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LIU Post Art Professor Winn Rea’s Work Displayed Across New York

Summer is a time for enjoying the natural beauty around us. Sometimes, though, that means going inside, as work by LIU Post Associate Professor of Art Winn Rea has been featured in the Hecksher Museum of Art in Huntington, N.Y. and Gallery 46 in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Billing herself as an “environmental artist,” Rea addresses environmental themes in a variety of media, including sculptures, installations, videos, and work on paper. “All of my works are a meditation on where I fit into the greater scheme of things on the planet,” Rea recently told the Times Beacon Record. “I want my legacy to be longer lasting in terms of the way my work helps people to think about the world differently and to become more aware of the impact of their everyday choices on the planet.”

Part of the way Rea changes how people think about the world is through her instruction at LIU Post. “I want to give students confidence in their own creativity and help them cultivate their problem-solving skills through the design process.” Rea said.

For more on Winn Rea and her environmental art, click here.

LIU Post Biology Professor Bill Schutt Uses Zoology Expertise to Craft a Thriller

LIU Post Biology professor Bill Schutt never intended a second career as an action-adventure novelist. He just walked into it…almost literally.

A visit to central Brazil early in his career presented him with the ideal setting for his debut collaboration with J.R. Finch, Hell’s Gate, which was released in June 2016 to wide acclaim from the likes of Clive Cussler and James Cameron.

“I thought, if it was 70 years ago and you wanted to hide something, [Central Brazil] would be the place to do it,” Schutt said. “And then I thought, ‘What if the Germans had wanted to move their rocketry program out of reach?’”

For Schutt, a zoology expert with a particular specialty in bats, the discovery of fossils of the largest bats that ever lived made the region an even more natural setting for the World War II adventures of Army Captain R.J. MacCready, as he races to foil an Axis plot to destroy the U.S. while also uncovering the threat of giant vampire bats.

Spoiler alert: He succeeds.

Now, Schutt and Finch send “Mac” to Tibet in The Himalayan Codex, an adventure that explores the origins of the myth of the Yeti and what appears to be a lost work by Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder.

“What if there were a microbe that could speed up the evolutionary process?” Schutt asked, hinting at the mysteries at the heart of his new book. “There’s a lot of straightforward biology that we’ve tweaked a bit. We’ve tried to keep the science ‘real,’ and to make up as little as possible.”

While the science isn’t invented (for the most part, anyway), the response to Cpt. MacCready’s first two adventures suggests that Schutt and his co-author will have plenty opportunity to “make up” more.

Sociology Professor Brian Sweeney Leads Study Abroad in Iceland

As a professor of Sociology with research interests in gender, sexuality, and peer cultures, Brian Sweeney has been honored as one of LIU Post’s finest educators with the University’s David Newton Award for Excellence in Teaching.

In June, Sweeney offered students a new perspective through his first Faculty-Led Study Abroad program, leading a three-credit course in Reykjavik, Iceland.

“I wanted students to understand how societies can be organized differently, especially in ways that impact happiness and quality of life—for individuals but also communities and whole societies,” Sweeney said. “I wanted students to seek answers to big questions. What makes one society happier than another? How can a society be organized to maximize happiness and well being for its citizens? What role should the government play in engineering happiness and well-being?”

While in Iceland, Sweeney and his students visited mental health care agencies, a Muslim immigration organization, and a gender-equality-themed kindergarten.” They also took time to explore Iceland’s natural beauty through the Golden Circle Tour and the South Coast Waterfall Tour.

As LIU expands its Faculty-Led Study Abroad opportunities, LIU Post students have also studied in South Korea, Tanzania, Slovenia, Costa Rica, and the United Kingdom. For more information, click here.

LIU Post Welcomes Dr. Nathaniel Bowditch as Dean of College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

 

LIU Post is proud to welcome a respected academic with a distinguished track record as both a professor and an administrator, as Dr. Nathaniel Bowditch has been appointed as Dean of the LIU Post College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Bowditch comes to LIU Post from the American University in Cairo, where he served as Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and an Associate Professor of Philosophy. During more than a decade in Egypt, Dr. Bowditch was able to secure an endowed professorship in psychology, and supervised the hiring of more than 20 full-time faculty members, including a MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient. He was also prolific in his own scholarship, acting as primary investigator on research grants from such sources as USAID and the Mellon Foundation, and taught courses on Free Will, Modern Philosophy, and the Philosophy of David Hume, in addition he co-taught courses on Computer Science Ethics and Scientific Thinking. During his tenure at the American University in Cairo he was honored with both the Provost’s Service Award and the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award.

Dr. Bowditch holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from the University of California at Berkeley and a Master’s and PhD in Philosophy from Johns Hopkins University.

LIU Post Education Professors Prepare to Travel For Fulbright Program

Two professors from LIU Post’s College of Education, Information and Technology will travel to Austria during the 2017-18 academic year for international exchanges through the Fulbright Program. Their work with colleagues in Europe will help advance the educational community’s knowledge regarding two key challenges facing educators around the world.

Dr. Shaireen Rasheed travel to Austria in November, when she will deliver a keynote speech at the University of Salzburg through the Fulbright Specialist program, which allows U.S. faculty and professionals to serve as expert consultants on curriculum, faculty development, institutional planning, and related subjects at overseas institutions. Dr. Rasheed, whose academic interests focus on diversity and inclusion in school settings, while speak on pluralism and working with diversity in Austria, which, like many European countries, is facing challenges in accommodating an influx of refugees from Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East.

“The demand for my expertise has exceeded any expectations that I’ve had,” said Dr. Rasheed, who will return to Salzburg in the fall of 2019 as a Fulbright Scholar. “Europe is dealing with this influx of refugees; how can we successfully integrate refugees in schools? How can we design a curriculum for that?”

Before her return to Austria, however, Dr. Rasheed will make another Fulbright trip to Pakistan in December, where she’ll be part of the launch of a Center for Citizenship and Democracy at Aga Khan University, and will offer two guest lectures for graduate students on global dimensions of diversity, along with a public lecture, “Creating an Inclusive Classroom: Diversity, Equity and Empathy.”

“I’m excited about putting my pedagogies and philosophies into practice,” Dr. Rasheed said about her upcoming travels. “I’ll be implementing my thoughts and theories into action in very different settings.

In between Dr. Rasheed’s trips to Austria, Dr. Kathleen Keefe-Cooperman will travel in May 2018 to the University College of Teacher Education of Lower Austria as a Fulbright Specialist. Dr. Keefe-Cooperman’s research with her Austrian colleagues will focus on digital device use in preschoolers, and how it affects development.

“We really don’t have a reference point,” Dr. Keefe-Cooperman said. “None of us had iPhones when we were kids.” Early research has indicated that excessive use of smartphones and tablets among preschool-age children results in lower visual-spatial functioning, and that play with physical toys – including building blocks, magnetic trains, and the like – is important for maintaining healthy visual-spatial functioning. Dr. Keefe-Cooperman will continue to research the topic during her time in Austria with a colleague engaged in similar research at the University College.

LIU and Sanford Harmony Making a Difference in Elementary Education

At P.S. 65 in Staten Island, social and emotional learning (SEL) has been a core part of the school’s identity ever since it opened 10 years ago under the leadership of Principal Sophie Scamardella and Guidance Counselor Liz Rodriguez. The underlying premise of P.S. 65’s approach to learning is that before children can perform well academically, their basic physical and emotional needs must be met. The school is a mosaic of the community that surrounds it, representing a mix of high-income and low-income families, though about 60 percent of students live below the poverty line.

As LIU continues to advance the Sanford Education Programs, P.S. 65 introduced Sanford Harmony last year and teacher response has been enthusiastic: “Empathy and tolerance are school goals,” says fifth-grade teacher Patty Brady. “Sanford Harmony lets us achieve these goals on a higher level.”

Last year, Brady taught fourth grade, a time when students can be cliquish. A few times a week, she’d start the day with a Sanford Harmony Buddy Up exercise. She would pair unlike students and hand them a card with an assignment, such as to work on a task or discuss a topic.

“Instead of letting kids pick their own friends, Sanford Harmony makes us focus on kids building skills to be friends with anyone,” she says.

In P.S. 65’s pre-K and kindergarten classes, the morning might begin with a story featuring “Z,” an adorable green alien who has arrived on Earth and needs help understanding human relationships. While bonding with “Z,” students learn about the Sanford Harmony themes that foster a culture of acceptance, empathy, and improved communication.

This year, Brady is teaching one of the two fifth-grade classes. She has found that her students are more responsible, respectful, and focused on their work. “I keep saying both classes are very mature for their years. They work out their problems. They are not as reactionary. Sanford Harmony has added to this.”

“I love the program,” says Rodriguez. “It gives a positive message to students: people have things to give to others; we are a lot more alike than different; we can work together. And it reminds teachers to remember the focus of our school.”

LIU Post Alum Derrick Davis Starring in National Tour of Phantom of the Opera

A journey that began in the audience at the Majestic Theatre for The Phantom of the Opera eventually led Derrick Davis to LIU Post, and now the journey has come full circle.

As the North American tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony Award-winning musical winds its way through Canada – with a brief stop in Boston between runs in Winnipeg and Montreal – Davis continues to thrill audiences as the Phantom. After more than 1,000 performances on Broadway in the cast of Disney’s The Lion King – during which he became the first actor in the show’s history to cover the roles of both Scar and Mufasa – Davis became just the third African-American actor to don the Phantom’s mask. Davis described the role as “a weighty responsibility and a huge honor” in an interview before the tour’s stop in Boise.

“When I see young people coming to the stage door or connecting with me on social media,” Davis told Boise Weekly, “it warms my heart because I know what seeing Phantom did for me and my own journey. It’s a privilege to do that for someone else.”

For more on Davis and his performance as the Phantom, click here.

LIU Post Welcomes Steven Breese as Dean of the College of Arts, Communications and Design

An accomplished theatre professional with nearly 25 years of leadership experience in collegiate arts programs has joined LIU Post, as Steven Breese has been appointed dean of the College of Arts, Communication and Design.

Breese comes to LIU Post from Southern Connecticut State University, where he was Academic Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, overseeing 22 academic departments, two interdisciplinary programs, and SCSU’s Honors College. Prior to SCSU, he served as Academic Dean for the College of Arts and Humanities at Christopher Newport University in Virginia, where he expanded the expertise of the faculty, opened a new $60 million building for the humanities, and created a new vocal institute in the Department of Music. Prior to his tenure at Christopher Newport, Breese served as director of the acting program at Texas Christian University.

Breese’s own work as an actor, director, and playwright includes performances at a number of nationally and regionally recognized theaters, including the Forum Theatre and Royal George Theatre in Chicago, the Dallas Theatre Center and the Shakespeare Festival of Dallas, and the Operettenhaus in Hamburg, Germany. He is the author of On Acting, a Handbook for Today’s Unique American Actor, along with more than 25 full-length plays.

LIU Post Prepares Students for Collaborative Health-Care Environment in Interprofessional Simulation Lab

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the fast-growing and fast-changing health care field, collaboration between health professionals is increasingly crucial to delivering effective patient-centered care. LIU Post’s Interprofessional Simulation Lab prepares students to play impactful roles on successful health care teams, grooming them for key roles in shaping the future of health care in the U.S.

The Interprofessional Simulation Lab curriculum is defined by case-based scenarios that identify common domains among health care professionals, while focusing on the unique roles and responsibilities of each health care provider. The team-focused learning experiences of the Interprofessional Simulation Lab complement the elite classroom education provided by LIU Post’s world-class faculty and the professional experience developed with LIU’s network of more than 250 affiliated clinical partner organizations.

LIU Post’s School of Health Professions and Nursing is home to a Nutrition department recognized as among the top three in the New York City area, a Medical Imaging program with a 100 percent board pass rate, and a Nursing department that equips students with the Bachelor of Science in Nursing that is fast becoming the gold standard among the nation’s leading health care systems. For more information, click here to read about the Interprofessional Simulation Lab’s interactive mannequin patients in LIU Post’s award-winning student newspaper, The Pioneer.

LIU Post MBA Alum Frank Kendall Joins Board of Fortune 500 Company

An MBA graduate of LIU Post’s AACSB-accredited School of Business has joined the board of directors of one of the nation’s largest defense contractors.

Frank Kendall III was appointed in July as the 13th member of the board of Leidos, after more than four years as the U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics. The longest-serving official in that role, Kendall served as Principal Deputy Undersecretary and Acting Undersecretary. His work in the Department of Defense served as the culmination of more than 40 years in national security affairs, acquisitions, engineering, and the military. He also currently serves as executive in residence to Renaissance Strategic Advisors, an aerospace and defense advisory firm.

As he prepared to take on his new role at Leidos, Kendall spoke to FCW, a leading media outlet covering the Federal technology market, about cost control in the development of new defense systems. Click here to learn more.

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