History and Founding of The College
The college was founded in 1977 through the efforts of Dr. W. Kenneth Riland, New York State Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller and members of Rockefeller family. The college, granted accreditation by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), was chartered under New York State law through the efforts of Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller. In 1978 Nelson Rockefeller contributed $250,000 to the college's general endowment fund and in 1979 Laurance S. Rockefeller contributed the same amount. The friendship between Nelson Rockefeller and W. Kenneth Riland was an important factor in the founding of the medical college. Dr. Riland served as Mr. Rockefeller’s personal physician during his governorship of New York as well during his vice-presidency in the Ford administration. To honor the efforts and contributions of Governor Rockefeller, the Nelson A. Rockefeller Academic Center was dedicated in 1979. The work of Dr. Philip F. Fleisher, first Dean of the medical college and Dean for the next 16 years, was influential in the growth and success of the school.
New York College of Osteopathic Medicine graduated its first class on June 11, 1981, awarding degrees to 26 men and eight women. The commencement exercises at the college were held on the athletic field of what was once the estate of Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney. The guest speaker, Dr. Theodore Cooper, former dean of Cornell University Medical College, warned of a new atmosphere where "a public is re-evaluating its opinion of physicians.' "The reverence for the doctor is beginning to wane," Dr. Cooper said. An honorary Doctor of Laws degree was awarded to Dr. W. Kenneth Riland, an osteopathic physician, who was then the chairman of the medical college's Board of Governors. Dr. Riland was honored for being a "prime mover" in the establishment of the college. The W. Kenneth Riland Academic Health Care Center, completed in 1984, is located on campus and serves as a clinic and teaching hospital.
In 1999, construction began on campus for the new Hannah and Charles Serota Academic Center. In 2001, the building opened for basic and pre-clinical science lectures, as well as the osteopathic manipulative medicine laboratory.
On December 5, 2012, the 35 year old name of the school was officially changed from New York College of Osteopathic Medicine of New York Institute of Technology (NYCOM of NYIT) to the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine).
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