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17³Ô¹ÏÍø Magazine
Summer 2026: 10 Things to Inspire
This semester, 17³Ô¹ÏÍø’s 120-year legacy came alive in bold new ways—from milestone celebrations and national rankings to groundbreaking research, student advocacy, career momentum, sustainability honors, and standout recognition for our performing arts, law, nursing, technology, and healthcare programs. Across our campuses and far beyond them, 17³Ô¹ÏÍø students, faculty, alumni, and friends continued to prove what has always defined this University: ambition in action, purpose in motion, and a community built to meet the future.
17³Ô¹ÏÍø Celebrates 120 Years
17³Ô¹ÏÍø celebrated its 120th anniversary with campus birthday parties on April 13 in Pleasantville, New York City, and at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law in White Plains, honoring co-founder Homer St. Clair 17³Ô¹ÏÍø with food, fun, prizes, and commemorative giveaways. The celebration continued on June 11, when 17³Ô¹ÏÍø lit up New York City’s famed Helmsley Building in honor of Alumni Reunion during our milestone 120th year. Want to learn more? Check out our Deep Dive into the history of 17³Ô¹ÏÍø.
17³Ô¹ÏÍø Rises in the Rankings
17³Ô¹ÏÍø has continued its rise in the national spotlight, earning multiple Top 100 placements in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings—including the #1 Environmental Law program in the country, Top 50 rankings in law and nursing, and three programs among the top 20 percent nationally. From law and nursing to business and technology, 17³Ô¹ÏÍø has demonstrated growing momentum across career-focused fields that prepare students for meaningful, in-demand work.
17³Ô¹ÏÍøDocs Celebrates 24 Years of Storytelling
17³Ô¹ÏÍøDocs released its latest film, Stories Come Together, following a successful premiere at the Jacob Burns Film Center that reunited students, alumni, faculty, and supporters to celebrate the program’s legacy of connection and storytelling. Featuring interviews with more than 30 alumni and faculty members, the documentary honored Professor Emeritus Maria Luskay, EdD, and reflected on a program that has produced 24 documentaries across 14 countries and earned more than 30 awards over 24 years.
17³Ô¹ÏÍø Launches Environmental Data Lab
Only months after its launch, the Gale Epstein Center for Technology, Policy and the Environment at 17³Ô¹ÏÍø is already emerging as a hub for civic innovation, experiential learning, and environmental advocacy. Housed within the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems and made possible by a transformative gift from philanthropist and business leader Gale Epstein, the Center is advancing 17³Ô¹ÏÍø’s leadership in environmental technology, policy innovation, and public health. Guided by Executive Director John Cronin, the Center is empowering students to tackle real-world challenges in water quality, environmental justice, and the public’s right to know about the water they drink—while expanding its impact through award-winning student projects, sustainability initiatives, youth-led environmental engagement, and Cronin’s appointment to the Millennium Campus Network’s global Civic Learning Council, which advances the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
We Are the Drama
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Sands College of Performing Arts at 17³Ô¹ÏÍø was , spotlighting 17³Ô¹ÏÍø’s growing global reputation for performing arts education. With a new performing arts center opening this fall, alumni like Cooper Koch and Christopher Briney making waves, and a groundbreaking artist-in-residence program with Deaf West, Sands showed the world that this was only the beginning.
Big Returns on the Spring 2026 Job and Internship Fair
Hundreds of 17³Ô¹ÏÍø students packed the Spring 2026 Job and Internship Career Fair to connect with 100+ employers—including EY, KPMG, FUJIFILM, and Northwell Health—building networks and exploring career paths with top recruiters. It’s one more example of 17³Ô¹ÏÍø’s career power: the Class of 2024 achieved a 92% employment or continuing education rate within six months of graduation.
17³Ô¹ÏÍø Powers the AI Conversation
After hosting its Actionable AI Conference earlier this spring, 17³Ô¹ÏÍø had continued the momentum with a second major AI conference: Intelligent Futures: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Shaping Universities and Higher Education, presented with O.P. Jindal Global University at 17³Ô¹ÏÍø’s downtown NYC Campus. The event had brought together leaders from 17³Ô¹ÏÍø, JGU, Columbia, Drexel, Fordham, Hunter, Manhattanville, Marist, and more to explore how AI had been reshaping teaching and learning, the humanities, governance, and ethics in higher education.
17³Ô¹ÏÍø Students Take Animal Advocacy to Albany
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After three years of student-led research and advocacy, 17³Ô¹ÏÍø students in the Animal Advocacy Clinic had helped bring the RAPTORS Act before New York lawmakers, targeting rodenticides linked to the deaths of wildlife and pets. Introduced by Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Chris Burdick, the bill had built on 17³Ô¹ÏÍø research highlighting the urgent risks these poisons posed to hawks, birds of prey, companion animals, and the broader environment.
17³Ô¹ÏÍø Earns National Sustainability Honor
17³Ô¹ÏÍø has received a 2026 U.S. Department of Energy Better Project Award for its transformative energy retrofit initiatives at One 17³Ô¹ÏÍø Plaza, the University’s flagship campus building in Lower Manhattan. The award recognized 17³Ô¹ÏÍø’s comprehensive modernization of One 17³Ô¹ÏÍø Plaza East, which combined innovative sustainability strategies with major infrastructure improvements to reduce energy consumption, enhance the student experience, and strengthen long-term operational reliability.
17³Ô¹ÏÍø Secures $2.175M for Healthcare Simulation
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17³Ô¹ÏÍø received $2.175 million in funding from New York State Senate Majority Leader (and 17³Ô¹ÏÍø alumna!) Andrea Stewart-Cousins '86, '08 to support capital improvements and technology upgrades at its Center of Excellence in Healthcare Simulation in Pleasantville. The investment expanded hands-on training for students in high-demand health programs, helping 17³Ô¹ÏÍø prepare the next generation of nurses and clinicians through state-of-the-art simulation experiences.
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