of the City University of New York) struggled to accommodate the growing college student population on its campus. In 1946, the Mayor of New York City formed a special commission to investigate the resource needs of the city's public education institutions. Their recommendations would have particularly extensive ramifications for the future of the neighboring Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart. In February 1949, The New York Times reported that City College was campaigning to acquire the Manhattanville campus to expand their facilities. The same month, CCNY distributed a pamphlet, entitled "No Other Place to Go: A City College Plea for Purchase of the Manhattanville Property". The New York City Board of Estimate agreed and deeded the campus to City College via the legal process of condemnation and eminent domain. In September 1949, the Manhattanville Board of Trustees purchased the Whitelaw Reid Estate, north of the city in suburban Westchester County. The next two years saw condemnation proceedings work through the New York State Supreme Court system. Manhattanville was eventually given near $8.8 million ($8,808,620) for the Manhattan campus and buildings. A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the new campus near Harrison, in Purchase, New York on May 3, 1951. The new campus with its buildings were renovated and other construction was completed in October 1952. Manhattanville College (1966–present) With additional facilities and space to grow, the student population increased from 400 women students in 1950 to 700 students by 1960. Over the course of the next decade, the student population doubled once again, reaching 1,400 students by 1970. Manhattanville was a microhistory of the societal transformation in the Catholic Church, higher education, and American society as a whole during the 1960s. In 1966, the college's board of trustees voted to amend the school charter and remove the words "of the Sacred Heart" from the official college name. This marked an important moment in the secularization of the college. Between 1966 and 1970, the Manhattanville administration oversaw the gradual removal of Catholic symbols and traditions from the campus. Although the college had been operated by an independent board of trustees since its founding in 1841, it was strongly identified with the Church and these changes were difficult for the community. By 1969, the college's charter was expanded to include the admitting education of both women and men. The first coeducational freshman class entered Manhattanville in August 1971. In 1973, the student