NY Fed Researcher Discusses Economic Recovery After COVID

Photo of smiling Jason Bram, wearing suit and tie and eye glasses.

Jason Bram shared his thoughts on the post-pandemic economic recovery with community members on May 18, 2021, via Zoom.

The message of the annual Outlook on the Economy presentation on May 18, 2021, was that the regional economy has shown signs of improvement now that COVID cases are down and vaccinations are on the rise.

Jason Bram, a research officer with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, was the guest speaker during the Zoom forum.   鈥淭his downturn that has been declared a recession is much more like a natural disaster,鈥� he said.  Bram explained that in a recession the recovery is very gradual.  However, he hopes the economy will turn around quickly following COVID, as it usually does following an earthquake or hurricane.

Bram noted that consumer spending is up, the service sector is improving, and home prices have increased, except in Manhattan.  Inflation, however, is an area of concern.

Bram鈥檚 research focuses on the U.S. economy, with a primary emphasis on the Federal Reserve鈥檚 Second District, which includes New York State, northern New Jersey, and southwestern Connecticut, as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

May 24, 2021

Occupational Therapy Program Receives 10-Year Accreditation

Three female students with a large poster on the campus quad.

OT students during the Annual Research Poster Presentation on May 9, 2021.

The master鈥檚 level Occupational Therapy Program at Dominican College has been accredited for 10 years 鈥� the maximum period that can be granted to an occupational therapy educational program. The determination was made by the Accreditation Council of Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE), which accredits schools for five, seven, or 10 years based upon a self-study and onsite visit.听 Pamela Story, OTD, Director, Division of Allied Health, said that听 ACOTE considered compliance with 189 administrative, curricular, and fieldwork standards.

鈥淎 ten-year accreditation is the highest level of accreditation that any occupational therapy educational program can achieve.听 That a nontraditional weekend format program earned this level of accreditation under intense scrutiny and other challenges unequivocally affirms the high quality and rigor in its administrative, curricular, and clinical fieldwork content and processes,鈥� said Story.听 鈥淚 am so proud to be part of a group of brilliant, talented, dedicated, passionate, and expert faculty,听 and an institution dedicated to supporting nontraditional programs that make a better way of life possible for those who would otherwise not have such opportunities. 鈥�

As part of the extensive accreditation process, ACOTE interviewed administrators, faculty, adjuncts, current students, alumni, community fieldwork educators, and employers of graduates.

May 20, 2021

Baseball Team Wins CACC Title

The Dominican College baseball team won the 2021 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Championship on May 15, 2021 with a stunning 6-5 victory over the south second seed, Thomas Jefferson University, in a game played at Alumni Field in Philadelphia, PA. DC’s win secured the 18th CACC Championship in program history

The game was scoreless until the top of the fifth inning when Dominican struck for a run on the two-out solo home run off the bat of second basemen听听(New Rochelle, N.Y.).听 Jefferson would counter in the bottom half of the inning with the RBI single up the middle to make the score 1-1. Dominican scored in their half of the sixth inning as catcher听听(Chappaqua, N.Y.) singled up the middle to plate听听(San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic), who had led off the inning with an infield single and had moved into scoring position on an error to re-take a 2-1 advantage. TJU led off the bottom of the seventh with a solo home run over the left field fence to retie the score at 2-all and the game would remain tied until the ninth inning.

In the top of the ninth, right fielder听听(La Ceiba, Honduras) led off the inning with a single up-the-middle and later moved to second as听Paulino听was hit by a pitch to put two runners on with one out.听 A walk issued to Garbuio听loaded the bases for freshman left fielder听听(Deer Park, N.Y.) who delivered what would be a game-winning triple to center field that brought home all three runners to lift the Chargers to a 5-2 lead.听 Two batters later, designated hitter听听(Miami, Fla.) scored Hewlette with a double down the left field line for the 6-2 lead.

Jefferson rallied in the bottom of the ninth with three runs on two hits and a wild pitch and had the tying run on second base with two outs, but reliever听听(Bronx, N.Y.) recorded the game ending strikeout for the win.听 Hewlette,听Sanders听and听Paulino听all had two hits in the game, while听Hewlette听had a game best three RBI. Espinal听picked up the win in two innings of relief, allowing three runs (none earned) on three hits and collecting five strikeouts. Starter听听(Erial, N.J.) went five innings, allowing one run on four hits and recording seven strikeouts.

For his outstanding play in the tournament,听Hewlette听was named the 2021 CACC Baseball Championship Most Valuable Player (MVP) and to the All-Tournament Team. Joining him on the all-tournament team from DC were:听Sanders,听Paulino,听Diaz-Lambert听and听Espinal.

The Chargers (19-13) earn the conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA Division II East Regional Tournament slated to begin on May 27th.

 

 

 

May 18, 2021

Students Share Liberal Arts Research Projects Online

Image of Liberal Arts Research 2021 website

Students shared their capstone research projects on a website that showcases the research in communication studies, health sciences, and biology.

Dominican College faculty and students were determined to move ahead with this year鈥檚 Liberal Arts Research Day after last year鈥檚 in-person event was cancelled due to COVID.听 With hard work and ingenuity, students shared their capstone research projects on a website that showcases the research in communication studies, health sciences, and biology.

鈥淲hile this was something of a learning curve for both faculty and students, our Dominican students really rose to the challenge and created narrated posters, PowerPoint lectures with guided audio, and even digital video projects,鈥� 听said Mark Meachem, Ed.D., Director of the Division of Arts & Sciences.

Meachem said the website offered some unexpected benefits.听 Students learned how to quickly adapt their work and had a larger audience with more professors, family, and friends able to view the projects.听 听Because of that, the website may continue to be used even if Liberal Arts Research Day is held in person in spring 2022 as planned.听 The event serves as a way for students to share their knowledge and also helps prepare them for graduate-level work and academic conferences.

To view the students’ capstone research projects, visit:听

 

 

April 30, 2021

Men’s Golf Team Wins 2021 CACC Championship

Freshman Alex Lundvall being presented with a plaque at the golf course.

Freshman Alexander Lundvall was named the 2021 CACC Championship Tournament MVP.

The Dominican College men’s golf team won the 2021 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Golf Championship held April 19, 2021 at White Beeches Golf and Country Club in Haworth, NJ.

This is the program’s fourth CACC Tournament Championship with the others coming in 2001, 2002 and 2018.

As a team, the Chargers finished with a combined score of 305 to win the CACC Championship, while Concordia College took second place with a score of 306.听 Golde-Beacom College finished in third place (311), followed by Felician University (330), Chestnut Hill College (340), Thomas Jefferson University (345) and the University of the Sciences (354).

Freshman听听(Stockholm, Sweden) was the individual medalist with the low round score of 71 (-1).听 On the front nine, Lundvall recorded two birdies on holes two and five and added a third on hole 11.听 On the front nine, he finished with a 36 (-1) and followed with a 35 (E) on the back nine to earn All-Tournament honors.

听(Torreon, Mexico) finished in a tie for fifth place overall with a score of 76 (39, 37) to join听Lundvall听on the All-Tournament Team.听 He recorded one birdie on hole 14.

Freshman听听(Bucaramanga, Colombia) recorded a 77 to tie for seventh place and finish with three birdies on holes one, 14 and 17.

听(Bogota, Columbia) and听听(Torreon, Mexico) both tied for 12th place after shooting an 81 on the day.听听Acosta听recorded a birdie on hole 17.

听

April 21, 2021

College Offers New Finance Major

Dominican College will begin offering a new finance major,听 beginning in fall 2021.听 This new major is in addition to the other core major offerings for business students 鈥� management, marketing, and information technology.

鈥淲e believe that the finance major will be quite popular,鈥� said Ivan Rudolph-Shabinsky, Director, Business Administration Division. 鈥淔inance is an exciting field, with many new developments ranging from the crypto currencies and other block-chain applications to an increasing interest in sustainable investing.鈥�

Finance students might pursue a career as a financial planner, a wealth manager, a financial analyst, or a treasury department employee of a company or government agency, in addition to other finance-related jobs.

For more information about the finance major, contact the Admissions Department at听admissions@duny.edu.

 

April 19, 2021

Sterling Bank Foundation Awards Grant to Support Student Success

Two OT students wearing masks speaking with classroom of students.

Occupational therapy fieldwork students Chastity Kiely and Magdalena Yastion (left to right) teach students keys to academic success as part of the Take Charge! program. The students work under the supervision of OT Professor Catherine Cavaliere.

The Sterling National Bank Charitable Foundation has awarded Dominican College a $10,000 grant to support programs that help students achieve academic success.听 The grants will help pay for mentoring, tutoring, resources, and books to support students.

鈥淭he Student Success Program, Charge Toward Success, and Take Charge! Occupational Therapy Program provide structure, accountability, and one-on-one support to students who are in need of it,鈥� said Ryan O鈥� Gorman, Director of Retention and Student Success.听 鈥淭hrough these programs and one-on-one meetings with the occupational therapy fieldwork students, the undergraduate students feel more confident in their academics and improve their overall sense of well-being.鈥�

The new programs have increased student retention by as much as 17 percent and enabled students to stay on the path toward achieving a bachelor鈥檚 degree.

 

March 25, 2021

Graduate Student in TVI Program Awarded Statewide Scholarship

Emily Griffin smiling with shoulder-length straight blond har.

Emily Griffin 鈥�21 was awarded a scholarship from the NYS Association for the Education and Visually Impaired (NYSAER).

A Dominican College student finishing up her master鈥檚 degree in the Teachers for the Blind and credits her sister who has multiple disabilities 鈥� including a visual impairment 鈥� with being one of the reasons she chose this profession.

鈥淲hile we were growing up, she was home-schooled, so we always had different therapists and teachers 鈥� including teachers of the visually impaired 鈥� coming in and I loved how happy she was, how she loved school, and how her teachers knew her so well. That definitely made me want to do the same for someone one day.鈥�

In addition, Emily was inspired by her mom, 听who is a teacher of the visually impaired and very passionate about her job. Emily is employed as an itinerant teacher for Eastern Suffolk BOCES, working with students who are visually impaired in a number of different schools.

March 19, 2021

Palisades Institute Discusses Impact of COVID-19 on Women in Business

Tammy Jersey, President, TKJ Associates, was one of the panelists participating in the Palisades Institute forum on “The Impact of COVID-19 on Women in Business and Its Implications for the Future.”

The Palisades Institute held a Zoom panel discussion on 鈥淭he Impact of COVID-19 on Women in Business and Its Implications for the Future鈥� on March 10, 2021, as part of its continuing series on the pandemic鈥檚 wide-ranging effect on businesses.

Ivan Rudolph-Shabinsky, Director of the Business Administration Division at Dominican College and co-moderator of the event, said that the pandemic is creating a so-called 鈥渟hecession.鈥澨�淚t鈥檚 hit women harder than previous recessions.听 When you look at every previous recession — it鈥檚 impacted financial markets; it鈥檚 impacted the goods-producing sectors where men have historically held the majority of jobs,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his pandemic has impacted pretty much the service sector most severely and that鈥檚 a sector that鈥檚 over-represented by women, so they鈥檝e been hit in a big way there.鈥� Rudolph-Shabinsky added that women have also been forced out of the workforce or had to adjust their work because of caregiving responsibilities for children.

The panelists all agreed that companies and businesses have had to be flexible and responsive to operate successfully through the pandemic.听 When it comes to lessons we鈥檝e learned, Tammy Jersey, President, TKJ Associates said, 鈥淚 think one of the most important things that companies have started to do, and need to continue doing, is be open to new ways of operating, which means being willing to be flexible, being willing to hear new ideas and experiment with them, and to remove responses that might have been there in the past, like 鈥榥o,鈥� and 鈥業 can鈥檛,鈥� and 鈥榖ut.鈥欌��

Other panelists included Susan Gerard, Director, Human Resources, SUEZ North America, and Kate Wysokowski, Regional & Community Affairs Manager, Orange & Rockland.

March 10, 2021

Students Volunteer in Camden During Weekend of Service

Three female students in masks organizing supplies.

Dominican College students helped organize supplies at the UrbanPromise afterschool program in Camden, NJ, to get ready for its reopening.

A team of Dominican College students, alumni, and staff volunteered in Camden, NJ, during a Weekend of Service from March 5-7, 2021.听 The group worked with Romero Center Ministries to help UrbanPromise prepare to reopen its afterschool program which had been shut down for several months because of COVID-19.

鈥淭hey had a lot of work for us to get ready for the students to come back 鈥� organizing classrooms, moving furniture, decorating bulletin boards, painting, and yard work,鈥� said Kathryn Strobel, Director of Community Engagement & Leadership Development.

In addition to volunteering, the Dominican College students lived and ate simply, engaged in reflection, and disconnected from technology.听 听Strobel said the students also watched a documentary to gain a deeper understanding of the people living in Camden and to hear their stories.听 The Weekend of Service allowed students to be involved in service even though the traditional Alternative Spring Break Program was canceled.

March 8, 2021

Dominican College to Launch New Rowing Club

"Ivan

In fall 2021, Dominican College will launch a new Rowing Club, with men鈥檚and women鈥檚 teams.听 The club will compete against collegiate teams in the New York area, regional races including the New York State Collegiate Championships, and some national races 鈥� including the Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia.

Coach Ivan Rudolph-Shabinsky is looking for interested incoming students and current students to join the Rowing Club and stresses that no experience is necessary.听 He said there are many national team rowers who didn鈥檛 start rowing until college.听 鈥淭his creates a wonderful opportunity for the late-blooming athlete who has not yet found 鈥榯heir sport鈥� to try rowing and know that, even if they start only in college, they have the possibility of reaching the highest levels of the sport,鈥� he said.

Rudolph-Shabinsky, Director of the Business Division at Dominican College, is an accomplished rower and coach who began his career at Cornell University.听 He continued racing as an adult 鈥� most recently winning a gold medal in a masters four in 2019 at the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta.听 He is also president of the Rockland Rowing Association, where he coaches youth rowers and competes as a masters rower.

Dominican College has partnered with Rockland Rowing to develop the Rowing Club.听 Rockland Rowing is completing a new rowing center at Rockland Lake this spring that will include the new Crestron Rowing Pavilion, a low-profile eco-dock, and a buoyed 10-lane course.

Those interested in joining the Rowing Club, should click for more information or contact Coach Rudolph-Shabinsky at i.rudolph-shabinsky@duny.edu.

March 4, 2021

Dominican College to Launch New Rowing Club

"Ivan

In fall 2021, Dominican College will launch a new Rowing Club, with men鈥檚and women鈥檚 teams.听 The club will compete against collegiate teams in the New York area, regional races including the New York State Collegiate Championships, and some national races 鈥� including the Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia.

Coach Ivan Rudolph-Shabinsky is looking for interested incoming students and current students to join the Rowing Club and stresses that no experience is necessary.听 He said there are many national team rowers who didn鈥檛 start rowing until college.听 鈥淭his creates a wonderful opportunity for the late-blooming athlete who has not yet found 鈥榯heir sport鈥� to try rowing and know that, even if they start only in college, they have the possibility of reaching the highest levels of the sport,鈥� he said.

Rudolph-Shabinsky, Director of the Business Division at Dominican College, is an accomplished rower and coach who began his career at Cornell University.听 He continued racing as an adult 鈥� most recently winning a gold medal in a masters four in 2019 at the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta.听 He is also president of the Rockland Rowing Association, where he coaches youth rowers and competes as a masters rower.

Dominican College has partnered with Rockland Rowing to develop the Rowing Club.听 Rockland Rowing is completing a new rowing center at Rockland Lake this spring that will include the new Crestron Rowing Pavilion, a low-profile eco-dock, and a buoyed 10-lane course.

Those interested in joining the Rowing Club, should click for more information or contact Coach Rudolph-Shabinsky at i.rudolph-shabinsky@duny.edu.

March 4, 2021