Press Releases

January 30, 1998
Head of Long Island's Largest Commercial Bank Pledges Major Gift to Building Project of Long Island University's Southampton College

Contact: Jane Finalborgo
(516) 287 8313
Fax: (516) 283 4081

Southampton, N.Y. -- John Adam Kanas, Chairman, President and CEO of Long Island's largest commercial bank, North Fork Bankcorp Inc., has pledged $100,000 towards the new 38,000-square-foot academic center now nearing completion at Southampton College of Long Island University.

His gift is the largest from any graduate in the history of the college. Kanas earned his BA in history in 1968 and later took graduate courses in the MBA Program at the University's C.W. Post Campus.

"Through his generous gift, John has taken an important leadership role in alumni support of our new academic center," said Tim Bishop, Southampton College Provost. "We are grateful for his continuing involvement with his alma mater and for his endorsement of this important building project."

"Long Island University is proud of its role in helping John Kanas gain access to the American dream," said David Steinberg, University President. "His accomplishments validate our national commitment to higher education as the vehicle for personal fulfillment and communal engagement. John's success and generosity are a model for this generation of students."

The $10 million academic center, now under construction, will house eight classrooms, four laboratories, the Angier Biddle Duke Lecture Hall, faculty offices and state-of-the-art studios for WPBX, 88.3 FM, flagship of Long Island's Public Radio Network. Designed by Paul Broches of the renowned architectural firm of Mitchell/Giurgola Architects, LLP, it will enhance the College's academic curriculum and accommodate the latest technological innovations in teaching and communications. The building is expected to be ready for occupancy in late August in time for the start of the fall semester. The builder is Racanelli Construction Company of Melville, N.Y.

The new building is the first major step in fulfilling the master plan for the 110-acre campus developed by Mitchell/Giurgola. Already a new roadway into the interior of the campus has been completed.

Strong future. "The new academic center is a sign of Southampton Colleges' strong future and of the University's commitment to making its facilities commensurate with the high caliber of its students, faculty and programs," said Kanas. "I am proud to play a part in supporting that commitment."

Kanas, who lives with his family in East Moriches, New York, is a member of the second class to graduate from the College. In 1977, at the age of 29, he was named president of North Fork Bank, becoming the youngest bank president in the United States. He became Chairman of the Board of North Fork Bancorporation, Inc. in 1987. Since that time he has presided over seven major bank acquisitions in the New York metropolitan market giving rise to North Fork Bank's current position as Long Island's largest commercial bank with $10 billion in assets and 105 branch locations. In 1995 Forbes magazine designated the company the most profitable bank in the United States.

Loyal support

Kanas has been an active and loyal supporter of his alma mater. He has helped establish cooperative education work experiences at the bank for Southampton College students and served as a Long Island University Trustee from 1980-84. In 1986 he was the recipient of the Southampton College Distinguished Alumnus Award, and he was the honoree at the University's 1995 Tilles Center Gala.

Established by Long Island University in 1963, Southampton College offers undergraduate degrees in Business Administration and Accounting. It has produced 28 Fulbright scholars in the last 22 years, many from its nationally-recognized marine and environmental sciences program. This small campus in the heart of the world-famous Hamptons is known for its writing and arts programs taught by many of the area's distinguished authors and artists, for its programs in gerontology, its SEAmester aboard a traditional sailing ship, and its Friends World Program of global education for social change.

Eighth largest

Combining the personalities of distinctive campuses and the resources of a large university, Long Island University is the eighth largest private university in the United States. A doctoral degree granting institution tracing its roots to 1886, it educates over 25,000 diverse students from the United States and abroad at its downtown Brooklyn Campus, the Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, the C.W. Post Campus in Brookville, Southampton College, campuses in Brentwood, Long Island and Rockland and Westchester counties, and the seven overseas academic centers of the Friends World Program. The University offers nearly 400 undergraduate and graduate degree programs taught by more than 600 full-time faculty members, as well as continuing education and professional development courses.