4 showcases the talents of Wagner’s students in the Main Hall auditorium and the Stage One studio theater. Wagner’s Division I athletic program highlights Seahawks’ achievements on more than 20 sports and club teams. As of 2025 nearly 2,000 students form the Wagner community of scholars. The College is designated a Professions-Focused Undergraduate/ Graduate Master’s Small institution in the 2025 Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education, which also classified Wagner as a Higher Earnings Institution based on alumni salaries. In 2025, Wagner was ranked by U.S. News & World Report in the Top 100 of Regional North Universities; was named a four-star college by Money Magazine in 2024; and landed in both the Best in the Northeast and Colleges That Create Futures lists by Princeton Review in 2025, which also ranked the College’s theatre program no. 2 in the United States. Leadership The college’s first headmasters were called “housefathers.” They were: George Seel (1883-84), Pastor Koennemann (first name unknown) (1884), F.A. Kammerer (1884-85) and C.G. Schneider (1885). In 1885, the college gave its headmaster the title of “direktor,” consistent with its German-language curriculum. The directors were: Paul Emil Kellner (1885-87), Joseph Rechtsteiner (1887-88), Jacob Steinhaeuser (1888-94), John Nicum (1894-1902), Joseph Rechtsteiner (1902-04),Hermann Dietrich Kraeling (1904-14) and John A.W. Kirsch (1914- 18). With the move to Staten Island, the college began calling its chief executive officer “president.” The presidents of Wagner have been: Adolf Henry Holthusen (1918-25), Frederic Sutter (acting, 1925-27), Charles F. Dapp (1927- 1930), Frederic Sutter (acting, 1930-31), Herman Brezing (1931-34), Frederic Sutter (acting, 1934-35), Clarence C. Stoughton (1935-1945), Walter C. Langsam (1945-1952), David M. Delo (1952-1957), Richard H. Heindel (1958- 1961), Arthur O. Davidson (1961-1975), John Satterfield (1975-1981), Sam H. Frank (1981-1987), Norman R. Smith (1988-2002), Richard Guarasci (2002–2019), Joel Martin (2019-2021), and Angelo Araimo (acting, 2021- 2024). The current president is Jeffrey Doggett (2024-). History of Grymes Hill Wagner College is intimately connected to Grymes Hill, the community to which it belongs today, and its history is tied to that of the borough of Staten Island and the city of New York. Staten Island has always played an important role in the history of New York Harbor. Looking out over the harbor from Grymes Hill today, it is easy to imagine why several of New York’s wealthiest families chose this location on which to build their estates and country homes. As Sir Edward Cunard sat on the front porch of his villa (Wagner’s Cunard Hall) looking out over the harbor, he must have recognized the perfect symmetry of this area for his family. Cunard literally “watched his ships come in” every day from his hilltop home. Other prominent families resided on Grymes Hill during its history. Cornelius Vanderbilt started out on Staten Island; in fact, Wagner’s current 105-acre campus encompasses 16 acres of the former Vanderbilt estate. The Horrmann family, owners of a large brewery and one of the “brewer baron” families on Staten Island, also built an estate on Grymes Hill, which became known as the Horrmann Castle; Wagner’s Horrmann Library reflects the importance of this family to the area. For many years, the Horrmann Castle stood as a testament to the wealth and extravagance of these earlier, elite residents of Grymes Hill. Grymes Hill derives its name from the first of these residents to settle here, Suzette Grymes, who called her mansion Capo di Monte and who built two great homes for her son and daughter along what is now known as Howard Avenue. The Grymes Hill of today retains some of the character of this earlier time. The beauty of the views has not diminished over the decades, and visitors to Wagner College today marvel at the sweeping views of the New York Harbor that greet them as they enter the campus. New York Harbor today is filled with the same bustling activity that characterized it in the 19th century. Many of the large houses that were built in the early part of the 20th century remain along Howard Avenue, and many more great homes have been added. Wagner has helped to maintain the open character of Grymes Hill; its 105 acres provide the neighborhood with open green areas that are sometimes difficult to find in New York City. Wagner’s historic buildings blend seamlessly into this beautiful area. As visitors walk around the campus today, it is easy for them to see that many of Sir Edward Cunard’s reasons for settling here still exist. Grymes Hill remains today one of the most breathtaking neighborhoods of New York City.
