Dr. Charles Hitchcock to Receive Chancellor’s Award
for Distinguished Service at Southampton Commencement

Brookville, N.Y. – Charles G. Hitchcock, professor and dean of Southampton College and the Southampton Graduate Campus of Long Island University, will be awarded the new Chancellor’s Medal for Distinguished Service at Commencement ceremonies at the C.W. Post Campus in Brookville on Sunday, May 14, 2006.

A political candidate and activist, municipal official and advocate for victims of dependency and abuse as well as a respected professor and administrator, Hitchcock will be honored for extraordinary service over the course of his 39-year career in higher education.

Committed to civic-based learning, Hitchcock’s courses combined traditional classroom studies with extensive fieldwork to illuminate subjects like social stratification and the sociology of poverty. From working at social service agencies to interviewing migrant farm workers, his students gain a keen understanding of the needs of people at all levels of the economic scale.

Hitchcock’s innovative methods earned him Long Island University’s David Newton Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1999.

Hitchcock holds a B.A. in political science from Colgate University, an M.S. in sociology from New York University and a Ph.D. in sociology from Union Graduate School, served in the Peace Corps in East Pakistan for two years and was a lecturer in American history at the University of Rajshahi. He joined the faculty of Southampton College in 1967.

Hitchcock was appointed dean of Southampton College in 2003 and dean of academic affairs at the Southampton Graduate Campus in 2005. He also served as director of the Social Science Division, chair of the Faculty Council, director of special academic services, director of counseling and director of the Higher Education Opportunity Program and was active on numerous faculty committees, including Academic Standards, Long Range Planning and Affirmative Action. In addition, he coached the men’s tennis team for a total of 10 years.

In 1984, Hitchcock became the first openly gay candidate for public office, running as a Democrat for the New York State Assembly. Hitchcock won 32 percent of the vote in an eastern Long Island district where only 28 percent of voters were Democrats.

From 1986-1992, Hitchcock was the chair of the Town of East Hampton Zoning Board of Appeals. He is a member of the board of Alternatives Counseling Services and previously chaired the board of The Retreat, a local agency that combats domestic violence. In the fall, he will begin a one-year sabbatical during which he will devote his energies to Peace Action, a non-governmental organization at the United Nations. He will retire at the conclusion of his sabbatical. He lives in East Hampton with his partner of 37 years, H. David Wilt.

This is the first year of the Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Service, a new honor recognizing individuals who have made singular contributions to campuses of Long Island University.

More than 2,300 students will graduate on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 14, 2006 at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University’s 48th commencement exercises. The Campus has awarded more than 92,000 degrees in its 51-year history, through a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programs. The Class of 2006 includes 949 baccalaureate degree candidates, 1,376 master's degree candidates, 16 graduates receiving the Psy.D. in clinical psychology and three receiving the Ph.D. in information studies. This year, C.W. Post’s commencement ceremonies also include graduates from Southampton College and the Southampton Graduate Campus of Long Island University.