An Historical Overview of the Touro College and University System

In the time of colonial America, Judah and Issac Touro were inspired by the democratic ethos eloquently expressed by George Washington when he visited Touro Synagogue Newport, Rhode Island in 1790.  The Touro family provided major endowments for universities, the first free library on the North American continent, community health facilities in the United States and pioneering settlements in Israel. Their generosity was dedicated to the improvement and enrichment of the lives of all people through the encouragement of education and charitable and vocational enterprise without regard to race or religious belief.

Touro College was chartered by the Board of Regents of the State of New York in June 1970. Under the leadership of its founding president, Dr. Bernard Lander, the first Touro College opened with a class of 35 Liberal Arts and Sciences students in 1971 and since then the Touro College and University System has continued to demonstrate dynamic growth. 

Touro University Worldwide is a division of Touro University Los Angeles. The Touro University Worldwide online division of Touro University Los Angeles was established by Dr. Bernard Luskin in 2008 with headquarters located in Westlake Village, California.  This division of the greater Touro College and University System now offers master’s degrees in Marriage & Family Therapy, Media & Communications Psychology, Business Administration, and Industrial & Organizational Psychology.

Each program has been carefully designed to impart an academically rich and personally rewarding experience to educated adult learners…like you.  The TUW faculty have specialized skills in state-of-the-art online teaching and learning techniques.  They are highly qualified by their professional and academic credentials and are distinguished by their personal commitment to teaching in this unique, online environment.