New York Institute of Technology's (NYIT) Middle East campus in Amman, Jordan, marks its Second Commencement with an official ceremony on Saturday, June 21, 2003. Some 126 students from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan are being granted undergraduate and graduate degrees in business, computer science, sciences and communication arts. NYIT began offering college-level courses in the Middle East in the fall of 2000, accepting an invitation to provide educational alternatives.
"Graduation candidates from all our campuses in the Middle East convene in Jordan and it will be pretty much a duplicate of the commencement ceremony celebrated in Old Westbury for the New York campuses," says Dr. Kenneth Thigpen, director of International and Off-Site Programs for NYIT, who oversees the program.
"During this time of tensions and uncertainty in the Middle East, NYIT remains a beacon of academic stability and educational opportunity," notes Dr. Edward Guiliano, NYIT president and CEO. "We are providing these students with the same quality education available to students on our U.S. campuses. I am proud of the accomplishments of the second graduating class."
A highlight of this year's commencement activities is the flying and landing of a helicopter built by students on the Amman campus. Inspired by a car that the engineering department at the campus in Old Westbury built from pieces donated by car manufacturers, students in the Amman Physics 170 course built the helicopter with parts donated by the Jordanian Royal Airforce.
A helipad is being painted on the parking lot of the downtown Amman campus. The aircraft will be tested and then flown at the pre-commencement ceremony by the Prince of Jordan's personal pilot. The helicopter is scheduled to touch down on the campus and deliver honorary guests.
At the commencement ceremony members of the royal family and dignitaries from Jordan and Egypt are expected. Among officials anticipated are the Jordanian Prime Minister, the Minister of Education, and other college and university presidents from the region. The president and vice president of the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) will also be present.
"We won't actually know who will be there until right before," says Dr. Thigpen. "This is especially true when dealing with the royal family because for security reasons they don't announce their schedule."
Enrollment in the graduating class is roughly divided between men and women, with female candidates having a slight edge. The commencement ceremony is being held at the JUST campus, situated in the town of Irbid, about 36 miles from downtown Amman. NYIT has a formal partnership with JUST.
"We are the only American-based university that is allowed by law to operate in Jordan," Dr. Thigpen points out. "We are sanctioned and approved by the Minister of Education and we are affiliated with JUST."
There have been many success stories in Amman since NYIT began the program. One is about generational loyalty to NYIT, a story that has echoes on the Old Westbury campus as well: A retired father was so impressed with the education his daughters were receiving at NYIT that he enrolled himself into the M.B.A. program.
"He wants to go to school to get a graduate degree because he thinks it's an important thing to do," Dr Thigpen says. "The father was interested in education purely for the sake of education."
NYIT has its own staff in Amman, and regular visits back and forth have helped produce a seamless operation in academics and student services. All admission decisions are made in New York, and all instructors are approved by the New York administration.
New York Institute of Technology is an independent, comprehensive college that offers, through eight schools, more than 100 courses of study leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. NYIT currently educates approximately 11,000 students on three metro-New York campuses -- in Old Westbury and Central Islip, Long Island, and Manhattan, near Lincoln Center -- and one virtual campus via the Internet. More than 61,000 alumni have received degrees from NYIT.
RSS