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The Gregory Nerko ’70, MA ’74 Baseball Scholarship Fund will use his IRA to support student-athletes pursuing their dreams at Adelphi. It will also cap years of generous financial support from the former four-sport student-athlete.

“I had a lot of good times with a lot of athletes,” says Greg, who used his Adelphi degrees to launch a decades-long teaching and athletic training career.

The QCD-funded scholarship will provide resources to one or more members of the Adelphi’s baseball team as long as they remain on the team in good academic standing and maintain consistent progress toward graduation.

During his years in a Panther uniform, Greg played catcher under legendary coach Ron Davies. For several years after graduation, he played both with and against Davies in the semipros. Like other alumni, Greg remembers Davies as a tremendous coach and an even more impressive baseball slugger. When Davies connected with a pitch “you had to ask which zip code it was going to,” Greg recalls.

Greg hopes fellow alumni—especially from the baseball program—will join him in making a planned gift.

“Hopefully, other people will add to the scholarship or establish one of their own,” Greg says. “If it benefits the program and the student-athletes, that’s all that really matters.”

The post Greg Nerko’s Estate Plan Drives Home Support for Future Baseball Panthers appeared first on ĂŰĚŇ´ŤĂ˝.

Today, Davis is an audit and assurance partner with Deloitte & Touche LLP in the New York office. At Deloitte, widely acknowledged as the number one accounting firm worldwide, Davis specializes in initial public offering (IPO) and special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) transactions in his role as the firm’s Tri-State IPO Readiness Leader. Over the past 38 years of accounting and auditing, he has guided  clients from a range of industries through initial public offerings, spin-offs and acquisitions.

Davis has been honored by leading civic and business organizations, including as Adelphi’s Accountant of the Year, one of the Long Island Business News “40 Under 40,” Advancement for Commerce, Industry, & Technology’s Humanitarian of the Year, and Champion of the Long Island American Heart Association Walk-a-Thon.

People Looking Out for You

After completing two years at Nassau Community College, Davis was searching for his next school. The East Meadow, New York, native wanted to stay local and quickly decided on Adelphi.

“I felt unbelievably comfortable on campus,” Davis said. “The success of the accounting program was very impressive, as was the percentage of students who got a job right after graduation and, more so, the number of graduates who went to work at the Big Eight accounting firms.”

The support system offered by professors and his involvement in the Accounting Society club helped provide the launchpad for his success.

“Two people who made the greatest impact on me while at Adelphi were [Associate Professor] Grace Conway and [Associate Professor] Jack Angel,” Davis said. “Grace was responsible for recruiting and on-campus activities, including the Accounting Society. She was always focused on students’ next steps in life and their future careers. Jack made accounting and tax fun, which can be hard to do! Both of them were always looking out for me and my classmates, and that was a common sentiment across Adelphi’s professors and faculty—you just felt like people were looking out for you.”

Davis joined the Accounting Society and ran for president in his senior year.

“I am always looking to be in the front, to lead the team and help them succeed,” Davis said of his leadership style. “I created the Future Business Leaders of America at East Meadow High School. I was the accounting society president at Nassau Community College. And I had the same aspirations when I came to Adelphi. I ran against three or four other students who had all been there from freshman year, so I wasn’t sure that I would get the role. But I was selected by my peers to be the Accounting Society president. That success really informed my career. It made clear my potential and my ability to go to another level.”

As president, he was in charge of setting up recruiting events for Big Eight and other accounting firms on campus. He was the lead on those relationships and put together activities like basketball and softball games, casual gatherings, and meetings at the firms’ offices.

Davis’ impact on his classmates did not go unnoticed. At graduation, he was selected to give the Commencement speech for the School of Business.

“I was beyond honored to be chosen,” he added. “It was one of the greatest days of my life.”

I Love All the People There

Davis’ ability to build genuine relationships, earn good grades and take on leadership roles made him an attractive candidate for public accounting firms. He interviewed with and received offers from nearly all the Big Eight accounting firms, but his decision came down to two: Touche and Deloitte.

“I chose Deloitte because of the people, and the people are what have kept me here my entire career,” Davis said. “We recruit top-tier talent who make our culture what is and has been for me for over 30 years. We look for more than just academics, and that’s how we create a successful and supportive partnership and entire organization. That was true when I got hired, and we still hire that way today.”

Starting as a staff accountant, Davis has taken on increasing responsibilities, including creating and leading the start-up Emerging Growth Company practice in New York City and becoming the managing partner of the Long Island office for eight years.

“That was the highlight of my career,” Davis said on becoming managing partner. “I remember when I first started in 1985 seeing the managing partner and saying, that’s a job I would love to do one day. When the opportunity arose and I was selected, I was honored to take on the role.”

He also spent time as national managing partner of Deloitte Private Enterprises, where he led the Audit and Assurance business’s focus on midsize, emerging, private and family-owned businesses.

“In addition to serving large multi-nationals, I have always been interested in helping family-owned and midsize companies get to the next level,” Davis said. “I find great satisfaction and pride in working with a company that is small but looking to grow, who really appreciate the advice you give them, and where I can become a true trusted advisor for their leadership team.”

Stay Connected

Davis, who is one year away from mandatory retirement, is not planning to ride off into the sunset. “I refer to it as graduation,” he explained.

He plans to dedicate more time to helping students and, at this juncture in his career, offers this advice:

“Spend the time to become well-rounded—get involved in societies, take on a leadership role and then do something with it,” Davis said. “Go to events where you can meet future employers. That’s how you can impress them. If we meet you and get to know you beyond what’s written on your résumé, you are building relationships that help influence hiring decisions.”

Davis, who serves on the ĂŰĚŇ´ŤĂ˝ President’s Advisory Council and the Willumstad School of Business Dean’s Advisory Council, also shares this advice for alumni:

“Try to stay connected to the school after graduation. Stay involved and contribute in whatever ways you can. We have a lot to be thankful for. Adelphi helped form us into the people we are today and makes investments in its students in ways not all universities do. I know the University helped me with my path to success, and I am grateful for the experiences I had, the people who supported me along the way, and the jump start I got in beginning my career coming out of Adelphi.”

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Can this crisis be averted by attracting more men to the profession?

Anthony Egan, director of the College of Nursing and Public Health’s Clinical Education and Simulation Lab (CESiL), thinks so—and he’s actively working to bring more men into the field and provide greater support for the men who make up about 13 percent of Adelphi’s nursing students.

Nationally, about 12 percent of registered nurses were men in 2022, an increase of nearly 400 percent from just 2.7 percent in the 1970s.

In Spring 2023, he established a chapter of the American Association for Men in Nursing (AAMN) at the College. The chapter—which met first in December 2022 and three times in the spring semester—now has 25 members, up from “about 15 or 20 people at the [October 2023] meeting,” according to Egan.

Recruiting men to the profession is a great way to address the present nursing shortage, Egan said. “We need to expand where we’re looking for nurses,” he explained. “Attracting men to nursing is one way to fill the staff shortages, but we also need to recruit people of different ethnic backgrounds so we can better serve patients.”

After its April 24 Open House and a successful May 2023 cornhole tournament fundraiser, he said, “Some faculty and alumni have said they will help fund it. We’re also looking for other avenues to permanent funding.”

Egan sees future meetings as “a place where men can discuss their thoughts and feel free to voice their concerns about nursing.” This fall, he added, “We are lining up guest speakers, such as a Navy nurse and a flight nurse from Northwell Health’s SkyHealth [as role models]. We’re also looking at having [TikTok comedian] Nurse Blake come to campus for a show in the PAC [Performing Arts Center]. But, like all things, [first] we need more involvement.”

The chapter had planned to hold officer elections in Fall 2024, but is now delaying that until membership grows further, Egan said. Joshua Roca ’23 has served as the chapter’s interim president since last year.

When Egan began his nursing career in 1995, he was something of a rarity in a profession traditionally considered “women’s work.”

Now, Egan is one of a number of men on Adelphi’s nursing faculty who serve as role models for students—Professor Edmund J.Y. Pajarillo, PhD; Professor William Jacobowitz, EdD; Assistant Professor Edwin-Nikko R. Kabigting, PhD; Clinical Assistant Professors Daniel McWeeney, DNP; and Charles Cal ’95, MS ’01, MBA ’03. Another high-profile male nurse in CNPH’s history is Patrick Coonan ’78, EdD, who was its dean from 2004 to 2017.

Men in the nursing program can also look up to an Adelphi nursing alumnus who sits on the University’s board of trustees—Leonard C. Achan ’99, president/CEO of LiveOnNY, a federally designated New York state nonprofit organ procurement organization.

“There’s still a stigma about being a man in nursing that can lead to self-doubt,” Egan said, noting that male students nationwide are more likely to drop out of nursing programs than female students. Providing role models for male nursing students will improve the retention rate, he said. “Once male students see there are men in nursing and that they’ve succeeded, it encourages them.”

Several of the early members are on Adelphi’s men’s lacrosse team, Egan noted, citing Brian Harinski, Connor Malley and David Sanzone ’23.

What New Members Say

Roca, who remains in the chapter as an alumnus, felt it can help attract more men into nursing by “creating a social media and interaction page to show people what it’s like to be a nurse/nursing student,” as well as show other men “how valuable it is to be a male nurse.”

Bensly Marcellus, who’s been serving as chapter vice president, said, “For a long time, nursing had been a women’s career— and, for me being an African American male from Brooklyn in the nursing field, it’s not something you see often.” He added, “Part of the reason I chose to become a nurse is because of all the routes and specialties you can go into.”

Malley, who recently changed majors from biology to nursing, said, “I joined Men in Nursing for a couple of reasons. The first is that I think it’s a great way to help erase the stigma around men in nursing. Nursing is mostly thought of as a female profession.” He added, “It’s also important to strengthen the relationship between men and women to provide effective healthcare.”

Malley credited Egan with inspiring him to become a member. “I joined because of Mr. Egan. He’s helping me balance being a college athlete and a nursing student,” he explained.”

“There’s a lot more acceptance for men as nurses now than when I started,” Egan said. “Back then, a lot of people didn’t think a man could do the job of a nurse. They thought men lacked the compassion and empathy necessary to care for a sick person.”

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She told the 38 virtual attendees from CNPH and elsewhere that “250,000 (patients’) lives are lost per year die due to medical errors, … the third leading cause of death in the U.S.” Later, she noted that not everyone agrees with that.”

After Springer posted the webinar video on YouTube another 366 viewers saw it, for a total viewership of 404 through March 18.

After some improvements since 1999, “error rates started to grow again” a couple of years ago, aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic. That reversal inspired her to write her latest book, she said. Later, she noted that pandemic-related “burnout” from staffing shortages and other staffing issues, has played a significant role in boosting mistakes that threaten patient safety. That, she noted, involves not just nurses but healthcare staff in general.

It’s not that the nursing and healthcare professions are not trying to stem this tide. There have been numerous patient safety initiatives proposed and implemented by various healthcare organizations, she said.

The Major Adverse Events

Still, Dean Hunt observed that just since she wrote her book, “hospital-acquired infections have risen to concerning levels,” especially since the pandemic. These often preventable infections involve catheters and staff ignoring handwashing or other hygiene practices, for example.

Other major adverse events in hospitals, Dean Hunt said, include: medication errors (which she cited twice as “the No. 6 leading cause of death” and pressure ulcers (aka bedsores) at an “alarming” 2.5 million a year).

In reality, the picture is even bleaker. Dean Hunt emphasized, “Many errors are underreported.”

Dean Hunt also identified five common causes for such adverse events. These include: communication problems (including misunderstanding drug dosages and schedules), Information flow (such as missing test results), not following established policies and procedures, patient-related issues (such as improper patient identification) and staffing problems.

How to Fight Back

Dean Hunt also offered strategies for improving the situation. The “attributes of a safe practitioner,” she said, include being educated about and committed to safety, being a patient advocate, dismissing shortcuts, and maintaining critical thinking and critical judgment practices.

“Care and do what’s right,” she advised. “Always take that extra step.” By practicing “mindfulness, presencing and self-care,” she added, nurses will stay focused on their patients’ well-being and avoid distractions from their hectic work schedule, for instance. “At the center is our patient.”

Negative Events

These are the major adverse events for hospital patients, though statistics vary widely.

• Medication errors (affect 7 million hospital patients a year).
• Medical errors (e.g., misdiagnosis, surgical errors) lead to 250,000-plus deaths a year.
• Hospital-acquired infections (e.g., catheter-related infections, surgical site infections, pneumonia) affect 1.7 million patients a year.
• Pressure ulcers (bedsores) affect 2.5 million patients a year.
• Falls injure 800,000-plus hospital patients a year.

The post Dean Hunt Suggests Solutions for “Alarming” Patient Stats appeared first on ĂŰĚŇ´ŤĂ˝.

Kennie Dionisio

Kennie Dionisio ’24

“My time here at Adelphi has taught me that everyone has a story, a personal brand. Mine just happens to be wrapped in brown and gold.”

A computer science major, Dionisio is president of the senior class alongside his many other roles at Adelphi, including but not limited to: peer assistant leader, student social media editor and commuter assistant. He has also interned at through the Jaggar Community Fellows Program over the summer. He founded the (ASIA), which a faculty member stated “stands as a testament to his commitment to fostering cultural diversity and inclusivity.”

Michelle Sarker ’24

Michelle Sarker

“As I embark on the next chapter of my journey, I carry with me the lessons and experiences gained at Adelphi, confident in my ability to effect change and make a difference in the world.”

A health sciences major, Sarker is vice president of the Senior Committee and president of the , a role in which she facilitated cultural festivities, educational seminars and community outreach initiatives. She also participated in the second Bhisé Global Learning Experience trip to India in 2023–2024 (part of the Bhisé Global Understanding Project) and interned at prominent media companies such as , , , and . A fellow student said she “goes above and beyond to make events on campus not only incredible but also a learning experience for our Adelphi community.”

Madina Tuktina

Madina Tuktina

“The spirit of Adelphi shaped my leadership style, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity and openness to new experiences.”

The international student from Kazakhstan double majoring in statistics and business management has held the position of co-founder and vice president of the and worked at through the Jaggar Community Fellows Program. A reference stated: “Madina conducted comprehensive market research to identify unexplored opportunities, leading to the creation of a focused marketing campaign that effectively yielded $20,000 in individual donations.”

Monish Churaman ’24

Monish Churaman

“Looking back on my time at Adelphi, I have slowly realized that my ‘right fit’ was here all along. Adelphi, thank you for taking a chance on me. It truly means the world to me.”

Churaman is a finance major, and holds many titles such as vice president of finance for , vice president of finance for the , treasurer for the and event coordinator and treasurer for the South Asian Student Association. His presence on campus has made an impact on fellow students and staff. A faculty member said, “His ability to navigate complex project dynamics, while fostering an environment of teamwork and innovation, speaks volumes about his leadership qualities. Not only has he benefited the Adelphi community through tangible projects, but his academic performance also remains commendable.”

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Recipients of the grants include Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences faculty members Emily Kang, PhD, associate dean for academic affairs; Matt Curinga, EdD, associate professor; Tracy Hogan, PhD, professor; and Stephen Rubin, PhD, associate professor. They will use the grant to fund their project, R2E2ADI (Recruiting and Retaining Educators for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion), in partnership with the New York City Public Schools.

“We are proud to play a part in diversifying the teaching workforce and bringing talented teachers to the children who need them the most,” said Dr. Kang.

R2E2ADI will support Adelphi’s newest teaching professionals through alternative certification programs, including the Transitional B licensure pathway to gain certification in math education (grades 7-12), science education (biology, physics, chemistry or earth science, grades 7-12), computer science education (grades K-12), or Students with Disabilities (SWD) (grades 7-12).

The SUNY Teacher Workforce Investment Grants are part of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s $350 million investment in workforce development across the state. These grants are designated to provide incentives for teachers, address student needs and create a robust pipeline of future educators.

“Far more must be done to help New York’s school system overcome the challenges that existed before and were exacerbated by the pandemic,” Gov. Hochul said when the program was first announced in October 2022. “We must do more to support students and teachers in our state and encourage a new generation to enter the field of education so that New York never again faces the chronic staffing shortages we are seeing today.”

Learn more about the .

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Joe Sawma, president of the Student Government Association, presented the opening remarks at this year’s ceremony on May 6. “Throughout my years at Adelphi,” he said, “I am constantly impressed by the passion and commitment we see on a daily basis by our students, faculty and staff.”

In his welcome remarks, R. Sentwali Bakari, PhD, vice president for student affairs and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, said, “I am truly in awe at the dedication, passion and transformation that takes place among our student leaders. While we can only recognize a limited few, it does not diminish the spirit, collaboration and great efforts put forth by so many others to make Adelphi the fantastic place that it is.”

After the President’s Student Leadership Awards were presented, the following awards were given.

Individual Student Awards

• Excellence in Service: Jessica Dia
• Excellence in Social Justice: Carolena Vical
• Best Senator: Errah Fawad
• Senator Serving a Greater Audience: Nairi Vartanian, Maci Bell
• Officer of the Year: Jordan Rivas
• President of the Year: Ashley Peralta
• Outstanding President: Jolisa Lynch
• Outstanding Commuter Student: Ashley Peralta
• Outstanding Transfer Student: Angelina Vella
• Panther Pride: Grace Wayar
• Emerging Leader: Asmaa Zahran, Joanna Jordan
• Established Student Leader: Sarah Joy Gallardo, Jolisa Lynch
• Student Leader of the Year: Adam Ayroso

Student Organization Awards

• Excellence in Philanthropy: Student Appreciation and Recognition of Adelphi Pinoys
• Beyond Adelphi: Circle K
• Excellence in Recruitment: South East Asian Society
• Excellence in Marketing: Biology Club
• Excellence in Programming: Black Students United
• Excellence in Collaboration: South Asian Student Association
• Commitment to Organizational Growth: Creative Writing Club
• Outstanding Organization Management: Black Students United
• Student Organization of the Year: Black Students United

Outstanding Organizations

• Accounting Society
• Active Minds
• Adelphi Christian Fellowship
• Artivism
• ĂŰĚŇ´ŤĂ˝ Student Nurses Association (AUSNA)
• Circle K
• Criminal Justice Club
• Future Teachers Association
• Gender and Sexuality Alliance
• Hillel
• Korean Entertainment and Culture Club
• Physics Club
• Student Activities Board

Organizations of Excellence

• Black Students United
• Commuter Student Organization
• Creative Writing Club
• Psychology Club
• Student Appreciation and Recognition of Adelphi Pinoys (SARAP)
• Society of East Asian Students

Faculty Awards

• Professor of the Year: Berin Aptoula, MFA ’22, adjunct professor, English
• Adviser of the Year: Associate Professor Rakesh Gupta, Robert B. Willumstad School of Business, adviser of the South Asian Student Association
• Commitment to Student Life: Linda Gundrum, director of recreation and intramural sports, and Jennifer Schirmacher, resident district manager for Dining Services

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Both Dr. Krasinski and Dr. Wygal were among the expert co-authors of the uniquely collaborative multiyear, multi-expert and multi-institutional research study, published in the January issue of Science Advances.

Recently, by tracing and analyzing the sources of isotopes found in the tusk of Elma, a female woolly mammoth unearthed at Swan Point, Alaska, by the University of Alaska Fairbanks research team—a hunter-gatherer encampment and the oldest archaeological site in the state—anthropologists gained new insights into her life and possible causes of her extinction.

Tracking a Life in a Tusk

Strontium, an element in the plants Elma ate, left behind a measurable trace each day on her six-foot-long tusk. The more strontium in the soil where she grazed, the greater its presence on her tusk.

For this study, co-author Matthew Wooller, PhD, director of the stable isotope facility at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, which is home to more than a thousand mammoth remains, took the lead on the isotopic analysis of Elma’s tusk, using a protocol followed with the tusk of Kik, a 17,000-year-old male. Noting that the tip of Kik’s tusk had strontium levels matching the site where he died, researchers were able to work backward to determine his travels during his lifetime.

Dr. Krasinski’s contributions to the Science Advances study included investigation, providing resources from the Holzman site, and writing, review and editing, while Dr. Wygal’s contribution also included investigation, editing and provided resources. “It was a great experience to also meet with the artist who designed the journal’s cover and consult on the ethics of portraying people as well as details of what the area would have looked like 14,000 years ago,” Dr. Krasinski said.

In 2016, the two colleagues were part of a team of students and fellow anthropologists who discovered a virtually complete 14,000-year-old woolly mammoth tusk at the Holzman site. For nine years, the professors have conducted collaborative archaeological research at Holzman, often training Adelphi and other students in fieldwork at the important site.

“What we contributed to the Science Advances article, in a nutshell, is a DNA and radiocarbon sample from the tusk recovered at Holzman,” Dr. Krasinski recalled. “My focus was presenting and explaining the evidence found at the Holzman site in relation to how humans interacted with animals that have a trunk-like nose, such as mammoths, and comparing the evidence from Holzman to that of nearby Swan Point to understand similarities or differences in human-animal interactions between the two locations.”

According to Dr. Krasinski, this study replicated, sequenced and compared DNA from the Holzman tusk with that of other mammoths—including Elma—in a large mammoth database. “This was so cool. It was the first time we had integrated results from this part of Alaska, which established a clear ancestor-descendant relationship between Holzman and Swan Point. And there was significant genetic variation to indicate there were likely distinct herds living in Shaw Creek at the time.”

The Adelphi colleagues were involved in this project for several years. “These types of projects take significant time to make sure data and people are in place,” remarked Dr. Krasinski, who, like Dr. Wygal, will again be traveling to the Holzman site during this summer’s thaw.

Reconstructing Relationships

Dr. Krasinski considers that the relationships between the people who lived at these sites and the mammoths at the end of the Ice Age were integral to the fate of the mammoths. “People knew about mammoths, and mammoths probably knew about people as well. People and animals sometimes developed and shared each other’s trails.”  She also noted that tusks were meaningful to the early hunter-gatherers, who, at Holzman, even fashioned tools from mammoth ivory.

After the Ice Age, as grasslands shrunk, mammoth habitat diminished and humans were more likely to share an environment with the mammoths. Perhaps then, as evidence from the analyses of mammoth tusks suggests, it was a combination of climate change impact on grazing lands and human interactions that hastened the extinction of the mammoths.

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Dr. Grossman created the Dr. Mark Grossman Athletic Training Enhancement Fund in 2022 with a $25,000 gift to support the professional development of our athletic trainers.

In October 2022, ĂŰĚŇ´ŤĂ˝ honored his dedication to our student-athletes at our 34th Annual Golf Classic, benefitting the Student-Athlete Scholarship Fund and the Dr. Mark Grossman Athletic Training Enhancement Fund.

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