  
|
 |
Adele C. Smithers |
Adele C. Smithers, President of Christopher D. Smithers Foundation, to Receive Honorary Degree from Adelphi University
Garden City, NY
March 25, 2008
Adele C. Smithers, president of the Christopher D. Smithers Foundation, will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from Adelphi University at its 112th Commencement ceremony on Monday, May 19, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. in Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1255 Hempstead Turnpike, Uniondale, NY.
As the president of Christopher D. Smithers Foundation, Mrs. Smithers oversees the nation’s first and oldest private philanthropy devoted to the funding of alcoholism related initiatives. Founded by her late husband R. Brinkley Smithers in 1952, Mrs. Smithers and her son, Christopher B. Smithers have successfully worked to institute programs to prevent and treat alcoholism.
Mrs. Smithers holds numerous leadership positions, including director of Employment Program for Recovered Alcoholics (ERPA), chairwoman for the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, director for Glen Head North Shore Youth Council, and vice chair for Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug independence, among others. In 2000, Mrs. Smithers sold the foundation’s 74-year-old mansion, Frost Hill Manor, for an asking price of $7.9 million. Profits from the showcase were allocated to different charities—65 percent to the Family and Children’s Association, in Mineola, and 35 percent to the Long Island Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, in Williston Park.
Mrs. Smithers is devoted to the nation’s youth and improving the community. She is the first recipient of an award issued by the United States Governors’ Spouses initiative, Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free Foundation. She is the first recipient of the Derek Jeter Turn 2 Foundation’s MVP award. She has been honored with the prominent Pioneer award by the International Council for Caring Communities of the United Nations for her significant contributions to improving the quality of life of citizens throughout the world. In 2005, she was invited to the White House to participate in the Conference on Helping America’s Youth.
Adelphi University will confirm more than 2,500 graduates at the associate’s, bachelor’s master’s, and doctoral levels at its Commencement. Adelphi President Robert A. Scott will deliver the Commencement address. Honorary degrees will also be conferred upon Lon Gorman, retired vice chairman of The Charles Schwab Corporation, and Paul Taylor, choreographer and founder director of the Paul Taylor Dance Company.
For more information and the full day’s program, please contact Adelphi’s commencement office at 516.877.4695, or visit www.adelphi.edu/commencement08.
About Adelphi University: Adelphi University, chartered in 1896, was the first institution of higher education for the liberal arts and sciences on Long Island. Through its schools and programs—The College of Arts and Sciences, the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, the Honors College, the Ruth S. Ammon School of Education, University College, and the Schools of Business, Nursing, and Social Work—the co-educational university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as professional and educational programs for adults. Adelphi University currently enrolls more than 8,300 students from 40 states and 50 foreign countries. With its main campus in Garden City and centers in Manhattan, Hauppauge, and Poughkeepsie, the University maintains a commitment to liberal studies in tandem with rigorous professional preparation and active citizenship.
Media Contact
For additional information, please contact:
Kali Chan
Media Relations Director
p - 516.877.4040
f - 516.877.3266
e - chan@adelphi.edu
|
|
|
