Students Volunteer With Habitat for Humanity During Spring Break

Dominican College students and chaperones traveled to Lexington, VA, and Loveland, CO, to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity during Spring Break.

More than 20 Dominican College students volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, building and renovating homes, during Spring Break. One group of students and chaperones traveled to Lexington, VA, and the others went to Loveland, CO, as part of the Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program.   

Dana McStowe, Director of Community Engagement & Leadership Development, said service is a great way for students to continue to grow and develop as a person. “I feel it is important for students to spend Spring Break doing service as way to give back and learn about the world outside of the classroom,” she said. “Students who go on ASB will get to learn more about a new area and the people who live there. One of the best parts about college is challenging yourself to do new things and I think students who are attending the ASB trips are going to challenge themselves in the best ways possible.”

Students were excited to resume the ASB trip, beginning March 12, 2022, after last year’s trip was cancelled due to COVID.  In all, 21 Dominican College students participated in Alternative Spring Break and four staff members accompanied them. 

March 14, 2022

True Black History Museum Comes to Dominican College

Students visited the traveling True Black History Museum in the Granito Center extension in celebration of Black History Month.

The True Black History Museum, which shows visitors a snapshot of the history of African-Americans through photos, videos, and artifacts, came to Dominican College on February 16, 2022.    

Janay Craft, Director of Operations for the museum, said that the idea of the traveling museum is to bring the museum to the people.  “The goals are two things:  to preserve the history of black people and to show that African Americans do have value.  Those are the two main principles.”

Craft said she received a lot of positive feedback from the Dominican College students who visited the museum set up in the Granito Center extension.  Dominican College sponsored the True Black History Museum visit in celebration of Black History Month.    

February 17, 2022

Outlook on the Economy Delivers Mixed News

Jason Bram delivered the annual Outlook on the Economy on
January 20, 2022 via Zoom.

During Dominican College’s annual Outlook on the Economy forum, community members heard how the pandemic’s effect on the economy was much different than the typical recession.  

Jason Bram, a Research Officer with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, spoke via Zoom during the January 20, 2022 forum.  “When things plunged in March and April 2020, I think a lot of economists thought that it would look like a recession, that is that you would have this drop off, and then have this very, very gradual recovery like you had in 2009-2010 up until now,” he said. “But what in fact you saw, was a very, very quick snap back. “

Bram said employment has continued to rebound briskly across the metro region, housing markets have been exceptionally strong, and office markets have been exceptionally weak.  In addition, he said businesses reported widespread price escalation amidst supply disruptions and labor shortages, but remain optimistic about the outlook.

Bram’s research focuses on the U.S. economy, with a primary emphasis on the Federal Reserve’s Second District, which includes New York State, northern New Jersey, and southwestern Connecticut, as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

January 24, 2022

Penn State Researcher Discusses Crisis Informatics at Dominican College

AnnMarie DelliPizzi-Citardi, Blair Hoplight, Andrea Tapia, and Chris Libertini prior to Tapia’s presentation about crisis informatics.

Students heard a fascinating description of how social media is changing emergency response from Penn State University researcher Andrea Tapia, Ph.D., on November 8, 2021.  Tapia is an Associate Dean for Research at Penn State’s College of Information Sciences and Technology.  She is also a Fulbright scholar, has worked with the United Nations and NASA, and is the sister of Dominican College Psychology Professor Blair Hoplight, Ph.D.

Tapia described how as a scholar of crisis informatics she and her team are working to build a system to help emergency responders gather information from social media.  “We are not trying to get rid of the 9-1-1 operators,” she explained.  “We are trying to make sure that they have the best information possible at any moment.”

Using a number of real-life examples, Tapia illustrated how bystanders to an emergency sometimes post videos or photos to social media instead of calling 9-1-1.  The system she is working on will gather that information for emergency responders.  Two hurdles she must overcome – identifying which social media posts come from bystanders and determining which ones are trustworthy.  Her advice to those who want to help in an emergency is  to call 9-1-1 first and  then turn on your geo-locator and use hashtags so your social media posts about the emergency can more easily be tracked.

Tapia’s presentation in the Fury Lecture Hall was part of the Sr. Michelle Nugent Lecture Series and was presented by the Dominican College Division of Social Sciences.

November 12, 2021

Loading…

August 31, 2021

County Executives Upbeat During Palisades Institute Forum.

Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus and Rockland County Executive Ed Day (shown here during a 2018 forum) both took part in the 2021 County Executive Forum via Zoom.

After facing enormous leadership challenges over the past year because of COVID, regional leaders said they finally see the light at the end of the tunnel during the annual County Executive Forum on June 2, 2021.   The forum was held via Zoom and featured Rockland County Executive Ed Day and Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus.  Both Neuhaus and Day were very upbeat with COVID cases down, vaccinations rising, the economy bouncing back, and a strong housing market.

Day said Rockland is looking beyond clinics to increase vaccinations, “The challenge now is to get ourselves out to communities to make sure that we get vaccinations to as many people as possible in whatever way is feasible.”

The County Executive Forum is a long-standing tradition of the Palisades Institute and has been held annually since 2005.

June 3, 2021

Sterling Bank Foundation Awards Grant to Support Student Success

Two OT students wearing masks speaking with classroom of students.

Occupational therapy fieldwork students Chastity Kiely and Magdalena Yastion (left to right) teach students keys to academic success as part of the Take Charge! program. The students work under the supervision of OT Professor Catherine Cavaliere.

The Sterling National Bank Charitable Foundation has awarded Dominican College a $10,000 grant to support programs that help students achieve academic success.  The grants will help pay for mentoring, tutoring, resources, and books to support students.

“The Student Success Program, Charge Toward Success, and Take Charge! Occupational Therapy Program provide structure, accountability, and one-on-one support to students who are in need of it,” said Ryan O’ Gorman, Director of Retention and Student Success.  “Through these programs and one-on-one meetings with the occupational therapy fieldwork students, the undergraduate students feel more confident in their academics and improve their overall sense of well-being.”

The new programs have increased student retention by as much as 17 percent and enabled students to stay on the path toward achieving a bachelor’s degree.

 

March 25, 2021

Palisades Institute Discusses Impact of COVID-19 on Women in Business

Tammy Jersey, President, TKJ Associates, was one of the panelists participating in the Palisades Institute forum on “The Impact of COVID-19 on Women in Business and Its Implications for the Future.”

The Palisades Institute held a Zoom panel discussion on “The Impact of COVID-19 on Women in Business and Its Implications for the Future” on March 10, 2021, as part of its continuing series on the pandemic’s wide-ranging effect on businesses.

Ivan Rudolph-Shabinsky, Director of the Business Administration Division at Dominican College and co-moderator of the event, said that the pandemic is creating a so-called “shecession.”  “It’s hit women harder than previous recessions.  When you look at every previous recession — it’s impacted financial markets; it’s impacted the goods-producing sectors where men have historically held the majority of jobs,” he said. “This pandemic has impacted pretty much the service sector most severely and that’s a sector that’s over-represented by women, so they’ve been hit in a big way there.” Rudolph-Shabinsky added that women have also been forced out of the workforce or had to adjust their work because of caregiving responsibilities for children.

The panelists all agreed that companies and businesses have had to be flexible and responsive to operate successfully through the pandemic.  When it comes to lessons we’ve learned, Tammy Jersey, President, TKJ Associates said, “I think one of the most important things that companies have started to do, and need to continue doing, is be open to new ways of operating, which means being willing to be flexible, being willing to hear new ideas and experiment with them, and to remove responses that might have been there in the past, like ‘no,’ and ‘I can’t,’ and ‘but.’”

Other panelists included Susan Gerard, Director, Human Resources, SUEZ North America, and Kate Wysokowski, Regional & Community Affairs Manager, Orange & Rockland.

March 10, 2021

College VP Joins Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp. Advisory Board

Joseph Valenti, Dominican College Vice President for Institutional Advancement, has joined the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp. (HVEDC) Advisory Board of Directors.

The Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp. (HVEDC) announced on November 17, 2020 that Dominican College Vice President for Institutional Advancement Joseph Valenti has joined the HVEDC Advisory Board of Directors.

Mike Oates, President & CEO of HVEDC, said, “Developing a partnership with local educational institutions is important to grow the regional economy. We look forward to further developing a relationship with Joe and his team at Dominican College to help create and prepare a developed workforce that will keep skilled workers living and employed in the Hudson Valley.”

HVEDC is the leading economic development agency for the seven-county region of Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland, Orange, Ulster, and Sullivan counties. The public-private partnership markets the region as a prime business location to corporate executives, site selection consultants, and real estate brokers.

Valenti said he looked forward to working with the HVEDC Board and has long admired their leadership skills and dedication to the betterment of the greater Hudson Valley community.

December 4, 2020

Students Welcomed Back to Campus

A student has their temperature taken.

All students had their temperature taken before moving into their residence halls. They are required to take their temperature and fill out an online screening form daily.

Dominican College welcomed students back to campus at the end of August following the COVID-19 outbreak and a move to remote learning in spring. The move came after a comprehensive, 32-page College Reopening Plan called “Dominican College – Moving Forward” was submitted to New York State, outlining plans to reopen the College safely. The plan was the culmination of months of work by the Reopening Coordinating Committee, led by Chair Sr. Kathleen Sullivan, Chancellor for External Affairs, in conjunction with the President’s Cabinet.

The committee was guided by the following principles:

  • Dominican College will fulfill our mission and meet our standard of excellence.
  • The health and safety of our college community are both paramount. Protecting our students, faculty, and staff is the starting point for each decision.
  • We will be flexible and innovative in the face of evolving circumstances.
  • We will heed our responsibility to ensure the College’s financial strength and stability.

The plan sets forth requirements for students, faculty and staff to wear face masks and to complete an online screening questionnaire, including a temperature check, each day they plan to be on campus.  Additional protective measures include the presence of hand sanitizer at all entrances/exits and in high traffic areas, and frequent cleaning and disinfection of campus buildings.

Classrooms, the dining hall and offices throughout campus have been reconfigured and/or modified to allow for social distancing. In addition to face-to-face classes, students are able to take courses remotely with the hyflex and hybrid models of teaching. Furthermore, capacity in residence halls was reduced to ensure the health and safety of the College community.

Included in the plan is a Dominican Cares Pledge for students to commit to taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.  The pledge begins by stating, “Dominican College is a community of caring.  Now more than ever, it is imperative that we all share in the responsibility for keeping our community safe.  The conditions of the COVID-19 global pandemic require every one of us to commit to responsible actions and to being an accountable member of both the Charger and Dominican College community. “

Complete details of the reopening plan are available here.

September 4, 2020

Criminal Justice Professor Awarded Faculty of the Year Award from Honors Council

Tara Parrello, Ph.D., standing behind a podium in the Granito Center.

Tara Parrello, Ph.D., was recently named the 2020 Honors Professional of the Year in the faculty category by the Northeast Regional Honors Council.

The Northeast Regional Honors Council has honored Tara Parrello, Ph.D., as the 2020 Honors Professional of the Year in the faculty category. Parrello is Coordinator of the Criminal Justice Program at Dominican College and an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Sociology.

Since Parrello was secretly nominated for the award by two colleagues,  the announcement surprised her.  “I was absolutely floored, humbled, and completely blown away,” she said.  “I didn’t even know this honor existed, so to receive an award never expecting it was so exciting.”

The winner of the award must demonstrate a dedication to honors education, be passionate about the honors program, and be an advocate for students. Parrello is a member of the Dominican College Honors Committee and has mentored students in the Honors Program.

June 16, 2020

College Administrators Raise Money to Construct Well in El Salvador

Dorothy Filoramo and Ryan O’Gorman met with local officials and members of the community in El Salvador to make preparations for a new well to be constructed.

Three villages in El Salvador will finally have access to a clean, plentiful water supply thanks to the efforts of two College administrators.  Dorothy Filoramo, former VP for Institutional Advancement, and Ryan O’Gorman, Director of Retention and Student Success, are both members of the Rotary Club of Pearl River and were recently awarded a Rotary International grant of $27,000.  That money coupled with the $58,000 they had previously raised will be used to construct a new well for the communities of Sol Naciente, Once, and San Francisco.

“The residents’ quality of life will improve with access to clean water for cooking, bathing, and washing their clothes,” said Filoramo. ”They have been relying on meager supplies and buying water.  This will mean clean water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for three communities.”

O’Gorman added, “For us, we take clean water for granted because we turn on the faucet, there it is, and we drink it.  Whereas for them, they are appreciative and want to assist us in bringing them clean water.”

Filoramo and O’Gorman established partnerships with Rotary Clubs in San Miguel, El Salvador and Pune, India, as well as with Dominican College and Molloy College to assist with the project.  In addition, they have traveled to El Salvador several times to arrange for the purchase of land, for test drilling, and for a hydrological study.  Filoramo and O’Gorman plan to return to El Salvador in January to be there for the beginning of the well construction project, which is expected to take two months to complete.

Each year, students and administrators from Dominican College and Malloy College travel to Sol Naciente to volunteer at a children’s day camp that is run by a Dominican Sister, Sr. Flor Buruca, of Amityville, NY, who grew up in El Salvador.  It was during one of these service trips about four years ago that Filoramo and O’Gorman first discovered the need for clean water in the community and learned that the well used by residents was running dry.

September 20, 2019