Alumni Profile

Courant Alumnus Establishes Fellowship in Financial Mathematics

When Jeffrey Rosenbluth (CIMS '99, '06) first became involved at NYU's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, he was asked to provide his advice as a professional from the finance industry. Now, over fifteen years later, Rosenbluth is still actively involved at Courant-and has a Ph.D.

He was so moved by his experience as a student at Courant that he decided to create a fellowship for future students studying in the same program. The Jeffrey and Denise Rosenbluth Fellowship will be awarded to Ph.D. candidates who have completed their exam requirements and have begun dissertation research in financial mathematics.

"I was very pleased with my experience at Courant," says Rosenbluth. "I thought this fellowship would be a good way to help out and give back to the institution that has given me so much."

News

Class of 2009 to Leave a Legacy of Opportunity and Support

By Patrick Lattin - NYU Today - April 2009

Each graduating class leaves its own unique mark on NYU, and the Class of 2009 will be no different. Many members of the class have banded together to make a Senior Class Legacy Gift, a final farewell and an immediate gift back to the school that for the last four years has provided opportunities for growth - in knowledge, in a profession, and in person.

Justin Cohen, a CAS senior studying history and politics, heads a committee of 11 seniors who are helping to raise the funds for the 2009 legacy gift. The gift will be a contribution to the Wasserman Center's funded internship awards, a fund that provides grants of up to $1,000 to future NYU students who are completing unpaid internships with non-profit organizations.

Cohen said the committee began meeting in October and has since developed a set of goals to lead the class of 2009 in their contribution to NYU. "The goal of legacy is both short-term and long-term. The short-term goal is our gift. That will have our name as a class attached to it," he said. "The more long-term goal is to build a generation of alumni who donate. It's definitely one of our goals to convince people that you can make a difference for our later generations."

The committee researched past proposed projects and the needs of the University before narrowing the gift options to three. The entire senior class then voted to help fund students with unpaid internships. Cohen said the decision was reached after recognizing both the need for professional experience through internships and the hardship that often accompanies working with no compensation. "In these tough economic times, the job market is dwindling, and companies are looking for people with more experience. Recent graduates are operating on an uneven playing field," he explains. "The problem is they don't pay. People need money for college, to live. The idea is to make unpaid internships more profitable, more appealing."

Michelle Knopf, associate director of the Wasserman Center for Career Development, said the fund allows students to gain invaluable professional experience and alleviates some of the financial stress of working in an unpaid position. "For a lot of students, it allows them to do the internship, as they would usually need a job," she explained. "A lot of students will do a non-paid internship and another internship or a part-time job, so this allows them to focus on their internship."

Knopf has seen the interest in the fund increase steadily since it was first offered in spring 2006. Even with a contribution from the Class of 2007, she said the Wasserman Center doesn't have the funds to help all students who show interest. "We've been able to give out more grants each year, but as it becomes better known, we receive more applications," she says.

Since deciding on the funded internship award, the committee has begun fundraising through advertisements, e-mails, work with student councils and even a grassroots campaign to encourage seniors to get involved. Cohen said the goal for senior fundraising, which would then be matched by University President John Sexton, has been set at $25,000. Though the fundraising will continue through the summer, Cohen said he is hopeful for a successful campaign. "Hopefully, the class of 2009 will leave a legacy that is remembered."

Class of 2005 Legacy Gift Provides Much Needed Assistance to Current Students Studying Abroad

International education is a top priority in New York University's global mission, which is why it may come as no surprise that NYU remains the leading sending institution when it comes to students studying abroad. The cost of spending a semester abroad, though, can be a deterrent from this invaluable educational experience. That's why one graduating class helped make it a more realizable goal for future generations. A legacy gift from the Class of 2005 raised funds to provide stipends of $850 to help twenty one NYU students afford a semester abroad. This spring, another two NYU students are benefiting from the class's generosity by exploring two of the most versatile and culturally rich cities of Europe.

Savanah Washington, a School of Nursing sophomore from Mountain View, California, is studying at NYU in Paris this spring. While in New York, Savanah works as a Welcome Week Leader, on the cheerleading team and on the Class of 2011 Activities Board. Now in Paris, she's putting those activities on hold to absorb the rich culture and encounter a new way of life.

Washington said this semester abroad and her introduction to a foreign culture, a new language and differing beliefs are an enriching addition to her education and her future profession as a nurse. "I appreciate NYU's belief that all of their students should be well-rounded, knowledgeable people," she said. "Being a nursing student, I have a heavy focus of science courses in my academic progression, but studying in Paris is allowing me to learn about things like photography, literature and religion. With these other subjects, I'll leave NYU and enter the medical field with the ability to bring new and unique ideas to the attention of my colleagues. Especially in a field like nursing, where you come across so many different cultures, I think learning French has been useful in making me more accepting of other languages and cultures."

Savanah acknowledged that her receipt of the award affirmed her desire to give back to the University that has provided amazing experiences and shaped her as a student, as a nurse and as a person. "I was very honored and grateful to receive the Legacy Scholarship. It's so amazing that the alumni of NYU are still taking an interest in their fellow students, especially in a situation such as study abroad, which could easily be overlooked for other scholarships that pertain to NYU's main campus," she said. "From very early on in my experience at NYU, I had decided that I owe it to NYU and the student body to give back and help other students with financial need, such as myself. I will definitely be a contributing alumna to NYU and would be proud to participate in a legacy gift for my class."

A little to the north, in a city just as rich in history as perpetual modernization, Joshua Lieberman, a Gallatin junior from Batavia, New York, also is benefiting from the Legacy Award. At NYU in Berlin, Joshua is expounding on his studies of social identities in relation to politics. "The academics here have been wonderful, especially in the field of politics," he said. "I hope to learn both through the Academy and outside the Academy - watching and participating in life, making notes on the similarities and differences to observable life in the US, and hopefully, I will end up having a great time while learning how to comparatively analyze and talk about two different cultures in relation to gender roles, sexuality, racial formation and politics."

Joshua, who said his ultimate goal is to one day pursue a Ph.D. and become a college professor, has expanded horizons and gained personal insight in the short time he's already been in Germany. "Monitoring the situation of racial formation in regard to the Turkish and Middle Eastern population in Germany is allowing me to see myself possibly working abroad with NGOs or lobbies for something I find myself quickly gaining interest in," he said.

Joshua, like Savanah, said the generosity of a past class has provided motivation for him to help future generations of NYU students. "I was really excited to have received the Legacy scholarship. Any extra money at NYU is really appreciated, and as far as I'm concerned, I'm putting the money to the best use it could be put to."