Hofstra Names School of Law for Maurice A. Deane
Hofstra University recently named its law school the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University to honor a distinguished alumnus with a unique 30-year commitment to Hofstra that was forged when he embarked on the pursuit of a law degree after a career as a successful business executive.
Maurice A. Deane’s story is defined by distinction in both business and in academics. During his 26-year career with Endo Laboratories, he helped build the firm into one of the largest privately held pharmaceutical companies in the nation and facilitated its eventual sale to DuPont. After the sale, Deane was named president of the company, until his retirement eight years later. He continued to serve on Endo’s board of directors for several years after his retirement.
At the age of 50, Deane enrolled at Hofstra School of Law and graduated first in his class. He was a mentor and personal and professional role model to his classmates. At the 1981 commencement, he received awards for constitutional law and evidence. The award currently bestowed on the Law School valedictorian each year at graduation is named in his honor.
Over the next 30 years, Deane’s bond with Hofstra and the Law School deepened as he contributed to the University community in new and exciting ways, serving as both adviser and benefactor. As a University trustee and then chair, he guided the University with particular attention to academic excellence. In 2008 he was named chair emeritus.
“Maurie holds a very special place in the history and the development of the Law School,” Hofstra President Stuart Rabinowitz said. “He is a person of impeccable integrity and with a deep commitment to academic and professional excellence. He was a brilliant student and is a distinguished alumnus and valuable advisor, trustee and chair emeritus of the Board of Trustees.”
Recently, Deane made a $20 million commitment to the School of Law, which will be dedicated to enhancing the school’s academic quality. Previously, he endowed a distinguished professorship in constitutional law, as well as a Law School scholarship with his wife, Barbara. He has participated in the Alumni Mentor Program and served on committees for a number of key events, including Hofstra’s 75th anniversary and the annual Gala Ball.
Naming the school for Deane seems a fitting way to close out the Law School’s 40th anniversary year, said Dean Nora V. Demleitner. “It is a privilege to be dean at such an important moment in our school’s history,” she said. “This naming serves as the perfect bridge between a proud past and a promising future.”
Hofstra Launches School of Engineering and Applied Science
Hofstra University will establish a School of Engineering and Applied Science with a co-op education program that will partner with a network of industry leaders to offer students substantial work experience before they graduate. The new school signals Hofstra’s goal to be at the forefront of science and engineering education, and to act as an incubator for research and development that prepares students for a complex marketplace.
The new school will combine and expand Hofstra’s existing Departments of Engineering and Computer Science to develop a curriculum that emphasizes high-tech research, practical work experience and interdisciplinary study, integrating resources and faculty from other parts of the institution, including the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine and the Frank G. Zarb School of Business.
Hofstra President Stuart Rabinowitz said, “Establishing a School of Engineering and Applied Science will make Hofstra only the third university in the New York metro area to have schools of law, medicine and engineering (the others are Columbia University and New York University).”
The plan for the new school was crafted with the help of an advisory panel of industry leaders and alumni whose members will act as mentors for students and help Hofstra build a network of business partners to participate in the cooperative education program.
Hofstra already has three programs – mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and engineering science – that are accredited by the international Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), as well as a popular concentration in computer entrepreneurship for students interested in launching their own high-tech startups.
Time Capsule Tells the Story of a 75-Year-Old Hofstra by Billy Finnegan ’14
The Hofstra community came together on May 11, 2011, to commemorate 75 years of growth and success by presenting and burying a time capsule in front of Hofstra Hall.
Coordinated by the Student Committee of the 75th Anniversary, it is hoped that the time capsule will provide the future Hofstra community with an accurate picture of what the campus was like in 2011. Assistant Dean of Special Collections and University Archivist Geri Solomon offered an overview of the items inside: there were news clips (some Hofstra news, some general current events) and Hofstra memorabilia, such as an alumni mug and a Charles Jenkins basketball jersey. Perhaps the most unusual item was donated by science faculty members: a beaker of 2011 atmospheric gas. There was also a pair of flip-flops, a Blackberry phone, and a Greek organization windbreaker. “We wanted the items to say, ‘Hofstra,’ but we also wanted to include specific cultural things, icons of the time,” Dean Solomon said.
Dean Solomon, who oversaw the preservation of the items in the capsule, worked closely with Peter Libman, dean of students and chair of the Student Committee. Dean Libman was glad to organize such a project. “[The Time Capsule Committee] was a great group to work with ... everyone worked well putting the event together. We had a lot of fun doing it.”
Hofstra President Stuart Rabinowitz and Vice President for University Relations Melissa Connolly, who served as chair of the 75th Anniversary Committee, spoke at the ceremony and helped the Time Capsule Committee and the Plant Department bury the capsule.
The time capsule will be excavated in 2036, when Hofstra University celebrates its 100th anniversary. The committee is looking forward to returning for the opening. “I’m very excited about being there for the ceremony when they open it,” Dean Libman said optimistically. “We’ve all made a commitment to come back.”
Zarb School Featured in The Princeton Review's Best 294 Business Schools
The Princeton Review, an education services company, featured the Frank G. Zarb School of Business in the 2012 edition of Best 294 Business Schools.
“It comes as no surprise to us that Zarb is featured in The Princeton Review’s Best 294 Business Schools: 2012 Edition,” said Dr. Patrick Socci, dean of the Frank G. Zarb School of Business. “Throughout all Zarb School of Business programs, the importance of lifelong education, ethics in business, an awareness of global issues and concern for the environment are emphasized. While pursuing their studies at our school, students are able to participate in a wide variety of activities and cultural events on campus, as well as take advantage of the rich diversity of activities and business opportunities available on Long Island and Manhattan, which makes this school not only a great place to achieve an excellent education but also to experience life.”
The Frank G. Zarb School of Business is one of 67 schools in the book (22 percent of the 294) that appear on one or more of the book’s ranking lists. It is ranked in the top 100 in the Academics, Professors Interesting, Professors Accessible, Career Rating, and Admissions Selectivity categories.
Off-B'way Shines Spotlight on Hofstra Alumni and Faculty Talents
Alumni and faculty from Hofstra University’s Department of Drama and Dance collaborated on an ambitious off-Broadway production of Samuel Beckett’s one-act plays Footfalls and Not I. This limited engagement, titled A Stain Upon the Silence, was performed at the 45th Street Theater in New York City, from October 6 to 16, 2011. Both plays explore two conflicted and isolated women as they struggle to express their humanity.
A Stain Upon the Silence was produced by James Monahan, who graduated from Hofstra’s Department of Drama and Dance in May 2011. His production company, Studio 216 Productions, brought in director Jean Dobie Giebel, sound designer Rychard Curtiss, and scenic designer James Hart – all professors in the Department of Drama and Dance. Leading actress Marci Skolnick is a Hofstra alumna from the Class of 2001.
For more information on future Studio 216 projects, visit Studio216Productions.com.
Golden Gloves Champion Cara Catronuova '04 Speaks to First-Year Students
Cara Castronuova ’04, a former nationally ranked boxer turned certified personal fitness trainer, health writer, boxing commentator and journalist, actress and judge on the NBC reality show The Biggest Loser, returned to Hofstra on September 3, 2011, to speak to first-year students about healthy living, overcoming obstacles and making the most of college life.
“Hofstra provided a great foundation for me to push myself to do better things in my life,” said Castronuova, who graduated with a degree in communications. “It means a lot to me to meet students and give them strategies for fulfilling their potential, because I was in their place once. With all the changes occurring for freshmen, fitness and exercise can help you adapt and keep you physically and mentally strong.”
The event was part of Hofstra’s annual Welcome Week, which consists of a variety of academic programs, trips, guest speakers, and social and educational activities designed to cultivate relationships and immerse new students in the Hofstra community.
