A Look at Some of the Events That Made 2010-2011 a Golden Year With a Diamond Weekend - October 2010

Engaging Students in Current Events

With midterm elections only weeks away, October was a time for the campus to focus on the political, social and economic issues facing the nation. On October 13 the National Suburban Poll for the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University® revealed that half of suburban Americans disapproved of President Obama’s performance and that the majority of independent swing voters in the suburbs were favoring Republicans in the midterm elections.

This news out of Hofstra was followed by the first New York state gubernatorial debate on October 18. Hofstra partnered with News 12 Networks and Newsday to host the event, which was held in front of a live audience of invited guests, including community members, local leaders, and Hofstra students. All seven candidates in the race – Charles Barron, Andrew Cuomo, Kristin Davis, Howie Hawkins, Jimmy McMillan, Carl Paladino and Warren Redlich – participated.

An October 21 symposium, titled U.S. Presidential Leadership at the United Nations: Evaluating the Past 65 Years and Looking Ahead to 21st Century Governance, featured a keynote address by the Honorable Zalmay Khalilzad, who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Iraq and Afghanistan. The symposium was sponsored by the Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency and the Hofstra Cultural Center. The first half of the day was made up of panel discussions with scholars from Hofstra and other universities and research institutes, including the United States Military Academy at West Point, the Congressional Research Service, and Ohio State University. The keynote address was followed by a panel discussion with Ambassador Khalilzad and Hofstra’s Kalikow Center Senior Presidential Fellows Howard B. Dean III and Edward J. Rollins. 

On October 27 students immersed themselves in a variety of issues impacting the nation’s political climate. Hofstra’s Center for Civic Engagement’s eighth annual Day of Dialogue promised an itinerary full of timely topics, debates, panels and performances, addressing issues such as immigration, the economy and the proposed Muslim cultural center near the former World Trade Center site.

Attention then turned to offering a select group of Long Island high school students the opportunity to delve into local politics. On October 28 nearly 100 teens gathered at Hofstra for the Renew New York High School Convention – Considering New York’s Structures and Challenges, where they were given a forum to discuss and debate critical state issues and devise reform proposals that were presented to a panel of experts from journalism, academia and government. 

More October News … 

• Five Hofstra graduates from the Class of 2010 who earned a 4.0 GPA were named recipients of the Albert I. DaSilva Memorial Endowed Scholarship. The late Mr. DaSilva was a noted entertainment lawyer. His wife, Zenia DaSilva, is a professor of romance languages and literatures, who has served on the Hofstra faculty for more than 50 years. The recipients of the scholarship were Chelsae E. Donley, Eric H. Hertzman, Meghan L. Horan, Robert A. Marrero, and Mary M. McElroy.

• On October 6 the Hofstra University Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency hosted a panel titled Teaching the Midterm Elections: How Will the 112th Congress Influence Policy Making for the Obama Administration? A Conversation for Educators. This program for Long Island middle school and high school social studies teachers featured Hofstra adjunct education instructor Regina M. Follo, as well as Hofstra Kalikow Center Senior Presidential Fellows Howard B. Dean III and Edward J. Rollins.

• Hofstra University’s Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology partnered with the New York Chapter of the International OCD Foundation to present a conference on obsessive compulsive disorder on October 16.

• On October 16 Hofstra University School of Law held its 40th anniversary kick-off celebration and alumni reunion. More than 250 alumni returned to campus for the event, which included a series of presentations and discussions, including “40 Years of Impact: A Panel Discussion with Deans Malachy T. Mahon, Monroe H. Freedman, Stuart Rabinowitz and Nora Demleitner,” moderated by Professor Emeritus Burton Agata, a member of Hofstra Law’s charter faculty. Then-New York Governor David A. Paterson ’82 made a guest appearance as keynote speaker at the evening reception.

• On October 19 President Stuart Rabinowitz and several members of the Board of Trustees, along with special friends and guests, dedicated The Helene Fortunoff Theater in the Daniel L. Monroe Lecture Center. Helene Fortunoff is a member and former chair of the Hofstra University Board of Trustees.

• The evolution of literature and culture was the focus of an October 22 symposium, KAPOW! From Pulp Fiction to Google Books: Celebrating the Evolution of Popular Culture From 1935 to the Present, presented by the Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library. Guests included former comic book writer and editor Bob Rozakis ’73, known for his work at DC Comics in the 1970s and 1980s.

• WRHU 88.7 FM, Radio Hofstra University, and the New York Islanders announced an agreement to broadcast all 82 Islanders games during the 2010-11 National Hockey League season. Hofstra students had the opportunity to serve as color analysts and sideline reporters throughout the season.

•  The Actor’s Life on October 21 featured alumni from the drama program sharing anecdotes about performing on the Hofstra stage and how they parlayed that experience into successful careers in the performing arts. Guests included Joan See ’55, Susan Sullivan ’64, Tim Errickson ’93, Fred Berman ’94 and Kelly Ruth Cole ’08.

• The second annual Celebration of Suburban Diversity Banquet on October 26 honored six Long Islanders for promoting multicultural understanding. The banquet, sponsored by the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University®, raised money for diversityrelated research and scholarships. Among the honorees was Athelene Collins, senior associate director of the Hofstra Cultural Center. 

• The Department of Drama and Dance presented the musical Cabaret at the John Cranford Adams Playhouse, October 22 to 31. Joel Grey, who starred in the original Broadway production and movie, was the subject of an original musical production presented by Hofstra Entertainment in early November titled Shades of Grey — A Musical Tribute to Joel Grey, conceived, directed and performed by Bob Spiotto ’84, executive producer of Hofstra Entertainment.

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