Sean Fanelli, 27-year NCC president and 3-year dean at Hofstra, dies at 88

Sean Fanelli, a former longtime Nassau Community College president and Hofstra dean, died on Tuesday morning at the age of 88.

Fanelli served as president of NCC for more than 27 years, largely recognized for bringing stability to the community college of 25,000 students, his family and colleagues said. He later served as an interim dean at Hofstra.

"The most important for my dad was that he truly believed in the value of a liberal arts education and the importance of making education affordable for everyone," his son Jim Fanelli said. "He saw a true service that Nassau and other community colleges had for students. He was also a real champion of academic freedom."

NCC and Hofstra officials on Tuesday remembered Fanelli for his dedication and service to higher education.

"The college is saddened by the passing of Sean Fanelli, a dedicated leader for 27 years," said Jerry Kornbluth, NCC vice president of community and government relations, who taught under Fanelli’s tenure. "He oversaw significant growth in student enrollment and was respected by faculty, staff and students alike."

Hofstra adjunct professor

After retiring from NCC, Fanelli worked as an adjunct professor at Hofstra before becoming dean and a full-time faculty member, said Alan Singer, director of social studies education programs, who worked with Fanelli for 15 years.

Fanelli served as interim dean at Hofstra’s School of Education from 2013 to 2016 and remained on the faculty as an adjunct professor.

During his time at Hofstra, Fanelli focused on higher education administration. He pioneered online classes and instruction, Singer said, and taught it to faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The qualities and experience he brought to Hofstra trained a whole new generation of higher-ed leadership. Rarely do you have someone at that level of experience and theoretical understanding, and that’s what made him such a great educator," Singer said. "You can see his legacy all across Long Island. His former students are his legacy."

Fanelli was born in Brooklyn, one of five children. A devout Catholic, Fanelli went to St. Anthony’s High School in South Huntington. He joined the Franciscan Brotherhood and earned his doctorate and degree in limnology, studying fresh water at Fordham University in the Bronx.

Free speech defender

He left the brotherhood when he was 29 and met his wife of 57 years, Marion, a schoolteacher; they married in a snowstorm in Manhattan. Fanelli was first hired as the dean of Westchester Community College. The president of the college recommended Fanelli for the job at NCC in September 1982 after the former NCC president and other officials left amid a corruption scandal.

Fanelli, his wife and three children moved to the NCC campus on Mitchel Field.

During his tenure, he was recognized by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who gave him the William J. Brennan award for free expression and defending free speech on campus.

Jim Fanelli said he remembered his father working late nights, a short drive from their house and greeting everyone he knew on campus, ranging from teachers, politicians and reporters from the student newspaper coming by.

"He believed students have a right to express themselves," Jim Fanelli said. "He believed students’ ideas should be shared and saw the value of expressing ideas on campus without fear or repercussions."

Fanelli is survived by his wife, Marion, of Westbury; daughter, Elizabeth Newman, of Copiague; sons Thomas Fanelli, of Mississippi, and James, of Brooklyn; sister, Roberta; brothers, Vincent, Francis and John; and four grandchildren.

Visitation will be on Tuesday from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m., at Donohue Cecere Funeral Directors in Westbury. A funeral Mass will be celebrated on May 20 at 9:45 a.m. at St. Brigid Catholic Church in Westbury.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.