Hofstra-United Way link for students

For years now, Long Island business leaders have been wringing their hands trying to figure out ways to keep young people here after they leave school, given the high cost of living and lack of affordable housing. Now venture capitalist David Calone has come up with a novel solution: put them on the boards of nonprofit organizations.

That way, Calone figures, they will become more "ingrained" in the community, meet some movers and shakers, do some good for the organizations and share the skills they learned in school. Calone, a board member of United Way of Long Island, brought the idea to United Way officials and educators at Hofstra University's Zarb School of Business, in Hempstead. All agreed it is worth a try.

Two months ago United Way and Hofstra selected their first candidate from the Zarb School to serve on the UW board: Bryan Lovrich, 24, of Long Beach, an MBA student, has been working 10 hours a week on a new computer system at UW and attended several board meetings as a nonvoting member.

"I really love it," Lovrich said earlier this week. "It's fantastic the way all of these professionals come up with their questions and answers. As a student, you don't get to experience that." Calone said Lovrich was selected from about 20 Zarb students based, in part, on his academics, computer skills and desire.

Calone, head of Jove Equities of Babylon, said the new United Way-Hofstra Board Fellow Program will be expanded to include other nonprofits in the future.

Theresa Regnante, United Way of Long Island's chief executive, said Lovrich has sat with UW's 35 board members through finance and community-impact and executive committee sessions. "I don't know if it's enough to keep him here, but the program gives young people a whole other opportunity to look at nonprofit organizations," she said.

Will Lovrich stay? "I would love to," he said, "but as of right now I don't have a job offer on Long Island."