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Lehman, NYBG Mark Handover of 1880s Herbarium to Steere Collection
President Delgado speaks to the audience at the handoff.
September 30, 2025
Lehman College and the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) marked their longstanding partnership on Sept. 26, 2025, with a handover at Lehman’s Science Hall of a more-than-century-old herbarium—specimens dating to the 1880s and the Garden’s founding era.
“This donation marks a significant milestone in the decades-long collaboration between Lehman College and the New York Botanical Garden,” said Fernando Delgado, President, Lehman College. “Together, we are preserving the past while advancing the future of science and education.”
Special guests included NYBG Chief Executive Officer and The William C. Steere Sr. President Jennifer Bernstein; NYBG Vice President for Science Administration Lawrence Kelly; and Professor of Biology at The Graduate Center Christopher Blair.
“The New York Botanical Garden is honored to collaborate with Lehman College in preserving this remarkable collection of herbarium specimens,” said Bernstein. “With roots tracing back to the early days of botanical education in New York, these specimens represent a vital chapter in our shared history.”
The collection, saved from a trash bin more than a decade ago and rediscovered last year in Lehman’s Science Hall, includes specimens linked to pioneering botanist Elizabeth Knight Britton, who helped found the Botanical Garden. They will be incorporated into one of the world’s foremost botanical research collections, the Steere Herbarium.
Click here to see specimens from Lehman’s gift to the NYBG