News & Events
Dr. Russell K. Hotzler Named New President at City Tech
Dr. Russell K. Hotzler
Dr. Fred W. Beaufait
Dr. Russell K. Hotzler was named eighth president of New York
City College of Technology by the City University of New York’s
Board of Trustees at its May meeting and will assume the presidency
in September after having served as City University of New York
Vice Chancellor for Academic Program Planning. Prior to that, he
held the position of Interim President at both York and Queens
Colleges, guiding those institutions through periods of administrative
transition and restructuring.
Dr. Hotzler joined The City University of New York in 1971 as
a faculty member at Queensborough Community College, where he
taught and served as Vice President for Academic Affairs before
joining CUNY's central administration in 1996 as University Dean
for Academic Affairs. His university-wide responsibilities have
included oversight of academic program initiatives and liaison
to the State Education Department and Middle States Association
of Colleges and Schools, coordination of CUNY’s teacher
education initiatives and liaison to the New York City Board
of Education in matters of teacher education and development
of new performance standards for K-12 mathematics and science
instruction. He currently serves as chair of the New York State
Regents Advisory Committee on Accreditation.
His other experiences include working with the Hospital for Special Surgery’s Bio-Engineering Department, where he studied metal-tissue interactions and wear characteristics of metal implants, and serving as a National Aeronautics & Space Administration research fellow studying the microstructure and characteristics of oxide-dispersion strengthened alloys at the NASA Research Center in Ohio.
Dr. Hotzler is recipient of an American Society for Metals Education Award in recognition of his contributions to the teaching of science and was elected to the board of the society’s National Education Committee. He has been active in numerous professional organizations, including the American Society for Engineering Education, the American Society for Metals, the American Society for Testing and Materials, and Sigma Xi.
A native New Yorker, Dr. Hotzler holds BS and MS degrees in metallurgical engineering and a PhD in physical metallurgy from Polytechnic University in Brooklyn, where he also served as a member of the faculty in the Department of Physical and Engineering Metallurgy.
Dr. Hotzler succeeds Dr. Fred W. Beaufait, who has served as president since January 1999. The Beaufait years have been marked by significant successes in implementing an ambitious agenda for change.
The College’s name was changed in 2002 in recognition of the sophistication of its academic programs and the role it plays in providing a technologically savvy workforce for New York and the nation. Full-time faculty increased in size, with more than half of all faculty members hired during the last five years. Moreover, City Tech substantially enhanced its stature as a baccalaureate institution, adding bachelor’s degree programs in applied mathematics, architectural technology, computer systems, facilities management and health services administration, as well as a baccalaureate option in travel and tourism. Baccalaureate enrollment increased from 1,400 in 1999 to more than 3,500 today.
The College inaugurated its first international student exchange program with the technological college of the University of Paris and also won approval of its application for membership in Division III of the NCAA. Academic standards were raised and the number of students transferring to City Tech reached record levels. Facilities were renovated, aging laboratories modernized and new ones established, and cutting-edge instructional technology was introduced across the curriculum.
The last five years brought increased outreach to and services for alumni, and the College’s communications efforts helped make City Tech a familiar name in both major and community-based print and broadcast media. A comprehensive database was established and a major capital campaign launched, resulting in significant improvements in fundraising. Additional resources were allocated to improving job search and career development services for students and alumni alike.
Dr. Beaufait showed interest in every area of College life and clearly enunciated a “students first” policy. His tenure saw the streamlining of the enrollment process, including adoption of online registration, and he guided the restructuring of admissions, advisement, counseling and student support services to bring these areas more fully into the 21st century. A comprehensive Health Education Services Program was established.
From top to bottom, one senses today an institution on the move and more aggressively responding to emerging challenges by forging innovative solutions. Dr. Beaufait is the first to say that the credit must go to the College’s dedicated and hardworking faculty and staff.
In his inaugural remarks, Dr. Beaufait pledged to devote his presidency to completing City Tech’s transition from its community college origins to a premier baccalaureate institution. While he left behind some unfinished business, as all presidents do, he very substantially did just that. Thank you, President Beaufait!
07/20/04
