BE '69
I chose to go to CCNY because of its great reputation and the reasonable cost. It was actually free when I was there. I spent two years at another college before I ended up in the CCNY Grove School of Engineering. A couple of my professors made an impression on me during my time there, and Dr. Gerald Palevsky in civil engineering talked about the practicality of engineering. There was also a surveying professor who talked about how important surveying was, and he was involved in building the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. CCNY gave me all the tools I needed to go into the real world, function, and hit the ground running. I received a good-quality and realistic education. I started as a civil engineer, and I worked in a variety of different areas in environmental protection. One of my colleagues ended up the park commissioner of the City of New York, and he asked me to come and work with him. I've worked with him as a chief engineer and assistant commissioner for field operations. A colleague of mine went to SUNY Downstate Medical Center and asked me to join him there. I was looking for a job at the time, so I went to work for SUNY Downstate Medical as an assistant and then as head of facilities. I ended up the last 12 or so years as executive vice presidents and chief operating officer of SUNY Downstate Medical Center. I went from engineering to management, and the engineering background that I got at CCNY prepared me well.