Long Island University Brooklyn

Long Island University was chartered in 1926 by the New York State Education Department with a progressive mission to provide "effective and moderately priced education" to people from "all walks of life" without discrimination based on sex, race, religion, or national origin . The first graduating class in 1931 consisted of 312 students, primarily immigrants and children of immigrants seeking opportunity through education . In 1929, the university affiliated with the Brooklyn College of Pharmacy (founded 1886), now known as LIU Pharmacy, adding a renowned professional program . During the Great Depression, the institution persevered, and after World War II, enrollment surged due to the GI Bill . In 1960, LIU purchased the historic Brooklyn Paramount Theater, converting it into a gymnasium in 1963 while preserving its architectural details . In the late 1960s, when trustees proposed selling the Brooklyn campus, students and faculty successfully demonstrated to retain it . In 1972, faculty negotiated the first collectively bargained faculty agreement at a private university in the United States . Recent decades have brought significant campus upgrades, including the Zeckendorf Health Sciences Center, the Pratt Center for Academic Studies, and the Steinberg Wellness Center . In 2018, LIU unified its athletic programs across campuses, and the Brooklyn campus became part of the LIU Sharks Division I program starting in 2019-20 .