ABSTRACT
Peter Diamandopoulos's reputation as provocative, confrontational, and intense preceded his arrival at Adelphi University in 1985. He relished the notoriety, convinced that these traits added to his luster as an effective, no-nonsense academic administrator, and would serve to enhance his success. From the beginning, it was evident that Diamandopoulos intended to strengthen the liberal arts at Adelphi. He envisioned integrating the curricula of the professional schools with the arts and sciences. The Honors College, Diamandopoulos believed, would enable Adelphi to recruit a cadre of bright and ambitious undergraduates who would promote and elevate thought and creativity on campus. The administration and the Board of Trustees had drafted a secret plan to begin reducing academic programs peripheral to a focused undergraduate liberal arts curriculum. In effect, Diamandopoulos had convinced the Board to dilute and marginalize almost all of the University's graduate work, some of its least tenuous and most reliable revenue producing programs.
