Orisanmi Burton ’09, a renowned scholar of social anthropology, Black studies, and prisons and policing, was named a 2021 Freedom Scholar by the Marguerite Casey Foundation and Group Health Foundation. The annual award provides support to emerging leaders in academia whose research encourages social justice reforms in our democracy, economy and society.

Long Island University won five top honors in the Bethpage Best of Long Island Contest, including Best College or University, Best College President, and Best College Sports Program for the second straight year. Tilles Center for the Performing Arts was also recognized as the Best Theatre Arts Center for the second year in a row, and women’s hockey Head Coach Rob Morgan won Best College or University Sports Coach.

Coach Ron Cooper joins Shark Nation directly from #1 ranked University of Alabama. Cooper previously served as head coach at Eastern Michigan University, University of Louisville and Alabama A&M. He was also on staff at Texas A&M, LSU, University of Arkansas, University of Notre Dame, South Carolina, and Mississippi State.

Michael Baez ’88, ’91 was selected as the vice president of professional services and customer strategy for Leasepath, a cloud-based intelligent workplace finance organization and customer engagement platform. Baez brings unmatched financial services experience having previously worked as a vice president for CitiGroup and a director of banking at Capgemini.

Jill Guzzardo ’04 was appointed to the administration at Nassau BOCES Children’s Readiness Center. Her wealth of experience includes roles as a special education teacher, unit coordinator, administrator of New York State Alternative Assessments, and specialized training in the treatment and education of autistic and related communication handicapped children.

Detective Ryan Durham ’07 was assigned to the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office in New Jersey, where he will serve as a member of the agency’s Grand Jury Unit. Durham’s law enforcement career includes twice receiving the Distinguished Service Award from the Gloucester County Police Academy, and twice receiving the New Jersey College & University Public Safety Association Meritorious Service Award.

Freshman James Johnston, sophomores Bryce Cockrell and Drew Witham, and graduate student Nunzio Crowley all finished as champions of their weight classes at the 2021 Wilkes Invitational. Their dominant performances led the Sharks to a first-place finish in the tournament.

Paul Severino ’96 was promoted to president of Intelligent Product Solutions, an award-winning product design and development firm. Severino co-founded the company in 2007, serving as executive vice president and chief operating officer while expanding across North America and international markets.