Honors College Handbook

You are encouraged to participate in a wide variety of volunteer community activities. Service to others in the community cultivates a sense of belonging, personal growth, and meaningful citizenship, and immerses you in issues that impact society today, while promoting global consciousness in seeking solutions for a better tomorrow. (Four hours each year.)

Below is a sample of our Community Outreach Partners:

Other options include:

• Bee Vogel Hives and Honey Initiatives: Contact Robert Koenig, rkoenig@nyit.edu
• New York City Veterans Day Parade: Contact Robert Koenig, rkoenig@nyit.edu
• Service through Your Faith-Based Organization (e.g., leadership in a religion-affiliated event or club; Service to people who need assistance)

You can also work with the Office of Career Success and Experiential Education (CSEE) to find opportunities to fulfill your community service requirement. This office works with the organization called Consultants for the Public Good to find local projects that need volunteers. Contact CSEE at ose@nyit.edu.

Participating in events and activities taking place on our campuses promotes a broader understanding and appreciation of New York Tech’s vibrant academic community and all it has to offer. (One event each year.)

Events can include:

• Week of Welcome Events
• Social Events
• Creative Events
• Campus Cultural and International Activities
• Student Club and Association Participation

Personal growth activities, offering advice on best practices and useful habits, can help you to achieve your aspirations by helping you to develop skills, adopt new perspectives, and achieve long-term goals. (One activity each year.)

Examples of activities

NOTE: Any Optional Off-campus Field Trip/Experience can fulfill a Personal Growth Activity requirement.

Through visits to locations such as the United Nations and other institutions, Honor College field trips enrich students’ cultural awareness and appreciation for aesthetics and expose them to real-life practices and experiences. These optional outings are designed to enhance student life and provide opportunities for students to gain a better understanding of social context and engage members in dynamic conversation. [NOTE: Any Optional Off-campus Field Trip/Experience can fulfill a Personal Growth Activity requirement.]

Sample outings include:

• Bloomberg Finance – Architecture and Business Philosophy Come Together
• Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Metropolitan Opera House
• Museum of Modern Art
• New York Public Library & Bryant Park
• Ritz-Carlton – Delivering Service Excellence
• Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
• United Nations
• Wall Street Tour & Fraunces Tavern Museum

For more information, contact Robert Koenig at rkoenig@nyit.edu

Your engagement in leadership roles will strengthen your communication and organizational skills and help you carve out your career path. These invaluable experiences establish opportunities for our Honor College students as the leaders of tomorrow. (One role during your college career.)

Example roles include:

• Officer or manager in a student club/association or community organization
• Organizer of a student/community/civic event
• Leader of an Honors College initiative
• Orientation leader
• Presenter at a Professional Conference
• New York Tech Student Ambassador
• Industry Internship

You can also fulfil your leadership/professional growth requirement through peer service roles offered by the Office of Undergraduate Student Success and Advising (USSA), including:

• Peer Success Guide
• Peer Advisor
• Peer Tutor
• Supplemental Instruction Leader

For more information about peer service roles, contact:

• Long Island: Madeline Leonard, assistant director, Academic Success and Enrichment at mleona07@nyit.edu
• New York City: Tadiyos Gebre, director, Academic Success and Enrichment at tgebre@nyit.edu

In the fall, you will see an Honors College Tile on Canvas. You will use the Honors College Canvas site to manage your COC. On this site, you will be able to:

• Find your COC requirements and deadlines.
• Keep track of what you have done and still need to do.
• Let us know that you have completed your COC.

In the spring, you will see an added Canvas tile for the Honors (HNRS) Seminar. This site is only for the Honors Seminar course, not for other Honors College engagement.

To remain an Honors student, you must:

• Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.
• Complete your Curriculum Outside the Classroom (COC).
• Pass the honors seminar each year.
• Adhere to the academic integrity policies of the New York Tech U.S. campuses.

Should you choose to leave the Honors College at any point, you must email your intention to the Honors College co-directors.

In the Honors College, we take academic honesty very seriously. As a student at New York Tech, you should uphold the honor code and read and make sure that you understand New York Tech’s policy on academic honesty. Any honors student found responsible for a violation at level two or higher must leave the Honors College.

You must make a habit of checking your New York Tech email regularly to stay informed about important things going on in Honors College as well as in your classes. This is not only how we get in touch with you, but also how many professors communicate about matters that could affect your grades.

We do not recommend forwarding the @nyit.edu email to your personal email inboxes, as it is very easy for your New York Tech emails to get lost amongst your other emails. So, please make a point of reading your NYIT email a few times every day to stay up to date with what is going on in the Honors College and in your classes.

As an Honors College student, you are eligible to receive funding of up to $5,000 for the costs of professional development over the four years that you are an Honors student at New York Tech. You may begin to request allotment purchases in your second year of Honors College. You must apply each time you wish to draw money from this allotment, and outline and provide documentation of the costs. For example, you could paste the link to a conference website showing the fees onto the application form.

Your allotment cannot be used toward tuition, though we will consider requests for textbooks, electronic devices, and/or software that is helpful to your coursework. You can also use the allotment for conference costs, living expenses not covered by an internship, and/or a field course. This is not a complete list of potential uses for the allotment; feel free to apply for things you think will contribute to your professional development.

Please note that the directors can also limit the amount that you draw in any one year. You can find the allotment application form posted on Canvas.

Like all undergraduate students at New York Tech, you will need to meet with an advisor from the Office of Undergraduate Academic Advising each semester for your first two years to help you choose and register for courses.

Use the online platform, Handshake, to:

• Schedule an appointment with a career advisor
• Upload résumés
• Search for employers
• Apply for jobs and internships (including internships that will fulfil your Leadership/Professional Growth Role COC  
• Attend career events and fairs

Questions about Handshake, email handshake@nyit.edu.

New York Tech Honors College is proud to be part of the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) and the Northeast Regional Honors Council (NRHC). Both organizations aim to support and advance undergraduate honors education, and our affiliations open doors for you to engage with honors students and scholars nationwide, offering opportunities for additional learning, collaboration, and professional development.

The NCHC and NRHC host a conference each year, providing undergraduates the chance to participate through poster presentations and talks, and attendance at panel discussions. Presenting at a conference allows you to share your work with an audience beyond New York Tech and gives you the opportunity to meet honors students from other schools, hear new and interesting ideas, and learn about possibilities to participate in exciting projects.

The NCHC and NRHC also offer scholarships and awards to undergraduate honors students. If you are serious about attending an honors conference or pursuing a scholarship or award, contact Eleni Nikitopoulos at enikitop@nyit.edu.

NCHC Information

• NCHC Website
• Workshops & Trainings
• Annual Conference
• Scholarships

NRHC Information

• NRHC Website
• 2026 Conference
• Awards & Scholarships