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Lawrence Levy

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

  • Hempstead NY UNITED STATES

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

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Spotlight

1 min

A recent media appearance by Lawrence Levy, associate vice president and executive dean of Hofstra University’s National Center for Suburban Studies, include: June 17: Newsday: “Will they ever own a home? Long Island renters fear the ‘American Dream’ is out of reach.” Across Long Island, many renters are finding themselves shut out of a housing market defined by record prices, limited inventory and rising borrowing costs. Still, Newsday reports, people continue to aspire to homeownership, viewing it as a source of financial security and stability. “The lure of suburban homeownership remains as powerful as ever,” said Levy. “How else do you explain the willingness of more and more people to go deeper and deeper in debt to realize their suburban dream?”

Lawrence Levy

1 min

Lawrence Levy, associate vice president and executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies, talked to Newsday and News 12 Long Island about the region’s economic challenges and housing market. For an article on the high cost of living, Levy explained that Long Island’s many layers of government, including 124 school districts, and residents’ expectations of quality services — from police protection and garbage pickup to senior programs — drive high property taxes. “In other areas of the country, statewide broad-based taxes pay for a lot of services that we rely on the property tax to pay for, such as public education,” he said, adding that about two-thirds of a Long Islander’s tax bill goes to fund public schools.

Lawrence Levy

1 min

Lawrence Levy, associate vice president and executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies, talked to Newsday about successful bipartisan efforts to protect the World Trade Center Health Program from attempts by the White House to reduce the federal workforce. Levy explained to Newsday that advocates and New York lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have found success protecting the program from cuts this past year underscored “the power to get things done, not only when Republicans and Democrats come together, but through urban-suburban coalitions.” Levy also spoke to Newsday about New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli facing several primary opponents this year. Levy said that DiNapoli is seen as an establishment figure within the Democratic Party who is more cautious than the progressive wing would like. He also has deep ties to the state’s politically powerful unions. “In a close race, he’s going to count on them to get out the vote,” Levy said.

Lawrence Levy

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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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