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Cap & Skull Honorary Member Petition for Dr. Patrick Gardner

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The undersigned alumni/alumnae of the Cap & Skull Honor Society respectfully submit this letter in support of the candidacy of Dr. Patrick Gardner for induction as an honorary member of Cap & Skull. The Cap & Skull Honor Society is comprised of the best and brightest that Rutgers University has to offer. Students that are tapped for Cap & Skull undoubtedly match their aptitude with effort, and their efforts are bolstered by dedicated and invested faculty members. Over the past thirty years, Dr. Gardner’s dedication has helped nearly one thousand students in unlocking their potential in musical excellence, scholarship, leadership, and spirit.

Dr. Gardner is Distinguished Professor of Music at Mason Gross School of the Arts, serving as Director of Choral Activities, Head of Conducting, and Director of both the Glee Club and Kirkpatrick Choir. During his tenure at Rutgers Dr. Gardner has elevated both the Music Department and its choral ensembles to national renown. Members of the Glee Club and Kirkpatrick Choir have received once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to perform at acclaimed venues (Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Orchestra Hall – Minneapolis, State Theatre New Brunswick, Trinity Church Wall Street) and conventions (National and Northeast American Choral Directors Association, Intercollegiate Musical Council) and to collaborate with world-famous orchestras (Philadelphia Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Members of the Minnesota Orchestra) and conductors (Valery Gergiev, Sir Simon Rattle). In addition, the Glee Club tours internationally every four years, ensuring each student has an opportunity to represent Rutgers on a global level, including performances at Notre Dame, St. Peter’s Basilica, and the Glinka Capella. Likewise, in 2019, the Kirkpatrick Choir was one of 14 choirs selected to perform at the Marktoberdorf International Chamber Choir Competition in Germany.

His focus on alumni relations and fundraising has strengthened the choral programs and the University as a whole. Dr. Gardner’s role in securing funds allowed for the construction of Robert E. Mortensen Hall and Richard H. Shindell Choral Hall, which are both named in honor of Glee Club alumni, improving the musical experience for countless students today and generations in the future. Additionally, Dr. Gardner was instrumental in creating an endowment that supports doctoral conducting students which, combined with the increased prestige of the choral programs, enables MGSA to attract the top masters and doctoral students in the nation. Among other notable achievements, Rutgers graduates who completed the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts under his supervision currently serve as director of choral activities at numerous institutions including University of Illinois, Calvin University, Seton Hall University, Seton Hill University (Pennsylvania), Drexel University, Wagner College, University of Arkansas and, as of the fall of 2023, Northwestern University.

Dr. Gardner’s focus on outreach to New Jersey high school and middle school students has strengthened the choral program and enhanced the reputation of Rutgers statewide. Exemplifying his commitment to Rutgers’ mission as the State University of New Jersey, Dr. Gardner has served as Conductor of the New Jersey All-State Chorus. He has also made regular efforts to present Rutgers choirs to high school and middle school audiences and to establish contact with incoming Rutgers students prior to their arrival on campus. This has generated larger audition pools and attracted students to the University with choral singing in mind. As a result of his outreach and hard work, there are now many more students regularly participating in MGSA choral ensembles than when Dr. Gardner started at Rutgers in 1993. Numerous graduates of the Music Education program at MGSA who sang under his direction in the Kirkpatrick Choir, Glee Club, or both, now serve as music educators throughout New Jersey. It is also important to note that a large number of students who participate in MGSA choral ensembles are not music majors. For many of those singers who do not plan to engage in music as a career, participation in Rutgers choirs helps to foster social skills, civic involvement, volunteerism, philanthropy, support of other art forms, and lifelong support of Rutgers.

Although his academic support of his students is widely apparent, Dr. Gardner’s work as student advisor is vastly underappreciated. The Glee Club is the second oldest student organization at Rutgers with a diverse membership not limited to music majors. The Glee Club and Kirkpatrick Choir elected senior and junior officers develop valuable skills in leadership, organization, budgeting, logistics, and networking. Fostering these attributes via weekly leadership council meetings and yearly retreats, Dr. Gardner prepares future doctors, lawyers, politicians, teachers, and business executives for their chosen professions.

School spirit is the through-line of Dr. Gardner’s impact on his students and Rutgers overall. The service that he and his ensembles provide goes well beyond high profile performances at football games, commencement ceremonies, and other functions. Administrators will frequently see the Glee Club perform at university events for fundraising, recruitment, and recognition – a service which Dr. Gardner instills into the fiber of the Glee Club. Throughout his tenure, Dr. Gardner has worked to build an inclusive, welcoming, and supportive environment by recruiting, retaining, and nurturing students of diverse racial and religious backgrounds, gender identities, national origins, and sexual orientations. As a result, his groups have also unwaveringly stood for equality and inclusion for all students. Despite evolving with the times, his current students enjoy the same camaraderie, dedication to excellence, and commitment to serving the University that alumni experienced thirty years ago. Dr. Gardner fosters within his students a deep appreciation for the history and traditions of Rutgers, which is embodied in the Glee Club’s motto: “ever changing, yet eternally the same.” In recognition of his service and contributions to the Rutgers community Dr. Gardner has been named a Distinguished Professor and a Loyal Son of Rutgers by the Rutgers Alumni Association.

Dr. Gardner inspires his students to perform at the highest musical level by teaching them the underlying historical, sociological, and theoretical underpinnings of choral works large and small. As a testament to his work and relationships, several of the nation’s top composers (including Pulitzer Prize winners Jennifer Higdon and William Bolcom) have written nationally acclaimed works for his choirs. The excellence of Rutgers’ choral program is known far-and-wide amongst choral novices and maestros alike, due in no small part to Dr. Gardner’s dedication and commitment to excellence. Notably, a performance of Lou Harrison’s major works that Dr. Gardner conducted at Trinity Church Wall Street with the Kirkpatrick Choir was named in the New York Times list of “Best Classical Performances of 2017.”

Through his actions and guidance, Dr. Patrick Gardner has mentored his students in music, leadership, and character. Perhaps no better representation of his impact on his students is their presence within Cap & Skull’s ranks: at least twenty-three of his student leaders have been tapped over the past thirty years. We, the undersigned, have come together in support of Dr. Gardner’s induction as an honorary member of our organization. We believe that his laudable contributions to the Rutgers community, his thirty years of remarkable service to Rutgers, and his advancement of student leadership on campus embody the highest ideals of Rutgers University and Cap & Skull.

Spectemur Agendo,


George Boyan ‘04

Bernadette Burke ‘16

Steven Cavanaugh ‘05

Matthew Cirri ‘01

Daniel Comito ‘11

Chris Dovas ‘06

Masayuki Gibson ‘03

Dominic Guerrini ‘00

Matthew Hooban ‘98

Daniel A. Horowitz ‘99

Julia Mendes ‘17

Joseph Nedick ‘05

John Padden ‘02

Scott Pashman ’97

Patrick B. Phillips ‘19

Edward Potosnak, III ‘96

Julie (Melchor) Roros ‘13

Kien Shimabukuro ‘01

Riti Suresh ‘20

Daniel Alan Terner ‘95

Geoffrey Zoeller, Jr. '90

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