|
 |
Nanette Shaw
A new City University of New York initiative based at The Graduate Center will further economic development of New York City’s software industries. Called the CUNY Institute of Software Design and Development (CISDD) at The Graduate Center, it will draw on faculty from all 17 campuses to facilitate the creation of software to be used by the City’s burgeoning Silicon Alley. City University of New York Chancellor Matthew Goldstein said: "The software development industry in New York is poised for rapid growth and job creation, and The City University should play a central role in this expansion. Through the Institute, CUNY will unite and energize the faculty, students, and professionals who will help make New York City a national leader in software development." The new CISDD at The Graduate Center is positioned to become an important force on Silicon Alley. The CISDD mission is to aid in the development of software and Internet companies, especially in the "hard core" tech fields -- software design and development, tools, software engineering, server-side technology, and software design methodology. CISDD services and resources can be used by software, information technology, New Media, and Internet companies to improve their technical prowess and develop new products and technologies. CISDD resources include: 200 CUNY Computer Science professors, drawn from 17 CUNY campuses; CUNY Computer Science graduate students; and CUNY faculty in other areas, such as Physics, Mathematics, Psychology, and Economics, who have developed software, algorithms, methodologies, and other computing technologies that can be of use to the field. The institute will also be working closely with the New Media Laboratory recently formed at The Graduate Center. Some of the ways the new institute will help the software industry include:
New York City has emerged as one of the world’s leading technology centers. A recent study by the Office of the New York City Comptroller found that the city is now in the front ranks nationally in software development and information technology. There are close to 4,000 software and information technology companies in the city, employing 40,000 people. These companies range from the very large (IBM, Information Builders, DoubleClick) to the thousands of start ups and small cutting-edge shops. New York has sustained a growth rate in the software industry of 15 percent per year for most of the 1990s and has led the nation in Internet Initial Public Offerings (IPOs). Every day, there are more start ups forming and companies moving to New York, as Silicon Alley gains recognition as a leading force in the information economy. The new institute is being formed in affiliation with the New York Software Industry Association (NYSIA), a trade association with over 330 member companies in the New York City area . Bruce E. Bernstein, NYSIA President, said: "The new CUNY Institute for Software Development and Design (CISDD) represents a strong commitment on the part of the City University to the growth of the software/Internet industry in New York City. Partnership between CUNY and the thousands of software/Internet companies in the city, large and small, will benefit both parties. NYSIA, representing the industry, is very excited about CISDD and is playing a very active role in CISDD's development." The City University of New York, the nation’s largest urban university, consists of eleven senior colleges six community colleges, a law school, a medical school, and The Graduate Center. Nearly 200,000 degree credit students are enrolled throughout the five boroughs of New York City. CUNY can claim eleven Nobel Laureates among its graduates. More university graduates serve as CEOs of corporations than from any other baccalaureate-granting institution. The university is one of the nation’s top producers of minority FTSE, engineers, and physicians. The Graduate Center was founded in 1961 as the doctorate-granting institution of The City University of New York. Today, 4,000 students and 1,700 faculty scholars, drawn from throughout the CUNY system and New York City’s leading cultural and scientific institutions, join the shared enterprises of teaching, learning, researching, and expanding the boundaries of knowledge. In this environment of intellectual discovery and exchange, 31 doctoral programs in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences are augmented by 24 research centers and institutes focused on areas of compelling social, civic, cultural, and scientific concerns. The National Research Council’s most recent assessment placed more than a third of the school’s rated programs among the nation’s top 20. The Graduate Center is located at 365 Fifth Avenue in midtown Manhattan. It moved in the fall of 1999 from its longtime home on West 42nd Street to a new campus, which is housed in a landmark building redesigned to meet the specific needs of a 21st-century institution of advanced learning. Further information on The Graduate Center's programs and activities can be found on its Web site at: www.gc.cuny.edu. |