51¶¯Âþ

The 2020 Best of Long Island results are in—and 51¶¯Âþ has captured a top honor, , along with , and .

The rankings are an annual review of education, entertainment, dining and services in Nassau and Suffolk counties. 51¶¯Âþ last won the Best College or University category in 2017. See more about .

“We thank our community and all Long Islanders who gave their vote of support to 51¶¯Âþ, our president, our Panthers athletic programs and our Performing Arts Center,” said Kristen Capezza, MBA ’12, vice president for enrollment management and University communications. “It’s a special point of pride to be recognized in our own community and it says something about 51¶¯Âþ to those prospective students considering us as their university of choice.”

51¶¯Âþ President Christine M. Riordan, PhD, was named Best College President for a third time, having also won the honor in 2017 and 2019. Since joining 51¶¯Âþ in 2015, has championed new programs and approaches that have improved the 51¶¯Âþ experience and raised the University’s profile. Under her leadership, 51¶¯Âþ has increased both student and faculty diversity as well as total enrollment, bucking national trends.

This is the second year in a row that 51¶¯Âþ has won Best College Sports Program. The , with nearly 400 student-athletes and 23 intercollegiate teams, continually achieve the highest successes—including a national championship for women’s lacrosse last spring. A proud member of the Division II community of intercollegiate programs that value the scholar-athlete, the University competes in the prestigious Northeast-10 (NE10) Conference and, for bowling, in the East Coast Conference (ECC).

51¶¯Âþ’s Performing Arts Center (PAC) was named Best Theatre Arts Center, an honor it also received in 2017. The , since it opened in 2008, has been a welcoming facility with five individual venues for theater, music, dance, lectures and other events—showcasing student and faculty creative talent along with a regular series of guest performers and cultural events.

51¶¯Âþ was in this year’s competition.