Spotlight on: NYU Washington, DC
October 15, 2017
It may be surprising to hear that one of NYU’s 14 global locations is actually stateside. NYU Washington, DC, which opened in fall 2012, offers students and scholars visiting from New York, Abu Dhabi, or Shanghai the opportunity to spend time living, learning, and conducing research in the heart of the US capital. In addition to students conducting research or studying away for a semester, freshmen in NYU’s Liberal Studies program spend a full academic year (in DC, or at NYU Florence, NYU London, or NYU Paris); courses are also offered during J-term and summer. The center was inspired by the idea that no global network would be complete without a presence in DC—the seat of the federal government; home to 177 embassies; headquarters of international policy-making bodies and think tanks; and the site of so many important museums, monuments and cultural institutions.
In honor of its fifth anniversary, here’s a look at highlights from the site’s first five years, what sets this unique NYU experience apart, and a what’s to come along L Street.
NYU Washington, DC students visit the Supreme Court, January 2017.
Each semester a select cohort of NYU undergraduates participate in the Global Leadership Scholars Program at NYU Washington, DC. This highly competitive program, which is open to current or rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors from all three of NYU’s degree-granting campuses fosters the practice of ethical and inclusive leadership and prepares students to assume leadership roles in the public and private sectors.
Students in NYU’s Global Liberal Studies program distinguish their education with global experience. As freshmen, students spend their first full academic year studying the great works in a city with unique cultural offerings; undoubtedly, Washington, DC fits the bill.
In partnership with NYU’s College of Global Public Health, NYU Washington, DC is a vital part of the College’s Cross-Continental Master of Public Health program. A full-time, one-year program, the Cross-Continental MPH trains students to embrace the challenge of global public health through a practice-based, skills-focused curriculum. It is taught over three terms in three continents at three different NYU global sites, including Washington, DC, Accra, and Abu Dhabi.
In its five year history, NYU Washington, DC has drawn world leaders and prominent thinkers to its campus to engage students, alumni, and the public in urgent discussion and captivating conversation. Speakers have included Joe Biden, Salman Rushdie, Zadie Smith, Jeffrey Eugenides, Gordon Brown, Soledad O'Brien, Martin Scorsese (WSC ’64, STIENHARDT ’68, HON ’92), and Morgan Spurlock (TSOA ‘94), among others.
Salon Series: A Conversation with Zadie Smith and Jeffrey Eugenides, March 2016. In collaboration with the NYU Creative Writing Program, NYU Washington, DC welcomed acclaimed authors Zadie Smith and Jeffrey Eugenides to the Abramson Family Auditorium. The discussion was moderated by internationally recognized multi-platform journalist Keli Goff (GAL ’01).
Vice President Joe Biden at the Sidley Austin Forum, December 2016. NYU School of Law, in cooperation with NYU Washington, DC and the Law School's Legislative and Regulatory Process Clinic, debuted the inaugural Sidley Austin Forum, which explored topics critical to American democracy.
DC Dialogues is a student-led initiative created to engage the NYU community in key discussions on politics, culture, business, environment, education, and more. Through the generosity of Trustee Nina Weissberg, NYU Washington, DC hosted five years of the Weissberg Forum for Discourse in the Public Square.
The Forum brought together distinguished figures to discuss complex and timely issues and provide a platform for such issues to be debated in an informed, rigorous, and civil manner. This year’s forum focused on Criminal Justice Reform.
Among its newest offerings is NYU’s top-ranked Executive MBA program through NYU’s Stern School of Business. The DC program, announced this fall, offers a unique format that meets once-per-month, Friday through Sunday. The first cohort will arrive in August 2018.
As part of the Provost's Global Research Initiatives, Research Institutes were created at several of NYU’s sites, including Washington, DC. Each Institute draws together and supports NYU full-time faculty and graduate students, based in New York City, who wish to have NYU infrastructural support while conducting research in a given location.
To learn more about NYU Washington, DC’s academics, research, student life, and upcoming events, as well as opportunities for alumni to engage with the site, click here.