June 2016
The Confidence of Courage
Quoting poet Mary Oliver in her Commencement address, author Jacqueline Woodson '16 (Hon.) charged the Class of 2016 to think about what they were going to do with their "one wild and precious life." She poignantly shared that as an undergraduate at Adelphi, she had no idea that she had the power to change the world through literature. Woodson asked the graduates to imagine not only what they would do with their one precious life, but even more important, what they would change.  

We see this same grit in our graduates. I had the extraordinary privilege of greeting each of them as they walked across the stage at the Doctoral Hooding and the ceremony at Jones Beach. I shook their hands and saw in their eyes a determination and confidence of courage that was ignited through the connections they made here at Adelphi. Featured below are examples of these extraordinary graduates. I dare you to try and keep a dry eye after hearing their stories.

This year I also got to learn more about the exceptional work of our faculty. University Professor Paul Moravec has just composed another extraordinary piece that is already garnering worldwide attention. This original composition--an opera based on Stephen King's The Shining--is an example of the tremendous talent and creativity of our world-class faculty.

Our faculty members are not only remarkably inventive, they are also influential. The media is taking note. Last month, CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 featured Joel Weinberger, Ph.D., professor, for his groundbreaking research on unconscious thought and voter behavior. He and a colleague revealed what voters really think of our presidential candidates. 

In reflecting on the close of the academic year, we have accomplished a great deal by working quickly, collaboratively and effectively. We turned the tide on declining undergraduate enrollment and made significant changes to improve student satisfaction. We chose to title our strategic plan Momentum to reflect the rapid progress we've made working together this year. There is no doubt that we have the vision and energy we need to make the critical decisions required to achieve our goals.

A wonderful example of such ingenuity and collaboration is the grant Adelphi recently received from the FAR Fund to support the work of faculty and students at the Derner Hempstead Child Clinic. The clinic provides badly needed mental health services to children and their families in our neighboring town of Hempstead. It was conceived by Kirkland Vaughans, Ph.D., senior adjunct professor, and is being run in partnership with the Mental Health Association of Nassau County. Denise Hien, Ph.D., professor, helped secure the funds. Initiatives like this represent the best of Adelphi. We bring the collective expertise of our students and faculty to serve the community, and we strive to provide the best possible learning environments for scholars and future practitioners. 

In her Commencement remarks, Marian Wright Edelman, J.D., '16 (Hon.), founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund, charged our graduates to pursue ideas without worrying about what other people would think about them. 

As we begin the hard work of shaping our collective future, there will be times when the work will be hard or when we might worry about what others will think about our ideas.

I invite you to join me in getting started and thinking and acting boldly.


Christine M. Riordan, Ph.D.
President
CAMPUS UPDATES
Even More Momentum for Our Strategic Plan
Thank you to everyone--more than 300 faculty members, students and staff--who participated in our strategic planning town hall meetings and to the dozens of you who shared your thoughts online. The feedback has been extremely valuable in helping us refine Momentum: The Strategic Plan for Adelphi University 2015-2021. An updated version of the plan will be presented to the board of trustees this month; over the summer we will plan for the implementation phase. I look forward to working with all of you to keep our momentum going.   

 
An Extraordinary Spring for Adelphi Athletics 
It has been inspiring to see our Panther athletes excel on the field and in the classroom this spring. The Adelphi women's lacrosse team and the softball team both earned berths in the NCAA Division II National Championships Festival in Denver. The teams also excelled academically, winning awards for having the highest GPAs among the teams at the festival.
Commencement Profiles
Congratulations to the 2,322 Class of 2016 graduates. Here are just a few of the stories of the outstanding graduates from this year's class. You will find additional coverage of Commencement weekend on the Adelphi website, our Facebook page and our YouTube channel. 
Committed to Caring
From her nursing studies to her art to her volunteer work, Danielle Bowen '16 is the definition of a caring, hands-on practitioner ready to take the lead.
Inspiring Through Action
Business major Zachary Naglieri '16 managed Adelphi's lacrosse team before going on to work for IBM Global Business Services. 
Bonding Through Chemistry
Sophia King '16 came from Guyana to Garden City to study chemistry at Adelphi and, with her mentor, Justyna Widera, Ph.D., has presented at conferences in Dubai and Spain and conducted research in Poland.
Open to New Ideas
Stephen Spencer '16 has found that patients respond well to holistic care--treating the whole person, not just the ailment.
From B.A. to Ph.D.
A talented student-athlete, psychology major Taylor Groth '16 is meeting her goals both on and off the soccer field.
The Humanities of Healthcare
Peter Hraniotis '16 decided English, "the epitome of the humanities," as he calls it, was the perfect preparation for a career in healthcare. He now plans to go to medical school.
ADELPHI IN THE NEWS
In May, 37 media stories covering Adelphi appeared in the top 100 national media outlets, with 508 stories appearing in total. Some highlights of recent coverage include:
 
A recent segment on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 featured Joel Weinberger, Ph.D., professor, for his research on how unconscious thoughts influence voter behavior. He and a colleague devised a test to determine voters' unconscious perceptions of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. CNN reported on the experiment and even conducted one of its own. The results were surprising. 

Paul Moravec, University Professor of music, has composed The Shining--an opera based on the movie made from Stephen King's best-selling novel. In May, the Minnesota Opera performed The Shining to sold-out audiences and rave reviews. Moravec spoke to NPR's All Things Considered and the Associated Press about the work, and Opera News and MinnPost gave it glowing reviews.

Malia Obama's decision to take a gap year before going to Harvard sparked a flurry of media attention. In follow-up coverage, CBS New York spoke to a number of people at Adelphi about the gap-year trend, including Isuri Wijesundara, an Adelphi junior; Stephanie S. Espina, director of freshman admissions; and Thomas W. Shinick, M.B.A. '82, a part-time professor in the Robert B. Willumstad School of Business.

The New York Post's Education Guide covers hot topics in K-12 and higher education. A recent article offered guidance to prospective college students making the most of their passions and experiences in the admissions process. Kristen E. Capezza, M.B.A. '12, executive director of University admissions, spoke about the qualities she and her team look for in applicants.
  
Newsweek recently polled thousands of U.S. teenagers to gauge their views of everything from politics to race to parents and mental health. Results revealed that 82 percent believe that racial discrimination will be a problem for their generation--up from 44 percent in 1966. Kirkland Vaughans, Ph.D., senior adjunct faculty member, spoke about the trend.
 
In May, Adelphi hosted Pitch Island--an event modeled after ABC's Shark Tank--for Long Island start-ups to pitch their ideas to prospective investors. Seven area businesses participated, and Newsday covered the event.