The Hofstra University Office of Event Management welcomes all new readers of the "Eye on Events" E- newsletter! We encourage you to share your ideas and questions. For inquiries and questions about event planning at Hofstra University, contact us in the Office of Event Management for assistance.

As the director and producer of his first Hofstra event, the Avid Technology and Hofstra School of Communications Digital Media Seminar (February 25), Doug Morrow learned a whole new set of skills. Creating a program, website, coordinating program details and working with many of the Hofstra departments that supported the event was an experience that Professor Morrow thoroughly enjoyed. "The conference taking place at Hofstra was certainly good for our school, and it allowed other schools to come and see what we have and to meet our faculty, as well as a good will gesture that was perceived well in the field of audio, video and film schools. This was the first time that I had done anything like this and I felt very well supported from the beginning. I saw it as an opportunity to really shine and Avid was absolutely impressed with the totally professional presentation by Hofstra. Chris Adams from Event Management was great and Tim Fehmel and Joe Valario from Dempster are top notch! Our Deans were there with us throughout the process."

To promote the event and to help visitors learn more about the event and the campus, he created a website with the help of Brian Ferris in the Web Development office. Links to the Conference Schedule, Directions, Maps, Registration (on line) and Dining Facilities were on the site. The event also appeared in the Featured Events on the Hofstra homepage during the week before the event and in the Hofstra Event Calendar. (For more information, contact Stacey Franzke in the Office of University Relations). Details became available as they were confirmed and the site served the group well to direct participants coming from other locations, including local Universities and businesses, as well as Hofstra students from across the campus. Professor Morrow explained that one of the goals of the program was to invite those from other schools to participate: "We felt it was important to open it up to other schools and businesses so we asked University Relations to do a press release to get the ball rolling. We then sent the information to our colleagues and businesses. We worked on a mailing with Avid and we were able to create a program that really showcased pertinent digital technology. We set up a series of workshops that were very beneficial from an educational perspective as well as informing the students about job opportunities."

Doug Morrow was confident throughout the planning that the event would serve the needs of Hofstra and Avid. Hofstra has worked with Avid over the last several years in the development of curriculum in the Audio/ Video Film Department. Faculty participated in the development of the training tools used in Dempster Hall, modified products for the teaching setting and worked with members of the company's educational team of product developers. The synergy of the two working together has created a partnership in the education of Hofstra students. "Their product developers are very much geared to how young people are going to drive their industry. They liked our program and what they saw our students doing, and how the product benefited the curriculum. Our work with Avid was driven by curriculum and not technology, and this is very important", he said.

Hofstra students were able to participate in workshops, see demonstrations and to hear an overview of the state of the industry during common hour. We got a sampling of students to learn more about who they were and where they came from. Students from CW Post, BOCES, St. Johns, Hofstra and members of the New York City Police Department, companies from Long Island and New York City also attended. "The goal was to customize it for first and foremost for our students. If you are good at what you do then that is really it- the word is out- you don't have to say it. The conference was a wonderful way for us to keep our students informed and turn them on to technology, to keep our relationship with Avid going and to show our guests."

Click for more information about events in the School of Communications »

Return to Abstract

 

"I absolutely love the job. I wouldn't even call it a sacrifice because I am learning so much by doing it, getting closer to the people in my group and meeting so many people in the School of Education. The contacts are fantastic!" We met with Nicole Angelo, this year's President of Lambda Nu, the Hofstra chapter of Chi Sigma Iota which is the National Counseling Honor Society to learn about what it's like to be a student leader of a club for graduate students in counseling programs, as well as a student with a full time job. She was nominated last year by the previous officers of the club after she provided them with a letter explaining her interest. She was quite sure that this was a responsibility that she was ready to take on. The mission of the group is to promote academic excellence, leadership and community involvement for counselors in training.
As President, Nicole led the discussion and the effort to reach consensus about what events and goals they would work on for the academic year. The leadership team has also worked closely with the Counseling Club to plan events on different dates and topics to allow students maximum exposure to all of the events. Being responsible for her group's events has provided many opportunities for learning. Recruiting speakers from the field and from the Hofstra faculty, coordinating services such as room reservation, dining and signs, public safety for the occasional locked door could all be daunting. Nicole explained that her predecessors put together a book chronicling all of their experiences, which she is also passing on after she adds to it. "The scheduling of a speaker for a seminar that we are presenting on psychopharmacology has put me in touch with at least three professors in the Psychology Department. This is great for me because this is a field that I am considering studying after I finish with my counseling degree. It opens up different avenues and ways of getting information that I might need at other times," she explains. "Our co-president Debbie Burch happens to work in the Dean's Office so we have gotten a lot out of being a part of that group."

Nicole works with her officers as a team, while maintaining responsibility for decision making. As a counselor in training, she wanted to use a model of discussing to reach consensus for the group's goals and choices of events. "We are all working and going to school and so we all have a lot to contribute. We all have certain duties that we do take care of", she said.

She appreciates her time as president because she is learning about different ways of getting things done and about other perspectives of students in the program who are not in her graduating group or in her classes. The events have been very well attended and Nicole explained her strategy in choosing topics and presenters; "Our seminars have been about subjects that are not covered extensively in the program and we want to add to what is offered. The students that I meet are at different stages of the program and it's great because we have a time and a place to exchange ideas."

Volunteerism has been part of the group's activity that Nicole has enjoyed. The leadership team planned two "service days" for the group where a site was chosen and members participated at their own discretion. She notified all of the members through emails with a flyer and directions, in addition to an announcement at the meetings. Said Nicole, "We went to a residential facility for boys with behavioral and emotional problems where one of the officers had worked. I can't tell you how much fun that we had and the boys thanked us and wanted to know when they would see us again. We spent two hours in their recreation room, played games and then started a group bingo game, with one of our students paired up with a resident. They were so open and to have visitors there was very meaningful to them."

Nicole emphasizes the benefit of working students with busy lives having an opportunity to get to know each other. Professors in the program, she feels, are there to let you explore and help you to get what you need. "We all have our own reason for being in the program and so learning another student's perspectives and reasons for studying and going into the field has helped us learn about ourselves and to evaluate our own reasons."

For more information about the Lambda Nu chapter at Hofstra, contact Nicole Angelo or Professor Ron McLean, advisor to the group, at x35752.

Click for information about the Counseling Program in the School of Education »

Return to Abstract

"We are only as successful as the number of bodies we can get at our events!" And so Dr. Janice Koch, Director of the IDEAS Institute, has begun to reach out. As a Professor of Science Education in the School of Education and Allied Human Services at Hofstra, Dr. Koch has a vision that includes a billboard on the Long Island Expressway that reads "Have you heard about the IDEAS Institute at Hofstra University?" The IDEAS Institute, or The Institute for the Development of Education in the Advanced Sciences, was formed to advance both the public understanding of science and technology and the professional skills of science and technology teachers.

Planning of a series of events will be a central feature of the achievement of goals set for the Institute. The first event in February brought 33 faculty members from both the School of Education and HCLAS Sciences to an experiment in teaching and learning. There are already ten events, including three workshops, listed on the site that will reach different target audiences. Listings for each event include date or dates, times, location, name of the session, presenter and the target audience with subjects as diverse as "Treating Lower Back Pain without Medication: Alternatives" which is a public lecture and "Science Activities that Really Work" for Kindergarten through eighth grade science teachers. "Our program is able to provide speakers with experience in many areas. We have planned a number of events with the faculty in mind. We send emails, speak at departmental meetings and the University Senate meetings. I am constantly networking here and on Long Island to learn more about how we can make the connections that we need to make. The newly constructed Hagedorn Hall facility and the IDEAS Institute has its roots in the New York State Ge*NY*sis money that went into the construction and to this institute which will serve as the vehicle to reach out to the public." says Dr. Koch.

Dr. Koch acknowledges the generous support of the Office of Printing and Publications who worked to get several pieces done to be used for different types of promotion. A senior student in the Public Relations program in the School of Communications is doing an internship in the office, and undergraduate students in the Advertising Club are aware of the IDEAS institute. "Hofstra can play a role in sponsoring outreach to the community, inviting the public to programs about contemporary issues of science and technology that affect everybody's lives. The real challenge is living at a time in a place where there are many options for how people use their time. It is a challenge to say we can fill a need that hasn't been expressed by our constituents but that we know exists. It's like having a small start up company!" she says.

The design of the outreach efforts includes a variety of types of events. Events were designed to increase visibility and understanding of issues. The professional development workshops are the venue for linking faculty and programs in education and science. The "Discovery Nights" series was developed by the Sciences faculty, with IDEAS as co-sponsor to meet the goal of producing public lectures. In the Fall, new programs on DNA analysis, treatment of arthritis without medication and alteration of the brain with substance abuse are also in the works.

Click for more information about the Institute and the School of Education »

Return to Abstract

"Hanging out and listening to music is what college is all about!", Mike Fordham of Hofstra Concerts told us when we met to ask him about the club's Coffee House events in the Student Center. Hofstra Concerts is the student organization charged by the Student Government Association with providing entertainment for Hofstra's students. This is a tall order for any group and each year the members have to judge the current trends and the group's budget with the tastes of Hofstra students. The group has different chair people for the different types of entertainment and students are given the opportunity to make all of the arrangements for a series of events.

Recently, the Coffee House has regained popularity with a steady group of students attending the events held in the Student Center's Rathskeller. Mike Fordham is the Chair for the Coffeehouse series and has been booking smaller artists of all different rock styles (such as sophisticated, acoustic, headlined, urban plaza) who play mostly for the opportunity to be heard by the Hofstra audience. "We usually give them about $500.00 and sometimes a little more. We advertise the events in the Dining Rooms on campus on small ticket- like flyers. The event is free and take place on Sunday evenings."

As with most things, several factors have played together to create a well-attended event and the consistency of the audience. "We decided to do it on Sunday nights when students are around and when they are looking to relax a little before the week begins again. We have the equipment in the Rathskeller that bands can use if they need it. The Student Center is the best place for it because students are around to get food upstairs in the Café. We advertise the event mostly in the Student Center too with big banners (the Office of Student Activities takes reservations and gives out paper and markers) and small flyers on all the tables", says Mike.

Hofstra Concerts also sponsors other events, such as popular TV, Comedy and Large Band acts, as well as the Lyricists Lounge (the next event is March 29 in the Student Center Plaza Room). Some of the events are co-sponsored by offices such as the Dean of Students and Office of Student Activities and groups such as Entertainment Unlimited who work together to put on great shows. Check the event calendar available in the Office of Event Management (and starting in April on the Hofstra Website) for Thursday nights at Hofstra USA sponsored by Hofstra Concerts.

Click Here for Pictures from This Event »

Return to Abstract