Adelphi alumnus Lionel Viret has pledged $1 million as an endowment so that the University's groundbreaking Faculty Leadership Fellows initiative can continue in perpetuity.
Adelphi proudly recognizes alumnus Lionel Viret ’95 for his generous gift in support of the University’s groundbreaking new Faculty Leadership Fellows initiative. Mr. Viret has pledged $1 million as an endowment so the program can continue in perpetuity.
Adelphi’s Faculty Leadership Fellows initiative, which will be renamed the Viret Family Faculty Leadership Fellows in honor of Lionel Viret’s generous contribution, provides an opportunity for faculty members considering a career in academic leadership to develop higher education initiatives that transform the college experience and improve higher education for all.
“We are thrilled that this alumnus, now living in Paris, chose to reach all the way to Garden City, Long Island, to support our world-class university,” announced President Christine M. Riordan. “We will ensure that Mr. Viret’s gift enables faculty to create new paths and fresh solutions to transforming higher education—changes that make a profound difference in the lives of our students.”
Conceptualized in 2016, this is a highly selective program designed for faculty aspiring to become chairs, deans, provosts or other executive administrators. It is designed to develop leadership talent and skill through hands-on experiences. Fellows projects will advance Momentum, the University’s strategic plan.
The program is built around an intensive semester-long experience. Fellows will learn University operations, work with a leadership mentor, and attend professional development seminars and national conferences in their areas of interest.
Mr. Viret, the program’s generous benefactor, is president of Stago, a Paris-based company whose motto is “Success is not the end of the line.” It is the only independent international group dedicated to the exploration of hemostasis (the stopping of bleeding or cessation of blood circulation) and thrombosis (the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel), producing and distributing more than 350 blood testing systems and products used by biomedical scientists and clinicians around the world.
Mr. Viret’s father founded Stago in 1945, and Lionel, who majored in political science and minored in history at Adelphi and worked in the company’s shipping and handling department during summers, took over in 2007. Since then, Stago has grown to approximately 2,250 employees and now has subsidiaries all around the world.
Last year, five Adelphi faculty members worked as fellows: Professor and Department Chair Jacqueline Jones LaMon, J.D., explored the power of mentoring programs in transforming the student experience; Professor and Chair of the Department of Biology Andrea Ward, Ph.D., explored how Adelphi might establish a new degree program in health science to further our leadership in the growing wellness field; Associate Professor and Department of Social Work Chair Diann Cameron-Kelly, Ph.D., reviewed and benchmarked Adelphi’s resources for research; Professor Maryanne Hyland, Ph.D., in the Robert B. Willumstad School of Business, explored professionalizing practices in working with part-time faculty; and Associate Dean of the Ruth S. Ammon School of Education Daryl Gordon, Ph.D., explored ways in which Adelphi can integrate campus internationalization efforts.
And this year, three Adelphi faculty members will also work as fellows on leadership projects: Ruth S. Ammon School of Education Assistant Professor Dana Battaglia, Ph.D.; Assistant Professor of University Libraries Rachel Isaac-Menard; and Associate Professor in the College of Nursing and Public Health Edmund J.Y. Pajarillo, Ph.D.