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The 1970s
Like NYIT, Board of Trustee member and aviation designer Alexander P. de Seversky was an influential pioneer and innovator.
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Protests were the norm and Edwin Starr’s “War” was the theme song of many college students during the early 1970s as the Vietnam War raged. And when four students were killed by National Guardsmen during a protest at Kent State University in May 1970, NYIT students joined in public mourning for the lives lost, holding a rally of their own.
Of course, 1970 wasn’t all about angst. New technologies were introduced, including floppy disks, bar codes and childproof safety caps. It was also the year that NYIT was accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, the regional body that oversees educational standards. In addition, NYIT launched its first master’s program, a Master of Business Administration, and started its alumni association, the first organization created to help graduates network after leaving school.
College-wide enrollment reached 5,000 students during this time, with the Manhattan campus bursting at the seams. At the start of the 1971-72 academic year, NYIT
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moved that campus to several floors of a newly constructed 45-story skyscraper at 888 Seventh Avenue. But as enrollment grew over the next few years, the Manhattan campus moved to larger facilities at its current location at 61st St. and Broadway in 1976.
Renovations continued at the Old Westbury campus, with the former Alfred I. du Pont mansion opening in 1972 as the de Seversky Conference Center. Named after longtime NYIT board member and aviation designer Alexander P. de Seversky, the center provided a wonderful environment to train students in the college’s culinary arts, hospitality management and communication arts programs.
New degrees were also added to NYIT’s career-training programs during this time. In 1973, the college received approval to award Bachelor of Architecture degrees and was accredited by the National Architecture Accrediting Board in 1977.
The men’s and women’s track and field teams began their amazing legacy in 1974, making their way to the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) Division II postseason and continuing to do so for the next 25 years.
That same year, another legendary program began at NYIT. Many of today’s most sophisticated 3-D computer animation techniques descend from NYIT’s Computer Graphics Lab (CGL), which would pioneer the field for nearly two decades.
The CGL’s roster was a digital dream team. Prominent members included
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Social events such as the 1971 Women’s Association Fashion Show exemplify NYIT’s commitment to campus life, helping students forge friendships, develop new interests and learn about local culture.
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future Pixar Animation Studios President Edwin Catmull and co-founder Alvy Ray Smith; Walt Disney Feature Animation Chief Scientist Lance Joseph Williams; Dreamworks animator Hank Grebe; and Netscape and Silicon Graphics founder Jim Clark.
“At the beginning of the computer graphics revolution, we went where the action was,” says Smith. “And the action was at NYIT.”
But computer graphics were not NYIT’s only successes in the entertainment industry. The invention of the digital noise reducer by William Glenn, Ph.D., earned the college its first television Emmy award in 1978. Glenn’s research at the school’s Science and Research Center also led to the college receiving a patent in 3-D technology in 1979.
NYIT embarked on one of its biggest endeavors during the late 1970s – it launched a medical school, the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYCOM), which continues to be the only medical school of its kind in the state.
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NYIT pioneered computer graphics, digital noise reduction and 3-D technology in the 1970s.
The songs may change, but WNYT’s tune remains the same, serving as the voice of NYIT students.
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Send feedback and story ideas to alumni@nyit.edu.
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