June 2018 Highlights
The Division of Student Affairs is pleased to present some of the significant accomplishments that took place this year that reflect the breadth and impact of our service to our students.
Life Beyond the Square
The annual Life Beyond the Square assessment conducted by the Wasserman Center reported a record breaking 96.5% of graduates from the Class of 2017 were either employed or enrolled in a graduate or professional school program within 6 months of graduation (up from 96.2% last year). Complete highlights of the Life Beyond the Square report are available at this link.
For the second year in a row, more than 50% of the graduating class at NYU contributed to the 1831 Fund—which goes toward creating scholarships for next year's incoming freshmen class. By Commencement, 52% of graduating seniors (2,514 donors) had given a gift of at least $5, with the average gift landing at $20.18 (how fitting!).
The Student Health Center added a Sexual Violence/Intimate Partner Violence Screening for all students seeking primary care, creating an opportunity to reach students who may be the victims of sexual or domestic violence who have not otherwise connected with support services.
In partnership with National Campus Climate Survey (NCCS), NYU implemented the 2018 student campus climate survey related to sexual misconduct, in accordance with the New York State Enough is Enough law which requires assessment of campus climate every other year. A stratified, random sample of 2,598 undergrad, graduate and professional school students from our NYC, Abu Dhabi and Shanghai campuses were invited to participate. As with our 2016 survey, results will be posted at www.nyu.edu/sexual-respect once they are available. For questions, please contact sexualrespect@nyu.edu.
The Moses Center for Students with Disabilities just completed its second year of the NYU Connections Program, which services NYU students on the autism spectrum. Students who participate receive weekly one-on-one meetings as well as group session meetings to encourage problem solving and socialization. This year more than 30 students participated actively in this program and the program was awarded a NASPA Excellence Award.
The Moses Center for Students with Disabilities has seen a 176% increase in registered students in the past five years, going from 966 students in 2013 to 2,673 students this past year. This increase has led to a greater need for accommodated testing facilities. To begin to address this gap, the testing center at Washington Square has increased available seating to 96 seats, up from only 26 seats in 2016. We are also adding testing facility space in Brooklyn.
In partnership with the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the School of Medicine, the Wellness Initiative at NYU (WIN) debuted in Founders Hall, a first year residence. Students in this cohort participate in a structured program designed to reduce stress and improve physical and mental wellness.
The presence of faculty embedded in NYU's residence halls continues to enhance the intellectual climate where students live. We have increased the number of faculty in our residence halls in the past ten years. We now have 32 Faculty Fellows in Residence who live in all of our residence halls—joined by an additional 50 Faculty Affiliates who assist with intellectual programming and community building through our "Explorations" floors.
Over 1,800 new students from around the globe participated in an expanded International Student Orientation held throughout the first three weeks of the Fall 2017 semester. This was also the introduction of a new International Student Council, made up of international students from across the university's schools and divisions.
The Proud to Be First initiative introduced a slate of programming for first gen students, including career development and mentorship, targeted parent communications about university resources, professional development around this topic area for administrators and faculty, opportunities for first gen students to gather and network, and a graduation celebrating for first gen seniors.
Two student life offices—the Center for Student Activities, Leadership and Service and the Student Resource Center—merged to form a comprehensive Center for Student Life. The associated $3 million dollar renovation to Kimmel will conclude in August 2018. The new Center provides expanded and enhanced services for individual students and organizations, and includes specialized resources for graduate students, international students, veterans and students in the military, students with children, transfer students, fraternities and sororities, commuter students, new students, student publications, volunteerism and community service, and student government.
The Office of Student Conduct, in close collaboration with the academic schools and the University Senate, updated the University's forty-year-old student code of conduct. Centralized procedures have now been developed to promote fairness and consistency in the University's response to student misconduct. Additionally, the updated code better positions the university to respond appropriately to behavior that occurs throughout NYU's global network, as well as behavior that occurs online and via social media.