C.W. Post Salutatorian Writes His Way to a Promising Future

May 8, 2005— Brookville, NY – When James Danaher came to the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University in Brookville, N.Y., as a freshman in 2001, he had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. The only thing he did know was that he wanted to write. Nearly four years later, Danaher is the salutatorian of the class of 2005—and well on his way to a successful career in journalism.

“My ultimate goal is to become one of the many gatekeepers throughout the journalism field as a managing editor for a technology or professional audio-related publication,” says the 22-year-old Seaford resident, who will receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Print and Electronic Journalism at commencement ceremonies on May 8. He has already amassed solid experience by reporting for The Pioneer, the Campus newspaper, and working at WCWP, the Campus radio station. He is also the communications director of Universal Campus, a new Web site run by students and faculty in the C.W. Post Media Arts Department.

A student in the Honors Program, Danaher has a 3.98 grade point average and serves as the art director and assistant editor of the Honors Program’s student newsletter, Athena. He has also worked as a DJ and in the electric department at the Metropolitan Opera House, and as a volunteer at South Nassau Communities Hospital’s pharmacy.

Ronald Feldman, an adjunct journalism professor and faculty advisor of Universal Campus, recognized something special in Danaher as a freshman in his Media Ethics course. “He immediately earned the top grade in the class, the best writer in the class and the most astute in terms of discussion of the knotty questions about ethics,” says Feldman. “Even as a young 18-year-old out of high school he was a standout. I can’t say enough about this kid. He’s just a pretty super young man.”

Danaher plans to pursue an M.B.A. in management and to write for a media outlet that doesn’t limit writers’ creativity. “To restrict a writer by how many words he or she can use is like telling anyone else in the world that they can only breathe so many times a minute,” says Danaher. “I feel that both the Internet and magazines offer a freedom that every true writer wants and deserves.”

Danaher will be one of more than 2,200 students who will don their caps and gowns on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 8, 2005 for the 47th annual commencement exercises of the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University. The Campus has awarded more than 90,000 degrees in its 50-year history, through a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programs.