Date: Oct 10, 2008

Hofstra President to Ring Opening Bell at NASDAQ to Mark October 15 Presidential Debate

Students, faculty, trustees to join President Stuart Rabinowitz on eve of third and final 2008 debate at Hofstra

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY – Hofstra University President Stuart Rabinowitz will ring the opening bell at the NASDAQ stock exchange in New York on Tuesday, October 14 in honor of Hofstra’s historic hosting of the third and final 2008 presidential debate the following day.

The event is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. at the start of the day’s trading. Representatives of NASDAQ and Hofstra will speak prior to the ringing of the bell. NASDAQ is located at 4 Times Square, at the corner of 43rd Street and Broadway. 

"I am honored to have been asked to ring the bell at the nation’s largest electronic stock market to commemorate Hofstra's hosting the third and final presidential debate, and to have with me some of our students, who have been energized and excited by the debate and our special programming, including our speakers and events designed to educate our students and the community on the presidential race and the important issues of this election," said President Stuart Rabinowitz, who will be joined by Hofstra trustees, students, faculty, staff and other guests and by NASDAQ representatives.

Joining President Rabinowitz will be New York State Comptroller and Hofstra alumnus Thomas DiNapoli; New York State Senator Kemp Hannon,; Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray; Village of Hempstead Mayor Wayne Hall; John D. Miller, Chairman of the Hofstra Board of Trustees; and Hofstra Trustees Helene Fortunoff, Arthur J. Kremer, Donna Mendes, Marilyn B. Monter, Edwin C. Reed and Debra Sandler.

The third and final presidential debate of the 2008 election season at Hofstra on October 15, 2008 will focus on the economy and domestic issues and will be televised live around the world. This is the first presidential debate to be held in New York state since the John F. Kennedy-Richard Nixon debate in a Manhattan television studio in 1960. More than 3,000 journalists are expected to cover the debate at Hofstra.

Leading up to the debate and the 2008 election, Hofstra has hosted Educate '08, an unprecedented series of lectures, conferences, artistic performances and exhibitions, town hall meetings and interactive forums focused on the issues, history and politics of presidential elections. Educate '08 provides our students, faculty and the entire surrounding community with access to the newsmakers, scholars and policymakers who have unique insight and knowledge of the American political system.  Many of our programs and events are free and open to the public. Hofstra has hosted nationally and internationally known speakers who served as advisors to presidents, helped to map their campaign strategy or covered their election for the media. Guests have included George Stephanopoulos, Mary Matalin and James Carville, David Gergen, William Kristol and Maureen Dowd, former Gov. Mario Cuomo and Richard Haass, Charlie Cook, and many scholars, historians, journalists and policymakers. 
 
Find out more about Educate '08 by visiting www.hofstra.edu/educate08

The NASDAQ Stock Market® is the largest U.S. electronic stock market with more trading volume per day than any other stock exchange in the world. NASDAQ has approximately 3,200 listings, of which 335 are non-U.S. companies from 35 countries representing all industry sectors. The NASDAQ Global PlatformSM provides companies throughout the world access to U.S. capital formation, which in turn fosters world economic growth and extends business transactions across borders and among cultures.

Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution where students can choose from about 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 22 students that emphasize interaction, critical thinking and analysis. Hofstra offers a faculty whose highest priority is teaching excellence. 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.