C W Post College - Opticon Yearbook (Greenvale, NY)

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Gold Coast designation of Long ls- land's North Shore. All agreed that the school flag would be strictly repre- sentative of C.W. Post College, not Long Island University. The first graduation for eight stu- dents was held on June 7, l 958. With- in ten years, the campus possessed 350 acres, a student body of over l2,000, including 3,000 graduate stu- dents, and a faculty and staff of over l,000. The 2,500 volume Library had been replaced by a structure capable of holding one million books. A six million dollar building now housed the Physical and Life Sciences as well as Engineering. With the Sixties came the new morality, rock and roll was here to stay, the anti-war movement reached its height and C.W. Post College had firmly entrenched itself as an institu- tion of higher education. Post, though unable to dismiss completely the turmoil of the outside world, had re- mained somewhat quieter than some colleges and universities. One if -Fair-5 . ,4 . C

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noticeable change, however, was the relaxation of required courses. Stu- dents were often left on their own to decide what courses could best serve them in their area of study. Just as the Sixties widened the public's involvement in the world affairs, the decade brought the expansion of our campus facilities. The Conolly Gymnasium had been built by our own maintenance men under the direction of Mal Ryan. C.W. Post also built a number of dormitories during the Sixties, paving the way for resident students and a larger campus population. The Quad dorms were the first to be built. Eventually, Post and Riggs Halls were added and lastly, Brookville. Academic buildings were constructed: Humanities l-lall, Roth l-lall, l-loxie l-lall and the B. Davis Schwartz Memorial Library, which also served as the home of the Palmer Graduate Library School. Post was still striving for acceptance from the surrounding community. This effort was greatly helped by President Conolly who instituted a policy of bringing cultural resources, such as art, music, theatre, radio and lecture programs to Greenvale. C.W. Post has since become a cultural hub for Long Island. In l963, Conolly started the Long Island Festival of the Arts, which has grown into the American Theatre Festival, Tragedy hit on March l, l962 when Admiral Conolly and his wife were killed in a plane crash. The Seventies found C.W. Post with a relatively new President, Robert Payton fl969l, and the first part of the new student center. The Dome, a 2,900 seat multi-purpose indoor concertflecture facility, soon proved to be a more versatile building than had been anticipated. ln l973, some other major changes took place on our campus. Dr. Edward Cook became President of C.W. Post Center and the award winning student union building, Hillwood Commons was opened. Stu- dents now had a place to hang their hats, eat a meal, play a game of pool, see a movie or an art exhibit, take care of their banking, buy a paper, talk, relax or study. New innovations and lifestyles take root in America by the Seventies. The college campus, as a reflection of the outside world, also adopted some new ways. The radical idealism that marked the Sixties melted into