Polytechnic merger approved

NYU's merger with Polytechnic University was approved by the Brooklyn engineering school's Board of Trustees yesterday.

The deal now awaits approval by regulatory state agencies. The deal, which NYU President John Sexton has called an "assimilation," would effectively give NYU control of Polytechnic.

"We at NYU are completely delighted with the vote today at the Poly Board of Trustees. NYU is a leader in science, but we have missed greatly a major presence to engineering in our campus," Sexton told WSN. "The addition of Poly will fill a hole in the heart of this institution and allow us to do great things together."

NYU's board voted last week to allow Sexton and board chair Martin Lipton to sign the merger agreement once details are finalized. Sexton and Lipton will carefully review "pertinent financial and operational information" before signing the agreement, NYU Provost David McLaughlin said in a statement today.

Polytechnic President Jerry Hultin said that the Board of Trustees "overwhelmingly" approved the merger at their meeting today.

Hultin said he was excited about the deal and said that the merger will boost the city's economy.

"This is a perfect fit between two universities because we bring engineering to NYU and NYU brings science and arts to Poly and a global program," Hultin said.

Hultin said that the deal would hopefully be approved by the state in May so that the two schools could start collaborating shortly after.

Polytechnic Student Council President Diane Ramkishun said that the student body was enthusiastic about the deal.

"We're really excited to see that the ball is rolling," Ramkishun said.

New York State Sen. Kenneth Lavelle, chairman of the state's Higher Education Committee, asked Polytechnic's board to delay its vote last month after a group of the university's alumni raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest by voting trustees and questioned the legality of NYU's return to engineering.

The New York Times reported early this morning that Lavelle's investigation has not yet completed and that the attorney general's office is now making similar inquiries.

While the investigation was discussed at the meeting, Hultin said that the Board had focused on moving forward with the merger.

"The board felt very comfortable that there weren't any conflicts of interest," Hultin said.

NYU had an engineering school once, but it dissolved it amid financial difficulties in the 1970s. Since then, it has only had dual-degree programs with other institutions.

Additional reporting by Sergio Hernandez. Jane C. Timm is the university editor. E-mail her at jtimm@nyunews.com.