theater, but when you’re living there you can actually do it. There are other places to do theater, but being in New York was definitely a good artistic experience.

KM: Do you want to move to the city after you graduate?
AG: Yes. I want to keep taking classes at UCB. I’ve taken level 101 and 201 and I want to work in theater. There’s a good Drew network there, too, so I don’t feel like I’m going out into the great big wild. I do, but at least there will be people around.

KM: There’s definitely a lot of Drew people in the city.
AG: Definitely a lot of Drew theater people.

KM: Did you work with any other college students?
AG: There were a bunch of interns. A really great group of people. We worked in the office during the day and sometimes at night we would get together and do improv jams and we’d practice together. We formed a group and we brought ourselves to Monday nights at UCB in the East Village—they have something called Bring Your Own Team. You can just show up and put your group name in a bucket and perform. We performed as The Interns or something. I met people who were into the same stuff I was and could teach me so much about it.

KM: What made you want to come to Drew?
AG: The theatre arts department. I remember I visited and sat in the directing lab and I just felt like I could see myself sitting there, which I do a lot now.

KM: Did the internship change you?
AG: Doing this internship showed me that I could make a career out of something that I really love. It also calmed my nerves because I saw people working professionally and I saw how they got there, so it made working in theater less of a pipe dream and more of a—

KM: Reality?
AG: A reality. Yeah.