July 2016
525,600 Minutes 
Today marks my one-year anniversary as president of our University. As I reflected on this milestone, the words of Jonathan Larson '82's "Seasons of Love" kept running through my mind as I considered all the milestones--both public and private--that measured this year for me.

At this time last year we rolled up our sleeves and began, with energy and optimism, to transform our admissions operations and reverse declining enrollments. The hard work paid off. I am thrilled to share that we have not only met, but even surpassed, our enrollment goal and are on target for the Class of 2020 to be our largest freshman class ever. 

Over the next two weeks, more than 1,000 new Panthers will be on campus for Orientation--the official kickoff for their Adelphi lives. I know you will join with me in welcoming them and will be as helpful as you were to me at the outset of my Adelphi journey.
 
During our 100-Day Listening Tour and strategic planning process, we determined the need to define who we are as well as who we hope to become. We reaffirmed our commitment to fostering a more inclusive environment and, as a result, set emerging as a model of diversity and inclusion as one of our six transformational goals. In the wake of last month's tragedy in Orlando, we came together to stand resolutely with hundreds of thousands of others across the country to show that Adelphi is a community where all people are valued and respected. I thank Perry Greene, Ph.D., for accepting the appointment as our new vice president of diversity and inclusion and am confident he will work with our faculty, students and staff to develop an aggressive action and implementation program to achieve this goal. Below, you can learn more about Perry and next steps related to moving our plan forward. 
 
While progress on enrollment was a priority, we also sought to bring attention to, and generate awareness of, our academic excellence. On this front, we received accolades for our strong programs and commitment to student success from U.S. News & World Report, the President's Honor Roll for Community Service, Fiske and Forbes; our faculty received grants from the National Science Foundation; and our students were recognized with numerous awards, most recently with the Northeast-10 Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. We also saw increased recognition by the press for the depth and breadth of the expertise of our faculty. Media outlets including CNN, Science, NPR, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press showcased their expertise and helped us attract the national attention we so justly deserve. We routinely share this news here on our website, but you can also find the year-in-review recap story here. 
 
We worked hard this year to achieve these successes, but we also made sure we took some time to have fun. We cheered our Panthers on in pursuit of national titles, sported our school colors of brown and gold on Wednesdays in a collective expression of school pride, established the foundation for an expanded international and global presence and marked our 120th anniversary.
 
Our lives are measured by moments large and small, and by all measures this has been an outstanding year. Thank you for making my first year so extraordinary. I am excited to see what the next 525,600 minutes will bring. How about you?


Christine M. Riordan, Ph.D.
President
CAMPUS UPDATES
 
The Class of 2020: A First Look  
In less than a week, we will welcome members of the Class of 2020 for the first Orientation session. So far, we are on track to enroll the largest freshman class in Adelphi's history. We will update everyone in the fall with the final admissions information, but I want to take this opportunity to thank Kristen Capezza, M.B.A. '12, our new associate vice president of enrollment management, and all of the members of our Strategic Enrollment Committee for their extraordinary work attracting such a large and diverse class and to set us up for success in meeting the goals of Momentum: The Strategic Plan for Adelphi University 2016-2021.  
 
Generous Federal Funding to Train Graduate Students in Substance Abuse Treatment 
Victor LaBruna, Ph.D., and Mandy Habib, Psy.D., directors of the Institute for Adolescent Trauma Treatment and Training, housed in Adelphi's School of Social Work, have secured a generous federal grant--$290,000 a year for three years--for an exciting, interdisciplinary public health program. The program, called "Collaboration-Social Work, Psychology and Nursing," will train graduate students in the three disciplines to provide early intervention screening and treatment for people who have or are at risk of developing substance use disorders. The grant will enhance both our graduate programs and the clinical services our students and alumni provide in the community. 
 
Momentum: Moving From Planning to Action 
With approval from the board of trustees, we are ready to implement Momentum: The Strategic Plan for Adelphi University 2016-2021. The leadership changes announced in June will allow us to be nimble in addressing our six transformational goals, as described in the plan. The final plan--which incorporates the feedback all of you shared in May--is being designed for public release. Implementation begins this summer and will continue in full force in the fall. 

The Panthers Top the Northeast-10
For the third time in four years, Panther Athletics claimed the Northeast-10 Conference President's Cup--the award for overall athletic excellence in the conference. The NE-10 also named Taylor Groth '16 the Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Groth played on the women's soccer team and, as a psychology major, earned a 3.93 GPA. The awards capped a banner year for athletics, with winning seasons for 14 teams, six conference titles, four tournament titles and 15 players being named All-Americans.
 
STAFF SPOTLIGHT 
What Does It Mean to Be a Model of Diversity and Inclusion?  
This month, Perry Greene, Ph.D., starts as Adelphi's first-ever vice president of diversity and inclusion. In a recent interview, he spoke about what diversity and inclusion mean to him, his vision for establishing Adelphi as a model of diversity and inclusion and the experience--including years as a child actor--that has prepared him for his new role.   
 
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT 
Pooja Kar, an accounting and economics major, traveled more than 1,000 miles from her home in Bangladesh to take part in Adelphi's Levermore Global Scholars program. She came with a dream to become the secretary general of the United Nations and chose Adelphi so that she could be close to the U.N. She spoke about her time at Adelphi and her experience mentoring fellow students who are far from home.


FACULTY SPOTLIGHT 
NSF Funds for Solar Energy Innovation 
Justyna Widera, Ph.D., associate professor, has secured funding from the National Science Foundation to bring 12 undergraduate students from the United States to Warsaw, Poland, to research ways to create cheaper and more efficient solar energy panels.
SHOUT-OUTS
Congratulations to...
The Delphian editorial team, including faculty adviser Liza Burby, for winning the Best College Newspaper award from the Press Club of Long Island. Editors and reporters singled out for excellence in writing and reporting were Bryan Grilli, editor-in-chief; Fallon McCarthy, sports editor; Danielle McDougall, entertainment editor; and Alexandra Wurglics '16, features editor.

Blyth Daylong, executive director of the Adelphi University Performing Arts Center, and his entire team for a year of record-breaking ticket sales.

Jonathon Mulford '16, a former Panthers pitcher, who was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals. Mulford is the 21st player in Adelphi baseball history to join the professional ranks. 
EVENTS
 
Adelphi Community Reads Author Ta-Nehisi Coates 
Adelphi has selected Coates' memoir, Between the World and Me--winner of a 2016 National Book Award--as its 2016 Adelphi Community Reads book. Coates will give a free lecture on Wednesday, October 5, at 7:00 p.m., in the Thomas Dixon Lovely Ballroom of the Ruth S. Harley University Center.  

Alumna and Author Jacqueline Woodson '16 (Hon.)
Woodson, the best-selling author of Brown Girl Dreaming and other works of fiction, poetry and nonfiction, won the 2014 National Book Award for Young People's Literature and was named the Young People's Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation. She will give a free lecture on Wednesday, October 26, at 11:00 a.m., in the Thomas Dixon Lovely Ballroom of the Ruth S. Harley University Center.  
 
New York Times columnist David Brooks 
On the eve of the presidential election, Brooks, who writes a weekly op-ed column for The New York Times, will give a free lecture, "What to Expect 'Tomorrow'--Election," on Monday, November 7, at 7:00 p.m., in the Thomas Dixon Lovely Ballroom of the Ruth S. Harley University Center.  

AUPAC Performances 
The Phantom Trio--Broadway performers Jeremy Stolle, Jennifer Hope Wills and Jeremy Hays, who appeared in The Phantom of the Opera--will give a special summer concert of Broadway classics and contemporary hits on Sunday, July 24, at 4:00 p.m.  
 
ADELPHI IN THE NEWS
In June, 24 media stories covering Adelphi appeared in the top 100 national media outlets, with 1,615 stories appearing in total. Some highlights of recent coverage include:
The Huffington Post video series An American Dinner Table depicts the experiences of three Muslim families in America. Sarah Eltabib, an academic tutor at Adelphi, and her family participated in the series. They were featured in the first installment, which was released in early June.

In June, Forbes released its second annual richest self-made women list, and Adelphi alumna Dorothy Herman, president and CEO of Douglas Elliman Real Estate, topped it.

The New York Times ran a story on the decision by the State Board of Regents to allow undocumented immigrants to obtain licenses in 57 professions, including teaching and social work. The article featured Juan Carlos P�rez '07, M.A. '08, who came to Adelphi to be a mathematics teacher and is now able to realize his dream.