Dear New York Tech Faculty and Staff,

As we all look forward to the full return of our university community to campus, the Office of Real Estate Development & Sustainable Capital Planning has undertaken an incredible number of projects in preparation for the fall semester. Some are in direct response to situations that arose because of the COVID pandemic, while others were completed to enhance the student experience for many years to come. The changes will improve campus life for all students, faculty, and staff.

With a focus on sustainability, we have invested considerably to ensure the indoor air quality in our buildings meets all recommended standards. We have replaced all air filters with MERV-13 filters and will continue to do so at a regular cadence. We have enhanced all mechanical equipment on both New York campuses after fully reviewing, reconditioning, and balancing it. We’ve also ensured that our disinfection and cleaning procedures continue to meet or exceed recommended guidelines.

Our New York State-required reopening plan for the Long Island and New York City campuses included the formation of the Campus Experience Committee, comprising students, faculty, and staff members from both campuses. The committee has set goals based on feedback from students who say they need more spaces to meet friends, study, and laugh. We have been able to implement many of their requests:

Long Island Campus

• Anna Rubin Hall has new classrooms, a new lounge, and new student study spaces! I highly recommend a visit to see the improvements and invite you to view a video of a tour that Vice President Suzanne Musho and I took earlier this spring.
• We have added community enjoyment spaces in a new lounge, called Orso (or “bear” in Italian). It is adjacent to the new Orso Café in the Student Activities Center (SAC). We continue to advance this work to ensure the SAC is the center for activity for all students on campus.
• We are developing another great lounge space and eatery in Salten Hall that will open in the fall. The Community Commons at Salten will be our new student building, offering a café, social and study areas, and research and innovation spaces. The first phase will be complete at the commencement of the fall semester.
• Wisser Library is transforming into the new home for the School of Health Professions. The first phase will be complete at the beginning of the fall semester.
• During the fall, the Serota building will undergo a necessary façade adjustment. In addition, the experiential quality of the Riland Pond and the Healing Path will be enhanced to include beautiful plantings and wooded, paved pathways for all to enjoy.
• The new Interfaith Prayer and Meditation Space is now open on the second floor of Harry Schure Hall.
• Outdoor spaces continue to expand, offering a variety of experiences. Outdoor parklets with robust wireless access are located at Midge Karr, Riland Pond, and outside Wisser. We also have seating areas with wireless access at the Academic Quad, Medical School Quad, and SAC (facing the fields).
• We began to offer forest therapy walks with a certified forest therapist in the spring and will make these walks available to all.

New York City Campus

We are looking forward to strengthening the visual identity of New York Tech’s campus in the heart of the Columbus Circle-Lincoln Center area. This fall, 1849 Broadway, 1855 Broadway, 16 W. 61st St., and 26 W. 61st St. will all have new spaces to truly enhance the student experience.

• 1849 Broadway will have a new café option along with a social and study lounge rolling out in the fall.
• 1855 Broadway will offer a high-ceilinged social lounge and gallery on the ground floor, connected to the library and innovation spaces on the second and third floors.
• A new lounge seating area in the ground floor of 16 W. 61st St. will also be an informal lecture space for evening events. This will also serve as a meet-and-greet space for our admissions department.
• 26 W. 61st St. will have updated student spaces highlighting and strengthening the whole campus experience. A new interfaith prayer room and meditation space is also being developed at the new 26.

We look forward to providing more updates in future communications, in presentations at our September 2 faculty and staff convocation, and at in-person events taking place at many of the new spaces this fall.

Sincerely,

Hank Foley, Ph.D.
President, New York Institute of Technology