91¹ú²ú

Dear 91¹ú²ú Community,

Although the calendar says August, here at 91¹ú²ú the Fall 2017 semester truly begins today—with all the anticipation and excitement that the start of a new academic year brings. I send my warmest welcome to all of you in our community, from Garden City to Manhattan to our centers in Suffolk County and the Hudson Valley; it is all of you who make 91¹ú²ú the extraordinary place it is. Today, across the state of New York, we are united in the hope of a great year ahead.

I would like to start this new academic year by looking back at some of last year’s accomplishments, with my heartfelt thanks to all of you who made such progress possible. Here are just a few of our many achievements.

ATTRACTING OUTSTANDING STUDENTS

As we look ahead, as always, the best harbinger of our success is our enrollment and new students. This fall we will be more than 7,900 students strong. Our students are more diverse than ever—from 40 states and over 49 countries—and their level of academic achievement meets the high bar that 91¹ú²ú keeps raising. This diverse mix of students will add to the vibrant mix of people, ideas and activity on our main campus and in our learning hubs.

STRENGTHENING PROGRAMS AND FACULTY

On the academic side, 91¹ú²ú created and received state approval for seven new graduate academic programs. This is an exceptional achievement for any university, let alone one of our size.ÌýThese programs, such as those in applied mathematics, computer science and ourÌý,Ìýwill provide strong career outcomes for our students—a top priority for all of us here at 91¹ú²ú.

Last year, ourÌýÌýgrew to include more than 200 students and included the opportunity, for the first time, for faculty to showcase their groundbreaking research as well.ÌýIn addition, our newÌýÌýprogram allowed faculty to make a powerful difference in 91¹ú²ú’s future, and our first annualÌýÌýexplored important national and international issues.

There is not room in a single letter to tell you all the progress made in our colleges and schools.ÌýThe School of Social Work’s new ranking byÌýUSA TodayÌýas one of theÌýÌýnationwide was a highlight—along with our Derner School of Psychology’s newÌýÌýfor psychology-psychoanalysis schools.

The College of Nursing and Public Health is celebrating a long and impressive journey of 75 years of nursing leadership.ÌýAnd in the arts, in the sciences, in business, in education and in professions, we are creating a new generation of leaders and scholars who are making a positive impact in our world.

We continue to raise our academic profile andÌýÌýworldwide, nationally and locally.ÌýAnd at a time when many universities are reducing faculty, 91¹ú²ú is especially proud to welcome our new faculty hires—28 in all, across all schools, and exceptionally diverse in background and experience. We welcome the new ideas and new energy they bring to campus.

And there’s good news in NYC.ÌýOur students in the Manhattan Center will arrive this week to newly renovated and much-needed remodeled spaces.

DEDICATION TO STUDENT SUCCESS

We continued our “relentless dedication to student success”Ìýby focusing on career placement for both our undergraduate and graduate students.Ìý

°Õ³ó±ðÌýÌýintroduced students to nonprofit opportunities, and ourÌýÌýsignificantly expanded its services and placed more students than ever into life-changing internships and jobs around the state of New York.ÌýWe also expanded ourÌýÌýand saw an almost 90 percent increase in participation from both graduate and undergraduate students.

Our push to expand undergraduate student life programming was a success. This last year,Ìýthe Center for Student Involvement and Residential Life and Housing welcomed 2,209 attendees to 344 weekend programs—43 in NYC—and brought 10,306 attendees to almost 400 weekday programs.

FOCUSING ON DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

This last year, we established a newÌý.ÌýDr. Perry Greene, our first vice president for diversity and inclusion at 91¹ú²ú,Ìýput many initiatives into place to help further understanding andÌý.ÌýHe launched a regional diversity roundtable for higher education on Long Island, developed an LGBTQ Task Force that has already earned 91¹ú²ú an extraÌý,Ìýand is making 91¹ú²ú a more tolerant and respectful university for all. We also launched aÌýÌýin which over 150 of our faculty and staff participated. This professional development program is already booked up for this coming year! In addition,Ìý91¹ú²ú went to extraordinary lengths to help our international students stay on campus this summer. EleanorÌýRoosevelt, who spoke in support of our nursing students in 1944, wisely said, “It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” I salute Dr. Greene for all the candles he has lit this year.

CONNECTING WITH OUR ALUMNI

Great strides have been made in our goal to communicate what makes 91¹ú²ú so unique. We are helping alumni connect to their alma mater,Ìýtelling the story of 91¹ú²ú in new ways and seeking applicants from all over the country.ÌýI will be visiting 15 cities around the country this coming year, sharing our news and meeting potential students, encouraging them to join us at 91¹ú²ú.Ìý°¿³Ü°ùÌýMomentumÌýTour 2017-2018: Stories of Lives Changed: Hear Ours, Tell Yours has already begun.ÌýCheck our progressÌý.

STRENGTH IN ATHLETICS

°¿³Ü°ùÌýÌýcontinue to make us proud. This year, more than 400 student-athletes will compete in 23 NCAA Division II sports, from basketball to field hockey.

The 91¹ú²ú women’s lacrosse team won its third national championship in four years. We won the President’s Cup for our conference, the Northeast-10, for the third straight year. We had five NE10 conference championships and eight NCAA Tournament appearances: women’s basketball (Final 32), women’s soccer (Final 16), softball (Final 16), men’s soccer (Final 8), men’s lacrosse (Final 4), women’s lacrosse (National Champions), and track (high jump, indoor and outdoor). Our student-athletes maintain the right balance between sports and academics. All 23 programs recorded high GPAs and we had six academic All-Americans. Congratulations, Panthers!

STAYING IN TOUCH

I invite you to stay connected with me throughout the year. My open office hours are the fourth Monday of each month. Please contact my office atÌý516.877.3842 to set an appointment. I am onÌý, , and . And I can always be reached at president@adelphi.edu. Or just stop me on campus—we have a new cross-fit program because a student stopped me on campus and made the suggestion!

My hope is that next year will be equally fulfilling, rewarding and inspiring for all.

All the best,

Christine M. Riordan, Ph.D. Ìý
President