Hofstra University

A private institution, Hofstra University found in the New York borough of Hempstead. It is the most prominent non-public university on Long Island. In 1935, Nassau College – Hofstra Memorial of New York University was established at Hofstra as an extension of New York University (NYU). The original name of the institution was Hofstra. In 1939, it established itself as the independent Hofstra College, and in 1963, it was granted university status. Hofstra University is home to ten different schools, the most notable of which are the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Deane School of Law. Over the years, the university has played host to a number of important presidential conferences as well as a number of presidential debates in the United States.

The estate of the college's namesake, William S. Hofstra (1861–1932), a timber tycoon of Dutch heritage, and his second wife, Kate Mason, was donated to the institution in 1935 so that it could be established there (1854–1933). It was originally established as a branch of New York University (NYU) and given the name Nassau College – Hofstra Memorial of NYU when it first opened its doors. It was the only college or university in the United States to be named after a Dutch American in the 20th century, and it was the fourth and final one to be named after a Dutch American.

Truesdel Peck Calkins, a former superintendent of schools for the town of Hempstead, had been a resident of Hempstead when the idea for the expansion was first conceived. Kate Mason stipulated in her will that the majority of their property and estate should be donated to a cause that was either benevolent, scientific, or humanitarian in nature and should be named after her late husband. In the spring of 1934, the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation made an offer to the President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, to transform the mansion into a sanatorium for those suffering from polio. However, nothing came of the idea. The task of determining what should be done with the estate was given to two close friends, Howard Brower and James Barnard. Calkins said to Brower that he had been seeking for a location to start a higher education establishment, and the three men agreed that it would be a suitable use of the estate if it was put to that use. Calkins made his way to the administration of New York University, where he was met with enthusiasm about the idea.