Dean Anthony Polemeni, Touro Graduate School of Ed Honored as “Educator of the Year”
The Columbia University Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa, the Professional Association in Education honored Anthony Polemeni, Ph.D., with the prestigious “Educator of the Year” Award at its annual Winter Awards Banquet at Columbia’s Faculty House.
Dr. Stephen Levy, President of Phi Delta Kappa, Columbia University praised Dr. Polemeni as a hard working, innovative educator who presides over Touro’s Graduate School of Education and Psychology with a compassion and sensitivity rarely seen in any college administrator.
At the dinner over 250 well-wishers crowded the President’s Room at Faculty House joining Dr. Bernard Lander, Founder of Touro in raising a toast to the Dean. Dr. Lander noted Dr. Polemeni is a “very special person” at Touro, and one for whom the president has the utmost admiration and respect.
Touro College has experienced phenomenal growth since its founding in 1971, and is currently educating more than 27,500 students at locations in New York, California, Florida, Nevada, Jerusalem, Moscow and Berlin and Rome. Touro College continues to have a profound impact on the lives of its students and on the Jewish and underserved communities.
Dr. Polemeni has over 40 years of combined experience in education and industry. Under his direction, he has provided affordable quality graduate education, growing the enrollment of the School of Education from several hundred to over 7000 students, including over 1300 student teachers. As Dean of Education, Dr. Polemeni instituted Masters Programs in Birth through 2, 1-6, 5-9, Special Education, Literacy, Tesol, Instructional Technology, School Psychology and Mental Health Counseling and has promoted educational access through on-line distance learning. Dr. Polemeni developed and maintained the following philosophy of education, increased the number of approved degree offerings and instituted successful marketing strategies, which dramatically increased enrollment.
Dr. Polemeni’s multiple mini-site strategy, throughout NYC and Long Island, the implementation of aggressive marketing strategies, has increased the availability of a Touro education. Additionally, Dr. Polemeni has also been instrumental in attempting to secure a recognized doctoral degree program, which will commence later this year
Born in Brooklyn, he received a baccalaureate degree (Summa Cum Laude) from St. Francis College. He received his Master’s in Romance Philology from Columbia University and the Doctoral degree from St. John’s University. We are most pleased that for many years Dr. Polemeni has been a member of Phi Delta Kappa.
Dr. Polemeni began as a teacher of French and very quickly rose to become Director of Foreign Languages. In 1971 he was hired by the New York State Division of Evaluation to oversee the New York City Schools and thereafter became Director of Research and Evaluation for the New York City Central Board of Education. Under his leadership, New York City developed the first secure standardized test and the Language Assessment Battery.
In 1978, because of family obligations, Dr. Polemeni left the New York City Board of Education and joined the international business world as a Director of Creusot Loire Corporation, a French importing company of specialty steel. In 1981, he became Vice President and eventually President of an international export company that dealt with Africa, Asia, Caribbean, and Latin America. In 1997, he returned to education as Director of Mercy College’s Bronx Graduate School of Education. In 2007, due to his outstanding performance as Dean, Dr. Polemeni, was appointed as a Vice-President of Touro College. The class of 2007, spring graduation was so large it had to be held at NYC’s Madison Square Garden.#
