Category: Newsmakers

On March 17, 1972, parents with children in the Willowbrook State School filed a lawsuit to force the state to improve conditions there. Three years later, all parties signed the Willowbrook Consent Decree, a legal agreement which changed the treatment of the developmentally disabled in New York State and ultimately, the nation.

To mark the 30th anniversary of this historic milestone, the College of Staten Island (CSI) Library Archives and Special Collections is presenting a roundtable discussion about the legacy of Willowbrook.

Participants include:

* Elizabeth Connelly, former New York State Assemblywoman
* Sal Giordano, parent and member of the Willowbrook Commission Task Force
* Hal Kennedy, attorney and leading advocate for the disabled, and
* David Goode, moderator, and professor of sociology at the CSI

The Archives will display documents and photographs from the newly established Willowbrook Collection, which contains materials associated with the history of the Willowbrook State School and disabilities.

Date: Monday, March 18, 2002

Time: 6:30 p.m. Reception, 7:00 p.m. Program

Place: College of Staten Island, 2800 Victory Boulevard, Library Archives and Special Collections, 1L-216

This program is free and open to the public. It will be taped for broadcast on WSIA 88.9 FM.

For additional information, contact Dr. Jeffrey Kroessler in the Archives: (718) 982-4021.

Fulbright Fellowships have been awarded to seven faculty members at the City University of New York (CUNY) for 2001-2002. Three of these seven outstanding scholars are on faculty at the College of Staten Island (CSI). Their topics range from American literature; comparing politics between Indonesia and the U.S.; and teaching American philosophy in China. Daniel Fuchs, Professor Emeritus of English, is lecturing on American literature at Jagiellonian Univeristy, Krakow, Poland; Stefano M. Harney, Assistant Professor of Sociology is lecturing and conducting research on “Politics and Public Administration: a Comparative Perspective on Indonesia and the United States” at Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia; and Peter P. Simpson, Professor of Philosophy, is lecturing on “Contemporary American Political and Moral Philosophy: Nature, Sources and Prospects” at the People’s (Renmin) University of China, Beijing, China.

“It is extremely rewarding to know that the pursuit of excellence by CSI faculty has been recognized by the Fulbright Board, and that the prestigious host universities will know the quality of faculty that we have come to expect everyday,” said Dr. Marlene Springer, President of CSI.

Fulbright Fellowships have been awarded to other CUNY faculty: two at Queens College and one each at Baruch College and Hunter College. Additionally, eight Fulbright Fellows from distinguished foreign universities have chosen CUNY to pursue their research and teaching in New York City; three at the CUNY Graduate Center; two at City College; and one each at Brooklyn College and John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Under a cooperative agreement with the Bureau, the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) is a private, non-profit organization and assists in the administration of the Fulbright Scholar Program for faculty and professionals. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the United States Congress to the Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions in foreign countries and in the U.S. also contribute financially. The Presidentially appointed J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board is responsible for the final selection of all Fulbright grantees and the supervision of the Fulbright Program worldwide.

The College of Staten Island is a senior college with the City University of New York. For additional information, visit their website at: www.csi.cuny.edu

Michael Lomonaco, who lost his famous Windows on the World restaurant in the World Trade Center attacks, serves as honorary chair for the seventh annual “A Taste of… the Mediterranean” event, to be held by the College of Staten Island Alumni Association. Lomonaco was head chef/director of Windows on the World atop the North Tower since 1997, and has previously worked at Le Cirque, Maxwell’s Plum and the “21” Club.

Association members met this week and finalized plans for the event, which will be held March 9 at 6 p.m. in the college’s Campus Center, Building 1C, on the Willowbrook campus. Tickets will be available beginning Saturday, February 9.

The next committee meeting is scheduled for February 11 at 7 p.m.

For additional information or to be put on the mailing list, contact Jaclyn Unger at 982-2290.