Dr. Formicola Appears on NBC Broadcast of Pope Francis in NYC  

During Pope Francis's recent visit to America, Dr. Jo-Renee Formicola had the unique opportunity to appear on the NBC broadcast of the Pope's visit to the United Nations and 9/11 Memorial on Friday, September 25. Dr. Formicola, of the Department of Political Science & Public Affairs, was the on-air expert working alongside NBC regulars, Michael Gargiulo and Darlene Rodriguez.

Calling the event "thrilling," Dr. Formicola said she felt blessed to be able to talk about, interpret, and expand upon Pope Francis's message at the United Nations. Earlier in the week Dr. Formicola was also the on-air expert for the Fios1 broadcast of the Pope's speech to Congress. Dr. Formicola was particularly impressed and enlightened with how Pope Francis brought a moral lens to the many problems affecting the world today especially the gridlock and polarity currently plaguing Congress.

The most touching part of Pope Francis's visit for Dr. Formicola was during the multi-faith memorial service at the 9/11 Memorial. The service was held in Foundation Hall, the lower level of the museum where a retaining wall that holds back the Hudson River still remains standing, and concluded with the Young People's Chorus of New York City performing "Let There Be Peace On Earth." Dr. Formicola said it was an extremely emotional moment, to hear these "voices of angels, reverberating" amongst the artifacts of such a pivotal moment in history.

The Master of Public Administration Program at Seton Hall University is housed under the Department of Political Science & Public Affairs, within the College of Arts & Sciences. The Director is Dr. Matt Hale and the Graduate Assistant is Antonio Michael Lombardo III.