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Originally called the University of the City of New York, it was founded by a group of prominent New Yorkers in 1831 as an alternative to the Episcopalian-dominated and "aristocratic" Columbia College (now Columbia University). Notable among NYU's founding fathers is Albert Gallatin, after whom one of the University's schools is named. In the beginning, the University, which had always known as New York University (the name changed officially in 1896), focused primarily on teaching Latin and Greek, though it was also a progressive school, offering coursework in modern languages, engineering, agriculture, and other pragmatic subjects. In 1832, NYU held its first classes in rented rooms in four-story Clinton Hall, located near City Hall. In 1835, NYU's first professional school, the School of Law, was founded.
While NYU has had its Washington Square campus since its inception, the University purchased a campus at University Heights in the Bronx, as a result of overcrowding on the old campus. NYU's move to the Bronx took place in 1894, spearheaded by the efforts of Chancellor Mitchell MacCracken, who is credited with turning the school into a modern university. The University Heights campus was far more spacious than its predecessor, and housed the bulk of the University's operations, along with the undergraduate College of Arts and Science (University College) and School of Engineering.
During the 1960s and 1970s, feeling the pressures of imminent bankruptcy, then-President of NYU, James Hester, negotiated the sale of the University Heights campus to the City University of New York, which took place in 1973. While University Heights alumni fought to keep the campus, some suggest that the sale was a "blessing in disguise" as the Uptown campus was losing money and the management of two campuses was impossible for NYU, financially. Chancellor Sidney Borowitz said on the matter, "There was so much pressure from Uptown alumni to preserve the Heights that it was only under the threat of possible financial ruin that the campus could be sold. With two campuses, NYU could never have prospered as it has." After the sale of the University Heights campus, University College merged with Washington Square College (founded in 1914), which was the Arts and Sciences division of the University based in Greenwich Village. NYU's School of Engineering was shut down, and most of its students transferred to Polytechnic University in Brooklyn.
NYU is largely a reflection of the population of New York City, having a mostly progressive and liberal-minded student body. According to the Princeton Review, NYU ranks #2 as most accepting of gays and lesbians.
NYU's location in Greenwich Village -- a vibrant and creative neighborhood that has attracted generations of artists, writers, intellectuals, and musicians -- provides a unique perspective in which to study. The Village -- and the rest of New York City -- acts as an extension of NYU's campus. Being that NYU's "campus" is a patchwork of buildings and structures across much of the Village, it is indeed an "urban university" that has embraced the city as an essential element of the academic experience.
That said, NYU is often criticized for its lack of a "campus life" and it has been said that the University lacks a strong sense of community, particularly amongst undergraduates. This fact was put into perspective when a string of six highly publicized suicides took place at (or around) the University during the 2003- 2004 academic year. NYU responded by offering free counseling to all enrolled students.
NYU is frequently criticized for its hiring of adjunct teaching staff over full-time tenure track professors. The university has significantly fewer full-time staff than other universities of the same size. Adjuncts are preferred over full-time teaching staff because of the lower cost, and the fact that they do not have to offer their adjuncts any benefits. A large adjunct strike in 2004 resulted in a tentative agreement offering adjuncts some benefits and wage increases over a multi-year period.
As a result of the large adjunct-to-tenure-track staff ratio at NYU, research is not a serious priority in many faculties at the university.
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