Newswise — Academic, business, and civic leaders joined members of the NYIT community last evening to celebrate the official installation of Henry C. “Hank” Foley, Ph.D., as president of New York Institute of Technology (NYIT).  

Foley became NYIT’s fourth president on June 1, 2017 following a national search. During the first months of his presidency, he has focused on the interrelated priority areas of university identity/focus, resource management, and outreach. He has led a thorough analysis of NYIT’s diverse assets to ensure they are synergistic and support the university’s mission; encouraged leadership to set strategies that build excitement and passion for NYIT’s future; and prioritized building and sustaining the university’s financial resources, enrollment, relationships, and stature.

“The Board of Trustees is excited about working with you to help achieve your vision of transforming NYIT into one of the best private institutions of higher education in the New York area,” said Kevin D. Silva, chair, NYIT Board of Trustees, and executive vice president and chief human resources officer, Voya Financial.

“The goal I have set forth during my presidency is for NYIT to be among the highest ranked institutions of higher education in the New York metropolitan area,” President Foley said during his installation ceremony remarks. “I want us to be the school of choice for students who wish to pursue professional careers, especially in health care, life and molecular sciences, engineering, computer and data science, architecture, and business, and we are making progress to that end.”  

This week, NYIT has hosted a series of events commemorating the inauguration, primarily focused on scholarly research, technology, and community service.

Before joining NYIT, Foley served as interim chancellor of the University of Missouri-Columbia (MU) since November 2015. In that role, he represented MU in the Association of American Universities and the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities and directed MU’s research mission. Further, he was responsible for the quality and effectiveness of all programs and dedicating university resources necessary for research, education, and service activities. He was a tenured professor of chemistry at MU and a professor of chemical and biochemical engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Foley joined the UM System in 2013 as executive vice president for academic affairs, tasked with growing its academic and research expertise. Previously, he was vice president for research and dean of the graduate school at The Pennsylvania State University. He also held faculty appointments at Penn State and the University of Delaware.

Foley earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry at Providence College, a master’s degree in chemistry from Purdue University, and doctorate in physical and inorganic chemistry from Penn State. He holds 16 patents for his research, has written more than 150 articles and a textbook, and has mentored nearly 50 undergraduate and graduate thesis students. He has been recognized as a fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the National Academy of Inventors. In 2015, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science by Providence College and in 2017 earned the Distinguished Science Alumni Award from Purdue University.

Foley and his wife, Karin, reside in Plandome, New York. A recording of the installation ceremony is available here.  

About NYIT

New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) offers 90 degree programs, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees, in more than 50 fields of study, including architecture and design; arts and sciences; education; engineering and computing sciences; health professions; management; and osteopathic medicine. A non-profit independent, private institution of higher education, NYIT has 10,000 students in programs and campuses in New York (Manhattan and Old Westbury, Long Island) and Arkansas as well as China, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates. NYIT sponsors 13 NCAA Division II programs.

NYIT is guided by its mission to provide career-oriented professional education, offer access to opportunity to all qualified students, and support applications-oriented research that benefits the larger world. To date, more than 100,000 graduates have received degrees from NYIT. For more information, visit nyit.edu.