Wagner College Wagner College is a private , co - educational , national liberal arts college founded in 1883 with an enrollment of approximately 2 , 100 total students located atop Grymes Hill in the New York City borough of Staten Island , in the U . S . state of New York . The college is regionally accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools . History . Wagner College was founded in 1883 in Rochester , New York , as the Rochester Lutheran Proseminary to train Lutheran ministers . Its curriculum was modeled on the German gymnasium ; it was a six year curriculum . In 1886 , it became the Wagner Memorial Lutheran College after a building in Rochester was purchased for its use by John G . Wagner in memory of his son . The college moved to the former Cunard estate on Grymes Hill , Staten Island ( 370 feet above sea level ) in 1918 . Bellevue , the Cunard mansion which dates from 1851 , is extant ( now Cunard Hall ) as is the neighboring former hotel for visitors which also dates from the 19th century ( initially named North Hall and is now Reynolds House ) . The college soon expanded to after it acquired the neighboring Vanderbilt estate in 1922 . In the 1920s , the curriculum began to move toward an American - style curriculum which was solidified when the state of New York granted the college degree - granting status in 1928 . The college admitted women in 1933 and introduced graduate programs in 1951 . The college expanded further when it purchased the W . G . Ward estate in 1949 ( current site of Wagner College Stadium ) , and again in 1993 when the college acquired the adjacent property of the former Augustinian High School which has largely remained wooded greenspace and athletic fields . The college now occupies on the hill and has commanding views of New York harbor , the Verrazano Narrows Bridge , Downtown Brooklyn , and lower Manhattan . In the early 1960s , the Wagner College Writer ' s Conference hosted several prominent writers including Edward Albee , Kay Boyle , and Kenneth Koch . Campus . Prominent buildings include Main Hall ( 1930 ) and Parker Hall ( 1923 ) built in the collegiate Gothic style . A group of modern buildings built in the 1960s include the Student Union ( 1970 ) , Megerle Science Building ( 1968 ) , and the Spiro Communication Center ( 1968 ) . The Horrmann Library ( 1961 ) contains over 200 , 000 volumes and holds the collection and personal papers of poet Edwin Markham . 80 % of the undergraduates live in one of four residence halls . The Spiro Sports Center ( 1999 ) was the most recent major addition , until early 2010 when the college opened Foundation Hall , a residence hall for upper classmen . In 2007 it was announced that a new academic building is under development for construction on the site of the former Augustinian High School . It will be a state - of - the - art facility that will house the Business , Nursing , and Education departments . It will also house new and state - of - the - art classrooms . The project is now in the final planning stages and construction is scheduled to begin soon . However , the turbulent economic times have called into question the project and advertisements for it are no longer present at the college . Union Art Gallery . The Union Art Gallery at Wagner College features works from students , faculty and alumni . Located on the main floor of the college union building , the Union Art Gallery serves as a space for visiting artists to directly engage with the student body in this one room gallery . Admission and tuition . Undergraduate admissions to Wagner College are classified as " more selective " by " US News & World Report " and " The Princeton Review " , making admission into Wagner College competitive . The average incoming high school grade point average is 3 . 45 . 97 % of incoming students graduate in the top half of their class . The average incoming SAT score for critical reading is : 530 – 640 , math : 530 – 650 , writing : 520 – 650 . The average incoming ACT score is between 25 – 28 . Important admissions factors are class rank , rigor of secondary school record , academic GPA , application essay , extracurricular activities , recommendations , and standardized test scores . Tuition , room and board for full - time undergraduate students ( 9 units ) during the 2012 – 2013 academic year is $ 48 , 400 . Wagner College offers various academic and athletic scholarships . Athletics . Wagner College offers athletic scholarships and competes at the NCAA Division I level in all intercollegiate athletics ( football competes at the NCAA Division I FCS ( Formerly I - AA ) level ) . Wagner is a full - time member of the Northeast Conference ( NEC ) along with Bryant University , Central Connecticut State University , Fairleigh Dickinson University , Long Island University , Monmouth University , Mount Saint Mary ' s University , Quinnipiac University , Robert Morris University , Sacred Heart University , Saint Francis College , and Saint Francis University . Wagner is the seventh smallest college in the country that participates in NCAA Division I athletics and the third smallest in the NEC . Men ' s varsity intercollegiate teams are fielded in baseball , basketball , cross country , football , golf , lacrosse , tennis , and track & field . Women ' s varsity intercollegiate teams are fielded in basketball , cross country , golf , lacrosse , soccer , softball , swimming , tennis , track & field , and water polo . The men ' s ice hockey team participates in an active club sport schedule . On March 12 , 2009 , Wagner announced the discontinuation of the men ' s wrestling and women ' s volleyball programs . The football and men ' s basketball teams are Wagner ' s most popular and prestigious athletic programs . Walt Hameline , in 29 years as the Director of Athletics and Head Football Coach at Wagner , won the school ' s only National Championship with a 19 – 3 victory over the University of Dayton in the 1987 NCAA Division III Championship game , also known as the 1987 Stagg Bowl . He was named NCAA Division III Coach of the Year in 1987 . Hameline ' s 204 – 122 – 2 ( . 624 ) career record ranks in the top 10 among all Division I - FCS coaches in the United States . From 2010 - 2012 , Wagner Men ' s Basketball was coached by Dan Hurley , who led Wagner to a 38 – 23 ( 24 – 12 NEC ) record in his two seasons before taking the Head Coaching Job at the University of Rhode Island . On April 7 , 2010 , Wagner hired former St . Benedicts Prep coach Dan Hurley to replace Mike Deane , who was relieved of his coaching duties after his 7th season at Wagner . In 2012 , Wagner hired Bashir Mason as its new men ' s basketball coach . Mason is the youngest coach in NCAA Division I men ' s basketball . Other notable Wagner coaches of the past include current Brooklyn Nets assistant coach P . J . Carlesimo ( Head Basketball Coach 1976 – 1982 ) , former Marquette University and Wagner Head Coach Mike Deane who is currently an Assistant Men ' s Basketball Coach at James Madison University , Jim Lee Howell ( Head Football Coach 1947 – 1953 ) , and current Mississippi State University Head Football Coach Dan Mullen ( Assistant Football Coach 1994 – 1995 ) . The football team ' s home venue is Wagner College Stadium , while the basketball team plays its home games at the Spiro Sports Center . The Wagner College Athletic Department has been cited by the " US News & World Report " for having the 15th best graduation rate in intercollegiate athletics amongst more than 300 Division I colleges . Wagner also captured its second straight Northeast Conference Institutional Academic Award ( Highest Student - Athlete GPA ) for the 2007 – 08 athletic / academic seasons with an average GPA of 3 . 186 in 19 sports . On December 23 , 2011 the Wagner Seahawks men ' s college basketball team beat the 13th - ranked Pittsburgh Panthers 59 – 54 for their first win against a ranked team in 33 years . Academics . Wagner offers several undergraduate degrees in the arts and sciences as well as some pre - professional courses of study . The most popular undergraduate majors at Wagner are Biological Sciences , Business , Psychology , Sociology and Theater . Movies , television & news . Wagner ' s campus has been featured in :