Suzy Dalton Sonenberg M.S.W. ’76, Executive Director of the Long Island Community Foundation, to Receive Honorary Degree from Adelphi University

Garden City, NY
March 29, 2009

Suzy Dalton Sonenberg

Suzy Dalton Sonenberg M.S.W.’76, executive director of the Long Island Community Foundation, will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from Adelphi University at its 113th Commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 21, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. in Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1255 Hempstead Turnpike, Uniondale, NY.

Ms. Sonenberg has served as executive director of the Long Island Community Foundation, a division of The New York Commuity Trust, since March 1988. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Sonenberg was program officer at the New York Foundation, a mid-sized private foundation that procures grants to those located in New York City’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Devoting her life to service, Ms. Sonenberg has received a myriad of awards for her work, including the Sanford Lenz Memorial Community Service Award from the Health and Welfare Council of Long Island, the Gilbert Tilles Award from the Long Island Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the Nassau County Chapter of the Red Cross, the Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award from Long Island Cares, and the Woman of Valor Award from the Long Island Chapter of the American Jewish Committee.

Ms. Sonenberg’s unwavering commitment to community involvement extends to her alma mater as a member of Adelphi University’s President’s Advisory Council, and the University previously named her Outstanding Alumna. She received her master’s degree in social work from Adelphi University in 1976.

A first generation American, Ms. Sonenberg lives in Westbury, Long Island and Madison, Connecticut with her husband, Irwin Frantz.

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 awarded to Audrey Ronning Topping, prize-winning photojournalist, and Seymour Topping, former administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes and former managing editor of the New York Times. Joan Kuster ’51, dedicated alumna and community member, will receive the Ruth Stratton Harley Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award.

For more information and the full day’s program, please contact Adelphi’s commencement office at (516) 877-4695, or visit http://www.adelphi.edu/commencement/.

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.


Media Contact
For additional information, please contact:

Kali Chan Media Relations Director p - 516.877.4040 f - 516.877.3266 e - chan@adelphi.edu