Old Westbury, N.Y. - New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) has announced that its Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation has received a Community Engagement Award for its "Night Out on the Bears" event from the NCAA Division II and the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA). NYIT, one of 20 winners selected from conferences across the United States, will receive a $500 grant that can be used for other community-engagement efforts.

 Night Out on the Bears, held on March 7 at NYIT's Old Westbury campus, gave parents from the community an opportunity to enjoy an evening out while student-athletes and staff cared for their children in a safe, healthy, and fun-filled environment, free of charge. As the first event held as part of the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation's new Healthy Neigh-Bear-Hood program, the evening included a nutritious dinner, catered by NYIT's Department of Food Services, as well as light-hearted lessons and literature on healthy eating from NYIT's Department of Clinical Nutrition. More than 70 children joined in on the fun.

"I am so very proud of the combined efforts of our student-athletes and coaches and administrators in making our initial community engagement program a tremendous success," said Director of Athletics Clyde Doughty Jr. "This program will be a staple for this department as we move forward with enhanced community service programs."

Denise Donaldson-Kaiser, director of NYIT's dietetic internships and nutrition, whose two children attended the event, noted the enthusiasm of the five nutrition student-volunteers.  "It gave them an opportunity to interact with the children outside of the classroom in a way that complemented their studies," said Donaldson-Kaiser.

NCAA Division II and NACMA staged the contest to build momentum for Division II's community-engagement initiatives and to reward institutions for their creativity in advancing the initiatives. Division II schools were encouraged to submit their best community-engagement promotion from the "ideas that work" section on the Division II community-engagement Web site (www.diicommunity.org).

For more information, contact Ben Arcuri, assistant director of athletics for compliance and sports information at 516.686.7504 or barcuri@nyit.edu.