Dowling College
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Dowling College was a
private college Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...
on
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
, New York. It was established in 1968 and had its main campus located in
Oakdale, New York Oakdale is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet (and census-designated place) in Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, New York (state), New York, United States, situated on the South Shore (Long Island), South Shore of Long Island. The hamlet's popula ...
on the site of William K. Vanderbilt's mansion Idle Hour. Dowling also included a campus in Shirley, which contained the college's aviation program and athletic complexes, and small campuses in Melville and
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
. Dowling was composed of four schools: the School of Arts & Sciences, the School of Education, the Townsend School of Business, and the School of Aviation. Largely enrolling local Long Island students, the college offered a variety of
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
programs in the arts, sciences, and business,
master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
programs in education and business, and a doctorate in education. After years of financial difficulties, frequently changing leadership, declining enrollment, and a failed search to find an academic partner, Dowling's accreditation was revoked by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and the college ceased operations on August 31, 2016.


History


Idle Hour

Idle hour was a estate on the Connetquot River built in 1882 by William K. Vanderbilt. The wooden 110-room home was destroyed by fire on April 15, 1899, while his son, William Kissam Vanderbilt II, was honeymooning there. Willie and his new wife escaped. It was rebuilt of red brick and gray stone, with exquisite furnishings, for $3 million. His daughter Consuelo also honeymooned there when she married the Duke of Marlborough in 1895. After Vanderbilt's death in 1920, the mansion went through several phases and visitors, including a brief stay during Prohibition by gangster Dutch Schultz. Around that time, cow stalls, pig pens and corn cribs on the farm portion of Idle Hour were converted into a short-lived bohemian artists' colony that included figures such as George Elmer Browne and Roman Bonet-Sintas. In 1963, the estate became home to Dowling College until it closed in August 2016.


Founding

In 1955 Adelphi College began offering extension classes in Port Jefferson, Riverhead, and Sayville, New York. In 1959 Adelphi Suffolk became the first four-year, degree-granting
liberal arts Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...
institution in Suffolk County, housed in an old public school building in Sayville. In January 1963, Adelphi purchased the former William K. Vanderbilt estate in Oakdale. Adelphi spun the campus off in 1968 as Dowling College, named after city planner and philanthropist Robert W. Dowling, who provided an endowment of over $3 million.


Operation

The Racanelli Learning Resource Center was constructed in 1974 to house the library, cafeteria and additional classrooms. A month later, a fire damaged the Vanderbilt mansion. The Hunt Room, the Foyer and Ballroom were all substantially damaged. A College committee, led by Alan Fortunoff, Dowling Trustee and son of Fortunoff founder Max Fortunoff, guided the restoration of the ornate woodwork, precious marble, and the elaborately carved stonework. The mansion was renamed to Fortunoff Hall to honor Paul and Emily Fortunoff. Dr. Victor P. Meskill served as president of Dowling from 1977 until he was forced to step down in 200

Meskill attempted to shift the focus of the college from a small, locally focused institution to a global university, with an emphasis on the aviation focused Brookhaven Campus which opened in October 1994. A shakeup occurred in June 1999 when Meskill fired five top-ranking college officials on the same day as a cost-cutting measure, after Dowling's debt had increased to $34 million and the school's
credit rating A credit rating is an evaluation of the credit risk of a prospective debtor (an individual, a business, company or a government). It is the practice of predicting or forecasting the ability of a supposed debtor to pay back the debt or default. The ...
had been downgraded. Meskill was one of the most highly compensated college presidents in the country. Months later, Meskill was forced to step down by trustees and the officials he fired were reinstated. Former Suffolk County Executive Robert Gaffney was made president in October 2006. Gaffney resigned in May 2010, then later in 2014 the college paid Gaffney over $400,000 in a settlement. In August 2013, the Brookhaven Campus dormitory, bookstore, and cafeteria were closed due to the college's financial struggles. However, these facilities reopened in September 2014 following a deal with
Stony Brook University Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public university, public research university in Stony Brook, New York, United States, on Long Island. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is on ...
which allowed Dowling students to live in the dormitory alongside Stony Brook students. After Gaffney stepped down in 2010, Dowling College went through a series of six interim leaders in five years, including Board Chairman Scott Rudolph, provost Elana Zolfo, Jeremy Brown, and interim President Norman Smith. The last of which was Albert Inserra, who became president in the fall of 2014. As of 2016, the college enrolled 2,256 total students, down from a high of 6,746 in 1999. Dowling College was approximately $54 million in debt with an endowment of under $2 million, its credit rating was "Ca", and it was in default on bond payments.


Closure

Dowling College was accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. In November 2015, Middle States required Dowling to show cause as to why the school's accreditation should not be revoked due to the college's finances, a final warning before such action would be taken. In March 2016 Dowling announced that they had secured a partnership with Global University Systems, allowing the college to continue operating. On May 23, five days before the Class of 2016's graduation ceremony, the agreement with Global University Systems stalled and Dowling needed an emergency infusion of cash to survive until graduation. In a total surprise to many students, faculty, and staff, on May 31 Dowling announced that the school would be closing in three days. Nearly all employees were laid off. The closing date was later pushed back to June 8. On that day, president Albert Inserra announced that negotiations had restarted and the motion to close the school was rescinded. A teach-out plan, required by Middle States, to help students transition to other institutions, was put into effect in partnership with Molloy College. However, since Dowling remained open, the teach-out plan was canceled and students were left on their own. On July 13, the board of trustees announced that they had failed to reach an agreement with Global University Systems, and the college would close on August 31, when Middle States would revoke its accreditation. Dowling College granted its last degrees and closed on August 31, then filed for bankruptcy protection on November 29, 2016. The mansion and grounds have faced extreme vandalism since its closure. Long Island University has taken over as successor custodian of Dowling College's transcript records.


Campus


Rudolph Campus

Located about 50 miles east of
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
in
Oakdale, New York Oakdale is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet (and census-designated place) in Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, New York (state), New York, United States, situated on the South Shore (Long Island), South Shore of Long Island. The hamlet's popula ...
, the Rudolph Campus was the original and primary campus of Dowling College. The campus sat along the Connetquot River, where Dowling's rowing team practiced and competed. The former Vanderbilt Mansion was divided into two buildings: Fortunoff Hall, which housed administration and hosted college events, and the Kramer Science Center, which contained the school's laboratory classrooms and where science, mathematics, and computer science classes were held. The other large building on campus was the Racanelli Learning Resource Center, where the school's library, cafeteria, and many classrooms were located, including the School of Business on the top floor. Other buildings housed classrooms for education, music, and theater classes, including a small theater space in the Music and Arts building. Art created by students and local artists was displayed in the Anthony Giordano Gallery. The Oakdale Residence Hall accommodated up to 207 undergraduate students, with a study lounge available to all residents 24 hours a day. Adjacent to the Residence Hall was the Curtin Student Center, which contained the campus gym. Upstairs was the Lion's Den, a place for students to unwind and socialize.


Brookhaven Campus

Established in October 1994, The Brookhaven Campus was located on William Floyd Parkway in Shirley, New York. Dowling's aviation program was located there, making use of the Brookhaven Calabro Airport. The campus also was the site of Dowling's sports complex, featuring a multi-purpose stadium, baseball and softball fields. It included a 289-bed dormitory, computer labs, a cafeteria, bookstore, and library.


Melville Center

Dowling's Melville Center, in Melville, New York, housed administrative offices for the Dowling Institute, as well as classrooms where select undergraduate and graduate courses were offered, a library, and a conference room.


Dowling College Manhattan

Dowling College Manhattan was located in the Standard Oil Building in the Financial District. It offered programs for international students, such as an internship-based MBA, a first-year American college experience, and courses in international Studies, global Marketing and philosophy.


Academics

Dowling College consisted of four schools:


School of Arts and Sciences

The School of Arts of Sciences had three divisions: Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences & Mathematics. The School of Arts and Sciences offered a variety of
Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
and
Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
degrees, along with a
Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
degree in Liberal Studies and Integrated Mathematics and Science Education.


School of Aviation

The School of Aviation offered
Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
degrees in Aerospace Systems Technology, Aviation Management, and participated in the FAA Air Traffic Control Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI) program, which is the primary source for hiring air traffic controllers. The School of Aviation maintained a fleet of aircraft which included nine Piper Warriors, an Arrow, and a twin engine Seminole. A Virtual Airport Operations System, built with a 5 million-dollar grant from
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
, and Three Frasca flight simulators were located at the Brookhaven campus on the grounds of the Brookhaven Calabro Airport. Students could obtain training necessary for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Private and Commercial certificates, the Instrument and Multi-Engine ratings, the Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) certificate and CFI Instrument and CFI Multi-Engine ratings.


Townsend School of Business

The School of Business offered
Bachelor of Business Administration A Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is an undergraduate degree in business administration awarded by colleges and universities after completion of four years and typically 120 credits of undergraduate study in the fundamentals of busine ...
degrees in
Accounting Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the process of recording and processing information about economic entity, economic entities, such as businesses and corporations. Accounting measures the results of an organization's economic activit ...
,
Finance Finance refers to monetary resources and to the study and Academic discipline, discipline of money, currency, assets and Liability (financial accounting), liabilities. As a subject of study, is a field of Business administration, Business Admin ...
, Management and Leadership and
Marketing Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of Business administration, business management and commerce. Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or ma ...
, as well as
Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
in Computer Information Systems and
Sport Management Sport management is the field of business dealing with sports and recreation. Sports management involves any combination of skills that correspond with planning, organizing, directing, controlling, budgeting, leading, or evaluating of any organiz ...
. At the graduate level,
Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...
degrees were offered in Aviation Management, Management and Leadership, Healthcare Management,
Corporate Finance Corporate finance is an area of finance that deals with the sources of funding, and the capital structure of businesses, the actions that managers take to increase the Value investing, value of the firm to the shareholders, and the tools and analy ...
, and
Public Management Public administration, or public policy and administration refers to "the management of public programs", or the "translation of politics into the reality that citizens see every day",Kettl, Donald and James Fessler. 2009. ''The Politics of the ...
. Also, Dowling College and Touro Law Center partnered to offer a dual J.D./M.B.A. degree. The Townsend School of Business was accredited by the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education ( IACBE).


School of Education

Dowling's School of Education offered
Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degrees in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education and
Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
degrees in
Physical Education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...
,
Special Education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...
and Sports Management.
Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...
and Doctor of Educational Administration degrees were offered for graduate students. Approximately 5,000 teachers and administrators on Long Island received their teaching certification through Dowling College. The School of Education was accredited by The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).


Athletics

The Dowling athletics teams were called the Golden Lions. The college was a member of the Division II level of the
National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
(NCAA), primarily competing in the
East Coast Conference The East Coast Conference (ECC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located primarily in the state of New York, with a single ...
(ECC; formerly known as the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC) until after the 2005–06 school year) from 1989–90 to 2015–16 for all sports (with the exception of men's golf and field hockey, which competed as independents). Dowling competed in 15 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports included baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer and tennis; while women's sports included basketball, cross country, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball. The school also offered cheerleading as a club sport.


Accomplishments

The Golden Lions were the NCAA National Champions in men's soccer in 2006 and men's lacrosse in 2012.


Notable alumni

* Thomas S. Bianchi, Distinguished Professor at
University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...
, American oceanographer * Will Brown, head men's basketball coach, SUNY Albany * Corey Glover, lead singer of Living Colour and actor * Mark Mathabane, South African writer and human rights activist * Bill McDermott, CEO of ServiceNow * Goran Nedeljkovic, former rower and Olympian (Athens, Greece, 2004) world champion, Dad Vail champion (2002) in the eight, member of well known Balkan Express eight, born in 1982 * Boban Rankovic, former rower and Olympian (Sydney, Australia, 2000), world champion, Dad Vail champion (2002) in the eight, member of well known Balkan Express eight, born in 1979 * Scott Rudolph, American entrepreneur and founder of Piping Rock Health Products. Former CEO and president of Nature's Bounty, Inc. * Ben Sliney, former FAA National Operations Manager responsible for grounding all U.S. air traffic on September 11, 2001


See also

* List of defunct colleges and universities in New York


References


External links


Official Athletics website
{{authority control Defunct private universities and colleges in New York (state) Universities and colleges in Suffolk County, New York Universities and colleges established in 1955 Educational institutions disestablished in 2016 1955 establishments in New York (state) 2016 disestablishments in New York (state)