Global Appeal

Demand Sparks Dramatic Growth in NYIT’s International Programs
By Angela Marshall
 
When NYIT opened its Bahrain campus in August 2003, there were 17 students. A year later, there were almost 600. Literally outgrowing its campus in one year, NYIT faced the happy problem of finding a new location quickly. Luckily, the former American embassy was available, and the new, expanded campus is expected to open this spring. This explosive growth typifies the success of NYIT’s international programs, according to school administrators and professors.
 
During strategic planning sessions in the late 1990s, NYIT leaders looked for ways to better position the school into the next century. This would be accomplished in part by increasing its student presence at the New York campuses as well as growing its online programs.
 
But just as crucial was the need to develop a strong international program that would augment the school’s reputation and financial footing. Upon careful examination, they realized that there were many countries in need of the educational programs in which NYIT specialized.
 
This plan was put to the test when NYIT opened a program in China with 50 students in 1998. Six years later, NYIT has programs in North America, Asia and the Middle East with more than 1,500 students at these locations. While the college’s senior leaders were optimistic about these new ventures during those early strategy sessions, none could have predicted the value of NYIT’s brand recognition and outstanding success in the global marketplace.
 
The demand for an American-style education and a degree from a U.S. institution by highly qualified potential students has led to the expansion of many programs: China now has three sites with plans for another two on the horizon; Jordan has two campuses; and there are plans to expand the Canadian program to a second campus. In addition, future programs and specialized major courses of study are being discussed for all campuses, as well as a new venture into Israel.
 
“This is one of the most exciting directions for the college in the coming years,” says Dr. Kenneth Thigpen, dean of NYIT’s School of Extended Education. “Frankly, there are many more opportunities than we can take on.”
 
NYIT’s international programs are part of the school’s mission to provide access to opportunity, says Dr. Alexandra W. Logue, vice president of academic affairs and provost. “As a 21st century university, we are playing a leading role in a globalization process where companies as well as educational institutions are no longer confined to one country.”
 
NYIT has received governmental approval from every country in which it has opened a program, and it is the only American educational institution approved to award degrees in Jordan. The largest international program, thus far, Jordan has almost 700 students. NYIT education is in such demand in this Middle Eastern kingdom that a new site, large enough to accommodate 2,000 students, recently opened.
 
QUALITY FIRST

Dr. David Decker, dean of NYIT’s School of Management, stresses that quality not quantity is the watchword for the international programs. His department’s M.B.A. program was the first to expand into the global classroom, and from day one, the challenge of ensuring that international students were offered the same quality education offered in New York was a top priority, he says.
 
Ground rules were set right away. The courses must be the same as those in New York — same content, textbooks and requirements. The classes are taught by New York staff or local adjunct professors who meet the same stringent standards as those in America. Sending professors overseas can sometimes create scheduling difficulties, Thigpen says, but they are easily worked out and are “well worth the effort.” Professors at the international sites are eager to share their experiences and tell how learning about new cultures has made them better teachers.
 
“I have a much deeper appreciation for life after having taught and lectured in China and Taiwan,” says Paul Lipsky, assistant professor of computer graphics. “Leaving my known and comfortable universe and going where everything I have come to understand about culture and my surroundings is different has been an enlightening experience.” In most of its international programs, NYIT is partnered with a highly regarded school from the region. In fact, many of those schools reached out to NYIT requesting the partnership.
 
Nicolas Petryszak, dean of Pattison College in Vancouver, Canada, says his school sought a partnership because of the outstanding reputation of NYIT’s M.B.A. programs. The arrangement proved so successful that the two schools have decided to offer the communication arts master’s degree concentration in media management as well.
 
Dr. Heskia Heskiaoff, dean of NYIT’s School of Engineering and Technology, says good partnerships are the key to successful international programs. Many times “highly qualified” faculty from these institutions are brought on as adjunct professors, he says. NYIT is partnered with the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) in Amman, Jordan, and Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics in China.
 
Dr. Betty Lou Leaver, dean of the Jordan campus, believes the exposure of Middle Eastern students to American education and culture “goes a long way to overcoming prejudice on both sides. It gives both faculty and students a better view of the world,” she says.
 
Many Middle Eastern students have studied in America in the past or had hoped to study here prior to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Now, Leaver says, they are reluctant to come to the United States because they fear anti-Middle Eastern sentiment or worse.
 
Also, in the post-Sept. 11 world, it is increasingly difficult for students to obtain visas to come to the United States. As a result, NYIT’s international programs offer potential students another option. For instance, the Vancouver, Canada, campus is mostly attended by young, first-time college students from China, but it also attracts people from France, Portugal, Brazil and Japan.
 
The international scene has helped increase enrollment in the School of Engineering and Technology. “While it is difficult to get visas to come to the United States, demand for an NYIT education has not diminished,” says Heskiaoff.

OPENING MINDS

NYIT’s China expansion is one example of how an American-style education can provide valuable opportunities to people living in a country that is undergoing a dramatic cultural shift. The growing demand for career education that emphasizes critical thinking and problem solving fits perfectly with NYIT’s ability to adapt to an ever-changing global marketplace. Students in China are already reaping the rewards of the program. Several years ago, Shu Xiao Bin (M.B.A. ’00) was an air traffic controller at a major Chinese airport. His job had very demanding, exacting requirements. But he craved the freedom to make decisions, to think for himself.
 
Luckily for Shu, the last decade has been a time of great change in China. The Asian nation is now embracing an open-market economy. Private businesses are thriving. The only thing missing is trained managers to run them. In the mid-90s, the Chinese government recognized the hardships caused by this deficit and began allowing western colleges and universities to partner with existing schools.
 
NYIT was a front-runner in China. Shu, after seeing an ad in a local newspaper, was one of the first students to enroll. That decision changed his life in many ways. After graduating with a master’s degree in business administration in 2000, Shu started a new career as deputy director of marketing for Hannan Airlines, the fourth-largest airline in China. Now, he oversees a team of 30 people at a company that flies more than eight million passengers a year. But more importantly, Shu says he is able to think for himself.
 
“Getting an education at NYIT opened up my mind, making me feel better about myself and improving the contributions I can make to my company.”
 
While on a business trip last year, he stopped by the Old Westbury campus to express his gratitude for all that NYIT has done for him.
 
Shu ’s experiences are not isolated, say professors like Dr. Scott Liu, who teaches business administration in China. “Many students tell me the program has changed their lives.”
 
Liu knows firsthand how much educational programs such as those offered through NYIT mean to students. While growing up in China, he was forced to leave school in the seventh grade to work in the fields before finally coming to America to complete his education. He says it is very rewarding to be involved in something so important.
 
FUTURE EXPANSION

Looking to the future, NYIT administrators recognize the enormous growth potential on the international front, but they also recognize the need to move prudently. “We have a lot of opportunities, but we will continue to grow carefully in the right ways,” says Thigpen.
 
China is one area that is expected to see expansion in the near future. With three sites already in Jiangxi, Shenzhan and Geungzholl, NYIT is finalizing sites in Beijing and Shanghai as well. “China is a force that will be reckoned with one way or another. It is significant that our school is engaging the country’s future with due diligence but with vigor,” says Thigpen.
 
NYIT China students often represent the best in their fields. Many of them are already in top-level positions at major companies or governmental bodies. “These are 35- to 40-year olds holding down multi-million dollar responsibilities,” says Decker. “They are the future business and governmental leaders of their country.”
 
NYIT is also planning to offer majors in physical therapy and interior design in the Middle East. Two years ago, NYIT’s partner in Jordan asked for help to develop a master of physical therapy program. While working on that project, school administrators realized physical therapy training was desperately needed in Bahrain as well. In all of the Middle East, there are only three physical therapy programs — all at the bachelor’s level — according to Dr. Chukuka S. Enwemeka, dean of the School of Health Professions, Behavioral and Life Sciences. Hospitals and clinics in the Middle East must rely on workers from other countries to fill their physical therapy positions, he says.
 
While less critical, the call for an interior design program was loud and clear as well. “There’s no one teaching interior design in Bahrain,” says Logue, who thinks many Americans would be surprised at how similar the décor in this Middle Eastern country is to that in the United States. “When you visit these countries, there are differences for sure, but there’s a lot that is the same,” she says.
 
With calls for programs in Israel and other countries, NYIT has taken the lead role in expanding to meet the needs of the ever-changing global population.
 
“Education is no longer confined to one’s own country — people are traveling more and becoming less isolated because of ever-improving technologies,” says NYIT President Edward Guiliano, Ph.D. “We are doing everything we can to ensure all of our students are prepared for this new global marketplace.”

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