Dean Sam L Grogg to Speak at the Community Club of Garden City and Hempstead

Online, October 29, 2012 (Newswire.com) - On November 7, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Adelphi University, Sam L Grogg, Ph.D., will deliver the talk "Oscars Exposed: A Look Behind the Scenes." The event, sponsored by the Community Club of Garden City and Hempstead, will take place at the Garden City Casino, 51 Cathedral Avenue in Garden City at 1:30 p.m. Guests passes are $5.00 and may be purchased at the door.

Grogg, a member of the Motion Picture Academy for more than twenty years, will present a behind the scenes look at how the Oscars are determined, the work of the Academy and the influence of the Oscars on culture, art and commerce. "The Oscars are probably the most well known awards on the planet," says Dr. Grogg. "It is really amazing how the votes of only a few thousand members fascinate hundreds of millions around the globe."

Dr. Grogg, the former dean of the School of Communication of the University of Miami, became dean of Adelphi's College of Arts and Sciences in June 2011. A noted film producer whose financing and producing credits include Kiss of The Spider Woman and The Trip to Bountiful both pictures garnering numerous Oscar nominations and receiving Best Actor and Best Actress Academy Awards. He has executive produced or produced numerous theatrical and television films, including DA, Patti Rocks and Spike of Bensonhurst. In 1989, he and Oscar-winning visual effects artist John Dykstra founded Magic Pictures, where Dean Grogg was involved in numerous visual effects productions, television commercials, large format presentations for theme parks and other productions. He has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences since 1986 and was the founding dean of the School of Filmmaking at the North Carolina School of the Arts.

At University of Miami, Dean Grogg led numerous innovations, including expanding its campus media, establishing the Knight Center for International Media, executive produced One Water, a television special narrated by Martin Sheen, and oversaw a complete revision of the School's curriculum while greatly increasing philanthropic support.

Over the course of his career, Dean Grogg has won several prestigious awards, include being honored by the Directors of the Online News Association for his work to advance multimedia journalism in 2010; American Film Institute Board of Trustees in 2004 as the fourth "Master" teacher and filmmaker to lead the Conservatory since its founding in 1967; William R. Butler Award for Support of Student Government in 2006; and the Ray and Pat Browne Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the study of popular culture from the National Popular Culture Association in 2005.

Dean Grogg holds a Ph.D. degree with a specialization in popular culture and film from Bowling Green University. His wife, Susan, is a teacher, acting coach and former stage and motion picture actress. Together, they have two children, Zubin and Brady.

For more about the College of Arts and Sciences, visit http://academics.adelphi.edu/artsci/.

About Adelphi University: Adelphi is a world class, modern university with excellent and highly relevant programs where students prepare for lives of active citizenship and professional careers. Through its schools and programs-The College of Arts and Sciences, Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, Honors College, Ruth S. Ammon School of Education, University College, Robert B. Willumstad School of Business, Schools of Nursing and Social Work-the co-educational university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as professional and educational programs for adults. Adelphi University currently enrolls nearly 8,000 students from 43 states and 45 foreign countries. With its main campus in Garden City and centers in Manhattan, Hauppauge, and Poughkeepsie, the University, chartered in 1896, maintains a commitment to liberal studies in tandem with rigorous professional preparation and active citizenship.