Educators Connect at NYIT’s First Global Partnership Summit
June 7, 2017
For three days in June, 25 educators from 17 institutions in nine countries joined NYIT staff and faculty members for NYIT’s first Global Partnership Summit. Organized by NYIT’s Office of Global Engagement, the conference invited participants to discuss opportunities for new or more robust partnerships with NYIT and with each other, including through initiatives such as dual degree programs and student exchange. Rahmat Shoureshi, Ph.D., NYIT provost and vice president for academic affairs, said, “We come from all across the world, but we all have the same goal: to educate the next generation in the best way possible.” He added that, for this generation, “Globalization is a necessity. It’s not a luxury anymore.”
On Saturday morning, the conference kicked off with NYIT administrators showcasing the university’s academic and student support services for international students. Then, participants broke into groups to brainstorm how students at their various institutions could study and even earn degrees in universities outside their native countries. Participants also discussed research collaborations and other methods for establishing formal relationships with one another.
Attendees represented six Western Hemisphere nations (Brazil, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, and Mexico) as well as Lebanon, Turkey, and Sweden. “We invited representatives from these institutions because we are confident that we can help each other through student exchange, research collaboration, or both,” said Emily Rukobo, executive director of Global Engagement. “We want to roll up our sleeves and get to work on real collaborations with these institutions.”
“Overall, [the conference] has been a great educational experience,” said Gerardo Velazquez, professor of architecture and head of strategic partnerships at the Universidad Iberoamericana of Mexico City (IBERO). “I think that the IBERO and NYIT can do interesting things together.”
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Dean Maria Perbellini welcomes the conference attendees.
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From left: Melda Yildiz of NYIT School of Interdisciplinary Studies and Education; Berna Severge Bayizit and Gurca Ocalan of Işik University (Turkey); Amr Swid of NYIT School of Management; Tingting Wang and Yisong Li, graduate assistants in the Office of Global Engagement.
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Associate Provost Lou Reinisch introduced faculty presentations.
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Associate Professor John Hanc presents “My Antarctic Adventure: Running 26.2 Miles at the Bottom of the World—and Writing a Book About It”
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Associate Professor Cecilia Dong presents “An NYIT Education: Bringing Out the Best in Our Students”
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From left: Gerardo Velazquez, professor of architecture and head of strategic partnerships at the IBERO, and Mariam Bujalil from the department of design at the IBERO.
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Assistant Professor Melanie Austin-McCain presents “LifeSteps: An Evidence-based Health Promotion Model for Underserved Communities”
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Dean Maria Perbellini, left, and Sheldon Fields, Ph.D., dean of NYIT School of Health Professions.
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Assistant Professor Farzana Gandhi presents “Think Global, Act Local”
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Professor Shiang-Kwei Wang presents “Gaming Literacy and Learning”
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Associate Professor Robert Koenig presents “An NYIT Tradition: Creating Student Leaders with Core Values, Character, and Principles for Life”
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Conference-goers at the closing plenary session, “Perspectives on Global Education”
On Sunday, after touring the Old Westbury campus, the visitors heard presentations from several NYIT faculty members who shared projects that demonstrated NYIT’s breadth of research and academic offerings. (See slideshow.) Conference-goers also shared information about their own institutions and major initiatives of international interest.
The potential for partnerships (such as studying three years in one institution and one year in New York or earning a bachelor’s degree from one school and a master’s degree from NYIT) impressed many of the conference attendees. Velazquez noted that the visit to Old Westbury opened his eyes. “I work in [IBERO’s] school of architecture,” Velazquez said. “When I heard that we were going to Long Island, I thought, ‘Why would I want to go there when Manhattan is such an architectural showcase?’ I was happy and surprised to see what Old Westbury has to offer. We saw the architecture students’ projects, and now I understand why architecture students would want to study in Old Westbury.”
The conference culminated on Monday with “Perspectives on Global Education.” Hosted in collaboration with the Institute of International Education, the plenary session focused on the challenges associated with educating refugees displaced by war and mayhem.
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