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Last summer - a couple days past the ninth anniversary of his walk across Niagara Falls - `King of the High Wire` Nik Wallenda took to the Western New York sky once more. This time, it was to highlight a new medical resource for Buffalo residents. Wallenda walked a tightrope over the D'Youville College campus. His appearance was in conjunction with the grand opening of the Health Professionals HUB. (File photo by Mark Williams Jr.)
Last summer - a couple days past the ninth anniversary of his walk across Niagara Falls - "King of the High Wire" Nik Wallenda took to the Western New York sky once more. This time, it was to highlight a new medical resource for Buffalo residents. Wallenda walked a tightrope over the D'Youville College campus. His appearance was in conjunction with the grand opening of the Health Professionals HUB. (File photo by Mark Williams Jr.)

D'Youville College becomes D'Youville University

Submitted

Fri, Feb 18th 2022 01:10 pm

First college in Buffalo and one of three in state approved for transition 

D’Youville President Lorrie A. Clemo, Ph.D., and the board of trustees on Friday announced an extraordinary milestone in the 113-year-old history of the institution. D’Youville has been granted university status by the New York State Board of Regents and is now designated as D’Youville University. Touro College and Utica College were also approved for university designation.

“It is with the utmost excitement we are experiencing this landmark moment,” Clemo said. “Our new name as D’Youville University reflects the evolution and reality of our institution, with expanded graduate and doctoral degree programs, international presence, significant broadening of our academic portfolio, transition to NCAA Division II athletics, campus modernizations, and partnerships with private industry.”

The announcement was made this afternoon in the historic D’Youville Kavinoky Theatre, as part of a ceremonial event and day-long celebration on D’Youville’s campus, which included music, food, and gifts for students, faculty, staff and friends.

Special guests included New York State Sen. Timothy M. Kennedy (Class of 1999) and Dr. Catherine Collins from the New York State Board of Regents, who both offered remarks. Other speakers included new York State Sen. Sean Ryan; Joseph Cozzo (graduate Class of 2011), chair of the D’Youville board of trustees; and John Rizk, Student Government Association president.

"When D'Youville first brought this vision to my attention back in 2018, my office hit the ground running – sending letters, calling commissioners, meeting with NYSED many times – all in an effort to secure the university designation this incredible institution deserves. As an alum, this was personal for me, and we as a community refused to take ‘No’ for an answer," Kennedy said. "This was truly a collective effort, with Dr. Lorrie Clemo, Jogy Das, Nathan Marton, and so many other leaders at the helm. Paired with the community voices and alumni doing everything they could to move this process forward, along with Regent Dr. Catherine Collins' tireless work on this, we're thrilled to finally get this across the finish line and celebrate this major victory for D'Youville University."

Since the mid-2000s, D’Youville has been setting the stage for this major evolution, first by shifting the direction of the college from a traditional liberal arts institution to one that focuses on professional and specialized degree programs. D’Youville offers nine different doctoral programs, including three research-based academic doctorates (Doctor of Education, Ed.D.) in educational leadership, health administration and health professions education, and six professional doctorates, including chiropractic (D.C.), family nurse practitioner (D.N.P.), psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (D.N.P.), pharmacy (Pharm.D.), physical therapy (D.P.T.), and post-professional occupational therapy doctorate (p.p.O.T.D.). The university also offers degrees at the associate, bachelor’s and master’s doctoral levels.

As part of this historic milestone, D’Youville also announced the launch of its new Center for Doctoral Studies and Applied Research, which will promote further research and scholarship opportunities to help D’Youville fulfill the expectations set forth with its new university status.

“This university designation and new Center for Doctoral Studies and Applied research underscore our ongoing work to raise the bar for academic rigor and giving back to others,” Cozzo said. “Since its inception, D’Youville has nurtured a strong commitment to serve the health and vitality of our students and community. As we celebrate together, we embrace this important responsibility to serve all students and our community, today and for the future.”

A press release noted, “D’Youville University will continue to provide transformational experiences in the health sciences, which attracts talent from Western New York, across the United States and abroad. Its focus on scholarship and research further strengthen its reputation as an academic leader, built on a model ready to navigate challenges in the changing higher education landscape.”

Clemo said, “Not only does the status as a university reflect our academic excellence, but it also supports our longstanding commitment to our students and our surrounding community as a place of innovation, outreach and growth.”

A photo of the D'Youville History Corridor in Koessler Administration Building. (Image courtesy of 19 Ideas)

••••••••

The announcement is the latest in a recent series of moves for D’Youville. Most recently, D’Youville announced its shift to a 32-hour workweek for staff and administration, citing it as a technology-driven health and wellness initiative preparing the institution for the future of work. In June 2021, it celebrated the grand opening of its Health Professions Hub – a state-of-the-art facility designed to provide collective impact – addressing the critical health care needs in the community, providing students with clinical experience and collaboration opportunities with area residents, and stimulating entrepreneurship and the connections to the private sector.

For more information, visit dyc.edu.

D’Youville is a nationally ranked private university headquartered in Buffalo. For more information, visit dyc.edu.

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