NJ Arts News released today the first of its five-part radio series Words Matter. NJ Arts News produced this series of interviews with leaders of New Jersey higher education to explore and define vital connections among civics, media, sustainability, and democracy. Parts I and II are available as podcasts at www.njartsnews.org. The entire five-part radio series will be broadcast by Seton Hall Pirate Radio WSOU FM 89.5 FM at 7 p.m., Monday, June 16 through Friday, June 20, 2014. Other radio stations are encouraged to air any or all segments. 

Peter Mercer shares thoughts, humor, and personal anecdotes on the challenges and rewards of college leadership, the central role of humanities in education, and the importance of words and meaning. Dr. Mercer holds an LL.M. and Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge and a J.D. from the University of Western Ontario, where he later served as Dean of the Faculty of Law. He is currently Vice Chair of the NJ Association of Colleges and Universities.