Brookville, N.Y., May 11, 2023 – Long Island University announced it will establish The Center for the Study of the Presidency, an academic offering housed at The Roosevelt School on its Brookville campus exclusively devoted to fostering historic passion and civic engagement about the most powerful office in the United States of America.
The Center will offer a cross-section of leading voices – journalists, historians, and White House veterans – promote scholarship and host programming related to current events and Presidential history including conferences, high-profile lectures, seminars, book prizes and interactive online learning platforms. The Center will reach an international audience while serving as the leading educational resource for LIU’s local constituencies in greater New York City and on Long Island.
The Center will further complement research activities at LIU, which is among the top seven percent of research universities nationwide.
“The Roosevelt School at Long Island University and the Center for the Study of Presidency are committed to doing everything we can to encourage all Americans to do their duty. Our freedoms come with responsibilities, and we all must live up to them,” Professor Tweed Roosevelt, Chairman of the LIU Roosevelt School and great-grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt said.
“The establishment of the Center for the Study of the Presidency solidifies our commitment to lead in civic education and provide a forum for our students to further study the foundation and evolution of our country,” Long Island University President Kimberly R. Cline said. “Through these initiatives, we can educate and inspire the next generation of our nation’s leaders as they learn lessons from history to shape solutions for America’s future.”
The Center will build on the strong foundation of public service engagement at LIU’s Roosevelt School, which prepares students for careers in international relations, diplomacy, leadership, service, and policy making at multinational corporations, foundations, think-tanks, non-profit organizations, and governmental agencies.
“Long Island University’s steadfast commitment to the creation of the newly formed Center for the Study of the Presidency will enable scholars, researchers and students the ability to research each of the American presidents, learn from their policy-making decisions, and cultivate policy for future presidential administrations. The Society of Presidential Descendants wholeheartedly supports this important initiative and will be actively involved in its success,” added Massee McKinley, Vice President and Chief of Staff of The Society of Presidential Descendants and great-great nephew of President William McKinley and great-great grandson of President Grover Cleveland.
In addition to serving as home to the interactive “White House Experience,” the Roosevelt School has partnered with the Museum of Democracy to serve as the permanent home to the nation’s largest private collec
tion of Presidential memorabilia, featuring more than one million pieces of American presidential history ranging from President Washington to the present day. The University received a prestigious grant from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation for the Museum’s first exhibit “Hail to the Chief! Electing the American President,” which is now on display in the historic LIU Roosevelt House.
“There is no better home for our collection of Presidential memorabilia than Long Island University,” said Austin Wright, Chairman, Museum of Democracy. “With the new Center for the Study of the Presidency, students will have unparalleled access to learning opportunities, historical objects, and thought leaders to further their education about our collective past and prepare them for the future.”
The Roosevelt School is named in honor of the Roosevelt family and inspired by the legacies in diplomacy, conservation, and social justice of President Theodore Roosevelt, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
The Roosevelt School includes:
- The Theodore Roosevelt Institute, a nexus for public seminars, research, and educational programs to develop leaders and advance policy while promoting the legacy of President Roosevelt;
- The Steven S. Hornstein Center for Policy, Polling, and Analysis, which conducts independent polling, empirical research, and analysis on a wide range of public issues;
- The Global Service Institute, bringing together world leaders, dynamic thinkers, and top analysts to empower service innovation and education for a sustainable world;
- The White House Experience, which recreates and evokes the iconic environments within the White House; and
- The Society of Presidential Descendants, which includes direct descendants of one or more United Statespresidents who support the study of the presidency and advocate for civic engagement. Last year, the Society’s inaugural gala was headlined by leading presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize winner Doris Kearns Goodwin.
For more information on LIU’s Roosevelt School, visit: https://liu.edu/rooseveltschool.
About Long Island University
Long Island University, founded in 1926, is a leading research and teaching university that continues to redefine higher education by providing high-quality academic instruction by world-class faculty. Recognized by Forbes for its emphasis on experiential learning and by the Brookings Institution for its “value added” to student outcomes, LIU has a network of over 285,000 alumni, including industry leaders and entrepreneurs around the globe. Visit liu.edu for more information.
