Adelphi University

Summary

Adelphi University is a private, nonsectarian university located in Garden City, in Nassau County, New York, United States. It is the oldest institution of higher education on Long Island.[3] For the sixth year, Adelphi University has been named a “Best Buy” in higher education by the Fiske Guide to Colleges.[4] The university was also named a 2010 Best College in the Northeastern Region by The Princeton Review.[4] The institution was awarded the 2010 Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.[5] The U.S. News & World Report ranked Adelphi University as #152 among Tier 1 National Universities.[6]

History

Adelphi University began with the Adelphi Academy, founded in Brooklyn, New York in 1863. The academy was a private preparatory school located at 412 Adelphi Street, in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn, but later moved to the corner of Lafayette Avenue and Clifton Place, in Clinton Hill. It was formally chartered in 1869 by the Board of Trustees of the City of Brooklyn for establishing "a first class institution for the broadest and most thorough training, and to make its advantages as accessible as possible to the largest numbers of our population."[citation needed] One of the teachers at the Adelphi Academy was Harlan Fiske Stone, who later served as the Chief Justice of the United States.

In 1893, Dr. Charles Herbert Levermore was appointed as the head of Adelphi Academy. Seeking to establish a liberal arts college for the City of Brooklyn, Levermore received a charter from the Board of Regents of the State of New York, officially establishing Adelphi College on June 24, 1896. The college received its charter through the efforts of Timothy Woodruff, former Lieutenant Governor of New York and future first president of the Board of Trustees. Adelphi was one of the first coeducational institutions to receive a charter from the State of New York. At the time of its foundation, the college numbered only 57 students and 16 instructors. The Adelphi Academy continued to exist as a separate but nonetheless connected entity to the college. The new college was located in a building behind the Adelphi Academy, on the corner of St. James's Place and Clifton Place, in Brooklyn.

In 1912, Adelphi became a women's college. In 1922, the school raised over one million dollars to expand the overcrowded facilities in Brooklyn. In 1925, Adelphi College severed its ties with the Adelphi Academy, the latter closing in 1930. In 1929, the college moved from its founding location in Brooklyn to the current location of its main campus in Garden City, New York. The original three buildings of the Garden City campus, Levermore Hall, Blodgett Hall and Woodruff Hall, were designed by McKim, Mead and White.

In 1938, the Dance Program was founded by the world famous dancer Ruth St. Denis. In 1943, the School of Nursing was established in response to the need for nurses due to American involvement in World War II. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt presided over the opening of two federally funded residence halls on campus, in a speech entitled "The Challenge of Nursing for Young Women Today."

In 1946, after World War II ended, Adelphi reverted back to a coeducational college and started admitting new students on the federal GI Bill. New sports teams were created following the readmission of men to the school. In 1952, the first program for clinical psychology was established at the school; it was also the forerunner to the Institute for Advanced Psychological Studies.

In 1963, the New York State Board of Regents granted the college university status, and the name was changed to Adelphi University. In 1964, the School of Business was founded. In 1966, the Institute for Advanced Psychological Studies was founded. In 1973, the University established ABLE (Adult Baccalaureate Learning Experience) for the education of adults. Now known as University College, it was one of the earliest programs created for nontraditional students. In 1984, the Institute for Teaching and Educational Studies was founded; it became the School of Education in 1990. In 1993, the Society of Mentors was established, giving students faculty advisors that they could consult on an as-needed basis to assist them in their studies. In 1995, the Honors College was founded.

In January 1963, Adelphi Suffolk College (which had started out in 1955 offering extension courses in Suffolk County, New York) purchased the former W.K. Vanderbilt estate in Oakdale, New York. In 1968 it was spun off to Dowling College after its chief benefactor, Robert Dowling.

Adelphi faced a serious scandal in 1996, as the school celebrated its 100th anniversary. University president Peter Diamandopoulos and the Board of Trustees were accused of neglect of duty, misconduct and failure to carry out the educational purposes of Adelphi. The New York State Board of Regents was called in to investigate; Diamandopoulos, along with all but one of the Board of Trustees, was dismissed from office.[7] The university was in dire financial straits until the current president, Dr. Robert A. Scott, was installed in the position in 2000. Scott saved the school by decreasing tuition, increasing scholarships offered for the students, and launching an advertising campaign to increase enrollment. Since that time, the school has surpassed many of its previous gains, and is said to be undergoing a new renaissance. Adelphi University has been ranked as a "Best Buy" college by the Fiske Guide to Colleges for the last four years for its quality education offered at a comparatively affordable price.[8] Adelphi University also participates in the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities's (NAICU) University and College Accountability Network (U-CAN).[9]

Breast cancer support program

The university's School of Social Work is home to the Adelphi New York Statewide Breast Cancer Hotline and Support Program, which marks its 30th anniversary in 2010.[10] The program began in 1980 as the Woman-to-Woman Hotline, a free and confidential service to help women with breast cancer.[11] It is the second oldest breast cancer hotline in the United States; over 100 trained volunteers offer information and emotional support for women and men suffering from breast cancer. There are professional social workers, bi-lingual Spanish-speaking staff and support staff, along with support groups, educational programs and individual counseling.[12]

Levermore Global Scholars program

The Levermore Global Scholars program (LGS) is a program of global learning, study and service abroad.[13]

The LGS Program was recently highlighted in Adelphi's citation in the 2012-2013 Colleges of Distinction ranking for its work fostering "engaged students, great teaching, and vibrant communities".[14] The program is also a member of the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy and is an active participant in the United Nations' Academic Impact Initiative.[15]

Academics

The Adelphi University Community Gathered on Monday, February 27, 2012, to hear an important announcement that dramatically raises opportunities for students in the school of business and at Adelphi as a whole. President Robert A. Scott announced a generous gift of $9.5 million from Adelphi Board of Trustees Chairman Robert B. Willumstad '05 (Hon.). The Adelphi University School of Business, established in 1964, will become the Robert B. Willumstad School of Business.

Adelphi has partnerships with outside providers who offer study abroad opportunities to students in approximately 120 different countries.

For semester and academic year direct exchanges with Adelphi partners, students can use 100% of their federal and institutional aid. For programs that are not directly associated with Adelphi, but are from accredited institutions and are approved by the Center for International Education, students can use all of their federal aid, and 75% of their Adelphi institutional aid—all while remaining enrolled here on campus.

School facts

The first school seal was developed with the foundation of the Adelphi Academy in 1869. Essentially, it was the current seal with several differences. First, the legend read "Adelphi Academy" and "Brooklyn, New York". Second, the letters in the emblem were "AA". Third, the eventual school motto, "The Truth Shall Make Us Free" did not appear. The motto was introduced in the second seal with the foundation of the college in 1896. At this time, the legend was changed to read "Adelphi College", the letters "AA" were changed to "AC", and the new date of foundation was introduced. The third seal removed the year 1869 from the emblem, reflecting the separation of the Academy and the college in 1925. The fourth seal was introduced in 1930 and changed the legend "Brooklyn, New York" to "Garden City, New York". The fifth and current seal was introduced in 1963, reflecting the school's University status. The legend now reads "Adelphi University" and the letters are "AU". The inscription Vita sine litteris mors est, meaning "Life without learning is death", appears on all variations of the school seal.

Main campus buildings

Many of the buildings on the Garden City campus are symmetrical in nature. This is likely because garden cities are typically planned symmetrically.[17] For example, Woodruff Hall has a second chimney solely to preserve the symmetry of the building.

Athletics

Adelphi University Panthers

The Adelphi Panthers are the athletic teams of Adelphi University. The Panthers compete at the NCAA Division I level for men's soccer and women's bowling, and NCAA Division II level for all other sports. Adelphi is a member of The Northeast-10 Conference.

The Panthers have won thirteen NCAA Division II National Championships in three different sports. The men's lacrosse team has won 7, as recently as 2001. The Women's Lacrosse team has won 4, and are the current defending Back to Back to Back National Champions (2009, 2010, 2011). In 1974 the men's Soccer team were the National Champions. They have also won numerous individual national championships in track and field.

Baseball

East Coast Conference Championships 8 (1993* 1994* 1996* 1997* 1999 2007* 2009*) *Also Tournament Champs

NCAA Division II College World Series 4 (1993 1996 1997 1999)

The baseball team has participated in the NCAA Division II College World Series four times, as recently as 1999. The team has seen several of their players selected in the MLB first year player draft, including Bobby Lanigan who was selected in the 3rd round (92nd overall) by the Minnesota Twins in 2008 and Kieth Couch who was selected 413th overall by the Boston Red Sox in 2010. The Baseball team is currently led by Head Coach and Former New York Yankee Bullpen coach Dom Scala. Their home games are played at William J. Bonomo Memorial Field, a state of the art artificial turf complex located in the heart of the campus.

Soccer

Adelphi has both a men's and women's soccer team. The men's team competes at the Division I level and is a member of the Atlantic Soccer Conference. The women's team competes at the Division II level and is a member of the Northeast-10 conference.

The men's team won the 1974 Division II National Championship and have won 3 ASC championships in 2006, 2008, and 2009. In addition, they were also declared tournament champions in 2006 and 2009. The team produced former professional Soccer player and United States national team member Chris Armas. Armas was a USISL All-Star for the Long Island Rough Riders and in 1996 was selected in the first round of the MLS Supplemental Draft by the Los Angeles Galaxy. He also went on to play for Puerto Rico and the United States national team.

The women's soccer team has won 7 ECC championships (1996, 1997, 2001–04, 2007). They also won tournaments in 2004 and 2007.[18]