2008 NETWORKING® MAGAZINE’S DAVID AWARD HONOREE.

DREW BOGNER, Ph.D.
President, Molloy College

BY MAUREEN TRAXLER

Recruited in 2000 from Wichita, Kansas, Molloy College President Dr. Drew Bogner has transformed this small-sized commuter college into a growing, competitive educational institution by reshaping its campus and expanding its partnerships with the Long Island community. Under his guidance, Molloy successfully completed a $9.2 million project that included renovation of science labs, design and construction of Siena Hall, and an upgrade of campus technology. Currently, the college is embarking on a master plan highlighted by a “ Public Square” and a residence hall, milestones for the college. “We are nearing the end of a 5 year capital campaign and we are close to achieving our $12 million goal,” notes Bogner. “We are in the application process with the Village of Rockville Centre and are scheduled for our first public hearing.”

The Public Square will contain a 550-seat theater, meeting and gathering space for students and community members, and a technology center, which, Bogner adds, will be a “blending of different kinds of environments.” While students will be able to access technology at a cyber café and traditional computer labs, they will also have the opportunity to meet in a group, set up their laptops to display a presentation on a large screen monitor, and work on the project simultaneously. And, the 150-bed residence hall has been “a long time coming,” he remarks.

During Bogner’s tenure, Molloy has realized a 48% increase in enrollment. By fall 2007, the college had doubled the number of students in its Honors program, increased its freshman enrollment from 218 to 375, added a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts (BFA) and graduate level programs including a Master’s degree in Business and most recently, a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice. The college has submitting to the State Education Department Master’s programs for Music Therapy and Speech Pathology. And, Bogner announces that the college is developing and plans to launch a Ph.D. program in Nursing by 2009. The increase in academic programs, Bogner notes, has brought “an increased emphasis on research and scholarship by our faculty and publication and presentation of that research.” He adds, “As you expand in graduate education, it’s important to produce knowledge as well. A Ph.D. comes at the right time for us.”

As the college has grown exponentially, so has its reputation. U.S. News and World Report named the college a top tier institution and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) acknowledged the high percentage of graduates who participated in Molloy’s athletic program during their undergraduate experience. More important, Bogner believes Molloy has now become “top of mind” for many Long Island corporations, businesses, organizations, school districts and residents.

Much of Molloy’s rising reputation can be traced to the value and investment of time that Bogner places on the development of partnerships. Through its student intern programs in nursing and education, Molloy interacts with a vast number of health care institutions and K-12 school districts. Through its service-learning curriculum component, hundreds of students each semester engage with community members as a practical application of what they learn in the classroom.

On campus, student involvement in clubs, government and service activities has dramatically increased by 500%, and Bogner says, “Molloy has more activities per capita than any other higher education institution on Long Island.” Each athletic team engages in a community service; “service scholars” have a component in their scholarship; and Campus Ministry raises money for charities and partners with a Dominican college in New Jersey to organize its annual “Midnight Run,”bringing food and clothing to the homeless in New York City.

Bogner’s participation on the Long Island Index Advisory Board lead to the college’s Energeia Partnership, the Academy for Regional Stewardship, a far-reaching effort to provide an educational format for leadership development within Long Island. This month, the Academy will graduate its first class—20 individuals from the private, public and nonprofit sectors—after their completion of the required two-year program.

“ There’s been a long, historic disconnect with issues happening in Suffolk, others happening in Nassau, the North Fork versus the South Shore,” notes Bogner, “ and the Academy is looking to break through that and help people see the interconnection of the various Long Island issues.”

By his actions, Bogner exemplifies Molloy’s motto, “Leadership through Service,” and brings the resources of the college to charitable endeavors. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities and as trustee on the Diocese of Rockville Centre’s Tomorrow’s Hope Foundation, founded in response to the closure of many Catholic schools across the country to raise funds to improve enrollments, facilities and programs. He chairs the Dominican Higher Education Consortium, fostering alliances among the 18 colleges nationally founded by the Dominican Order.

Bogner serves on the Steering Committee of the Long Island Regional Advisory Council for Higher Education, Long Island Work’s Presidents/ Superintendent’s Group, Boy Scouts of America, Theodore Roosevelt Council and the NCAA Task Force. He chairs the NCAA East Coast Conference President’s Council through which college presidents maintain an active role in their institutions’ athletic programs. Next year, he will assume membership on the national President’s Council.

“ Since I came to Long Island, I have been an advocate for affordable housing,” remarks Bogner, who serves on the board of the Long Island Housing Partnership, working to promote awareness of the issue and gain political support. Five years ago, he began advocating for affordable housing for young people.

Bogner, who holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy and History of Education, began teaching one spring semester class of Japanese History last year, and he traveled with 30 students and another faculty member to Japan for an immersion in the local culture. He continues to touch a wide audience through the college’s Telecare programming of “Next Generation,” a television program for young people, and “Molloy Presents,” which broadcasts of on-campus educational events.

Bogner and his wife Karen live in Rockville Centre. Their son Ryan, a graduate of the Boston Conservatory, is pursuing an acting career and their daughter Lindsay, a senior at Stonehill College in Boston, plans to follow her father in education.

NETWORKING® January 2008