NYU-Poly celebrates 21 years of Promise

At the Promise Scholarship Fund Reception on May 21, Polytechnic Institute of NYU celebrated one of its greatest legacies: its commitment to provide financial support to bright students so they can receive a world-class engineering, science, and technology education.

NYU-Poly alumni, students, individual and corporate donors, faculty, and staff gathered at Manhattan’s Jumeirah Essex House to commemorate the 21st anniversary of the Promise Scholarship Fund, NYU-Poly’s signature scholarship program.

President Jerry Hultin thanked everyone who has contributed to the Fund and pointed to the continued strides Promise Scholars are able to make in their individual lives and for the larger world because of donors’ generosity.

“NYU-Poly’s future is bright and it is only getting brighter with the students who enter our halls and will be the world’s leading innovators, inventors, and entrepreneurs,” President Hultin said.

“On behalf of all the faculty, staff, administrators, and students, I want to extend my warmest thanks for all you have done to allow us to keep our Promise.  You are not only PolyThinkers, you are also PolyDoers, and together, we will continue our rich legacy of scientific research and innovative creations that help better the world.”

Since Clifford Goldsmith, a longtime friend and supporter of the institution, founded the Promise Scholarship Fund in 1998, it has raised over $18 million dollars, giving over 2,000 deserving students who would not otherwise be able to attend college, the means to earn NYU-Poly degrees.

Most of those students, like Promise Scholar Jeffrey Burdier who spoke at the reception, have been the first in their families to attend college; more than half have been women, a traditionally underrepresented population in engineering and science.