Image courtesy of Hofstra University
Hofstra University’s eighth president, Stuart Rabinowitz, announced on Tuesday, Jan. 28, that he will retire at the end of his term, effective August 2021. “By the date of my retirement, I will have had the honor and privilege of serving our wonderful University for 50 years,” he said in a statement sent out by Student Affairs to the Hofstra community via email last week.
Rabinowitz was a member of the law school’s faculty for 19 years, served as the dean of the law school for 11 years and will have served as president of the University for two decades as of next year.
During Rabinowitz’s time as president, the University added the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, the School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies, the Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science, the Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs and the School of Health Professions and Human Services – all of which not only added majors and minors to the University, but also more opportunities for students and jobs for faculty members.
Three presidential debates were held in 2008, 2012 and 2016, as well as the New York State Gubernatorial Primary Debate in 2018, during Rabinowitz’s tenure. Rabinowitz has received over a dozen awards according to the University’s website, among them the Martin Luther King Living the Dream Award, the Long Island Software and Technology Network Award and the UJA Federation Leadership Award. He was also named one of the Long Island Press’s 50 Most Influential Long Islanders.
“President Rabinowitz has built an incredibly strong foundation from which the University will continue to grow and excel,” said Chair of the Board of Trustees Donald Schaeffer in the same statement released by Student Affairs. The Board of Trustees has reluctantly accepted Rabinowitz’s decision to retire and has already begun the process of planning required to find someone to fill his shoes, the statement says.
“We recognize President Rabinowitz’s years of contribution to Hofstra,” said Student Government Association President Kathryn Harley and Vice President Kaylor Dimes. “[We] look forward to a smooth transition and continued success for our University.”
In 2001, the year that Rabinowitz became president of the University, the Hofstra University Honors College (HUHC) was founded. Rabinowitz heavily influenced the continued growth of the University according to HUHC Dean Warren Frisina, who noted that his “leadership and entrepreneurial spirit” helped transform Hofstra into a strong regional institution with a reputation that reaches across the globe.
“I get to see first-hand and every day the difference he has made,” Frisina said. “He’s taken Hofstra to a whole new level.”
“I’ve always respected President Rabinowitz during my time here,” said Madie Mento, a junior public relations major. “And while it’s sad to see him go, I’m happy to know that Hofstra’s had him for 50 years.”
For some, 50 years may not have been enough. “While I am happy for him to be retiring after a long and beneficial career at Hofstra from a business perspective,” said Justin Murray, a senior film major, “I wish I could have interacted with him more as a student.”
“There are many ways to measure the success of a president. We could focus on the programs initiated, buildings built, faculty hired…” Frisina said. “But the achievements of a school’s students and alumni is ultimately the principal way one measures an institution, and by extension, its leader.”
With over a year left as president, Rabinowitz said that he will “continue to devote his full energy and attention to the Presidency during his remaining tenure and will assist the Board [of Trustees] in ensuring the smoothest of transitions.”
