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Manhattan College

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Manhattan College, overlooking Van Cortlandt Park in Riverdale, is an independent Catholic institution of higher learning which embraces qualified men and women of all faiths, races and ethnic backgrounds. Established in 1853, the College is founded upon the Lasallian tradition of excellence in teaching, respect for individual dignity, and commitment to social justice inspired by the innovator of modern pedagogy, John Baptist de La Salle.

The mission of Manhattan College is to provide a contemporary, person-centered educational experience characterized by high academic standards, reflection on values and principles, and preparation for a life-long career. This is achieved in two ways: by offering students programs which integrate a broad liberal education with concentration in specific disciplines in the arts and sciences or with professional preparation in business, education and engineering; and by nurturing a caring, pluralistic campus community.

The learning experience at Manhattan College is enriched by cooperative programs with other institutions, by postgraduate professional programs and by capitalizing on its location on the edge of the cultural center and global marketplace that is New York City.

Historical Note
Manhattan College was founded in May 1853 when the school, originally established by the Brothers of the Christian Schools in 1848, moved from Canal Street in lower Manhattan to what was then known as the Manhattanville section of New York City at 131st Street and Broadway. Between 1853 and 1863, the school changed rapidly, adding college-level courses in 1859 and first using the name Manhattan College in 1861. A Board of Trustees composed of ten laymen and eight Brothers of the Christian Schools was assembled in 1862 to petition the Board of Regents and the Legislature of the State of New York to charter a collegiate institution named Manhattan College. The charter was approved by the Legislature and issued by the Board of Regents on April 2, 1863. The first catalog of the newly chartered College stated its goals as follows:

The object of this institution is to afford the youth of our country the means of acquiring the highest grade of education attained in the best American universities or colleges. While the conductors mean that the classical languages shall be thoroughly studied, they have resolved to give a prominence to the higher mathematics and natural sciences not hitherto received in any similar institution in this country; thus combining the advantages of a first-class College and Polytechnic Institute.

Thus, Manhattan College was an unusual institution. Its sponsoring Board of Trustees combined both secular independent members and representatives of the religious teaching Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. It also combined excellence in the traditional liberal arts and sciences and excellence in professional and technical education in a single collegiate institution.

Bordered by the Hudson River and Van Cortlandt Park, the college is able to offer access to the cultural, educational, business and entertainment opportunities of New York City as well as a self-contained campus environment.

The College continues to realize the objectives stated in its first catalog by maintaining a full range of programs in the liberal arts and sciences joined with professional programs in engineering, business, and education. The quality of the undergraduate programs has been demonstrated by the College’s record as one of the nation’s leading undergraduate sources of doctorates in the arts, sciences, engineering and education, and recognized by the establishment of chapters of such prestigious honor societies as Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, and Tau Beta Pi. Similarly, Standard & Poors ranks the Manhattan College School of Business among the leading undergraduate sources of managerial and financial leadership in the nation. The College participates in the Consortium of Liberal Arts Colleges, an organization of the nation’s leading research colleges, and in the New York Cluster of seven colleges and universities supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts for undergraduate science education (Barnard, Colgate, Cornell, Hamilton, Manhattan, St. Lawrence and Union).

From its beginning, Manhattan College has paid particular attention to educating first-generation college students, and was an early proponent of access to minority students, establishing special scholarship funds for minority students as early as 1938. Currently, over 30% of the student body are from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds.

The College became coeducational and accepted its first women undergraduate students in 1973. Prior to that date, the College had established a Cooperative Program with the neighboring College of Mount Saint Vincent, which permitted cross-registration and the merging of academic departments. Currently, women number 46% of the full-time undergraduate student body.

With the opening of Horan Hall (formerly East Hill) in 1990, the College is able to maintain an even balance between residential and commuting students.

Currently, the College has a student body of approximately 3,000: 2,600 undergraduates and 400 graduate students. The student-faculty ratio is thirteen to one.

Location
The College is situated along Manhattan College Parkway on the heights above Van Cortlandt Park (242nd Street and Broadway) in the Riverdale section of New York City. It is a short distance from the 242nd Street station of the Broadway Seventh Avenue Subway, and can be easily reached from any part of the metropolitan or suburban areas. The exit of the Henry Hudson Parkway (West Side Highway) located at 239th Street several blocks to the west of the College puts the campus within easy reach of New Jersey. The College is also within easy commuting distance from Long Island and Westchester and Rockland counties because of its proximity to the New York State Thruway and the Major Deegan Expressway (exit at Van Cortlandt Park South or West 240th Street).

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