College Hosts Forum on Cybersecurity

The presenters at the Palisades Institute Forum on cybersecurity were Mikhail Falkovich, Director of Information Security, Consolidated Edison Company (shown on the left) and Tony Cetera, Chief Information Security Officer, New York University Information Technology.

Two cybersecurity experts shared their advice with business leaders during a Palisades Institute forum called 鈥淐ybersecurity:听 Protect Yourself and your Business.鈥澨� The presenters at the forum on October 10 were Tony Cetera, Chief Information Security Officer, New York University Information Technology, and Mikhail Falkovich, Director of Information Security, Consolidated Edison.

Companies were advised to follow five steps when devising their security plan 鈥� identify, protect, detect, respond, and recover. 听Even with planning, there is a danger of an attack, said Cetera. 听鈥淧eople are the weakest link.听 I think that鈥檚 probably an important message that I want to send,鈥� he said.听 鈥淵ou can put lots of tools and technologies in place, but if someone makes a mistake or clicks on the wrong thing because they are not paying attention, that鈥檚 when the attacker gets in.鈥�

The experts recommended phishing testing, using benign emails, to find out which employees might be susceptible to an attack. 听Another recommendation was that companies consider having cyber insurance.

October 16, 2018

Student Receives Statewide Award for Social Work

Senior Nelcy Garcia received the New York State Social Work Education Association (NYSSWEA) Student of the Year Award .

Senior Nelcy Garcia received the Undergraduate Student of the Year Award from the New York State Social Work Education Association (NYSSWEA) in October 2018. 听The award is given in recognition of a student鈥檚 passion for social justice and dedication to academic achievement, college and departmental leadership, and service to diverse populations.

Nelcy said there are a number of factors that have contributed to her passion for social justice.听 鈥淏eing an immigrant, having strong family role models, and my personal experiences of injustice, have all led to my acquiring a sense of responsibility and understanding that positive community involvement is my moral obligation,鈥� she said.

Nelcy was recognized for her organization of a peaceful protest to highlight discriminatory hiring practices against people with disabilities.听 She is also a member of the Rockland Immigration Coalition and interns at the office of New York State Assemblymember Ellen Jaffee, translating for constituents and working on projects related to children and families.

October 9, 2018

Annual Healthcare Symposium Focuses on Groundbreaking Cancer Treatment

Former trustee and cancer survivor Jon Prusmack, Dr. David S. Siegel, Chief of the Division of Multiple Meloma, Hackensack University Medical Center and Dr. Joel W. Beetsch,听 Vice President, Global Patient Advocacy, Corporate Affairs, Celgene Corporation (shown left to right) were speakers at the 6th Annual Healthcare Symposium at Dominican College.

The 6th Annual Healthcare Symposium focused on CAR T-Cell Therapy 鈥� a groundbreaking new cancer treatment that has had promising results in clinical trials.听 Former College Trustee and cancer survivor Jon Prusmack is one of just 20 people nationwide to take part in a clinical trial using CAR T-Cell Therapy to treat multiple myeloma.听 One year later, Prusmack is cancer-free.

Prusmack opened the health symposium by telling his success story.听 He started the clinical trial after his cancer mutated and chemotherapy, which he had been on for 15 years, was no longer effective.听 鈥淭he end result is no chemotherapy.听 You live a normal life.听 Does it work forever? Nobody knows.听 It鈥檚 still in clinical trials.听 But for the one year, that I鈥檝e been on it, it鈥檚 been terrific: live a normal life; work hard; no chemo; energy.听 I just feel terrific,鈥� he said.

The speakers at the October 5, 2018 event were Prusmack鈥檚 physician, Dr. David S. Siegel, Chief of the Division of Multiple Myeloma, Hackensack University Medical Center, and Dr. Joel W. Beetsch, Vice President, Global Patient Advocacy, Corporate Affairs, Celgene Corporation.听 Celgene has worked on developing this new therapy.

Dr. Siegel said CAR T-cell Therapy is an enormous step forward for all oncology.听 So far, the therapy has been tested only on blood cancers, however, clinical trials are beginning for treating solid tumors.听 The therapy involves removing T-cells from the body and modifying the cells in a lab to be able to identify cancer cells. The modified T- cells are grown and expanded and then injected back into the patient.听 The CAR T-cells bind to cancer cells and kill them.

The Health Symposium was held in the Fury Lecture Hall in the science center bearing Prusmack鈥檚 name.

October 6, 2018

Chargers Win CACC Golf Championship

In September, the Chargers won their third CACC Golf Championship in program history.

The Dominican College men鈥檚 golf team won the 2018 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Golf Championship held September 29-30, 2018 at the Deerfield Golf Course in Newark, DE. The Chargers compiled team scores of 298 both days to finish the tournament with a final score of 596 (+36) to win their third CACC Tournament in program history, after winning back-to-back championships in 2001 and 2002.

For alumnus Keith Prokop 鈥�14, who coaches the team, winning the championship was a dream come true. 鈥淚t meant everything. My goal for our college program here was to complete three things: win a CACC, win a Regional Championship, and attend a National Championship. This was the last thing on the list that this team needed to accomplish,鈥� he said.

Coach Prokop attributes the victory to the players鈥� hard work and dedication, as well as to the great competition among his players. For the spring season, Coach Prokop hopes the players will improve both mentally and physically so that they have a chance to win the NCAA East/Atlantic Super Regionals and another chance to compete in the NCAA Division II National Championship.

 

听

October 3, 2018

College Celebrates Founders Week

Father Brian Walker, O.P., sang a gospel hymn during his keynote presentation for Founders Week.

Dominican Friar and Itinerant Preacher Father Brian Walker, O.P., kicked off the celebration of Founders Week 2018 on September 24 with his keynote presentation, which addressed racism.听 Fr. Walker talked about the life of St. Martin de Porres, who was of mixed race and is the patron saint of racial harmony.听 Although he faced many injustices, St. Martin dedicated his life to helping others.听 St. Martin had unique healing powers and founded a residence in Lima for orphans and abandoned children.

鈥淲hen we have our doubts about whether or not we are being treated right,鈥� said Fr. Walker, 鈥渓et us take a lesson from him and ask the question, 鈥楢re we treating others right?鈥欌��

Fr. Walker surprised the audience by belting out a beautiful gospel hymn during the speech.听 鈥淚f I can help somebody as I pass along, then my living shall not be in vain,鈥� he sang.

Founders Week celebrates the spirit of the Dominican Order.听 Other highlights of the week鈥搇ong celebration include:

  • Walking in the Footsteps of Dominic — Students Jeantil Beltre and Sierra Sheridan spoke about their mission trip to Fanjeaux, France.
  • Living the Legacy 鈥� Wendy St. Felix, DNP, 鈥�17 and 2018 Badami Award recipient talked to students about the effect a Dominican College education had on her life.
  • Spirit of the Founders Recognition Luncheon – Sr. Barbara McEneany and her sister Sr. Carmel McEneany, who passed away in February,听 received the Spirit of the Founders award.
  • Preaching in Action 鈥� Dominican College volunteers prepared 10,000 meals to be distributed through local food banks and charities.

Founders Week concluded on Saturday, September 29 with the 68th Annual Dominican Sisters Festival, which featured games, food, and pony rides.

September 25, 2018

OT Students’ Invention Moves Ahead in Statewide Competition

Recent graduate Amanda Fortuna is shown here building a prototype of a battery-powered reacher. The invention was selected as a semi-finalist in a statewide competition.

An invention of Dominican College Occupational Therapy (OT) students has been chosen as one of 25 projects to move ahead in a New York State Department of Health (DOH) competition.听 听The DOH Aging Innovation Challenge encourages New York students to develop innovations to assist aging New Yorkers and their caregivers in completing activities of daily living.

Recent OT graduate Amanda Fortuna took the lead in submitting the idea for a battery-powered reacher, which was conceived with some of her classmates during an Advanced Practice OT course. 听鈥淭ypically in field work or clinical scenarios that we鈥檝e been in, we鈥檝e seen that people are given reachers, but they don鈥檛 have the grip strength to maintain a grasp to pick up an item,鈥� she said.

In order to become a semi-finalist, Fortuna had to submit a written proposal. For the next phase of the competition, Fortuna and former classmate Samantha Kromer are developing a prototype.听 They must submit a video demonstrating the use of the battery-powered reacher for bathing, dressing, and meal preparation by November 1.听 Five finalists will be awarded $5,000 and the developers of the top innovation will be awarded $25,000.

September 6, 2018

College Welcomes Class of 2022

Our Welcome Team of upperclassmen helped new students move into Hertel Hall on Freshman Move-In Day

The Class of 2022 has arrived on the Dominican College campus.  The new students moved into Hertel Hall and Rosary Hall during Freshman Move-In Day on Thursday, August 23.  They then attended a two-day orientation with many activities, including sessions on leadership and academic success, a game show, and a barbecue.

Melissa Grau, Director of Community Engagement and Leadership Development, said the Freshman Orientation is all about connections. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about connecting with new people. It鈥檚 about connecting with this campus and it鈥檚 about connecting with themselves so that they are really able to find their place and succeed here academically, socially, and in every way,鈥� she said.

There are 294 registered students in the Class of 2022.  The most popular major among freshmen is nursing, followed by biology, teacher education, management, and criminal justice.

 

August 27, 2018

High School Students Attend STEM Camp at College

Dominican College junior Tahinah Lamour (left) is shown here mentoring Spring Valley High School students to help them extract DNA from water samples collected in local ponds.

Twelve Rockland high school students are attending a 3-week science camp at the College this summer.听 The experience is called RISE (Research Immersion in Science and Ecology) and is being held on campus from July 22 through August 10.听 The program is free and was funded through a generous grant from Orange and Rockland Utilities.

鈥淭he program is important because it鈥檚 exposing high school students to the sciences and they are doing hands-on projects that they may not have the opportunity to do somewhere else,鈥� said Biology Professor Regina Alvarez.

The students are taking samples of the Sparkill Creek and local ponds and using microbiology and chemistry to analyze the samples in the College laboratories.听 The students are also studying the biodiversity of the area with botanical and ecological surveys. In addition to the three College professors working with the students, five Dominican College students are working as mentors with the high school students.听 On Friday, August 10, the high school students will present their findings during a ceremony in the Lawrence Room in Rosary Hall at 7 p.m.听 Family and friends are invited to attend.

August 1, 2018

College Offers New Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences Degree

Dominican College will begin offering a new undergraduate degree this fall 鈥� a Bachelor of Science in the Health Sciences.  The College recently received approval to begin offering the new degree from the New York State Education Department.   This degree furthers Dominican College鈥檚 long tradition of providing top-notch educational programs, particularly in the fields of healthcare.

Students who study Health Sciences can pursue degrees in a number of Allied Health professions, such as Physical Therapy (PT), Occupational Therapy (OT), Athletic Training, Speech-Language Pathology, or Physician Assistant.

Director of the Allied Health Division Pamela Story, OTD, OTR/L, said there are three tracks offered within the new Health Sciences Program.  鈥淲e have two tracks specifically designated as pre-professional tracks 鈥� one for OT and one for PT,鈥� said Story.  鈥淭here is a third general track that has a lot of flexibility in it and a lot of space for electives.鈥� The students in the third track can use the electives to take pre-requisites for graduate studies in other fields such as speech-language pathology or athletic training.

Dominican College offers a Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy and a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.  Most students in those advanced programs earned their undergraduate degrees at other institutions.  Students earning the new B.S. in Health Sciences degree at Dominican College may now decide to apply for the OT and PT graduate programs at Dominican College as well.

For more information about the new Health Sciences Program, please contact our office of Admissions at admissions@duny.edu or 1-866-4DC-INFO.

July 13, 2018

Four County Executives Answer Questions at College Forum

Bergen County Executive James Tedesco III, Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus, Rockland County Executive Ed Day, and Westchester County Executive George Latimer (shown left to right) presented during this year’s County Executives Forum at Dominican College.

There was an interesting and informative discussion of regional issues at the annual County Executives Forum at Dominican College on Thursday, June 7, 2018, which featured County leaders from Bergen, Orange, Rockland, and Westchester Counties.

Bergen County Executive Joseph Tedesco III said that his County is experiencing growth near transportation.听 鈥淲hile we were traditionally a real suburban community, with the advent of the millennials wanting to be closer to transportation hubs,听 that is now moving up into Bergen County,鈥� he said.听 Tedesco is pushing for an expansion of light rail into the east side of the County.

Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus is particularly proud of the growth at Stewart Airport.听 鈥淪tewart Airport is booming.听 Norwegian Airlines has double the amount of flights that are coming out of there.听 You鈥檝e got direct flights to Ireland, Scotland and Norway,鈥� he said. 听Neuhaus added that by 听the end of the year, 听there may be direct flights to Germany, London, and Paris as well.

Rockland County Executive Ed Day stressed that his focus has been on righting the County鈥檚 fiscal ship, economic development, and preserving Rockland.听 鈥淚鈥檝e tried every step of the way to stay loyal to those three tenets that I ran on because frankly that鈥檚 what people voted for and I think that鈥檚 what they deserve,鈥� he said.

Westchester鈥檚 advantages of being close to New York City with three direct train lines also mean more pressure on housing prices, according to Westchester County Executive George Latimer.听 He said the 听high cost of housing is one of Westchester鈥檚 biggest challenges.

The four County Executives also answered questions from business leaders in attendance, including questions about ethics, taxes, and transportation.

The Palisades Institute was created in 1990 as part of Dominican College to serve business, government, and not-for-profit organizations in Rockland and nearby counties.听 The Institute encourages professionals to integrate the concepts of leadership, quality, and ethics to achieve long-term success.

June 8, 2018

ESPN Correspondent Delivers Inspiring Commencement Address

ESPN Correspondent and author Tom Rinaldi delivered the Commencement Address to Dominican College graduates on May 20, 2018.

ESPN Correspondent and author Tom Rinaldi delivered an inspiring and at times rousing address to the Class of 2018 during Dominican College鈥檚 64th Commencement Exercises on Sunday, May 20, 2018 at the Westchester County Center in White Plains. A total of 572 students graduated — 123 with doctoral degrees, 100 with master鈥檚 degrees and 349 with bachelor鈥檚 degrees.

Graduates, their families, and friends all listened with rapt attention as Rinaldi recounted two stories.听 The first story was about the parents of a two-month old child in a Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) who tragically did not survive.听 Before the baby鈥檚 death, the parents arranged for him to have several experiences.听 They brought a puppy into the NICU so the child could feel the fur.听 They had a musician play a guitar so the child could hear music.听 They took the baby off of his tubes and brought him outside so he could feel the sun on his face and the wind across his skin.听 Finally, they put a bit of ice cream on the tip of his lips and the end of his tongue. Rinaldi told the graduates, 鈥淵ou get to experience those things every single day as you find your place in the world. So keep your capacity for wonder and appreciation over the wind and the life and the sun and the taste and the sound that surrounds you as you make your life.鈥�

Rinaldi then told the story of Welles Remy Crowther 鈥� the Nyack High School graduate and 9-11 hero known as the 鈥渕an with the red bandanna.鈥澨� He described how Welles led many to safety on 9-11 and saved lives.听 During his speech, Rinaldi asked the graduates to raise their right听hands as high as they could. 鈥淒o this for yourselves and for everybody else.听 Don鈥檛 just reach up, reach out 鈥� reach out to touch, to teach, to inspire, to give, to grasp,鈥� he said.

Rinaldi has won twelve national Sports Emmy Awards and six national Edward R. Murrow Awards.听 His 2016 book, 鈥淭he Red Bandanna: A Life. A Choice. A Legacy鈥� was on the New York Times Best Sellers list. During the Commencement Ceremony, Rinaldi received an Honorary Degree, Doctor of Humane Letters.

Others honored at the Commencement Exercises included:

  • Judith Kydon, M.A., M.Ed., President and CEO of St. Dominic鈥檚 Family Services, received an Honorary Degree, Doctor of Humanities.
  • Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe was awarded the Veritas Medal for his service to the community.
  • Wendy St. Felix, 鈥�17, DNP, Family Nurse Practitioner at the Montefiore School Health Program at P.S. 85 in the Bronx, received the 2018 Badami Outstanding Alumna Award.


by on

May 21, 2018

Class of 2018 Senior Gift Unveiled

On the eve of Commencement, a new stainless steel arts sculpture听that represents a 听flame and rotates with the wind was unveiled.听 The sculpture was a gift from the Class of 2018.听 听It is located on a brick pedestal outside of the entrance to the new fitness center.

The new sculpture represents a flame because when St. Dominic鈥檚 mother was pregnant, she dreamed of a dog that held a torch in its mouth.听 The dream is believed to symbolize St. Dominic spreading God鈥檚 light around the world.

The Senior Class Gift has become an annual tradition at Dominican College and is a way for graduating seniors to show their appreciation to the College. 鈥淲e want each senior class to leave a legacy at the College,鈥� said Sal Pennino, Sr. Advancement Officer, who advised the eight student members of the Senior Gift Committee. 鈥淭his is also the first opportunity for these students to give back to the College.听 That鈥檚 important because we rely on our alumni to support the College.鈥�

Past senior gifts include the Charlie the Charger statue, the Hennessy Center flag pole, the Alumni Book of Remembrance, and the Student Life Wall Mural in the Granito Center.

The student members of the 2018 Senior Gift Committee were Amanda Corriere, Amanda Magnotta, John Ameen, Hannah Ameen, Miriam Taylor, Joe Piccini, Patricia Simmons, and Stefani Reyes.

May 20, 2018