This story was originally revealed on Nov. 20 by THE CITY. Enroll right here to get the newest tales from THE CITY delivered to you every morning.
CUNY chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez on Wednesday laid out a roadmap for increasing the college within the yr forward whereas reflecting on the enrollment development on the 25-school system over the past yr.
At a state of the college deal with on the Metropolis Faculty of Know-how Wednesday, Matos Rodríguez identified that university-wide enrollment is up for the second yr in a row, with 3% extra college students matriculating this yr than final — contributing to a 15,000-student achieve over the previous two years.
The spike was notably pronounced at group faculties, which noticed a 6% improve. The variety of graduate college students additionally elevated for the primary time in 4 years, by 4%, or roughly a thousand college students.
“That is uplifting, however there’s nonetheless extra work to be achieved,” the chancellor stated, noting how enrollment remains to be down by greater than 10% in comparison with pre-pandemic ranges, as THE CITY beforehand reported. “This was a sector that was hardest hit by pandemic declines, and it’s been a excessive precedence … Our path to a future of sturdy enrollment begins with this multi-pronged strategy to aggressively recruit college students wherever they’re of their lives.”
CUNY’s four-week fee-waived software interval, which ended final week, drew in 60,000 freshman purposes, Matos Rodríguez stated — up 13% from the earlier run final fall.
He credited the enrollment rebounds to date to CUNY’s partnership with town’s public colleges and the CUNY Reconnect program, which pairs potential college students who had beforehand departed from the CUNY system with advisors who assist them navigate the re-entry course of. Matos Rodríguez stated this system has re-enrolled greater than 40,000 college students over the previous two years.
In the meantime, as “New Yorkers of all ages come to CUNY with the longer term on their minds,” the previous Hunter Faculty historical past professor additionally vowed to strengthen the college’s profession improvement efforts — firstly by “ramping up our engagement and partnership with employers of each dimension in each area.”
Greater than 31,000 employers at the moment are actively recruiting from CUNY colleges, stated Matos Rodríguez, whereas the college’s Spring Ahead program has to date this yr linked practically 1,000 college students — lots of whom are in group faculties and early of their school careers — with internship alternatives, up 60% from final yr.
Total, he stated, CUNY has instantly linked greater than 20,000 college students to paid internships over the past 5 years.
CUNY may even be transitioning its Faculty of Drugs — established in 2016 as the primary new medical college within the metropolis since 1860 — out of Metropolis Faculty and into the Graduate Middle so it may stand alone as an impartial school, he stated.
Immediately, practically 70% of scholars coming into CUNY’s medical college determine as Black or Latino — far increased than the state’s common of 21%, in response to Matos Rodríguez. And graduates have a tendency to remain in New York; about 75% of CUNY medical college alumni follow within the metropolis, together with practically 40% who work in “underserved areas.”
Matos Rodriguez additionally introduced Wednesday that the college will likely be convening a “freedom of expression working group” to develop a set of university-wide insurance policies to be submitted to the Board of Trustees to “contemplate the suitable stability between the curiosity acknowledged by the First Modification and the rules of educational freedom.”
The working group comes as the college union has pushed again on the college’s “harrassment and disciplinary threats” over pro-Palestinian speech, whereas legislation college students have additionally introduced a lawsuit in opposition to the college alleging it cancelled scholar graduation audio system to punish and chill speech in assist of Palestinians.
“This affirmation of the primacy of free expression at our college is one thing that many members of our group, together with the management of the college school senate, have wished to see for a while,” Matos Rodríguez stated. “I sit up for our collaborative work forward as we search to proceed making a safer and extra inclusive scholar, school and employees member.”
Matos Rodríguez, nonetheless, stated little Wednesday to handle school considerations about price range cuts and a chronic contract struggle. Members of CUNY’s school union, Skilled Workers Congress, have been with no contract since February 2023, and negotiations have been ongoing since June of final yr.
Simply final month, greater than 30 school members had been arrested for blockading a CUNY Board of Trustees assembly in an try and demand wage raises which can be greater than what CUNY has provided.
In response to Wednesday’s deal with, union president James Davis known as on town and the state to extend its assist for CUNY and to “conform to a good contract” for its 30,000 school and employees members — particularly in gentle of “threats to public increased training coming from president-elect Trump.”
“The governor, legislature and Metropolis Council have prioritized enrollment assist and made focused investments in CUNY, now they need to reverse the mayor’s deep cuts to group faculties, go sturdy metropolis and state budgets that absolutely fund CUNY, and do all they will to guard CUNY college students,” Davis advised THE CITY.
Further reporting by Jonathan Custodio.
THE CITY companions with Open Campus on increased training protection.
