Doctoral Degree Awarded to Huntington Assistant Superintendent
Three years of study and work have culminated in Huntington School District Assistant Superintendent Joseph Giani successfully defending his dissertation and earning a doctor of education degree at Dowling College. He will be formally presented with his Ed.D. during graduation ceremonies on May 20.
Dr. Giani’s dissertation was titled, “A Comparison of Teacher, Student and Parent Attitudes of School Climate and Student Behavior.” He began the doctoral program in 2005.
Dr. Giani has enjoyed a lifelong association with the district, attending elementary and junior high school here and graduating from Huntington High School in 1976. He was a Suffolk County wrestling champion for the Blue Devils and earned all-State honors in the sport.
Dr. Giani obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education with a concentration in sports administration at SUNY College at Brockport in 1981. He was an NCAA wrestling champion and three-time all-American while in college. He is a member of the SUNY Brockport Athletic Hall of Fame and the National Wrestling Division III Hall of Fame and captained Brockport’s 1980 national championship team.
In addition to his undergraduate and doctoral degrees, Dr. Giani earned a Master of Arts degree in physical education at Adelphi University in 1982 and a Professional Diploma in educational administration at Long Island University – C.W. Post in 1986.
He joined Huntington’s faculty in 1981 as a physical education teacher, leading regular and adaptive classes on the K-12 level. In 1986 he assumed additional duties as department chairperson for physical education and interscholastic athletics and became the district director of health, physical education, athletics and driver education in 1988, a post he held until 2001 when he moved into his current position.
In addition to his teaching and administrative duties, Dr. Giani has also served the district as an athletic coach. He was a member of the high school wrestling staff for seven seasons and worked with the junior varsity boys’ and girls’ tennis teams for five years. While coaching the Blue Devil wrestling team, Huntington won three consecutive county team titles and was among the best teams in the nation. He received several coach of the year awards and was nominated for the National Assistant Coach of the Year Award.
Dr. Giani has also served as principal of the Western Suffolk BOCES Regional Summer School and as the Section XI wrestling chairman for 14 years. Under his leadership, Huntington won Athletic Management magazine’s Award of Excellence in Student Programs.
Widely known as an extremely organized, detail-oriented and accessible administrator, Dr. Giani enjoys outdoor activities and being on or near the water during his free time.
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