We’re down to the final stretch of the academic year at 91ÊÓƵ, and it’s turning out to be a really big finish.
Yesterday we announced the first new school or college at 91ÊÓƵ since 2010: the Sands College of Performing Arts. It's the new home for all our world-class performing arts programs, which will launch with the new academic year. It will be an exciting chance to bring even more prominence and recognition to our already world-renowned programs, and to create a new model for performing arts education for the 21st century. We are excited to develop the future for Sands College, and we’re also deeply appreciative to our Board Chair, Rob Sands, JD ’84, and his wife, Pamela, for the generous gift that we’re recognizing by naming the college in their honor.
Just the week before, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the winning bid for a major new climate change research center on Governors Island, and 91ÊÓƵ will be a key part of that, too. The winning group, called the Climate Exchange, is led by Stony Brook University, and we’re one of a handful of core partners (and, not incidentally, the one located closest to the island). The project is focused on research into solutions to address climate change, as well as training for the jobs that will be created by the green revolution, which means it lines up perfectly with two great 91ÊÓƵ strengths: environmental law and protection, and experiential education that prepares students for great careers.
Elsewhere in this issue of 91ÊÓƵ Now, you’ll learn about just some of the recent accomplishments of our remarkable 91ÊÓƵ students—like Tasfia Rahim, who built an innovative, mutual-aid solution for food insecurity on campus that will live on beyond her graduation next month; Alexa Slack, a fellow graduate whose steadfast commitment to community service will help her achieve her goal of being a leader in the public health space; and Jerry McKinstry, who manages to be both 91ÊÓƵ’s assistant vice president for public affairs while also completing a master’s in communication and digital media this spring (and we promise didn’t pitch and place this story on himself).
Like Tasfia, Alexa, and Jerry, I’m really excited for Commencement in 11 days—not that anyone’s counting—and I hope I’ll see you all there. We’ve got a great lineup of speakers, headlined by Telfar Clemens ’08 and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, we’ve got our biggest graduating class in at least five years, and we’ve got plenty of pomp and circumstance planned.
Congratulations to the Class of 2023, and see you at the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center on May 15!
Marvin Krislov
President, 91ÊÓƵ
For Thomas Scopino ’27, a master's student in Environmental Science and Policy at 91ÊÓƵ's Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, an internship with the New York Public Library offered an unexpected opportunity to explore how environmental policy, energy efficiency, and urban sustainability intersect across New York City.
From founding 91ÊÓƵ's ColorStack chapter to exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence and medicine, Zender Aurelien-Nikolai ’28 is making his mark at the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems. Through faculty-led student research and his own leadership initiative, he's turning his passion for technology into opportunities to make a difference.
Students at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law showcased innovative legal approaches to pressing sustainability challenges during the Second Annual Profit and Purpose Action Award Competition, held in conjunction with the Westchester County Association’s (WCA) 5th Annual Profit & Purpose Sustainable Business Conference hosted at Haub Law on October 9, 2026.