Press Releases

May 3, 1997
Fulbright Commencement: Six Seniors Are Fulbright Scholars

Harriet Fulbright to Receive Honorary Degree

Contact: Jane Finalborgo, Joe Dionisio
(516) 287 8313
Fax: (516) 283 4081

Scenes from the Commencement
Schedule of Events

Harriet Mayor Fulbright, whose late husband founded the Fulbright Scholarship Program, will receive an honorary degree at Southampton College of Long Island University in the same year an unprecedented six members of the graduating class of 268 have been named Fulbright Scholars.

"We are honored to have Mrs. Fulbright join us for graduation, and it is especially meaningful in a year when our Fulbright applicants have been so successful," said Tim Bishop, Provost of the College.

In the past 22 years, 27 Southampton Graduate Campus students have won the prestigious award for graduate study abroad. The six 1997 Scholarships represent the best single-year total in the College's 34-year history, and are among the highest for any equivalent sized college in the nation. This year's Fulbright winners (see separate release), will join the other graduates at the 31st annual Commencement on Sunday, May 18 at 2 p.m.

Paul K. Dayton, one of the nation's renowned marine ecologists and advocates for the environment, will deliver the main address to the Class of 1997. The Professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego in La Jolla, will receive an Honorary Doctorate of Science.

"I am privileged to receive an honorary degree from an institution whose marine science students have received eight Fulbright Scholarships in the last two years," said Dayton, whose mother, Mona Dayton, was an Education professor at the College. "Southampton is a small college with a big reputation for the environment."

A pioneer in the development of experimental marine ecology, Dayton has been instrumental in coastal research. His years as an educator and contributor to scientific journals have given him the reputation as a leading scholar in the field of marine and environmental science, which is a major part of the curriculum at Southampton Graduate Campus.

Recently, Dayton spoke at the Smithsonian Institution's National Forum on Ocean Conservation, and at the 4th World Congress on National Parks and Protected Areas. In 1995 he was a PEW Scholar in Conservation and the Environment. His expertise is in Benthic Ecology, the study of the bottom of the sea.

"Paul is an ideal person to address this year's graduates," said Bishop. "His dedication to environmental causes is something all of our students can admire."

Dayton graduated from the University of Arizona in 1963, and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Washington in Seattle. He is a member of the U.S. Mammal Commission, the editorial board at American Zoologist, and is a frequent speaker at international symposiums.

At the commencement, Dr. David Steinberg, President of Long Island University, will confer degrees upon 268 undergraduates and 31 graduate students. Three others join Dayton as honorary degree recipients, each of whom will receive a Doctorate of Humane Letters:

Harriet Mayor Fulbright recently was appointed by Bill Clinton as Executive Director of the President's Committee on the Arts & Humanities. She has successfully carried on the work of her late husband, Senator J. William Fulbright, who founded the Fulbright Scholarship Program in 1946. An influential figure in educational circles for decades, Mrs. Fulbright also has served as Assistant Director for the Congressional Arts Caucus.

Judith Hope, whose storied political career began on the East End of Long Island, was recently elected to the executive board of the Democratic National Committee. Since 1995, she has been the State Chair of the New York State Democratic Party, the first woman to lead a major party in the state.

Elizabeth Rohatyn. For many years, Mrs. Rohatyn has worked tirelessly on behalf of education and school reform. In 1995, she became the first woman to serve as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The New York Public Library. Her philanthropic work in New York City has benefited countless students.

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OTHER AWARDS:

Joseph Michael Agosta and Kristen E. Schultz are co-valedictorians. Agosta graduates with a B.A. in Elementary Education. Schultz, who is receiving a B.A. in English, is the first non-Marine Science major in the College's history to win a Fulbright Scholarship.

Caroline Monti Saladino '67 and Arthur J. Saladino '67 of Lloyd Harbor are co-recipients of the Distinguished Alumnus Award. In the past 25 years, they have raised over $20 million for cancer research. Mr. and Mrs. Saladino met as freshmen at Southampton Graduate Campus.

Thomas D. Kelly, a high school language arts teacher for 27 years, has won the Suffolk County Secondary Teacher of the Year Award. Kelly, an adjunct professor in the Education Division at Southampton College, teaches at Bridgehampton High School.

The outdoor commencement ceremonies will take place on the terrace of Southampton Hall, which provides a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean. Southampton Graduate Campus, with an enrollment of 1300 students, is an integral part of Long Island University. With over 24,500 diverse students from the United States and abroad taught by 600 full-time faculty members, the University offers 371 degree programs on six campuses in New York State, on board its SEAmester program and at sites in a number of other countries.

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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

9:30 a.m. - noon		Bruch for graduates and their parents/guests (No charge for students and two guests. Additional tickets are $7 at the Provosts' Office.) Wood Hall Cafeteria
12:15 - 1 p.m.		Senior Recognition Convocation Speeches and Awards for Graduates Fine Arts Theatre
1:00 p.m.		Rehearsal and Robing led by the Chief Marshals Fine Arts Theatre and Avram Family Gallery
1:40 p.m.		Formation of the Line of March Fine Arts Theatre
2:00 p.m.		Commencement South Lawn, in front of Southampton Hall (Gymnasium in the event of rain)
3:30 p.m.		Reception for graduates and their guests Tent on the South Lawn