By Cody Heintz, Business Manager
In the 76 years Hofstra has been around, there have eight different people who have held the title of President. Each brought a different perspective and impact to Hofstra. Part 3 of 3. To read part two click here.
Stuart Rabinowitz:
He is our current president, who has served since 2001. He originally joined the Hofstra community as a law professor in 1972. He became the dean of the School of Law in 1989. Currently, he holds the title of the Andrew M. Boas and Mark L. Claster Distinguished Professor of Law. He is a graduate of Columbia Law School as well as City College of New York. He helped rewrite the Nassau County charter in 1993, which created the County Legislature. He has also served on the county’s fiscal advisory board in both 1992 and 1999. During his tenure Hofstra has established the Honors College and the Medical School. During this time the process of opening a School of Engineering also began.
James M Shuart:
He served as Hofstra’s president from 1976 until his retirement in 2001. He is an alumnus of Hofstra University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1953 and a master’s degree in 1962. He originally joined Hofstra’s administration in 1959 as an admissions officer and served in various positions until 1971. Then he was appointed Commissioner of Social Services for Nassau County and was later appointed Deputy County Executive for Nassau County. He served as a member of the Hofstra Board of Trustees from 1973 to 1975. He would rejoin the University’s administration in 1975 when he was named Vice President for Administrative Services. He was elected president in June of 1976 by a unanimous decision from the 24 members of the Board of Trustees. During his tenure, Hofstra made the transition from Division III to Division I in NCAA sports. After his retirement, Hofstra Stadium was renamed the James M. Shuart Stadium in his honor.