Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore Compares Work of Prosecutors and Teachers with Commencement Address at Long Island University's Westchester Graduate Campus
- Herself a University alumna, DA explains her 'holistic' and 'proactive' public service -

Purchase, N.Y. - Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore linked the public service of prosecutors and teachers in the commencement address she delivered at Long Island University's Westchester Graduate Campus on Tuesday, May 20. Most of the 106 advanced-level graduates are expected to pursue careers in education, counseling and other publicly oriented professions within the Westchester area.

"Teachers are among the strongest pillars of a sound and progressive society," District Attorney DiFiore declared during the Tuesday evening ceremony, held at the Campus in Purchase, N.Y. She compared the "holistic" and "proactive" work of educators to the strategies she employs in addressing complicated community problems.

"The holistic approach found in your work mirrors an evolution that has taken place in prosecutor's offices across the country," the district attorney continued. "We are addressing public safety, not only with traditionally reactive prosecution, but also by using a proactive model that addresses the many complicated issues that drive crime in our community."

Serving as an assistant district attorney and a judge before her election as the county's chief law enforcement officer in 2005, DiFiore herself is a 1977 graduate of Long Island University's C.W. Post Campus. In her address, she thanked the University for the solid foundation it provided her.

During the ceremony, University President David J. Steinberg awarded 54 Master of Science in Education degrees, in specialties of teaching, school psychology and school counseling, 21 advanced certificates in teaching, 25 Master of Science in Library and Information Science degrees and six Master in Business Administration degrees.

"Universities are affirmations of life," Dr. Steinberg said in his commencement remarks. "They speak to new opportunity, to the optimism of a new generation, to the world of the future, even while studying the past and preserving its cultures."

Sylvia Blake, the associate provost and academic dean for the Westchester Graduate Campus, commented,"Long Island University has answered the needs of Westchester and surrounding communities through programs that provide advanced degrees and professional development for area residents." She added, "Fortified by the knowledge and skills they have cultivated here, our graduates are positioned to enrich their own lives and contribute to our region and society as a whole."

The Westchester Graduate Campus offers graduate and certificate programs in teacher education, school counseling, school psychology, mental health counseling, marriage and family therapy, and library and information science as well as a Master's in Business Administration degree.

For more information about the Westchester Graduate Campus, please call (914) 831-2700 or visit the Web site at http://www.liu.edu/westchester.

Before delivering the commencement address at Long Island University's Westchester Graduate Campus Tuesday night, District Attorney Janet DiFiore joined University officials including (l-r) Board Chairman Edward Travaglianti, Chancellor Ronald J. Sylvestri, Associate Provost Sylvia Blake and (r-l) Vice President for Academic Affairs Jeffrey Kane, Treasurer Robert N. Altholz, President David J. Steinberg and Provost Gale Stevens Haynes.

Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore delivered the commencement address at Long Island University's Westchester Graduate Campus in Purchase on Tuesday night, when more than 100 graduates received advanced degrees and certificates in teaching, counseling, library science and business.

Long Island University has been offering graduate degree programs to promote professional advancement in Westchester County since 1975. Today, most classes are held in the late afternoons, in the evenings and on the weekends to provide a nurturing yet flexible environment that caters to the needs of working adults and mid-career professionals.

Long Island University In its ninth decade of providing access to the American dream through excellence in higher education, Long Island University is a multi-campus, diverse, doctoral institution of higher learning. One of the largest and most comprehensive private universities in the country, Long Island University offers over 550 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs and certificates, and educates over 24,000* credit-seeking and continuing education students in Brooklyn, Brookville (C.W. Post), Brentwood, Riverhead, Rockland, Westchester and Southampton. The Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences prepares students for successful careers in the fields of pharmacy and health care. The University's Global College offers a wide range of study abroad options at overseas centers in China, Costa Rica, Japan and South Africa.

Long Island University's more than 650 full-time faculty members provide outstanding instruction, which is supplemented by internships and cooperative education opportunities. The accomplishments of nearly 167,000 living alumni are a testament to the success of its mission - providing the highest level of education to people from all walks of life. The University's NCAA Division I and II athletic teams, nationally renowned George Polk Awards in journalism, Tilles Center for the Performing Arts and Long Island University Public Radio Network (WLIU-FM and WCWP-FM) provide enrichment for students and the community.

*This number includes high school students enrolled in one or more degree-credit courses.