Hofstra Magazine

Dr. Meena Bose Returns to Fill Kalikow Chair in Presidential Studies

Fifteen years ago Dr. Meena Bose was working as a graduate student at Princeton University with noted presidential scholar Fred Greenstein. She was enjoying the experience so much that she posed the question: "Can you really get a job in presidential studies?"

Fortunately for Dr. Bose and for Hofstra, Dr. Greenstein encouraged her to pursue a position in the field. As a result, Dr. Bose has returned to Hofstra University to fill the newly created Peter S. Kalikow Chair in Presidential Studies.

"It's a dream position, and I feel so fortunate that Hofstra created the position and then invited me to fill it," said Dr. Bose, who taught in Hofstra's Political Science Department from 1996 to 2000 and was acting director of the University Honors Program, which gave rise to Hofstra University Honors College. "It's very exciting. A year ago I never would have anticipated that this wonderful opportunity would be coming my way."

The chair in presidential studies and the new Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency, both funded through Mr. Kalikow's $3.5 million gift to the University, will make Hofstra one of the very few institutions in the country with a unique focus on the presidency. Hofstra University already has earned a national reputation over the years as a center for the study of the American presidency thanks to its 11 presidential conferences to date, which attract scholars from around the nation. Mr. Kalikow's gift will help to secure and expand on that reputation.

"It was Peter Kalikow's intent to use this chair and the Center in conjunction with our presidential conferences to help secure Hofstra's standing as a national center for the study of the presidency and its effect on our domestic and foreign policies, our society and our lives," said President Stuart Rabinowitz. "With the creation of the center and the selection of Dr. Bose, a nationally recognized scholar on the American presidency, for the endowed chair, I am convinced we have taken a major step toward achieving that goal."

"The office of the president is the centerpiece of our democracy and studying how these 43 men have functioned in this office is of vital importance to all of us," said Mr. Kalikow, president of H.J. Kalikow & Company, LLC, chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), and a Hofstra trustee and alumnus. "In times of peril and in times of peace, the office of the president holds the country together. The president is the most important office for which all Americans vote, so in many ways, it is a mirror of our society."

The Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency will allow Hofstra to build on its tradition of interdisciplinary academic conferences that examine the policies and historic implications of various administrations. "The center will make Hofstra a nationally recognized resource on the presidency for students and scholars alike," said Dr. Bose. "Hofstra has the opportunity to fill a unique niche in presidential studies."

"There's a broad scholarly agenda for studying presidential leadership and decision making, and also strong public interest in the field," said Dr. Bose, noting that a 2000 symposium she organized at Hofstra on rating the presidents had to be moved to a larger location because of the significant public interest in the topic. "It's important for a university to establish a place where we hold regular gatherings of scholars, policy makers, and students to discuss the presidency and changes in the institution."