A 75-Year Legacy on Campus

Hitting a 75th anniversary isn’t just a fun milestone—it’s a testament to student grit.

Launching right after World War II, The Delphian quickly became the heart of campus conversation. Whenever history unfolded, Adelphi communications, history and political science majors were on the front lines, documenting everything from cafeteria menus to major national turning points like the Vietnam War protests, the Civil Rights Movement, Watergate and the COVID-19 pandemic.

While earlier publications existed—like the Adelphi College Fortnightly (1921–1946) and the Adelphi Guidon (1946–1951)—it was The Delphian that truly took root, growing from a scrappy four-page weekly paper into an award-winning newsroom.

In its very first issue, the inaugural student editors issued a bold call to action that still drives the team today:

“Take notice, Adelphi, and give your representative voice all your backing. The Delphian is new, but most of all, the year is new. What better time is there to get those dingy scowls off our faces and ‘do something’?”

Today, The Delphian is winning recognition—including three awards in 2025 from the Press Club of Long Island, and many others over the years, including Best College Newspaper and Best College Reporter.

Time Travel in the Campus Archives

How did past generations handle absolute chaos? In the spring of 2026, Professor Maria Cristina Zaccarini, PhD, took students from her sophomore history deep into the archives at Swirbul Library to find out.

Heading down the stairs and into the stacks, students cracked open old issues of The Delphian from the 1960s and 1970s, analyzing how past Panthers reacted to the Vietnam War, the political earthquake of Watergate and the fight for gender equality.

“Adelphi was ahead of the curve in many ways with the free speech movement and protesting the Vietnam War,” Dr. Zaccarini explained. “There were incredible insights that made you understand the mindset of the entire community, just like our newspaper today helps us understand who we are right now.”

Launching Real Careers (and Bestselling Authors)

Joining the Delphian team isn’t just an extracurricular—it’s a hands-on career accelerator. You learn how to ask tough questions, connect with people of all kinds, meet real deadlines and lead teams.

Consider Alice Hoffman ’73, ’02 (Hon.). Before she became the New York Times bestselling author of the hit novel Practical Magic, she was sitting in the Delphian newsroom developing her writing voice.

Liza Burby, senior adjunct at Adelphi and faculty adviser for The Delphian from 2013 to 2025, emphasizes that student journalism pushes people out of their comfort zones in the best way possible, preparing them for their careers.

“Having to come up with article ideas, figure out how to get the information you need to tell the story, and then being able to either interview someone on the phone or across a table—those are skills that a lot of people are really hesitant to pursue,” she said.

Professor of communications Paul Thaler, PhD, who preceded Burby as advisor to the paper, sees work on the paper as a powerful rite of passage for students.

“As a student-journalist, you are an active witness to events and also a commentator to ongoing matters of importance on campus, with the power to heighten the collective consciousness of the University,” he said. “In short, a student writing for The Delphian now wears the badge of a journalist—and that is an empowering feeling.”

That culture of mentorship creates a chain reaction where experienced editors help train the newest writers on campus.

“I’ve grown so much as a writer,” said Arpan Josan, a recent editor-in-chief who will graduate in December 2026. “It has challenged me to create meaningful articles and engage with different topics. As an editor, I’ve been able to help younger writers develop their skills while sharpening my own.

The Next Page

The Delphian is not standing still. Current faculty adviser Suzanne Valenza and the student staff are focused on leveling up their digital footprint.

“Our goal is to make the absolute go-to spot for campus news,” Valenza said. “We are building a strong staff with regular meetings in our redesigned office—a space where students can hang out, swap story ideas, debate current events or just kick back with friends.”

Alumni and current students are also invited to celebrate 75 years of student voices at a special anniversary event on October 17 as part of Spirit Weekend.

It’s a homecoming for generations of writers, photographers and designers who left their mark on campus—and proof that student voices at Adelphi continue to shape the future.

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The two award winners embody Adelphi’s commitment to scholarship, service and global citizenship. They also reflect the University’s commitment to helping students gain access to experiences that transform lives. Both worked with Adelphi’s Office of Prestigious Awards and Fellowships to navigate the application process, secure effective letters of recommendation and prepare for interviews.

“Our office was delighted to work with these Fulbright awardees,” said Nicole Rudolph, PhD, director of the Office of Prestigious Awards and Fellowships and associate dean for student engagement. “Each brought a true passion for international education and global connection to the application process, and we are so pleased that the U.S. Fulbright Committee recognized their potential by granting them English Teaching Assistantships.”

Applying for the fellowship can be just as valuable as receiving one, according to Dean Rudolph. “Applying for a nationally competitive award is a wonderful way for students to think deeply about their objectives, priorities and values,” she said. “Students tell us that the application process itself helped them to clarify their life goals, improve their written and oral communication, and refine their time management skills.”

Julia Carpio’s Leap to Greece

For Julia Carpio ’25, MA ’26, who received her MA in Childhood Education and Advanced Certificate in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) in May, winning a prestigious Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship award was the culmination of a lifelong dream.

A self-described “shy, quiet and reserved” child, Carpio first found her path to teaching thanks to a kindergarten teacher who made her feel like she could achieve anything. Combined with the inspiration of her mother, a high school Spanish teacher, education was in Carpio’s blood. “Our (Adelphi) professors tell us all the time that teaching is a calling, it’s not a job—you have to have a true passion for it,” she said.

That calling will soon take her to an elementary school in Athens, Greece, where she’ll spend a year teaching English to students. The Fulbright program’s focus on multilingual education and cultural exchange matched the path she was already on. “I really wanted to dive into teaching and get as much as I could out of multilingual education,” she said.

Carpio can point to specific moments—and people—who nudged her from dream to decision. One was a , led by Mary Jean McCarthy, clinical associate professor in the Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences. “That was where I fell in love with multilingual education and learning from educators from different parts of the world,” she recalled.

McCarthy connected Carpio with Professor Clara Vaz Bauler, PhD, professor in the School of Education who became an anchor for her Fulbright ambitions. Daryl M. Gordon, PhD, who is also a professor in the School of Education, and Priya Wadhera, PhD, professor and interim director of the Office of Prestigious Awards and Fellowships last year, helped with her application. Shannon Harrison, director of Adelphi’s Center for International Education, first mentioned Fulbright to Carpio and walked her through options for teaching abroad. “So many people helped me get here,” Carpio said.

She chose Greece deliberately. Many Fulbright placements only put scholars in schools part time, but the Athens program puts Carpio in the classroom five days a week and some Saturdays. “I want to be 100 percent part of the staff,” she explained.

Carpio’s hopes for the year abroad are practical. “I want to walk away as a more effective educator,” she said. She wants to watch how Greek teachers structure lessons, what questions they ask, how they respond to multilingual students—and then carry those insights into whatever classroom she steps into next.

Long term, she sees Fulbright as the first in a series of international chapters in her life. She wants to keep teaching abroad and eventually pursue a PhD in international and comparative education.

Hussein Ali Rifath: Making a Difference in Madrid

By the time Hussein Ali Rifath ’26 learned he’d been selected for a Fulbright, he’d spent four years at Adelphi growing into the kind of person who sees scholarship as service.

“It’s been a journey of growth for me,” said Rifath, who served as president of the Class of 2026 and president of Adelphi’s Student Government Association. This fall, he will travel to Spain to help public school students sharpen their English, engage with global issues and see America in a new light.

“We’re being citizen diplomats,” he says of himself and his fellow Fulbright recipients. “We’re not just working as educators; we’re advancing our foreign relations abroad.”

For Rifath, his Fulbright sits at the intersection of everything that’s been on his mind as he graduates: America’s role in the world, the power of education and a personal desire to serve.

“I feel like now, more than ever, it’s important for Americans to get involved,” he said.

He’s especially aware that many students abroad only know the United States through politics and headlines. His goal is “to give a nuanced view, to show that we have two sides to our political spectrum, like every country. I want to give people a more comprehensive message about what America is, what we stand for. I want them to see us as a vibrant, welcoming society that not only cherishes them but also cherishes the human bonds which unite us across the world.”

In Madrid, Rifath will work with two programs that bring global awareness into local schools. “I’ll help students articulate themselves in English and speak about pressing issues across the world—like climate change and international relations,” he explained.

Rifath credits two Adelphi faculty members with helping him win a Fulbright: Ignacio Arellano-Torres, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, and Dr. Vaz Bauler, the education professor who also inspired Julia Carpio. “They helped me discover my passion for learning language,” he said.

Fulbright is just one chapter in Rifath’s plan for a life centered on service. “Long term, I see myself joining the military,” he says, which he sees as a way to serve his community and country. “Through it all, my goal is to get involved in ways that benefit the community.”

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But the Nordic voice hasn’t always spoken so loudly on the international stage. In 2003, Katie Laatikainen, PhD, professor and chair of Adelphi’s Department of Political Science and International Relations, published “” (Cooperation and Conflict), which examined the disappearance of the “Nordic voice”—the bloc of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden—from the United Nations.

At the time, the European Union’s (EU) progressive policies resonated strongly with Nordic states, who were willing to operate as part of a larger EU coalition. In the intervening years, however, those policies changed. “After they joined the UN in the 1990s, Nordic states felt they could push the EU to be as progressive as they were,” Dr. Laatikainen said. The Nordic bloc also believed the UN would remain a strong supporter of multilateralism, or the practice of multiple entities organizing toward a common goal, which is integral to the Nordic international identity. “But it became clear that wasn’t going to happen.”

The Once-Quiet Nordic Voice Starts to Speak Up

In the mid-2010s, Dr. Laatikainen noticed that the Nordic bloc was beginning to reclaim its voice, issuing collective statements that went farther than EU stances, sometimes alongside the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Now, she’s back with a new article that builds on a decade of research and observation: “,” written with longtime collaborator Karen Smith, PhD, of the London School of Economics. (In 2020, the two published the book Group Politics in UN Multilateralism, which won the Academic Council on the United Nations System Biennial Book Award.) The article was accepted into the , a showcase for world-class scholarship on the history of Nordic international relations.

Although the Nordic states have continued to release independent statements, “there’s been this emphasis on establishing a Nordic voice as opposed to a national voice as the main dimension of their diplomatic outreach,” Dr. Laatikainen said. While researching the article, she had been shown an internal document among the Nordic states that asked diplomats to emphasize a collective voice. “It was a conscious practice, and we wanted to figure out why.”

Fractures in the EU-Nordic Relationship

As a study on international practice theory once noted, “practices exist, first and foremost, in the eyes of practitioners.” Drs. Laatikainen and Smith spoke to 24 diplomats from the Nordic and Baltic states as well as the EU, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the UK. Their interviews revealed divisions between states and blocs that had formerly engaged in multilateralism.

Historically, Nordic concerns at the UN have centered on human rights, especially women’s, children’s, indigenous, and gender rights. But as several EU states grew more conservative, weakening the EU’s progressive agenda, progressive EU multilateralism fell by the wayside. With their values compromised, Nordic states were no longer content to work only within the EU’s diplomatic coalition.

Solving an Identity Crisis

The Nordic bloc had more in mind than accomplishing policy goals. “People think UN politics are about getting votes,” Dr. Laatikainen said, “but we contend that these diplomatic practices are as much about identity.” She and Dr. Smith drew on the concept of ontological security, or the need to experience the self as a continuous whole, to explain the reappearance of the Nordic voice.

“When we think about national security, we think about military security and arms races,” Dr. Laatikainen said. Ontological security, however, is about social and psychological desire. The safety of Nordic states had not been threatened by rising conservatism within the EU, but their existential position was. “These states were worried. ‘Are we losing who we are?’ We all want to maintain a sense of identity, whether collective or individual, in our relations with others.”

Looking to an Uncertain Future

In today’s unstable geopolitical landscape, certainty is in short supply. States will cling to—or create—practices that reaffirm their values and identities. For smaller states like the Nordics, the UN is a particularly important site of identity-making. The UN charter preserves the sovereign equality and political independence of all member states, “guaranteeing their existence as actors in the international system,” Dr. Laatikainen said.

Most interviews for the article were conducted in 2022. If Dr. Laatikainen spoke to her subjects again today, she believes she’d find “an even stronger attachment to the Nordic voice,” given tensions involving Russia and Denmark/Greenland. EU states are also seeking to disengage from a United States under President Trump’s leadership, eroding once-strong alliances and shifting the balance of power.

A Four-Decade-Long Scholarly Passion

Amid uncertainty in the world order, Dr. Laatikainen is proud to see a clear line in the continuum of her own work. Since going abroad to Denmark as an undergraduate, she has spent decades studying international relations and diplomacy, always harboring a particular interest in the Nordic region. “The return of the Nordic voice” will be one of her final publications before retirement. “This article is very meaningful on different levels,” she said. “It has historical echoes in both my personal and professional life.”

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We live in an era of unprecedented access to information and in these moments of extraordinary change, reading books or diving into history seem at best, quaintly out of date, or at worst, an indulgence that cannot create the same opportunity that we see in other growing fields like computer science or marketing. As someone who works in higher education, I can tell you that there is always talk about the demise of the humanities. In moments of technological innovation, these conversations intensify, and yet, these are the points in history that need the humanities the most.

The humanities—the study of literature, language, history or philosophy—offer opportunities to think about why our world is the way it is, and give its students the tools to meet the changes we face. , but not always obvious, even as humanities students find their paths in education, law, business, management and the not-for-profit sector. The humanities invest in processes—developing critical thinking skills, intellectual creativity and flexibility. Put simply, humanities students know how to learn. At Adelphi, we have seen our graduates go on to become published authors, teachers, lawyers and technological innovators, finding jobs and building careers in unexpected and thrillingly varied fields. To follow the humanities is to pursue a passion, but that doesn’t mean that those of us who do so have to choose between that and a satisfying and lucrative career. We consider ourselves the lucky ones—more often than not, we can have both.

Here’s the thing about the humanities: The path ahead isn’t always clear. We take a road map, and set out on a path, perhaps stopping to listen to the stories or histories that will guide us on our path, and keep moving forward. As we study the humanities, building vast reserves of intellectual curiosity, empathy and problem-solving skills, we are moving toward jobs that we haven’t yet realized exist—or perhaps even jobs that don’t yet exist. We move with creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit that will serve us well in the world—not only as an employee, or (better yet) a boss, but as a human being, navigating the rapidly changing world with a sense of history, a sense of compassion and a sense of purpose. We understand how history and culture have brought us to this point in time, and we have the ability to imagine what comes next. We are, as Shakespeare put it, makers of manners.

In a world where technology insists that answers can be given instantly, and the world can feel increasingly unsettled, it can be hard to invest in a long-term strategy that can only promise to take you to places you are willing to go. But the outcomes are always worth it.

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The is the brainchild of Peyton DeRouen, an Adelphi criminal justice major and political science minor. Like many students considering law school who seek career assistance, she visited the Office of Pre-Professional Advising and Fellowships for guidance when she first started at Adelphi. “The director gave me the outline of the law school admissions process as well as what Adelphi had that was pre‑law-oriented in terms of clubs and other initiatives,” she recalled, referring to David Oroza, director of pre‑professional advising and fellowships. “I immediately saw an opportunity.”

Oroza emphasized his office’s mission. “The Office of Pre-Professional Advising and Fellowships is devoted to the success of our students,” he said. “Our goal is to help them get into graduate school. Students contemplating careers in healthcare and law professions receive individualized guidance.”

The AULR Origin Story

A transfer student, DeRouen approached the only other student, at the time, who she knew was interested in pre-law—Samina Radia, who would become AULR’s managing editor—to help spread the word to others and gauge interest in a law review for undergrads. She researched how to form a club on campus, drafted a constitution and filled out the required paperwork. In August 2024, she put out a call for e-board applications, leading her to meet now co-editor in chief Sophia Sewpersad, a business management and English double major. The rest of the team was set by September and the first law review was published in the Spring of 2025, only a year after its formation.

Article topics in the first volume range from divorce and domestic violence to abortion and birth control rights, and international humanitarian law during armed conflict to the balance of power between federal and state in the United States.

The Benefits of Law Reviews

Law reviews allow undergraduates to develop critical legal writing and research skills, gain experience with the publication process and contribute to the broader legal academic conversation on contemporary issues. Adelphi’s student-run publication dives into timely topics, from landmark law cases to emerging debates, providing the reader with well-thought-out and researched arguments while benefiting the writer by providing an opportunity to hone their critical thinking and writing skills.

“At the law school level, law review articles shape legal academia—and are often cited in Supreme Court decisions,” DeRouen explained. “In today’s climate, law and policy affect our daily lives. Writing about them is a way for undergrad students to use their voice and engage beyond social media.” It is also a good way to “build your résumé and professional network,” Sewpersad added.

AULR is not just for pre‑law students; it offers tangible benefits to any student who writes, researches or thinks critically, including, but not limited to, English, , history and environmental studies majors. All are welcome and encouraged to submit.

“Law lies at the intersection of so many different fields,” said Sung Hoon Kim, JD, AULR faculty adviser and assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science who earned his juris doctorate from NYU School of Law. “In law school, you meet people who majored in various subjects, and the discourse of legal academia benefits from having this diversity of perspective. Having an undergraduate law review is a great opportunity for students to explore and advocate for a topic they care about and to have that work published. Who knows, this experience might even convince you to consider attending law school.”

The Process to Get Published

The AULR team is dedicated to helping those interested in submitting an article easily navigate the process, hosting informational workshops as well as those on best citation practices. After students submit their abstract and article through the , the submissions go through a peer review process and a round of editing before being returned to the author for two cycles of revisions. “Peer review is essential,” Sewpersad said. “We require legitimate sources, with information drawn from scholarly or official sources. We emphasize that truth is grounded in sources that are double-, triple- and quadruple-checked.”

Adelphi’s Support System

No student‐run enterprise thrives in isolation—between assistance from the Office of Pre‑Professional Advising and Fellowships and faculty advisers and other supporters, the AULR has benefited from a strong network of guidance and encouragement. By offering events, workshops and mentorship, Adelphi creates the conditions for students to translate interest into action—with AULR as a vivid example where student initiative, infrastructure, faculty support and a mission to amplify legal voices all intersect.

“The faculty response has been overwhelmingly supportive, and already this semester, new students are showing interest in the Law Review,” Sewpersad said. “It’s a really good opportunity, and I’m happy to be part of it.”

Looking Ahead

Submissions for the Spring 2026 journal are now and are being accepted on a rolling basis with a deadline of March 6, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. EST. Articles, research papers, essays and commentaries are welcome from all students and faculty at any university in any program of study as long as the submission relates to legal issues.

AULR, though new, already demonstrates that when students work together with support and rigor, learning goes beyond grades—it becomes contribution. “I’d love to see the AULR grow to be recognized beyond campus, with the goal to grow it into a nationally heralded law publication,” DeRouen said.

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This summer, undergraduate research is heating up on and off campus, thanks to support from the Scholars Pursuing Arts, Research and Knowledge (SPARK) Center, the Honors College and other funding sources. These program offerings ensure that every undergraduate has the tools to spark their curiosity—and immerse themselves in the University’s culture of research, creativity and innovation.

Honors College Students Explore the Past, the Future and Everything in Between

Vincent Calvagno, a history major and rising senior in the Honors College, is spending the summer doing research supported by two fellowships—an Honors College Summer Research Fellowship and a . Remarkably, he is the lone undergraduate in the group of 48 scholars from around the nation who received MHS fellowships this year.

History major Vincent Calvagno is researching water and property in the colonial era for his Honors thesis. He is one of just 48 research scholars selected by the Massachusetts Historical Society.

Calvagno is using the fellowships to comb through the archives of MHS, the , and for his Honors thesis project, “Aquatic Appropriation: Water and Property in Colonial New England.” Much of what he’s paging through hasn’t been unearthed in decades, sometimes even centuries. “It’s made me more thoughtful about how I bring the distant past to life,” he said.

With guidance from his research adviser, associate professor of history Michael Lacombe, PhD, Calvagno is working to discover the role that access to fresh water played in relations between colonists and the Indigenous population and to place it in the context of larger geopolitical trends of the colonial era. His findings may even shed light on current issues. “Our world is experiencing a rising water scarcity crisis right now,” he explained, “so in looking back into the history of water possession, I hope to potentially gain insight into some of the root causes of this problem.”

Calvagno isn’t the only Honors College student to receive two fellowships. Troy Cofie, a rising senior majoring in economics and minoring in mathematics and political science, won an award to do research with the University of Pittsburgh’s National Science Foundation-funded Mobilization and Political Economy Summer Research Program. He was one of only eight students chosen nationwide for this program.

Cofie is using the National Science Foundation and Honors College fellowships to conduct research for his Honors thesis, “Social Embeddedness and Legal Institutionalism: Alternative Frameworks for Economic Policymaking.” Mariano Torras, PhD, professor and chair of the finance and economics department, is the adviser for Cofie’s Honors College summer research project.

“A Diverse Group of Thinkers” Tackles Research Topics from Energy to Neuroscience

Honors College students Aruzhan Bissenbay, Nadirah Peakes and Mickeylia Walker are working with Professor Brian Stockman, PhD, who last year won a $311,000 National Science Foundation grant to explore the origins of life on Earth. Now, Dr. Stockman is supervising the three students as they tackle separate pieces of his . The impact of their findings could reach well beyond the scholarly community, generating real-world value for projects such as .

Much like other research partnerships at the University, Dr. Stockman’s student team exemplifies the richness of the Adelphi community. “I wanted a diverse group of thinkers,” he told Adelphi in 2024. Since then, he’s staffed his lab with students who bring a variety of disciplinary perspectives to their work. Bissenbay, an international student from Kazakhstan, is a mathematics major. Peakes is a computer science major, while Walker is majoring in biology and minoring in African, Black and Caribbean studies.

Elias Nauth, a junior psychology major and political science minor, is working with Michael Moore, PhD, associate professor of psychology, on “Trauma in the First Responder Population,” a project inspired by his work as an EMT on a volunteer ambulance squad. By identifying where trauma comes from and how it manifests, Nauth hopes to provide data that can guide future therapeutic treatments for first responders.

The other Honors College summer fellows are drawing on their studies in neuroscience, public health, physics and other fields to produce equally impactful work. Read more about their projects on the Undergraduate Summer Research and Fellowships page.

SPARKing Students’ Passion for Research

The SPARK Center is foundational to the Adelphi undergraduate experience. SPARK Summer Research Fellowships are designed to encourage important inquiry in fields outside the lab sciences, empowering Adelphi students to follow their passions wherever they lead—from the archives to the rehearsal room to the community center.

This summer, SPARK fellows are unlocking the brain’s secrets with projects focused on the relationship between socio-cognitive impairment and mental illness and how gaming can help older adults maintain cognition. They’re also exploring theme development in dance choreography, examining the role of AI in employee retention strategies, translating their coming of age into a story collection, and more.

There are many other fellowships available for Adelphi students interested in specific areas of research: the Landesberg Family Summer Research Fellowship for chemistry students, the Mary Klement Fellowship for physics students, and a Bhisé Center Field Research Travel Grant for global research. The 2025 Bhisé grant was awarded to Clara Ossandón Melo, a dual dance and psychology major, who is exploring dance and women’s empowerment in Butoh, a form of Japanese dance theater.

Maintaining Adelphi’s Global Reach Throughout the Summer

Adelphi’s commitment to global engagement is also evident in a Poland-based summer research program led by Justyna Widera-Kalinowska, PhD, professor of chemistry. Every year since 2014, Dr. Widera-Kalinowska has taken a group of Adelphi students to Poland to conduct research on nanotechnologies with top scientists at the University of Warsaw. The program is funded by International Research Experiences for Students grants from the

This summer’s participants are posting about their experiences in and outside the lab—including seminars, educational workshops, and trips around Europe, along with cutting-edge projects on green energy and sustainability—on the . Visit that page for more direct reports from Adelphi students on their research efforts.

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But the program also brings well-known global experts to campus to share their experience with LGS students.

In 2025, Mario Baez, who is from the Dominican Republic and is a former chief accountability officer at the United Nations, came to Garden City to serve as the LGS spring fellow.

“When Mr. Baez first visited campus, it was immediately clear that he would be a great choice for the fellow position,” said Susan Briziarelli, PhD, director of the LGS program and associate provost for faculty support and global affairs. “Along with the expertise gained in his 30 years at the United Nations, Mr. Baez also brought a keen historical perspective, vast knowledge of Latin America and genuine enthusiasm for connecting with Adelphi students.”

A Strong Connection With the Dominican Republic

Baez’s fellowship reflects Adelphi’s global footprint and connection with the Dominican Republic, which includes a partnership with the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM). Adelphi also has a long-standing relationship with José Singer Weisinger ’73, ’20 (Hon.), a member of our board of trustees; Weisinger is adviser on international affairs to the president of the Dominican Republic and, since 2014, has served as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary in service to the executive branch.

As LGS program fellow, Baez lectured in several classes and held open office hours for students interested in learning more about the UN, careers in diplomacy, or Latin American politics and economy. He also connected with the Latino Student Association on campus and mentored a number of students in and outside of the LGS program who were working on papers or theses in his areas of expertise.

He pulled from his distinguished career experience to deliver a lecture on the history and governance of the United Nations. The presentation explored the creation of the international organization and the initial vision for lasting peace and global cooperation. Following his talk, Baez invited students to participate in a discussion about the UN’s 80-year history and ongoing role in worldwide affairs.

Leading a Study Tour of His Country

A highlight of his fellowship was a weeklong study tour in the Dominican Republic for six Adelphi students. The trip was held in April and facilitated by Adelphi’s Center for International Education. It included a 1-credit course on the history, economy and culture of the country, along with lectures at the PUCMM and a dinner with Ambassador Weisinger.

Baez also led students on a day trip to . The museum honors the lives of Patria, Minerva and María Teresa Mirabal, who were assassinated by the Trujillo military regime, and pays tribute to their fight against repression and terror. More than 65 years after their death, the Mirabal sisters remain global symbols of social justice and feminism. This daylong excursion was sponsored by Adelphi’s Bhisé Center for Global Understanding, which creates innovative opportunities for the next generation of global thinkers and leaders.

Bolstered by Baez’s experience and engagement, this year’s LGS program illustrates Adelphi’s commitment to supporting student leaders with immersive opportunities both on campus and across the globe.

“Students sometimes engage more easily when they are outside the classroom and don’t feel that they are being assessed for a grade, and Mr. Baez had the great combination of being particularly approachable and incredibly generous with his time,” Dr. Briziarelli said. “In addition to having meaningful discussions, they also felt free to ask him about career choices and postgraduation steps. His office was right across from mine, and it was rare for me to see him there without a student. He really engaged with them.”

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