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News
Robert J. Gaffney to Become Dowling College's Next President
It's official. Effective October 1st, 2006, Robert J. Gaffney, former Suffolk County Executive, will become the next president of Dowling College. He will succeed Dr. Albert E. Donor who has been the College's president since 1999 and who will remain on board as an Advisor to the President for the next three years. The announcement that Mr. Gaffney was to become Dowling's next president was made by Dowling Chairman of the Board David Bonagura, CPA at a special meeting of the Board held on September 19th.
Mr. Gaffney, who has been a member of the Board of Trustees for Dowling since 2004 and previous recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from the college, indicated that his first order of business will be to get acclimated to his new position, taking the necessary time to review the college's overall operations, direction and objectives – a task for which he expects to work closely with Dr. Donor.
"I am delighted to become a part of this institution which I have admired and watched develop significantly over the past several years," stated Mr. Gaffney. "Dowling College continues to make major contributions to the Long Island community which, like Dowling, has gone through its own transformation. No longer considered a bedroom community to New York City, Long Island has become its own thriving economic entity. Now, more than ever before, the role of higher education is critical to our region's sustained economic growth."
Mr. Gaffney continued, "I will be relying heavily on Al Donor who assumed the presidency of Dowling during a particularly critical period, and can be credited with helping the college achieve fiscal integrity and charting a new course in its facilities development, academic offerings and expanded role within the region's broader academic, business and public sectors. His track record speaks for itself and I expect to tap both his experience and insights as President of Dowling College."
It was initially reported that Dr. Donor had been offered the position of Chancellor, which would have been a first for the college. However, after carefully considering the ramifications of another leadership post, he decided that Dowling's interests would be better served having him in an advisory role.
"There's a greater degree of freedom with me serving as an advisor rather than creating another layer within our hierarchy which could result in confusion and potential conflict," stated Dr. Donor. "I don't want to see Bob's role as our president undermined in any way and believe this approach will enable both of us to make the greatest contributions to the college."
Mr. Gaffney concurred adding that, "Based on how we have outlined our roles, there will be little ambiguity and therefore, Al and I are anticipating a smooth and effective transition"
In discussing other aspects of Dowling College which attracted him to accept the top position for the school, Mr. Gaffney highlighted some of the major achievements which have recently thrust the college into the national spotlight such as Dowling's Center for Minority Teacher Development and Training, which recently drew visits by a national delegation of collegiate officials.
"I especially value that Dowling College, in serving some 7,000 full- and part-time undergraduate and graduate students through its Schools of Arts & Sciences, Business, Education and Aviation, continues to bring new and exciting academic offerings that speak directly to the needs and changing demographics of our community," said Mr. Gaffney. "The College's recent introduction of Suffolk's first Healthcare MBA Program is another good example of how these educators are considering the needs of Long Island."
More about Mr. Gaffney
About Dowling College
Dowling College is an independent, coeducational college that serves more than 6,500 students at
its historic Rudolph Campus on the banks of the Connetquot River in Oakdale, NY, and the 105-acre
Brookhaven Campus in eastern Long Island and a business center located near the Nassau-Suffolk
border in Melville. Dowling offers Bachelor′s, Master′s, and Doctoral degrees in several
disciplines through its four schools: Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Education.
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