St. John’s University Professor Thomas Philipose to Appear as a Contestant on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”

St. John’s University Professor, Tom Philipose, will be a contestant in the “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” hot seat with host Meredith Vieira, on Tuesday, December 9.  “Millionaire” can be seen locally in the New York City area on WABC (Channel 7), weekdays at 12:30 PM.

Philipose, who is the Associate Director of the St. John’s University Writing Center, was encouraged to try-out for “Millionaire” by Kathleen Honan ’07 CPS, a St. John’s University graduate who worked for Philipose as an undergraduate writing consultant in the Center, helping her peers improve their writing skills.  Philipose selected Honan to serve as one of his three potential “Phone A Friends” for his taping.

New for this season, the “Ask The Expert” lifeline enables contestants to connect with a pre-determined “Expert” via a live face-to-face video call.  Pat Kiernan, news anchor for NY1 in New York City sat in as the resident “Expert” for shows airing Monday, December 8 – Friday, December 12.

In the Writing Center, Philipose works closely with students who want to improve their writing skills, by helping them realize that becoming a better writer requires planning, effort, and commitment.  

The newly expanded Writing Center is part of the Institute for Writing Studies, the centerpiece of the University's commitment to writing, which integrates the Writing Centers on the Queens and Staten Island campuses, a new First-Year Writing program, and a new Writing Across the Curriculum program.

For media inquiries, please contact Elizabeth Reilly, Assistant Director of Media Relations, by calling (718) 990-5789, or by e-mail to reillye@stjohns.edu.