Book excerpt: New York City College of Technology, known today as City Tech, traces its earliest roots to the trade school movement, which was supported by both organized labor and industry. Opening in February 1947 as the New York State Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences, the school served the needs of returning GIs and others in need of employment training. City Tech trained United States Air Force personnel in its employment-oriented programs, including the first college-based program in the country in restorative dentistry. City Tech became the first public community college in New York, and in 1981, it became the senior college of technology of The City University of New York. Today City Tech is the largest public college of technology in the Northeast and the most diverse. New York City College of Technology highlights the history of this vibrant institution that has continually served the needs of both its students and its city.