English Professor Voted Most Spirited Faculty Member

English Professor Dr. Ellen Dolgin was named Most Spirited Faculty Member during Spirit Week.

Dr. Ellen Dolgin, Professor of English, was voted Most Spirited Faculty Member during Spirit Week at the College.  The Spirit Awards were announced at a March 15th  Pep Rally in the Hennessy Center.

Student Christine Ditzel ’19 said Dr. Dolgin is kind, caring, and incredibly passionate about her work.  “Dr. Dolgin deserves the honor of being named Most Spirited Faculty Member because her Charger Pride shines through in all she does for Dominican College students,” Ditzel said. “She truly embodies the mission and four pillars of the College by challenging our minds and celebrating our spirits.”

Dr. Dolgin’s literature courses frequently feature the arts of the eras surrounding the readings, and she encourages her students to incorporate this multi-disciplinary vision into their oral presentations and written assignments.  Her areas of research and conference presentations include modern drama, with particular emphasis on the early 20th century, and contemporary multicultural women writers across genres.

For more information about the English program at Dominican College, visit: https://dc.edu/academic-divisions/division-of-arts-and-science/english/

 

 

March 16, 2018

Free Biology Workshop Offered to Local High School Students

High School students who attend the workshop will work in the laboratory while learning about the biodiversity of our local environment.

Dominican College is offering a free biology workshop to high school students this spring called “Antibiotic and Phage Discovery Workshop.” The aim of the workshop is to educate participants on the biodiversity of the local watershed.

The workshop will be held on three Saturdays — April 28, May 5, and May 12 — from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lunch will be provided.  Any high school freshman through senior, who can make the commitment to attend all three days, is welcome to attend.  There are 12 slots available.

“By offering this workshop to high school students, we are providing them with an opportunity to gain technical skills, and more importantly, contribute to the understanding of the biodiversity in their local environment,” said Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Bernadette Connors.  “Students will be working on two projects, namely antibiotic discovery and viral diversity.  It will be mentored by past participants of the workshop series, in addition to myself.”

Interested participants should email Professor Connors at bernadette.connors@duny.edu  for more details.

 

 

March 14, 2018

College to Celebrate 50 Years of Athletics

Joseph Gartner ’78 will be honored at the Athletics 50 Anniversary event on April 7, 2018, for his 42 years of service to the College.

Dominican College is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of its athletic program on April 7, 2018 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Hennessy Center.  Alumni, coaches, and friends of the College are invited to join in the celebration.  At the event, Joseph Gartner, ’78, will be honored for more than 40 years of service to the College as a statistician with the athletics department.  In addition, the following six teams will be inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame:

  • 1983 Men’s Soccer Team
  • 1988 Baseball Team
  • 1995-96 Men’s Basketball Team
  • 1997-1998 Men’s Golf Team
  • 2007-08 Women’s Basketball Team
  • 2010 Softball

There will also be a Special Recognition for the 2003 Inaugural Men’s Lacrosse Team.

The event will be a wonderful opportunity for alumni to tour the newly expanded Hennessy Center, including the state-of-the art fitness room, and a new recruiting/ conference room.  To register, visit: www.duny.edu/50th-anniversary/  The cost of the event is $50 per person.  All proceeds will go toward a new turf field for the soccer and lacrosse teams.

 

March 12, 2018

Local Business Leaders Learn About New Federal Tax Bill

Scott Thompsett, Tax Managing Director, was one of the presenters from Grant Thornton at the Palisades Institute Forum on the new Federal Tax Bill.

Leaders of local businesses and not-for-profits were briefed on the new Federal Tax Bill during a Palisades Institute forum on March 6, 2018.   A panel of accounting experts from Grant Thornton led the discussion.

The presenters stressed that the tax bill is open to interpretation so businesses need to reach out to their tax advisors.  “Until regulations are written to give us guidance on the law, we have many unanswered questions,” said Jill Grossman, Grant Thornton Managing Director, Tax Reporting and Advisory,

One of the unintended consequences of the new tax law may be a decrease in charitable giving.  Scott Thompsett, Grant Thornton Tax Managing Director, said that’s because many more individuals are expected to take a standard deduction, rather than itemizing deductions. “The Tax Policy Center came out with a projection that they anticipate there will be $14 billion to $16 billion less in charitable giving each year because of these changes in the tax law,” said Thompsett.  He added that some people believe higher net individuals, corporations, and foundations will be more generous to charities under the new bill.

The aim of the Palisades Institute of Dominican College is to encourage leaders in business, government, and not-for-profit agencies to integrate the concepts of leadership, quality, and ethics to achieve long-term success.

 

March 6, 2018

Students Build Homes During Alternative Spring Break

Dominican College students and administrators built homes with Habitat for Humanity as part of the Alternative Spring Break Program.

For more than 10 years, a group of Dominican College students have passed up on the traditional Spring Break and instead volunteered to work with Habitat for Humanity to build homes for families in need of decent, affordable housing.

This year, 31 students and four administrators traveled to the Florida communities of Flagler Beach and Bunnell to participate in the week-long Alternative Spring Break Program.  Melissa Leigh Grau, Director of Community Engagement and Leadership Development,  said the group worked on four different homes – all in different stages of construction.

“The houses they are building are going to members in the community who are trying to break out of the cycle of poverty, “ Grau said.  “We actually get to meet the people who will be living in the houses we are working on.”  That’s because the homeowners are required to put in “sweat equity” by working alongside others on the home.  In addition, they must pay a zero percent mortgage on the property.

Grau said freshman through seniors participate in the trip, and many have returned year after year.  The students traveled by train this year, leaving for Florida on Saturday, February 24 and returning Sunday, March 4.

March 2, 2018

Students Investigate Mock Crime Scene

Students collected evidence at a mock crime scene outside of the Granito Center on February 21, 2018 as part of a Criminal Investigations Class.

Students taking a Criminal Investigations course were busy on February 20, 2018 investigating a mock crime scene outside the Granito Center. The mock crime scene included a car with two gunshot victims and a missing driver.   Adjunct Professor William Barbara, who also serves as Chief of Patrol of the Rockland Sheriff’s Department, said the students were all acting as investigators.

“The students will photograph the scene, sketch the scene, gather the evidence, collect the evidence, lift the fingerprints and do the interviews of all the witnesses,” he said.

Chief Barbera said that he teaches the students interview and interrogation techniques as part of his course.  After processing the crime scene, the students interview a suspect and try to get a confession.

For more information about Dominican College’s Criminal Justice Program, please click here:  https://dc.edu/academic-divisions/division-social-sciences/568-2/

February 21, 2018

Economist with Federal Reserve Bank of NY Presents “Outlook on the Economy”

Jason Bram, Research Officer with the Federal Reserve Bank of NY, spoke at Dominican College on January 25.

The “Outlook on the Economy” was positive from an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York,  who delivered his annual presentation on Thursday, January 25, 2018, at Dominican College’s Fury Lecture Hall. Jason Bram, Research Officer, Regional Analysis Function, spoke about the latest economic indicators.

While the securities industry has long been the most important driving sector of the New York City economy, Bram said that something unexpected has happened since the recession. “That is that the city would have its strongest economic boom – really in recent history – with no help from Wall Street,” he said.   While the securities industry is still a bigger industry in the city, technology is quickly gaining on it, said Bram.  Since 2010, the number of technology jobs has doubled.

Bram also told the audience of business leaders and college administrators that:

  • The US economy and labor market have gained some momentum.
  • Manufacturing and housing have shown increased strength.
  • The regional economy has fared well, with NYC continuing to lead.
  • Home prices have picked up across much of the region.

Bram produces the regional Beige Book reports, and uses monthly business surveys to monitor and analyze current and emerging economic trends and issues of concern.

 

 

 

January 26, 2018

Non-Profit Board Members Get Tips on How to Become More Effective

Michael G. Daigneault, CEO of Quantum Governance, presented information to non-profit board members on how to become more effective during a January 11, 2018 Palisades Institute Forum.

During a Palisades Institute Forum called “Good Governance,” non-profit board members learned how to become more effective and more strategic in their planning. Presenter Michael G. Daigneault, CEO of Quantum Governance, discussed how to rejuvenate non-profit boards and how to attract millennials during the January 11, 2018 forum in the Lawrence Room of Rosary Hall.

Board members today, he said, need to think in a new way and consider three different perspectives – fiduciary, strategic, and generative.  Daigneault explained what he meant by generative thinking. “That is asking the really hard, underlying value questions surrounding your organization. Why do we exist? What are we here for?  Who are we really trying to serve?  Are we really serving them capably and well?”

The aim of the Palisades Institute of Dominican College is to encourage leaders in business, government, and not-for-profit agencies to integrate the concepts of leadership, quality, and ethics to achieve long-term success.

January 18, 2018

First Student to Graduate With New Theater Minor

The first student with a Theater minor will graduate the end of January.  Jamilya Williams said she has always loved the theater and has been backstage working on costumes at Dominican College’s Spring Musicals since she was a freshman.

“I thought the Theater minor would be a good idea because I plan to be an elementary school teacher and I’d like to do plays with the kids,” she said.

Jamilya will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and a Theater  minor.  She plans to attend graduate school before working as a teacher.

For more information on our Theater minor, visit https://dc.edu/academic-divisions/division-of-arts-and-science/theater-minor/

 

 

December 20, 2017

Parents of “The Man with the Red Bandanna” Speak with Education Students

Professor Diane DiSpagna presented Alison and Jefferson Crowther with a study guide for a biography about their son. The study guide was written by students in DiSpagna’s Literacy class.

Education students who read about the 9-11 hero known as “the man with the red bandanna” met for more than two hours with his parents to discuss Welles Remy Crowther’s incredible life.  Welles is credited with rescuing 18 people from the World Trade Center on 9-11, while wearing his signature red bandanna.  His parents, Jefferson and Alison, have traveled all over the country sharing his story.  Alison said she enjoyed the discussion on December 14, 2107, with students in Professor Diane DiSpagna’s Literacy Class.  The students had read a biography about Welles called “The Red Bandanna” by Tom Rinaldi.

“To me, it’s the most wonderful thing to see these young people inspired by Welles, embraced and excited by his story and them wanting to share it,“ said Alison.  “And these are future teachers who developed from what I see is a beautiful study guide.”

The students presented the Crowthers with a study guide they wrote for the “The Red Bandana” for grades 4 through 12.  The guide includes suggested classroom activities and comprehension questions for teachers to use when assigning this book.

December 15, 2017

History Club Steps Back in Time for Debate

Shown above is the winning Loyalist team preparing before the debate at the ’76 House in Tappan.

Students in the Dominican College History Club  stepped back in time to debate whether the colonies should seek independence from Britain at the ‘76 House in Tappan on November 16, 2017. Christopher Libertini, Assistant Professor of History, said the Loyalists won the debate over the Patriots.

“This was an idea generated from the curator of the Orangetown Historical Museum and Archives as they look for ways to deepen a collaboration between the museum and the History Club,” he said.

The collaboration has allowed students to creatively learn about history in the area and has opened up opportunities for internships at the Orangetown Historical Museum and Archives. Professor Libertini said it will also be helpful as Dominican College prepares to host the 2018 Phi Alpha Theta New York-New Jersey Regional Conference in April.  Phi Alpha Theta is the National Honor Society for History.

 

 

December 1, 2017

College Accreditation Reaffirmed by Middle States Commission on Higher Education

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) has reaffirmed accreditation for Dominican College. MSCHE accreditation is an expression of confidence in an institution’s mission and goals, its performance, and its resources.

Sr. Mary Eileen O’Brien, O.P., Ph.D., President, announced the accreditation to administrators, faculty, and staff on Monday, November 20. “This decision validates our commitment to continuous assessment and improvement of our institution.  I take the opportunity of this positive news to thank all in the College community for participating in and contributing to the Self-Study Report.  This is a proud moment for the College,” she said.

The two year re-accreditation process included the preparation of a report by the College’s Self-Study Steering Committee, led by Dr. Thomas Nowak, VP for Academic Affairs, Brian Fernandes, VP for Enrollment Management, and Dr. Kathleen Conlon Hinge, Assistant Professor of Physics and Mathematics. The Self-Study Report was submitted in March 2017.  Then in April, a Visiting Team made up of representatives of similar institutions, visited the Dominican College campus for three days as part of the MSCHE re-accreditation process.

MSCHE is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) as the accrediting body overseeing all regionally accredited colleges and universities in the Mid-Atlantic states, as well as those in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and in several foreign countries.

 

 

 

November 21, 2017