A Student vs Administrative Perspective on the NYU-Polytechnic Merger of 2014

This Exhibit investigates the series of mergers that have taken place over the years between New York University and Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute. Dating back to 1973 when the first merger took place of the NYU Engineering School by Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, varying opinions on the actions of each school tended to vary tremendously between their administrations and their faculty + students. The 1973 merger set the stage for a temoltuous realtionship between the two universities for decades, through the 2006 failed merger and the eventual 2014 merger, which generated the present state of the universities: New York University Tandon School of Engineering.

This project will explore the great divide between administration and faculty + students, diving deeper into the varying opinions of each and their interactions that determined the fates of each school. Using the 1973 merger as a background, the project will investigate changing perceptions over time and how the 1973 merger set the environment for the futures of these two universties. It will also examine the divide between administrative and faculty + student feelings towards these events, as tensions ran high due to incredibly vaying ideaology of what should be done and who should hold the power.