The story
Foundation and vision
In 1910, the New York Institute of Technology's predecessor, New York Technical Institute, opened. In 1955, the New York Institute of Technology opened under a provisional charter granted by the New York State Board of Regents to NYIT. Its first campus opened at 500 Pacific Street in Brooklyn, New York. The founders of NYIT, and in particular, Alexander Schure, started NYIT based on the European polytechnic university model, with the mission of offering career-oriented professional education, providing all qualified students access to opportunity, and supporting applications-oriented research. Schure later served as NYIT's first president. In the higher education community at the time, a debate arose around the concern that humanities studies would be overshadowed by too much emphasis on science and engineering. NYIT's goal was to create a balance between science/engineering and a liberal arts education, and ever since, it has been focusing on this model to prepare students for current and future careers.
By the 1958–1959 academic year, the university had 300 students, and the time had come to expand its physical operations. In April 1958, the college purchased the Pythian Temple at 135–145 W. 70th St. in Manhattan for its main center. The building, adjacent to the planned Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, was an ornate 12-story structure with a columned entranceway. Built in 1929 at a cost of $2 million, it included among its features a 1,200-seat auditorium. In 1958, NYIT sponsored the first National Technology Awards, created by Frederick Pittera, an organizer of international fairs and a member of the NYIT Board of Trustees, to help raise funds for the NYIT science and technology laboratories. The awards, held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, were attended by several hundred guests, with entertainment provided by the U.S. Air Force Band. Senate Majority Leader and future President of the United States Lyndon Johnson was the keynote speaker. His speech was broadcast nationally by the ABC Radio Network. Among the honorees were Dr. Wernher von Braun and Major General Bernard Schriever, Commanding General of the Ballistic Air Command. Photos, press clippings, and audio tapes of the event are on view at the Lyndon Johnson Library at Austin, Texas.
Teaching Machines
In 1959, NYIT introduced “teaching machines” for student instruction in physics, electronics, and mathematics. NYIT also pioneered the use of mainframes as a teaching tool, having received its first, donated by the CIT Financial Corporation, in 1965. The curriculum was successful enough that NYIT received two grants totaling approximately $3 million from the federal government – one to develop a system of individualized learning through the use of computers; the other to develop a computer-based course in general physics for midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. WLIW (TV) got studio space when it moved in to the New York Institute of Technology in Westbury in 1974, but that arrangement lasted two years.
NYIT Computer Graphics Lab
In 1974, the New York Institute of Technology Computer Graphics Lab was established and attracted the likes of: Pixar Animation Studios president Edwin Catmull and co-founder Alvy Ray Smith; Walt Disney Feature Animation Chief Scientist Lance Williams; DreamWorks animator Hank Grebe; and Netscape and Silicon Graphics founder James H. Clark. Researchers at the New York Institute of Technology Computer Graphics Lab created the tools that made entirely 3D CGI films possible. NYIT CG Lab was regarded as the top computer animation research and development group in the world during the late 70s and early 80s.
Clean Air Road Rally
In 1995, the NYIT School of Engineering took first place in the U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Air Road Rally. The student engineering team spent three years designing and building the high-performance hybrid electric car that beat 43 other vehicles. In 1998, NYIT opened its first international program in China. In 1999, Bill Gates spoke at NYIT and received NYIT's Presidential Medal. In 2002, NYIT installed the fastest broadband network on the East Coast.
The 21st century
In 2003, NYIT opened its Bahrain site to students seeking an American-style education in the Middle East.
In 2018, NYIT and Holon Institute of Technology, a university based in Israel, signed a memorandum of understanding to pursue research opportunities for faculty and students at both universities.
From Wikipedia’s article on New York Institute of Technology, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5