New York’s university of innovation

Students talented as that attract attention from major companies, and that is the raison d’être of this new institute. Cornell’s president, David J. Skorton underwrites this in the New York Times: “The campus was set up specifically to increase the talent pool in New York City, to positively influence the New York City economy.”

Linking commerce and education

Cornell NYC Tech is innovative on many fronts, but the most striking is the new defined relationship between university and industry. In the philosophy of Cornell commerce and education are not just compatible, they are impossible to tell apart. New York’s new technological institute is not just a school, it is an “educational start-up”.

There are more schools that have strong alliances with business. MIT is an important player in the Massachusetts’ industry scene and some argue that Silicon Valley would not have existed without Stanford. Cornell takes this one step further, it made this collaboration with local business its founding premise.

A lot of companies would pay a high price to have access to this talent pool. However, Cornell does not just want the best paying companies as partners, but those companies that can generate better research or attract better professors.

Experience a company while being in school

To stimulate the exchange of ideas, professors are encouraged to take time off to work on commercial projects. A business development office will be set up as well, to seek out potential cooperation, and companies involved in this new campus can get offices close to the students.

Being as close to the students is the crux. New York suffers from a shortage of qualified job candidates in its expanding technology sector. Companies want the best students, and at the time of graduation, it might be too late. Companies must get these students before they sign a contract at a competitor.

Daniel Doubrovkine, head of engineering at start-up company Artsy: “We want to reach the best ones very early, and we want them to experience the real world of a technology company while they’re still in school.”