AMERICAN ADVERTISING FEDERATION TO HONOR CNR PRESIDENT

New Rochelle, N.Y, September 18, 2006 – Dr. Stephen J. Sweeny, President of The College of New Rochelle (CNR), will be honored on September 27 by the American Advertising Federation at its 2006 Diversity Achievement and Mosaic Awards ceremony, scheduled to take place at the New York Athletic Club located at 180 Central Park South in New York City.  Dr. Sweeny will be among 10 honorees at the noon awards luncheon.

The American Advertising Federation and District Two, the two forces that have actively pursued the goal of a more inclusive advertising industry for the past 11 years, partnered to present their Diversity Achievement and Mosaic Awards & Forum as part of the Advertising Week New York. CNR’s president is being honored in the Educator category, an award that is given to an individual or company who has increased awareness of the aspirations, obstacles and performance of minority groups among the general population.

At CNR, Dr. Sweeny has strengthened the tradition of serving the underserved, proving that there is no contradiction between access and academic excellence.  He was instrumental in instituting an award-winning CNR image campaign which garnered a record number of corporate and alumnae/i contributions to the College.  Under Dr. Sweeny’s direction, CNR also completed a multi-million dollar renovation of Gill Library, expanded its computerized research capabilities on all six campuses, and began construction on a $28 million interdisciplinary Wellness Center for students and the local community.  Most recently, Dr. Sweeny led a College-wide fundraising effort to help Xavier University of Louisiana recover from Hurricane Katrina. 

Dr. Sweeny obtained a bachelor of arts degree in Spanish Literature from The Catholic University of America, two master’s degrees in Theology and Counseling Psychology from Manhattan College, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education from New York University. Additional studies at the Institute for Education Management at Harvard University and its Seminar for New Presidents further prepared Dr. Sweeny for his current position.

Dr. Sweeny is active in numerous professional organizations and accrediting bodies.  He is a Commissioner with the Middle States Association. He is Chair of the Board of LaSalle Academy (NY), and serves on the boards of the College of Saint Elizabeth (NJ), Alverno College (WI), Cardinal McCloskey Services (NY), and Willow Towers (NY).  His professional and research interests include mission effectiveness studies of educational and other non-profit organizations.