Dowling College was a private college on Long Island, New York. It was established in 1968 and had its main campus located in Oakdale, New York on the site of William K. Vanderbilt's mansion Idle Hour. Dowling also included a campus in Shirley, which contained the college's aviation program and athletic complexes, and small campuses in Melville and Manhattan.
Dowling was composed of four schools: the School of Arts & Sciences, the School of Education, the Townsend School of Business, and the School of Aviation. Largely enrolling local Long Island students, the college offered a variety of bachelor's degree programs in the arts, sciences, and business, master's degree programs in education and business, and a doctorate in education.
After years of financial difficulties, frequently changing leadership, declining enrollment, and a failed search to find an academic partner, Dowling's accreditation was revoked by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and the college ceased operations on August 31, 2016.
History
Idle Hour
Gilded Age estates were a feature of Oakdale's past and in 1882 Vanderbilt built the most noted one, Idle Hour, a estate on the Connetquot River. The lavish, wooden 110-room home was destroyed by fire April 15, 1899, while his son, William Kissam Vanderbilt II, was honeymooning there. Willie and his new wife escaped. It was rebuilt of red brick and gray stone, with exquisite furnishings, for $3 million. The building at the time was considered among the finest homes in America. His daughter Consuelo also honeymooned there when she married the Duke of Marlborough in 1895.
After Vanderbilt's death in 1920, the mansion went through several phases and visitors, including a brief stay during Prohibition by gangster Dutch Schultz. Around that time, cow stalls, pig pens and corn cribs on the farm portion of Idle Hour were converted into a short-lived bohemian artists' colony that included figures such as George Elmer Browne and Roman Bonet-Sintas. The estate became home to Dowling College until it closed in August 2016.
Founding
In 1955 Adelphi College began offering extension classes in Port Jefferson, Riverhead, and Sayville, New York. In 1959 Adelphi Suffolk became the first four-year, degree-granting liberal arts institution in Suffolk County, housed in an old public school building in Sayville. In January 1963, Adelphi purchased the former William K. Vanderbilt estate in Oakdale. Adelphi spun the campus off in 1968 as Dowling College, named after city planner and philanthropist Robert W. Dowling, who provided an endowment of over $3 million.
Operation
The Racanelli Learning Resource Center was constructed in 1974 to house the library, cafeteria and additional classrooms. A month later, a fire damaged the Vanderbilt mansion. The Hunt Room, the Foyer and Ballroom were all substantially damaged. A College committee, led by Alan Fortunoff, Dowling Trustee and son of Fortunoff founder Max Fortunoff, guided the restoration of the ornate woodwork, precious marble, and the elaborately carved stonework. The mansion was renamed to Fortunoff Hall to honor Paul and Emily Fortunoff.
Dr. Victor P. Meskill became president in 1977 and served in the position for 23 years. Dr. Meskill attempted to shift the focus of the college from a small, locally focused institution to a global university, with an emphasis on the aviation focused Brookhaven Campus which opened in October 1994. A shakeup occurred in June 1999 when Meskill fired five top-ranking college officials on the same day as a cost-cutting measure, after Dowling's debt had increased to $34 million and the school's credit rating had been downgraded. Meskill was one of the most highly compensated college presidents in the country. Months later, Meskill was forced to step down by trustees and the officials he fired were reinstated.
Former Suffolk County Executive Robert Gaffney was made president in October 2006. Gaffney resigned in May 2010, then later in 2014 the college paid Gaffney over $400,000 in a settlement. In August 2013, the Brookhaven Campus dormitory, bookstore, and cafeteria were closed due to the college's financial struggles. However, these facilities reopened in September 2014 following a deal with Stony Brook University which allowed Dowling students to live in the dormitory alongside Stony Brook students.