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Measuring the Future is an NYIT Pastime
As NYIT makes haste to meet the future, we must consider our students' dreams and do our best to anticipate a world that, as we all realize, is not something anyone has ever been able to predict accurately. Still, what we can-and must-do is prepare students for change and take the best possible measure of the careers that are likely to emerge as most critical to society.
Students themselves have changed over the past half-century. Academic quality and career potential are more important considerations than they have been in the past 35 years. The latest annual survey of the Higher Education Institute at UCLA reports that these two factors are now among the most important in college selection. Sixty - three percent of freshmen in 2007 counted academic reputation as a very important factor in college selection, and 52 percent listed "graduates get good jobs" as a key factor. An overriding social concern for nearly 27 percent of current freshmen was "going green," or their sense of personal responsibility to improve the environment.
All things considered, NYIT is moving in the right direction at a moment in time when young people are weighing their choice of colleges with uncommon care. Again, this academic year, applications at NYIT were up 10 percent. And an impressive number of NYIT's 2007 graduates were offered jobs in their respective fields at the time of graduation. Clearly, we are taking the strategic steps to enhance our quality and reputation: creating centers of excellence; revamping our career-oriented core curriculum to meet the demands of today's workplace; focusing on campus sustainability; and expanding academic programs with technology as a key tool.
By 2030, nearly one in five Americans will be in their golden years, up from about one in eight today. With this rising tide of aging baby boomers, we are focusing on educational programs that will help meet the needs of this population segment. We have established the Center for Gerontology and Geriatrics, which sponsors a multi-disciplinary program of education, applied research, community service, and advocacy aimed at improving the quality of life and health of older people. This is one of the first in a series of graduate academic centers of excellence featuring interdisciplinary research and best-in-class work at NYIT.
Other changes are at hand. Thanks to enthusiastic, socially aware students, we recently forged ahead with plans to develop a "green print" initiative to determine the carbon footprint of the university, to research energy alternatives, and to undertake broad efforts to reduce energy consumption on campus and in the community.
Of course, pursuing sustainable, alternative energy solutions is nothing new to NYIT--we've had hybrid vehicles running on campus since the early 1970s. But with the world's renewed focus on climate change and alternative energy solutions, the time is right to reinvigorate our efforts. With $500,000 in new federal appropriations, we will do a better job of leading in this arena.
As these and other emerging issues take root, NYIT remains committed to redefining the modern university and creating a new paradigm that builds upon our abilities to think, work, and communicate in an increasingly technological world. You, our alumni, understand that education is the currency that crosses borders and oceans, and brings solutions to civilization's most complex challenges. As the future continues to bring forth unimaginable change, we look forward to your own professional accomplishments enhancing our growing reputation as a world leader in 21st-century higher education.
Sincerely,
Edward Guiliano, Ph.D.
President