Interview With the Host with Frederick Bonato, Ph.D.

Transcript

Earlier, I got to spend some time with Dr. Frederick Bonato, President of Manhattan University. Students describe President Bonato as a leader who is truly present in the community. From flipping pancakes in the quad during family weekend to cheering on the men’s and women’s basketball teams from court-side, President Bonato embodies what it means to be part of the active and engaging community here at Manhattan U. Take a look. I mean, what an incredible location. I mean, such a quaint campus but a stone’s throw from downtown Manhattan. That’s gotta be amazing for these kids.

– It really is. And I like to think of it as the best of both worlds. You could be in the epicenter of business, the arts, engineering, which is big for us, and then back here in minutes, back and forth. As you can see, our campus is very traditional in a way, but it’s very beautiful. In fact, “A beautiful Mind,” the film, was shot here. It’s actually Manhattan University. So it’s very beautiful. But in addition to being a lot of fun to go back and forth, it offers the opportunities for our students to engage in many internship opportunities in Manhattan. We have a very generous alumni base, alumni network, where there’s so many of them there working. They open the doors for our students. And as you know, in today’s world, those internships are very important pathways to employment. So it’s really those three things. It’s having fun, it’s the internships, and it’s getting jobs. And we have a really good track record of our students getting great jobs.

– Yeah, it’s spectacular. I’m curious of your thought about AI right now. How are you embracing and handling, you know, it seems to be the top of the conversation everywhere.

– Yeah, and it makes a lot of people nervous. You know, this AI has come in and people are nervous about jobs, people are nervous about it taking over the world, you know? But I think of it this way. In higher education, we have to be mindful of our students graduating with the skills they need to succeed. And that is now going to include AI.

– [Alex] Yeah.

– They need to be AI-ready, and that’s how we’re changing our curriculum. And our students, no matter what the major, no matter what field they’re going to go into, they need to know how AI works in that field and how they can use it. We don’t want them to be afraid of it. We want ’em to actually embrace it and run with it. All of our first year students starting this year, starting this last September, took an online AI course. We partnered with IBM.

– Wow.

– And this online course introduces them to AI and takes away some of the mystery. And then as they go forth, they will learn more in their individual fields.

– Yeah, well, I think that’s why we talk about it a lot is, like, you know, the students come out here, already, day one, and that’s an incredible ROI for them.

– You know, it’s not all about jobs, but it is a lot about jobs. I mean, a lot of students come and their parents are also interested. Will they get a good job when they leave here? And we have an excellent track record not only of them getting jobs in the fields they studied in, but also, in terms of salary, we rank very high. Payscale has us in the top 2% in the country.

– Incredible. It’s incredible, yeah.

– It’s clear that at Manhattan University, leadership isn’t just about titles. It’s about connection, presence, and pride. President Bonato’s genuine involvement reflects the heart of this campus, where every Jasper, from students, to faculty, to alumni, play a vital role in shaping a vibrant, supportive community. Thank you, President Bonato, for spending some time with us.