A Grand Opening in Vancouver

Pictured from left: Irene Young, Babak D. Beheshti, Ronette Garcia, and Victor Oluwajuwon Badejo.

On June 14, a grand opening ceremony celebrated the much-needed expansion supporting New York Tech-Vancouver’s sustained enrollment growth. Late last year, the campus—formerly spread across a downtown location and the eight-building Broadway Tech Centre complex about 4.5 miles away—moved into an expanded and redesigned space boasting nearly 40,000 square feet among its three covered walkway-connected buildings at Broadway Tech Centre.

The expansion will also facilitate plans to introduce additional technology-focused master’s-level programs, in addition to the energy management, cybersecurity, and three business administration (M.B.A.) degree programs currently offered to its more than 700 students from 35 countries.

“Our focus on providing job-ready training for professionals who can actively contribute to British Columbia’s growing technology sector and the local economy has been key to our unprecedented enrollment growth in recent years,” said Executive Director and Campus Dean Irene Young, Ed.D. “Our campus expansion and additional degree programs will ensure that growth will continue over the next several years.”

More than 150 guests, including Babak Beheshti, Ph.D., dean of the College of Engineering and Computing Sciences, Deborah Y. Cohn, Ph.D., interim dean of the School of Management, representatives from Vancouver’s business and technology communities, alumni, faculty, and staff, among others, attended the event, which began with a land acknowledgment from John Spence, a carver from the Coast Salish People of the Squamish Nation. New York Tech-Vancouver ensures that students are educated about the indigenous cultures that are native to the area. “We ensure that information about indigenous cultures is an integral part of the New York Tech-Vancouver experience,” said Director of Student Affairs Shannon Svingen-Jones, M.B.A., in an interview with New York Institute of Technology Magazine. 

John Spence, a carver from the Coast Salish People of the Squamish Nation, delivered the land acknowledgment.

Cybersecurity alumnus Victor Oluwajuwon Badejo (M.S. ’17) addressed the guests, and student Ronette Garcia spoke about her experiences as a student.

Attendees also had a preview of yet another expansion planned for the campus, namely, an additional 11,000 square feet of space, featuring four new classrooms upon its January 2024 completion.

“New York Tech-Vancouver has a proud history of achievement in delivering high-quality education to serve the academic needs of students from around the world, providing a solid foundation for launching their successful careers. I commend management, faculty, and staff for creating a learning environment that supports our students in becoming the doers, makers, innovators, and inventors of tomorrow,” said Beheshti, who spoke at the event.

Young notes that the New York Tech-Vancouver student population has ballooned to about 720—a 350 percent increase from the 160 students in attendance in 2016. These recent expansions at Broadway Tech Centre, consolidating campus into one location, will only further unify the New York Tech-Vancouver community.

Broadway Tech Centre is outfitted with classrooms, administrative offices, meeting rooms, study spaces, a library, an energy management innovation lab, and a broadcast studio—all in the name of facilitating a technology-integrated learning environment to support New York Tech-Vancouver graduates pursuing 21st-century jobs.