Senior Administration
As senior vice president for planning and administration, Ms. Adamski has oversight for most operational and administrative functions of the University. She is responsible for long- and short-term planning for all administrative areas of the University, heads several task forces and committees, and serves as a liaison with various constituencies. Ms. Adamski, who directly oversees Enrollment Management, Student Affairs, Operations and Facilities, University Relations and Institutional Research.
Ms. Adamski is the Adolph J. and Dorothy R. Eckhardt Distinguished Professor of Corporate Law and was formerly vice dean of Hofstra's School of Law. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, where she was a member of the Law Review. Before she joined the Hofstra School of Law's faculty in 1979, Ms. Adamski was an associate at Dewey, Ballantine, Bushby, Palmer & Wood in Manhattan. Her areas of specialty are corporate and securities litigation, and she has co-authored and regularly revises a major treatise on the responsibilities and liabilities of corporate officers and directors.
Joseph M. Barkwill is responsible for providing leadership and overall management of the University's physical plant, new construction, renovation and maintenance of the University's buildings and grounds, custodial services, utilities, environmental and fire safety, regulatory compliance, and space utilization and analysis, as well as campus scheduling, conference services, auxiliary services and event management, and all related areas. He reports to Senior Vice President for Planning and Administration M. Patricia Adamski.
Mr. Barkwill has an extensive background in facilities management. He was named Assistant Vice President for Operations, Engineering & Utilities at Columbia University in 2004, and prior to that since October 2000 had been Columbia's Director of Physical Plant, Facilities Operations. Prior to his experience at Columbia, Mr. Barkwill served in varying capacities over 16 years at Brookhaven National Laboratory, including nine years as the Site Facility Manager.
Mr. Barkwill has an MBA from Columbia University, a Masters of Science in Engineering from SUNY Stony Brook, and a BE in Marine/Mechanical Engineering from the New York Maritime College at Fort Schuyler. He also has numerous engineering and management licenses and certifications.
Lawrence Herbert Distinguished Professor
Dr. Herman A. Berliner is in his 38th year at Hofstra University. He became provost at Hofstra University in 1990 after having served for almost one year as the acting provost. The provost and senior vice president for academic affairs is second in command to the president at the University. Dr. Berliner has oversight responsibilities for all the Colleges, Schools and academic programs of the University, as well as the Libraries, The Hofstra Cultural Center , the Hofstra Museum, and the Saltzman Community Services Center. In this capacity and at the president's request, he also serves as the chair of the University negotiating team in collective bargaining with faculty.
Dr. Berliner joined Hofstra University in 1970 as an assistant professor of economics after having earned a Ph.D. in economics from the City University of New York Graduate School. He was awarded tenure in 1975, promoted to associate professor in 1978 and to professor in 1985. As a faculty member, Dr. Berliner has taught economics courses on both the graduate and undergraduate levels, and he has also served on a number of doctoral dissertation committees for the School of Education and Allied Human Services.
Dr. Berliner has served in a number of key administrative positions, including interim dean and dean of the School of Business (1980-1982 and 1983-1989), associate provost and associate dean of faculties (1978-1983), acting dean of the School of Education (1983-1984), associate dean of University Advisement (1975-1976) and assistant provost (1976-1977). As interim dean of the School of Business, Dr. Berliner was an instrumental part of the team that secured national AACSB (currently The International Association for Management Education) accreditation of our graduate program in business as well as re-accreditation of the undergraduate program. As acting dean of the School of Education, he played a similar role in our NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education) re-accreditation effort. Furthermore, as dean of the School of Business, he helped establish our Business Research Institute, the Dean's Advisory Board, the Hofstra Business Review, In Business, and the Study Abroad Program at Erasmus University in Amsterdam. He has also worked very closely with the School of Business Alumni Association. While in the provost's office and prior to becoming provost, Dr. Berliner was a motivating force in establishing the University's mandatory Course and Teacher Evaluation Program, the Honors Program, the Peer Teaching Program and the University Tutorial Program.
Provost Berliner played a vital role in the establishment of the School of Communication and the School for University Studies, the first new Schools established at the University since 1970. More recently, under his leadership, two additional colleges have been established at the University - Honors College and Saturday College.
Dr. Berliner also directed or co-directed four major scholarly conferences at the University, including the University's 50th Anniversary Celebration, a convocation and conference on "Higher Education Today and Tomorrow" as well as the 50th Anniversary Conference, "The Evolution of Education in Collegiate Schools of Business: Past, Present and Future" and conferences on "Chocolate: Food of the Gods," and "Money: Lure, Lore and Liquidity."
Dr. Berliner's areas of specialty as an economist include the economics of higher education, and he is presently a TIAA/CREF Fellow and he has served as an associate editor of The American Economist..
Melissa Kane Connolly, vice president for University Relations, joined Hofstra University in June 2003 as assistant vice president for University Relations, and in September 2003, assumed overall responsibility for the office of University Relations, including Hofstra's communication, marketing and public relations efforts.
Prior to joining Hofstra, Ms. Connolly served as director of communications for New York State Senator Kemp Hannon and as the first director of marketing for Farrell Fritz, P.C., one of Long Island's largest law firms. Ms. Connolly was named one of Long Island's "50 Most Influential Women" in 2006 by Long Island Business News, one of Long Island Business News' "40 Rising Stars Under 40" in 2002, and has been noted as one of the papers"Marketing Achievers." She currently serves as president for the Long Island Women's Agenda. A past president of the International Association of Business Communicators' Long Island chapter, Ms. Connolly received the Achievement in Communications award from the chapter in 2006. She serves on the IDEAS Institute Advisory Board; on the advisory board for PULSE, an advocacy organization for patient rights; as a member of the Public Relations Society of America's Counselors to Higher Education and on the Government Advisory Team for the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities, as well as on several committees for professional and charitable organizations. Ms. Connolly has also served as an Americorp Volunteer for Project Challenge in Long Beach, and has had several positions in the publishing industry in the metro New York area. She is a frequent speaker to business, trade and student groups.
Ms. Connolly received a bachelor of arts in communication arts from Hofstra University in 1989, where she was a member of Alpha Epsilon Rho.
Ms. Fredrich reports directly to the president and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the University's legal affairs. A member of the president's cabinet, she works closely with other members of Hofstra's senior management and the board of trustees. The Office of Human Resources and the Equal Employment Opportunity Officer report to Vice President Fredrich.
Ms. Fredrich graduated first in her class from the Hofstra School of Law in 1980, where she was managing editor of the Hofstra Law Review and recipient of the Most Distinguished Academic Record Award. She received a bachelor of arts, cum laude, from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1977.
Ms. Fredrich joined the Uniondale, New York, law firm of Farrell Fritz in 1982 and was named a partner in 1987. At Farrell Fritz she represented businesses, banks, local government and not-for-profit organizations in a range of matters. From 1980 to 1982, she served as law clerk to the Honorable George C. Pratt, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
An active participant in the business, professional and not-for-profit communities of Long Island, Ms. Fredrich is president of the Long Island Coalition for Fair Broadcasting, vice president of the Long Island Fund for Women and Girls, and serves on the advisory council to the Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence. She is a founding trustee of Nassau Heritage, the educational corporation formed to oversee the Cradle of Aviation Museum.
Ms. Fredrich serves on the board of directors of the Nassau County Bar Association, and serves as that association's representative to the New York State Bar Association. In 2002 she was appointed by Chief Judge Kaye to serve on the statewide Commission to Foster Public Confidence in New York State's Elected Judges and the Electoral Process. She is a past president of the Theodore Roosevelt American Inn of Court, a fellow of the American Bar Foundation, chair of the Commercial Litigation Committee, past chair of the Federal Courts Committee, Nassau County Bar Association and a member of the Nassau County, New York State and American Bar Associations.
Long Island Business News named Ms. Fredrich one of Long Island's Top 50 Women in each of the past three years. In 2001 she received the Hofstra University School of Law Distinguished Alumni Award, and Long Island Business News named her one of Long Island's Leading Attorneys.
Before coming to Hofstra, Rich was the Supervisor of the Town of Hempstead, Hempstead, NY. He served as chief executive officer of the largest town in the United States with a population of over 757,000, over 2100 employees and a budget of $313.3 million dollars. The population of the town is larger than 6 states. Its $52 billion tax base is larger than many cities, including Denver, San Antonio and Cleveland. Rich raised the town’s general obligation bond rating twice during his tenure. He produced budget surpluses for four consecutive years. He provided for and facilitated the largest affordable rental housing project on Long Island and converted a landfill into a 50 acre Park & Preserve. As a result of several environmental initiatives, he received endorsements from the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters.
A graduate of William & Mary College and Law School and admitted to practice law in New York and Florida, Rich was a partner in the law firm of Banno & Guardino. He served as counsel to State Senator John R. Dunne, and was investigative counsel to the NYS Senate Judiciary Committee. Rich served on the New York State Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century, as a Regional Member, and is currently serving on the following: New York State Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness, Member of the Study Group, Community Development Corporation, Member of the Council of Advisors, Lighthouse Development Group, LLC, Member of the Lighthouse Steering Committee, and United Way, Member of the Committee on Nonprofit Optimization.
Rich is the recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “Living the Dream" Award and the American Committee on Italian Migration Award. Rich has served for many years as Honorary Chairman and Grand Marshall of the March of Dimes WalkAmerica and Honorary Chairman of the Long Island Walk to D’Feet ALS. As an enthusiastic supporter of children’s athletics and participant in many athletic endeavors, Rich has served as Honorary Chairman of the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Annual Golf Outings. He has also served as Honorary Vice Chairman for the U.S. Marine Corp Toys for Tots drive.
Catherine Hennessy received her B.B.A. in 1981 from Hofstra University. She received her M.B.A. in 1990 from the University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School. She comes to Hofstra after having served as vice president of finance and treasurer of Adelphi University since 1986. From 1985 to 1986, she served as controller and assistant treasurer at Adelphi. From 1984 to 1985, she was a senior financial analyst at Morgan Guaranty, and from 1981 to 1984, she was senior auditor and computer audit specialist at Peat Marwick, Mitchell & Co.
She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the New York State Society of Certified Accountants, the Eastern Association of College and University Business Officers, the Metropolitan Region Professional Development Committee and has served on the Visiting Accreditation Teams of the Middle States Association since 1996.
Sandra S. Johnson, vice president for student affairs, was appointed to this position in July 2006. Ms. Johnson is responsible for all aspects of student affairs, including Dean of Students, Student Activities, New Student Support Services, Parent and Family Office, Residential Life, Judicial Affairs, Ombudsperson Office, Health and Wellness Center, International Students Office, University Advisement, New Student Orientation and related areas. She reports to Senior Vice President for Planning and Administration, M. Patricia Adamski.
Ms. Johnson comes to Hofstra after serving as associate dean of student affairs for Columbia University from 1998 to 2006. As such, she developed, managed and assessed programs and services for academic advising, pre professional advising, academic success programs, opportunity programs, orientation, residential life, Greek affairs, scholars programs, fellowships and the intercultural resource center for students at Columbia University and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. From 1986 to 1998, Ms. Johnson served in a variety of positions at Barnard College, including director of the First-Year Focus Program and associate dean of student life.
Ms. Johnson holds a Master of Education from Teachers College, Columbia University in Higher Education Administration. Ms. Johnson has served on the Visiting Accreditation Team of the Middle States Association and is a member of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, the American College Student Personnel Association, the National Academic Advising Association and the Center for Academic Integrity.
Reporting directly to the President, Vice President Juckiewicz serves as the University's chief information officer. He oversees all aspects of information technology services, including academic and administrative computing. Mr. Juckiewicz supervises the technology infrastructure of the University, and the implementation of the SCT/Banner system, as well as providing support for faculty teaching and research activities. He also oversees the areas of telecommunications, Web technology and user support.
Robert Juckiewicz received a B.S. from Dowling College and an M.S. from Columbia University. From 1971 to 1981, Mr. Juckiewicz served as manager of office systems at Mead Data Central. In 1981 he joined Columbia University as assistant vice president of academic affairs. Before coming to Hofstra, he served as deputy vice president of administrative information services and as interim vice president for student services at Columbia University. Mr. Juckiewicz has served on the board of directors of the Columbia Business School E.M.B.A. program since 1986.
As vice president for development, Alan J. Kelly is responsible for all aspects of University fundraising and development. Prior to joining Hofstra, Mr. Kelly was employed by Community Counseling Service (CCS), fundraising consultants, since 1997, serving most recently as operational vice president of CCS. In the course of his career, Mr. Kelly has provided professional counsel to dozens of clients in the areas of higher education, and religious and health organizations, raising more than $450 million. He has conducted capital campaigns, major gift solicitation programs, cultivation events and leadership training.
Mr. Kelly recently served as the executive director of the campaign for the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation. Prior to his assignment at Hofstra, he served as the executive director of the CCS team during the capital campaign at the Archdiocese of Boston.
Mr. Kelly is a Redington Scholarship graduate of the University of Scranton, with a degree in history and minors in English and theology.