Produced by: Office of Marketing and Communications
August 21, 2017
St. John’s University celebrated a new chapter in its service to the Long Island academic community with the blessing and dedication on Thursday, August 17, of its new Long Island Graduate Center, located in Hauppauge, NY.
More than 50 members of the St. John’s University community joined local educators for the event. Conrado “Bobby” Gempesaw, Ph.D., President of St. John’s University, officiated at the ceremony. Rev. Bernard Tracey, C.M., Executive Vice President for Mission, offered the blessing.
The dedication was followed by a brief reception and tours conducted by University staff.
“In 147 years, our mission has not changed,” said Dr. Gempesaw. “St. John’s continues to strive to provide excellent education for all people, especially those lacking economic, physical, or social advantages.”
Dr. Gempesaw said the new Center “will enhance the University’s presence in Suffolk County, and partner with many of you in the community in expanding educational opportunities for our students. The graduate students who will be attending programs in this facility will become the future leaders in their respective fields.”
He added, “I am very optimistic that this new Center will be the impetus for more academic and community partnerships in this part of the state.”
Beginning this fall, the 11,000-square-foot facility will offer selected graduate programs from The School of Education and St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Graduate offerings from The Peter J. Tobin College of Business will be available starting fall 2018. To date, over 200 graduate students have registered for the fall 2017 semester.
“We are very excited and look forward to benefitting from this extraordinary space,” observed Robert Mangione, Ed.D., Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. “St. John’s University has a strong commitment to, and great success in serving, the students of Suffolk County. Today we reaffirm and strengthen that great tradition.”
The Graduate Center includes six state-of-the-art classrooms, video-equipped conference rooms for interactive learning, offices for full-time faculty based on-site, student gathering spaces, and an area for special events hosted by the University and its educational partners on Long Island.
“We’ve been looking forward to this day for over a year,” noted Michael Sampson, Ph.D., Dean of The School of Education. “Seeing it become a reality is a joy for all of us.” He added, “The School of Education is proud to continue our partnership with Long Island districts and educators through this beautiful new facility.”
Thomas P. Dolan, Ed.D., Director of the Long Island Graduate Center, observed, “What we dedicate today is an environment conducive to resolving the issues we confront now in education, and those we will confront in the future. That work has always been done by St. John’s, and it will continue far into the future.”