November 2, 2015
Moving Forward
It is hard to believe that we have reached the end of our 100-Day Listening Tour. I have learned so much from the more than 400 of you who attended the dialogues and the hundreds more of you who shared feedback online. 
Thank you for generously contributing your time and ideas about Adelphi. 

As I mentioned last Monday in the State of the University Address, the information from the listening tour will be used in conjunction with benchmark data, objective metrics and the results of our capacity study to prepare an input report for the strategic plan by early December. Sam L Grogg, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Elizabeth Cohn, Ph.D., executive director of the Center for Health Innovation, are leading the team that is compiling the input report.

We will kick off the strategic planning process in January at the start of the spring semester. I will soon be adding updates to my website to keep the community informed about our progress and developments, and I will continue to do so throughout the process.

In this month's newsletter, we focus on themes of success and change, such as our initiative to globalize our campus. In other stories, we highlight how Eugenia Villa-Cuesta, Ph.D., associate professor, is contributing to new medical solutions, and first-year student Blakely Murphy made a remarkable personal transformation. New interdisciplinary efforts are emerging. For example, a health-focused discussion featuring faculty and alumni, including the chairperson of the New York State AIDS Advisory Council, will follow the performance of Angels in America: Millennium Approaches on November 11. This popular play, which earned the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play, depicts the early days of the AIDS crisis and is considered a modern masterpiece of American theater. 

There is tremendous work and learning happening at the University, which is why Adelphi has been nominated for Best of Long L.I. awards in seven categories. Please vote today and through December 15 to keep Adelphi on top!
 
The level of change and success at the University is exciting, and I look forward to working with all of you to sustain our momentum.

All the best,
Chris

CAMPUS UPDATE
Going Global 

International education presents a tremendous opportunity for Adelphi, especially as New York is a magnet for people from across the globe. According to a 2014 Association of American Colleges and Universities survey, 70 percent of employers regard it as "very important" that college graduates have "the ability to analyze and solve complex problems with people from different backgrounds and cultures," and the same percentage of employers describe their companies or organizations as globally connected (AAC&U Liberal Education, Summer 2015).

In addition to study abroad programs and globalizing our curriculum, we should strive for a more diverse campus community in all respects, both domestically and globally.

Today less than 5 percent of our students are international. Through a partnership with Shorelight Education, Adelphi will be recruiting students for Fall 2016 from 30 regions across the world.   
 
Beyond growing and diversifying our environment, this strategy will ensure that all Adelphi students are equipped to excel in a more competitive global society.
 
Many of you heard about our Shorelight partnership at the State of the University Address, and we will share more information about it in the coming weeks. Special thanks to Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Gayle D. Insler, Ph.D., and Deputy Provost Audrey Blumberg, Ph.D., for their leadership on this initiative.

Please feel free to send comments and questions to Audrey at [email protected].  

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
Finding new drug therapies for mitochondrial disease--a devastating condition--is important and difficult work, and  Eugenia Villa-Cuesta, Ph.D., associate professor, and her team of eight student researchers have proven that they're up for the challenge. Recently, Dr. Villa-Cuesta secured a three-year, $250,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue her genetics research into potential drug treatments for mitochondrial disease. Congratulations to Dr. Villa-Cuesta and her team on the prestigious grant, which enhances Adelphi's excellent programs in STEM and the health sciences.   
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
A True Victory
 
First-year student Blakely Murphy has turned tragedy into triumph. A passionate volleyball player and academic high achiever from Smithtown, New York, Murphy has twice undergone neurosurgery to treat a brain tumor--the same condition that robbed her of her father 13 weeks before she was born. EspnW captured the story of her determination not to let her diagnosis and treatment stunt her ambition on the court and in the classroom. She is now a psychology major intent on working with the mentally ill and a member of the Adelphi women's volleyball team.  
SHOUT-OUTS
People Who Make This Place Great
At Adelphi, we are surrounded by people of tremendous talent, ambition and dedication. Their achievements and contributions keep our University strong and moving forward. In the past month, many have been recognized for their accomplishments. Here, we include a few. Our congratulations to: 
 
  • Danielle Schmal and fellow Adelphi peer educators who organized the human ribbon and other Breast Cancer Awareness Month events in honor of the Adelphi NY Statewide Breast Cancer Hotline & Support Group. Adelphi's human ribbon was covered by Newsday and Fox 5 NY News.
  • Jacqueline Jones LaMon, J.D., associate professor, who has been elected to serve as the next president of the Cave Canem Foundation. Cave Canem is a home for the many voices of African American poetry and is committed to cultivating the artistic and professional growth of African American poets. 
  • Adelphi dance group Sapna gained press coverage for recent off-campus performances, including participation in the South Street Seaport Deepavali 2015 Festival on October 4.
CULTURAL EVENTS
In November, learning and enrichment extend well beyond the classroom with lectures and performances that shed new light on pressing issues.  
 
The Department of Theatre presents its main-stage student performance, Angels in America: Millennium Approaches, from Tuesday, November 10 through Sunday, November 15.  

Join Elizabeth Cohn, Ph.D., executive director of Adelphi's Center for Health Innovation, for a post-show discussion about HIV and AIDS following the 6:30 p.m. performance on Wednesday, November 11, in AUPAC. Tickets are available online and at the Fischer Box Office.  
 
The International Studies Program hosts Shelly Culbertson, a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation, for a lecture on the education of Syrian refugees in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon on Monday, November 16, at 1:00 p.m. in the Center for Recreation and Sports, Campbell Lounge, Room 1. The free, topical lecture is being held in conjunction with International Education Week.
ADELPHI IN THE NEWS
In October, 84 media stories covering Adelphi appeared in the top 100 national media outlets with more than 325 stories appearing in total. In the past month, Adelphi experts have been featured in a number of stories. Some highlights of recent coverage include: 
 
For a recent story on the pros and pitfalls of investment clubs, U.S. News & World Report Money interviewed  Michael Driscoll, M.B.A. '89, Ed.D., clinical assistant professor and senior executive-in-residence in the Robert B. Willumstad School of Business. 
 
New Scientist covered the news that paleontologists may have discovered a new way to answer an old debate: whether dinosaurs were hot- or cold-blooded. Michael D'Emic, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, commented on the latest technique.

The abundance of baby boomers in Hollywood films was the subject of a recent feature story in The Atlantic. College of Arts and Sciences Dean Sam L Grogg, Ph.D., commented on what The Atlantic termed this "encouraging" trend.

You can keep up with the ongoing coverage via the weekly roundup on the Adelphi website and with our dedicated Twitter feed, @AdelphiUMedia.