» College Origins - Experiments

College Origins: Leaders at the State University of New York first envisioned the College at Old Westbury in 1964 and articulated its mandate in 1966. Because the first College at Old Westbury was intended as an experiment in college planning, it included students in the development of curricula, in decision-making about community action education, even in determining the campus architecture. The College’s founding reflected national and international discussion, entered into by higher education policy thinkers and administrators, politicians, citizens, and students and their families about the meaning of education in a complex world—and the relationship between higher education and social equality. Their dialogue retains relevance for us today.