Communiversity program strengthens ties with Molloy University and Rockville Centre

Molloy University’s “communiversity” program is finding new ways to grow and evolve this year, aiming to strengthen the university’s connection with the Rockville Centre community.

The initiative, which began with a few offerings, now includes a variety of activities designed to benefit local residents, businesses and students.

“It’s a real integration between events and things that happen between the university and the town together,” James Lentini, president of Molloy University, said, “and it builds a momentum with both entities in such a way that they can really benefit from each other.”

A central aspect of the communiversity initiative’s mission, which launched in 2023, is its partnership with the Rockville Centre Chamber of Commerce, which provides a 30 percent tuition discount to employees of Chamber member businesses. This partnership strengthens the relationship between the university and the local business community, providing new opportunities for students and businesses to collaborate. 

“We’ve accomplished a tremendous amount and now is the time to [recommit] to the community program,” Ed Asip, president of the Rockville Centre Chamber of Commerce said, “to explore other options, other ways of leveraging the community program.”

Molloy student-athletes also get involved locally by volunteering at sports clinics for children with special needs through local organizations such as Challenger Baseball and Hoops for All. One of the program’s highlights is the annual “Night Out on the Lion” event, which offers Rockville Centre families a chance to enjoy an evening out while their children participate in activities like games and arts and crafts led by Molloy students and athletes. More than 60 children attended the event last December, with plans to run it again this year. Molloy has also hosted the “Hoops for Hope” event in February, benefiting the local nonprofit SiBSPlace.

“Many of our student-athletes call the village home for the majority of the year, and it is incredibly rewarding to make a difference for the residents and businesses of the area,” Susan Cassidy-Lyke, Molloy’s director of athletics, said. “Community service has always been at the heart of the Molloy mission, and communiversity only strengthens that priority.”

Village Mayor Francis Murray welcomes the partnership to the village, emphasizing how it will bring more people and more business to the area.

“If parents are visiting the village or dropping off their children, they’re going to come down and use our restaurants, use our facilities, use our parks,” Murray said. “It’s a great mutual agreement, and the Chamber has welcomed the university to get involved in all of our functions.”

Molloy’s engagement with the community extends beyond events and partnerships. The university has created a communications platform, the Molloy Parent Portal, which keeps families informed about campus activities. The portal’s 95% open rate on posts promoting communiversity initiatives has been notably high, as Molloy has reported, with many posts highlighting local businesses in the Chamber of Commerce.

Additionally, Molloy offers a clinical mental health counseling clinic located just a block from campus at 30 Hempstead Avenue. The clinic provides counseling services, some of which are free to the public, further demonstrating Molloy’s prevalence in the community through offered services.

The initiative was brought here by Lentini and his wife, Dana, after they saw it successfully implemented at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where Lentini was the dean of the School of Fine Arts. Dana highlighted the benefits of having college students involved in her children’s lives, from babysitting to participating in university-run camps and swim teams. She emphasized how being part of a college town exposed her own children to college life early on, fostering educational opportunities. 

“It’s such a wonderful gift to a community to have a university, because we don’t serve just kids,” she said. “We serve adults and seniors, and there’s just so many benefits for all ages and stages of life to have a university in their town, and that’s something that I’ve experienced.”

Looking ahead, Lentini discussed plans to continue building the relationship between the university and Rockville Centre. Newer initiatives include adding Molloy University banners in the downtown area and expanding opportunities for local businesses to engage with Molloy families during campus events like open houses and orientation days. The university is also exploring collaborations with local events, such as “Eat Shop Rock,” to further support Rockville Centre’s businesses.