The Town of Hempstead has awarded Adelphi University a $2 million grant to aid reopening efforts. The town’s contribution is part of funds received from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, helping offset unexpected costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Town of Hempstead Supervisor Donald X. Clavin Jr. on Tuesday announced the grant to Adelphi, and similar grants to Hofstra University, Molloy College and Nassau Community College. The awards were made possible by Hempstead’s securing $133 million from the CARES Act.
“We have long valued our partnership with the Town of Hempstead and the positive relationship we’ve had with our community through the years,” said Adelphi President Christine M. Riordan. “The pandemic has strained every institution in the country, economically and logistically—we are so grateful for this grant and the confidence shown by the town in apportioning the federal CARES Act funds, which will help ensure the safety of our students and community. On behalf of our Adelphi family, I thank the town and Supervisor Clavin.”
The Hempstead town supervisor credited New York’s U.S. Senator Charles Schumer for his work on securing the funds. “The CARES Act funding has allowed us to help ease the burdens on thousands of residents throughout the town,” Clavin said. “Adelphi University is a hub for higher education, community engagement and a key employer to residents of America’s largest township. The financial assistance being provided to Adelphi and these local colleges and universities within our community will enable them to maintain the necessary level of safety for students and staff as they look to bring students back to the classroom.”
Adelphi will use these funds for personal protective equipment (PPE) for faculty, staff and students; testing equipment and supplies; health barriers for the campus, including classrooms and welcoming areas of offices, offices and labs; and housekeeping supplies to sanitize campus facilities. In addition, residence halls will be retrofitted with hands-free faucets and their existing HVAC units upgraded. In March of this year, the University donated all its PPE to New York hospitals during the height of the crisis in the state.
Among the campus facilities aided by the grant is the Hy Weinberg Center for Communication Disorders, which also houses the Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology—the center and School provide speech and hearing as well as counseling services to area residents. Adelphi employs 500 full-time employees from the Town of Hempstead.
“More than 38 percent of the University’s undergraduate and graduate students commute from their homes in the county,” noted Maggie Yoon Grafer ’99, MA ’08, associate vice president of external relations and chief of staff. “Keeping them safe will help protect the well-being of their family members along with the larger community they will be exposed to each day in the town.”
The University plans to begin the fall semester on Monday, August 31, with a combination of in-person, hybrid, online and HyFlex courses that offer both in-person and online attendance options. All classes and exams after Thanksgiving break will be conducted remotely. Adelphi’s main campus in Garden City, which is in the Town of Hempstead, and its satellite centers in Hauppauge, Manhattan and Poughkeepsie will have in place strict health precautions and procedures, including social distancing, required wearing of masks, and classrooms enabled with technology for remote learning and instruction.
See more about the Town of Hempstead at hempsteadny.gov as well as Adelphi’s reopening plans at adelphi.edu/restart.