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Month: April 2023

10 Years in Two Dynamic Cities

Posted on , modified on by Maxine P

During this academic year, two NYU global locations arrived at an important milestone: 10 years as part of the NYU global community. NYU Shanghai and NYU Washington, DC, celebrate their accomplishments of the last decade. 

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NYU Shanghai

Last month, NYU Shanghai, one of NYU’s three degree-granting campuses, celebrated its 10th anniversary, beginning with a ceremony held on the school’s newly opened New Bund campus. Guests included founding partners from NYU’s New York City campus and East China Normal University as well as local government officials. NYU’s President Andrew Hamilton took the opportunity to reflect on the important role academic research plays in cultural democracy: 

NYU Shanghai has blossomed into a thriving, remarkable university whose international faculty and student body epitomize NYU’s innovation and ambition. It is not only an important part of NYU, but the research and learnings that faculty and students take part in contribute enormously to cultural understanding across the globe. (NYU Shanghai News and Publications)

Jeffrey Lehman, Andy Hamilton, and Tong Shijun in front of a building with the NYU Shanghai logo

(pictured from left to right) Vice Chancellor of NYU Shanghai Jeffrey Lehman, NYU President Andy Hamilton, NYU Shanghai Chancellor Tong Shijun

The ceremony was the first in a series of events celebrating the momentous anniversary. For example, Visiting Professor of Music and Composition and Distinguished Artist in Residence Bright Sheng conducted the concert, The Friendship of Two Cities: Shanghai–New York, featuring pianist Ming Xie and violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins. Two pieces were carefully curated for the program, “Butterfly Lovers’ Violin Concerto” and “Rhapsody in Blue,” to represent Shanghai and New York City. The weekend also marked NYU Shanghai’s first-ever alumni reunion, and over 200 alumni attended celebratory and networking events including an alumni panel discussion and the Dean’s Open House and Faculty Salon.

NYU Shanghai’s student body president Stephanie Anderson ’23 and vice president Peirong Li ’24 gave inspiring remarks at the opening ceremony, encouraging students to bring positive change to the world: “Let us in true NYU Shanghai fashion, rise to meet the challenges of our new, post-pandemic world and contribute to empower our community.”

NYU Washington, DC

Andy Hamilton talking to smiling people in suits

President Hamilton speaks with alumni at the NYU Washington, DC, 10-year reception.

Celebrations for the 10th anniversary of NYU Washington, DC, one of the University’s global academic centers, began last fall with a reception for over 200 DC-based alumni. President Hamilton provided the keynote address and current students studying at NYU Washington, DC, joined the celebratory reception. The site also launched an inaugural film series with the theme Empire. Each month, a film related to the theme is screened at the Abramson Family Auditorium, followed by a discussion with a faculty moderator. The theme and related films provide an opportunity for students to reflect on the complexities inherent in history as well as international relations and politics today, taking advantage of the site’s location on the doorstep of international diplomacy.

Kari Miller speaking at a podium that says "NYUDC at 10"

NYU Washington, DC, Program Director Kari Miller speaks at the 10-year reception.

Director Kari Miller attributes the site’s success to several factors, including the Constance Milstein and Family Global Academic Center’s incredible facility and its central location downtown. Offering students the chance to take courses near the White House and the National Mall, the center’s proximity to a multitude of government agencies and organizations provides ample opportunities for students to gain practical experience through internships.

And what does Miller hope the next 10 years bring to NYU Washington, DC? “We hope to elevate the visibility of NYU Washington, DC, among our faculty and students at all degree-granting campuses, so that the site provides access to all of the teaching, learning, meeting, and research opportunities available in Washington, DC.”

The NYU Los Angeles Mentorship Program: Partners in Line Producing

Posted on , modified on by Kristin Law

The NYU Los Angeles Mentorship Program gives students the opportunity to be paired with a mentor working in their field(s) of interest. The pairs have at least three one-on-one meetings throughout the semester, and all mentors and mentees are invited to a networking event at the end of the year.

Mentorship pair Mattison Lewis, Tisch School of the Arts Class of 2021, and Franny Baldwin, Tisch Class of 1992, instantly clicked. Due to their shared dedication to careers as line producers, their kinship is a wonderful success of the program. Not to mention it led to Mattison landing a job at Netflix working with Franny.

Matty and Franny smile together at the camera

Q: Mattison, do you have any advice for students coming to NYU Los Angeles?

Mattison: I would tell them something that Franny tells me all the time: don’t be so hard on yourself! I can be very hard on myself when I make a mistake, but making mistakes or having multiple interests is natural in any career. My second piece of advice is to give grace to yourself and other people. Every job is an opportunity to learn, grow, and reflect on what went well and what you want to carry to your next job. And my final piece of advice is to not only maximize your time with your mentor but also appreciate all the time and advice they give you.

Q: What do you think made this mentorship so successful?

Mattison: Franny was so generous with her time. I appreciated this so much, since I have a huge desire to be a line producer. In addition to asking her questions about what I was working on, I shared production books and budgets for projects with her. Before I met Franny, I felt like I was flying blind or always divided in my attention and interests in film and television. But she takes to heart everything I say and bring to the table, and I try my best to reciprocate that attention.

Franny: I was very excited that Mattison was actually interested in learning how to line produce. I assumed we would meet every other week and I would teach him different skills and parts of being a line producer. I didn’t anticipate that we would end up spending so much time together just talking and learning about each other’s lives and families and really connecting.

Q: How did this mentorship evolve into a job?

Franny: When Mattison was hired for his first production coordinator job, we texted and spoke frequently while he was on location. I was very impressed with how he was handling the job. Even though I already knew I wanted to work with him, it became clear to me he would be a fabulous asset to any production. 

Then Netflix approached me about their Emerging Talent program. They wanted to hire someone who was already working in production in their chosen field but would benefit from additional opportunities aimed at reaching their next career level and/or building their professional network. Mattison was a perfect fit because our show was scripted and all of his prior experience was in unscripted work. He did a fabulous job on the show. When it was over, we all wondered how we would have done it without him!

NYU Shanghai Unveils New Bund Campus

Posted on by Katie L

“The NYU Shanghai New Bund campus has finally gone from blueprint to reality,” says NYU Shanghai chancellor Tong Shijun. After three years of anticipation, the uniquely designed campus opened to students, faculty, and staff in February, just in time for NYU president Andrew Hamilton to visit in celebration of NYU Shanghai’s 10th anniversary.

Exterior shot of the New Bund Campus

Photo credit: NYU Shanghai

The campus of four interlinked buildings surrounding a beautiful courtyard was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox and the Arcplus Institute of Shanghai Architectural Design & Research. The New Bund campus includes a recital hall, a black box theatre, two indoor gymnasiums, and a two-story reading room adjacent to the library. Additionally, it has 78 classrooms; a 600-seat auditorium; an art gallery to house the NYU Shanghai Institute of Contemporary Arts; and Magnolia House, a multifunctional winter garden. Although it serves as a retreat from cold weather, Magnolia House’s large glass facades offer students plenty of sunshine while exchanging ideas, studying, or socializing.

“The design for the campus brilliantly expresses our University’s cosmopolitan spirit, integrating multiple architectural and cultural traditions together with values of environmental sustainability, celebrating everything from the beauty of a 100-year-old tree to the newest thinking about neural networks,” says Vice Chancellor Jeffrey S. Lehman.

In addition to exploring the new campus, students are encouraged to explore their new neighborhood, the New Bund, and its community. Students visited the China Art Museum and traveled to Sanlin Old Town to celebrate the Yuyuan Lantern Festival as well as experience traditional customs with local residents. Future events like porcelain carving, embroidery sessions, and tours of the Shanghai History Museum and the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center are planned for students to further engage with the local culture and build meaningful connections.

Another meaningful connection on the new campus? The suspended bridge over the west building’s main gateway serves as a physical representation of NYU Shanghai’s mission to build bridges between nations and individuals. “The new campus combines features from the East and the West. It connects the present with the future. With such a great campus, I am confident we will make a lasting and vital contribution to Pudong, to Shanghai, to China, and to the world,” says Shijun.