June 6, 2003

TO: David Mesecher, Chairman Long Island Section, IEEE

FROM: Ivan Frisch, Provost, Polytechnic University

RE: Chairman's Message in Pulse


Dave I want to congratulate you on the outstanding job you are doing as Chairman. I also am grateful for your Chairman's Message in the June 1, 2003 issue of Pulse. Without commenting on whether, you or Don Scarl is correct, I acknowledge that you are both raising important issues.

However, I must take exception to one comment that you make, namely:

"Compare this to the fate of engineering education on Long Island, where the school with the teachers and students that both Dr. Scarl and myself so highly admire just closed its undergraduate program. Still not afraid?"

This statement falsely supports your arguments and also does a disservice to the school you are referring to, Polytechnic University.

Polytechnic did not close its undergraduate operation in Farmingdale because we question the number, quality or motivation of potential undergraduate students on Long Island. Rather, we made a strategic decision to consolidate our undergraduate offerings at MetroTech in Brooklyn to achieve our goal of delivering a world-class undergraduate program. At this campus we are serving students from Long Island, both as dormitory residents and as commuters, by car, or even better, the LIRR. Our strategy is working and we continue to be a resource for Long Island.

Of course, our confidence in Long Island is also clearly indicated by our new Graduate Center in Melville.

I hope this clarifies some of the issues you are debating.