C.W. Post Launches Initiative to Establish
Arboretum on Campus
January 5, 2000 -- Located on three magnificent estates on
Long Island's North Shore, the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island
University has long been known for its natural beauty. To protect
and preserve the trees that have made the Brookville, New York
campus famous, a portion of the campus will be transformed into
an arboretum under a new pilot program, the C.W. Post Arboretum
Initiative.
C.W. Post's 308 acres include formal gardens, the Great Lawn,
rolling hills, wooded paths, thousands of trees and over 25 species
of bulbs. The arboretum pilot project, scheduled for completion
by 2002, would bring that beauty together in an educational setting
and share it with the public.
"Since the C.W. Post Campus was founded in 1954, we have
strived to preserve the gardens and natural beauty of the estates
formerly owned by cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post,
financial wizard E.F. Hutton, and his cousin, William E. Hutton
II," said Joseph Shenker, provost of the C.W. Post Campus.
"The C.W. Post Arboretum Initiative will ensure that the
campus' living tree collection is conserved."
The first phrase of the Arboretum Initiative has been made
possible by a generous donation from Rick Rosen and Tina Lippert
Rosen, members of the C.W. Post Council of Overseers and C.W.
Post alumni who met as students in the late 1960s. Mr. Rosen,
a 1970 graduate of C.W. Post, is a Senior Vice President/Investments
at Salomon Smith Barney, Inc.
"C.W. Post gave us each other, and we have such wonderful
memories of the campus," says Rick Rosen, who resides in
Boca Raton, Florida. "What can be better than giving back?"
Through the Rosen's generosity, C.W. Post has retained William
Graham, an arboricultural consultant and educator at the Morris
Arboretum at the University of Pennsylvania, to identify and
catalogue the trees in the C.W. Post arboretum. He is assisted
by Case Joosse, a Holland-trained horticulturist who manages
over 308 acres of the C.W. Post Campus, as well as the nearby
University Center. Graham and Joosse have already catalogued
300 out of 4,000 trees and plan to identify and tag an additional
600 trees in Spring 2000. Using a computerized software program
to record tree height, condition, location, species and maintenance
recommendations, the duo will be able to implement a program
to maintain and preserve the many rare species on the campus
grounds.
The first stage of the Arboretum Initiative, now in progress,
will identify, label and catalogue the various tree species that
dot the campus. This will allow for present and future tree care
management and the preservation of a living collection of tree
specimens. Tree identification labels will feature both the Latin
and popular names of trees. The final stage will consist of program
planning, including the establishment of walking tours and various
study opportunities for students, faculty, staff and the Long
Island community.
"My fondest memories of C.W. Post are spending time outdoors,
enjoying the beautiful campus," said Tina Rosen, a 1971
graduate of C.W. Post. "I am glad that Long Island University
is making these strides to preserve that beauty for generations
to come."
Those interested in contributing funds toward the completion
of the C.W. Post Arboretum Initiative, can contact Lisa Mulvey,
Director of Development at (516) 299-2263 or lmulvey@donor.liu.edu.
