Date: Aug 13, 2007

Newsday Editorial Writer Lawrence C. Levy to Head Hofstra's Center for Suburban Studies

Award-winning journalist for 30 years focused on issues of importance to suburbanites on Long Island and nationwide

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY – Hofstra University President Stuart Rabinowitz today announced the appointment of Lawrence C. Levy as the new executive director of the Center for Suburban Studies, effective September 1, 2007.  Mr. Levy has most recently served as senior editorial writer, member of the Editorial Board and columnist for Newsday. 
 
“Over his long career as a journalist and as a columnist, Larry Levy has been an effective, passionate and often singular champion for the issues that are most important to suburbanites,” said Hofstra University President Stuart Rabinowitz.  “His voice has provided Newsday readers with insight into politics, government, education, and life on Long Island for more than thirty years.  We are delighted that he is bringing his experience and understanding of the suburbs’ place in American life to Hofstra University’s Center for Suburban Studies.” 
 
Lawrence C. Levy joined Newsday in 1977 as a local reporter and, over the years, served as assistant Long Island editor, Nassau County bureau chief and as an Albany and Washington correspondent.  He joined Newsday’s Editorial Board in 1987, and became a columnist in 1992.  In 2005, he was named Newsday’s only senior editorial writer.  He has won many of journalism’s most prestigious awards. He was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 1999 and has been honored by the Society of Professional Journalists, National Education Writers and the Associated Press, among others. 
 
In addition, Mr. Levy has served as the co-host of “Face Off,” a public affairs talk show produced by Long Island’s PBS affiliate, since 1994 and is a frequent guest on national television and radio talk shows. Mr. Levy has taught at Hofstra and Long Island University as an adjunct faculty member and been a guest lecturer at a number of other colleges. He has a B.S., magna cum laude, from Boston University’s College of Communication.   

"In areas such as politics, education, health care, land use or other critical areas, the suburbs are at the center of change in American life, and worthy of serious academic study and research. And no other institution is better positioned to study the suburbs, on Long Island and elsewhere, than Hofstra, which sits at the heart of the nation’s first suburb, Levittown,” said Mr. Levy. “I grew up in the suburbs and I've studied them as a journalist for more than 30 years.  And by building on the fine work of Rich Guardino, who founded the Center, I hope to expand its activities and offer students and scholars a chance to do great work in an important field." 
 
"Larry will be expanding on the work of Executive Dean Richard Guardino, who has ably led the Center since its inception in 2003 and helped make it a respected academic center,” said President Rabinowitz. “After helping Larry in the transition, Rich will take on yet another important new role that will be announced shortly."  
 
About the Center for Suburban Studies

Hofstra University established the Center for Suburban Studies in 2003. Already existing at Hofstra at the time of the Center’s formation was the Long Island Studies Institute, a major center for the study of Long Island’s local and regional history. The institute's research facility includes the Long Island Studies Institute Collection and the James N. MacLean American Legion Memorial collection. These resources - books, photographs, newspapers, maps, census records, genealogies, government documents, manuscripts, and audiovisual materials - constitute a rich repository for local history research. 
 
Hofstra has conducted many conferences and symposium on suburban issues over the past several years. In 2001, Hofstra presented its first conference: "Redefining Suburban Studies: Searching for a New Paradigm." In the years that followed, under the Center’s banner, conferences and symposia such as "From Blackouts to Windmills: Facing Suburban Energy Issues” and "New Visions of Suburban Life: An Interdisciplinary Conference" were produced.   In 2006 Hofstra sponsored a one day forum titled "Emergency Preparedness - Risk-based Assessments Post 9-11 and Post Katrina," a regional forum titled "Protecting Our Future, When a Natural Disaster Strikes, Will We Be Ready?" and a conference on Nassau County's special districts.  In July of 2007, the Center for Suburban Studies acted as host for the New York State Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness’s Long Island hearings. 

About Hofstra University

Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution where students find their edge to succeed in more than 140 undergraduate and 155 graduate programs in liberal arts and sciences, business, communication, education and allied human services, and honors studies, as well as a School of Law. With a student-faculty ratio of 14-to-1, our professors teach small classes averaging 23 students that emphasize interaction, critical thinking and analysis. Hofstra offers a faculty whose highest priority is teaching excellence, cutting edge technology, extensive library resources, internships and special educational programs that appeal to their interests and abilities.  The Hofstra community is driven, dynamic and energetic, helping students find and focus their strengths to prepare them for a successful future.