News Byte: Experiential Ed Receives National Recognition

New York Tech received the 2021 National Society of Experiential Education (NSEE) Outstanding Experiential Education Program Award that was presented during the organization’s 50th annual conference on September 28 in Orlando, Fla. It was among 11 awards presented to universities, K-12 schools, and community organizations throughout the United States for innovative experiential learning programs and initiatives.

The award presented to New York Tech acknowledged the exceptional commitment of the university’s Experiential Education team led by Senior Director Amy Bravo, its innovative approach in design, implementation, and evaluation of its programs, and its demonstrated depth and breadth of impact through program assessment. Specific initiatives cited in New York Tech’s award nomination include the Internship Certificate Program and its unique employee citizenship component, under the leadership of Adrienne McNally, director of experiential education, as well as Consultants for the Public Good, which Leila Dastgheib-Beheshti, assistant director of experiential education oversees.

“Receiving this recognition from NSEE is an honor, and Adrienne and Leila deserve special acknowledgment for their dedicated leadership of our programs. We developed our programs to align with the tenets of experiential education, which include orientation, hands-on learning, strong learning and skill assessment, and ongoing reflection,” Bravo said. “What’s unique about our programs is that we intentionally infuse civic education into them and try to include the entire campus community as participants. This award reflects the New York Tech community’s successful collaborations with our external corporate and non-profit partners, which Career Success and Experiential Education will continue to nurture.”

New York Tech honorees did not attend the conference due to the pandemic so received the award via mail.

NSEE is a nonprofit membership organization composed of educators, businesses, and community leaders founded in 1971 that strives to cultivate educators who effectively use experiential education as an integral part of personal, professional, civic, and global learning.