CEO of Holt Construction Shares His Business Advice

Jack Holt, CEO of Holt Construction, was the guest speaker at a CEO Forum sponsored by the Palisades Institute.

Jack Holt, CEO of Holt Construction, stressed that customer service should be the first priority of any business during a CEO Forum at Dominican College on November 8, 2017, which was sponsored by the Palisades Institute.

Holt Construction was founded in 1919, by Jack Holt鈥檚 grandfather and remains headquartered in Pearl River in his grandfather鈥檚 home. The company is now ranked one of the top 300 contractors in the U.S. and has offices in Manhattan, Boston, Philadelphia, Houston, Dallas, Goshen, and Newark.He explained how the company grew from its first corporate project of building 500 mouse cages for Lederle Laboratories to constructing baseball stadiums, airport terminals, hotels, and many other large projects.鈥淚t鈥檚 all about the client.We remain steadfast in our commitment to our clients 鈥� offering quality work while keeping their projects on time and on budget,鈥渉e said.

In addition to client satisfaction, Holt told the business leaders in attendance that site safety, a strong commitment to ethics, and embracing modern technology were also keys to his company鈥檚 success. He added that even as the company has grown and changed structurally, Holt Construction has continued to maintain family business values. Holt鈥檚 son and grandson also work at the company.

The aim of the Palisades Institute of Dominican College is to encourage leaders in business, government, and not-for-profit agencies to integrate the concepts of leadership, quality, and ethics to achieve long-term success.

November 8, 2017

Acclaimed Dominican College Christmas Concert to be Held Sunday, December 3

Three vocalists will accompany the Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea during the Dominican College Christmas Concert on Sunday, December 3.

A听beloved Dominican College tradition continues on Sunday, December 3, 2017, with the Annual Christmas Concert featuring the Reverend Alphonse Stephenson and the Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea. The concert will be held at 3 p.m. in the Hennessy Center on the Dominican College Campus at 495 Western Highway in Blauvelt, NY.

The concert features 40 classically-trained musicians, directed by Father Alphonse, who was the conductor and musical director of the 1980鈥檚 Broadway run of A Chorus Line. The orchestra, which will be accompanied by three vocalists, is made up of some of the area鈥檚 finest musicians and performs concerts throughout the region.

Tickets for the concert are priced at $30 for General Admission, $25 for seniors and veterans and $20 for students with a school ID. Concert tickets include a post-performance dessert reception.听 In addition, a Holiday Buffet will be held in the Granito Center at 1 p.m. before the concert, at a cost of $20 per person.听

To purchase tickets, visit 听, e-mail specialevents@duny.edu or call 845-848-7406.

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November 8, 2017

OT Students Create Intergenerational Program for Dominican Sisters

OT student Daniela Naclerio assists preschoolers and Sisters with an intergenerational arts and crafts activity.

Students in the Occupational Therapy Program have been working with Dominican Sisters at the Convent in Blauvelt as part of their Level I fieldwork. Two of the students, Alyana Pomerantz and Daniela Naclerio created an intergenerational program听which involved preschoolers from St. Catharine鈥檚 Early Childhood Center playing and doing听arts and crafts with听 Sisters from the Infirmary on Friday, November 3.

Michael Pizzi, Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy, said, 听鈥淪o the students are creating right now a more interactive thing between the Sisters and the preschoolers and if you observe, the Sisters are smiling.听 They are engaged.听 When they are sitting in their rooms, there is nothing else going on and they sleep.鈥�

Other activities that the OT students have听used to engage the Sisters include gardening, cooking, and painting, as well as socialization and memory activities.

 

November 3, 2017

College Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for Hennessy Expansion

Student athletes demonstrate to College Trustee Dr. Clement Osei how to use equipment in the new fitness center during a tour of the facility.

The latest campus addition 鈥� the Hennessy Center expansion 鈥� was showcased during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, October 19, 2017.

College President Sr. Mary Eileen O鈥橞rien, O.P., Ph.D., reviewed the College history from its founding in 1952 and the need since then for recreational opportunities for residential students. 鈥淭his expansion includes an additional gym, a well-equipped fitness center and creative practice and program space. How grateful we are to the many people who brought it to fruition,鈥� she said.听

Sr. Mary Eileen thanked the Building and Grounds Committee of the Board, Holt Construction, Dominican College鈥檚 Facilities Staff and the many donors. In addition, she thanked State Senator David Carlucci, who was in attendance, for his support.

Senator Carlucci cited a study that found students enrolled in a school fitness center had higher GPAs and were more likely to graduate. That is important, he said, because Dominican College graduates contribute so much to the community.听 鈥淭he things that are going on here at Dominican College don鈥檛 just stay within these walls, they proliferate to our community and improve the quality of life of all of the people in our community and in New York State,鈥� he said.听

The dignitaries and donors at the ceremony toured the improvements and additions to the Hennessy Center, including the new gym, the fitness center, an athletic training lab, and a recruiting/conference room. The festivities included a ribbon-cutting outside both the gym and the fitness center.听 Sr. Barbara McEneany, O.P., Director of Campus Ministry, blessed the area outside of the fitness center with Holy Water.听 In addition, a plaque listing the project鈥檚 top donors was unveiled outside the new gym.听听听

 

October 23, 2017

Social Work Student Battling Lupus Awarded Scholarship

Student Deset Seyoum, a recent L.I.F.E. scholarship winner, is shown here on the Dominican College campus,

Social Work student Deset Seyoum has been awarded a scholarship from the Lupus Inspiration Foundation for Excellence (L.I.F.E.). 听L.I.F.E.鈥檚 mission is to promote lupus awareness and award merit-based scholarships to college students diagnosed with the disease.听 The foundation also offers support to the students.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 my dream come true, 鈥� said Deset. 鈥淚 feel that there鈥檚 someone who can understand me and help me so it means a lot to me.鈥�

Deset is a native of Ethiopia and after moving here to be with her husband in 2014, became very ill with joint pain and rashes. When she was finally diagnosed with lupus, one of her kidneys was nearly failing and听she had to take about 15 medications daily. Today, Deset said she is almost in remission and she takes just four medications. 听听

Deset discovered the L.I.F.E. scholarship application while she was surfing the web for information about lupus. She credits Debra Moniz, Director of the Academic Success Center (ASC), and Sr. Ursula McGovern, O.P.,听 a professional tutor at the ASC, with assisting her with the scholarship application.

 

October 18, 2017

College Board Welcomes Two New Trustees

Sr. Michaela Connelly, O.P., President of the Sisters of St. Dominic of Blauvelt.

Michael Santos, Director of Ethics and Business Standards at Orange and Rockland Utilities

Two new trustees — Michael听Santos and Sr. Michaela Connelly, O.P. — 听are now on the Dominican College Board of Trustees.

Michael Santos has been the Director of Ethics and Business Standards at Orange and Rockland Utilities since 2014 and is responsible for developing, monitoring, and enforcing all aspects of the ethics program. He previously worked for Consolidated Edison in a number of positions concerned with business ethics and employee and labor relations.听 He also sits on the board of the Palisades Institute of Dominican College.听听

Sr. Michaela is the President of the Sisters of St. Dominic of Blauvelt, taking the top leadership position of the Congregation after serving as Vice President from 2011 to 2017.

Sr. 听Michaela also has a long history of working in education. She started her career teaching elementary and junior high school students for the Archdiocese of New York in the Bronx and later served as Dean of Students and Principal at St. Raymond Academy for Girls. 听In addition, she worked at Dominican College from 1972-1987 as Director of Public Relations and Director of Development.听 Sr. Michaela earned a B.S. in Education from Dominican College in 1968 and an M.S. in Education (Administration) from Fordham University in 1973.听

Two highly-respected trustees who are stepping down from the board 鈥� James E. Hennessy and Anthony Montalbano, Esq. 鈥� were approved as Trustee Emeriti at the October Board Retreat.听

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October 17, 2017

Hall of Fame Basketball Coach Bob Hurley Sr. Speaks at Basketball Tip-Off Dinner

The Men鈥檚 Basketball Team, along with their friends and family, got advice on basketball, coaching, and life from legendary basketball coach Bob Hurley Sr. at the Tip-Off Dinner on Thursday, October 12, 2017.

Hurley spoke about how he first started coaching as an 18 year old for CYO Basketball before taking a job at St. Anthony鈥檚 High School in Jersey City, N.J., where his teams won 28 state championships and four national titles.

College Trustee and former DC Basketball Player Michael McLaughlin introduced Coach Hurley by saying that he has changed lives. 鈥淵ou want to talk about character? Here鈥檚 a man that could have demanded a seven or eight figure contract and gotten it at will later on in his career,鈥� said McLaughlin. 听鈥淗e bypassed that because there was a community that needed him.鈥�

Coach Hurley said over the years he became comfortable in his skin and learned the best way to coach based on his personality. His advice to the players in attendance was that they should concentrate on individually being the best they can be.听

Coach Hurley was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010 and was a 2017 ESPY Award winner as 鈥淏est Coach.鈥� He ended his speech talking about the ESPY award ceremony and being among great athletes.

鈥淔rom being in a little gym, upper 30 school in Jersey City on Friday nights at 18, to being almost 70 years old being on the ESPY鈥檚, it was quite a run,鈥� he said.

The 2017 Men鈥檚 Basketball Tip-Off Dinner was held at Casa Mia Manor House in Blauvelt.

 

October 13, 2017

Palisades Institute Forum Focuses on Data Centers

Panelists shown left to right are: J. Todd Raymond, CEO and Managing Partner of 1547; Bill Kohlman, Consultant; Alan Posner, Senior Solution Architect at VirtuIT Systems; and John Bonczek, President of Datacenter Division at 1547.

Local businesses leaders had a lot a questions for panelists at a Palisades Institute forum that focused on how businesses can utilize the resources of a modern data center. The forum was held on October 11, 2017, at the fifteenfortyseven Critical Systems Realty (1547) in Orangeburg, NY.听 The company owns, operates, and develops data center facilities around the country.听 Topics discussed included safeguarding the physical security of data systems, cyber security, and the need for disaster recovery.

J. Todd Raymond, CEO and Managing Partner of 1547, said a data center can allow your business to keep running in the event of an emergency. 鈥淲e鈥檙e in an environment now where we鈥檝e had three major hurricanes in the U.S. We have fires raging out in California,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd of course, Superstorm Sandy, which drove a lot of demand for disaster recovery.鈥�

The other panelists were: Bill Kohlman, a consultant; Alan Posner, Senior Solution Architect, VirtuIT Systems; and John Bonczek, President of Datacenter Division, 1547. Following the panel discussion, participants took a tour of the 1547 facility.

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. The Institute encourages professionals to integrate the concepts of leadership, quality, and ethics to achieve long-term success.

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October 11, 2017

Delegation from China Visits Dominican College

A delegation from the Medical School of Quzhou College of Technology in China attended a three-day healthcare seminar in the Badami Room during a visit to Dominican College.

A delegation of听Chinese doctors, nurses, and professors from the Medical School of Quzbou College of Technology visited Dominican College October 3-6, 2017, to learn more about the education of health care professionals in the United States. The participants attended three full days of seminars taught by Dominican College faculty.

Yao Shuihong, Dean of the Medical School and head of the delegation, said the instruction was very helpful. 鈥淎s the society is aging in China, there is a lack of qualified nursing personnel, so it is crucial that we solve the issues involved in nursing education,鈥� he said.听

The delegation is looking for ways to improve China鈥檚 education of nursing students. As part of the trip to Dominican College, the delegation visited the infirmary at the Convent of the Sisters of St. Dominic. The trip concluded with a tour of Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern.听

 

October 9, 2017

Delegation from China Visits Dominican College

A delegation from the Medical School of Quzhou College of Technology in China attended a three-day healthcare seminar in the Badami Room during a visit to Dominican College.

A delegation of听Chinese doctors, nurses, and professors from the Medical School of Quzbou College of Technology visited Dominican College October 3-6, 2017, to learn more about the education of health care professionals in the United States. The participants attended three full days of seminars taught by Dominican College faculty.

Yao Shuihong, Dean of the Medical School and head of the delegation, said the instruction was very helpful. 鈥淎s the society is aging in China, there is a lack of qualified nursing personnel, so it is crucial that we solve the issues involved in nursing education,鈥� he said.听

The delegation is looking for ways to improve China鈥檚 education of nursing students. As part of the trip to Dominican College, the delegation visited the infirmary at the Convent of the Sisters of St. Dominic. The trip concluded with a tour of Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern.听

 

October 9, 2017

New Members Inducted Into Athletic Hall of Fame 2017

The new members of the Athletic Hall of Fame at the Induction Ceremony. Shown left to right, Jaclyn Spitaleri, Kyle Clancy, Jamar Snider, Sr. Mary Eileen O’Brien, O.P., and Michael Zani.

Five new inductees were welcomed into the 星空传媒 Athletic Hall of Fame during a ceremony on Friday, September 29, 2017, 听in the Granito Center. The new inductees include: Sr. Mary Eileen O鈥橞rien, O.P., 鈥�64, Service; Jaclyn Spitaleri, 鈥�07, Basketball; Michael Zani, 鈥�07 Baseball; Kyle Clancy, 鈥�06, Soccer; and Jamar Snider, 鈥�01, Basketball.听

Sr. Mary Eileen O鈥橞rien, O.P., 鈥�64, Service

John Burke, Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students, described Sr. Mary Eileen as a humble leader who holds athletics close to her heart. As President of the University for about 30 years, she has been at the helm, he pointed out, for about 60 percent of the University’s athletic history.听 鈥淪r. Mary Eileen I think is on the short list of the most valuable people to the 50 years of athletics at the University.鈥�听

Sr. Mary Eileen thanked those gathered for the honor. 鈥淚t has been a privilege to serve with so many good people interested in very important and good things,鈥� she said. 鈥淕o Chargers! We need your team spirit, your strong bodies, your keen minds, and determination to win.鈥�

Jaclyn Spitaleri, 鈥�07, Basketball

Basketball inductee Jacklyn Spitaleri was a strong, athletic. and smart basketball player, according to her former coach John Burke. 鈥淚 think she was by far the most talented point guard we ever had here, 鈥� he said.听 Burke pointed out that she was the all-time leader in assists with 530 assists, held the single season record with 173 assists her senior year and scored more than 1100 points.听

Spitaleri told the crowd gathered that she couldn鈥檛 express how honored she was to be at the induction ceremony, 鈥淚 took great pride in being a Dominican Charger and will hold onto those memories for the rest of my life,鈥�听 she said.

Michael Zani, 鈥�07, Baseball

Baseball Coach Rick Gianetti said Michael Zani was a solid player, a great lead-off hitter, and made two of the greatest catches he has ever seen. Zani was a member of the 2006 team that won the CACC Tournament Championship and played in the NCAA East Regional Tournament .听 He has the second most hits in College history at 214.听 Zani thanked his family and friends and said at Dominican College he learned to be respectful and to value other people.听 鈥淏aseball was a big part of my life.听 It impacted me on and off the field,鈥�听 he said.听

Kyle Clancy, 鈥�06, Soccer

Kyle Clancy was a 鈥渄ream find鈥� for any coach, according to former Dominican College Soccer Coach Michael Swanwick, who came back to the College to speak about Clancy during the induction ceremony. 鈥淗e scored 71 goals in his college career and the majority of them were game winning goals 鈥� games right down to the end 鈥� nail-biters,鈥�听 he said.听 While Clancy was at Dominican College, 听the soccer team won three conference championships.听 Swanwick said in addition to having excellent soccer skills, Clancy was an excellent student, a great teammate, and a nice guy.听

Clancy pointed out that as a forward, he got to score the goals, but stressed that he had a great team behind him. 鈥淭he real reason I鈥檓 able to receive this amazing honor tonight is my teammates,鈥� he said.听

Jamar Snider, 鈥�01, Basketball

Coach Joe Clinton said Jamar Snider was the reason the University won a Conference Championship two years in a row. He scored over 1,000 points in three years and grabbed over 500 rebounds.听 Coach Clinton stressed that Snider also had tremendous loyalty to the program and the school and years later likes to give the basketball team pep talks when they are playing near his New Jersey home.听 鈥淚鈥檓 proud of him.听 He鈥檚 well-deserving and again one of the best players to ever put on a Charger uniform 鈥� especially all-around players,鈥� said Clinton. 听听

Snider talked about the relationship that he鈥檚 built to the school over the years听and spoke to his teammates and Coach. 鈥淭o that relationship I say thank you guys, I say I love you guys.听 It鈥檚 been a wonderful ride and a great journey,鈥� he said. 听

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September 30, 2017

College Celebrates Founders Week

Reverend Claudio Carvalhaes, Ph.D., wore wings and played a guitar during his Keynote Presentation in the Hennessy Center.

The annual celebration of Founders Week got underway on Monday, September 25, 2017, 听with an impassioned, animated keynote address delivered by Rev. Claudio Carvalhaes, Ph.D., in the Hennessy Center.

This year, Founders Week focuses on the life and work of Antonio de Montesinos, O.P., a 16th century Dominican Preacher in Hispaniola who spoke out against the exploitation of the indigenous people under Spanish Conquest. Rev. Carvalhaes compared that struggle to the civil rights movement, Black Lives Matter, the fight against global warming, and the struggle to protect Native Americans鈥� land in the U.S.

Rev. Carvalhaes used props and videos as he shared the story of his childhood in Brazil in which his mother and the community gave him 鈥渨ings” to fly. He even put on a pair of wings in the middle of his address and played the video of the song 鈥淕lory鈥� from the movie Selma.听 Rev.听 Carvalhaes said that Montesinos had used his wings and sang a song of glory to help the indigenous people, and Martin Luther King had used his wings and song of glory during the Civil Rights movement.

Then Rev. Carvalhaes challenged the students, faculty and administrators in attendance, 鈥淣ow it is to you and to me. Where are your wings?听 What are our songs of glory? 鈥� 听he asked.听

Rev. Carvalhaes is a theologian, liturgist, and artist, who is an Associate Professor and Union Theological Seminary in New York City. In 2017, he spoke at the 800th Jubilee of the Order of Preachers听in Rome, Italy.听

For a complete list of Founders Week activities, please click here:听听

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September 25, 2017