Year in Review: 2008

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The Departments of Biology and Geology sponsored a trip to the Galápagos Islands and Ecuador.

January

The year 2008 marked the golden anniversary of Hofstra's John Cranford Adams Playhouse. Many Hofstra students who have gone on to great success in the performing arts realized their first taste of theatrical success on the John Cranford Adams Playhouse stage. In addition to theatrical performances, the 40,504-square-foot Playhouse has throughout the years accommodated a wide variety of notable concerts, readings and lectures by renowned artists, celebrities, authors, scholars and world leaders, including former U.S. presidents. The John Cranford Adams Playhouse was designed by Aymar Embury, who also did early alterations from 1961 to 1963. In 1974 the building was dedicated to former Hofstra President John Cranford Adams, a renowned Shakespearean scholar.

January 5: Professors J Bret Bennington and Russell Burke accompanied 14 students to the Galápagos Islands and Ecuador. Sponsored by the Departments of Biology and Geology, this January Session program allowed students to earn college credit while studying in one of the world's greatest natural laboratories. Located on the equator, 600 miles west of Ecuador, the Galápagos Islands are home to a wide variety of animal and plant species.

January 5: The Anthropology Department and the African Studies Program launched a study abroad program in the West African nation of Mali. For the 15 students and four faculty members who participated, it was an enlightening experience that dispelled common misconceptions about the continent and instilled a deep appreciation of Mali's rich history and diverse people.

January 5 to 7: Students experienced the excitement of the official launch of the 2008 U.S. presidential election process by traveling to New Hampshire three days before the presidential primary on January 8. The students, accompanied by Hofstra faculty, participated in various Democratic and Republican Party events. The trip was organized by Political Science Professor David Green.

January 11 to 27: Hofstra Entertainment presented the musical Showtune, a tribute to Jerry Herman, the musical genius behind Hello, Dolly!, Mame, Milk and Honey, La Cage Aux Folles and Mack & Mabel.

January 14: The Hofstra University Museum opened On Location: Women Photographers From the Hofstra University Museum Collection at the David Filderman Gallery. The exhibition featured works by Berenice Abbott, Diane Arbus, Marilyn Bridges, Sally Gall, Erica Lennard, and Mary Ellen Mark.

January 20: A multi-faith panel gathered for a program and vigil honoring the work of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "Stop the Hate Vigil: Living Martin Luther King's Dream Together" featured speakers Habeeb Uddin Ahmed of the Islamic Center of Long Island, Sergio Argueta of S.T.R.O.N.G. Youth, Inc.; civil rights attorney Frederick Brewington, Esq.; and Immediate Past President of the Long Island Board of Rabbis Moses A. Birnbaum, D.D. The program was moderated by Michael D'Innocenzo, the Harry H. Wachtel Distinguished Teaching Professor for the Study of Nonviolent Social Change at Hofstra University.

January 22: The School of Education, Health and Human Services began its spring 2008 series of conferences and professional development workshops with a program titled Using Mental Training in Your Coaching. Other events included a math Olympiad, the sixth annual conference for the Hofstra Network of Elementary Teachers, and a creative arts therapy conference.

January 27: Sneaker Art!, an exhibition of wearable art by Hofstra first-year student Alexander Murray, opened at the student gallery in Calkins Hall. This exhibition was followed by several other student shows, including Joe Cap by Joe Capriglione in February; My Name is Reb, I Have This Art Show by Rebecca Carlson in October; and Adrenaline: A Painting Experience by Christina Makrakis in November. FORM, the student group that runs this gallery, chooses the exhibitions and hosts the opening receptions.

January 28 to 31: Hofstra students and local government leaders participated in a campus initiative on climate change as part of a nationwide "teach-in" to raise awareness of global warming and to explore solutions. The program concluded with a panel featuring Hofstra President Stuart Rabinowitz, Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, LIPA President and Chief Executive Officer Kevin Law, Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray, and Hempstead Village Mayor Wayne Hall.

January 30: Hofstra President Stuart Rabinowitz announced the launch of Educate '08: Dialogue, Democracy and the '08 Debates, an unprecedented educational effort that engaged students, faculty and the public in a yearlong series of conferences, events and lectures about the 2008 election, politics and presidential history. The Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency, the Center for Civic Engagement, the Hofstra Cultural Center and the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University^SM, as well as all the schools and colleges of Hofstra University, were partners in the Educate '08 series.