Date: Dec 10, 2009

Hofstra Celebrates Midyear Commencement

Monday, December 21, 2009 at 11:30 a.m.; Featuring Honorary Degree Recipient Roger B. Tilles

Hofstra’s Mid-Year Commencement Ceremony, which had been scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, December 20, has been postponed for 24 hours due to inclement weather. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

The ceremony will take place on Monday, December 21, at 11:30 a.m. in the Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex. The ceremony will be webcast at www.hofstra.edu/commencementwebcast.

If you are scheduled to participate in the December commencement ceremony, but cannot attend on Monday, you have the option of participating during the May 2010 commencement ceremonies. Contact the commencement office after January 1, 2010, for more information.

Final check-out for the residence halls has been extended to 9 p.m. on Monday, December 21.

HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY, HEMPSTEAD, NY: Approximately 700 undergraduate, graduate and law students will celebrate Hofstra’s midyear commencement on Monday, December 21, at 11:30 a.m. at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex on the North Campus. Roger B. Tilles, New York state regent representing Nassau and Suffolk Counties will be the guest speaker and receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree.

The midyear ceremony will be held in the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex for undergraduates, graduates and the School of Law. Due to the seating capacity of the facility, seating will be limited. Each midyear commencement graduate will receive four tickets and be able to sign up for extra tickets. You may sign the list when you pick up your academic attire. Based on past history, it is unlikely that there will be any extra tickets.

For more information on Commencement activities, please call the Office of Campus Operations at (516) 463-4346. In the event of inclement weather please call the weather hotline (516) 463-SNOW for information regarding the status of the ceremony.

About Roger Tilles

Roger B. Tilles was elected in April 2005 to a five-year term as a New York state regent representing Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Regents are responsible for the general supervision of all educational activities within the State.

Born and raised on Long Island, Mr. Tilles earned a Bachelor of Arts from Amherst College in 1968 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan College of Law in 1971. He served as director of law and legislation for the Michigan Department of Education and was elected to the Michigan State Board of Education. In 1975 he became executive secretary to the speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives. During his time in Michigan, he taught education and the law at University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Eastern Michigan University and Central Michigan University. He was also counsel to the Michigan Teacher Tenure Commission, as well as a special education hearing officer. After being a candidate for U.S. Congress, he started his own law practice in Washington, D.C., in 1978, until his return to Long Island in 1983, where he is director of Tilles Investment Companies. He is a member of the New York, Washington, D.C., and Michigan Bar Associations.

He is an appointee and current acting chair of the Long Island Regional Planning Board, and was chair and a founding member of the Association for a Better Long Island, chair of the board of trustees of Long Island University, a member of the boards of WNET/Channel 13 and WLIW/Channel 21, and executive vice chairman of the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts. In addition, he served on the board and executive board of the Long Island Association. He also worked to form the Long Island Arts Alliance, with the goal of encouraging and enhancing community participation in the arts. He is a member and past president of Temple Beth-El of Great Neck, New York; is on the board of the Jewish Outreach Institute; and has been a member of the National Young Leadership Cabinet of the UJA.

Mr. Tilles is involved with several interfaith activities, two of the most prominent being Project Understanding, which he formed with Monsignor Tom Hartman in 1987 to bring together Catholic and Jewish teenagers for an annual mission to Israel, and as producer of the first Vatican commemoration of the Holocaust under the auspices of Pope John Paul II in 1994.

Directions to the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex

Meadowbrook Parkway to Exit M4 - Route 24 West (Hempstead Turnpike). Heading west on Hempstead Turnpike, pass Nassau Coliseum, and go under the first pedestrian bridge to the first light. Make a right into the main entrance of campus. Go to second stop sign and make a right. The second building on your right-hand side is the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex.

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. 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.

Related Link: Hofstra Commencement