Van Cortlandt Park

Located directly behind campus on 242nd Street, Van Cortlandt Park is where our students relax and recharge, and connect with nature. It's also where thousands of high school runners gather to compete each year in the Manhattan University Cross Country Invitational, which began in 1972 and is now one of the largest meets in America. The Manhattan University Cross Country Invitational Presented by HOKA took place this year on October 9.

The University is connected to Van Cortlandt Park in these and other ways: 

• In 2016, the Civil and Environmental Engineering department forged its first official partnership with The Van Cortlandt Park Alliance to contribute to the Wetland Stewardship for a Healthier Bronx project. 

• Our Student Veterans Organization (SVO) recently won the Irving Ladimer Community Service award for beautifying the park's Memorial Grove. Throughout the year, student groups including the University's NYWEA chapter and the business honor society Beta Alpha Psi also regularly participate in park cleanups. 
• The Center for Urban Resilience and Environmental Sustainability is collaborating with New York City Parks on a restoration plan to enhance the park's resources.
• In spring 2019, the park's history played an important role in Slavery in the Bronx (HIST 100), a community-engaged course taught by Adam Arenson, Ph.D., associate professor of history. 
• For high school students in the Bronx this summer, environmental studies professor Dart Westphal taught the the university-level course Sustainable Cities, which focused on communities surrounding Van Cortlandt Park. 

“Van Cortlandt Park is becoming a 'field school’ for Manhattan University students in the liberal arts, sciences and engineering.”

— Dart Westphal, professor of environmental studies