RUTHERFORD, NJ – Felician University today announced the appointment of a new executive director for the Lenke Family Center for Innovation (CFI), Dr. Louis Ruvolo. Following a year of successful involvement with the CFI in 2022-2023, when he was a driving force for project vision casting for the center, Ruvolo plans to continue to channel his experience towards interdisciplinary involvement for students. Ruvolo’s appointment marks an important milestone for the Center for Innovation as programming develops for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Following a twenty-year professional career with IBM, Ruvolo brings his data analysis expertise to the Lenke Center at Felician University, where he prioritizes research-based student initiatives. Beginning as an adjunct professor in the fall semester of 2020, Ruvolo was hired full-time at the Center for Innovation in 2021 and quickly became an integral part of the Center’s leadership and planning teams. In 2022, Ruvolo led a student data analytics program that promoted improved data collection procedures at local recovery centers. In July 2022, he was appointed executive director of the Center.

“At the Center for Innovation, we actively engage students on how to be successful in an interdisciplinary workforce by preparing them with an interdisciplinary education,” said Ruvolo. “We hope to create a multifaceted competence in the Felician graduate, one that will allow them to positively impact their workplaces and communities.”

For the 2023-2024 academic year, Ruvolo will prioritize three student-based initiatives: Advancing Human Capital, Seniors for Seniors, and INX23. Each event will reinforce the Center for Innovation’s central values of experiential learning, adaptability, and hands-on exploration of new ideas.

“It is crucial for students to get out of the classroom during the pursuit of their degree, to understand that they are more than the field they are studying,” said Ruvolo. “At the CFI, we emphasize human engagement and interdisciplinary skills, empathy, compassion, and communication. The more we can encourage the three-dimensional Felician graduate, the better that graduate will perform in the workplace.”

The Lenke Family Center for Innovation (CFI) seeks to empower students through application of professional skills in experiential, peer-led projects. At Felician’s CFI, students practice application of professional skills in experiential, student-led projects. Learn more about the Felician University Lenke Family Center for Innovation here: https://felician.edu/academics/lenke-family-center-for-innovation/

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About Felician University

Felician University inspires and engages more than 2,100 undergraduate, graduate, and adult education students through programs in the Schools of Arts & Sciences, Business & Information Sciences, Nursing, and Education. Over the past five years, Felician University has ranked 3rd among private institutions in New Jersey for best value according to payscale.com and #1 Safest College Campus in New Jersey according to niche.com. The Master of Science in Nursing program is ranked one of the best online graduate nursing programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. Felician University was designated as a Military Friendly School (Gold Status) for the ninth year recognizing its strong support for Veteran students. The university is recognized for its diversity as an HSI (Hispanic Serving Institution) and MSI (Minority Serving Institution), having underrepresented students comprise more than half of the student population. With campuses in Rutherford and Lodi, New Jersey, the Franciscan values of social justice, compassion, and respect for human dignity serve as an inclusive foundation for transforming the lives of tomorrow’s leaders. For more information, please visit https://felician.edu.