Rider U. dedicates politics institute

By Lea Kahn / Staff Writer
   LAWRENCE —  The Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics will be formally dedicated and its new director, Ben Dworkin, will be installed at a special ceremony Monday afternoon at Rider University.
   The 3 p.m. ceremony will be held in the lobby at the Student Recreation Center on campus.
   The institute was formerly known as the Rider Institute for New Jersey Politics, but it is being renamed in honor of the late David Rebovich, the institute’s first managing director who died in 2007. Dr. Rebovich was a 28-year faculty member at Rider University and chairman of the Political Science Department.
   Mr. Dworkin was named the director of the Rider Institute for New Jersey Politics in July. The name was officially changed to the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics earlier this month.
   The institute is dedicated to public service and scholarly analysis of government, public policy, campaigns and elections in New Jersey. It was founded in 2001 by Dr. Rebovich, who headed it until his death.
   The institute is committed to helping Rider students with research projects, internships, service learning opportunities, job placement and overall career development, according to Rider University officials.
   Students can focus on campaigns and elections, state and local public policy and policy making, political parties, and government institutions and bureaucracy. They can concentrate on media — including new media — and politics, and career development and training for political participation.
   In his new position, Mr. Dworkin will oversee the institute’s day-to-day operations, offer impartial political analysis to students, media and the general public, and organize programming sponsored by the institute.
   He has been chief executive of Dworkin Strategic Communications LLC. He worked previously as a vice president at Robinson Lerer & Montgomery, which is a New York City-based corporate public relations firm.
   Earlier in his career, Mr. Dworkin was deputy research director for the New Jersy Assembly Democratic Office in Trenton. He began his career in Trenton by working in the Assembly Democratic press department.
   He also had served as legislative aide to the late state Senator Matthew Feldman, who chaired the Senate’s Higher Education Committee. He was also Democratic Municipal Chair for Teaneck for five years, where he lives with his wife and daughter.
   Mr. Dworkin is a graduate of Princeton University and received a master’s degree from Rutgers University. He is currently working toward a Ph.D. in political science at Rutgers University.