When Anthony Rondello ’19 first set foot on Hofstra’s campus in 1963, he never imagined his journey to earning a degree would span more than five decades. “No one in my family had gone to college,” Rondello shared. “I come from a blue-collar family, a grandchild of immigrants. My parents had the foresight to know that education was the key.”

Rondello, who grew up in Massapequa after moving from Brooklyn, chose Hofstra in part because of its then-mandatory ROTC program. “It was an attraction,” he said, especially given his father’s advice to “go in as an officer” if he entered military service. Living at home to save money, Rondello juggled academics, ROTC, and part-time work. “Tuition then was between 45 and 55 dollars a credit hour,” he recalled. “Even then, it was a challenge.”