A Brief History of The Hutton House Lectures and its Scholarship Program

In 1975 Fan Bush-Brown, wife of then-chancellor of Long Island University Albert Bush-Brown, began to shape an adult enrichment program of liberal arts and sciences at the C.W. Post Campus. Modeled on the Manhattanville College offerings in Westchester known as Mornings at Manhattanville, the program was designed to attract community members who were interested in more than the “how to” courses typically offered as adult education.

The Hutton House Lectures program took its name from the Georgian-style mansion, former home of W.E. Hutton, in which it was located. The early target audience consisted of many women, most of whom had graduated from college or had interrupted careers to marry and raise a family. They were, therefore, eager to return to the classroom for enriching lectures in their spare time. The men began to come in large numbers only later, when early retirement became more common and men, too, realized that they were hungry for the cultural and intellectual pursuits provided by the not-for-credit courses.

By 1993 the Hutton House Lectures Advisory Board felt the need to “give back” something to the community and the college for the enrichment they had received from Hutton House courses. Therefore, they decided to sponsor a scholarship which would offer financial assistance to nontraditional undergraduate students at C.W. Post. Eligible scholars were men and women who had been compelled to drop out of college for personal or family reasons, and, after a lapse of several years, were again “returning to learning.” The criteria for awarding this scholarship specified that the returning adult student had to be over 25 years old with a demonstrated need for financial assistance and a minimum 3.2 academic average. It also required that a student take at least six credits per semester if part-time or 12 credits per semester if full-time.

Over the past 12 years, funds for the scholarship have been raised through a series of benefits. By the year 2000, the fund was endowed, thanks to generous contributions by benefit attendees as well as substantial amounts from Advisory board members who were delighted to see the fund begin to provide approximately $3,000 annually for deserving students.