Grammy Award-winning Rob Fusari ’08 (left) with Steve Leeds, instructor of Music Management Seminar, and vice president of talent at Sirius Satellite Radio.

Tommy James

Tommy James, the American pop-rock musician best known as leader of the 1960s rock band Tommy James and the Shondells, and Rob Fusari ’08, one of the producers on Lady Gaga’s smash hit The Fame, were among the recent guests who spoke to students in the University’s Music Management Seminar taught by Steve Leeds, vice president of talent at Sirius Satellite Radio.

William Paterson is the only college in New Jersey and one of about 50 in the country that offers a bachelor of music degree in music management.

James, whose top hits include "I Think We're Alone Now," "Mony Mony," and "Crimson and Clover,” has sold over 100 million records. Fusari, whose career has included collaborations with some of the top names in the music business, such as Destiny’s Child, Will Smith, and Whitney Houston, won a 2010 Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album as a producer on The Fame, as well as a coveted nomination in the Album of the Year category. He also co-wrote the album’s hit single “Paparazzi,” which landed on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, among others.