The American College of Health Care Executives New York chapter, the Health Leaders of New York, awarded a scholarship of $1,500 to student Mariam Janneh in the LIU Master of Health Administration program. Janneh was awarded the scholarship after demonstrating academic excellence, community service and a strong desire to become a future health care leader. Each year, HLNY awards up to eight scholarships to students to bring awareness to health equity and the need for guiding future leaders committed to changing the health care landscape in New York.
New York Post Profiles First-Year Political Science Major
A first-year political science major at LIU Post is turning heads by hoping to become the youngest ever member of the New York City Council. In a profile by the New York Post, Seth Breland said he has been working in city politics since the eighth grade and is hoping to be elected to represent the 23rd Council District at the end of next year, when he will be just 19 years old. If he is able to get on the ballot in November 2021, Breland will face eight other challengers who will be running for the vacant seat.
Former Educator Publishes Debut Children’s Book
C.P. Wilson, ’86, who earned a master’s degree in TESOL and served many years as an educator, is now teaching children through literature with the release of her debut children’s book Miss Centipede: A Bug’s Tale of Tolerance. The book, published by Dorrance Publishing Co., explores social tolerance and acceptance for all ethnic groups by following Miss Centipede as she navigates the challenges of being a new teacher at a city school with overcrowded and diverse classrooms.
LIU President Named to “Power Women of Long Island” List
Schneps Media, publisher of dozens of newspapers in New York City and Long Island, named Dr. Kimberly R. Cline, president of Long Island University, to its “Power Women of Long Island” list. The annual honor highlighted by an award ceremony and networking event is designed to celebrate women who are leaders in their chosen fields, who foster innovation and use their voice to influence positive change for future generations.
Long Island University Marks 15 Consecutive Years as a Princeton Review Best Business School
Brookville, NY, Jan. 4, 2021 – Long Island University (LIU) is one of the nation’s most outstanding business schools, according to The Princeton Review®. LIU was selected as a “Best Business School” for the 15th consecutive year.
“We are proud that The Princeton Review named LIU as a ‘Best Business School’ for the 15th consecutive year, recognizing our successful tradition of educating top business leaders,” said LIU President Kimberly R. Cline.
The LIU School of Business is led by Dean Ray Pullaro, whose professional background includes accomplishments at the highest levels of Wall Street and corporate finance. Dean Pullaro served as managing director of the Blackstone Group, leading their alternative asset $32 billion portfolio.
Long Island University is well-known for graduating high-achieving business leaders. Alumni include Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates; Howard Lorber, president and CEO of Vector Group Ltd; John Kanas, senior advisor to Carlyle and vice chairman of Carlyle Global Financial Services Partners; Jorge Perez, chairman and CEO of The Related Group; Gary Winnick, chairman and CEO of Winnick & Company; Al Kahn, marketer of Pokemon, Nintendo, Cabbage Patch Kids & Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; Steve Bandrowczak, president and CEO of Xerox; John Utendahl, executive vice chairman of investment banking for Bank of America Merrill Lynch; Sarabeth Levine, founder and owner of Sarabeth’s restaurants; Beth Shaw, founder of YogaFit; Rob Arning, chairman of KPMG Foundation (Ret.); George Sherman, founder and president of Cypress Group LLC; James Flanagan, vice chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers; Thomas Buonaiuto, president of Empire National Bank; David Kline, executive vice president of News Corp; and Marilyn Nagel, co-founder of RISEQUITY.
“LIU is proud of our elite business school,” said Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Edward Weis, who served Merrill Lynch as managing director in investment banking. “LIU is among only 5% of business schools globally that are accredited by AACSB. Our business and accounting programs are nationally recognized for their top teaching, research and job placement for students.”
The Princeton Review specifically ranks Master of Business Administration programs. Comments from LIU students that The Princeton Review surveyed and sourced in the profile include: “You learn something new every day;” and the MBA program “makes you become more creative and competitive. I can see the big difference between my friends in other colleges. I feel gifted for being educated in this school.”
About Long Island University
Long Island University, founded in 1926, continues to redefine higher education, providing high quality academic instruction by world-class faculty. Recognized by Forbes for its emphasis on experiential learning and by the Brookings Institution for its “value added” to student outcomes, LIU offers over 250 degree programs, with a network of 270,000 alumni that includes industry leaders and entrepreneurs across the globe. Visit liu.edu for more information.
Backstage Features Top-30 “Best in the U.S” LIU Theatre Program
Backstage, a leading performing arts publication, featured the Long Island University theatre program in its profile series of the “best performing arts programs in the U.S.” The article included an interview with Dr. Jennifer Holmes, dean of the LIU Post College of Arts, Communication and Design, who spoke about the program’s unique features, esteemed visiting artists, world-renowned faculty, and opportunities for exposure in the New York City and Broadway markets.
Students Land Coveted Internships at Fortune 500 Companies
LIU students continue to earn prestigious and competitive internship opportunities at some of the world’s most successful companies. For the spring 2021 semester, dozens more students landed sought-after internships at Fortune 500 companies in industries such as fashion, finance, technology, and medicine. The University will have over 100 students joining Fortune 500 companies in total. Global corporations that will host LIU students include J.P. Morgan, Merrill Lynch, NASDAQ, Johnson & Johnson, KPMG, JetBlue, Deloitte, Morgan Stanley, Tory Burch, and more.
Alumnus Named Superintendent of Oyster Bay Schools
The Oyster Bay-East Norwich School District named Dr. Francesco Ianni, ‘04, as its new superintendent beginning Jan. 1. An Italian immigrant who moved to the United States at age 22, Ianni has led a prestigious career in education since earning his professional diploma in education administration from LIU. He has previously served as a math teacher at Locust Valley High School; as a principal in the Levittown School District; and as an assistant principal, deputy superintendent, and superintendent in the Bellmore-Merrick School District. Read more.
Doctoral Student Contributes to Book About Economics of COVID-19
Members of the LIU community are playing a critical role in researching the pandemic, as Naiya Patel, ’17, is the co-editor of Economics of COVID-19: Digital Health, Education and Psychology. The book explores the impact of the virus – particularly in India – on critical areas like economics, public health, education, digital strategies, psychology and telemedicine by providing insights through valuable research and opinions of authors worldwide. Patel is currently a second-year doctoral student at the University of Louisville. Read more.
LIU Athletics Earns National and International Acclaim in 2020
LIU Sharks student-athletes and coaches have earned national and international recognition for their performance on the field and in the classroom since the University expanded its NCAA Divison I program.
ESPN published a feature story covering the LIU men’s ice hockey team, the first NCAA Division I ice hockey team on Long Island. Additionally, senior goaltender Garett Metcalf earned recognition from Sports Illustrated as part of their top 100 NCAA players to watch in 2020–21 list. Metcalf was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2015 NHL Draft.
LIU selected Brett Riley to lead the men’s ice hockey program. Riley is a third generation collegiate hockey coach who joins LIU from Colgate University. He founded and maintained operations of GEN3 Hockey, an elite youth hockey program comprised of 42 teams and 855 players that has developed 12 NHL draft picks. Riley’s father and grandfather both served as head coach at Army West Point.
Three members of the LIU women’s hockey team will represent their home countries by competing for their national teams in upcoming international tournaments. Sophomore defender Paula Bergstrom, #2, and sophomore forward Matilda Af Bjur, #21, both made the Sweden National Team, and sophomore defender Linn Thomsen, #8, made the Denmark National Team.
The LIU cheerleading team landed a top 
10 finish at the Universal Cheerleaders Association College Nationals, the most prestigious college cheerleading championship in the country. The event is held at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, and nationally televised on ESPN and ESPN2 to over 100 million homes and 32 countries nationwide each year.
The inaugural gymnastics recruiting class received a big boost with the signing of freshman Mara Titarsolej. Titarsolej joined the Dutch National Team in 2013 and represented the Netherlands at the 2015 World Championships. She helped the Dutch team qualify a full team to the Olympics for the first time in almost 50 years. In 2016, Titarsolej competed as an individual at the European Championships in Switzerland, placing fifth on floor exercise.
The LIU football team added coaches with elite pedigrees, hiring Super Bowl champion Jim Cordle as offensive coordinator, and Mark Smith as defensive coordinator. Smith joins the Sharks from the University of Arkansas, with previous coaching stops at the University of Oklahoma and Southern Methodist University. Cordle was the offensive coordinator at Urbana University and previously coached at Ohio State University, his alma mater. He played four seasons in the National Football League with the New York Giants, highlighted by the team’s Super Bowl XLVI victory in 2012.
Five LIU athletic programs received NCAA Division I Academic Performance Program awards. LIU baseball, men’s golf, women’s golf, men’s track & field and volleyball all scored in the top 10 percent nationally in Academic Progress Rate (APR) in their respective sports. The APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all Division I sports teams nationally.
Long Island University athletics set a 
Northeast Conference single-season record for the highest cumulative GPA during the 2019–2020 academic year, winning the prestigious Institutional GPA Award in the process. The University also claimed a conference-best six team GPA awards, two more than any other institution in the NCAA Division I conference.
The LIU women’s swimming team finished with the fourth-highest team GPA in the nation at 3.70, ahead of other top schools, including Harvard University, Michigan State University and American University. As a result, the Sharks were named a Fall Scholar All-America Team by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America.