NEWS RELEASE

Immediate:  November 20, 2017

Nassau Community College Receives $49,000 Long Island Community History Initiative Grant from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation 

 

The College to Become a Central Repository for Long Island Local History

Garden City, NY — Nassau Community College (NCC) has announced that Profs. Georgette Grier-Key and Stephanie Sapiie have received a $49,000 Long Island Community History Initiative Grant from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation. The grant kicks off a three-year initiative engaging students, the public, local historical societies—including the Association of Suffolk County Historical Societies and historical societies in Queens and Brooklyn—and others in an effort to preserve their community history. The grant will provide space and resources for participants to record oral history, scan family documents and help preserve personal collections and family genealogy for public access. "The primary outcome we anticipate is for NCC to serve as a central repository for Long Island local history and family genealogy and be at the forefront of documenting something which does not exist: the suburban transformation of Long Island from the perspective of community residents," said Prof. Georgette Grier-Key, one of the grant writers and an NCC professor of History, Political Science and Geography. Each semester and summer the College will host an event with keynote speakers, panel discussions and cultural events with the hope that these events and partnerships with local historical societies will also create opportunities for service learning and independent study. Added NCC President Dr. W. Hubert Keen, "This historical grant is a unique opportunity for faculty, students and the community we serve to preserve, protect and celebrate our shared history here on Long Island. This project will make NCC a premier destination for historical preservation for Long Island." On November 28, a series of kick-off events about the Native American experience will take place on the NCC campus beginning at 9:00 a.m. with a panel discussion of a Native American Social (similar to a POW WOW) and a Native American book fair. The College-wide symposiums will have a different theme each year: Year One: Childhood Memories on Long Island; Year Two: African American History on Long Island; Year Three: Immigration to Long Island. The yearly sessions will have stations staffed by trained students who will record oral histories, provide interpretation (explaining the historical meaning or significance of an object) and scan documents. The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, established in 1987, primarily supports the study of New York State history. Robert David Lion Gardiner was, until his death in August 2004, the 16th Lord of the Manor of Gardiner's Island, NY. The Gardiner family and their descendants have owned Gardiner's Island since 1639, obtained as part of a royal grant from King Charles I of England. The Foundation is inspired by Robert David Lion Gardiner's personal passion for New York history. For more information about Nassau Community College's efforts through the Long Island Community History Initiative Grant, call 516.572.7422 x25167.

Media Contact Kate Murray 516.572.0611 kathleen.murray@ncc.edu ncc.edu/newsreleases Ref. 1990.11/17/17/150 About Nassau Community College Nassau Community College, part of The State University of New York, is an institution where almost 20,000 full- and part-time students and approximately 10,000 continuing and professional students start and continue their successful journey through higher education. More than 70 fields of study are offered on a 225-acre campus located in the center of Long Island. As the largest single-campus two-year college in New York State, Nassau Community College maintains a national reputation for excellence. Visit www.ncc.edu for more information.