NETWORKING® MAGAZINE'S DAVID AWARD HONOREE, JANUARY 12, 2006

STUART RABINOWITZ, J.D.
President, Hofstra University

by Maureen Traxler

When accepting the position as eighth president of Hofstra University four years ago, Stuart Rabinowitz says he was ready for the challenge. He had joined the faculty as a law professor in 1972, served as dean of the Law School for 11 years, and watched and talked to university presidents, so he believed he could make "substantive, tangible improvements," and bring Hofstra "to the next step of development."

"Hofstra has dramatically increased the credentials and diversity of its incoming students," Rabinowitz notes, and, this fall, 48% of the incoming freshman class came from outside New York State. He considers broadening the University's attractiveness to students beyond Long Island's borders as "an essential way to build a national reputation." Yet, he continues, "It's not only important to recruit your students, it's important to retain them," and Hofstra is enhancing student services and raising student satisfaction.

Rabinowitz has won the support of the board of trustees to upgrade and renovate facilities. The university opened Hagedorn Hall, housing the School of Education and Allied Human Services, and a new south campus building will provide room for the University's exploding music, drama, communication and history programs.

To carry out these plans, Rabinowitz has overseen a $75 million increase in endowment. "A good start," he says. In addition to the success the University enjoys in attracting foundations and individual donors wishing to invest in excellence on Long Island, Hofstra has focused on alumni, discovering successful graduates, including Lehman Brothers president Joseph Gregory, who happens to serve as vice chair of Hofstra's board of trustees, Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman, and chairman and CEO of Marvel Studios, Avi Arad.

Under his leadership, Hofstra has established a Center for Suburban Studies, which is conducting a national search for faculty with specialties in suburban issues and planning. As other suburbs across the country begin to sprawl as Long Island has, Rabinowitz sees suburban studies as "an exciting, cutting edge field" where a higher education vacuum exists. He'd like to see the Center develop an academic program and provide services to business communities and planners.

Hofstra also launched a Financial Technology Center with a simulated trading floor and 34 Bloomberg terminals, one of the largest facilities of its kind in the New York area. "It's a great training ground," he says, where "students can experience the trading process and see how quickly financial decisions must be made."

Just as Rabinowitz now says, "I love what I'm doing," he enjoyed the twist in his career"after Columbia School of Law and three years experience at a major New York City law firm - that brought him to teaching. As a professor, he combined three interests: teaching young people, being a scholar, and practicing law.

Rabinowitz believes "there's an obligation to give back to the community," and during the 1990s, offered his skills in service to Nassau County as a member of the Blue Ribbon Financial Review Panel, chairman of the Local Advisory Board, and a member of the Commission on Government Revision charged with drafting a charter and forming a new system of government.

"I had the legal background, and as Law School dean, the knowledge of running an institution," says Rabinowitz, "so working on the Charter Revision Commission was very fulfilling, like a dream"playing a role in constructing an entire system of governance for a very complex county." A political science buff, he says governing and governance, as well as individual rights, are among his interests. Rabinowitz has also served on the board of directors of the Long Island Association, and he currently sits on the boards of Fair Media Council and Long Island Technology Network.

A good neighbor, Hofstra reaches out to local school age children through its reading/writing/ learning clinic and to middle school teachers through its development of math teaching methods. Hofstra has designed math and science strategies for the Roosevelt School District; helped raise scholarships for more than 300 young men and women through the 30-year Hempstead for Hofstra/Hofstra for Hempstead program; works with elected officials to host constituent and informational meetings; provides counseling services at the Saltzman Community Center, and runs five clinics at its Law School, assisting those who cannot afford counsel.

President Rabinowitz feels that every Hofstra student should be exposed to the opportunity of community service, tells students of its benefits and plans to establish an office dedicated to connecting students with community involvement opportunities. Students and faculty often come out in support of people in need, and, he recalls, students mounted campaigns following the disasters of 9/11, hurricane Katrina and the Asian tsunami, and together with staff have traditionally supported blood drives. His encouragement includes a pledge to seek private donor gifts to match funds students or faculty raise on behalf of worthy endeavors.

Rabinowitz uses "the bully pulpit of the presidency" to foster leadership, and acknowledges that his faculty models leadership by their community involvement. He adds that Hofstra has "an active and aggressive, in the best sense of the word, student government," whose representatives meet with him on a regular basis and are included "at the table."

Rabinowitz has been honored with the Martin Luther King Living the Dream Award, Legal Aid Society's Distinguished Service in the Cause of Justice, UJA Federation Leadership Award, Bar Association of Nassau County Proclamation for Outstanding Service in the legal profession and community, Conference of Jewish Organizations' Community Service Award, and most recently, Townsend Harris Medal from the Alumni Association of City College of NY, a prestigious award won by such notables as Jonas Salk and Ira Gershwin.

Rabinowitz was raised in the Bronx, educated in New York City public schools and attended Bronx High School of Science and City College. He and his wife Nancy have four children " Dr. Deborah Rabinowitz, a George Washington University Hospital radiology resident; David, an Atlanta hedge fund manager; Amy, a London recording company employee, and John, a Long Island computer wiz.