Nassau Community College was created as part of the State University of New York (SUNY) in 1959. When the college opened on February 1, 1960, it had 632 students, and classes were held in an old courthouse. When Mitchel Air Force Base closed in 1961, the college obtained substantial property, including buildings to develop its new campus; the area is still referred to as Mitchel Field, and the government still retains some housing and other facilities in the vicinity of the school's campus.
