Adelphi to Hold 11th Annual President’s Gala on April 2, 2011

Adelphi University is pleased to announce that it will host its 11th annual President’s Gala on Saturday, April 2, 2011, at 7:00 p.m for cocktails and 8:00 p.m. for dinner and dancing. The gala will be held at the Garden City Hotel at 45 Seventh Street, Garden City, NY 11530. Reservations must be made in advance. The President’s Gala supports the University’s ability to remain competitive in attracting the brightest and most qualified students by funding the scholarships and institutional aid awarded by the University, which total over $37 million annually.

The event will honor four outstanding individuals for their contributions to Adelphi.

Thomas D. Croci, vice president and treasurer of The Christopher D. Smither’s Foundation, will receive the 2011 Outstanding Service Award. Mr. Croci was a founding member of the Advisory Board for the Employees Assistance Program in the Connetquot School District. Mr. Croci served on the Executive Dinner Committee for Derek Jeter’s Annual Turn 2 Foundation Dinner and the Committee for the Physicians Alcoholism Treatment and Training Program for the Alcoholism Council of New York. Mr. Croci was honored by the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence at their Angel Ball and presented with their 2007 Founder’s award. He is a graduate of the University of Montana, and has an M.S. degree in guidance and counseling and a P.D. in administration and supervision from Long Island University.

Maria A. Grasso M.B.A ’89 will receive the 2011 Outstanding Executive Award. Ms. Grasso is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Flushing Savings Bank. Currently, she serves as a member of the Retail Banking Division Executive Committee for the New York Bankers Association and as a board member for Long Island’s United Way and Cancercare of Long Island. Molloy College named Ms. Grasso Businessperson of the Month in April 2005 and she is the recipient of the People’s Hope Award from Long Island’s United Way. She was selected as one of the 40 Rising Stars under the age of 40 in 2004 by Long Island Business News and is the recipient of the 2004 Alumni Achievers Award from Hofstra University. Ms. Grasso graduated at Hofstra University in 1986 with a B.B.A. in finance. She went on to receive her M.B.A. in marketing at Adelphi University in 1989.

Paul J. Salerno ’76 of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP will receive the 2011 Outstanding Alumnus Award. Mr. Salerno is the Long Island Office Managing Partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, where he also leads the Private Company Services Practice. He is a dedicated board member of the Long Island Volunteer Center, a leader in Corporate Volunteerism, and the former chairman of the Long Island Volunteer Enterprise. Mr. Salerno’s board involvement also includes serving as Treasurer of the National Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, Treasurer of the Long Island Alzheimer’s Foundation, as well as serving on the boards of the Long Island Association and the Long Island Community Chest. Paul is a graduate of Adelphi University in 1976, and serves on the Advisory Board of the School of Business.

Marjorie Weinberg-Berman M.S. ’62 will receive the Lifetime Service to Adelphi Award. Mrs. Weinberg-Berman is an active member of the Adelphi University community. She was elected to the Board of Trustees in 1998. She has served on the Academic Affairs Committee, the Advancement Committee, the Buildings and Grounds Committee, and the Student Life Committee, which she chaired for four years. Ms. Weinberg-Berman’s previous endeavors include service as Clinical Supervisor for Adelphi’s Hy Weinberg Center for Communication Disorders, the alumni representative on Adelphi’s Board of Trustees Presidential Search Committee, and the Chair of the University’s Cultural Affairs Council. Ms. Weinberg-Berman is the 2009 recipient of the Women’s Recognition award from Adelphi’s Student Government Association and Center for Student Involvement, which she presents at the annual Women’s Recognition Dinner. She is a former limited partner of Goldman Sachs, and guided funding for the construction of the Hy Weinberg Center for Communication Disorders, established in 1986, in memory of her late husband. Ms. Weinberg-Berman received her M.S. degree in speech pathology from Adelphi in 1961 and her M.S. in cultural anthropology from New York University in 1990.

For more information or for tickets, please contact Jaime Farrell, associate director of leadership annual giving, at (516) 877-4689, or visit adelphi.edu.

About Adelphi University: Adelphi is a world class, modern university with excellent and highly relevant programs where students prepare for lives of active citizenship and professional careers. 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 8,000 students from 41 states and 60 foreign countries. With its main campus in Garden City and centers in Manhattan, Hauppauge, and Poughkeepsie, the University, chartered in 1896, maintains a commitment to liberal studies in tandem with rigorous professional preparation and active citizenship.

Adelphi University
1 South Avenue
Garden City, NY 11530

Kali Chan, director of media relations
(516) 877-4040
chan@adelphi.edu

This release was published on openPR.