Being Brooklyn born and bred, I am very proud of all the great institutions in the county. One of the most powerful ones is Kingsborough Community College in Manhattan Beach, sitting on the tip of the bay.
CUNY just appointed an interim president following the retirement of President Farley Herzek: 30-year staff member Peter Cohen, who has served the college in many leadership roles before taking the seat in the president’s office. He seems like a perfect fit — passionate and knowledgeable about the students, faculty and community, and devoted to student achievement.
In a conversation in his office, he shared his goals for his students, leading with helping them to graduate in two years. Some have basic needs — buying an MTA pass and money for food. He explained that basic issues like those two cause the majority of dropouts.
He spoke with pride about the achievement program for students as soon as they register. “We monitor the students’ needs as soon as classes begin and help them resolve the issues that block them from coming to school,” he said.
In addition, he spoke of the quality and dedication of the staff who are among the best in their fields, from NASA researchers to top chefs to behavioral scientists.
I was impressed with his challenge to his students to take risks, get out of their comfort zones and move to experience new things and “reinvent” themselves.
With his enthusiasm and encouragement, his students are sure to excel and complete their two years then move on to earn a degree from a four-year college
He is certainly the best cheerleader and advocate for his students.
Honoring Long Island’s Power Women
There was a full moon and excitement in the air as the Power Women of Long Island took their places to be honored by the Star Network and the Long Island Press, our newest acquisition.
The staff at Leonard’s of Great Neck greeted my team as we prepared a night to remember forever for the 50 women we were recognizing. They are an extraordinary class of remarkable people.
As the honorees gathered in the VIP room to share their journey, I was again impressed with their accomplishments. Madeline Singas, the newly elected DA of Nassau County, related how there are still glass ceilings to be crushed, with too few women serving in the government and courts, and she shared statistics to prove her point.
I was struck also by the words of honoree Dr. Karen Kostroff, the esteemed breast surgeon, who strongly, urgently and vehemently alerted the women in the room to take time to take care of themselves, get an annual mammogram and consider a test called color.com. She explained that the test, similar to ancestry.com, is a cheek swab that can reveal any propensity you might have to a series of diseases, a stunning way to prevent and detect early potentially deadly diseases.
It was a night of celebration as the women made their way down the runway and heard the cheers of their friends, family and colleagues. I was thrilled to honor my friend Juliana Terian, the CEO of Rallye Auto Group, who brought 20 women from her dealerships to the celebration. They all backed her up as together they walked, danced and strolled down the red carpet.
The evening was a true tribute to women power!
