Just recently, our new provost and vice president for academic affairs, Richard Pizer, Ph.D., sent me an e-mail that touched upon the power of our NYIT logo: “I was in Tannersville, Penn., having breakfast in a diner. A woman was wearing a t-shirt with the NYIT logo, and I took the opportunity to ask her about her connection with the college. As it happens, she is a master’s degree student in our School of Management and is in one of Dr. Richard Dibble’s classes.”
A short e-mail exchange ensued between Dr. Pizer and the student, Maria Matassa, who is enrolled in NYIT’s human resource management graduate program. She was thrilled to be part of the NYIT family: “So far, it’s been great,” she wrote. “Professors and classmates have been interesting and engaging. The material covered is very tactical. I find myself applying things from class every day in my job—it’s been money well spent.” (She later apologized for sounding like an infomercial … though it didn’t sound that way to us.)
About the same time, my friend’s daughter—an aspiring architect—attended our fall open house at the Old Westbury campus. Her mother reported how nice the campus looked and how nice everyone was. She said NYIT is the instant first choice for her daughter, who immediately purchased an NYIT sweatshirt from the bookstore.
These stories resonate with me because they are about pride in NYIT, something we have built year by year, program by program, and student by student. Our “brand” is no longer local—it is regional, national, and global, and we all are working to make it stronger. A recent job candidate told me how great our name is for the 21st century, how much power and credibility the words “New York” and “technology” have among an emerging generation of students and employees worldwide. That idea has not been lost on us. It has been very much a part of our thinking and planning for NYIT 2030 and beyond.
Our NYIT logo is all-important as well because it is a promise. We can deliver on the New York and technology portions easily, with little ongoing planning. But inherent as well is the notion of value, such as that perceived by Ms. Matassa, and by the close to 15,000 students at our New York campuses and around the world who are paying private school tuition for that value and for the promise of good teaching and a good career.
We continue to deliver on our promises, as well as change and meet the challenges of the 21st century.
NYIT 2030 will revolutionize this institution and accelerate our efforts to become a leading technological center of higher learning. One of Dr. Pizer’s immediate tasks is to oversee the establishment of new graduate centers designed to encourage interdisciplinary studies and foster cooperation among faculty members and students. He will also oversee new applications-oriented research projects in areas such as healthcare and information technology.
Globally, our international faculty and student exchange programs, collaborative research projects, and dual-degree academic programs continue to demonstrate NYIT’s commitment to enhancing our presence on the world stage. Recent relationships with two top-ranked South Korean educational institutions—Uiduk University and Sangmyung University—are laying the foundation for similar programs in other countries.
Much of our success depends on the generous contributions of our alumni. We encourage you to rediscover your NYIT roots, and we hope to keep making you proud of this institution as our 2030 strategic plan propels us into a brave new world—one in which education and technology will be the new international currency that gives our increasingly smaller planet the ability to fulfill big ideas.
Personally, I look forward to bumping into students and alumni in London, Paris, Dubai, Shanghai, Tannersville, and beyond, all proudly sporting NYIT T-shirts and sweatshirts—don’t forget to get yours from the bookstore.
Cheers,
Edward Guiliano, Ph.D.
President |
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