Monday, May 2, 2016
Making a Mark
You can imagine my delight last week when I listened to NPR's All Things Considered and I caught the extensive interview with Michael D'Emic, Ph.D., assistant professor, on his latest dinosaur discovery featured in the current issue of Science. During the interview, he talked about the breakthrough discovery that he and his research team had made about sauropod dinosaurs like brontosaurus--the largest animals to ever walk the earth. I was captivated and truly proud. Groundbreaking research such as this inspires our imagination and challenges our understanding. And when the media spotlight our faculty's work, our reputation grows.   
 
Our students join Dr. D'Emic and other faculty members like him in the field and the lab, and their discoveries have the potential to change what we thought we knew. Mentored by faculty, Adelphi students explore big ideas through close connections and seek to make their own marks in the world. I am sure you will agree that evidence of this commitment, and our students' passion, was on clear display at our recent Research Conference. 

Lately, I have been flooded with exciting news about the paths that our graduates will pursue after Adelphi. Many will continue to pursue their passions in graduate school, including some of the country's most prestigious and competitive ones. A few I have heard about: law school at Cornell, Georgetown and the University of Chicago; dental school at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia; Harvard Graduate School of Education and Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Many others in the Class of 2016 will forge new or reimagined careers. Our graduates can move quickly on to their futures because we have encouraged them to think boldly.
 
Later this month we will pause in their honor at graduation. We'll also take the opportunity to recognize our two honorary degree recipients--Marian Wright Edelman, J.D., founder of the Children's Defense Fund, and Young People's Poet Laureate and National Book Award-winner Jacqueline Woodson, who wrote her first book while an undergraduate at Adelphi. These remarkable women have dedicated their lives and careers to the core values of our University and are sure to inspire our graduates to dream with their eyes wide open and live with compassion and honesty.
 
The end of the semester will also mark the end of a chapter for this year's Student Government Association (SGA) leadership.  It's been an honor to work with SGA President Malik Clarke and his fellow SGA cabinet members--Jenisa Caban, Olivia Digiulio, Samantha Herskowitz, Patrick Lively and Isuri Wijesundara--on issues that are important to our students. Each of you has been essential to my own first-year learning experience, and I thank you for all you have done for our community. Congratulations to the incoming cabinet members--Samantha Herskowitz, Jenisa Caban, Nicole Zisa, Samantha Lotter and Caley Serin. I look forward to working with all of you.
 
Throughout my first year as your president, I took part in many Adelphi traditions and milestone moments.  Each experience helped me gain deeper insight into who we are as a University and shaped how I view our place in higher education. I thank each of you for making my first-year experience so enlightening.
 
To the Class of 2016, I offer warm and enthusiastic congratulations. We know you are ready to make your mark.

All the best,
 

Christine M. Riordan, Ph.D.
President
 
 
CAMPUS UPDATES
AURC Is a Smash Success
 
It was thrilling to see the scholarship on display at the 13th Annual Adelphi University Research Conference (AURC), held last month. Congratulations go to the 150 students who participated, and especially to all the award winners. AURC is a wonderful way to showcase Adelphi's high-impact educational practices and their benefits to our students. A huge thank-you also goes to the co-chairs--assistant professors Laura Brumariu, Ph.D., and Matthew Wright, Ph.D.--as well as to the other faculty and staff event organizers.  
 
Strategic Planning Town Halls Coming Up 
 
I've been keeping you all up-to-date on how we've been hard at work developing our new strategic plan.  Town hall meetings to discuss the results of our work to date have been scheduled for this month from May 9-May 18. Please visit the strategic planning eCampus site to see the dates and times and to sign up. I hope to see you all there!
 
 
Nexus Building Opens  
  
The Nexus Building--the new home of the College of Nursing and Public Health and a one-stop shop for student success services--will open for classes and campus use this fall. Moving in will begin after Commencement. Thank you to everyone who has helped us complete this transformational project. And, yes, this means campus parking will become easier.
 
Hail, Adelphi!
 
This has been a great season to be a Panther!  Our student-athletes are once again making their marks on the field and in the classroom. Our top-ranked women's lacrosse team has posted another undefeated season and is well positioned to make another run for the NCAA championship. We expect track and field to be well represented at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, and our men's lacrosse, baseball and softball programs are finishing out strong years with postseason aspirations. Stay up to date with all postseason news on our athletics website or follow our teams on Twitter (@AUPanthers). 

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Heidi Peņa Ortiz Named a Newman Civic Fellow
 
"Growing up in an underprivileged neighborhood, I became dedicated to helping my community prosper," said Heidi Peņa Ortiz, a psychology major in Adelphi's Levermore Global Scholars Program, who moved to the United States from the Dominican Republic. Peņa Ortiz is a winner of this year's national Newman Civic Fellows Award, in honor of her leadership and her commitment to creating social change. I know you all join me in congratulating her on this impressive accomplishment. 
 
 
 

STAFF SPOTLIGHT
Going Global
 
Expanding Adelphi's global footprint has been a top priority for the past year. In the fall, we launched Adelphi University International (AUI)--an alternative pathway for academically qualified international students to earn undergraduate and graduate degrees at Adelphi. James Boney, who became the director of AUI in March, has been hard at work with campus partners. "For every successful student in the program, we will see an increasingly diverse and internationalized campus," he says. 

See why Boney is excited to be at Adelphi, and how to pronounce his name.

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
Baby Dinosaur, Big Breakthrough
 
Sauropod dinosaurs such as brontosaurus were the largest creatures to roam the earth. How quickly did they grow and how were they raised? These are some of the questions that paleontologists, like Michael D'Emic, Ph.D., assistant professor, are asking and beginning to answer. A paper that Dr. D'Emic and a team of researchers published in the latest issue of the journal Science offers new evidence about the remarkable growth rate and independence of one baby sauropod. 
 
  
 
SHOUT-OUTS
Congratulations to...
 
The winners of the 2016 President's Student Leadership Award, which recognizes exemplary community leadership by undergraduate members of the Class of 2016: Malik Clarke, Ani Djirdjirian, Fallon Kane and Lisa Marino.
 
All of the faculty members who won and who were nominated for the 2016 Faculty Excellence Awards, which honor outstanding teaching, research and service among our faculty: The Excellence in Teaching award winners are: Mara Manson, Ed.D., associate professor, Ruth S. Ammon School of Education (tenured faculty); Matthew Wright, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Physics, College of Arts and Sciences (nontenured faculty); and Deborah Picone, adjunct professor, Department of English, College of Arts and Sciences (part-time faculty). Subadra Panchanadeswaran, Ph.D., associate professor, School of Social Work, received the award for Excellence in Scholarly and Creative Work, and Alan Schoenfeld, Ph.D., professor and chair, Department of Biology, was recognized for Excellence in Service.
 
Stephen Shore, Ed.D., clinical assistant professor, who was included in a CBS News top-20 list of "inspiring stories of people on the autism spectrum." In April--Autism Awareness Month--Dr. Shore traveled as far as Moscow and Hawaii to share his expertise on supporting students with autism spectrum disorder.  
 
Rachel Colvin, a biochemistry major and member of the women's field hockey team, who won the Division II National Scholar Athlete Award from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association for having the highest cumulative GPA among athletes who made the first, second or third All-America teams in their division.  
 
Ryan Page, master's degree student in exercise science, who was selected as a 2016 American Kinesiology Association Master's Scholar for 2016 for his distinctive academic and leadership record.  
 
These are just a few of the impressive accomplishments of our faculty, students, alumni and staff. I love learning and hearing about what you are up to, so please keep sharing your good news  with me so I can share it with our community.
EVENTS 
 
Commencement 2016 
We are counting down to Adelphi's 120th Commencement! This year's ceremony will take place at the Nikon at Jones Beach Theater on Sunday, May 22, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. We will confer more than 2,000 degrees on the Class of 2016. I know you join me in congratulating this remarkable class. Information about the program, the alumni, speakers to be honored and recognized, and logistics--including travel information--can be found here. 
 
 
National Book Award Winner Selected as the 2016 AU Reads Book 
We will continue our Adelphi Community Reads tradition this fall with a shared reading of Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. The book, which Coates wrote as a letter to his adolescent son, has been praised for its profound examination of black male life in the United States.
 
Everyone is invited to join in reading and discussing this highly acclaimed memoir. Copies will be given free to all incoming freshmen, and additional copies will available for others through our library. Coates will be with us on the Garden City campus on Wednesday, October 5, 2016, to give a free lecture and master class. I know you will want to join me in holding the date on your calendar. Keep an eye out in the fall for more information.
 
Student Life Events
There's no shortage of activity on campus this month. These student-initiated events are open to all on campus.
 
Holi Festival: Everyone is welcome to this celebration of Holi--known in India and Nepal as the festival of colors or the festival of sharing love--which is sponsored by a number of Adelphi offices and student clubs. Wednesday, May 4, from 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m., on Levermore Lawn.
   
AUPAC Performances

Performances at the Adelphi University Performing Arts Center (AUPAC) this month include:
 
Melissa Manchester, the Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and New York native will take us on a musical journey through her stellar career on Saturday, May 14, at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are nearly sold out, so be sure to order yours today.
 
Adelphi student performances--all free events--that you don't want to miss:
 
Adelphi Flute Ensemble, Monday, May 2, at 7:30 p.m.  
Dance Showcase, Saturday, May 7, at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Adelphi Vocal Ensemble, Monday, May 9, at 7:30 p.m.
Adelphi Concert Band, Tuesday, May 10, at 7:30 p.m.
Adelphi Percussion Ensemble, Friday, May 13, at 8:00 p.m.
 
ADELPHI IN THE NEWS
In April, 34 media stories covering Adelphi appeared in the top 100 national media outlets, with 471 stories appearing in total. In the past month, Adelphi and its experts have been featured in a number of stories. Some highlights of recent coverage include:

Dena Gassner, an Adelphi Ph.D. in Social Work candidate who spoke at our recent "Issues in Independent Living for Adolescents and Adults on the Autism Spectrum" conference, was featured on Huffpost Rise. Gassner spoke candidly on misconceptions about adults and parents with autism spectrum disorder.

For a story on transferring to a new college, Newsday interviewed Kristen E. Capezza, M.B.A. '12, executive director of admissions, who offered top tips on making a successful transition.

When more than 650 Adelphi students, faculty and staff packed into the Center for Recreation and Sports to support the Relay for Life fundraiser, media outlets took notice. News 12 Long Island's coverage, which included an interview with Debra Evans, senior associate director of student financial services, aired five times on April 8 and April 9.