Manhattanville University (previously Manhattanville College) is a private university in Purchase, New York, United States. It was founded in 1841 and offers more than 45 undergraduate programs (majors) across arts, sciences, business, education, nursing, and related fields and more than 70 graduate and certificate programs. In Athletics, the Manhattanville Valiants compete in the DIII Skyline Conference.
Manhattanville sits on a 100 acre campus designed by Fredrick Law Olmsted. The architectural and administrative centerpiece of the Manhattanville campus is Reid Hall (1864) which was named after Whitelaw Reid, publisher and owner of the New-York Tribune. Next to Reid Hall stand academic buildings on one side and on the other residence halls around a central quad designed by the landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Other historic buildings include: the Lady Chapel designed by Maya Lin; the President's Cottage known as the Barbara Debs House; the old Stables; and Water Tower.
History
The Academy of the Sacred Heart (1841–1917) Manhattanville University traces its origins to an Academy of the Sacred Heart founded over 175 years ago on the Lower East Side of New York City. In August 1841 the Society of the Sacred Heart (RSCJ), a Catholic religious order dedicated to the education of young women, established an academy at 412 Houston Street, near the corner of Mulberry Street, in the tightly packed warren of narrow streets in the southeast corner of Manhattan Island facing the East River.
In September 1844 the boarding school moved to Ravenswood in the Astoria section of Queens. Archbishop John Hughes counted "upon Ravenswood becoming the leading Academy for young Ladies" in the Archdiocese of New York. However, within two years the location proved too remote.
In 1847, the growing academy relocated to the former estate of Jacob Lorillard in the village of Manhattanville on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in what was then a rural village. It occupied this site from 1847 to 1952 and it is from this location that the university derives its current name. At that time, the village of Manhattanville was still eight miles north of New York City, which clustered around the south end at the Battery of Manhattan Island. By the time of the American Civil War, (1861–1865), the Manhattanville Academy counted 280 girl pupils. The academy was always diverse with a substantial proportion of the student body consisting of recent immigrants from Latin America and Europe.
Over the next century New York City expanded, transforming the area from a farming village to a neighborhood in West Harlem. The Convent Avenue campus was located between 130th and 135th streets. The western border was Convent Avenue and its eastern border St. Nicholas Terrace. In 1949 proceedings began to incorporate the campus into the existing City College campus. Today it is known as the South Campus of City College. The final remaining buildings from the Manhattanville era are Park Hall (then known as Benziger) and Mott Hall (the Parish School during Manhattanville's time).
The College of the Sacred Heart (1917–1937) In the early 20th century, higher education opportunities for women increased as many academies, seminaries, institutions and lower schools transitioned to the status of colleges. Shortly before the United States declared war on the German Empire and entered the First World War, on March 1, 1917, the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Manhattanville received a Provisional Charter from the Regents of the State of New York to offer undergraduate degrees as "The College of the Sacred Heart". The first baccalaureate degrees were granted in 1918. The Absolute Charter was signed May 29, 1919. As the college grew, the city of New York also expanded northward, toward the far north end of Manhattan Island, toward the Harlem River, transforming the surrounding area from a rural village to diverse residential/commercial communities of Manhattan bordered by the Harlem and Morningside Heights neighborhoods. In 1935, The College of the Sacred Heart was accredited by the Association of American Universities. The name was officially changed to "Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart" in 1937.
Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart (1937–1966) Racial justice (Manhattanville Resolutions)
In the 1930s, the Manhattanville student body consisted of approximately 200 female students. Though small, the college made headlines across the country for taking a strong position promoting racial equality decades before the Civil Rights Movement of the late 1950s, into the 1960s and 1970s. In May 1933, students created the "Manhattanville Resolutions" a document that pledged an active student commitment to racial justice.
Alumni response to a racially integrated but all-female student body was mixed and somewhat controversial for a time. College president Grace Dammann addressed negative responses at the annual Class Day reunion on May 31, 1938: The more we know of man's doing and thinking throughout time and throughout the world's extent, the more we understand that beauty and goodness and truth are not the monopoly of any age nor of any group nor of any race.The speech went on to be published in several national publications. When Dammann died suddenly in 1945, The New York Times obituary summarized her life's work with the headline, "Mother Dammann, College President: Head of Manhattanville Since 1930 Dies--Champion of Racial Equality."
Manhattanville would continue its work in social action first through the National Federation of Catholic College Students and to this day with the Duchesne Center for Religion and Social Justice and the Connie Hogarth Center for Social Action. Mary Louise (Mamie) Jenkins, RSCJ was the first African American student to graduate from Manhattanville and June Mulvaney was the first African American student to major in Russian at Manhattanville.
Growth In February 1949, The New York Times reported that neighboring City College of New York was campaigning to acquire the Manhattanville campus to expand its facilities. The same month, CCNY distributed a pamphlet, entitled "No Other Place to Go: A City College Plea for Purchase of the Manhattanville Property". The New York City Board of Estimate agreed and deeded the campus to City College via the legal process of condemnation and eminent domain. In September 1949, the Manhattanville Board of Trustees purchased the Whitelaw Reid Estate, north of the city in suburban Westchester County. The next two years saw condemnation proceedings work through the New York State Supreme Court system. Manhattanville was eventually given near $8.8 million ($8,808,620) for the Manhattan campus and buildings. A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the new campus near Harrison, in Purchase, New York on May 3, 1951. The new campus with its buildings were renovated and other construction was completed in October 1952.
Manhattanville College (1966–2024) In 1965, the college introduced its first graduate program, a Masters of Arts in Teaching and in 1993, the first graduate programs in business were offered. The first doctoral program was introduced in 2010 with the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the School of Education.
Manhattanville University (2024–present) On April 3, 2024, Manhattanville College became Manhattanville University. The change was made possible, in part, because of an update in 2022 to the state Board of Regents' definition of a university. A few weeks later, Manhattanville leaders announced that the university would maintain Wells College's transcripts, business records, and other important artifacts after its closure.
Presidents
Since its chartering as a college in 1917, Manhattanville has had 16 presidents, including acting presidents, one of whom also served as interim president for a period of time: Mary Moran (1917–1918) Ruth Burnett (1918–1924) Charlotte Lewis (1924–1930) Grace Dammann (1930–1945) Eleanor O'Byrne (1945–1965) Elizabeth McCormack (1966–1974) Harold Delaney (1974–1975) Barbara Knowles Debs (1975–1985) Jane C. Maggin (acting) (1981–1982) Marcia Savage (1985–1995) Richard Berman (1995–2009) Molly Easo Smith (2009–2011); Robert Hall (acting) (2011) Jon Strauss (2011–2016) Michael E. Geisler (2016–2022); Louise Feroe (acting; interim) (summer 2021; 2022–2023) Frank Sanchez (2023–Present)
Current campus
Reid Estate (1860–1949) Manhattanville purchased its current 100-acre campus in 1949. The first European owner of the parcel of land was Ben Holladay who bought the estate in the 1860s and named its Ophir Farm after a silver mine in Nevada. The Holladay family built a mansion called Ophir Hall, family chapel, and several outbuildings. However, after several family deaths and financial difficulties, Ben Holladay left the estate in 1873.
In 1888 Whitelaw Reid and his wife Elisabeth Mills Reid purchased the property. Whitelaw was editor of The New York Tribune and served various political positions including ambassador to France and England. Elisabeth was the daughter of Darius Ogden Mills, founder of The Bank of California. The Reids remodeled the existing Ophir Hall and outfitted it with the latest home luxuries, including electricity. However, shortly before completion, faulty wiring sparked a fire that destroyed the home on July 14, 1888. The Reids rebuilt under the direction of the famed architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White. This home was designed in the style of a gothic castle and built onto the existing foundation. The Castle was completed in 1892. A three-story addition including the East Library and West Room was completed in 1912. Whitelaw Reid died while serving as the ambassador to England in 1912. Elizabeth Mills Reid died in 1931 and the contents of the house were auctioned in 1935. In 1947 the Reid family placed the estate for sale.
Reid Castle was dedicated to Elisabeth Mills Reid on September 19, 1969. In 1974, the U.S. Department of the Interior placed the building on the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its historical and architectural significance.
Purchase Campus (1952–present)
After moving from Manhattan, the new Manhattanville campus relocated to suburban Purchase, New York in Westchester County. The new campus was completed in 1952. The six original buildings on the new campus were Reid Hall; the library; Benziger Dining Hall; Brownson Hall, the main classroom building; Pius X Hall, the music building; and Founder's Hall, a dormitory. All six of these buildings are still in use today.
The increasing student population led to the addition of a second dormitory (Spellman Hall) in 1957. The Kennedy Gymnasium, also completed in 1957, was made possible through a grant from the Lieutenant Joseph Kennedy Jr. Foundation. The Kennedy family dedicated the gymnasium in honor of their daughter, Kathleen, Marchioness of Hartington. The dedication for both the Kennedy Gymnasium and Spellman Hall were held October 27, 1957, and was presided over by Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York. In attendance were Joseph P. Kennedy, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy ‘11, Jean Kennedy Smith ‘49, and Ethel Skakel Kennedy ‘49. Edward M. Kennedy delivered the dedication speech.
For the first decade in Purchase, the campus worship space was located in the West Room of Reid Castle. The new chapel was completed in 1963. It was named in honor of the longest serving president of the college, Eleanor O’Byrne, RSCJ.
The two newest dormitories on campus, Dammann Hall and Tenney Hall, were completed in 1966.
In 1991, forty-eight faculty and staff housing units added a new dimension to the Manhattanville campus community.