Lawrence Levy

Associate Vice President and Executive Dean of the National Center for Surburban Hofstra University

  • Hempstead NY

Dean Levy works close with Hofstra’s academic community to shape an innovative agenda for suburban study

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Spotlight

1 min

Hempstead Supervisor Announces Tax Cuts

Lawrence Levy, associate vice president and executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies, spoke to News 12 Long Island about Hempstead Town Supervisor John Ferretti proposing an 18% tax cut to the general fund for 2026, that he says would result in $5 million savings. Helping to fund the cut would be a reduction in the town’s workforce. “This could be a good thing if the reduction is the result of sound fiscal practices. It could be a bad thing if it’s the result of fiscal gimmicks,” Levy said. “We’re talking about – at best – dollars in savings, not hundreds of dollars, except for the most expensive of properties.

Lawrence Levy

1 min

State Lawmakers Divided on NYC Mayoral Race

City & State NY interviewed Lawrence Levy, associate vice president and executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies, “Could Jacobs’ refusal to endorse Mamdani help Hochul?” Last week, State Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs offered an anti-endorsement of New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani. This came after Governor Kathy Hochul offered her support for Mamdani as mayor. The article reports that analysis has suggested that Jacobs’ public break with Hochul indicates a rift among New York Democrats. However it could be strategically advantageous for the governor to allow the state party chair to distance himself from Mamdani. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they have worked out a ‘good cop, bad cop’ situation that allows (Hochul) to protect her left flank in the primary with Delgado and beyond, and lets Jay align with Jeffries and Schumer to keep them competitive in suburban and suburban-like moderate swing districts,” said Levy. “(It’s a) pretty delicate dance that I don’t know will work, but I’m not sure if there’s a better way to play it.”

Lawrence Levy

1 min

Trump’s Megabill Fuels Political Parties as They Gear Up for 2026 Midterm Elections

Lawrence Levy, associate vice president and executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies, was interviewed by Newsday about the passage of President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill Act” and how it is providing fuel for both Republicans and Democrats who are already preparing for the 2026 midterm elections. “Democrats definitely have the messaging momentum,” Levy said. But he also noted that Republicans “have been very adept” at spotlighting more popular elements of the bill, like tax breaks and a surge in border security funding, “to mount a counter-offensive and change what is now a negative narrative.”

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Biography

Before joining Hofstra, Lawrence Levy spent 35 years as a reporter, editorial writer, columnist and PBS talk show host, winning many of journalism’s top awards, including Pulitzer Finalist, for in-depth works on suburban politics, education, taxation, housing and other key issues. As a journalist, he was known for his blending of national trends and local perspectives and has covered six presidential campaigns. As executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies, he has worked with Academic Director Christopher Niedt to give it a truly national profile. He works especially close with Hofstra’s strong academic community to shape an innovative agenda for suburban study, forge alliances with other institutions, not-for-profit groups and government agencies and promote the study of the suburbs nationwide. Levy is a member of a Brookings Institution advisory panel and led a collaboration between Hofstra and Boston College to create a first-in-the nation suburban ecology initiative, and another alliance between Hofstra and Cornell to sponsor the Local Government Leadership Institute. Before joining Hofstra, he was senior editorial writer and chief political columnist for Newsday. Levy has been a guest contributor to CNN.com, the New York Times.com, covering the 2008 presidential campaign from a suburban perspective. He also writes a regular column on politics for the Albany Times Union, and appears regularly on local and national television.

Industry Expertise

Education/Learning

Areas of Expertise

Suburban Spaces and Development
Suburbs
Education
Taxation
Politics of the Suburbs
Suburban Voters

Accomplishments

2022 Educator of the Year

2022-07-12

Lawrence Levy was honored as the 2022 Educator of the Year by the Long Island Black Educators Association (LIBEA). The organization focuses on professional development for educators and academics for students.

Education

Boston University

B.S.

Journalism, Film & English Literature

1972

Media Appearances

What Walz Brings to the Ticket

Spectrum News  tv

2024-08-07

Lawrence Levy talked to WCBS-AM radio, Newsday, and Spectrum News about Kamala Harris’ selection of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her 2024 presidential running mate. (Access to all three provided in link)

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Trump’s conviction in hush money trial may turn off independents, but is firing up the right

New York Daily News  print

2024-06-01

Lawrence Levy spoke to the New York Daily News about the 2024 presidential election, where there will be a likely rematch between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden. Both must figure out how to win over the small group of voters who have said a guilty verdict in Trump’s “hush money” trial would impact their votes.

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Experts: Donald Trump conviction likely to have little impact on presidential race

Newsday  print

2024-05-30

Lawrence Levy, spoke to Newsday about the 2024 presidential election, where there will be a likely rematch between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden. Both must figure out how to win over the small group of voters who have said a guilty verdict in Trump’s “hush money” trial would impact their votes.

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Research Focus

Teacher Diversity in Long Island's Public Schools

2019-03-01

Excerpted from the Executive Summary:

Even as the number of non-White students and residents on Long Island has surged over the past
decade, the hiring of Black, Latinx and Asian teachers has failed to keep pace, leaving minority and
White students alike with few, if any, diverse role models that an increasing body of research has
identified as important for their success. For example, 61 percent of Long Island’s 642 public school
buildings do not have a single Black teacher and 43 percent have no Latinx.

Research by The National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University (NCSS) has found that 179,
or about 28 percent of Long Island’s public school buildings, do not have one non-White teacher. That
means some 80,000 students will never see a Black, Latinx or Asian teacher in any of their classrooms.
The study has identified 378 buildings, about 60 percent of Long Island’s total, that have fewer than 5
percent minority teachers. The situation is even more extreme when considering only Black or Latinx
educators: Two-hundred-twenty-three (35%) Long Island schools do not have a single teacher of either
heritage. Forty-nine percent of all students on Long Island – 212,000 children – attend schools where
they never see a Black teacher; similarly, 30% – 129,000 students – attend schools without a single
teacher of Latinx origin

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