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LIU Post Psychology Professor Eva Feindler Hopes to Launch ‘Tanzania Project’ in the Coming Years

Dr. Eva Feindler in her office at LIU Post

Dr. Eva Feindler, Ph.D., former director of the doctoral psychology program at LIU Post, recently returned from an inspiring 10-day trip to Tanzania with a delegation from the American Psychology Association’s Office of International Affairs. They were invited to come to this east African nation last month to gain insights into the country’s current applications of psychology and lay the groundwork for developing long-lasting professional connections with new colleagues in the years ahead.

“In Tanzania, there are some 42 million people but only a handful of psychologists,” explained Dr. Feindler. She returned home thinking about how LIU might link up with universities in Tanzania to grow their psychology programs. “There’s a growing awareness that it is an issue.”

They met with government leaders and faculty at several universities in Tanzania and Zanzibar, an island-state off the mainland. They also visited clinics, health service agencies and orphanages, and participated in a range of social and cultural activities.

Dr. Feindler said she went to Tanzania both as a veteran member of the APA, a prestigious 126-year-old organization with a membership of more than 200,000 psychologists, and as a representative of LIU.

“My hope is that we’ll create some collaborative projects,” she said, adding that perhaps LIU could sponsor some Tanzanian students to study psychology over here. “What we ultimately want to do is establish something that has long-standing impact, such as creating programs so that they can train their own folks.”

Admittedly, she’s still in the early stages of what she’s calling the “Tanzania Project.”

“I would love to make it inter-disciplinary, too,” she said, adding that she could foresee opportunities for students and faculty in our social work and education departments to become further engaged.

This trip marked the first time that the APA has brought a group to Tanzania.

“The moment in the country is right, it seems,” said Dr. Amanda Clinton, ME.d., Ph.D., the senior director of APA’s Office of International Affairs, who led the delegation. “We were asked to come because our presence in some ways would be seen as recognition of the importance of mental health service, psychology training in particular. At this moment, the country has taken really strong steps to develop training and regulatory processes but they’re eager to learn from others so they can do it well the first time.”

 

LIU’s Veterinary Tech Director Robin Sturtz Talks About the Bond Between Humans and Animals at Special Hutton House Lecture Series

Dr. Robin Sturtz holds a pair of male Tonkinese cats at her Long Island veterinary office.

The unique bond between humans and animals is the focus of a special two-part Hutton House lecture featuring the insight of Dr. Robin Sturtz, Director of the Veterinary Technology Program at the School of Health Professions and Nursing at LIU Post.

“Humans and animals have been an important part of each other’s lives for millennia,” said Dr. Sturtz, a feline veterinarian. “Animals have been worshipped as gods, taken in as family members, and sometimes have suffered for their association with us.”

In the first lecture, held on Jan. 30, Dr. Sturtz discussed how humans have used other animals for work, sustenance and companionship, and how the human-animal connection benefits both human and animal health. She also addressed the “dark” aspects of the relationship, in particular the association between domestic violence and animal abuse. The second lecture, which will take place on Feb. 13that 1 p.m. in the Krasnoff Theatre at Hillwood Commons, will focus on service animals, featuring a presentation by Grete Eide, chief canine care officer of the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind.

“We will talk about how we train animals to assist humans with special needs, how this benefits both the animal and the human, and the wide range of physical, intellectual and psychological challenges we can help to lighten,” explained Dr. Sturtz, adding that this lecture will mention primates, birds and other animals besides dogs.

“For those of us who are stressed—which is probably most of us—the good thing about companion animals is that they are generally non-judgmental,” Dr. Sturtz told her avid audience at Hutton House. “If you’re happy, sad or angry, your animal is just going to be happy to see you. They don’t really care, and they’ll do their best to lighten things up.”

But she cautioned her listeners not to ascribe human thought processes to other animals.

“Cats and dogs do not seek revenge,” she said. “It’s not like an animal sits there and says, ‘You know, I’m really annoyed that I didn’t get my dinner on time! I’m going to urinate on the couch!’ It doesn’t work that way.” She added that urinary tract infections are the number one cause of cats’ going outside their litter box.

When she was asked to pick the smartest dog breed, this vet demurred.

“Intelligence in an animal consists of being sensitive to what’s going on around it, knowing what’s expected, and anticipating what will be expected,” Dr. Sturtz said. “I don’t know if I would call it breed specific because it really depends on the animal…on what information they’ve been given throughout their lives.”

Some guide dogs have learned how to understand sign language, she pointed out, enhancing their communication ability. Generally speaking, animals’ responses to human body language can vary tremendously.

“Some behaviors that you would think are very inviting actually can be very threatening,” said Dr. Sturtz. “The last thing you want to do if you’re with a dog or a cat that doesn’t know you is reach down to pat their head! Why? Because all they see is a big human hand!”

She cited two other examples of “counter-intuitive behavior” to watch out for: “If a cat is wagging its tail, is it happy?” Dr. Sturtz asked rhetorically. “No! That’s a cat who’s either fascinated, because sometimes that happens, but usually it means: ‘Get out of my way before I’ll bite you.’ If a dog shows its teeth, it’s not usually showing off its last dental cleaning! It’s probably telling you that it’s not in the mood.”

Pit bulls, she wanted to reiterate, are not inherently aggressive. “We breed that into them,” she said. “It’s environmental, rather than hereditary.”

Animal abuse is often associated with human abuse, according to Dr. Sturtz. “In homes where there’s domestic violence and there’s a companion animal, the animal will often serve as a locus for the abuser’s attention,” she said. “The abuser will threaten to lock up all the food and not allow the family to feed the dog unless the abuser gets what he or she wants—and frankly that’s the most mild of the stories.”

In the veterinary profession, the development of hospice and palliative care as well as euthanasia also springs from the bonds humans have forged with their animals.

“What we do is provide for a humane passing for an animal who is suffering and whom we cannot help medically,” said Dr. Sturtz. “I’ve been a veterinarian for 15 years, and it’s upsetting every time. You don’t show it, because that does not help the family, so you wait until they leave and then you go in the back. By the same token, euthanasia is a blessing because at least there’s something we can do for them and for the family.”

Dr. Sturtz reminded her listeners that “consistent, positive interaction is what builds the human-animal bond. All you need is love—it’s really true.”

To view Hutton House Lecture’s winter catalog, visit the website at webapps.liu.edu/HuttonHouse

Northwell Health’s Senior VP Winifred Mack Joins LIU Board of Trustees

Winifred B. Mack, RN, is senior vice president of health system operations at Northwell Health.

Winifred B. Mack, RN, senior vice president of health system operations at Northwell Health, is the newest member of Long Island University’s Board of Trustees. As the governing body of LIU, the Board of Trustees is responsible for upholding the educational mission and fiscal policies of the University.

“We welcome Winnie Mack to the Board. She brings a wealth of knowledge, vision and passion that will enable us to continue to propel the University into the top ranks of nationally recognized academic institutions,” said Eric Krasnoff, chairman of the Board of Trustees. “We know she will serve as a role model for our students given her own inspiring professional career.”

Ms. Mack earned a B.S. in Nursing (’76) and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration (’85) from LIU Post. In recognition of her accomplishments, she was presented with LIU Post’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2013. She officially joined the Board at its Jan. 22, 2019 meeting.

“LIU is honored that someone with such a distinguished record is joining our Board of Trustees,” said Dr. Kimberly R. Cline, president of LIU. “Her experience will be an invaluable addition as we continue to achieve our goals for the future of the University.”

Ms. Mack has more than 40 years of health-care experience as a nurse and an administrator. When she was promoted to become the executive director at Southside Hospital in 2006, she became the second nurse to lead a Northwell hospital.

As Northwell’s senior vice president, she is responsible for overseeing and implementing policies, evaluating perioperative protocols, providing counsel for emergency management services and working on issues related to labor management, strategic planning, special projects, community relations and management consulting.

Prior to her current position, she served as regional executive director of Northwell’s Eastern Region, which includes Glen Cove, Huntington, Plainview, Southside, South Oaks and Syosset Hospitals as well as Peconic Bay Medical Center. In that role, she coordinated activities within the region that forged strong physician partnerships and found new opportunities for growth and investment.

Before entering the executive ranks of Northwell in 2002, Ms. Mack held high-level administrative and nursing positions at Continuum Health Partners’ Beth Israel-St. Luke’s Roosevelt Health System, Winthrop-University Hospital, Nassau University Medical Center and Stony Brook University Hospital.

She is the founding member of both the North American Transplant Coordinators Organization and the New York Transplantation Society. She is a Board member of the YMCA of Long Island, the LIU School of Health Professions and Nursing Advisory Board, and serves as a Long Island Trustee for the Energeia Partnership at Molloy College. She has also been a Board Member of Nassau Community Colleges’ Clinical Technology Program. In December, 2018, Ms. Mack was named a member of the Hofstra Northwell Hagedorn Honor Society.

In 2018, Ms. Mack was an Irish Americans in Government Honoree and a November 2018 YMCA of Long Island Honoree. She was honored by Long Island Business News with their Top 50 Women Award in 2016, and was the recipient in 2014 of the National Association of Professional Women’s Women of the Year Award. In 2012, the Islip Breast Cancer Coalition made her the honoree of their “Evening in Pink” and the YMCA Boulton Center bestowed their Ambassador of the Arts Award upon her in 2011.

LIU Alumnus Steven Bandrowczak Took What He Learned at Post to the Corporate Suite at Xerox

LIU Post alumnus Steven Bandrowczak shares his business acumen with interested students at the LIU Post College of Management.

Looking back, Steven Bandrowczak (Post ’88, BS in Computer Science) admits he’s taken a rather unconventional route to reach the C-suite at Xerox, where he’s currently the company’s president and chief operations officer.

“I am one of the most unlikely people to be sitting in this office,” he exclaimed.

Born on Long Island, he grew up in Copiague—“an environment that is not the CEO capital of the world,” as he put it and chuckled. He spent his last two years in high school working weekends slicing cold cuts in the meat department of a local deli and clamming in the Great South Bay to support himself while taking AP courses and staying on the honors roll.

“It wasn’t about going to college at that point,” he said. “I never even applied because I had no money. It wasn’t even on my radar scope.”

After he graduated, he did heavy construction for the Long Island Rail Road as a union member of Laborers’ Local 1298, spiking rails, digging holes and pouring concrete. Now he hasn’t picked up a welding torch in decades, let alone driven a bulldozer or a backhoe loader.

Since his appointment to this iconic Fortune 500 company in June 2018, he’s had far different things on his mind.

“Over the last couple of months, I’ve been focusing on how do we take Xerox to a new level,” Bandrowczak said. “How do we redefine the future of the company?” The challenge, he explains, is responding to the ever-changing demands of technology and staying competitive in this digital world.

Along the way he’s lived in five states and had offices in some 30 locations around the world, racking up 5 million frequent flyer miles—“too many!” he said.

Before joining Xerox, Bandrowczak was chief operating officer and chief information officer for Alight Solutions, based in Illinois. He handled the company’s global supply chain, shared services, product development, I/T strategy and operations, enterprise risk management and real estate. Previously he was the president of Telecommunication Media and Technology at Sutherland Global Services and senior vice president for Global Business Services at Hewlett-Packard Enterprises, transforming the organization with a focus on automation, business intelligence and labor optimization. During his career he’s held senior leadership positions for several multi-billion-dollar global companies, including Avaya, Nortel, Lenovo, DHL and Avnet, where he oversaw 40 acquisitions during his decade as CIO.

The first significant step on his career path began when he completed a six-month program in computer operations, after his future father-in-law, Sal Guigliano, told him in no uncertain terms that he had to return to school because he had the potential to go much further. It helped matters that Guigliano had also been his mentor and his boss.

With his certificate in hand, Bandrowczak started working the graveyard shift at Schweber Electronics and going to school full-time during the day.

“Oh, sleep was so overrated back then!” he said with a laugh. “I think I’m still there—I still get up at 4 o’clock in the morning and work crazy hours!”

That introductory level job eventually led him to Unisys, which not only put him through Nassau County Community College, it also helped him get his BS from LIU, starting in 1987.

“I could take multiple classes on the weekends, and it worked out very well for me,” he recalled. “The computer science classes were awesome. The accounting side gave me a great background and a tremendous leap into the business world.”

He credits his blue collar background with instilling the work ethic he has today.

“It gave me an appreciation for every level of success I’ve had—and how hard it is to get there,” he added. He and his wife Donna, now married 39 years, were childhood sweethearts. “We literally grew up a block from each other,” he said. “Without a doubt she is my rock.” Now living in Greenwich, Conn., they have a daughter, Maree, now 27, who was born in New York but grew up in Arizona when dad moved the family there to be closer to his new job.

His advice for students is to not shy away from taking the hardest path.

“I have never been afraid of taking chances,” Bandrowczak said, adding that he’s run the New York City marathon once, the Long Island marathon twice, and completed six half-marathons.  “It’s always about believing in yourself, taking a chance and working hard. I approach every day as a learning opportunity.”

LIU Music Professor Harris Becker Hits All the Right Notes as the Long Island Guitar Festival Enters Its 27th Year

LIU Post's Director of Guitar Studies, Harris Becker, now in his 27th year running the Long Island Guitar Festival

Harris Becker, Director of Guitar Studies at LIU Post, not only remembers the first guitar he ever got—he still has it. He was nine when his parents bought him a Goya guitar with “a beautiful neck and steel strings.

“A great guitar,” he said proudly. “It was easy to play. I learned how to read music and basic chords. Then the Beatles came along and I learned their tunes.”

He’s come a long way from Elmont Memorial High School, where he and a pal won a battle of the bands as a jazz improv duo. Becker enrolled as a music major at LIU Post, and later joined the faculty as an adjunct in 1976. Seven years later, he had his New York solo debut at Carnegie Recital Hall, an “elegant and intimate” space, he recalled, now known as Weill Recital Hall.

Becker founded the first Long Island Guitar Festival in 1993 and has been its director ever since.

“I was thinking of a way to bring these world-class artists to our music department,” he recalled. “It was also about bringing the process of making music to the general public so they could get deeper insight into how the artists do it.”

Since its humble inception, Becker’s musical celebration has taken off from a one-day gig to a six-day affair, which will run April 9-14 this year at LIU Post. Judging from its longevity and creative vitality, the Festival has gained a supportive audience and earned wide respect among musicians.

“This Festival’s reputation in the guitar world has put this music department on the map,” Becker said. “There are people from all over the world trying to play in this Festival.”

Besides featuring top-notch artists with international reputations, the Festival has also presented more than 40 world premieres—and that’s not all.

“The 2019 Festival is honored to be featuring the U.S. debut of acclaimed guitarist Laura Snowden, who was selected by Julian Bream to give the Julian Bream Trust concerts at Wigmore Hall,” noted Becker, adding that she also performed at the Royal Albert Hall and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre at the invitation of classical guitarist John Williams. “Laura was the first guitarist to graduate from the world-renowned Yehudi Menuhin School in London, where classical guitar tuition was funded by a generous gift from the Rolling Stones.”

Part of the Festival’s appeal is that students and amateurs can take master classes and workshops, which, Becker explains, “helps them grow as musicians and flourish artistically.”

“Education is an integral part of Becker’s vision for the Festival,” Amy Tuttle wrote in Classical Guitar Magazinein 2013, “and student ensembles are prominently featured, giving young high school- and college-aged musicians an important venue in which to perform.”

“I’m always looking for young artists and people playing new music,” Becker said. He loves the magic of making discoveries—and his enthusiasm has never waned. “When I see new artists today, I’m just the way I was when I was a little kid.”

Sponsored by the Department of Music of the School of Performing Arts at LIU Post with support from the D’Addario Foundation for the Performing Arts, the Augustine Foundation, Savarez, Murphy’s Music, and LIU’s John P. McGrath Fund, the Festival has a special vibe.

“It’s not a trade show! We’re focused on the music—and that, to me, is where I want to keep it,” he said. Helping him run the Festival are John Meschi, Director of Music Technology at LIU, who serves as advisor and website manager, and former LIU student and Assistant Festival Director James Erickson, a talented instrumentalist who’s a member of the Artesian Guitar Quartet, which also includes Becker.

Becker’s own musical tastes run the gamut, from classical to pop, jazz and new music. A key early influence in his musical journey was his close friend’s vast record collection where Becker first heard jazz guitar virtuoso Django Reinhardt.

“I realized you could improvise,” he says fondly. “I didn’t really get that before!”

He might have been 13 when he first heard a recording by Spanish classical guitarist Andrés Segovia. “I remember sitting and listening with my mother and just thinking to myself, ‘Now this is something!’” What resonated with him was the polyphony. “When I heard these two different lines going in two different directions, it changed my life.”

True to his times, in seventh grade, he played electric guitar in a rock band.

“I was not that interested in copying Jimi Hendrix,” he said with a smile. “I was more interested in writing my own music.”

As his work has repeatedly shown, his keen interest has never wavered. But how many classical guitarists can say they ever took “a master class in songwriting from John Lennon”?

That’s how Becker’s friend at the Yale School of Music, Benjamin Verdery, described the encounter after he’d heard the tale. Becker was 17 and rather cocky, when he called up Lennon, who was being interviewed on WPLJ, a New York City FM station, and asked the rock star if he could read him some lyrics he’d written. Lennon, somewhat taken aback, said, “You mean right now?”

Yes, he did. After listening to Becker recite two verses, Lennon replied, “Off hand, I just like the first verse. That will do. There’s no point in repeating it.” Pressed for career advice, Lennon said simply, “You really have to just keep pushing and hope for the best, you know.”

Which is advice that Becker took to heart. Besides running the Long Island Guitar Festival at LIU Post, Becker is the co-founder and artistic director of the summer music festival in rural Quebec, “Songe d’été en musique.”

In person, Becker exudes a low-key warmth with a glint of wry amusement in his eye—when he’s not playing. If you really want to get him riled, just ask him if classical music is stuck in the past like some petrified fossil.

“That’s what we’re trying to show people—it’s not frozen in time!” he said adamantly. As he put it, if two great guitarists like Julian Bream and John Williams each tackle the same Bach composition, they’ll play the piece differently so it sounds fresh and unique.

“It’s like an actor reading a play,” Becker explained. “It’s the artist who makes it come alive.”

And the guitarists who come to Brookville in April will prove that point again and again and again.

Festival performers, concert schedules, and ticket information are available at www.liu.edu/gfest

LIU Professor Dr. Anait S. Levenson Aims to Make Breakthroughs in Cancer Research

One of the preeminent cancer researchers in her field, Dr. Anait “Ana” Levenson is the first faculty member at LIU to receive the prestigious R15 AREA grant (Academic Research Enhancement Award) from the National Institutes of Health, which is given out to strengthen the research environment of schools that have not been major recipients of NIH support.

At present, she is studying strategies for curing prostate cancer. Previously, she did extensive research on breast cancer. The connection is logical to her because both cancers are hormone-dependent: estrogen for breast cancer, androgen for prostate cancer.

As a full professor at the new College of Veterinary Medicine at LIU Post, pending its accreditation, she’ll continue her work without a hitch because humans aren’t the only species to succumb to that disease. As she knows well, animal models are very important for understanding the mechanisms of cancer progression. At her lab at LIU, she’ll use mouse models to study how to prevent and treat prostate cancer. Her focus has been on targeting the MTA1 protein in cancer bone metastasis after she discovered that natural bioactive compounds found in grapes and blueberries such as resveratrol and pterostilbene could potentially inhibit its spread.

Born in Armenia, Dr. Levenson moved to Russia, where she received her MD and PhD degrees in Moscow. When she came to the United States more than two decades ago, she completed her postdoctoral training in Chicago at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Her postdoc mentor in the Breast Cancer Program was Dr. V. Craig Jordan, a pioneering scientist known as the “Father of Tamoxifen,” because he helped develop the drug that gave hope to thousands of women.

“With Craig Jordan, we knew we were participating every day in cancer research that could save people’s lives,” she said. Later she became one of his research faculty in the Breast Cancer Program and found the experience truly inspiring. She credited Dr. Jordan for encouraging her to write and publish papers—she’s now the author of more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, five book chapters and over 90 abstracts—as well as present results of her studies at national and international conferences. He also introduced her to other leading figures in her field.

In 2002, she became an associate professor at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery in Northwestern University’s Comprehensive Cancer Center at the medical school. One of her lab partners was Dr. Robert Satcher Jr., an assistant professor, who became the “first orthopedic surgeon in space” as a NASA astronaut aboard the space shuttle Atlantis.

“It was very exciting,” she recalled watching her former colleague orbit the Earth.

Before coming to LIU Pharmacy in 2016 and becoming an Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, she was an associate professor and then a full professor at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Miss., where she studied prostate cancer with a grant from the Department of Defense. In addition to mice models, she had human tissue samples for her investigation. She was honored for her work with an Excellence in Research Award.

Looking at the trajectory of her academic life, she knows that maintaining a serious level of research is a tough row to hoe, but the rewards are worth it.

LIU Professor Dr. Anait “Ana” Levenson is studying strategies for curing prostate cancer.

“You don’t get grants if you don’t have publications,” she said. “You don’t have publications if you don’t have data. And you don’t have data if you don’t put it all together.” Dr. Levenson has been continuously funded throughout her career, and is currently supported by the DOD, NIH and California Table Grape Commission.

In recognition of her expertise, she now serves as a scientific reviewer on several panels for the NIH and DOD, reviewing grant submissions herself and, she admits, drinking “a lot of coffee” with her fellow panelists gathered in Washington, D.C., for two and a half days of intense work. Dr. Levenson is an active reviewer for many journals and serves on several editorial boards. She also belongs to professional societies. She is a former vice president of the American Council for Medicinally Active Plants (ACMAP) and continues to be an active member of its Board of Directors.

Her advice to students is to be resilient and stay determined. “You have to love what you’re doing—you have to be passionate about it—otherwise you’re not going to thrive,” Dr. Levenson said. “If you want to survive in this business, you have to learn how to write, you have to learn how to present, and you have to learn how to publish.”

As Dr. Levenson has demonstrated, she’s mastered all three skills—and she’ll impart her knowledge to the next generation of students at LIU.

Long Island University Receives Ratings Upgrade from Standard & Poor’s

Standard & Poor’s, one of the nation’s foremost credit agencies, has again issued an upgrade for Long Island University, marking the fourth consecutive positive credit action issued for LIU since 2014.

“I am immensely proud of the efforts of all members of our community,” said Dr. Kimberly R. Cline, president of Long Island University. “This upgrade by Standard & Poor’s is yet another indicator that our future is strong and that we are well positioned to deliver on our commitment to academic excellence.”

S&P Global Ratings, a division of Standard & Poor’s, raised its rating on LIU 2012 general revenue bonds issued by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York from “BBB” to “BBB+” with a stable outlook. LIU’s credit rating increase serves as a measure of the overall health of the institution. The indicators considered by ratings agencies include:

  • Affordability – LIU has capped its tuition rate increases at 2% for the last five years and remains committed to continue this policy through 2020. This stands in contrast to 2018 regional and national averages of 3.6% and 4.1%, respectively.
  • Endowment – LIU has generated unprecedented growth with the endowment increasing from $86.9 million in 2013 to $230 million in 2018, or approximately 165%. This has been complemented by a sustainable operating model which has allowed the University to increase its capital investment by 650% over 2013 levels. This has enabled investment in state-of-the-art classrooms, upgraded labs, research facilities, and student amenities.
  • Improved student academic credentials – The University’s status and reputation are enhanced by continued improvement in the academic credentials of its students. Efforts to increase the pool of first-year students with high-quality academic credentials have resulted in a 12.2% increase in average SAT scores over the past five years.
  • Expanded research & international engagement – LIU has established a formal sponsored research and development plan, launching a global research strategy. This year, University faculty will conduct more sponsored research than at any other time in the institution’s history. The hiring of world-class faculty members and talented researchers to join our distinguished faculty means more opportunities for students and an enhanced classroom experience with a valuable global perspective and impact.
  • Expanded out-of-state enrollment – Year-over-year out-of-state undergraduate enrollment increased 6.1%, led by programs in accounting, business, nursing, theater, and new programs such as veterinary technology and sports management.

“LIU’s strong market position has been built on improved operating performance and the University community collaboratively achieving the objectives set forth in LIU’s strategic plan,” said LIU Chief Financial Officer Christopher Fevola. “Our goal moving forward is to grow new, strategic programs aimed at market needs. We are focused on continuing to attract high-achieving students who graduate on time.”

“LIU continues to support and attract talented faculty members who offer a high-quality education with a focus on experiential learning that prepares students for the workforce of the future,” said Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs Randy Burd. “This upgrade correlates with the University’s strategic approach to recruit of world-class faculty.”

The S&P rationale specifically referenced LIU’s “expanded recruitment efforts,” “solid management team,” and “increased alumni engagement” as critical factors in their assessment. S&P also cited LIU’s strength in “establishing a presence at high schools and community colleges, as well as to students in other regions.”  The rating reflects their views of the University’s “exceptional operating margins resulting from good management.”

For the fifth straight year, LIU has generated an operating surplus of greater than $10 million, enabling unprecedented capital investments across the University. LIU’s financial performance has resulted in a perfect 3.0 financial responsibility ratio with the U.S. Department of Education and an improved outlook from Moody’s, along with this upgrade from S&P.

 

President of American Library Association Gives Special Lecture at LIU Post on the Vital Role Libraries Play in Our Country Today

Loida Garcia-Febo, president of the American Library Association

Loida Garcia-Febo, president of the American Library Association (ALA), which represents more than 120,000 libraries in the United States, delivered an inspiring Hutton House Lecture at LIU Post’s Lorber Hall on Jan. 14 about the challenges facing public libraries today.

Last year Garcia-Febo became president of the ALA, the oldest and largest library association in the world. As an international library consultant, she has travelled the globe, talking about the vital role librarians must play in a changing world. The theme of her talk was that public libraries equal strong communities.

“In some parts of the country, public libraries provide the only access to information for some underrepresented, marginalized, or most vulnerable communities,” she explained. “Today, getting information is easy as we know, but getting the right information can be difficult. That’s how libraries can help people navigating the information jungle.”

She said that libraries can provide an inclusive environment “where all are treated with respect and dignity.” Sometimes, she added, the library patrons’ requests for information may go beyond a simple reference question and include pleas for essential services like where to find hot meals, showers, shelters or even good medical care for pregnant women. It’s all part of the functions that American libraries have in society today since they serve as “the bastions of democracy,” she noted, providing access to intellectual freedom, promoting diversity and serving the public good.

“Those are parts of our core values at ALA,” she said with pride. “Libraries play a critical role in leveling the playing field and helping all members of the community find the resources they need to better their lives through education.

“Our efforts can have a domino effect, going from impacting our local area to the city to the region to the country and the world,” said Garcia-Febo, adding that providing access to information can become a tool for empowerment.

Sometimes libraries are so in touch with their communities’ needs they’ll lend ukuleles, fishing poles and knitting needles, as well as offer “drawers and drawers of neckties,” she said with a smile. Some libraries host resume-writing workshops. A public library in Oregon partners with local wildlife groups to lead nature tours.

“The examples I shared confirm my belief that libraries equal strong communities,” she said. “But we can’t take our resources for granted.”

Public libraries are alive and well in the age of Amazon, she insisted, “because librarians are the ones who can direct us to accurate information—they can direct us to the truth.”

Garcia-Fedo, who is currently pursuing the Ph.D. in Information Studies program at LIU’s Palmer School of Library and Information Science, expressed her hope for the future.

“Libraries are—and will always be—about the people: what they need and how we can help them find it,” she said.

LIU Post Hosts Regional Virtual Business Conference for Thousands of Ambitious Local High School Students

Here with John Adams High School's Grab'n'Go virtual business are (l-r) Tiffany Callejas, Bibi Bacchus, Joshua Mongal and Rodia Ramlall.

The Pratt Recreation Center at LIU Post was abuzz with budding entrepreneurs last week as the University hosted more than 2,000 local high school students who were on hand for Virtual Enterprises International’s ninth annual Long Island regional conference and exhibition.

It was the first time the Brookville campus has been the venue for the big event, and the place was packed with more than 100 student-run companies pitching innovative products that ranged from solar-powered roofing shingles to stress-reducing hammocks, recycled bagel bits and custom-made smoothies delivered door-to-door.

Vying for the gold, the teams competed in almost a dozen competitions, including Business Plan, Company Branding, Company Newsletter, E-Commerce Website, Employee Handbook, Sales Materials, Video Commercial, Booth Design, Salesmanship and Impact marketing. The final results will be announced later this month.

“Events like these are vitally important in preparing our young people for future success in college and career pursuits,” explained Nick Chapman, VEI’s president and national program director, who was accompanied by Iris Blanc, VEI founder, as well as Ellen Palazzo, LI regional director, and Irv Wortman, LI regional coordinator.

“We’re excited to welcome Virtual Enterprise to LIU,” said Ed Weis, LIU’s vice president of Academic Affairs. “We’re huge admirers of Iris Blanc and Virtual Enterprise due to their learning model because students are actively engaged. They learn how to be business people, not just learn about business.”

Virtual Enterprises is a nonprofit educational organization based in Manhattan that works with schools and districts to implement a year-long, credited class that provides students with an authentic, collaborative business and entrepreneurship experience through its business simulation model. Since its inception in 1996, VE has had more than 140,000 students participate in its programs in almost 20 states. Here 69 Long Island schools were represented.

Standing with Dr. Kimberly R. Cline, president of Long Island University, are (l-r) Iris Blanc, founder of Virtual Enterprises International; Ellen Palazzo, Long Island regional director, and Nick Chapman, president of VEI.

“We’re happy that LIU is hosting this conference,” said Lori Sheinberg, the faculty coordinator for the VEI program at John Adams High School in Ozone Park in Nassau County. “We feel very privileged to be part of it.”

Tiffany Callejas, a senior at John Adams High School, explained how Grab’n’Go, the name of her firm, operates. “Everybody likes food. Who doesn’t?” she said with a laugh. “We took into consideration the students who come late to school. You can pre-order your favorite snacks and you don’t have to wait.”

“We have the menu online so you can order a day or two before, and we give you a code,” explained Joshua Mongol, a senior at John Adams High School. “So when you come in, you scan the code right away and we give you your meal.”

Students from Mount Sinai High School in Suffolk County formed a company called Sol Energy. “We’re a solar-based company that sells solar products to help the environment and save money,” said Rianna Balz, a sophomore. Among the offerings are solar shingles that blend into the rooftop and solar-powered cell-phone chargers.

Zachary Stock, Sol Energy’s chief operations officer, came up with the idea. “We needed a better way to have a sustainable future,” he said, “and so we thought, ‘What better way to make a profit and save the environment?’” As they envisioned it, their company’s solar shingles would come embedded with small, efficient solar panels that would look like specks on the roof so they wouldn’t stand out the way solar panels mounted on suburban homes do now.

“We needed something different,” Stock added. “We couldn’t be like a normal solar company. So, we thought, almost everyone on Long Island owns a home, so our product has a very large customer base.”

John Panos, a junior at Huntington High School, was the chief executive officer of Poppy, Inc., whose motto was: Giving bagels a second chance.

“Basically, what we do is repurpose bagels from local stores,” he explained. “At the end of the day, we take items that would be thrown away and repurpose them as bagel chips. Most of us have worked in delis and bakeries, and we saw a lot of bread being thrown away.”

Bursting with enthusiasm, Panos believes his company has serious potential.

“I’m biased because I think ours is so capable of becoming a real business,” he said. “I am really hoping that as a team we can all get to a point where we have the full capability of physically putting this in the real world.”

Calhoun High School senior Samantha Fortmeyer, who was seated at the booth of her company called DefenseLine, had come to LIU Post in October with her team to compete in VE’s Elevator Pitch Contest—and they’d won a $1,000 check. Working as a team was much harder than she thought because “you can’t put your faith in one person,” she explained. “You have to have strong communication skills and work together really well.”

Calhoun sophomore Christie McBride had come up with the concept for DefenseLIne, which would market a line of products such as key chains and nail polish that would turn different colors in the presence of a date-rape drug.

“I saw the idea of nail polish that changes colors,” McBride recalled. “With college coming around the corner, parties will be part of our life style, and safety will be our No. 1 priority.”

Fortmeyer said that she’s learned a lot by participating in the VE program.

“I’ve taken marketing and accounting classes, but nothing has really taught me what it’s like to actually present in the real business world like this,” she said. “It’s so much harder than you think.”

But thanks to her experience with Virtual Enterprise at LIU, she’ll be well prepared for whatever comes her way.

Hoping for a repeat of their October success in VE’s Elevator Pitch Contest but now on a much bigger stage at LIU Post is the team from Calhoun High School’s DefenseLine. Seated are Samantha Fortmeyer, left, and Elizabeth Herman; standing (l-r) are Christie Powell-McBride, Margaret Joseph, Brenden Rosario and Harrison Valdes.

LIU Post Honors the Top Local High School Art Students

Talented young Long Island artist Marcella Sanchez from Floral Park Memorial High School is flanked, on the left, by Winn Rea, chair of the LIU Art Department, and Dr. Donna Tuman, director of the Art Education Program at LIU Post, on the right.

The artistic creations of 63 talented Long Island students selected from 33 local high schools received special recognition on Jan. 9th when the LIU Post Art Department hosted an awards ceremony to honor them in the S.A.L. Gallery in the B. Davis Schwartz Memorial Library on the Brookville campus.

Called “Advanced Visions 15: High School Artists of Excellence,” the exhibition featured the talented artwork being done by students in Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and Portfolio Preparation art programs.

This annual exhibit, which ran from Dec. 18, 2018 until Jan. 9, 2019, marked the 15thyear that LIU has hosted this unique presentation.

Curating the exhibition is no easy task, explained Winn Rea, chair of the LIU Post Art Department.

“It’s the very highest level students,” she said, “and the teachers from each high school are allowed to send just two works.” Then their work is judged by LIU’s Art Department.

“This year’s work is an excellent example of a wide selection of media, yet there is a coincidental and beautiful content theme in many pieces,” explained Cristina Lomangino, exhibition coordinator for all the student art shows on the LIU campus and a graduate herself as well as an adjunct professor. “There’s a lot of self-portraiture this year that we’re seeing, and a lot of work playing with focus and depth of field.”

In general, the top awards are based on how well the students use concept, form and method in their creations. As Lomangino put it, the criteria translates to “what they’re actually drawing; the way that it’s drawn, the technique; and if they’re doing something original with the artwork that hasn’t been done before.”

The top three artists who received the “Juror’s Awards” were Marcella Sanchez from Floral Park Memorial High School for her compelling self-portrait called “Glass Window;” Margo Christie from Hicksville High School for her mixed-media representational piece painted on balsa wood, “Epidermodysplasia Verruciformis”; and Steven Rogers of Massapequa High School for his multi-textured landscape oil painting, “Under Overcast.”

The five students given Honorable Mentions were: Mehr Sharma from Hicksville High School for “Lost in Connection”; Blue Ruthen from John F. Kennedy High School for “Work in Progress: A Self Portrait”; Gianna Companaro from East Rockaway High School for “Hearing;” Katya Jaworski from Northport High School for “Typewriter”; and Payton Odierno from Cold Spring Harbor High School for “Looking Back.”

This exhibition at LIU presents aspiring local high school art students a great chance to advance their careers, Lomangino explained. “They get to put it on their resumes when they’re applying to art schools, if that’s the direction they wind up going,” she said. “Having their work shown at the university presents an exclusive opportunity for a lot of high school students.”

But Long Island’s art teachers also get a shout-out.

“We salute the dedicated teachers who work tirelessly to maintain outstanding high school art programs,” Rea and Lomangino proclaimed in the exhibit program, and “make a place for young creative spirits to grow and be recognized.”

The next exhibit in the S.A.L. Gallery, which opens Feb. 5 and runs just a week, will feature the work of Jessica Hart, an LIU Post grad student in the MFA Fine Arts program.

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