HOFSTRA M
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IN HIGHER EDUCATION: FRIEND OR FOE?
HOFSTRA EXPLORES THE FUTURE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Table of
Contents
FEATURES
DEPARTMENTS
New Faces
01
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President’s Letter
Hailing from Mississippi to Poland, the Bronx to the Midwest, Hofstra’s newest leaders bring a wealth of experience and perspectives to Hempstead.
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2023 Commencement Speakers
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Sports Roundup
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New Places Step inside the $75-million, 75,000-square-foot Science & Innovation Center, Hofstra’s most technologically advanced building to date.
AI in Higher Education: Friend or Foe? Hofstra explores the future of artificial intelligence.
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Alumni Updates
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Class Notes
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The Evolution of Andrew Rea Andrew Rea ’09 wanted to become a documentarian. In a way, he did. In another way, he became so much more.
President’s
Letter Dear Hofstra University Community, It is my pleasure to introduce the inaugural issue of the all-new Hofstra Magazine.
This relaunch is more than just a fresh coat of paint. The completely reimagined and redesigned magazine is a celebration of the people and achievements that make Hofstra University special. The publication symbolizes the University’s renewed dedication to fostering relationships with our alumni and parents, and inspiring creativity and innovation. In the pages that follow, you will find stories that reflect Hofstra’s dynamism and the transformational changes occurring on campus. You will meet some of the new leaders forging the University’s future, go inside the most technologically advanced facility Hofstra has ever built, and read about alumni making a difference. You will discover how Hofstra is opening its doors to artificial intelligence, the revolutionary technology at the center of this year’s interdisciplinary Presidential Symposium, Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: Friend or Foe? I hope you enjoy perusing the Class Notes to read about the personal and professional accomplishments of your classmates. Hofstra Magazine will keep you informed, connected, and engaged with your alma mater. We want this publication to be both a source of pride and a good read. I encourage you to share your stories, provide feedback, and help us shape future issues. Send your news and class notes to hofstra.edu/alumni. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the extended Hofstra family for all of your support over the past two years. I am exceptionally proud of everything Hofstra alumni have achieved and look forward to celebrating these success stories in the pages of Hofstra Magazine. Sincerely,
Hofstra Magazine Fall 2023 President Dr. Susan Poser Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Charles Riordan Senior Vice President for Development and Alumni Affairs Alan J. Kelly Vice President for Marketing and Communications Terry Coniglio Assistant Vice President for Creative Services Francis A. Rizzo III Managing Editor Andrew Sheldon Creative Director Kelvin Fonville Editorial Director Linda Merklin Contributors Heidi J. Goldenberg Ginny Greenberg Deborah Jerome Amy Reich University Photographer Matteo Bracco
Susan Poser President
Cover Design by Kelvin Fonville
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Hofstra’s Spring 2023
COMMENCEMENT Speakers
Pioneer, researcher, barrier breaker. These are just a few of the titles earned by Hofstra’s 2023 commencement speakers. The five presenters, who now all hold honorary degrees, include a disability advocate, technology entrepreneur, the first woman elected attorney general in New York, and the first person in the country to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. “Our commencement speakers are an exceptional group of leaders,” President Susan Poser said in May. “[Their] success and commitment to service show our graduates what is possible as they take the next step in their lives and careers.”
Gregory J. Hlibok, JD, ’94 Undergraduate Commencement Gregory J. Hlibok is the chief legal officer for ZP Better Together, a communications service company consisting of two subsidiaries, Purple Communications and ZVRS. He has unique expertise and deep experience in regulatory affairs, public administration, and community leadership. Previously, Mr. Hlibok served as chief of the Disability Rights Office in the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission. “Hofstra was the giant steppingstone that paved the way for greater career opportunities,” Mr. Hlibok said. “It is an honor for me to come back in a full circle to my alma mater.” Mr. Hlibok, who is deaf, delivered an impassioned speech through American Sign Language with the help of the same translator he had with him as a Hofstra student. It drew a standing ovation from audience members, who raised and twisted their hands — the ASL sign for “applause.”
Judith Spitz, PhD Undergraduate Commencement Judith Spitz is the founder and executive director of Break Through Tech, a national initiative that propels women and underrepresented groups into higher education and careers in technology through curriculum innovation, career access, and community building. Dr. Spitz is the founding program director of the Initiative for Women in Technology and Entrepreneurship in New York (WiTNY) at Cornell Tech. “I could not be more honored to be asked to address Hofstra’s graduates from the Schools of Business, Engineering and Applied Science, and Communications – this year more than ever before,” Dr. Spitz said. “There has never before been a time when it is more profoundly understood that the people who make our technology are the people who will impact every aspect of how we live and work – in fact, they will define what it means to be ‘human’ in the world of AI. The world has a lot riding on the decisions that will be in the hands of these graduates.” 2 Hofs tra Magazine | Fall 2023
Sandra Lindsay, MBA ’16; DHSc; RN Graduate Commencement Sandra Lindsay is vice president of public health policy for Northwell Health. The first American to be vaccinated in the fight against COVID-19 and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Dr. Lindsay has spent 29 years in nursing, most recently serving as director of nursing critical care at Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center in New Hyde Park. Dr. Lindsay led from the front lines of the pandemic. She is an advocate for vaccinations and a supporter of medical research and global equity. “It is an extraordinary honor to be invited back to my alma mater to deliver this year’s commencement address,” Dr. Lindsay said. “I see it as a huge responsibility to deliver an inspiring message to the graduates and one that I don’t take lightly.”
The Honorable Letitia James, JD Maurice A. Deane School of Law Commencement The Honorable Letitia James is the 67th attorney general for New York. With decades of experience and a long record of achievements, she is a powerful, effective attorney and lifelong public servant. When she was elected in 2018, she became the first woman of color to hold statewide office in New York and the first woman to be elected attorney general. “We are living in a time of great disruption and major difficulties that impact nearly every aspect of our lives,” Attorney General James said. “The challenges ahead will require bold, capable, and motivated leaders who are ready to step up and rise to the occasion. That is what Hofstra Law School has prepared its students to do, and I am so honored to participate in this year’s graduation ceremony.”
Kevin J. Tracey, MD Zucker School of Medicine Commencement Dr. Kevin J. Tracey is president, CEO, and Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research; professor of molecular medicine and neurosurgery at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell; and executive vice president of research at Northwell Health. A leader in the scientific fields of inflammation and bioelectronic medicine, Dr. Tracey’s contributions include the discovery and molecular mapping of neural circuits controlling immunity. “Today, we celebrate success and reflect on the lessons it can teach us,” Dr. Tracey said. “While much has been said about the importance of learning from failure, we must also remember that learning from success is equally crucial, but more challenging.”
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Sports ROUNDUP Making a Deal with the
Devil How a Hofstra alumna organized the most anticipated game on the men’s basketball schedule Where does a team that won 25 games, captured a conference title, and advanced to the second round of the NIT go next? Durham, NC, of course! In one of the most highly anticipated games in program history, the Hofstra men’s basketball team will travel down South to take on the Duke Blue Devils on Dec. 12. The game will be no small challenge for the Pride. Duke is expected to be a serious contender for this season’s national championship, which would be the sixth in school history. “Our program has constantly embraced the challenge of playing outstanding basketball teams from around the nation,” Head Coach Speedy Claxton said. “We love the opportunity to go on the road in hostile environments to see what we are made of and capable of.”
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Our program has constantly embraced the challenge of playing outstanding basketball teams from around the nation. – Head Coach Speedy Claxton The team can draw upon some recent success playing against a storied program. In 2019, the Pride flew across the country to play UCLA, owners of a record 11 NCAA championships, and flew back victors after beating the Bruins, 88-78. It remains one of the most notable wins in program history.
MEN’S BASKETBALL ON NATIONAL TELEVISION DECEMBER
• 12th at Duke | 7 p.m. | ESPN2 • 30th vs. St. John’s | Noon | FS1 JANUARY
• 11th at Northeastern | 7 p.m. CBS Sports Network • 22nd at Stony Brook | 7 p.m. CBS Sports Network
FEBRUARY
• 3rd vs. Towson | 6 p.m. | CBS Sports Network (Homecoming) • 22nd vs. Drexel | 7 p.m. CBS Sports Network
Photo courtesy of Duke Athletics
The story of how this current matchup game came together is a testament to Hofstra’s alumni community. It began many years back when Claxton was playing for the Pride. In the stands for many of those games was a young girl named Mikaela Ryan, whose father, Terry, was an assistant on then Head Coach Jay Wright’s staff. (After basketball, Terry was the longtime director of Hofstra Summer Camps.) Mikaela went on to attend Hofstra, where she spent four years working in various roles with the Athletics Department. “I was fortunate that I had a relationship with the people from the Athletics Department since I was young,” she said. “They really took me under their wing and allowed me to get involved as much as I wanted to.” After graduation, Mikaela joined Duke as a game operations manager. In 2021, she was elevated to her current role as chief of staff for the Duke men’s basketball program. Having an alumna on the inside helped make this game a reality. “I still have really close relationships with people in the Athletics Department at Hofstra, so we have always talked about how cool it would be,” Mikaela said. “I had passed along the request from Hofstra to play a non-conference game for a few years, but it never worked out scheduling-wise until this year!” While her status as Hofstra alumna/Duke employee may split her allegiances, Mikaela is more focused on how memorable the event will be. “Both schools are made up of some of the most incredible and genuine people I know, so seeing most of them in one place will be really special.” Hofs tra Magazine | Fall 2023 5
A Front-Row Seat Hofstra partners with MSG to air Pride games throughout the region Pride fans rejoice: If you can’t make it to a Hofstra game this year, the game will come to you! Earlier this year, the Hofstra University Department of Athletics agreed to a multiyear television partnership with MSG Networks. As part of the agreement, MSG Networks, which consists of two regional sports and entertainment channels and a companion streaming service, will televise a wide range of Hofstra sports throughout the school year. This means Hofstra games will air on the same networks as those of local professional teams, including the New York Knicks, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, and New Jersey Devils. “This partnership with MSG Networks is a game changer for our teams, and I know our fan base is excited about this new opportunity to follow and watch our incredible student-athletes, coaches, and teams,” said Rick Cole Jr., Hofstra’s vice president and director of athletics. The deal ensures Hofstra games will be broadcast to a wider audience, as MSG serves the New York metropolitan area, as well as other parts of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. “The ability to grow the Hofstra brand in the local and regional
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linear television market is a game changer for our Athletics Department and the University as a whole,” Cole added. “The New York television market is the No. 1 market in America and to have our teams and University featured on MSG Networks will only help to elevate Hofstra even further.” To support this effort, Hofstra is building a major production hub within The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication, in partnership with the school’s new Bachelor of Science in Sports Media program. The new facilities – including state-of-the-art video, audio, and graphics control rooms – will be linked by fiber optic cable to all of Hofstra’s athletic venues. “Our outstanding video streaming facilities are getting even bigger as a result of this partnership,” said Herbert School Dean Mark Lukasiewicz. “Not only will Hofstra Pride fans see professional-quality game productions, but our sports media students will get invaluable hours of experiential learning both in front of the camera and behind the scenes.” Hofstra’s national award-winning radio station, WRHU-88.7 FM, also plans to expand even further its hundreds of hours of Hofstra athletics broadcasts.
Our outstanding video streaming facilities are getting even bigger as a result of this partnership. – Dean Mark Lukasiewicz
Photo courtesy of Jon Reiss/Hofstra Hofs tra Magazine | Fall 2023 7
New Faces
As Hofstra continues to grow in size and scope, it welcomed a host of new leaders to campus this year, including 38 faculty, three deans, and several senior administrators. Working alongside the esteemed group of academic and administrative staff already in place, they will help the University create a strategic plan that propels Hofstra to new heights in the upcoming years.
Let us meet a few of the new faces helping shape Hofstra’s future.
Dr. Charles Riordan Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs A year into the job, Dr. Charles Riordan can confirm that everything you hear about Hofstra is, in fact, true. “The students are very engaged, very thoughtful, very committed to what they're trying to achieve,” Riordan said. “The student body is diverse, which is critically important for both academic excellence and competitive advantage. The faculty are exceptionally committed to the students. I think it's just a great community to be a part of and to work with every day.” Riordan was appointed Hofstra’s provost and senior vice president for academic affairs last summer. The Bronx native earned a bachelor’s degree at the College of the Holy Cross and PhD at Texas A&M University and was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Chicago. He has conducted research funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. He previously spent 25 years at the University of Delaware in numerous administrative roles, most recently as vice president for research, scholarship, and innovation. In this position, Riordan oversaw UD’s research office, six university-wide research institutes, core facilities, and the university’s Office of Economic Innovation and Partnerships. 8 Hofs tra Magazine | Fall 2023
Advocating for research opportunities is meaningful work, but work that drove him away from what interested him in academia to begin with. “While I loved all the work, it did pull me away from students and the student experience. I was interested in getting back to the core mission of universities – supporting students and faculty.” Hofstra’s new leadership, breadth of programs, professional schools, and, maybe most importantly, the opportunity to guide students through an unprecedented time in education was too much to pass up. “The way we teach and, more importantly, the way students learn are really changing a lot. I thought it would be exciting to be part of that.” Riordan’s goals include preparing students to join a quickly evolving workforce; supporting and hiring new faculty; meeting students’ academic, social, and health needs; and creating new programs, including interdisciplinary studies, that will drive student interest and enrollment. “There's a lot of work to be done. But we're off to a good start, building a community that is focused on the mission, which is student success, faculty scholarly excellence, and diversity in an inclusive community.”
Dr. Renee McLeod-Sordjan
N EW FAC ES
Dean, Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies
The path of least resistance has never appealed to Dr. Renee McLeod-Sordjan. Instead, she’s found unparalleled success in forging new pathways for herself, her colleagues, and her students. “Every career I’ve entered into has been a Don Quixote moment,” she said. “When I became a respiratory therapist, there were very few in the country. When I became a nurse practitioner, who knew what that was?” She will continue this trailblazing work as the new dean of the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. McLeod-Sordjan’s career began at age 19 (she graduated from high school at 15) when she was hired by Elmhurst Hospital as a respiratory therapist. In the 38 years since, she has earned three advanced nursing degrees and taught countless future healthcare workers, all while continuing her own clinical work as a nurse practitioner. The Brooklyn native joined the school’s faculty in 2017 before being named vice dean in 2021. She is also an associate professor for the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and director of medical ethics for Northwell Health. With an already full and fulfilling career, why take on the massive role of dean? To build more pathways, of course. “Being a dean is not being an administrator. Being a dean here at Hofstra is about shaping mission and vision – it’s about building. For me, it’s not about the job, it’s about the legacy. It’s helping [founding Dean Kathy Gallo’s] legacy. It’s helping Hofstra’s legacy. It’s supporting [President] Susan Poser’s vision.” McLeod-Sordjan doesn’t want to be a dean – she wants to be a dean at Hofstra. “If you ask me, ‘Do I want to go back and be dean of x, y, z school?’ The answer’s probably ‘no.’ If you ask me if I want to be dean here at Hofstra at this point in time in Hofstra’s history, the answer is, ‘of course.’”
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NE W FA C E S
Dr. Eva Badowska Dean, Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Dr. Eva Badowska still remembers the moment she became captivated by language. “I inherited a half-broken tape recorder and some cassette tapes, and they happened to include Simon & Garfunkel and Bob Dylan,” she recalled. “I absolutely fell in love with the music and really wanted to understand what the lyrics were all about.” These lyrics gave Badowska, who was growing up in communist-era Poland, a glimpse into a world that was foreign to her own. “I began to understand that languages see the world differently – how Polish frames the world and how English frames the world are really two different things.” So began a lifelong passion for art and culture, one that has made her an expert on a wide range of subjects, from Victorian and Slavic literature to feminist and psychoanalytic theory. She brings more than two decades of that experience to her new role as dean of Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (HCLAS). Badowska earned a bachelor’s degree from England’s University of Sussex before moving stateside, where she completed a master’s degree and doctorate at Cornell University. After two years as a Harvard lecturer, she embarked on what would become a nearly 25-year English professorship at Fordham University. During that time, Badowska also held several administrative roles, including chair of the English Department and dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Most recently, she served as Fordham’s dean of faculty of arts and sciences and associate vice president of arts and sciences. Badowska has several goals for HCLAS, including strengthening the interdisciplinary bonds across campus and developing a diversity action plan for the school. Maybe more than anything, however, she wants to increase scholarship offerings to ensure that students are given the opportunities she was afforded. “Education literally opened the world to me in the most basic sense of being able to travel beyond borders and transcend the limitations of my upbringing.”
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N EW FAC ES
Dr. Reginald J. Alston Dean, School of Health Professions and Human Services
With nearly 30 years of experience as a college administrator, Dr. Reginald J. Alston can safely describe himself as a “policy wonk.” But policy always comes second to people for the new dean of the School of Health Professions and Human Services (HPHS). “I’m a very student-centered person,” he said. “I have taught a lot of students and mentored a lot of PhD students over the years. To see them advance in their careers and to see their lives unfold – it’s very gratifying. It makes it all worthwhile.” Alston, a professor of kinesiology and community health, comes to Hofstra after nearly three decades at the University of Illinois, where he held numerous leadership positions, most recently as the associate dean for academic affairs. Leaving a longtime career and moving halfway across the country is no small decision. Yet, Alston found the opportunity too enticing to pass up. “I was impressed with [Hofstra’s] rich collection of degree programs and the potential for interdisciplinary research and instruction in the School of Health Professions and Human Services,” Alston said. “I really think that we are poised as a school to help the region meet workforce needs in the area of allied health.” The South Carolina State and Florida State grad has dedicated much of his career to his award-winning research, which focuses on health and rehabilitation equity. He has overseen studies funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. Alston even spent a year as a legislative fellow for then U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (Iowa) to better understand disability and health policy legislation. This research-focused approach will help Alston steer HPHS in a new direction. “Hofstra, under our new president, is shifting from a primarily teaching university to one with both excellent teaching and research,” he said. “I want [HPHS] to be engaged in trailblazing research and innovation. I want us to develop inventive learning experiences for our students. I want us to make notable and measurable impacts on communities.”
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NE W FA C E S
Terry Coniglio Vice President for Marketing and Communications
Marketing and theater may seem like two fields without much in common, but to Terry Coniglio, who holds a bachelor’s degree in theatre arts management from Ithaca College, the connection can be summed up in two words: storytelling and teamwork. “Higher education has the power to change the trajectory of a student’s life, and that’s a story I am excited to tell,” Coniglio said. “I am so fortunate to work with such a talented team of creatives. It fulfills my need for strong collaboration and teamwork.” Coniglio started as Hofstra’s vice president for marketing and communications in February 2023. She spent the previous 12 years at Georgia State University, where she rose from social media coordinator to director of content strategy, all while earning an MBA. As director, Coniglio implemented systems and initiatives that helped Georgia State gain recognition as one of the most innovative universities in the country by U.S. News & World Report. Prior to her time at Georgia State, the Pennsylvania native lived in London, where she worked for Duke Corporate Education, a joint venture between Duke University and The London School of Economics that provides customized executive education for Fortune 500 companies. She then taught English in Osaka, Japan, for a year and a half before returning stateside to assist Cornell University in establishing its social media policies. She brings all this experience to Hofstra, a destination she was drawn to by the University’s president. “There is so much opportunity to do meaningful work here. President Poser’s vision for the University sold me, and I knew I had to be part of it.” Coniglio hopes to elevate Hofstra’s national reputation while keeping student engagement and success at the forefront. “Marketing a university is such a fun and purposeful line of work. We’re building relationships with students and families to welcome them into the Pride. When we ask them to join us, the University is becoming part of their identity for life, and I take that very seriously.”
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N EW FAC ES
Chanda Washington Associate to the President for Government and Community Affairs
Chanda Washington knows communities. She’s covered them as a newspaper editor and worked directly with them in various governmental roles. Now, she’s learning about the Hofstra community. And she’s focused on expanding and strengthening the Hofstra community in the newly established role of associate to the president for government and community affairs. The Mississippi native spent the first 16 years of her career in journalism, mostly covering community news for The Washington Post. She then transitioned into government work. “One thing that [my editor at The Washington Post] would always say is, ‘journalists are the voice for the voiceless,’” Washington recalled. “It's an opportunity to connect with people. The government is similar, but you really meet people where they are. You're right there with them throughout the whole process, and you have a greater opportunity to really connect people to the resources and services that they need. And that is what was attractive to me – the idea of being able to help my community.” Washington, who most recently worked as communications officer for the Washington, D.C.’s mayor’s office, never envisioned herself working in academia. But President Poser had already connected the dots. “She saw something that I didn't see,” Washington recalled. “She saw how my work in government and community could impact higher education.” In her new role with Hofstra, Washington advocates for the University within both the government and the community at large through a wide range of efforts, from pushing for grant opportunities to connecting community members with the University’s services and resources. “I want to build new relationships with the community that we hadn't established before. But then also make sure that there is a system in place where the University as a whole can leverage those relationships.”
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NEW PLACES In June 2021, university and local officials broke ground on Hofstra’s newest and most technologically advanced facility: the Science & Innovation Center. At 75,000 square feet, it is the largest academic building on campus. The Science & Innovation Center provides modern classrooms, collaborative spaces, and laboratories for the Fred
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DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies.
The $75 million facility was partially funded by a $25 million Empire State Development grant and a $2 million grant from the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council.
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LABS
CLASSROOMS
LOBBY
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LOUNGES
RIBBON-CUTTING ON OCTOBER 5, 2023
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IN HIGHER EDUCATION: FRIEND OR FOE? HOFSTRA EXPLORES THE FUTURE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
By Ginny Greenberg, Deborah Jerome, and Andrew Sheldon Illustrations by Kelvin Fonville 18 H o f s t r a M a g a z i n e | F a l l 2 0 2 3
Just over a year ago, the public first got their fingertips on the software known as ChatGPT. With its release, artificial intelligence, which has existed for decades, instantly became the talk of the town. The conversation has only grown louder since. Boasting the potential to revolutionize nearly every industry, AI is becoming more prevalent and powerful by the day. As it grows, so too does the need for students entering a rapidly changing workplace to understand all aspects of this groundbreaking technology. That was one of the goals of this year’s Presidential Symposium, Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: Friend or Foe? Over the course of three days, representatives from every school on campus held discussions on the possibilities and pitfalls of AI, from its potential to assist people with disabilities to the threat it poses to politics and government. The event’s interdisciplinary design was indicative of how the University has approached the technology. Whether employed as an educational tool or studied as a subject, AI can be seen and heard in nearly every corner of Hofstra. Let’s take a tour around campus, school by school, to see how it’s being used in and out of the classroom.
Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science and Applied Science At the DeMatteis School, discussions of artificial intelligence aren’t new or special – AI is built into the fabric of what they do, teach, and research. “Many of our computer science courses are centered around machine learning – how to program it, how to protect it, and how to be responsible in its applications,” said Krishnan Pillaipakkamnatt, professor of computer science. “Our students are gravitating toward this area of study,” he added. “The Advanced Summer Program in Research (ASPiRE) had 37% of the projects related to machine learning in some way. We also teamed up with the organization Break Through Tech, which teaches a yearlong AI program for women and nonbinary students in STEM. Hofstra was the only satellite location for this program hosted by Cornell Tech.” The University has also invested in state-of-the-art facilities for big data, robotics, and virtual reality to further support student exploration in the field of machine learning. These brand-new labs are housed in the Science & Innovation
Center, which opened in fall 2023. For students targeting this emerging field, the DeMatteis School offers an MS in Computer Science with a concentration in Artificial Intelligence and an MS in Data Science. Courses such as Text Mining, Data Mining, Natural Language Processing, Neural Networks and Deep Learning, and Computer Vision are part of the curriculum. The DeMatteis School has been considering the repercussions of artificial intelligence long before ChatGPT made its debut and knows it’s about much more than algorithms. “Students pursuing a degree in computer science have to develop critical thinking skills to be able to use these tools effectively,” Dean Sina Rabbany said. “These technologies are not a short path to knowledge. The implications of pushing bad science are dangerous to society, especially when misinformation predominates over accurate interpretation of facts.”
Frank G. Zarb School of Business During its last strategic planning process, the Zarb School of Business advisory board homed in on the future of technology. “One thing that came out really loudly in that process was the importance of the transformational impact that artificial intelligence was going to have on business,” H o f s t r a M a g a z i n e | F a l l 2 0 2 3 19
A I IN H I G H E R EDUCAT ION : FR IEND OR FOE ? Dean Janet Lenaghan said. This conclusion, combined with feedback from employers and expert faculty, compelled the school to infuse AI into everything it does. It’s represented in course offerings that include Artificial Intelligence for Business, Fundamentals of Design Thinking and Data Science, and Fintech. But the curriculum is just the start – the real AI fun is in the labs.
array of simulated environments, from presentations to job interviews. They can carry on virtual conversations and receive real-time feedback on everything from eye contact to voice intonation. Students can also use AI to tailor their resume to specific jobs. The software will compare the resume to the job description to highlight skills the user may be missing and provide actionable tips.
The Leo A. Guthart Hall for Innovation and Discovery is home to the Core Skills Lab and Behavioral Research in Business Lab. The latter is equipped with advanced hardware and software that analyzes eye movements, facial expressions, voice, text, and biometric responses. This allows researchers to examine how consumers react to and interact with different stimuli, knowledge that can be used to shape marketing strategies and improve management policies. Zarb has already partnered with Northwell Health, Madison Square Garden, and Broadridge Financial Solutions on such research efforts.
“We’re always thinking, ‘How do we develop tech agility in our students?’” Lenaghan said. “It’s not about today’s technology, but tomorrow’s. And the way that you build that agility is by exposing the learners to all different types of technology.”
The Core Skills Lab, meanwhile, is equipped with AI tools that allow students from across the University to sharpen their soft skills, including communication and teamwork. The facility boasts a dedicated virtual reality room that enables students to engage in a wide
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The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication One need not look any further than this year’s Writers Guild of America strike to see the potential pitfalls of artificial intelligence in the media. Among the many concerns the WGA raised was the use of AI in script writing, which would eliminate the need for human writers. This and similar issues are on the minds of the faculty of The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication, home to the
Department of Radio, Television, Film. “Clearly this is a monumental issue impacting everyone on campus, and for many of our faculty in the creative industries, it strikes a chord on many levels,” Vice Dean Mario Murillo said. “Our faculty have been exploring these issues in recent months, both in the classroom and departmental meetings.” School leaders, including Dean Mark Lukasiewicz and department chairs, have continued and expanded these conversations throughout the school since the start of the academic year. Film and television aren’t the only media fields in which AI could be a negative disruptor, a possibility currently being studied by those in the Herbert School’s Department of Journalism, Media, and Public Relations. Associate Professor of Journalism Russell Chun received a research grant earlier this year from Hofstra’s Center for “Race,” Culture and Social Justice to study the racial and gendered practices of user-generated AI media. To do so, Chun is examining images created by various AI tools and discerning if and how these images reflect the normative racial and gender displays in our broader culture.
labs that give students hands-on, immersive learning experiences. Who are the patients? Sometimes they will be hired actors, but more often the nurses-to-be will be attending to high-fidelity mannequins. These AI patients are far more sophisticated than the crash test dummies of yesteryear. They bleed, they have babies, they produce vital signs … and yes, they even die – all under the control of faculty creating the real-life scenarios. From a two-way mirror armed with a high-tech console, administrators can make the robotic patients respond in many ways to nursing intervention. “This is an exciting time to be a nursing student,” Dean Renee McLeod-Sordjan said. “Never before have we been able to re-create the operating table, exam rooms, and emergency care with such breathtaking realism. We are far from textbooks and role-playing. Now we can manipulate and tailor programs to individual student needs thanks to machine learning.”
Are there downsides to this medical theater? “As with all things in nursing, there are a multitude of factors that have to be considered,” McLeod-Sordjan said. “Our high-fidelity mannequins can be programmed, but humans are unpredictable. We must make sure – Dean Renee McLeod-Sordjan that our nurses are being trained to gather information from the whole patient, and not memorize protocols “This is important for the [Herbert] based on these AI responses.” School of Communication for obvious reasons,” Chun said. “As storytellers, as we start using more “But make no mistake, algorithmic machine learning visual generative AI tools, we have to be aware of the has its place in health care,” she continued. “Doctor of subtle and not-so-subtle biases that we might be Nursing Practice students will review best evidence and, inadvertently incorporating in our media, reinforcing using predictive modeling, participate in research that those that are already present.” improves treatment and diagnoses of chronic illness.”
Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies
School of Health Professions and Human Services
When the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies first started conceptualizing how its new facility will support its students, artificial intelligence was part of the blueprint. The new Science & Innovation Center houses state-of-the-art simulation
Allied Health and Kinesiology is a department in the School of Health Professions and Human Services (HPHS) where students study patient-centered care to enhance health, rehabilitation, and performance. What’s the best way to learn physiology and anatomy? Cadavers! Hofs tra Magazine | Fall 2023 21
A I IN H I G H E R EDUCAT ION : FR IEND OR FOE ? There are obvious drawbacks to working with bodies devoted to science – availability, long-term use, and of course, the discomfort that may accompany the lessons. HPHS turned to technology to solve this problem and invested in several Anatomage tables featuring 3D virtual cadavers programmed from actual volunteer donations. “The technology is revolutionary,” Dean Reginald Alston said. “Students can study different bodies from different views, and dissection becomes an experience superior to the ‘real’ alternative. You can literally strip out the muscles and see what remains, remove the cardiovascular system, zoom in on organs, and even identify diseases. Students have complete control to manipulate the virtual cadaver to discover and diagnose everything on the inside. This is using AI to provide opportunities unheard of just a few years ago.” Additionally, the Anatomage tables offer hundreds of different bodies with a variety of genders, ethnicities, ages, and causes of death. Even some animal cadavers are available. Most impressive is the lifelike imagery that aids the education. To achieve this, more than 2,950 anatomical structures were meticulously segmented from photographic images to deliver the most accurate 3D anatomy.
Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences When Hofstra Philosophy Professor Anthony Dardis was in college, he was fascinated by the Turing test, created by mathematician Alan Turing to determine whether machines could think. After graduating, Dardis worked in computer programming before pursuing graduate studies in philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley. “What drew me to Berkeley was a professor who was a very famous critic of artificial intelligence, and I hoped that I would study with him,” Dardis said. “Even all those years ago, it was clear to me that technology would bring about serious social change, and this was something we needed to think about.” 22 H o f s t r a M a g a z i n e | F a l l 2 0 2 3
Students in Dardis’ Philosophy of AI class will spend a lot of time dissecting Dr. Melanie Mitchell’s book Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans, a critical description of AI since its origin. “We’ll talk about AI versus actual minds and actual intelligence,” he said. “If you can build a machine that thinks, you should understand how the human mind works.” Dardis likens AI to a blurry mirror. “It reflects the things we’ve done and knowledge we’ve accumulated,” he explained, “but the results are not crystal clear and can be outright wrong when you ask a machine to complete a task that you are unable to do yourself. AI is most successful when you are using it to help you do something that you already know how to do.” The goal of Philosophy of AI is not to scare students, but to prompt them to think about the moral and intellectual questions posed by AI, including its shortcomings around inclusivity. AI has been called into question for its failure to recognize users of different races, genders, and special needs. “I’m not a doom-er. I don’t believe the machines are something to be afraid of,” Dardis insisted. “I do think we should worry about the people who are using this technology. They aren’t always paying attention to the consequences of their work.” Students saw for themselves the danger of yielding total control to AI programs in a recent Culture and Expression course in the Stuart and Nancy Rabinowitz Honors College. “When you ask ChatGPT about Lord of the Rings, it becomes clear that you’re interacting with something that hasn’t read the book,” said Associate Professor of Writing Studies Dr. Lisa DeTora, who taught the course. “It randomly pulls information from all over, and then it goes ahead and makes stuff up.” DeTora first saw colleagues in the medical writing community discussing how to use AI to compose documentation around 15 years ago. Today, there isn’t a class DeTora teaches that doesn’t touch on technology in some way. “Some of my colleagues believe using programs like ChatGPT is tantamount to cheating,”
DeTora said. “But that’s not always the case. What I want to know is how do you not throw the baby out with the bathwater?” There is not always a one-size-fits-all solution to this problem. This past summer, DeTora taught an online writing studies class and allowed students the option of incorporating AI into one of their projects. “I gave them a prompt and suggested they put it into ChatGPT. Then they graded what they got back and came up with a plan on how to develop the work into an ‘A’ assignment.” DeTora was impressed by the students’ responses. “A lot of the students did a great job with this,” she said. “The text they got back from ChatGPT gave them something to bounce ideas off of … until they realized how much AI made up. They didn’t have to worry about hurting AI’s feelings or retaliation, so they were free to be critical and really dig into what was wrong with what AI cobbled
together.” The ultimate lesson, DeTora noted, was that it was easier to write a good assignment than to try to fix what AI generated.
Maurice A. Deane School of Law Professor John Tsiforas, director of law and technology at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law, believes lawyers should view themselves as problem solvers. The problem with that, however, is that the legal system can be archaic in its processes, leaving attorneys without the most advanced tools at their disposal. “I want students to look to technology as a way to improve the legal system,” Tsiforas said. “It can be making something more Hofs tra Magazine | Fall 2023 23
A I IN H I G H E R EDUCAT ION : FR IEND OR FOE ? accessible, more efficient, more cost effective, or it can be fixing something that’s entirely broken.” The school took a step in closing the technology gap last fall by establishing the Deans’ Legal-Tech Fellowship. The interdisciplinary initiative teams three Hofstra Law students with three Hofstra computer science students each year to collectively develop artificial intelligence apps that can advance the legal profession. In doing so, the school leveraged one of its competitive advantages: being part of a full university. Many nearby law schools are standalone institutions that would require outside help for such an initiative. The Maurice A. Deane School of Law, however, can simply look across California Ave. to find a building filled with computer science students willing and able to help the cause. In the fellowship’s inaugural year, the six students developed a digital chatbot that guides users through the New York State Small Claims Court system. “Our intended audience is people who typically don’t have access to attorneys, don’t have experience with the legal system, perhaps a limited education, and perhaps limited English proficiency.” Tsiforas said. In year two, the group is working on a Spanish-language version of the chatbot.
When you ask ChatGPT about Lord of the Rings, it becomes clear that you’re interacting with something that hasn’t read the book Dr. Lisa DeTora
Tsiforas also oversees the Research Laboratory for Law, Logic and Technology, which uses AI to perform rhetorical analysis of legal texts to create a categorized repository of thousands of legal decisions. The law school’s most recent AI work involves partnering with the Georgia Innocence Project to study exoneration cases. Students working on the project are using AI to analyze prosecutor files and extract information that could be used to identify potential exoneration cases and help form policy recommendations.
Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Artificial intelligence in health care is here, but what will the rapidly evolving technology’s medical capabilities be 24 H o f s t r a M a g a z i n e | F a l l 2 0 2 3
a decade from now? That is the question the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell is working to answer as it undergoes its curriculum renewal. “[AI] is expected to play an even greater role in health care in the future,” said Dr. Marie Cavuoto Petrizzo, the school’s assistant dean for medical education. “It is imperative that our students become familiar with its use, how to ‘work with’ AI, and how to critically evaluate its limitations with regard to diagnostics, predictive analytics, and patient management.” During the curriculum renewal process, which began last year, more than 120 students, faculty, staff, and alumni broke into three teams to research and report on different aspects of the curriculum and propose changes that will better prepare students to enter the field of medicine. The technology group examined the potential applications of AI in health care. “AI can be used to synthesize health information data, assist with diagnostics, and predict outcomes based on the data presented,” said Dr. Petrizzo, who chaired the technology group. “It can also interface with healthcare platforms, helping to free physicians from some administrative responsibilities and creating more time for face-toface patient-physician interaction.”
The school isn’t waiting to use AI, however. It has already begun incorporating tools like ChatGPT for a wide range of tasks, including vetting examination questions and enabling students to build cases to self-assess their knowledge.
The
Evolution
OF ANDREW REA
How a Hofstra alumnus turned a creative exercise into a culinary universe By Andrew Sheldon | Photos by Matteo Bracco A knife and whisk, a frame forward symbol, a Hurricane Katrina X-code. Andrew Rea’s tattoos are a road map to his life: what he’s done, where he’s been, what he loves. But one tattoo in particular may offer the most insight into how he went from graphic designer to owner of a culinary content empire. Inked on his inner right forearm is a symbol containing the letters “E,” “K,” and “C.” It’s the original logo of the Eastman Kodak Company. The tattoo is a bit of hometown pride (Rea is a native of Rochester, where Kodak is headquartered), but it’s also so much more. “Kodak is an example of a company that was sitting on a pile of gold and just ignored it,” Rea says. “They could have pioneered the digital revolution and, unfortunately, succumbed to it. I got this as a reminder to try to stay with the times and not become irrelevant.”
Hofs tra Magazine | Fall 2023 25
When Rea was deciding on colleges nearly two decades ago, he knew two things: He wanted to study film and be close to New York City. Being just 25 miles from Manhattan and boasting alumni like Francis Ford Coppola made Hofstra his top choice. At Hofstra, Rea established a foundational filmmaking skill set that he’d call upon later in life. He particularly credits Professor Christine Noschese’s Intro to Screenwriting course and Professor Bill Jennings’ documentary classes. It all led to the pinnacle of his collegiate career: Winning best film, director, screenwriter, cinematographer, and editor for his senior thesis project, Cowards Run in Packs, at the annual Hofstra Film Festival After graduating in 2009, Rea aimed to become a documentary filmmaker. He worked as a graphic designer during the day while honing his editing skills on documentary films at night. Several years into his career, Rea went through a particularly negative work experience. It led him to question whether he even had the ability to make it in the film world. “I was feeling like maybe I don’t have what it takes. Maybe I don’t have a unique perspective or voice,” 26 H o f s t r a M a g a z i n e | F a l l 2 0 2 3
Rea recalled. “Then I got the help that I needed. I went to therapy, and one of the first things I did with any newfound creative energy was to just try shooting something and seeing how I can make it look.” Wanting to get into food videography, Rea configured a makeshift studio in his apartment kitchen. As he was setting up his camera and lights, he overheard the sitcom Parks and Recreation emanating from the television in the other room. In this episode, two of the characters compete in a burger cookoff, with one offering an Asianfusion burger with Taleggio cheese, papaya chutney, and black truffle aioli. A lightbulb went off. “I heard that burger and thought, ‘What would that actually taste like? That’s as fun an idea as any; I might as well try that.’” Rea filmed himself making a version of the burger. He posted the video on YouTube on Feb. 10, 2016. Unbeknownst to him at the time, it was the start of his new career. He made a few more videos of himself preparing dishes from various films and shows, including a turkey sandwich from Friends, which got picked up by several major outlets. Afterward, his videos began accumulating six-digit view totals. The growing audience coincided with growing name recognition. Rea had previously named his Reddit handle “Binging with Babish,” a nod
to a memorable character from The West Wing. When he carried the name over to YouTube, it was no longer an obscure pop culture reference. Now it was a brand. From that point on, Rea committed to making a new episode every week. However, he was still working a full-time job and was hesitant to make the jump to professional internet filmmaker. “‘YouTuber,’ in my snooty little film-grad mind, was a dirty word.” After months of working a minimum of 70-80 hours a week, episodes began reaching a million views and subscribers grew into the hundreds of thousands. His idea, which started as a mere creative exercise, had turned into a pile of gold, and he was not going to sit on it. As his videos continued to grow in popularity and sponsors began reaching out, Rea realized “YouTuber” was an ideal profession for him. “This is a job with unlimited creative flexibility and a chance to be my own boss, so I decided to jump ship and make it my full-time gig.” Ironically, the filmmaking expertise that made Rea wary of YouTube is precisely what makes him an excellent YouTuber and is a major contributor to the popularity of “Binging with Babish.” “I’ll be the first to admit that it’s not an original idea,” Rea confesses. What is unique, however, is the execution. In the oversaturated world of amateur YouTube content, Rea’s expertise stands apart, with professionally filmed and edited video. “I wanted to bring my filmmaking acumen to it. I wanted to make it beautiful.” There are a few more “Binging with Babish” trademarks that make the content unique. Rea rarely shows his face in episodes. He’s not shy – he just wants the food to be the focus. Maybe most critical, and most relatable, is his culinary humbleness. Rea is not a professional chef, a fact he has always made clear to his audience. He has, however, been cooking since his mother began
teaching him as a child. That interest only grew stronger after his mother passed away when Rea was just 11. “[Cooking] was always this thing to feel closer to her.” The self-described “very enthusiastic amateur chef” is not afraid to make and admit mistakes. Over time, Rea’s witty, self-deprecating personality also began to show through. It was a recipe audiences gobbled up. From The Godfather cannoli and Goodfellas prison sauce to Kevin’s famous chili from The Office and wild mushroom soup from Seinfeld, Rea has continued churning out new episodes and gaining new viewers. “Binging with Babish” reached 5 million subscribers in September 2019. The channel doubled that count earlier this year. Rea earned a YouTube Creator Award for reaching 10 million subscribers. The award was presented to him by Drew Barrymore when he was a guest on her talk show. He’s also appeared on Live with Kelly and Ryan and CBS This Morning, and been featured by the likes of GQ, Bon Appetit, and Vanity Fair, to name a few. Architectural Digest even toured his Brooklyn townhouse, which includes a production studio. Rea’s success has allowed him to expand his business off screen. He unveiled a new cookware line with Walmart earlier this year and released his third cookbook, Basics with Babish, in October. If that wasn’t enough, he’s in the process of opening a bed and breakfast in Upstate New York. It’s all part of the effort of turning “Binging with Babish” into the Babish Culinary Universe, a shift that includes bringing new talent onto his channel. “The more I’ve diversified the brand in terms of people other than me, the more rewarding it’s been because it becomes less of a brand with my face on it and more of a platform,” Rea says. “The ultimate goal is to make ‘Babish’ a recognizable brand for a cadre of food content from a huge bevy of different presenters. I guess that’s the lesson to take away – not to not become irrelevant, but to constantly evolve.” Hofs tra Magazine | Fall 2023 27
Hofstra Alumni Organization Installs New Board The Hofstra Alumni Organization, which represents the interests of more than 146,000 Hofstra graduates in all 50 U.S. states and more than 90 countries, has named its new slate of officers for 2023-2026.
Vice President for Programs
Rondell Wescott ’03,
creative production lead for Google Cloud, has worked across all types of media production during his awardwinning career. Among his best-known and most acclaimed projects are the controversial “We Believe” ad for Gillette and “Widen the Screen” for Procter & Gamble.
President
Wescott previously served as vice president of Hofstra’s Black/Hispanic Alumni Association and as the Alumni Organization’s vice president for services.
Heather Cohen ’98
is executive vice president of The Weiss Agency, a broadcast talent agency that represents and develops the careers of many successful local and syndicated personalities. Cohen, a recipient of Hofstra’s George M. Estabrook Distinguished Service Award and inductee into WRHU’s Radio Hall of Fame, previously served as the Alumni Organization’s vice president for programs and vice president for services. “It is a privilege to continue serving the University that I am so proud of. In my new role as president, I look forward to working with the executive board, our incredible alumni, and the entire Hofstra family.”
28 H o f s t r a M a g a z i n e | F a l l 2 0 2 3
Vice President for Services
Daniel Pellegriti ’00
is a Google Workspace sales specialist, where he showcases and sells collaborative technology, including GenAI and ML, to Fortune 100 institutions. Pellegriti volunteers as a member of Hofstra’s LGBTQ+ Alumni Advisory Board and recently created an endowment for students who demonstrate leadership and advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community.
Historian/Parliamentarian
Michael Sorrentino ’05
was often on the front line of major news stories during his decade-plus run as a broadcast news producer. Today, he is the CEO of Sorrentino Media, a full-service video production, consulting, and media training agency. Sorrentino is president of the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication Alumni Association and previously served as secretary of the Alumni Organization.
Secretary
Alyeah E. Ramjit, MHA ’15 is system vice president for One Brooklyn Health’s Department of Medicine, where she oversees operational effectiveness, efficiency, and synergy across the department’s personnel, programs, cost centers, and multiple sites of care.
Ramjit serves on the dean’s advisory board for Hofstra University’s School of Health Professions and Human Services and is a member of Hofstra’s Women in Leadership. She is co-chair of the Alumni Organization Scholarship and Fundraising Committee and founding president of Hofstra’s Master of Health Administration Alumni Association.
Immediate Past President
Hillary Serota Needle ’89 has more than 25 years of senior management expertise in event planning for corporate and nonprofit organizations. As president of Hillary Needle Events Inc., she presents a broad spectrum of special events, including galas, golf outings, networking receptions, and educational symposiums.
Needle previously served as president of the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication Alumni Association and as the Alumni Organization’s vice president for programs. Hofs tra Magazine | Fall 2023 29
HOFSTRA 2023
Alumni Award Recipients ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR Michael E. DeDomenico ’69 Managing Partner and Owner Avnatar Capital, LLC
YOUNG ALUMNUS
HONORARY ALUMNUS
Jonathan El Kordi-Hubbard ’13
Tejinder S. Bindra
Owner, Craft + Logic, LLC
Chief Executive Officer Paras Designs Inc.
ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Marc A. Alpert ’83
Russell Cassar ’92
Shegun Holder ‘97
Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary, Loews Corporation
Managing Director, Head of CCB Operations Technology JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Co-Founder and CEO WorkEverywhere
Cameron Kadison ’03
Janet A. Lenaghan ’92
Jacqueline LiCalzi ’85
Alyeah Ramjit ’15
Founding Partner Mortar Media
Dean Frank G. Zarb School of Business, Hofstra University
Managing Director, Global Head of Regulatory Relations Morgan Stanley
System Vice President, Department of Medicine One Brooklyn Health
30 Hofs tra Magazine | Fall 2023
RECONNECT WITH THE
PRIDE JOIN US AT AN ALUMNI EVENT HOFSTRA HOLIDAY PARTY December 14 • HOFSTRA IN LA RECEPTION January 8 • SOUTH FLORIDA REGIONAL EVENT January 27 • WINTER HOMECOMING February 3 • HOFSTRA COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT AWARDS February 6 • DALLAS REGIONAL EVENT February 29
Scan to learn more
H o f s t r a M a g a z i n e | F a l l 2 0 2 3 31
Class Notes 1963
John DeBella
David Attwood (BS, Engineering Science) of Berkeley, CA, is active as a professor emeritus of applied science and technology at the University of California, Berkeley.
(BFA, Design and Theater) of Haverford, PA, retired after a longtime career as Philadelphia radio host of The John DeBella Show at 102.9 WMGK.
1977
1969
Diana J. Cusano
Richard I. Hansen
(BA, English Literature) of Pittsburgh, PA, received the 2023 Pennsylvania Bar Association Environmental and Energy Law Section Lifetime Achievement Award during the Environmental Law Forum.
(BS, Engineering Science) of Newton, NJ, retired in 2015 from ophthalmology/retina surgery practice after 34 years.
1978 Lorranie Kocen
1970
MARK BRIER (BBA, Accounting) of East Meadow, NY, was named 2023 Best Comedian from Long Island in the Arts & Entertainment category by Bethpage Best of Long Island.
1973
(BS, Mathematics) of Thousand Oaks, CA, is retired from Verizon and living in Southern California. She volunteers at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and has visited all 13 presidential libraries.
1980 Al DeGregoris (BS, Music Merchandising) of Bay Shore, NY, is a contemporary jazz songwriter and keyboardist who owns 10 Top 40 hits on the Billboard charts. He has co-written songs and/ or recorded with numerous icons, including Grammy-winner Jeff Lorber, Eric Marienthal, Chuck Loeb, Steve Cole, Nils, Ricky Lawson, and Gary Novak.
1981 Michael Adler (BA, Computer Science) of Roslyn, NY, was named to The Consulting Report’s Top 25 Financial Services Consultants and Leaders of 2023.
Bob Aiello (BS, Computer Science) of New York, NY, led an international effort to write the first IEEE/ ISO/EIA industry standard for implementing DevOps in highly regulated organizations.
Todd Ant (BA, Communications Arts) of Gillette, NJ, and Michael Starr ’73 (BA, Drama) of Los Angeles, CA, can be seen in a film directed by Martin Guigui ’82 of West Hills, NY, named Sweetwater, a story about the first Black player in the NBA.
Vinson Lewis (BS, Computer Science) of Layton, UT, is the F-16 deputy program manager for Nuclear Matters.
Michael Shenhouse (BS, Computer Science) of Durham, NC, is a technical support software engineer at IBM.
1982
William Bleyer
Michael J. Heindl
Lauren M. Sabella
(BA, Economics) of Bayville, NY, published the book The Sinking of the Steamboat Lexington on Long Island Sound.
(BS, Computer Science) of Palm Bay, FL, retired after a career in computer programming and is currently building a small Lionel train layout.
(BBA, Marketing) of Fairfield, CT, joined MannKind Corporation as executive vice president and chief operating officer.
32 Hofs tra Magazine | Fall 2023
| Submit your Class Note at hofstra.edu/alumni
Doris Schwartzblat (BS, Computer Science) of New York, NY, is the senior project manager at Proskauer Rose.
Peter J. Strebel (BBA, Management) of Dallas, TX, received the 2022 Historic Hotels of America Legacy of Innovation and Inspiration Award.
1983 David Cooney
1986
Tracey Ant
Ron Fedorowicz (BE, Engineering Science) of Melville, NY, accepted a position as a senior hardware engineer at Resideo.
Antonio Goncalves (BE, Engineering Science) of Lewisboro, NY, was elected supervisor of the Town of Lewisboro, NY.
(BBA, Banking and Finance) of Gillette, NJ, was named head of middle and large commercial business units at The Hartford.
Joseph Daniele (BA, Communication Arts) of Great River, NY, was featured photographer of the month for May 2023 at nyctastemakers.com.
Martin Rosenberg
1987
(BA, Biology) of Noblesville, IN, was appointed to the board of directors of the nonprofit Great American Songbook Foundation.
(BA, Computer Science) of New York City, NY, retired from his career as an information technology service delivery manager at Network Outsource.
Dr. Donald Sturz
1988
(BA, Psychology) of Brooklyn, NY, retired from his position as superintendent of the Valley Stream School District.
Dr. Michael Corners
1985 Rudolf Karvay (BA, Art History) of Nesconset, NY, shifted gears after dedicating years to the art world and pursued law at Brooklyn Law School. Since 1992, he’s been practicing as a trust and estate attorney. He recently took on the role of executive director and CEO at Bleuler Psychotherapy Center in Forest Hills, NY. On a personal note, he’s thrilled that his daughter Vanessa began her Hofstra journey as a freshman this fall.
| Submit your Class Note at hofstra.edu/alumni
1987
JASPREET MAYALL BBA, Management; JD, '91 of Dix Hills, NY, was reappointed by the Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department, as a member on the Committee on Character and Fitness for the 2nd, 10th, 11th, and 13th Judicial Districts. Jaspreet was unanimously appointed president of the board of the Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation, a New York-based nonprofit organization.
(BA, Natural Science) of Miller Place, NY, joined SightMD as a board-certified ophthalmologist.
Dr. Donald Johann (MS, Computer Science) of Little Rock, AR, is a medical oncologist and a corresponding author on a Nature Biotechnology paper concerning new ways to manage and diagnose cancer patients.
1989 Jeffery J. Affuso (BS, Industrial Engineering; MBA, Management, ’92) of Fairfax, VA, was named the first chief growth officer at Citizant.
H o f s t r a M a g a z i n e | F a l l 2 0 2 3 33
CL A S S NOT E S
James Polansky
David B. Sarnoff, Esq.
James E. Salgado
(MBA, Banking and Finance) of Commack, NY, retired in September from his position as superintendent of the Huntington School District.
(BA, Social Science) of Fort Lee, NJ, was named co-chair of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee of the New York City Bar Association.
(BA, Psychology) of Orchard Park, NY, is the new cornerbacks coach at Michigan State.
Mathew J. Sarfity (BA, Liberal Arts) of Chicago, IL, was named vice president of the Global Ocean Product business at Pegasus Logistics Group.
Stephanus Surjaputra (BS, Computer Science) of Newbury Park, CA, is a quality control specialist for Compulink Healthcare Solutions.
Michael Viggiano (BS, Mechanical Engineering) of New York, NY, is executive vice president of Skanska.
1991 Lori Panessa (BBA, Accounting) of Seaford, NY, joined EW Howell Construction Group as a controller.
Michelle Young (BA, English) of Rockville Centre, NY, was named library director for the Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library.
1994 Rich Grossi
1992 Fredric Itkin (MA, Computer Science) of Lindenhurst, NY, is an I Series RPG contract developer at Quest Solutions.
(BS, Computer Science) of New York, NY, is CEO of treasury and commodity businesses at ION Corporates, serving over 80,000 users worldwide.
1994
Joseph Menichini 1990 Steve DePalo (BS, Mechanical Engineering) of Chicago, IL, is vice president of business development for Coho Climate Advisors.
Derek Gibson (BBA, Banking and Finance; MBA, ’92) of Greensboro, NC, recently published Data Duped: How to Avoid Being Hoodwinked by Misinformation along with Jeffrey D. Camm.
(BS, Mechanical Engineering) of Massapequa, NY, started a new position as senior director of cybersecurity, architecture, and engineering at the Mount Sinai Health System.
David Raphael (BS, Electrical Engineering) of Greenbelt, MD, is a branch head with NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center.
1993
Lisa MacKay
Paula Parrino
(BE, Engineering Science) of Long Beach, NY, joined Thornton Tomasetti’s New York transportation group as vice president.
(BA, Political Science) of Lake Grove, NY, was honored with a 2023 Long Island Business News Diversity in Business Award.
34 Hofs tra Magazine | Fall 2023
MARK GETMAN (BA, Communication Arts) of Cedarhurst, NY, was appointed public affairs chief for United States Army Garrison in Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn, NY.
| Submit your Class Note at hofstra.edu/alumni
Aaron Haimowitz
Maria Meyer
(BBA, Management; JD, ’97) of West Islip, NY, joined the NFP National Claims Service practice as senior vice president, construction and infrastructure claims.
(BS, Mechanical Engineering) of New York, NY, is a project coordinator at Cameron Engineering.
1995
1996
Manav Bhasin
Vincenzo Giambalvo
(BS, Electrical Engineering) of Plainview, NY, is working as managing director at SVAM International Inc.
1995
(BS, Computer Science) is a senior system engineer for Northwell Health.
Alexander S. Golbin (MS, Computer Science) of Woodmere, NY, joined CDO Magazine’s Global Editorial Board.
Steven Karaman (BBA, Banking and Finance) of Seaford, NY, was promoted to corporate treasurer at Dime Community Bank.
1998 Heather Cohen (BA, Audio/Radio) of Melville, NY, was elected to the board of directors at The Broadcasters Foundation of America.
The Honorable Chad Monty (BBA, Banking & Finance) of Sorrento, FL, was appointed to serve as a judge on the Lake County Court in the 5th Judicial Circuit.
1999 John Mitchell (BA, Political Science; JD, ’02) of East Brunswick, NJ, is a partner and serves as leader of Faegre Drinker’s Princeton office.
2001 Ashish Narayan
1997 Louis J. Curatolo Jr.
RICK SUVALLE (BA, English) of Burbank, CA, is the executive producer and the creator of the new DreamWorks’ animated series Dew Drop Diaries, which debuted on Netflix in July 2023.
| Submit your Class Note at hofstra.edu/alumni
(BBA, Accounting) of Northport, NY, was promoted to chief administrative officer at the Syska Hennessy Group.
Deanna M. Eble, Esq. (BA, English; JD, ’00) of Kings Park, NY, received a 2023 Herald Premier Business Women Award.
Eric K. Young (BA, Communication Arts) of Danville, PA, was named an associate attorney at Steinbacher, Goodall, & Yurchak.
(MS, Computer Science) of New York, NY, is associate dean of research technology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
2002 Robert Milke (MBA, Executive Business Administration) of Morganville, NJ, was named regional manager at Spartan Chemical Company.
Sajed Sahni (BS, Electrical Engineering) of New York, NY, is solutions engineering manager at Google, leading solutions across North and South America.
H o f s t r a M a g a z i n e | F a l l 2 0 2 3 35
CL A S S NOT E S
David Newson
Colleen Eren
Ryan McDaniel
(BBA, Marketing) of Portland, OR, was promoted to chief digital officer at Cerity Partners, a national wealth management firm. He will lead digital transformation, generative AI, and digital marketing for the organization.
(BA, Humanities and Social Sciences) of Huntington, NY, received early tenure by exception at William Paterson University. Her new book, Reform Nation: The First Step Act and the Movement to End Mass Incarceration, was published by Stanford University Press in September 2023.
(BA, Public Relations) of Santa Monica, CA, recently started a continuing education business, Intricate Art Spine & Body Solutions, teaching physical therapists and athletic trainers dry needling and spinal manipulation. He’s worked with pro sports teams, including the Philadelphia Flyers and Miami Dolphins, and at universities across the country.
2003 Billi Chambers
2005
(BA, Psychology) of Norwalk, CT, was named head women’s basketball coach at Xavier University.
Evan J. Gotlob
Stefania Ruggieri
(MBA, Finance; JD, ’10) of East Greenwich, RI, joined Saul Ewing LLP as a partner.
Elena Clyde-Correnti
Kristina Marusic
(BBA, International Business) of Pottstown, PA, was named an account manager at RT Specialty’s Environmental and Construction Professional Practice.
(MS, Physical Education) of Millsboro, DE, joined Aging in Place Specialists as a physical therapist.
(BA, Creative Studies) of Pittsburgh, PA, published the book A New War on Cancer: The Unlikely Heroes Revolutionizing Prevention.
Arni Gunnarsson
Julie Pietrzak
(BE, Engineering Science) of Iceland is working at Verkis, an engineering firm in Iceland.
(BE, Engineering Science, Civil Engineering) of New York, NY, was promoted to resilience practice leader at Thornton Tomasetti.
Melanie Odone (BA, Psychology; MSEd, Literacy Studies, ‘05) of Wantagh, NY, was named principal of the Hemlock School in the Garden City Public Schools.
2004 James Lewis (BS, Computer Science) of Levittown, NY, is a web developer at Mercury Commerce.
36 Hofs tra Magazine | Fall 2023
2006 Michael Adamo (BBA, Business Computer Information Systems) of Manhasset, NY, was named senior vice president of Trammell Crow Company.
2007 Stephen S. Dombo (MSEd, Counseling) of Baldwin, NY, was named director of guidance at North Babylon School District.
Jorge R. Duarte (BE, Engineering Science) of Englewood, NJ, is a civil engineer for Russo Development LLC.
Ryan M. Magee (BA, Public Relations) of Morristown, NJ, joined McCarter & English, LLP as partner.
Maria J. Bernhey
Tara J. Sattler
(BA, History) of Seymour, CT, was appointed the 10th city librarian and director at the New Haven Free Public Library.
(BA, Dance) of Los Angeles, CA, was named to Variety magazine’s 2023 Legal Impact Report as part of Weintraub Tobin’s Audio Team.
| Submit your Class Note at hofstra.edu/alumni
Sarah H. Winters
2010
(BSEd, Music Education) of South Park, PA, was appointed to the Pittsburgh Legal Diversity & Inclusion Coalition’s Young Professionals Advisory Board.
2008
2009 Joshua Sankowski (BA, Political Science) of Rochester, NY, has worked at PathStone Corporation for 11 years and is now director of corporate partnerships. He was recently named to the Rochester Business Journal’s Power List for LGBTQ+ Business Leaders.
Tyler Crocker
DIANA BASSETT (BA, Film Studies and Production; MS, Public Relations, ’18) of Bayside, NY was elected treasurer of Public Relations Professionals of Long Island for 2023-2024.
2010
(BBA, Management) of Bellmore, NY, was honored with a 2023 Long Island Business News Diversity in Business Award.
| Submit your Class Note at hofstra.edu/alumni
(MS, Computer Science; BS, Chemistry, ’72) of East Setauket, NY, is an adjunct professor in the Department of Computer Science at Hofstra.
2012
Esme Mazzeo
(BS, Exercise Specialist) of Storrs, CT, was named the head softball coach at the University of Pennsylvania.
Dennis Mirante
(BA, Public Relations; JD, ’15) of Massapequa Park, NY, was named an associate at Goldberg Segalla’s Global Insurance Services group.
Amy L. Flores
Christie L. Novatin
(BS, Mechanical Engineering) of Boston, MA, recently earned an MBA from Boston University and works as a system engineering section manager and program manager at Raytheon Technologies.
Courtney H. Zucker
2010
(BA, English; MA, Journalism, ’15) of Baldwin, NY, was promoted to entertainment reporter at Insider Inc.
(MSEd, Math Education) of New Hyde Park, NY, was honored with a 2023 Long Island Business News Diversity in Business Award.
2011
Amanda Manno (BA, Sociology; MSEd, Literacy Studies, ‘11) of Bethpage, NY, was named a 2023 Excellence Award winner at Success Academy.
Christina Rosa
MICHAEL SHTIFTER (BBA, Entrepreneurship) of Newton, MA, earned the Wealth Management Certified Professional (WMCP) designation and joined an elite group of professionals.
Jacqueline Giordano (BA, Political Science; JD, ’15) of Huntington, NY, was named a partner at Bond, Schoeneck & King.
Katherine Mayo (BE, Engineering Science; BA, Dance) of New York, NY, is director of operations for a crypto firm called Ava Labs Inc.
H o f s t r a M a g a z i n e | F a l l 2 0 2 3 37
CL A S S NOT E S
James Wells
Paola Toro
Christian Ladigoski
(BE, Engineering Science) of Jeffersonville, VT, is a firefighter/ paramedic as well as an engineering consultant.
(BA, Criminology) of Lawrence Township, NJ, joined Bressler, Amery & Ross, P.C. as an associate attorney. She was also named to the 2023 New Jersey Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists and selected to serve on the board of trustees for Sustainable Jersey.
(BS, Electrical Engineering) of New York, NY, runs a digital marketing agency called Harris Digital.
2013 Ilanna Oleksiak (BA, Psychology; MPH, Public Health, ‘16) of Oceanside, NY, was named a partner at Fairway Consulting Group, to support the company’s expansion to verticals within the life science industry and across geographies.
Navid Paknejad (BE, Engineering Science) of New York City, NY, is completing a PhD at Weill Cornell Medicine and looking forward to starting his postdoctoral fellowship in the lab of Dr. Vanessa Ruta at Rockefeller University.
Christopher G. Panos (BA, Liberal Arts) of Charlotte, NC, was named head coach of Fork Union Military Academy’s postgraduate lacrosse program and currently serves as assistant coach for the Greek Lacrosse men’s senior national team.
(BS, Industrial Engineering) of New York City, NY, is an industrial engineer supervisor at UPS and is starting a consultancy firm in Dubai.
Spencer Friedman
Rezwan Ahmed (BE, Engineering Science) of New York, NY, is a design engineer at the NYC Department of Design and Construction.
Chad Cunningham (BE, Engineering Science) of Franklin Square, NY, is a project manager for a construction company.
38 Hofs tra Magazine | Fall 2023
2016
Faisal Shahim
2016
Jonathan Ledesma
(MS, Computer Science) of Queens County, NY, is a data scientist/applied AI engineer at JPMorgan Chase.
2015
2014 (MBA, Real Estate; JD, ’15) of New York, NY, was promoted to partner at the law firm Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP.
C. Bradford Rose
(BE, Engineering Science) of San Diego, CA, is a senior compliance engineer at Illumina, supporting all new genetic sequencer and array scanner launches.
HALEY WOODS (BA, Video/TV) of Elmont, NY, was named a 2023 Excellence Award winner at Success Academy.
| Submit your Class Note at hofstra.edu/alumni
2017
2018
2019
Keith Abbott
Lauren N. Grasso
Adam Hussain
(BA, Computer Science) of Massapequa, NY, is a computer network engineer field service support tech at a local managed service provider.
(BBA, Marketing; MS, Marketing) of Smithtown, NY, was honored at Long Island Business News’ 30 Under 30 awards presentation.
(BA, Computer Science) of New York City, NY, was promoted to data architect at PSEG Long Island.
Christopher Kuzemka Lina Abu-Saab (BS, Health Science) of Plainview, NY, joined SightMD as an optometrist.
Kyle Castoria (BS, Physics/Mechanical Engineering) of Princeton, NJ, is finishing a PhD program in electrical engineering at Princeton University.
Mihir Desai
(BS, Mechanical Engineering) of San Antonio, TX, is a decision science analyst for a large grocery chain.
Daniel Naymark
Ted Solomon
Siavash Sedaghat
(BS, Mechanical Engineering) of New York, NY, received a fulltime job offer from McKinsey and Company, as an associate.
| Submit your Class Note at hofstra.edu/alumni
2019
(BE, Engineering Science) of Orlando, FL, started a master’s program at the University of Central Florida, College of Optics and Photonics.
(BS, Mechanical Engineering; BA, Fine Arts) of the San Francisco Bay Area, CA, is the fleet maintenance manager for a fully autonomous car test fleet.
Maya Williams
(BA, Film Studies and Production) of Ronkonkoma, NY, returned to Long Island to create comedy content with a host of Hofstra alumni.
Alexa Marquis
(MS, Computer Science) of Westbury, NY, is an application development manager at Jovia Financial Credit Union.
(BE, Engineering Science) of Melville, NY, is an implementation specialist for Beck Technology, where he uses his experience as a heavy civil estimator and project engineer to onboard new clients as they learn the software.
Zachary Klebaner
(MS, Computer Science) of Roslyn, NY, is an infrastructure administrator at PSEG Long Island.
LIANE SOUSA (BA, Journalism) of Yonkers, NY, was promoted to account executive, ad sales team at Compass Media Network.
Stephanie Tattrie (BA, Computer Science) of Boston, MA, is a senior IT systems analyst for a biotech company.
Arslan Waheed (BS, Computer Science) of West Islip, NY, is a software engineer at Google Play.
Ryan Young (BS, Mechanical Engineering) of Berkeley, CA, graduated from UC Berkeley with a Master of Engineering in Bioengineering in May 2022 and is currently a manufacturing engineer for a medical device company.
H o f s t r a M a g a z i n e | F a l l 2 0 2 3 39
CL A S S NOT E S
2020 Deandra Denton (BA, Public Policy & Public Service; JD, ‘23) of Hempstead, NY, received the Impact Award at the Girl Scouts of Nassau County’s annual Legacy Brunch for her contributions to organization.
Eric Garcia (MS, Engineering Management) of Miami, FL, is an industrial engineer at UPS.
Bryan Hirsch (BS, Bioengineering) of Medford, MA, is pursuing a PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Tufts University.
Akash Jauhar (BS, Compute Science & Cybersecurity) of New York City, NY, is an experienced associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Cyber, Risk, and Regulatory IAM Division, and recently completed a master’s in cybersecurity at New York University.
Jennifer Barbara Marquez (BA, Computer Science) of Dublin, Ireland, is a software engineer at Bank of America and will be starting a master’s program in human computer interaction at University College Dublin.
Justin Miller (BS, Math & Computer Science) of Brooklyn, NY, finished a master’s degree at Yale University and rejoined Google as a full-time software engineer.
40 Hofs tra Magazine | Fall 2023
Joanne Peragine
Noah Green
(BS, Bioengineering) of Farmingdale, NY, is a remote remediation engineer in the Sustaining Engineering Department at Cook Medical.
(BS, Mechanical Engineering) of Stamford, CT, is pursuing a master’s degree in mechanical engineering at John Hopkins University and working as a frontline support production engineer at ASML.
2021 Jonathan Akl (BS, Electrical Engineering) of St. James, NY, is an electrical engineer at BAE Systems and is completing a master’s degree in electrical engineering at Stony Brook University.
Chima Odume
James Christian
(BS, Industrial Engineering) of Hoboken, NJ, is an automation engineer at Walmart eCommerce and is enrolled in the MSEM program at Hofstra.
(BS, Civil Engineering) of Massapequa Park, NY, is a civil site engineer and engineer in training at R&M Engineering.
(BS, Bioengineering) of Yonkers, NY, is a technical service engineer at Omnicell.
Alyssa Pancho
John Conlon
Olivia Ramthun
(BS, Electrical Engineering) of East Islip, NY, is an electrical engineer at Leviton.
(BA, Computer Science) of New Orleans, LA, is working remotely as a software engineer specializing in HR and talent acquisition software.
David Fisher (BS, Computer Science) of Los Angeles, CA, is pursuing a master’s degree in computer science at USC and interning for Northwell as a data scientist.
Joshua D. Segal
2022
(MSEd, Health Professions Education) of Brooklyn, NY, was named chairman of the dental medicine department at Staten Island University Hospital.
Mofoluwaso Adesanya
Gianna Warren
(BS, Computer Engineering) of Hempstead, NY, is a test engineer with IBM.
Brian DeFeo (MHA, Health Administration) of East Northport, NY, was named Mather Hospital’s vice president/ associate executive director of finance.
(MSEd, Early Childhood) of West Hempstead, NY, was named a 2023 Excellence Award winner at Success Academy.
Nicholas Wilson (BS, Civil Engineering) of Philadelphia, PA, is an OCS engineer at Gannett Fleming.
| Submit your Class Note at hofstra.edu/alumni
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