The New York Times profiled Roosevelt Island’s Cornell Tech in this December 17 article highlighting the Graduate Tech School’s role in attracting Amazon HQ 2 to nearby Long Island City and creating over 50 new start up tech companies including Kipit Revercare Full Plate and Nanit. The opinions of two Roosevelt Island residents about Cornell Tech are quoted in the article too. One critical:

… Some Roosevelt Island residents have also complained about the continuing campus construction, while others said Cornell Tech had not paid enough to support local neighborhood services, such as street cleaning and landscaping.

Theyre a very prestigious institution that is free-riding off the backs of a working population to function in an environment that they really are not adequately paying for, said Joyce Short, a writer and longtime resident….

and the other positive:

… The schools technology lessons have spilled over to the neighborhood. Cornell Tech has supported computer science instruction at the public elementary and middle school. Its students have taught classes at a senior center on protecting against online fraud and created a web page featuring open spaces on the island for the gardening club.

Jay Jacobson, 82, a retired lawyer who lives on Roosevelt Island, recently worked with Cornell Tech students to address a daily problem for older people: how to carry a shopping bag when holding onto a walker? They came up with a 3-D-printed hinge to attach to a walker.

Im so glad Im part of their community, he said. Its just a delight to have them….

Click here for the full NY Times article