The First of Long Island Corporation promoted Jay P. McConie (BS in Accounting, ’90) to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of The First of Long Island Corporation and The First National Bank of Long Island. McConie has been employed as Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of the Bank since 2015.

Dr. Jonathan Haynes, Professor of English, spoke at an international symposium focused on global storytelling in Hong Kong. Other featured speakers included scholars from University of California, Berkeley, Columbia University, University of Hong Kong, Ohio State University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Southern California and University of Zurich.

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.

John P. Kiernan (BS in Accounting, ’84) was promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Veeco Instruments, a leading manufacturer of technologies. Kiernan previously served as Senior Vice President of Finance, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer. He will now have responsibility for all finance, tax, treasury and investor relations functions at the company.

For the sixth consecutive year, LIU occupational and physical therapy students are spending their spring break helping children with special needs in Belize. The Cerebral Palsy Alliance Foundation awarded a grant to Dr. Nia Mensah, Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy, to help fund the upcoming trip. Belize has a population of nearly 400,000 people and currently has no occupational therapists and only one physical therapist.

Dr. Glen D. Lawrence, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, debunks the common advice to consume less fat in his new book The Low-Fat Lie: Rise of Obesity, Diabetes, and Inflammation. Lawrence describes how the false condemnation of saturated fat arose from a misunderstanding of how the human body regulates cholesterol. He argues that the misinformation has had a profound, adverse impact on public health.

Long Island University offers exceptional programs for middle school students as part of the LIU Young Visionaries Academy. The Academy offers classes in Animal Medicine for Future Veterinarians, Little Medical School and the Center for Gifted Youth. Classes are taught by practicing doctors, nurses and scientists.

Long Island University has received a $2 million gift from the 2007 Forbes Entrepreneur of the Year Clint Severson and Conni Ahart for the new College of Veterinary Medicine. The donation will establish the Veterinary Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Management Center, which will support LIU Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students with interest in clinic management, and veterinary concept/product development. The Center will offer students Veterinary Entrepreneurship and Management scholarships and fellowships.

Dr. Yafeng Xia, Professor of History, delivered a guest lecture at Yale University’s international conference “The End of the Cold War: Continuity and Change 30 Years Later.” Other speakers included professors from Princeton University, Columbia University, Yale University, Johns Hopkins University and Harvard University.

Dr. Louis Parascandola, Professor of English, led students on an unforgettable hands-on learning excursion to Salem, Massachusetts. The group toured the birthplace of iconic American author Nathaniel Hawthorne and the Witch House, the lone remaining building from the infamous Salem Witch Trials in 1692.