Date: Sep 29, 2010

Howard Dean & Ed Rollins to discuss midterm elections with Long Island educators

Panel will focus on ways to use the upcoming elections as a teaching tool

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY --  Hofstra University Senior Presidential Fellows Howard B. Dean III and Edward J. Rollins will offer analysis of the upcoming Congressional elections as part of a program for Long Island educators about ways to integrate the midterm elections into classroom lessons.

The panel discussion, "Teaching the Midterm Elections: How Will the 112^th Congress Influence Policy Making for the Obama Administration? A Conversation for Educators" will also include Westbury High School Social Studies teacher Regina M. Follo, who teaches Global History and Advanced Placement U.S. History, and is an adjunct education instructor at Hofstra.

The event for Long Island middle and high school social studies teachers will be Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2010 from 4-5:30 p.m. at the Monroe Lecture Center Theater, California Avenue, South Campus. A reception will follow from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at C.V. Starr Hall, second-floor atrium, South Campus. Seating is limited. RSVP to Barbara Calvo at (516) 463-5750 or Barbara.Calvo@hofstra.edu.

The panel is co-sponsored by Hofstra's Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency, where Dean and Rollins are senior presidential fellows, and the School of Education, Health and Human Services. Howard Dean, former Governor of Vermont and chairman of the Democratic National Committee, was a 2004 Democratic presidential candidate. Edward Rollins is a top Republican strategist and CNN political analyst who has served in the administrations of four U.S. presidents and has had major managerial roles in eight presidential campaigns.

Kalikow Center Executive Director Meena Bose said partnering with SOEHHS for the event was a natural fit, noting that a recent public panel discussion with Dean and Rollins about the midterm elections drew two high school classes totaling more than 100 students.

"High school teachers and their students already are very engaged in these elections," Bose said, "and we wanted to offer educators a chance to talk with our Senior Presidential Fellows - who bring their expertise from electoral politics, and with each other, about the institutional and policy issues at stake here, and the best way to bring them into the classroom."

The Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency seeks to engage students, faculty and staff as well as the larger community in informed analysis of key issues about the presidency and American politics. From scholarly round-tables to lectures by  public officials, journalists and others, the center's events bridge institutional analysis with contemporary assessments of presidential leadership and policy making.

The School of Education, Health and Human Services offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs in teacher education, counselor education and administrator education that lead to initial certification, graduate degrees, and advanced certificates. Doctoral programs include educational and policy leadership, learning and teaching, and literacy studies. Programs in human services include athletic training, creative arts therapy, community health, exercise science, gerontology, health administration, marriage and family counseling, and rehabilitation therapy. The Office of Professional Development Services offers programs and conferences to enhance student learning and provides opportunities for educators and health and human service practitioners to gain valuable knowledge and insights about important topics and developments in their fields.

Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution where students can choose from about 150 undergraduate and more than 160 graduate programs in liberal arts and sciences, business; engineering; communication; education, health and human services;  and honors studies, as well as a School of Law. The University also provides excellent facilities with state-of-the-art technology, extensive library resources and internship programs that match students' interests and abilities with appropriate companies and organizations.  The Hofstra community is driven, dynamic and energetic, helping students find and focus their strengths to prepare them for a successful future.

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