News & Events

The LIU School of Professional Studies provides diverse continuing education programs for a multi-generational community of learners at our nationally ranked private university.

Courage in the Face of Adversity

Since 2019, the LIU Theodore Roosevelt Institute’s (TRI) distinguished book collection has made its home in the library of Hutton House at LIU Post. Many of our students have taken our small seminars in Room 104 at Lorber Hall amid the backdrop of tomes, letters and memorabilia devoted to the 26th President of the United States. We are pleased that Tweed Roosevelt, the great grandson of the Theodore Roosevelt and Chairman of the TRI, is a lecturer at Hutton House. During this challenging time in American history as the nation is upended by the Coronavirus pandemic, we asked Professor Roosevelt to reflect upon how his great grandfather and his distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt tackled obstacles in their lives.

Here are Professor Tweed Roosevelt's thoughts:

In these difficult times, it may help to look back in history for the solace and wisdom our predecessors can provide. Who better than the Roosevelts? TR himself went through some very difficult times, most notably when he lost his young wife, who had just given birth to their first child, and his mother on the same day in the same house. His approach to this extraordinary tragedy may hold some lessons that will be of use to us today as we face the Coronavirus. First, he allowed himself a period to grieve, but not for too long. Then he finished what he had been doing in the New York State Legislature, and, as soon as he could, he moved out West to his cattle ranch and plunged into the work. TR once remarked: “We are face to face with our destiny and we must meet it with high and resolute courage.” Address at the opening of his gubernatorial campaign, New York City, October 5, 1898

FDR also went through some very difficult times. His battle with Polio certainly comes to mind. That dreadful disease destroyed many others’ lives, but FDR overcame its effects and eventually became president. I love this inspirational quote of his: "When you're at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on.” (Also attributed to Thomas Jefferson.)”

Meet the Hutton House Scholars

The Hutton House Endowed Scholarship Fund was established many years ago to support scholarships for non-traditional adult students, over the age of 25, pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Long Island University. The recipients of the 2019-2020 program are nutrition major Jonathan Slavik and nursing students Vivien Varga and Amanda Carballo.

Jonathan Slavik, of Wading River, is a 38-year-old father of four children, and studying to be a nutritionist. Jonathan remarked: “My ultimate goal in life is to help my family and other families that I come in contact with make educated choices about the food that they put into their bodies.”

Vivien Varga, of Shirley, is a 30-year-old student earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing. “I believe there is a desperate need for more health awareness and disease prevention in healthcare,” Varga said. “Because of this reason, I have decided that I will continue to further my education in order to positively impact as many lives as possible.”

Amanda Carballo, of Selden, is 31-year-old mother of two beautiful sons, and is a sophomore studying to be a pediatric nurse while working at Southside Hospital. She said, “It is an honor and privilege to receive the Hutton House Scholarship and I can't thank the members of Hutton House enough for their generosity and for believing in me.”

If you would like to make a donation to the Hutton House Lectures Endowed Scholarship Fund, please email Karen.Young@liu.edu for more information.

Hutton House Newsletters