So… it’s been busy. Here are some thoughts on the first week and the university.
Community– People tend to say things like “NYU doesn’t have a campus” and “There’s no school spirit there.” I disagree with both statements fairly strongly. The academic buildings are all centered around Washington Square Park, which much like a quad serves as a centralized location to meet and study. Except, unlike most quads, it also happens to be full of crazy people. Bleeker Street, just south of the square, feels like Dinky Town, Minneapolis; full of college students and the businesses oriented towards them. For those back home, it is worth noting how much smaller the school feels than the U of M. Although the two are roughly the same in size in terms of total enrollment, a vast majority of NYU’s students are studying at the graduate level, and as such are largely commuters. The school seems intimate compared to even some of the mid-sized universities I visited during the application process. It is rare to avoid running into someone I know on the way to a class or a dining hall, and all my classes save one have less than 35 people.
Students clearly feel substantial, if slightly unorthodox, pride towards the school. True, that pride doesn’t carry over to our basketball or non-existent football team. But NYU is a place where art, culture, and fringe political views have always been accepted and encouraged, a fact those enrolled here relish in. Albert Gallatin, The University’s founder, envisioned the school as the first great institution dedicated to the education of the proletariat. Although this is a somewhat ironic sentiment considering today’s disgusting tuition costs, the campus has historically served as a haven for progressive groups and minorities, and was among the first to openly provide African-Americans, women, homosexuals, and McCarthy-era leftist intellectuals a center for study and research. NYU’s motto is “In and of the City, in and of the world,” perhaps the most accurate one-line description of a place I have ever encountered. It is not a melting pot, a vessel for homogeneity. Rather, it serves as a reflection of a new, globalized world; where cultures and ideas clash in a manner that is exhilarating and disorderly and stimulating all at once. The result is a vibrant, open community where enthusiasm for fellow students and their unique cultural identities is widespread.
Sexton– I’m not yet entirely sure what to make of our president, John Sexton. He is obviously a brilliant man, and immensely passionate about education. While serving as dean of NYU law, he brought the program from a middling position in ranking to one of the top five in the country, a feat achieved through aggressive fundraising and hiring practices. This is a clearly a goal President Sexton has set for The University at large. He has raised an average of over a million dollars a day in his pursuit of improvement, money he is spending on development instead of boosting endowment. NYU has always been known for its strength and often domination in particular programs; Sexton would like to see that reputation carry over to all parts of the school. During his presidency, he has laid out an enormous expansion plan for the Greenwich Village campus; hoping to provide world-class research facilities and student housing by 2031. He has purchased an engineering school; now called NYU Poly, and poured huge amounts of money into it, recruiting top-notch faculty and guest lecturers. Expect the program to become a major player within the next decade, as in its few short years of existence its admissions statistics and body of research have already improved drastically. Sexton has also directly overseen the opening of two fully operational portal campuses in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai, and has plans for more. He envisions NYU, as he explained in his welcome address, as the worlds first truly global university, where students can travel and study freely in any part of the world. This idealistic sentiment is coupled with a more concrete goal; to become one of the world’s ten greatest universities by 2020. Statistically, his policies have already begun to show impressive results: the student body of the Abu Dhabi campus rivals that of any Ivy, and Shanghai is projected to follow in a similar path. That being said, there are a few major concerns with the path NYU is following in its pursuit of prestige and academic superiority.
In New York, the university is facing significant resistance to its expansion plan, although this has been a problem for decades. Many fear the university will overdevelop the surrounding area, leading to a loss of cultural identity and even greater gentrification, or as some residents put it, the “midtown-ization” of Downtown Manhattan. Perhaps more pressing, though, are concerns over development in countries with such questionable human rights practices as China or the U.A.E. There have already been reports of arrests of intellectuals around the Abu Dhabi campus, a scenario also possible in Shanghai. The middle eastern campus faces an additional problem of strict local laws that discriminate harshly against both Israelis and homosexuals. And since it is oil money from the U.A.E’s royal prince that is largely funding the campuses abroad, there is enormous potential for conflict of interest between those paying for expansion and those within NYU advocating for cultural and academic freedom. Indeed, the political views of both Beijing and Abu Dhabi stand in direct contrast to the founding principles of the university: A place open to all, regardless of ethnicity or belief. The limitations on free speech in these two countries could serve as a serious barrier to the research coming from their campuses.
That being said, I truly do believe Sexton is genuine in his goals. I expect to delve into the issue with much greater depth in the near future, I’ll probably post some thoughts then.
More articles regarding Sexton and NYU’s expansion can be found below:
http://nymag.com/news/features/46000/
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_23/b4181072514193.htm
Classes– Its only been a week, so I’ll be sure to post more in depth information when I have it. That said, all my classes seem interesting and challenging, especially the music tech courses. The entire department had a meeting yesterday, which was lead by its head professor. He opened the discussion with ” Welcome to the best music technology department in the world.” I’d be lying if I didn’t say that felt good.
Culture– CONCERTSCONCERTSCONCERTS. So far, I’ve been to two shows with six acts between them. First, although I forgot to bring my camera (grrr) was Rosi Golan’s CD release party, also featuring The Spring Standards and Ian Axel. Golan was… boring. I love her music, but it has a very mellow edge to it that just doesn’t work as well in a live show. The Standards were fairly good, although they started a little weak. They are definitely an experienced and talented live band. Perhaps the the most enjoyable aspect of their set was how much fun they were clearly having on stage. Ian Axel was by far my favorite of the three, and I strongly recommend checking out his music. It was poppy but not cliche, and infectiously happy.
Last night was the NYU Program board concert; featuring Light Asylum, Gang Gang Dance, and Flying Lotus. Light Asylum was awful. Just really really bad. Gang Gang dance had a fun vibe to them, and the crowd got pretty riled up during parts of it. That being said, I could understand about two words from the lead singer. Flying Lotus was enjoyable, although I don’t think I quite understand DJ culture yet. His original material was great; kind of trancy, ethereal, layered. But the crowd was just as enthusiastic about his covers of other songs, “Black Magic Woman” being a notable example. During those portions, I felt like I was watching the audience worship a glorified CD player, with some added “beats” overdubbed to the mix for good measure. Still, it was fun, and I’d see one of his shows again.
On a side note, for the vegetarians among you, be sure to check out Quintessence if you find yourself in the village. It was really really really really good. Sadly, the process of caring about “Animals and their feelings and their environmental impact” is already underway. I have been a pescatarian for the last week and a half, and it is very likely I will soon succumb completely to the darkness.
Pictures will be up soon, Stay tuned for more.
-J
Jacob tries New York! 
