The LIU cheerleading and dance teams won national championships for a second straight year. The combined Sharks team won the Open Spirit Program Game Day division at the College Nationals Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) and Universal Dance Association (UDA), national championships at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports. LIU topped St. John’s, the University of Puerto Rico and Northwest Missouri State in the finals.
Business Magazine Highlights Phenom CFO
Authority Magazine featured the expert insight of Davinder Athwal, ’95, in an article on “What You Need to Succeed in The Modern World of Finance.” Athwal is the Chief Financial Officer for Phenom, a global recruiting firm that uses artificial intelligence to help companies streamline their hiring processes. The publication has interviewed prominent authorities across industry, including Marc Cuban, Guy Kawasaki, Seth Godin, Jane Goodall, Jillian Michaels, Floyd Mayweather, Maria Shriver, Shaquille O’Neal, Jenny Craig and Venus Williams.
Forbes, Wall Street Journal Highlight Professor’s New Book
National media outlets are heaping praise on The Peer Effect, a new bookco-authored by Dr. Syed Ali, Professor of Sociology. In interviews with the Wall Street Journal and Forbes, Dr. Ali unpacks the book’s insights on how peers can influence one another beyond school performance. Dr. Ali is the recipient of two Fulbright fellowships and former editor for Contexts Magazine, an official publication of the American Sociological Association.
Pharmacy Students Lead Bone Marrow Donation Event
LIU Pharmacy students organized a registration event for bone marrow donations on the Brooklyn campus. Twelve heroic students signed up to become marrow donors. The event was held in collaboration with Gift of Life, a national nonprofit that facilitates transplants for children and adults suffering from life-threatening illnesses.
Rookie of the Year Ranked Among Top Freshmen in Nation
Joshua Saavedra, a midfielder on the men’s soccer team, was named one of the top freshmen in Division I college soccer by Top Drawer Soccer, the leading publication for the sport. The outlet included Saavedra on its Freshman Best XI first team, after the midfielder was named NEC Rookie of the Year and a first-team All-NEC selection.
Pharmacy Professor Presents Research at International Conference
Dr. Islam M. Ghazi, Associate Professor of Clinical Pharmacy, presented his study on bacterial infections at Epidemics 9, International Conference on Infectious Disease Dynamics, in Bologna, Italy. Dr. Ghazi and his colleagues observed “a deficient cellular response in the patient group that clinicians should consider immunocompromised based on severity of the disease.”
Broadway Star Showcased at National Theater Festival
LIU theater professor Eric Jordan Young presented three songs from his new production Vanishing Girl at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre’s 35th Annual Festival of New Musicals. Young has performed in Broadway productions of Chicago, Ragtime, The Book of Love and Seussical.
Philosophy Professor Awarded Salzburg Global Fellowship
LIU philosophy professor Shaireen Rasheed is the recipient of the Salzburg Global Seminar’s Reckmeyer Family Fellowship. Dr. Rasheed joins a prestigious list of Salzburg Global fellows, including Nobel laureate Saul Bellow, former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell, World Bank president Jim Yong Kim, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.
Global College Student Presents Research at UN Conference
Abigail Kerensky, a senior in LIU’s Global College, shared her research community engagement activities at an invitation only conference at the UN organized by the UN Academic Impact. Kerensky highlighted the 70 million people around the world who face challenges of Deafness and Blindness and the global need for their human rights.
Soccer Star Earns Invite to MLS Pre-Draft Event
Emil Jaaskelainen, a senior on the men’s soccer team, participated in the Major League Soccer College Showcase ahead of the MLS SuperDraft 2024. The exclusive invite is offered to only 44 college soccer players. Jaaskelainen, a 6-foot-3 striker from Bolton, England, is the two-time reigning NEC Player of the Year and a four-time first-team All-NEC selection. He ranks second in Division I in career goals among active student-athletes with 43.