New York Institute of Technology
The New York Institute of Technology is a private research university with two main campuses in New York, one in Old Westbury, on Long Island, and one on the Upper West Side in Manhattan. The university was founded in 1955. In addition to its main campuses, it has a cybersecurity research lab, a biosciences and bioengineering lab, Nassau County's first Class 10,000 clean room for nanoengineering, and the Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation Center, which has close links to NASA, in Old Westbury, as well as campuses in Arkansas, China, and Canada. The U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security designated NYIT as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education.
NYIT has over 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. It awards bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees for the completion of these programs. It has five schools and two colleges, all with an emphasis on technology and applied scientific research. NYIT's 2025 Carnegie Classification has been designated as a Mixed Undergraduate/Graduate-Doctorate Medium.
The New York Institute of Technology Computer Graphics Lab has played an important role in the history of computer graphics and animation, as founders of Pixar and Lucasfilm, including Turing Award winners Edwin Catmull and Patrick Hanrahan, began their research there. NYIT is the birthplace of entirely 3D CGI films.
New York Tech enrolled 7,711 full-time students across its campuses worldwide in 2023. NYIT's intercollegiate competitive sports teams, include its four-time NCAA Division II national champion lacrosse team. All of NYIT's teams compete in Division II. The NYIT Bears are part of the East Coast Conference.
New York Tech's alumni and faculty include academic scholars, literary and media figures, National Academies members, inventors, government officials, international royalty, professional athletes, Olympians, billionaires, founders and chief executives of Fortune 500 companies, and recipients of Turing Awards, Emmy Awards, and Academy Awards.
History
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.
Distinction through technology
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 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.
Campuses
Old Westbury
New York Institute of Technology's Old Westbury, New York, campus is seated on. It encompasses numerous contiguous former estates situated in the wooded hillsides of Old Westbury, New York. Some of these estates were formerly owned by members of the Rockefeller family. Opened in 1965, the campus has many buildings including a sports complex, administrative and academic buildings, a 100-seat "smart" auditorium, several dining halls, a bookstore, as well as NYIT's de Seversky Mansion, a party and event venue on Long Island, and one of the largest houses in the United States. It was developed on and around the nucleus of the former C. V. Whitney estate and includes several former North Shore estates. Original buildings have been reconstructed for educational use while retaining the charm of traditional exteriors. To preserve the natural beauty of the landscape, other buildings are clustered in low, modern structures surrounded by trees and open vistas. Classroom buildings and parking areas are connected by walkways through woods and meadows untouched by construction. Plazas connect classroom buildings and act as outdoor rooms for students and faculty. Concerts, lectures, and informal recreational events are frequently scheduled on campus.Athletic facilities at the Old Westbury campus include the 1,000-seat President's Stadium, the President's Field, the 500-seat Recreation Hall arena, the NYIT Softball Complex and the NYIT Tennis Complex consisting of six courts. Many notable people, including Patch Adams, spoke at Riland Auditorium on its Long Island campus. The Old Westbury campus is mainly a commuter campus, although residential students have dormitory options.
The Long Island campus is also home to the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, the only osteopathic medical school on Long Island, which was formerly named New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, or NYCOM. In 2008, NYIT installed a 3-D motion capture lab for its Fine Arts program in Old Westbury. The system allows the university to use Hollywood technology to teach the next generation of computer animators. Between 2009 and 2013, the Old Westbury campus has undergone a number of significant improvements, including renovation of the 3,000 sf. Student Activities Center, creation of a Life Sciences biomedical research laboratory, renovation of Engineering Materials lab, creation of a Nursing Simulation lab and creation of an 8,000 sf. Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation Center, among others.
In 2015, NYIT received from New York State a grant for a portion of the costs required to renovate a 5,300-square-foot facility to house three new laboratories on its Old Westbury campus.
Free weekday shuttles between the Long Island Railroad stations in Manhasset and Hicksville and the Long Island campus are available to all NYIT students, faculty, and staff.
A new 80-room residence hall, located at 120 Jericho Turnpike in Jericho, opened in Fall 2024. A scenic 10-15 minute drive from the Old Westbury campus, this residence hall has modern rooms, a fitness center, laundry facilities and a swimming pool. Free shuttle service are available between the new residence hall and the Old Westbury campus.