Regular readers of NYIT Magazine are familiar with our university's goal to help define 21st-century higher education on a global scale. They are also well-informed of NYIT's increasingly interdisciplinary and intercultural approach to education as we break down barriers and provide opportunities for students across our campuses to interact with and learn from each other as they collaborate on high-profile projects.

Since our earliest days in the 1950s, NYIT has sought new and exciting ways to bring the real world into the classroom and give students the skill sets they need to seize their future careers. Our decades as a leading innovator in the fields of technology and education have empowered us to provide access to opportunity for students of all nations. What began as a call to action in my early days as president to broaden our academic programs and expand our global presence is now a living and learning reality. Look no further than the newest group of NYIT alumni-the first to earn their degrees at our Nanjing campus, which opened in 2007.

Helping students identify problems worldwide and devise interdisciplinary solutions through team-oriented challenges is what today's NYIT is all about. That means medical students working with engineering students in Ghana to help local villagers improve their community. Or behavioral and computer science students traveling to Peru to share their NYIT education to help teach about alternative energy and improving the efficiency of waste management. Or architecture and energy management students creating a hangar aboard the USS Intrepid that uses the latest sustainable technology. 

These opportunities to teach and improve communities around the world would not be possible without NYIT's academic and business partners, each of whom is committed to helping our students by offering unique, practical learning experiences that exemplify the quality one can expect of an NYIT education. They also give this university more avenues in which to fulfill one of its most crucial obligations-to find new ways and new leaders to improve our society on local, regional, and global stages.

In the past year, we've solidified partnerships with Google and Verizon to bring technology into K-12 classrooms; we've garnered significant sponsorships from major corporations and foundations for our energy and cyber security conferences; we've welcomed entertainment industry partners, including the Screen Actors Guild and the Gold Coast Film Festival, into the NYIT Auditorium on Broadway; we've developed mentor and employer relationships with prominent alumni and Fortune 500 companies; and we've joined the American Cancer Society, Save the Children, and numerous other partners to give back to the community.

While these types of external partnerships are hardly a new concept in higher education, they are more important than ever as growth opportunities for universities, students, companies, and nations. By engaging partners to help us and our students meet the needs of today's global marketplace, we can be sure our graduates are equipped with the professional skills and the grasp of technology that is essential to 21st-century prosperity.

Today, more than ever, an NYIT education is made possible through collaboration, understanding, and technology; it is an academic and professional experience that is all inclusive of the human experience, a blending of dreams, talents, and skills that crosses borders and embraces diversity. While we work even harder to strengthen our external relationships, we are grateful for you, our network of 89,000 alumni, and your role in our collaborative structure that not only enhances the reputation of NYIT, but is on the cutting edge of solving some of the world's most significant challenges.   

Sincerely,

Edward Guiliano, Ph.D.
President

Summer 2011 Table of Contents