<p>peach3s: I usually hate calling out people, but it kind of upset me how a student at NYU could be so ill informed about AD. If anything, for the long term, AD will be a great investment for the future. I understand if the short-term gain is not as sufficient as everyone would like, but the long-term gain is substantial. This is especially boosting NYU’s international reputation. This equals more job opportunities abroad, etc.</p>
<p>More job opportunities for WHO? Even me, a diehard Violet, dislikes the AD expansion. I don’t have anything against the international students who study there. I won’t deny that it’s an incredible opportunity for them. I still think Sexton did this all wrong. This wasn’t the time to do this. Sexton should focus on NYU WSQ, or even focus on making NYU-POLY a more cohesive part of our “community”.</p>
<p>@AdamJones: I agree. </p>
<p>@missamericanpie: I agree too.</p>
<p>Ahahaha I love how all the kids who are in middle school and high school and don’t even go to NYU are telling upperclassmen and alumni how to feel about Abu Dhabi! Many of you only know NYU from the pretty brochure they mailed to your house one day. Believe me, there is a lot of animosity and tension between the Village and NYU, and naturally there is some tension between the adminstration and students/alumni over where our money is going and what is happening to our university. </p>
<p>No one has anything against the students who study there - like NYU-Poly, they are a legit part of our community. That doesn’t mean we don’t have a right to be angry about decisions our administration chooses to make. And I’m not ignorant, I’ve personally attended 3 of Sexton’s little presentations about Abu Dhabi and the 2031 campus expansion.</p>
<p>And I attend NYU on 2 scholarships, so this isn’t me being annoyed over financial issues - I pay a helluva lot less than most people and will graduate with no debt. Like most students, I’m just bothered by decisions the administration is making.</p>
<p>Alix- Why exactly don’t you like NYUAD? If you like the idea of a global university, NYUAD is exciting. This is helping NYU in New York too, isn’t it? NYU isn’t spending any money. You get another study abroad site, the first US LAC in another country, lots of political connections that will help NYU in the future, a really top-notch school, high rankings, worldwide attention for the accomplishment, and lots of cash for the NYU Washington Square campus.</p>
<p>"Abu Dhabi will also be sending millions of dollars back to Washington Square as added incentive. “Abu Dhabi is willing to invest in whatever is needed on the Square,” says Mari</p>
<p>missamericanpie- job opps for you and other students! If you’re interested in global politics, international relations, urbanization, architecture, engineering, business, ect. you will have more job opportunities in the UAE. Don’t quote me on this, but I was told that a police officer in Abu Dhabi makes $140k a year plus an $8k government allowance. There are no taxes. If any NYU grad is interested in Abu Dhabi, in job experience, in development, or even just in money, this is pretty helpful. Those big paychecks could help out students with debt.</p>
<p>What about students who major in things like the arts, sciences, or teaching, or nursing, or my major, communications? I know the most popular major in CAS is Economics, but there are still TONS of students who won’t directly benefit from AD “career connections”.</p>
<p>“Last year, Abu Dhabi signed a $2 billion deal with Warner Bros. to open a megastudio and jump-start a burgeoning entertainment industry. It is pumping millions into a new English-language newspaper that has already hired top writers and editors away from the Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The New Yorker. It recently signed deals with Cleveland Clinic and the Imperial College London to open branches in the emirate.”</p>
<p>[Has</a> NYU President John Sexton Sold Out With an Abu Dhabi Expansion? – New York Magazine](<a href=“Has NYU President John Sexton Sold Out With an Abu Dhabi Expansion? -- New York Magazine - Nymag”>Has NYU President John Sexton Sold Out With an Abu Dhabi Expansion? -- New York Magazine - Nymag)</p>
<p>That covers job opportunities in music, medicine, education, and communications. I’m not sure about science, but they sure need engineers. Econ students can work with companies that deal in finance, data analysis, and trending. I meet an American guy who didn’t have a degree and drove a truck in the UAE for 9 months earning 108k, all untaxed by the government. There’s a crazy amount of money there, and NYU is making it easier for students to get work in Abu Dhabi.</p>
<p>what about the arts?? Will there be freedom of expression? What kind of plays will they be putting on at Abu Dabi? Hair? Chicago? Jesus Christ Superstar? Equus?
Will people be able to show PDA on campus? Will people be able to have “visitors” for the night?</p>
<p>Why would NYU students work in Abu Dhabi just because NYU has a campus there? If I’m a premed student and I’ve been preparing to become a doctor here in the US, I’m not going to go to Abu Dhabi just because my alma mater has a ~connection~ there. </p>
<p>What about our 61% of female students here at NYU? Can you honestly say that it would be easy for a female alumnus to get hired in Abu Dhabi? Could I get a job at that megastudio as easily as Joe Smith with the same communications degree?</p>
<p>^ Haha I know a girl who went abroad there…she described it as 3.5 months of sexual harrassment 
super! And 62% of students here are women, and like 20% are gay guys. I’m guessing maybe 1 out of every 100,000 NYU student plans to move to the Middle East and work their after they graduate. I understand there are a lot of jobs there, but most people simply aren’t looking to uproot and move to a foreign culture - the same reason most of us aren’t planning to move to Africa or Europe. </p>
<p>The main benefit of AD I can think of is it provides students with a good education at a low cost. I just wish NYU would provide some financial aid for the students at the real NYU, here in NYC. You know, the NYU that’s been sitting here since about 1831 and which is ranked #1 for worst financial aid? But I’m getting off topic now, sorry.</p>
<p>What the upperclassmen are saying to you, they’re saying with hindsight. And first-hand experience. Don’t be so quick to dismiss that.</p>
<p>I love NYU, despite some of it’s ridiculous flaws. I think international exchange is invaluable to the growth of a human being and every student should be able to experience that. But there still remain a lot of questions on how John Sexton went about putting NYUAD together, and if you were here on campus when this first got announced, you’d know that. My primary concern is that this project shuffles away professors/students/attention/money/time/effort away from what makes NYU, NYU. And I think I, as an alumni, have at least an inkling of disappointment at what I perceive to be unnecessary, illegitimate expansion.</p>
<p>Alix - NYUAD certainly isn’t making NYU’s financial situation any worse, as the prince is essentially paying for it. Actually, Abu Dhabi has promised to send money to the New York campus! That should help out with #1 worst financial aid or with hiring professors to fill in gaps left by people who are “stolen”.</p>
<p>missamericanpie - Just because they’re making an opportunity for you doesn’t mean that you are obliged to take it. Some people will surely benefit. Meanwhile, I don’t think that people like you are going to be hurt by job opportunities you don’t take. Helps some, hurts no one?</p>
<p>peaches - I definately feel your concern. Sexton is sending over professors and spending more effort on NYUAD recently. Still, he hasn’t really changed his effort in trying to make NYU a stronger university overall. I realize that he put NYUAD together by picking the highest bidder, but this amount of resources will surely help NYU grow.</p>
<p>Well this shows that Sexton is still working with NYU in NYC, but I can’t believe how ambitious this plan is.</p>
<p>[N.Y.U</a>. Plans an Expansion of 40 Percent - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/arts/design/23nyu.html?pagewanted=1&ref=homepage&src=me]N.Y.U”>http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/arts/design/23nyu.html?pagewanted=1&ref=homepage&src=me)</p>
<p>@funk - Many NYU students and alumni, as well as many NYC residents, do not want this expansion. Not sure if you live in NYC, but there is a lot of hatred against us here. Some of it is undeserved, since NYU contributes a lot to the city, but some of it is deserved. </p>
<p>Personally, I would rather see NYU be smaller - fewer students accepted, a better professor/student ratio, smaller classes, more of a community feel, space concentrated around Washington Sq, etc. More money should go to financial aid, scholarships and academics - that’s what a university exists for! </p>
<p>Notice how your article mentions NYU wanting more prestige. The colleges mentioned in the article like Columbia and Harvard are known for ACADEMICS. They offer a better education than NYU with top professors, smaller class sizes, and amazing financial aid.
We just knock buildings over and build ugly skyscrapers while our students can’t afford to go here :/</p>
<p>
This John Sexton quote essentially summarizes why half of us think he’s a dbag. Reality: NYC is one of the greatest cities in the world, and NYU is like a giant festering boil oozing pus all over it.</p>
<p>The same thing is happening in Harlem–where i live-- with Columbia. They own like half of Harlem now. Its sucks all the local business are gone they plan to turn public housing complex aka the projects into dorms… they are kicking people out of their homes
These big universities do what ever they want
NYU is on that path</p>
<p>Alix- Every college aims to improve academics, lower admission rates, reduce class sizes, improve faculty ect.</p>
<p>All of that takes money. Since you read the article you’ll see that Sexton raises an impressive amount of money (2.5 billion by 2007) and hires professors away from amazing schools like Stanford and Harvard. He’s taking the next step with NYU Abu Dhabi to simultaneously create an amazing school (at no cost to NYU) and to use Abu Dhabi’s vast resources to improve NYU in the areas you mentioned. It seems to me that Sexton is steering NYU in the right direction compared to where the university was when he was appointed president.</p>
<p>Also, when you start talking about NYU being like a giant festering boil oozing pus over NYC, it’s hard to take you seriously. That’s not a point. I honestly hope you weren’t just ■■■■■■■■ this whole time.</p>
<p>I feel bad that we’ve hijacked the thread for potential AD students. Heh. Oops.</p>
<p>@Funk - Sorry, to clarify, in my last post I was specifically talking about the 2031 expansions, not Abu Dhabi. </p>
<p>I’m afraid I make a lot of disgusting pus-type analogies; I’m a science major 
By the way, are you a student at NYU Abu Dhabi?</p>
<p>Nope I’m not. I agree, that NY Times article is a shocker.</p>