A talk with Michael Balboni ’81, JD, former New York state senator and deputy secretary for public safety under two of the state’s governors, about his long connection with Adelphi and plans for leadership of the University’s board.
Adelphi has always played a part in the life of Michael Balboni ’81, JD, who was recently appointed the new chair of the Adelphi University Board of Trustees. Raised on Long Island, he was surrounded by family members who attended Adelphi, grew up playing sports on the campus fields, and even celebrated his Garden City High School prom when it was held at the University.
After graduating from Adelphi and then law school, he went on to build a successful career in New York state government as an assemblyman, senator and homeland security adviser to two governors. He then founded RedLand Strategies Inc., a homeland security, crisis management, government relations and business development firm.
He has maintained his relationship with Adelphi throughout these years, joining the political science department as an adjunct faculty member and, since 2018, serving as a member of the University’s board of trustees.
As he begins his tenure as chair, we spoke with Balboni about his many connections to the University, his career in public service, and his plans for leading the board of trustees.
Can you tell us about your connections to Adelphi and how they influenced your decision to serve on the University’s board of trustees?
Adelphi introduced me to so many people who were impactful throughout my educational and professional career. My father was a physician so I was a premed student. But I decided to take a political science course to broaden my approach, and Joe Sanchez [PhD, professor emeritus, political science] really turned me on to politics. I also had a chance to participate in The Washington Center Internship, which totally opened my eyes to government and made me want go to law school. I owe that all to Adelphi University.
Years later, Regina Axelrod [PhD, professor emerita, political science] said, “Why don’t you become an adjunct?” So I started teaching. And after teaching, I was invited to join the board. I’ve very much enjoyed helping to bring multitalented people together and seeing if we can achieve something with a focus.
You have had a long career in public service. How did your education at Adelphi prepare you for that?
In addition to my political science education and internship experiences, my biology lessons were actually helpful when I became chairman of the Homeland Security Committee in the State Senate, as we did hearings on biological weapons. As a matter of fact, my inaugural address on issues about weapons and mass destruction was done at Adelphi.
I always felt like Adelphi was there for me. It’s consistently been a resource for learning, inspiration and community. Adelphi is such an important part of not only the Garden City community, but the Long Island community, being the oldest university on Long Island. And that speaks volumes to me.
What have you learned from your predecessor, Marc S. Strachan ’81, about board leadership, and what are some of the ways you hope to build on his successes as chair?
One of the biggest challenges I’ve had in this transition is trying to keep up with Mark Strachan. He has such a commanding presence in a room. He’s sophisticated and engaging with a clear focus on what needs to be done and the courage to do it. He’s also been incredibly kind and generous with his time, advice and counsel. I can’t thank him enough for his service to the University and, frankly, for his friendship to me. The best advice he gave to me is, “Be your own person. Don’t try to emulate the things that I’ve done but create your own path.”
I’ve also had a chance to reach out to nearly every board member and spend some time with them. They are incredibly talented, successful and dedicated, with a diversity of backgrounds and experiences. If I had to personally assemble a board, I couldn’t have assembled a better one. And they have demonstrated their support for the University and for my leadership. I’m confident that they have Adelphi’s interests at heart and are ready to step up and lead.
Higher education is facing new pressures these days. How will these pressures affect the work of the board?
I believe we’re facing three major challenges. The first is a reduction in the number of students that will be of college age. We can’t control that, but we’ve anticipated it, and we’ll have to adjust for it. Second is, of course, the nature of education has changed since COVID—the move to remote studies is pervasive. And therefore we have to highlight the value of being on this beautiful campus. We have to make the case that an in-class, on-campus learning experience is crucial not only for your intellectual development but for your character.
The third is that, as a result of COVID, many families are reevaluating the cost benefit and return on investment of a university education. So I want to emphasize our offerings in the fields that really make Adelphi strong, like nursing, psychology and business. And I want to recognize that we have this huge place called New York City right in our backyard, and Adelphi now operates the Manhattan Center in the heart of Midtown. That will signal to the broader community that this is worth investing in.
Adelphi is in the midst of a major fundraising campaign. What role will you play in the campaign?
I come from a political model where you have to reach out and directly engage with people. So I’m on the phone introducing myself and telling people what the vision is for the school. I’m convinced that our alumni are waiting to be reached out to; they’re waiting to get a call that says, “You graduated here. You are important. We want you to come in and help us to move the University forward.” I’m excited to be part of that process.
What are the immediate issues you hope to address as chair? And what do you hope to achieve over the next four years as chair of the board?
I believe investing in our infrastructure is crucial. We’ve taken the initiative to find funding and improve some of the buildings and physical structure of the campus. We have plans to improve the experience not only for students, but for the faculty as well.
Going forward, I would like to use this new role as an invitation: If anybody has not been on campus in a while, come back. It is so beautiful and it sparks so many different memories. It’s not your same Adelphi in the sense that it has some new structures, like the state-of-the-art Nexus Building and the Ruth S. Harley University Center—and we’re going to make further improvements. But it is your same Adelphi in terms of its beauty and its central mission to provide quality education for Long Island and beyond.
Watch Chair Balboni and his predecessor on the board of trustees, Marc S. Strachan, in this video welcoming new students and their families to Adelphi: