Old Westbury, NY – New York Institute of Technology unveiled the new name for its osteopathic medical school today, officially distinguishing it as New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine.

The new name replaces the school's former identification as New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, which was frequently shortened to NYCOM. In selecting the new name, university administrators chose to move away from the "COM" acronym, opting to spell out College of Osteopathic Medicine to avoid an abbreviation more commonly associated with technology, dot.com businesses, and corporations. They also stressed the university's goal to "break down silos" among academic disciplines and the seven schools within the NYIT community.

"NYIT is privileged to be one of the few universities in the country with an osteopathic medical school, especially one so highly regarded for its continuum of medical education," said NYIT President Edward Guiliano, Ph.D. "And NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine is equally privileged to be part of a university with ‘Technology' as its last name. More opportunities to offer a leading-edge, cross-disciplinary curriculum, a greater research capacity, greater visibility in the world at large, and access to more channels for enhanced partnerships and support are just a few of the mutual benefits. We all draw strength from each other in the NYIT community."

NYIT Chair Linda Davila, Guiliano, and Vice President of Health Sciences and Medical Affairs Barbara Ross-Lee, D.O., spoke of the College of Osteopathic Medicine's attributes to a crowd of several hundred gathered on the school's academic quad. A short time later, a large blue drape opened to reveal the school's new name in brushed steel letters on Rockefeller Hall's brick façade.

Ross-Lee, who wore a scrub top with the new name, praised the NYIT Board of Trustees for encouraging "collaboration and community" within the university, and noted that the medical school will maintain its leadership in interdisciplinary research and osteopathic medical education.

"We want to proudly and clearly spell out our full name as a College of Osteopathic Medicine," said Ross-Lee, who presented navy blue scrub tops to Davila and Guiliano.

First- and second-year students also received new scrub tops and badges at a student brunch sponsored by the school's Student Government Association.

"It doesn't make sense to have a separate name for the school as if it's a separate entity," said Farzan Gorgani, the College of Osteopathic Medicine's student government president and an academic medical scholar. "I think it's a good thing to unify the entire university."

Gorgani added that the student government's current theme is pride.

"It's pride in our school, faculty, and students and everything our students do," he said. "Pride in a name is superficial; it should be deeper. It's just a name change but the people are the same and that's what really matters."

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About NYIT

New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) offers 90 degree programs, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees, in more than 50 fields of study, including architecture and design; arts and sciences; education; engineering and computing sciences; health professions; management; and osteopathic medicine. A non-profit independent, private institution of higher education, NYIT has 14,000 students attending campuses on Long Island and Manhattan, online, and at its global campuses. NYIT sponsors 11 NCAA Division II programs and one Division I team.

Led by President Edward Guiliano, NYIT is guided by its mission to provide career-oriented professional education, offer access to opportunity to all qualified students, and support applications-oriented research that benefits the larger world. To date, 92,000 graduates have received degrees from NYIT. For more information, visit nyit.edu.

Elaine Iandoli
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