C.W. Post Music Professor Alexander “Lex” Dashnaw to Receive
Chancellor’s Distinguished Service Medal

After a 43-year career, during which he played a lead role in C.W. Post's vocal performance groups earning worldwide recognition, Professor Dashnaw retired this year as director of choral activities. A passionate educator and a gifted conductor, he gleaned as much satisfaction from a productive rehearsal as he did from a stirring performance. He has touched the lives of thousands of students over the years, many of whom have become choral directors or professional singers.

Professor Dashnaw joined the faculty of C.W. Post after earning a bachelor of science degree in music education from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam and a master of music degree from Northwestern University . He served for six years as chairperson of the Department of Music. In 2001, he was honored as one of the 75 most influential people in the history of Long Island University. Widely recognized for his work, he is the recipient of the University's David Newton Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Long Island University Trustees Award for Scholarly Achievement, as well as the Distinguished Service to Culture Award from the Crane School of Music.

One of Professor Dashnaw's most enduring legacies is the 18 European and two Mexican concert tours that he organized to showcase the talent of the C.W. Post singers. Several tours of Canada and Korea also were completed. Under his leadership, the Long Island University Chorus has performed in every major concert hall in New York City with, among others, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and the Sydney ( Australia ) Symphony Orchestra.

After retiring as a professor of music in 2006, Professor Dashnaw established the Alexander “Lex” Dashnaw Endowed Scholarship Fund to benefit students of music at C.W. Post. On March 30, 2008, he led an ensemble of three Long Island high school choruses, the Long Island Youth Orchestra and the Long Island University Chorus at Tilles Center for the Performing Arts in a concert that raised proceeds to help fund the Endowment.

In addition to his teaching work, Professor Dashnaw has served as artistic director for many music events, including the Manhattan Choral Festival; the Chicago Choral Festival; the Pacific Choral Festival, held in San Francisco; the Atlanta Choral Festival; the Jubilee Festival, held in Washington, D.C.; and the Strathclyde Festival, held in Glasgow, Scotland . He has served as president of the Eastern Division of the American Choral Directors Association, and as president of the New York State Association of College Music Programs. In addition, Professor Dashnaw has been the guest conductor of many regional, divisional and all-state choruses throughout the United States.

The Chancellor's Award for Distinguished Service is a medal that is given sparingly to individuals who have made exceptional contributions to campuses of Long Island University. C.W. Post Chancellor Theresa Mall Mullarkey will bestow the medal on Professor Dashnaw at C.W. Post's 50th Commencement exercises on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 11, 2008. Recent winners include Dr. Michael Soupios in 2007 and Dr. Charles Hitchcock and Dr. Morimichi Watanabe in 2006.

Commencement exercises will take place on the Great Lawn at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University in Brookville , NY beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 11. The Class of 2008 includes 1,022 baccalaureate degree candidates, 1,434 master's degree candidates, 15 graduates receiving the Psy.D. in clinical psychology and 4 receiving the Ph.D. in information studies. C.W. Post's commencement ceremonies also include graduates from the Brentwood Campus, Southampton College, Southampton Graduate Campus and Long Island University at Riverhead.

Posted: May 7, 2008