School of Communication - Alumni Newsletter - Fall 2009

HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY

UPDATE

Hofstra College of LiberalAlumni Arts and Sciences Alumni Newsletter School of Communication Newsletter

Summer 2008 Fall 2009

Message From the Acting Dean Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Dr. Cliff Jernigan, acting dean of the School of Communication. I’ve been associate dean for the past seven years and am excited to be taking temporary stewardship of this dynamic, growing school. Before updating you on the most recent events, let me thank the former dean, Dr. Sybil DelGaudio, for her dedication in leading the school these past six years.

I’m pleased to announce that we continue to build our programs and facilities. Construction has just been completed on a new, tiered screening room in Breslin Hall. It will be used to screen and analyze films, and also to serve as an intimate lecture hall for guest speakers and special presentations. A new black box performance space, also in Breslin Hall, allows undergraduate and graduate students to present live performances, readers theater and spoken word presentations. Speaking of live performances, the day before Hofstra hosted the fi nal 2008 presidential debate, the Center for Civic Engagement teamed up with the Department for Speech Communication, Rhetoric, and Performance Studies to stage a series of reenactments highlighting key moments and events in American history.

Not only have our undergraduate enrollments remained strong, but enrollments in our master’s programs in journalism, speech communication, and documentary studies and production have grown considerably. Our collaboration with local area

Homecoming 2009

All three departments in the school are committed to teaching students how to become engaged communicators. It is at the heart of what we do. Several years ago, we introduced Nassau News, our online community newsletter. We now add HTVinteractive, or HTVi, a Web television channel featuring student work from the school. HTVi is unique in its blend of extracurricular original content coupled with an archive of student projects in television, broadcast journalism, audio production, and film. For a fi rst-hand look at HTVi, visit htvinteractive.com.

It promises to be an exciting year, and we hope you will participate in it with us.

Feel free to contact me at Cliff.Jernigan@hofstra.edu or (516) 463-5214. I look forward to hearing from you..

Best,

Cliff Jernigan, Ph.D., Acting Dean School of Communication

School of Communication Alumni Newsletter

SAVE THE DATE

high schools also continues to grow. Our summer program, Documenting Diversity, has just fi nished its fourth year. It teaches high school students from a variety of ethnic and social backgrounds how to create narrative videos that explore each other’s lives. This summer, we added a journalism program, Journalism-Diversity (J-DIV), which instructs local area high school students in the use of multimedia tools (flip video cameras, Web page creation, wikis, etc.) to create reports on issues in their communities.

Myths&Legends Friday, Saturday and Sunday

October 9, 10 and 11

or contact Kristen Ehrling at (516) 463-5339 or Kristen.Ehrling@hofstra.edu

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Catching Up With … Nevette Previd (’91)

by Meaghan Davidson ’09

What inspired you to work as a consultant?

What are you doing now?

I like that I can create my own schedule. I work really hard throughout the year, cramming everything in, and then I take long vacations. Because I work for myself, my husband and I have had the chance to see the world.

I’ve been all over Asia, Central America and South America. I think it’s important to see the world.

I’m working in marketing for independent films and documentaries through my company, Previd Consulting. I’m basically a consultant/project manager, working directly with filmmakers. I like to work with independent releases as well. Each year, it gets harder and harder to get these movies into theaters. I first try to get the movie into the theaters, and then do the marketing and public relations for it. After the movie leaves the theaters, I also help with the DVD production and release. I like to work on cause-related films, using social cause marketing and using the movie itself as a marketing tool.

How did you get where you are today?

In college, I interned doing various jobs in the entertainment world and then worked for a publicist after college. I also spent some time at Fox Searchlight Pictures and IFC Films. Overall, I worked in publicity for more than 10 years before I decided I wanted to do more than just work with the press. I realized that I wanted to listen to filmmakers and hear their vision, and help get it out to the audience.

I think grass-roots campaigns offer a unique challenge. I have to put a lot of thought into them, determining who will like the films and how to reach those people, then going out and actually getting their interest.

I also like that I’m not just another part in a big machine. Grass-roots campaigns are very hands on and pull together a team of passionate people. I’m constantly learning and doing new things, so my job is never boring.

Other than running Previd Consulting, what do you do with your time?

I started with the festival in 2005. I now live on Martha’s Vineyard, and the festival helped me get involved in the community. This year, I’m on the festival’s advisory board.

I volunteer as much as I can. This is my first year running a small festival called Living Local Harvest Festival. The festival, which is in its third year, focuses on sustainable communities, with the hopes of creating a template of a community that is truly self-sustaining, and then sharing this knowledge and information with others. Some of the things self-sustainable communities look to do is utilize locally grown food, have strong recycling programs, and find, then use, renewable sources of energy.

What are your hopes for the future of the festival?

What are your best memories of Hofstra?

There are movers and shakers on Martha’s Vineyard. The people here are already an artsy group. Over the years, the festival has been a lot of fun and is a solid event with about 3,000 people in attendance – I just want it to keep growing.

I have a lot of great memories of Hofstra. When I was a student, I was president of Danceworks, and I worked with friends who are still my best friends. It really taught me a lot about creating a sustainable entity.

How did you get involved with the Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival?

Joseph Nicolini

Your consulting firm takes a grass-roots approach to campaigns. Why?

Catching Up With … Steve Totter (’09)

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teve Totter, who graduated in May with a major in speech communication, rhetoric and performance, started college at the age of 15. He is recently married and is an officer in the U.S. Army.

Tell us the story of Steve at Hofstra.

“

Hofstra is a great place to discover what you truly want to do. The School of Communication itself is filled with smart, interesting and, above all, dedicated professors.

”

By the time I was 17, I had an associate’s degree with a concentration in communications from Suffolk Community College. I originally went to Hofstra because I heard it had an amazing public relations program, which it does. I started as a PR major, but after taking a semester off to complete the U.S. Army Infantry Basic Training, I decided to follow my gut to speech communication.

Hofstra is a great place to discover what you truly want to do. The School of Communication itself is filled with smart, interesting and, above all, dedicated professors. I never had a professor who wasn’t personally devoted to his or her students. I sometimes wondered if other majors were jealous.

How did your involvement with ROTC help you throughout your time at Hofstra?

ROTC develops your leadership skills. Someone may have what it takes to become a leader, but you need discipline, opportunity, and guidance to

develop that potential in the fullest way. During my senior year, I had the privilege of being the ROTC cadet battalion commander. That enormous responsibility has prepared me for the challenges ahead in a way that nothing else could have done.

What is your favorite memory at Hofstra?

My wife, Melanie, pinning on my second lieutenant rank as I was commissioned as Hofstra’s Distinguished Military Graduate. It was an honor.

What have you been doing since graduating?

My wife and I did some traveling in Europe to Greece and Italy for our honeymoon. A week after that, we went on a volunteer project trip to assist the impoverished areas of the Appalachian Mountain region for a week.

Most recently, I completed the Army Air Assault Course, otherwise known as the “toughest 10 days in the Army.” This rigorous course qualifies soldiers to rappel from helicopters and is very intense both physically and mentally. I will be attending law school in the fall.

What is your edge?

My edge is dedication. Once I set my mind to something, I am relentless.

I am personally dedicated to whatever goals I set my eyes on, and I have always had the support and dedication of my wife, family, Hofstra professors, the School of Communication, and my Army sisters and brothers. Without all of them, I wouldn’t be half the student, soldier and individual I am.

Hofstra Radio Celebrates Golden Anniversary Members of WHCH (Hofstra College Hempstead), WVHC (Voice of Hofstra College) and WRHU (Radio Hofstra University) will gather November 6 to 8, 2009, to celebrate 50 years of radio broadcasting at Hofstra University. The Hofstra Radio Alumni Association (HRAA) will host a variety of events and activities, including a silent auction and alumni brunch. The main event will be a banquet on Saturday, November 7, 2009, where the HRAA will induct its first members into a “Radio Hall of Fame.”

In celebration of the 50th anniversary, WRHU, in conjunction with Hofstra’s School of Communication, launched a speaker series featuring prominent alumni from WHCH, WVHC, and WRHU, including Charlie Kaye, CBS Radio executive news producer; Lee Harris, news anchor at 1010 WINS; and radio legend Dan Ingram.

WRHU also began the “50 Project,” which allows alumni to return to the airwaves to broadcast their all-time favorite shows.

For more information about Radio Hofstra University’s 50th anniversary, send an e-mail to john.t.mullen@hofstra.edu or call (516) 463-5106.

Metropolitan Area Teens Investigate Diversity While Perfecting Their Journalism Skills his summer, New York metropolitan area high school students were challenged to investigate and report on some of the important issues facing their hometowns and Long Island as part of a free two-week summer camp called J-DIV. J-DIV, which stands for Journalism Diversity, is funded by The Rauch Foundation.

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Hofstra Professors Peter Goodman and Carol Fletcher work with high school student Kaitlyn Prisco-Buxbaum.

The program, which began July 6, 2009, allowed 10 high school students who represent diverse populations to experience what it is like to be professional investigative reporters.

The students reported on their communities using the Long Island Index’s interactive map and its reports to help focus their story angle. Guided by Hofstra’s journalism faculty, the teens learned basic research and reporting techniques, as well as how to use some of the state-of-the-art equipment in Hofstra’s School of Communication to produce multimedia stories.

The students’ story packages will be placed on a J-DIV Web site and will be presented at a round-table discussion on problems facing local communities, featuring representatives from Long Island organizations. The students were also interviewed on WRHU Radio Hofstra University, and received a $200 stipend upon completion of the program.

“The world is going through some extraordinary changes right now, and it is important to have bright, curious, intelligent young men and women who know how to find the story and bring it home,” said Program Director Peter Goodman. “Our hope for these students at the completion of camp is that they realize what a difference their stories can actually make.”

“

Local high school students were challenged to investigate and report on some of the important issues facing their hometowns as part of a free two-week summer camp called J-DIV, directed by Hofstra Professors Peter Goodman and Carol Fletcher.

The world is going through some extraordinary changes right now, and it is important to have bright, curious, intelligent young men and women who know how to find the story and bring it home ...

– Peter Goodman, Program Director

”

T

he football team, led by fourth-year Head Coach Dave Cohen, will look to use a tough defense led by Luke Bonus and Ray McDonough, and an offensive attack spearheaded by running backs Everette Benjamin and Brock Jackolski and receiver Aaron Weaver to compete for a CAA Football Championship. Second-year Volleyball Coach Kristina Hernandez will look to seniors Monica Knight and Chrissey Cruz to lead a squad that includes five newcomers back to the CAA Championship after a quarterfi nals appearance last season.

The women’s soccer team, led by fourth-year Coach Simon Riddiough, looks to return to the top of the CAA after falling in the CAA Championship match last season.

Returning CAA Co-Defensive Player of the Year Jess Crankshaw and fi rst team All-CAA pick Tiffany Yovino lead a talented group of players into the 2009 campaign.

Richard Nuttall, now in his 22nd year as coach of the men’s soccer program, will look to All-CAA performers Richard Martinez, Rob Youhill and Brett Carrington to lead the Pride in 2009.

The field hockey team was hit hard by graduation, but 12th-year Head Coach Kathy De Angelis has a solid nucleus of young players ready to step in, led by CAA AllRookie selection Genna Kovar and goalkeeper Amanda Heyde. Seniors Kristin Thompson and Ashleigh Daniles will provide veteran leadership.

The cross country team, which is led by second-year Head Coach Pete Alfano, will look to build momentum in 2009 behind All-Metropolitan performer Riti Dhillon on the women’s side and junior Phil Giackette on the men’s team. Second-year Tennis Coach Amanda Foukas has a good foundation of veteran players on the women’s team

Fall Sports Preview in juniors Christie Gattelaro and Lauren Clifton, as well as sophomore Brooke Sailer. On the men’s side, junior Stian Tvedt and senior Matt Wacks will anchor a largely inexperienced roster in 2009-10.

The women’s golf team, coached by second-year mentor Maren Crowley, will look to make strides in 2009-10. A veteran roster returns, including the top five scorers from a season ago, led by junior Morgan Heyrman. The men’s team, led by second-year Coach Joe Elliott, is in the exact opposite position, as the team lost all five of its top players from last season and will enter 2009-10 with a largely untested roster.

Fans can follow these teams, as well as all the Hofstra Athletics news, at GoHofstra.com. The site, which was launched in May, features an entire suite of new products and services for Pride fans, including: live and ondemand streaming video and audio of Hofstra events and features, rosters, live stats, schedules, online purchase of Pride event tickets, a complete online apparel store featuring the latest Pride gear, online auctions, and Jess Crankshaw much more. Also, be sure to check out upcoming promotions and activities surrounding Hofstra Athletics through the promotions tab.

Please visit GoHofstra.com to sign up for free e-news and have your Pride news sent directly to your inbox.

Luke Bonus

News From Around HOFSTRA NEWS Around Hofstra Hofstra Receives Middle States Reaccreditation Hofstra University’s reaccreditation was affirmed by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education on June 25, 2009.

Accreditation and assessment play a critical role in strategic planning and academic enterprise at Hofstra.

Accreditation provides the University with the means to examine itself, the institution’s values, mission and goals, and verify the high quality of academic programs and student services. By participating in this process, Hofstra sends the message that it employs best practices, both in the classroom and in academic and administrative structure.

More than 100 faculty, administrators, and students were directly involved for almost two years in the development of the self-study, a comprehensive and inclusive appraisal of values, strengths, structure and resources. The selfstudy was reviewed by representatives of Middle States.

Middle States convened a very well-qualified visiting team, who came to the University in April 2009 and spent three days with hundreds of faculty, students, and administrators.

Hofstra University is pleased to share the letter from Middle States and the full report of the visiting team at hofstra.edu/middlestates.

MyWorkster@Hofstra Launches to Help Students and Alumni With Job Searching and Networking After two years of development, Hofstra University and MyWorkster.com launched a special “Alumni Advisor” module called MyWorkster@Hofstra on March 11, 2009.

The “Alumni Advisor” module allows Hofstra students and graduates to connect with Hofstra alumni who have volunteered to serve as career mentors for a wide variety of professions.

Though MyWorkster has a presence at a number of other college campuses, MyWorkster@Hofstra is the fi rst partnership that allows students and graduates to find alumni advisors who can offer professional guidance and networking opportunities. Both job seekers and those volunteering as advisors will find MyWorkster@Hofstra to be a rewarding service. MyWorkster@Hofstra is free and offers the University’s current students and graduates a way to connect with their alma mater while taking advantage of unique professional opportunities.

Hofstra students and alumni interested in registering for MyWorkster@Hofstra should visit hofstra.edu/careers and click on “MyWorkster@Hofstra” to complete an online profile. Alumni interested in participating as career mentors will see an option to register as an alumni advisor during the sign-in process.

MyWorkster was founded by Hofstra alumnus Jeffrey Saliture ’08 while he was still an undergraduate student, and he is currently the CEO of MyWorkster Enterprises, based in New York. MyWorkster was created to help professionals advance their careers through simple and effective technologies.

For more information about the program, please call The Hofstra Career Center at (516) 463-6060 or send an e-mail to AlumniAdvisor@hofstra.edu.

Hofstra University Museum Receives Unprecedented Gift of Andy Warhol Art The Hofstra University Museum has received an unprecedented gift of Andy Warhol art from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, a portion of which will be on display through September 20, 2009, at the David Filderman Gallery, located on the ninth floor of the Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, South Campus.

The gift, made through the Andy Warhol Photographic Legacy Program, was in honor of the foundation’s 20th anniversary. The museum took ownership of its gift of 103 Polaroid prints and 50 black and white gelatin silver prints valued at $150,300 at the beginning of July 2008.

The Hofstra University Museum is one of 183 college and university art museums that received some of the 28,543 original Warhol photographs valued in excess of $28 million. Each institution received approximately 150 original Polaroid photographs and gelatin silver prints selected by Jenny Moore, curator of the Photographic Legacy Program.

According to The Andy Warhol Foundation President Joel Wachs, the aim of the Photographic Legacy

Capital Campaign Exceeds Goal With $110 Million Raised Hofstra University’s Capital Campaign exceeded its $100 million goal with a total of $110 million raised, President Stuart Rabinowitz announced at the 2009 Hofstra Gala on May 7 at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex. Only the second such campaign in the University’s history, it focused on development in five areas: endowment; capital projects and renovations; technology upgrades; academic programs; and the Annual Fund.

“Exceeding our $100 million goal demonstrates the faith and support that Hofstra enjoys from our alumni and friends,” said President Rabinowitz, noting that the campaign had received two gifts of at least $10 million and more than 20 gifts of $1 million or more. “This historic achievement will make a real difference to Hofstra’s future and will enhance our national reputation for academic excellence.”

“The generosity of our trustees, alumni, friends, and parents will allow us to continue to improve Hofstra University and attract the brightest students through scholarships and financial aid, provide those students with the finest technology and learning facilities, and recruit and support the best faculty,” said Capital Campaign Chair and Hofstra Trustee John D. Miller ’79. Mr. Miller added, “I would like to personally thank everyone who invested in Hofstra’s future through the Capital Campaign.”

The Gala itself raised $1 million, thanks to contributions announced at the annual fund-raiser by Gala honoree and Hofstra Trustee Peter S. Kalikow ’65 and fellow Hofstra Trustee and Gala Co-Chair David S. Mack ’67. Proceeds from the Gala benefit Hofstra’s student scholarship fund.

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The Capital Campaign was launched at the University’s Gala on May 3, 2006,

by President Rabinowitz and then-Chair of the Board Miller. That year, Hofstra had already announced significant gifts from Mr. Miller; Mr. Mack; Hofstra Trustee Joe Gregory ’74 and his wife, Niki; current Chair of the Board Marilyn Monter ’76; and Hofstra Trustee Helene Fortunoff.

, rilyn Monter ’76 d of Trustees Ma ar ’65 and Bo ow e lik th Ka of S. r air Ch la honoree Pete Ga d an e te us Tr Hofstra .

Stuart Rabinowitz Hofstra President

Andy Warhol Truman Capote, undated Gelatin silver ph otograph Gift of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Ar ts, New York Hofstra Universi ty Museum Collecti on

Program

is to provide greater access to Warhol’s artwork and process, and to enable a wide range of people from communities across the country to view and study this important yet relatively unknown body of Warhol’s work.

Hofstra University Museum Director Beth E. Levinthal ’73, ’75, stated that the museum “is honored to have been a recipient of this generous and historically meaningful gift from the Andy Warhol Photographic Legacy Program. This gift enhances the museum’s collection of photography, while expanding our ability to contextualize our prints and other collection works also created by Andy Warhol.”

University Honored with CIO 100 Award for Innovative Technology A project giving Hofstra students virtual lab and mobile computing capabilities to access academic software from any location on campus earned the University a spot on CIO magazine’s list of the top 100 companies that are creating new business value through technological innovations.

“This prestigious award is quite an honor, and it recognizes our innovative work in testing and implementing our Virtual Lab system for students to access their academic software from anywhere,” said Robert W. Juckiewicz, Hofstra’s vice president for information technology. “This is just one component of an ongoing strategy to support students who use technology ubiquitously and constantly for academic, social and work needs. More than 90 percent of incoming first-year students come to campus with a laptop; almost all carry a mobile phone. Recognizing this, Hofstra is working to create a fully mobile learning environment for students, so that all services are available to our students wherever they are in the world.”

The top CIO 100 list includes AT&T; Dell; GE Energy; Infosys Technologies; JetBlue; Raytheon; T-Mobile; UPS; the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center; and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. Hofstra is one of only seven colleges and universities listed. Some of the features for which Hofstra was cited include: ៉ The creation of Hofstra’s Virtual Computer Lab, which provides mobile access to software from any device running a browser. ៉ The availability of high-speed wireless technology on campus. ៉ In partnership with Google, Hofstra provides students with access to e-mail, calendars and Google Apps where they can create documents and invite others to work collaboratively from any location. ៉ The University has created “collaboratories,” innovative workspaces that utilize the latest software along with a physical environment to foster collaborative work among students. Hofstra utilizes the best technology from all major providers, such as Microsoft, Cisco, Google and IBM.