Today, Stephen Shore, EdD, is a clinical associate professor in the Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences and has added a new honor to a long and successful career in neurodivergence advocacy: a 2026 Emmy Award.

The longtime educator, author and international speaker received the award for his work as technical advisor on the PBS KIDS breakout animated series, Carl the Collector. The show, about a raccoon on the autism spectrum and his friends, won the 2026 award for Outstanding Public Service Initiative at the 4th Annual Children’s & Family Emmy Awards in New York.

The show has drawn accolades for presenting autism as a different—not disordered—way of being.

Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­is already a national leader in educating students on the spectrum. Bridges to Adelphi, a program for neurodivergent students, won the for Equity, Inclusion, Social Justice and Related from the National Association of Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA) in 2022 and 2023.

The inscription on Dr. Shore’s Emmy Award reads “2026 Children’s and Family Emmy Awards/Outstanding Public Service Initiative/Carl the Collector/PBS Kids/Stephen Shore, Series Advisor”

An Emmy for Getting Autism Right

Dr. Shore’s role as technical adviser meant he reviewed every story, script and stage of animation to ensure that Carl the Collector portrays autism accurately while showcasing the strengths of these individuals in a way that resonates with children, parents and educators.

“My job was to comment on how Carl and the other characters might react or communicate in any situation,” he said.

The result is a show that critics have praised for its commitment to authentic representation of neurodivergence because the series is crafted by a team that includes neurodiverse writers, animators and advisers.

Dr. Shore was a key part of the team because he brings not only academic expertise but also lived experience to Carl the Collector: He is on the spectrum himself. Able to take apart intricate watches and reassemble them at a young age, his parents recognized unique talents amid his challenges.

That personal history shapes his insistence that autism be framed as a “different rather than disordered way of being,” and it propels his career as a nationally known expert and author on neurodivergence; he has written extensively, presented in 59 countries, and uses both the classroom and the screen to model what authentic representation and true inclusion can look like.

An Emmy to Call His Own

Dr. Shore originally assumed the Emmy recognition belonged purely to the series. “My thought was that the Emmy was awarded to the show, and we all got to share in the Emmy, and that was great,” he recalled. Then, in May, a large box arrived at his home.

Inside was an Emmy statue with his own name on it, honoring his individual contribution.

“It made me very proud,” he said. “I’m so pleased that others have found my experiences and what I have to say about them to be worthy of inclusion and on such a massive and grand scale.”

A Warmhearted World for Kids—and Adults

Carl the Collector follows Carl, a logical young raccoon on the autism spectrum who loves amassing meticulous collections of everything from rare leaves to unique bottle caps. Carl uses his extraordinary attention to detail to help his neurodivergent and neurotypical friends solve everyday dilemmas. Alongside his best friend, Sheldon the beaver, and Lotta, a talented neurodivergent and artistic fox, Carl learns to navigate big emotions and unexpected changes in plans within a supportive community that celebrates everyone’s unique traits.

Beneath the visual charm is a clear purpose: acceptance. “Everybody helps each other out,” Dr. Shore said. “Sometimes there are misunderstandings, but they all work out in those 11 minutes and four seconds and seven hundredths of a second.”

From “Institutionalization” to Institutions of Honor

The Emmy resonates deeply against the backdrop of Dr. Shore’s childhood. As he notes in his autobiographical presentations, professionals wanted to admit him to an institution. His parents declined.

“Perhaps, in a way, those diagnosing professionals were correct, and that I needed to be in an institution,” he notes wryly. “An institution of higher education.”

Now, he adds with a smile, he’s also part of the “institution called the Emmy Awards.”

Bringing Carl Into the Classroom—and Beyond

Dr. Shore’s involvement with Carl the Collector is tightly woven into his education classes at Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­and his advocacy work. During production, final episodes were embargoed until broadcast, but once released, he said he “went wild” incorporating them into his Special Education (Teaching Students With Disabilities) classes and presentations. For his students, Carl the Collector is a case study in authentic representation. For conference audiences of educators and clinicians, it’s a model of how media can portray autism with accuracy, warmth and respect.

Production on a second season of Carl is currently up in the air due to funding shortages at PBS, Dr. Shore said, although other organizations have expressed interest in sponsoring the show. “When we get the green light … we open those toolboxes, fire up all the engines and get going again.”

Until then, the Emmy on the shelf is a tangible reminder of how far he—and the broader understanding of autism—have come.

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Despite these impressive and lofty titles, Balboni has made himself accessible to the Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­community. And nowhere is this more evident than his TikTok series, Coffee With the Chair From a Chair. Although it was discontinued after Balboni’s ascension to president, this series offers a glimpse at a president who’s willing to listen to his students, hear their stories and share his own.

Creating a Series for TikTok

TikTok is currently one of the most popular platforms across social media. According to , approximately 63 to 68 percent of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 use TikTok, with one in five reporting that they use the app “almost constantly.” Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ initially lacked a strong TikTok strategy, viewing it as just another hosting platform like YouTube. It was ´ˇ»ĺ±đ±ô±čłóľ±â€™s board of trustees who recognized the missed opportunity of using this platform to engage with young people and prospective Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­students. Creating TikToks suddenly became a top priority for the University.

The board tasked the Office of University Communications and Marketing with producing TikTok content to share the Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­story with young people. In the end, the board chair himself, Michael A.L. Balboni, became directly involved in the project. He agreed to a refreshingly simple concept: unscripted, unrehearsed conversations with students over coffee. With near zero production costs and maximum authenticity, the series Coffee With the Chair From a Chair was born.

Each video featured Balboni chatting comfortably one-to-one with a different Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­student at the campus Starbucks. featured Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ ’26, a political science major who is now a business graduate student. She discussed her rigorous schedule and her favorite memories at Adelphi.

“Having the opportunity to sit down with then-chairman of the board Michael Balboni and be interviewed for the series was a really unique experience. It made University leadership feel much more connected to the student body, and when I learned he would become ´ˇ»ĺ±đ±ô±čłóľ±â€™s next president, I genuinely felt like the University was heading in the right direction,” said Munayirji. The video quickly garnered more than 2,500 views.

featured finance major Jerry Iavarone, who talked about his Greek life friends at Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­and his family-owned gourmet Italian food market, . Iavarone’s is a favorite spot for many Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­students, including, as it turns out, Balboni himself—who remembered going there as an Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­student.

“I was nervous at first because I didn’t know what to expect or if I needed to give specific answers to the questions. A few seconds in, I realized the interview was going to be a fun experience after Mr. Balboni brought up Iavarone Bros.”

This video amassed more than 10,000 views, making it ´ˇ»ĺ±đ±ô±čłóľ±â€™s top-viewed TikTok at the time.

“I didn’t expect the video to take off like it did,” said Iavarone.

Winning the Circle of Excellence Award

The execution and success of Coffee With the Chair From a Chair earned Balboni’s TikTok series an award nomination from the , a prestigious and global nonprofit association for educational institutions. Coffee With the Chair From a Chair wound up , bronze level, in the Communications/Digital Campaigns (Student-oriented) category. The CASE judges noted, “The concept behind this campaign was great for student engagement, and we were impressed by what they accomplished without adding any extra resources and by getting their board chair to participate.”

“This is a huge honor for our creative team, but it’s also a testament to how impressive our students are,” said Balboni. “The confidence and professionalism they have developed at Adelphi, as well as their natural charisma, truly shined in these videos. I had a great time discussing their favorite campus experiences, and I know their future is bright.” Although , this particular victory highlights the University’s success with executing a TikTok strategy—and it also marks a major win for Balboni as he begins his role as president of the University.

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“This recognition affirms ´ˇ»ĺ±đ±ô±čłóľ±â€™s standard of excellence, proving why we remain a top choice for students and their families,” said Michael A.L. Balboni ’81, JD, president of Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­. “Students who earn a degree from Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­land jobs with high salaries and high potential for growth as a result of the mentorship, connections and real-world learning experiences we provide.”

Money’s rigorous annual Best Colleges selection process analyzes data from more than 700 four-year institutions nationwide, evaluating them across three pillars:

1. quality of education (30 percent)
2. affordability (40 percent)
3. student outcomes (30 percent)

To determine its final star ratings, the publication weighs 25 critical data points, with a heavy emphasis on net price of a degree, value-added graduation rates, average student debt upon graduation and long-term alumni earnings. Unlike traditional rankings, Money’s methodology focuses entirely on practical value, highlighting universities that deliver a measurable return on investment for their students.

and learn more about the .

To discover what makes an Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­degree so valuable, learn more about ´ˇ»ĺ±đ±ô±čłóľ±â€™s rankings, accolades and awards.

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“This award reflects the dedication of the entire team here at Adelphi,” said Rhattigan. “Our focus has always been on building a resilient financial foundation for the University. Through long-range planning, including our recent $106 million bond offering, alongside major expansions like our new Manhattan Center, we are ensuring Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­is built to thrive for years to come.”

Leading ´ˇ»ĺ±đ±ô±čłóľ±â€™s financial portfolio since 2022, Rhattigan has seen the University through challenging times in higher education and has kept it on a steady course, showcasing solid growth, stable finances and exceptional financial leadership. According to Rhattigan, “The three primary keys to ´ˇ»ĺ±đ±ô±čłóľ±â€™s success: transparency, widespread partnership and thinking ‘university first’ rather than ‘department first.’”

Before joining Adelphi, Rhattigan spent more than a decade leading two eLearning platforms in K–12 education, which he helped expand into approximately 30,000 schools worldwide. He previously directed a consolidation of broadcasting stations, successfully executing equity and debt financing, restructuring and cost management. Rhattigan began his career at Andersen Consulting and worked in Europe, helping clients implement controls, processes and technology to transform their organizations. He later worked in debt securities at JPMorgan. Rhattigan has an undergraduate degree in business administration from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Rhattigan joins fellow from organizations including Jovia Financial Credit Union, Stony Brook Medicine, Discover Long Island and Teachers Federal Credit Union. A ceremony celebrating this year’s awardees was held at Crest Hollow Country Club on May 21.

Learn more about Rhattigan’s winning financial strategy.

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path to Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­might be considered nontraditional. Before arriving as a member of the faculty at the School of Social Work in 1984—a role he would hold for the next four decades—he had already accumulated a remarkable range of professional experiences. He served as a first lieutenant and chaplain with the U.S. Army Combat Engineers, which brought him face-to-face with the psychological costs of stress, crisis and trauma. That service instilled in him a practical understanding that led him to pursue psychoanalytic training at the , where he earned his Master of Social Work degree and became a licensed social worker.

“After becoming a social worker, I ran into a priest at a party who said I should try teaching as he did,” said Dr. Belson. “I enjoyed teaching too. So I became a DSW and a professor at Adelphi, and I love it. I realized that teaching is my specialty. I called that priest every year until he passed away to thank him.”

The Art of Teaching

In 2003–2004, Dr. Belson received Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­â€™s Presidential Award for Teaching Excellence. This recognition was inspired by his vibrant teaching style that balanced intellectual seriousness with humor. He once delivered a keynote titled “Intensity, Chaos, Humor and Redemption: 30 Years of Working With Couples and Families,” a title that gives some indication of his pedagogical approach. He taught students not just how to intervene, but how to be present, how to listen for what isn’t said and be comfortable amid complexity.

Dr. Belson’s retirement does not mark an ending so much as a consolidation—a life’s work that will continue through the practitioners he trained, the papers he wrote and the questions he taught an entire generation to ask. The Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ School of Social Work will miss him, but the field he served is richer for everything he gave.

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´ˇ»ĺ±đ±ô±čłóľ±â€™s Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology Clinical Psychology graduate program surged an impressive 49 spots in this year’s rankings, while the Speech-Language Pathology program in the University’s Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences jumped 33 positions. These rapidly rising programs join the perennially strong graduate nursing programs in ´ˇ»ĺ±đ±ô±čłóľ±â€™s College of Nursing and Public Health, which remain securely positioned in the top 13.5 percent of all accredited graduate nursing programs nationwide.

“These latest rankings from U.S. News & World Report are a testament to the exceptional caliber of our faculty, the dedication of our students and the profound impact our alumni are making in healthcare and clinical settings,” said Susan Dinan, PhD, ´ˇ»ĺ±đ±ô±čłóľ±â€™s interim provost. “The dramatic rise in our health program rankings, which are driven by peer assessment, demonstrates that our commitment to academic innovation and clinical excellence is recognized by our academic peers across the country.”

Rapid Ascent in the Health Professions

Methodology for the U.S. News Best Graduate Health Programs ranking is based on peer assessment surveys, reflecting how academic leaders nationwide view the quality of Adelphi’s programs. Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­saw notable improvements across the board, including:

• Clinical Psychology: Ranked No. 127, an extraordinary climb of 49 positions
• Speech-Language Pathology: Ranked No. 165, an impressive rise of 33 positions
• Audiology (as part of the Long Island Doctor of Audiology Consortium): Ranked No. 49, an improvement of nine spots

Sustained Excellence in Graduate Nursing Education

The Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ College of Nursing and Public Health continues to be a premier destination for advanced nursing education. The U.S. News Best Graduate Master’s Nursing list places Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­at No. 87, ensuring that the program remains in the top 13.5 percent of accredited graduate nursing programs nationwide. ´ˇ»ĺ±đ±ô±čłóľ±â€™s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program is newly ranked this year on the outlet’s DNP list, expanding the University’s footprint in doctoral-level nursing excellence, and the Master of Public Health is also ranked.

Recognition in Graduate Business

´ˇ»ĺ±đ±ô±čłóľ±â€™s Robert B. Willumstad School of Business also maintained its national presence in the Part-Time MBA rankings. Additionally, U.S. News significantly expanded its Graduate Business Subspecialty Rankings for 2026—growing from a pool of roughly 40 schools to more than 275 institutions per list—with Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­earning a placement for providing competitive, specialized business education relative to a newly broadened field of national peers.

Expanding Graduate Education at the New Manhattan Center

The momentum of the University’s graduate programs extends to the heart of New York City with the launch of ´ˇ»ĺ±đ±ô±čłóľ±â€™s new on Fifth Avenue. Designed to align advanced degrees with high-demand careers, the center offers specialized programs—including an Accelerated BS in Nursing, a Flex MBA, and an MS in AI and Machine Learning—to address critical workforce needs in the metropolitan area. To celebrate and support students joining these inaugural cohorts, the University has introduced the $10,000 Manhattan Advantage Award. This specialized funding reflects ´ˇ»ĺ±đ±ô±čłóľ±â€™s investment in launching premier programs in New York City, providing dedicated financial support to ensure graduate students have the resources to pursue graduate studies that will help them lead the modern workforce.

Continued National Distinction

These latest graduate rankings build upon ´ˇ»ĺ±đ±ô±čłóľ±â€™s broader success in institutional evaluations. The University is consistently recognized as a Best National University and a Top Performer on Social Mobility by , reflecting a deep dedication to student success and equitable access to higher education. This year, Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­was ranked the top private university on Long Island by , and the University consistently earns prominent distinctions from , and for its exceptional academic quality, strong career outcomes and commitment to overall value.

Learn more about ´ˇ»ĺ±đ±ô±čłóľ±â€™s rankings, accolades and awards.

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This significant tuition reduction is designed to make the University’s career-focused master’s degrees more accessible for the first students to enroll at its new, state-of-the-art Manhattan Center at 529 Fifth Avenue.

The Manhattan Advantage Award provides financial support to students pursuing master’s degrees in high-demand fields at the new center, which opens in Fall 2026 and offers flexible class schedules, hybrid options and personalized support. Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­alumni enrolling on a full-time basis(enrolled within 9 or more credits per semester) are eligible for an additional $5,000 off tuition each year through the Alumni Advantage Program, further reducing the cost of graduate education.

Tuition Award Details

• Up to $10,000 total award applied toward tuition, distributed over the life of the graduate program.
• An extra $5,000 off tuition is available for Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­alumni (including Class of 2026 graduates), renewable each year for alumni enrolling on a full-time basis (enrolled within 9 or more credits per semester). For example, for a two-year program, an alumni enrolled on a full-time basis would receive $10,000 in savings.

To be eligible for the Manhattan Advantage Award, students must be admitted to and enrolled in a participating graduate program at the Manhattan Center for Fall 2026 and meet all admissions and enrollment requirements.

The Manhattan Advantage Award applies to select graduate programs, including:

• Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (MS): Develop critical skills to build the technology prevalent in almost every industry.
• General Psychology—Human Resource Management Concentration (MA): Become a leader in human resource management.
• Flex MBA: Learn the skills you need to excel in the new global economy.
• Global Higher Education Leadership (PhD): Transform your career and excel in global and cross-cultural leadership with this online program.
• Learning Sciences (PhD): Research the future of learning in healthcare, education, museums, libraries and other cultural institutions.

Students interested in applying for ´ˇ»ĺ±đ±ô±čłóľ±â€™s Manhattan Advantage Award must submit an application by May 15, 2026, and deposit by July 15, 2026, for the Fall 2026 semester.

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