According to Yahoo!’s The Buzz Log, online research into all things April Fools’ Day (practical jokes, pranks, etc.) is up 40% over last year. Clearly, there’s some need of levity out there. Before we present some April Fools’ links for your amusement, let’s get serious and find out where this celebration of hi-jinks comes from. Read More
Category Archives: Announcements
Thursday, Mar. 6: A History-making Town Hall
March 8, 2008 – 8:12 pm
At Thursday’s Town Hall, barely an hour after the Board’s historic vote, we learned that Poly is one very important step closer to merging with NYU. Below is a sampling of the coverage on the decision.
From the news story on Poly’s homepage:
On Thursday, March 6, Poly’s Board of Trustees voted to approve the Definitive Agreement to merge with New York University with the long-range goal of Poly becoming a school of engineering and technology of NYU.
“With more than a supermajority, the Board approved the agreement and we couldn’t be more pleased,” said Chairman Craig Matthews…”This momentous affiliation will make New York a leading technological center for innovation, entrepreneurship and economic growth.”
University President Jerry M. Hultin described the merger as “a perfect fit between two great universities” and as “an opportunity for Poly to soar.”
From Inside Higher Ed:
The merger, which would be phased in, would combine two universities with the closest of ties to New York City. For Polytechnic, the combination could bring in new funds and a Manhattan connection for students. For NYU, the merger would fill in some key gaps. As NYU gained in national stature in the last 20 years, many have regretted that it dropped engineering programs (which were in fact absorbed by Poly). And with space at a premium in Manhattan, Poly’s Brooklyn-based campus laboratories offer all kinds of opportunities.
From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle:
“It’s a wonderful day!” said a jubilant Craig G. Matthews, chairman of the board of Polytechnic, located at MetroTech Center in Downtown Brooklyn. Matthews said that a formal application to the state Department of Education would be made in the next few days, after which the application would go to the New York State Board of Regents for final approval. The entire process could be finalized as early as sometime in May, after which the integration of the two universities could begin, Matthews said.
From Crain’s New York:
If the merger goes through, students will have more opportunities for interdisciplinary studies and study abroad, said Mr. Matthews. It will also help Polytechnic recruit outside of the five boroughs and retain its students. Applications for the fall are already up about 20%, he noted, partially attributing that boost to news about the potential NYU merger.
Town Hall: Thurs., March 6
February 25, 2008 – 9:34 pm
Join President Jerry M. Hultin, members of his administration, and the Board of Trustees for a briefing on the Board’s meeting which will be held directly before the Town Hall.
When: Thurs., March 6; 12:15 p.m.
Where: Pfizer Auditorium, Brooklyn Campus
Town Hall: Thurs., Feb. 7
February 5, 2008 – 3:39 pm
Find out which way the Board of Trustees voted on the plan to merge with NYU at this important Town Hall led by President Jerry M. Hultin and members of his administration.
When: Thurs., Feb. 7; 4:00 p.m.
Where: Pfizer Auditorium, Brooklyn Campus
Jan. 30 Town Hall Recap: The NYU Merger & University News
January 30, 2008 – 8:16 pm
In case you missed today’s Town Hall, here are the major points President Hultin addressed.
Merger Status: on schedule.
- The Board will vote on the Definitive Agreement next Thurs., Feb. 7. (There must be a three quarters affirmative vote to approve the merger.) A Town Hall will follow at 4:00 p.m. where the Board’s decision will be announced to the Poly community.
- If the merger is approved, The New York State Board of Regents will vote to approve the required charter changes to both Polytechnic and NYU charters on Mar. 16-17.
In the case of an approved merger, some immediate and longer-term items:
- Poly will be an institute of NYU as it transitions into a school of NYU. This is expected to take 3 to 5 years.
- Students will have the option to have their diplomas read “Polytechnic Institute of NYU” in June 2009 (at the latest) or in June of 2008 (at the earliest).
- Some facilities will be shared from day one, e.g., libraries; others will take longer to set up, e.g., swimming pools.
- Tuition remission for staff will be a Poly budget issue, i.e., because NYU is at/above capacity, a “non-paying” student is a missed opportunity for a “paying” student. The issue will be one that’s addressed in the future.
- Staff and faculty will continue to be employees of Poly while Poly is an institute of NYU. This means that Poly employees will continue to report to their Poly supervisors.
University News
- Spring undergraduate enrollment is solid; graduate enrollment is up.
- The pool of Fall 2008 applicants is very strong; the average SAT score is up 50 points.
- There have been a number of recent awards to celebrate: Professor Porfiri’s NSF CAREER award; $570k NSF award to a Poly-Stevens Partnership for Innovation Program; Marketing and Communication Department’s award for “I Will” campaign and Career brochure
‘w00t!’ Voted Merriam-Webster Word of the Year
December 13, 2007 – 3:03 pm
Every year, Merriam-Webster opens its online ballot box for people to cast their word-of-the-year votes. Last year’s winner was “truthiness,” this year, it’s “w00t!,” which won handily, giving it a place in Merriam-Webster’s online Open Dictionary. Time will tell if it’ll make its way into the regular Merriam-Webster dictionary which adds new words based on usage.
1. w00t (interjection)
expressing joy (it could be after a triumph, or for no reason at all); similar in use to the word “yay.” woot! in use: w00t! I won the contest!
Origins (according to Merriam-Webster): This year’s winning word first became popular in competitive online gaming forums as part of what is known as l33t (”leet,” or “elite”) speak-an esoteric computer hacker language in which numbers and symbols are put together to look like letters. Although the double “o” in the word is usually represented by double zeroes, the exclamation is also known to be an acronym for ‘we owned the other team’ — again stemming from the gaming community.
Other candidates for this year’s word of the year: facebook, conundrum, quixotic, blamestorm, sardoodledom.
Welcome to the new Poly eBriefs!
November 8, 2007 – 2:38 pm
Thank you for visiting our re-launched Poly eBriefs! Along with a new look, the new eBriefs aims to have a new spirit, one that encourages contributions directly from faculty and staff. Our goal is to reinvent the traditional, static newsletter by creating a live, online space where faculty and staff can share their latest projects, ideas, achievements (inside and outside of Poly), and other fun stuff.
To help us create something special, and uniquely yours, please send your news items along with any supporting materials, e.g., pictures, to our web writer/eBrief editor, Erin Newton, eBriefs@poly.edu.
Please visit often and share your comments and suggestions about the new eBriefs.
– Ann Lubrano, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives University Chief of Staff Polytechnic University