Here’s a roundup of stories about Wagner College that have appeared in the news media in November and December 2010:
LIEBERMAN TO LEAD LA VERNE
The most significant Wagner College news story of the last couple of months was not the one that generated the most coverage: the announcement made last week by the University of La Verne, in eastern Los Angeles County, that our provost and vice president for academic affairs, Dr. Devorah Lieberman, would become their next president at the end of June. In addition to a news story by Wagner College alumna and adjunct professor Claire Regan in the Staten Island Advance, there were two stories by San Gabriel Valley (Cal.) Tribune reporter Mediha Fejzagic DiMartino — one published Dec. 8, the other on Dec. 12.
CAREY INSTITUTE OP-EDs
The single most prolific source of media exposure for Wagner College, not only during the period covered by the current roundup but over the last 3 years, has been Joshua Spivak, who writes “op-ed” essays on current political affairs as a senior research fellow of Wagner College’s Hugh L. Carey Institute for Government Reform. Spivak’s essays have been published in newspapers all across the country. Since the beginning of 2008, Joshua has seen 58 of his essays published in print and online. Most of his essays look for an understanding of what has happened historically as a way of gaining realistic perspective on a current issue. Spivak has written more about recall elections than about any other single topic; more than 1 in 4 of his essays have been on recall campaigns.
In the two-month period covered by the current media roundup, 10 new op-ed essays by Spivak have been published; you’ll find links to all 10, along with all the other opinion essays he has written for Wagner College, on the Carey Institute web page — scroll to the bottom of the page for the most recent entries.
Spivak was also cited twice this month as a recall expert in news stories on local recall campaigns: in the Dec. 4 issue of the Omaha World-Herald, and again in an Associated Press story distributed nationwide on Dec. 10.
PROF. LACHMAN’S HUGH CAREY BIO
This summer, the SUNY Press published a new political biography of former Gov. Hugh Carey, titled “The Man Who Saved New York,” co-authored by Wagner College Prof. Seymour Lachman. The book has become a surprise best seller, at one point ranking as the #1 nonfiction book on state and local government on Amazon.com. It has captured the attention of politicians like governor-elect Andrew Cuomo, who will inherit a state budget nearly as distressed as the one that faced Hugh Carey in January 1975. The book has also fascinated political reporters throughout the Empire State.
During this media update period, we tracked five interviews or significant citations of Prof. Lachman’s book. In early November, CUNY-TV’s “City Talk” current affairs program aired a 30-minute interview with Lachman and his co-author, former Newsday reporter Robert Polner. You can listen to an audio recording of the program in our online Newsroom.
Four newspaper pieces — two in the New York Times, two in the Buffalo News — cited Prof. Lachman’s book in looking at New York State’s current fiscal condition:
WAGNER COLLEGE THEATRE
The nationally renowned Wagner College Theatre program once again drew significant press notice during this most recent media update period:
- The Staten Island Advance Weekly Entertainment section (AWE) wrote about the most recent play by WCT alum Buddy Thomas, which is being staged in an Off Broadway venue.
- Advance arts editor Michael J. Fressola wrote about a visit to the Wagner College Theatre performance of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” by playwright Michael Finn.
- The BroadwayWorld.com theater news website announced the Wagner College Theatre production of “Spelling Bee.”
- On Nov. 16, New York 1’s Angela Chen reported on a Staten Island staging of “Tony & Tina’s Wedding” that includes several current Wagner College Theatre students. More information about the performances is available on the production’s website.
MILES GROTH, MALE STUDIES
Wagner College psychology professor Mile’s Groth’s work in the field of male studies continues to draw media attention, and he continues to publish his own articles on the subject in several online journals:
- On the ‘Voice for Men’ website, Nov. 8
- Cited in a Staten Island Advance news story, Nov. 28
- On the website of the Australian Institute of Male Health & Studies, Dec. 1
- In Contemporary Psychotherapy (Vol. II, No. 2), Dec. 6
GENERAL
In addition to news stories and publications under the above headings, we found 14 additional stories, photos or covers citing Wagner College in the media:
- Wagner College nursing alumna and adjunct professor Josephine Guglielmino Marcantonio MSN’09 was featured on the cover of the Nov. 8 issue of Nursing Spectrum New York for her earlier Nursing Spectrum excellence award.
- A book about Wagner College’s recent history by former President Norman Smith was featured in a Staten Island Sunday Advance review, Nov. 14.
- A brief in the Nov. 15 Advance highlighted a $4,000 grant to fund the Wagner College Men’s Center by alums Harold and Lynne Theurer.
- Two briefs in the Advance previewed an upcoming visit by author Adriania Trigiani, one on Nov. 16, the other on Dec. 2.
- A standalone photo in the Advance’s AWE tab reminded readers of the upcoming performance by the Wagner Jazz Ensemble, directed by Prof. Robert Delfausse.
- A Nov. 18 news article in the Advance North Shore section highlighted a visit with Provost Devorah Lieberman and business professor Donnie Crooks by a delegation from Fudan University in Shanghai, China.
- In a Nov. 23 article (with photo), the Advance announced a $25,000 gift from the Northfield Bank Foundation to Wagner College.
- In a Nov. 24 Advance “Your Soap Box” feature, alumnus Joel Richardson lauded his alma mater.
- In the Dec. 1 issue of Lutheran New Yorker, the newsletter of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America’s Metropolitan New York Synod, a front-page photo and inside story highlighted Wagner College’s interfaith chapel in Kairos House.
- Two news stories featured the community interactions of Freshman LC 20, taught by professors Lori Weintrob and Steve Presskill, with teachers and students at Port Richmond High School — a video story broadcast Dec. 3 on New York 1, and a print story published in the Dec. 10 Advance.
- The feature story on the Dec. 8 New York Times Sports Wednesday page was a profile of Wagner College basketball coaches Danny and Bobby Hurley.
- A front-page article in the Dec. 13 Advance featured a story by reporter Frank Donnelly about Wagner College President Richard Guarasci and his take on the college’s future — which was, according to the headline, expected to be bright!
- And, finally, the Dec. 16 Advance ran a standalone photo of this year's second degree nursing graduates. Congratulations, Wagner nurse leaders!
