8. Shirley Strum Kenny

Under Kenny’s leadership, the largest institute of higher learning on Long Island is now nationally ranked, according to U.S. News and World Report. The university has become one of the top research institutions in the country, boasting high ratings in its physics, mathematics and biological sciences programs. Enrollment has increased from 17,000 students to 22,000 since 1994, when Kenny became the school’s fourth president, and the school has seen a windfall of donations from many sources.