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It has been another great year, Panthers! From having fun on the field to breaking down barriers, we've shared so many amazing moments.

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It has been another great year, Panthers! From having fun on the field to breaking down barriers, we’ve shared so many amazing moments. While it is hard to narrow them down, here are our picks for Adelphi’s Top 18 Moments of 2018.


Adelphi orientation leaders get “Shiggy” with it in viral dance video

Can our orientation leaders dance? We sure think so. Adelphi orientation leaders proved they’ve got talent just before the Adelphi’s Got Talent show, doing the viral “Shiggy” dance and racking up over 50,000 views on Instagram.

We raised more than $76,000 as part of Heart of Gold Adelphi Giving Day 2018

This year’s Giving Day proved our Adelphi community has a heart of gold. Together, we gave 836 gifts for a total of $76,935 and helped fund over 30 projects. Bonus: Dean Garner, Ph.D.’s Honors College students and alumni doubled their total gifts from 2017!

Bridging the gap: Adelphi opens innovative Sensory Room for students with autism spectrum disorder

Succeeding in college can be a challenge for students who are on the autism spectrum or have sensory issues. We’re proud to say that our Bridges to Adelphi Program is taking the lead on helping these students by opening the Sensory Room—the first of its kind on a college or university campus—so these students have their own space to decompress.

Hamilton star Mandy Gonzalez encourages students to not “throw away their shot”

How lucky we were to have Mandy Gonzalez take a break from being Angelica Schuyler in Broadway’s Hamilton to come to the Adelphi Performing Arts Center! She even invited some Adelphi students onstage to sing with her.

Research Day has historic turnout

We made history at the 15th Adelphi University Research Conference. It was our biggest turnout, with 260 student sharing their academic discoveries as they presented a total of 100 posters and gave 66 talks.

Every dog has its day

President Riordan has had quite a year, and so has her dog, Georgia! Blossoming into a celebrity, Georgia got her closeup from New York City’s PIX 11 TV News. From meeting future first-years on Accepted Students Day to helping undergrads and grads de-stress before finals, she’s there to support our Panthers from start to finish.

Adelphi releases a ladybug army to keep the campus blooming

Adelphi goes green and red with black spots. This year, 72,000 ladybugs were released to help keep our campus healthy without chemical pesticides. Even our youngest Panthers—the preschoolers in the Alice Brown Early Learning Center—helped out. Once those ladybugs have finished feasting on destructive aphids on our campus, they take flight into the community and destroy these pests in our neighbors’ yards.

Panther Pantry makes its grand opening to help those who struggle with food insecurity

Anyone—even college students, faculty or staff—can experience food insecurity. We were proud to address this problem and help those in need by opening our Panther Pantry this year.

Midnight Madness moment: Student wins lip sync battle and the hearts of the basketball team players

At Midnight Madness, Justin Weekes ’19 put on an unforgettable performance of Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” and was rewarded for his efforts by roaring applause from the crowd, a lift from the basketball team and the prize of a 40-inch smart TV. No wonder Weekes said, “This was the best night of my college career.”

Adelphi rises in the rankings

This year, U.S. News & World Report, Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education, Niche.com and several other rankings outlets recognized Adelphi’s impressive upward trajectory.

World Series class act: Alumnus throws first pitch

Doug Flynn ’89 threw out the first pitch in the World Series Game 2 at Fenway Park in Boston. Doug represented Adelphi well—and didn’t bounce it!

Ben and Jerry bring flavor and business advice to Adelphi community

Legendary entrepreneurs Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield came to Adelphi to share their business knowledge (and some ice cream) with our Panthers. They discussed entrepreneurial spirit, social responsibility, radical business philosophy and more.

Barking up the right (fossilized) tree

Michael D’Emic, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, organized a research team that discovered a fossil revealing the oldest known giant flowering tree in North America, evidence that such trees were present here 15 million years earlier than previously thought.

Adelphi introduces a gender-inclusive concept for Spirit Weekend

Move aside king and queen—Prestigious Panthers are here. During Spirit Weekend, for the first time ever, we introduced the gender-neutral name for a more inclusive Spirit Court.

A model for diversity and inclusion: Adelphi wins HEED Award

For years, Adelphi has been diving into diversity. This year we received the HEED Award that is given to the top 2 percent of universities in the country for diversity. We also advanced our Campus Pride Index rank to 4.5 out of 5 stars. Making our students feel welcome is a priority, which is why we celebrated National Coming Out Day with a discussion where panelists shared their emotional experiences and our Adelphi community declared our support.

Adelphi gets a new provost: Steve Everett

On July 1, Steve Everett, D.M.A., went from dean at the University of Illinois at Chicago to provost at Adelphi. An accomplished composer, conductor and professor of music, Dr. Everett is also the executive vice president with big plans to come.

More than 1,700 Panthers walk the stage at 122nd Commencement

Seeing our Panthers receive their diplomas is always a proud and exciting moment. It is bittersweet to see our seniors go, but we eagerly await what they will do next. Our 2018 Class President Isuri Wijesundara said it best: “This is it. Take charge and create your adventures, Panthers. We did it!”

Men’s soccer team takes on the snow

They weren’t going to let a few flurries stop them. Adelphi men’s soccer team braved the snow and took the NCAA Division II East Region crown.

Honorable mention

Fantastic alumni:

  • Sarah O’Connor ’16 biked 4,000 miles from New York to Los Angeles and raised more than $15,000 for local charity, The INN.
  • Dylan Libby ’16—who plays Groot in Marvel Universe Live! Age of Heroes—and co-stars Isaac Spooner and Kait Larsen demonstrated some moves for Adjunct Professor Ray Rodriguez ’88’s stage combat class.
  • Mirirai Sithole ’12 won a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play for her work in School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play.

Librarian in space: 

Sally Stieglitz, J.D., University Libraries adjunct professor, was welcomed to California to live-tweet the NASA Mars Landing. She even met Bill Nye “the Science Guy”.

Saying so long to straws: 

Adelphi has vowed to be even more eco-friendly—plastic straws will be available only on request.

Nursing’s 75th anniversary: 

During National Nurses Week, the College of Nursing and Public Health marked its 75th anniversary with many celebrations.


For further information, please contact:

Todd Wilson
Strategic Communications Director 
p – 516.237.8634
e – twilson@adelphi.edu

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