Adelphi University Graduate Students Receive Emergency Management Allstate Foundation Scholarship

Garden City, NY
April 13, 2009

Adelphi University students Christopher Padden, M.S. ’10 of Medford, NY and Jocelyn Sese, M.S. ’10, from Queens Village, NY, were each awarded $1,000 scholarship from the Allstate Foundation Scholars Program to be applied toward their tuition and enrollment in Adelphi’s Emergency Management Program. This scholarship program, offered for the first time at Adelphi, was established as part of a generous grant by the Allstate Foundation. Eligible students pursuing coursework in emergency management were encouraged to apply.

Richard A. Rotanz, special advisor to the provost for emergency management academic programs (middle) presents Jocelyn Sese and Christopher Padden with the Allstate Foundation Scholarship for Adelphi University's Emergency Management Program.

The implementation of the Allstate Foundation Scholars program, promotes access and opportunity to critical education and training in the area of emergency preparedness. Adelphi University is equally committed to teaching and training a new corps of civic and corporate leaders for Long Island. The graduate certificate program, associate’s degree in emergency services administration, bachelor’s degree in emergency services administration, master’s degree in emergency management, and master’s degree in emergency nursing and disaster management, enroll professional men and women who are interested in furthering or changing the direction of their careers with highly specialized training.

The University’s Emergency Management Program, is designed for first responders, business leaders, directors of local not-for-profits, hospital and care facility administrators, school district and university leaders, and municipality and transportation infrastructure personnel. The program features courses such as business continuity planning, emergency planning and coordination, and emergency management law.

Mr. Padden and Ms. Sese are active in their community. Mr. Padden is a member of the Brookhaven Technical Rescue Task Force, team leader of Long Island Search and Rescue, and a professional dog trainer. He previously volunteered for several fire departments. He is certified in First Aid, CPR, and serves as a lead evaluator for S.A.R. Tech II by the National Association of Search and Rescue.

Ms. Sese is currently the assistant director of nursing in the emergency department at Elmhurst Hospital. She is responsible for training and continuing education for the entire emergency department nursing staff, which consists of 100 RNs and LPNs. She also conducts education programs and clinical unit orientations, and serves as an application administrator for the healthmatics electronic documentation.

Students in the Emergency Management Program work with outstanding faculty, including program director Richard A. Rotanz, former commissioner for the Office of Emergency Management of Nassau County and former deputy commissioner of New York City's Office of Emergency Management under Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani. He was an integral force in re-establishing the emergency operation center to manage the response to the World Trade Center attack. His extensive work at Ground Zero included coordinating the evacuation and rescue of building occupants of Tower One and Seven World Trade Center. He has more than 35 years of experience in emergency management, fire protection, rescue tactics, hazardous materials incidents, and planning for all natural, civil, and technological hazards including acts of terrorism. To register or learn about the emergency management program, please visit http://academics.adelphi.edu/universitycollege/emergencymgmt/gradcertificate.php or contact Richard A. Rotanz, special advisor to the provost for emergency management academic programs, at 516.877.4572 or rotanz@adelphi.edu. For more information about the Allstate Foundation Scholars Program, please contact Flavio Bollag, director of development programs and planning, at 516.877.3257 or bollag@adelphi.edu.


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, Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, Honors College, 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 nearly 8,500 students from 41 states and 63 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.


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