Eileen Nauman

Eileen Nauman's connection to Hunter College is established through her association with the institution, a public university within the City University of New York system. Founded in 1870 as the Female Normal and High School by Thomas Hunter, the college was initially established to train teachers and was notable for its progressive admissions policies, accepting women regardless of race or religion. Over time, it expanded significantly, becoming a comprehensive institution offering a wide array of undergraduate and postgraduate programs across various disciplines. The college's history includes multiple campus locations and name changes, eventually becoming Hunter College. It played a role in training women for military service during World War II and later became coeducational. Hunter College is recognized for its contributions to higher education, particularly in fields like arts and sciences, education, and health professions, and has served as a center for academic and cultural activities in New York City.

Hunter College originated from a 19th-century movement for teacher training, established in 1870 as the Female Normal and High School. Its founder, Thomas Hunter, an Irish exile, envisioned an institution open to all qualified women, irrespective of their background, which was exceptional for its era. The college was mandated by the New York State Legislature to be the sole approved institution for aspiring teachers in the city. It incorporated elementary and high school divisions for gifted children, serving as a practice ground for student teachers. Hunter quickly gained a reputation for its impartiality, commitment to women's higher education, stringent admission standards, and rigorous academic curriculum. The institution relocated to a new Gothic structure on Park Avenue in 1873, expanding its facilities to accommodate a growing student body.

In 1914, the institution was renamed Hunter College in honor of its first president. This period marked significant expansion, driven by increasing enrollment, which led to the establishment of branch campuses in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. By 1920, Hunter College had the largest female student population of any municipally funded college in the United States. The college's physical plant evolved, with the 1873 building replaced by a Modernist structure in the early 1940s. During World War II, the Bronx campus was utilized by the U.S. Navy for training women volunteers, and subsequently, the nascent United Nations held its first Security Council sessions there. In 1943, Eleanor Roosevelt dedicated a townhouse, formerly her and Franklin D. Roosevelt's residence, which later became the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute.

Hunter College transitioned into the municipal system, beginning to admit men in the 1950s at its Bronx campus and later at the Manhattan campus in 1964. The Bronx campus eventually became Lehman College. In response to student activism, Hunter established a department for Black and Puerto Rican Studies in 1969. The "open admissions" policy implemented by the City University of New York in 1970 broadened access for underrepresented groups, significantly increasing diversity. This enrollment surge led to the construction of new buildings on Lexington Avenue in the early 1980s. Hunter also became home to the Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños and, in 2006, the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute, focusing on women's leadership development.