Safe Start

Task Force

The goal of the Safe Start Task Force and the committees reporting to the task force is to explore all options in reopening the Hofstra campus for fall. Topics such as public health guidelines, testing and tracing, facilities usage, classroom utilization, human resource and safety, various educational delivery methods, technology, capacity in facilities, social distancing and public protocols, education campaigns, student life, dining and living on campus, athletics and campus recreation, and other issues will be raised.

Our work is guided by the plans and protocols set forth in several documents. Ultimately, our decisions will rest upon the public health protocols and guidelines available from federal, state, and local authorities, but our planning will allow us to be responsive, responsible, nimble, and innovative. We are fortunate that our partner in education, Northwell Health, is assisting us in our efforts.

As new protocols become available, we will post them here.

President's Letter to Families and Students

PSA Poster

As we come to the end of the spring semester, having faced the extraordinary challenges this pandemic and its effects brought to us, I am proud of the way our faculty, students, and staff have risen to this unprecedented challenge.

You have all dealt with an extraordinary period in history, in a way the Hofstra family may be proud. Even when the situation has not been ideal, you have helped one another and others outside our community deal with the situation we are facing with grace and empathy. One of the most difficult things about what we’ve faced is the lack of certainty, with constantly changing deadlines and guidelines for closing and for reopening issued by the state and federal governments.

But what we can now do is plan, with equal measures of pragmatism and optimism, for a fall semester on campus. We will work very hard this summer to ensure we have left no stone unturned in trying to bring our community back together, in person, and our planning is well underway. We are very fortunate, and in a better position than many of our peers, because of our strong partnership with Northwell Health, which provides us with unparalleled expertise in public health and prevention planning; and with local, county, and state governments, all with whom Hofstra is working on different pandemic response projects.

Continue reading the President's message

 

President’s Task Force

President’s Task Force members are:

Patricia Adamski (Co-Chair)
Senior Vice President for Planning and Administration

Joseph Barkwill
Vice President for Facilities and Operations

Herman A. Berliner (Co-Chair)
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Jean Peden Christodoulou
Associate Vice President, Student Affairs

Melissa Connolly
Vice President for University Relations

Jessica Eads
Vice President for Enrollment

 

Steve Fabiani
Vice President for Digital Innovation and Technology

Dolores Fredrich
Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs, General Counsel

Kathy Gallo
Founding Dean, Hofstra/Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Students
Executive Vice President and Chief Learning Officer, Northwell Health

Catherine Hennessy
Senior Vice President for Finance, Treasurer

Lawrence Smith
Founding Dean, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
Executive Vice President and Physician-in-Chief, Northwell Health

 One of our main efforts is the coordination of academic needs, and this subcommittee of the task force is chaired by Provost Berliner.

Fall Semester –
Contingencies Planning Committee Task Force

Membership

Margaret Abraham (Co-Chair)
Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs

Joseph Barkwill
Vice President for Facilities and Operations

Herman A. Berliner (Chair)
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Kevin Boston-Hill
Chair, Undergraduate Academic Affairs Committee and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Rhetoric

William Caniano
Chair, Senate Executive Committee and Associate Professor, Library Operations

Cornell Craig
Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer

Steve Fabiani
Vice President for Digital Innovation and Technology

George Giuliani
Speaker of the Faculty and Associate Professor, Special Programs in Education

Evan Koegl
Registrar

Julian Ku
Professor of Law, Deane School of Law

Janet Lenaghan
Dean, Zarb School of Business

Dominique G. Outlaw
Associate Professor, Finance

Anthony J. Santella
Chair of the UAB and Associate Professor, Health Professions

Daniel Seabold
Chair of the Mathematics Department and Associate Professor, Mathematics

Kathleen Wallace 
Chair of the Chairs Caucus and Chair,
Philosophy Department

Patricia Welch
Professor, Comparative Literature, Languages & Linguistics

Total 16 members

Committee on Communication and Education

Melissa Connolly, Chair
Vice President, University Relations

Carole M. Bates
Assistant Dean for Curricular Affairs and Special Projects, Zucker School of Medicine

Andrew Berman
Assistant Dean of Communication, Deane School of Law

Elfreda V. Blue, PhD
Vice Provost, Graduate and Undergraduate Studies

Isma Chaudhry
Executive in Residence, MPH & Adjunct Associate Professor, Health Professions

Athelene Collins
Executive Director, Hofstra Cultural Center

Denise S. Cunningham
Chief Human Resources Officer & Equal Rights and Opportunity Officer, Human Resources

Martine Hackett
Associate Professor, Health Professions

Corinne Kyriacou
Chair and Associate Professor, Health Professions

Renee Mcleod-Sordjan
Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies at Hofstra/Northwell

Jeffrey S. Morosoff
Chair and Associate Professor, Journalism, Media Studies, & Public Relations

Zaibis Munoz
Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Student Advocacy and Prevention Awareness, Division of Student Affairs

Chanapong Rojanaworarit
Assistant Professor, Health Professions

Anthony J. Santella
Associate Professor, Health Professions

Karla Schuster
Assistant Vice President, University Relations

Daniel Seabold
Chair and Associate Professor, Mathematics
Co-Chair of the Chairs Caucus

Holly J. Seirup
Dean, School of Health Professions and Human Services

Carley Weinstein
Executive Producer and Director of Digital Content

Charmise Woodside-Desire
Assistant Director, Alumni Affairs

Resource People:

Depending on the discussion, other resource people will be called to participate.

Pat Adamski
Senior Vice President for Planning and Administration

Richard Apollo
Vice Provost for Budget and Planning

Denise Cunningham
Chief Human Resource Officer

Wendy Hom
Laboratory Director, Environmental Health and Safety Officer

Committee on Facilities

The Committee on Facilities, led by Vice President Joe Barkwill, will consider all construction, capacity, and facilities issues, including cleaning protocols, PPE distribution, furniture purchase, and work space changes, needed to bring the campus community back.

During May and early June, the Committee on Facilities will be speaking with deans, academic chairs, department directors, and other campus leaders to determine what purchasing and construction might be required for various spaces on campus, including cleaning and usage protocols for labs, studios, and other experiential spaces. Campus academic leaders should prepare for these meetings.

Other members include:
Paul Romano
Director of Physical Plant

Dom Lavin
Director of Campus Facilities

David Dale
Director of Purchasing Contracts

Michael Sweeney
Associate Director, Custodial Services

Other Subcommittees

Other subcommittees include:

  • Student Center subcommittee on issues of traffic and usage of Student Center spaces (co-chaired by Dom Lavin and Dean of Students Gabrielle St. Leger)
  • Dining subcommittee will consider capacity, openings, and food handling procedures (co-chaired by Michael Ogazon, Director of Budget and Administrative Services, and a Compass representative)
  • Athletics subcommittee will interpret guidance from the NCAA and the Colonial Athletic Association and consider athletic events, game production, team travel, training, and facilities protocol.

    Jay Artinian (Chair)
    Deputy Director of Athletics

    Cindy Lewis
    Senior Associate Director of Athletics, SWA

    Stephen Gorchov
    Associate Director of Athletics for Communications

    Evan Malings
    Head Athletic Trainer

    Ryan Watson
    Associate Director of Athletics for Facilities

    Jimmy Prendergast
    Head Strength and Conditioning Coach

    Chrissy Arnone
    Associate Director of Athletics for Marketing and Strategic Partnerships

Make a Suggestion to the Task Force