Press Releases
Flushing, NY (PRWEB) July 14, 2017 -- Vaughn College has been named to Money Magazine’s 2017 “Best Colleges for Your Money” list. The list, published on Tuesday, highlights factors including affordability, quality of education and alumni success to rank 711 colleges and universities that offer students a solid investment for their future.
Money Magazine studied 2,400 colleges and used 27 data points to compile its final list. In its ranking, the magazine applauds Vaughn’s facilities and offerings, unique mix of academic programs, and the high-demand for jobs in the industries the College serves. Vaughn also claimed the highest socioeconomic mobility rate in Money’s rankings, echoing the College’s recent appointment as the top institution in the US for upward mobility by The Equality of Opportunity Project, as reported earlier this year in The New York Times. “More than a third of [Vaughn’s] students come from low income backgrounds, and of those, nearly half are able to advance into the upper middle class,” says Money Magazine.
“Choosing to attend Vaughn College for your degree is about making a valuable investment in your future,” said Vaughn College President Dr. Sharon B. DeVivo. “By having outside validation of the quality of our degree programs, students and families can feel confident that Vaughn is an institution that provides an engaging educational experience and long-term professional success.”
According to The Equality of Opportunity Project, Vaughn alumni are not only achieving success immediately following graduation, they are thriving as they continue to grow professionally. The study followed graduates from the class of 2002 for 15 years, and concluded that Vaughn College does a better job at moving students from the bottom 40 percent in income to the top 40 percent in income than any of the 2,137 institutions it studied.
Vaughn has a long-documented history of commitment to student success. The College recently completed a $45-million renovation of its facilities, labs and simulators to provide students with a next-generation education that prepares them for continued success throughout their lives. Vaughn also recently partnered with Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, and Cape Air to establish programs that will benefit students as they work toward a degree, and assists them in securing positions in high-demand fields once they graduate. Ninety-eight percent of Vaughn graduates are employed or continue their education within one year, 81percent in a related field.
“This community of dedicated faculty and staff care deeply about the students we serve and provide tremendous support both inside and outside the classroom to transform lives,” said DeVivo. “Our vision is that our students can and do change the world and we help them do that by ensuring that our curricula and laboratory experiences provide the practical knowledge and critical skills that will help them find that all-important first job. If we are asking students and families to make an investment in a degree, then we must provide an education that reaps lifelong benefits.”
About Vaughn
Founded in 1932, Vaughn College is a private, four-year college that enrolls more than 1,600 students in master’s, bachelor’s and associate degree programs in engineering, technology, management and aviation on its main campus in New York City and online. The student-faculty ratio of 14 to 1 ensures a highly personalized learning environment. Ninety-eight percent of Vaughn College graduates are placed in professional positions or choose to continue their education within one year of graduation, eighty-one percent in a related field. They work in 20 countries and all 50 states. The institution serves many first-generation college students and is recognized by the US Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. For more information, visit http://www.vaughn.edu.
Flushing, New York (PRWEB) April 26, 2016 -- Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology’s Robotics Team defeated 60 other college teams and was named world champion at the 2016 VEX Worlds robotics competition in Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday, April 23. The event received recognition from Guinness World Records as the largest robotics event ever, with 1,075 elementary, middle, high school and college teams competing.
This is the eighth time Vaughn’s robotics team has competed in the VEX Worlds championship. They placed sixth in the world in 2015 and second in the world in 2014. The team began preparations for this season’s challenge, called “Nothing But Net,” in the fall and began competing in qualifying matches in January 2016.
“This is an incredible victory for our team,” said Vaughn College President Dr. Sharon B. DeVivo. “Students apply mechanical and programming skills in the development of these robots, actively utilizing theories they acquire in the classroom. This experience is exactly what employers are seeking across a variety of industries where design, programming and troubleshooting are critical for the next generation of automation.”
The team of 12 beat out a group from Mexico in the final round, and before that, many U.S. institutions in a series of terrific matches that was only possible because of almost a year's worth of work by the students. The team built their winning robots in Vaughn’s robotics lab; a room dedicated to helping students utilize the knowledge they’ve gained from lecture classes and combine it with hands-on experiences from lab exercises.
The students were able to build a practice field in the lab that mimicked the ones used in the competition in order to perfect their robots’ techniques. Vaughn College qualified for this year’s VEX Worlds at a college competition on Friday, February 12, and hosted a high school qualifier at its campus in Queens on Saturday, February 13. The high school qualifier allowed students from all over New York City and Long Island to meet with Vaughn students and faculty, see a demonstration from the robotics team and learn about Vaughn’s degree programs in engineering and technology.
Vaughn currently offers one of only four ABET-accredited mechatronic engineering programs in the U.S., which combines aspects of robotics with mechanical, electrical and electronic engineering.
Founded in 1932, Vaughn College is a private, four-year college that enrolls more than 1,700 students in master’s, bachelor’s and associate degree programs in engineering, technology, management and aviation on its main campus in New York City and online. The student-faculty ratio of 14 to 1 ensures a highly personalized learning environment. Ninety-two percent of Vaughn College graduates are placed in professional positions or choose to continue their education within one year of graduation. They work in 20 countries and all 50 states. The institution serves many first-generation college students and is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. For more information visit http://www.vaughn.edu.
Spotlight Story
Zadoff never shied away from hard work. A semi-pro football player in his teens, he made $50 per game, but he realized he’d need to continue his education if he wanted a lifelong career. He enrolled in a maintenance program at a school in Teterboro, New Jersey, and once that program was complete, applied and was accepted to the maintenance program at the Casey Jones School of Aeronautics — the institution that would one day become Vaughn College. The mid-1930s were a tough time, economically, and Zadoff was concerned he couldn’t afford the $60 a month in tuition. Ever resourceful, Zadoff got a job dealing cards in a casino to cover tuition and graduated with high honors in 1941.
“That school was massive; it took up an entire city block,” he recalls with a smile. “And it was a fantastic experience. It was an environment where ‘I can’t’ didn’t exist. We found a way to make things happen.”
The job market was also tough during the Depression, and Zadoff had trouble landing a position. After he turned down a teaching job at Casey Jones because he wanted a more hands-on experience, the school informed him of a government position in Augusta, Georgia. After five years in Georgia, he returned to New York, where he worked for Pan American at LaGuardia Airport for $1.50 an hour.
“They loved me because I could do any job they gave me,” he said. “I could basically build an airplane from scratch, that’s how well the school trained me.”
After Pan American, Zadoff spent some time in the United States Air Force, where he thrived, but didn’t stay. “I had big ideas and big plans,” he recalls. “Casey Jones made me an independent thinker. I learned so much there.”
At a time when the commercial aviation industry had taken a downturn, Zadoff found other ways to keep moving forward and spent 50 years in the garment industry. He also worked as a butcher and owned a clothing company and a television and radio repair business. Paul says that no matter the industry, his education provided him with skills and experiences he applied throughout his career.
Today, Zadoff gives speeches at public schools and works with veterans organizations. He never lost his thirst for knowledge, and continues his education online and through veterans programs, taking courses in computers and technology, and reading about the growing fields of engineering and robotics. When asked about advice for future generations, he said, “I encourage those around me to continue growing and continue learning, no matter how old or how young they are.”