I don't think NYC needs a Stanford or MIT, they need someone who will treat the NYC campus as a primary focus. For that reason Columbia and Cornell should come first. You might argue that Columbia already has a presence but that doesn't mean they're NOT hurting for space. Furthermore, Cornell already has a NYC presence as well.
how many CEOs or CTOs of silicon valley success stories are cornell grads? how many many startups that get funding are headed by grads from cornell? and since when does US News and World Report know anything about technology? i've been paying my dues in silicon alley since the late 80s and this isn't what i've been waiting for my entire life...
"Among graduate engineering programs, Cornell was ranked 9th in the United States by U.S. News in 2008" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornell_University
I don't think NYC needs a Stanford or MIT, they need someone who will treat the NYC campus as a primary focus. For that reason Columbia and Cornell should come first. You might argue that Columbia already has a presence but that doesn't mean they're NOT hurting for space. Furthermore, Cornell already has a NYC presence as well.