The Hon. Joseph V. Doria Jr. ’68 is the dean of the School of Education. Doria has a long history with the University, serving as the University’s director of educational services and urban coordinator from 1972 to 1980, and then as director of human resources and personnel from 1980 to 1998. He returned to Saint Peter’s in 2012 after his time in government as the interim director of the School of Education.
What do you hope to accomplish with this position?
My goal as the dean of the School of Education is to guarantee that we provide a quality education to all students who are involved in the education programs at the University, and prepare them for their roles in education.
For the undergraduates, we want to prepare them to be teachers – a demanding profession – and to allow them to have the skills necessary to deal with the issues of the 21st century student they will be teaching at the elementary and secondary level. At the graduate level, we are trying to provide the professional experience for those individuals to then develop their skills at a higher level in educational leadership. Again, the demands of the profession are greater, especially in the areas of accountability and assessment. So we are working hard to improve our accountability and assessment here at the school at the master’s degree level and also now with the new doctoral degrees.
The purpose is for us to improve the quality of education that we are providing to better prepare the students for a career in education at all levels and obviously to make the community at large aware of all the programs we have and the excellent educational opportunities that exist in the School of Education.
How will you accomplish those goals?
We’re improving our assessment models to better assess the results of what we’re doing, and also we’re looking to expand into new programs just as we have this year, for the first time, with the doctoral degree in higher education.
How would you explain to someone who is interested in obtaining their graduate degree in education that Saint Peter’s University is the best choice for continuing their education?
We have that moral grounding within the Catholic Jesuit tradition. We understand that we need to develop ethically-based educators who understand that education is part of the totality of life and that these students will be successful educators because they will be committed to their students – not only to receive and gain knowledge, but also to develop themselves morally, physically and intellectually to be part of our society and to understand what responsibility is. We need to work together to maintain and create a society of caring and concerned individuals who also will be able to support families.
In past work experience, you served in several administrative roles in education. How did these roles help you with your current position in higher education?
I taught at the high school level and obviously that experience gave me an appreciation of what the students will have to deal with when they go into a classroom. In addition to that, I also served and was president of a Board of Education, so I understand all of the various administrative and technical issues that are involved in the implementation of educational programs at the elementary and secondary level. My experience as a legislator, as chairman of the Education Committee and the Higher Education Committee in the State Assembly, obviously gave me the experience in understanding all the policies. So I bring much more of a background in policy development and implementation in education of elementary, secondary and higher education.
During your time in government, you authored major pieces of legislation in education and sponsored laws giving New Jersey’s public colleges and universities greater autonomy. Why were issues in education so important to you?
I had the privilege of being in the legislature for 28 years. During that time, I sponsored well over 250 pieces of legislation that became law, and a number of them were in education. Some of the pieces of legislation dealt with the importance of accountability in education and new ideas. I sponsored the charter school legislation and dealt with reform in education, finance in education and accountability. My professional life is education, and my political life related directly to education. It was important because my background and my experience is education.
As an alumnus of Saint Peter’s, what is your favorite memory of the University during your time as a student here?
Saint Peter’s enabled me to broaden my experiences to see that there were new challenges before me and to have the opportunity to really exercise leadership. I was able to be actively involved with things like the Gannon Debating Society and I was an officer in student government. My friends were also very important because they helped me to challenge myself and directed me.
I also had some exceptional faculty members who really challenged and helped me to direct myself as to what I wanted to do with my life. I was very fortunate with the administration when I was here of Fr. Yanitelli, who became a friend and I had the opportunity to work with, Frank Mertz, who was – in the past – the executive vice president.
Those people who I had the opportunity to interact with – administration, faculty and fellow students – really helped me to broaden me perspective and to challenge myself and to let me understand what my potential would be and how I could live up to it. Without Saint Peter’s, I don’t think I would have ever been able to get involved in everything that I have gotten involved with.
And now as a dean at the University, what are you most proud of about Saint Peter’s?
Well, I think I am most proud of the fact that we are a university now. But, most of all, I’m most proud that our mission is still the same. To know that part of that purpose is to serve and help others and to be part of a larger community and to give back, as well as to succeed for yourself.
Doria’s experience in education is extensive. His first appointment was as a social studies teacher at Holy Family Academy in Bayonne. Doria was then elected to the Bayonne Board of Education in 1975, and served as board president from 1976 until 1979. He also was president of the Hudson County School Boards Association from 1978 to 1979.
Doria has a decorated political background. In a time span between in 1980-2009, he served within the government in various capacities, including as commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, former speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly, state senator for the 31st Legislative District, and former mayor of Bayonne. While a state senator, Doria was the vice chairman of the Senate Education Committee and a member of the Joint Committee on the Public Schools, among other appointments.
He received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Saint Peter’s in 1968, and went on to obtain a Master of Arts in American Studies from Boston College and a Doctor of Education from Columbia University Teacher’s College.