Before retiring, Hofstra president reflects

The sun shone down on Hofstra University’s campus late last month as flowers were blooming in all their chromatic splendor. Dozens of graduates meandered about the campus in full cap and gown, stopping for photos at several iconic locations — the campus was alive, and the spirit of graduation was in the air.

Stuart Rabinowitz, the university’s president for the past 20 years, was reaching something of a graduation himself. As he, too, walked through the campus, he was thoughtfully reflective on his tenure, under which Hofstra was transformed from regional school to the internationally renowned university that it is today.

While he will not completely depart from what he now calls “home,” Rabinowitz, 75, is set to retire from his position as president at the end of August. He assumed the post in 2001.

Before his official departure — and after avoiding some bees on the hunt for those colorful flowers — Rabinowitz sat with the Herald at Hofstra to reflect on his career.

“I really have always felt this is a special place,” Rabinowitz said. “I came here to teach law in 1972, and I thought I would only stay a year or so and move on — but I just fell in love with the place and the people.”

“So, it took me 50 years to leave,” he added with a laugh.

Rabinowitz did join Hofstra’s Law School faculty in 1972, then went on to become the dean of the School of Law from September 1989 to June 2001, when he became president. He was chosen by the university’s board of trustees in December 2000.

The school went through myriad changes under his leadership. Among the new schools opened are the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine and the School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies, run in partnership with Northwell Health. The Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the Peter S. Kalikow School of Government, Public Policy and International Affairs, and the School of Health Professions and Human Services are also additions.

The list goes on: Rabinowitz also founded Hofstra’s National Center for Suburban Studies and the Center for Entrepreneurship.

“I think I had some ideas of what Hofstra needed to move on to the next level. I am a good imaginer of things,” Rabinowitz said. “And apparently, I have a talent of hiring really good people to implement those tasks. . . I never worried about hiring people that are smarter than me, or who might disagree with me — I encourage disagreement.”

Rabinowitz credited the university’s board of trustees with supporting his endeavors, no matter how far reaching they may have been. Sometimes it seemed to be “daydreaming,” he recalled, such as when they applied to host a presidential debate at the university.

“Well, three debates, they came to the conclusion that we were debate central,” Rabinowitz said.

Not every decision was an easy one, though. Ending Hofstra’s football team and, more recently, moving a statue of Thomas Jefferson, which originally sat in front of the heavily trafficked student center and received backlash from students who highlighted Jefferson’s history as a slave owner, were among them. The statue was moved to a less visible part of campus.

“There were difficult decisions and difficult times,” Rabinowitz said. “The thing I feel best about is that even on the decisions that are controversial, I never made a decision that I didn’t think was in the best interest of the university. I tried so hard every time not to let my personal views affect anything — and I really think I was able to do that.”

Most important, students come first at Hofstra. “They are the reason we exist,” Rabinowitz explained. “That means you listen to students, treat them well, treat them with respect and give them a voice.”

“It’s like all the students and members of the community are my responsibility, even though they’re not,” Rabinowitz said, “which is why it’s really hard to be president. You feel every pain, injury and sadness — and you also are happy when they’re happy.”

Rabinowitz has also focused on the Nassau Hub, the commerce zone surrounding the university. As co-chair of the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council, he has influence over the project, but it has yet to come to full fruition.

The area around the Nassau Coliseum is still set to have residential and commercial spaces as part of the Hub.
As co-chair of the council, Rabinowitz helped bring $727 million to 885 projects on Long Island since 2011. He also stays active as a member of the board of directors for Accelerate Long Island, and he has also served as a trustee of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities and on the board of directors of the Long Island Technology Network.

Rabinowitz could not find it in himself to completely say goodbye to Hofstra, however. In the fall of 2022, he will teach an undergraduate honors college course, Introduction to Constitutional Law.

“I can’t completely leave — I would get the bends if I completely detached from the university,” Rabinowitz joked.