Remember the future as NYIT celebrates the past

In a 50th anniversary year, there is a tendency to remember in only one direction, but now is the perfect moment to exercise an imagination and memory that works both ways. The past always lives in the present. NYIT’s past is with us as we think and act right now. But this year especially, it is important that we remember NYIT’s future and what this institution is destined to become. Neither I nor anyone knows what the next 50 years will bring in higher education. The world we live in is constantly evolving, and the field of higher education is not immune to technological, political and socio-economic shifts. NYIT was born in the right place at the right time –

During the college’s first 50 years, the world saw more advances in technology and career development than at any other time in history – and NYIT has kept pace as evidenced by its technology, global campuses, online education and other strategic initiatives that were unthinkable 50, 40, 30 or even 20 years ago.

But throughout all the rapid changes in career development, technology, and world culture over the past five decades, NYIT’s willingness to adapt was always matched by its commitment to career-oriented, professional education, access to opportunity, and applications-based research.

Back in 1955, NYIT was one of the first schools that dared to use words like “jobs” and “careers” and “technology” to define its mission. Today, many schools across the nation have adopted this philosophy when describing their degree programs. Truly, the college has always been ahead of the game when it comes to shaping ideas that define the future of higher education. But NYIT’s academic worth is also measured by the successes of its alumni.

The first NYIT graduates helped build a legacy of academic and professional success that endures to this day. In fact, many of them are returning to celebrate the college’s 50th anniversary. Now the standard of excellence they helped to create has been passed to the next generation – in many cases, the children of these graduates, who are now today’s students and future alumni.

This further demonstrates NYIT’s maturity into a respected institution of higher learning, as parents trust this college to deliver a quality education to their sons and daughters. It shows the value of an NYIT degree as voiced by the school’s alumni, whose professional successes are the best indicators of NYIT’s successful academic programs.

I encourage you to join NYIT as it celebrates the past and remembers the future. The college continues to be a dynamic, forward-thinking institution, thanks to a determination and entrepreneurial spirit that continue to define the NYIT experience. The school’s many accomplishments over the past five decades have given it the opportunity to define the paradigm of 21st-century education. Let us look to the future, as the college travels the road of intellectual prosperity and technological innovation, fulfilling its promise to become a leading academic institution with global impact.



Edward Guiliano, Ph.D.
President