Poly trustees delay merger vote while state investigates
Deal violates agreement NYU made in '70s, opponents say
Jane C. Timm
Issue date: 2/8/08 Section: News
Thursday, Feb. 7, 2008. 8 p.m. -- Merger negotiations between NYU and Polytechnic University were put on hold today after the Brooklyn engineering school's Board of Trustees delayed a final vote while the state looks into allegations the deal violates an agreement NYU made in the '70s.
Today, WSN reported that Polytechnic's alumni and several trustees had moved for a delay in the vote, based partially on their allegation that NYU agreed to not compete in engineering when it dissolved its engineering school in 1973.
But Craig Matthews, the chairman of Polytechnic's Board of Trustees, said the Board decided to postpone the vote to give the New York State Education Department time to investigate those concerns.
The deal would effectively make NYU the owner of Polytechnic. Officials from both schools say the deal is likely to pass; both NYU's and Polytechnic's boards of trustees approved preliminary details of the plan.
But State Sen. Kenneth LaValle, the chairman of the Senate's Higher Education Committee, sent a letter to the Board requesting the delay, Matthews said.
The merger opponents also alleged that some of the voting Trustees had a conflict of interest because they would benefit personally from the merger.
A confidential memo to the Board, signed by three trustees, was leaked to news sources and the senator, raising questions about the deal, Matthews said.
The Board discussed the concerns that the letter raised and "affirmed that we do not see any basis for these allegations."
But some trustees disagree.
"The concerns are valid," said Thomas Mauro, a nonvoting trustee on Polytechnic's board and a former president of the school's alumni association, which has opposed the plan.
Mauro declined to discuss specifics.
According to Inside Higher Ed, the memo reported that the Board had not sought faculty input on the merger. But Matthews said that the Board "had an executive session" with faculty members this morning to gauge opinions.
"The faculty couldn't support this more," he said.
The Board took a nonbinding vote on the merger, Matthews said, adding that more than 75 percent of voting trustees - the "super majority" needed to approve a merger - voted in favor of it.
"The Board is still committed," he said.
NYU President John Sexton told the University Senate about the decision today.
University spokesman John Beckman said, "NYU continues to believe in the benefits of the proposed agreement not only to Poly and NYU but also in enhancing New York's reputation as a center for science and technology."
Additional reporting by Sergio Hernandez. Jane C. Timm is university news editor. E-mail her at jtimm@nyunews.com.
Today, WSN reported that Polytechnic's alumni and several trustees had moved for a delay in the vote, based partially on their allegation that NYU agreed to not compete in engineering when it dissolved its engineering school in 1973.
But Craig Matthews, the chairman of Polytechnic's Board of Trustees, said the Board decided to postpone the vote to give the New York State Education Department time to investigate those concerns.
The deal would effectively make NYU the owner of Polytechnic. Officials from both schools say the deal is likely to pass; both NYU's and Polytechnic's boards of trustees approved preliminary details of the plan.
But State Sen. Kenneth LaValle, the chairman of the Senate's Higher Education Committee, sent a letter to the Board requesting the delay, Matthews said.
The merger opponents also alleged that some of the voting Trustees had a conflict of interest because they would benefit personally from the merger.
A confidential memo to the Board, signed by three trustees, was leaked to news sources and the senator, raising questions about the deal, Matthews said.
The Board discussed the concerns that the letter raised and "affirmed that we do not see any basis for these allegations."
But some trustees disagree.
"The concerns are valid," said Thomas Mauro, a nonvoting trustee on Polytechnic's board and a former president of the school's alumni association, which has opposed the plan.
Mauro declined to discuss specifics.
According to Inside Higher Ed, the memo reported that the Board had not sought faculty input on the merger. But Matthews said that the Board "had an executive session" with faculty members this morning to gauge opinions.
"The faculty couldn't support this more," he said.
The Board took a nonbinding vote on the merger, Matthews said, adding that more than 75 percent of voting trustees - the "super majority" needed to approve a merger - voted in favor of it.
"The Board is still committed," he said.
NYU President John Sexton told the University Senate about the decision today.
University spokesman John Beckman said, "NYU continues to believe in the benefits of the proposed agreement not only to Poly and NYU but also in enhancing New York's reputation as a center for science and technology."
Additional reporting by Sergio Hernandez. Jane C. Timm is university news editor. E-mail her at jtimm@nyunews.com.
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