CUNY chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez on Wednesday laid out a roadmap for increasing the college within the 12 months forward whereas reflecting on the enrollment development on the 25-school system over the past 12 months.
At a state of the college deal with on the Metropolis Faculty of Expertise Wednesday, Matos Rodríguez identified that university-wide enrollment is up for the second 12 months in a row, with 3% extra college students matriculating this 12 months than final — contributing to a 15,000-student achieve over the previous two years.
The spike was significantly pronounced at group faculties, which noticed a 6% enhance. The variety of graduate college students additionally elevated for the primary time in 4 years, by 4%, or roughly a thousand college students.
“This is uplifting, but there’s still more work to be done,” 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 high priority … Our path to a future of robust enrollment starts with this multi-pronged approach to aggressively recruit students wherever they are in their lives.”
CUNY chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez speaks on the Metropolis Faculty of Expertise in Downtown Brooklyn about enrollment growing for the second straight 12 months, Nov. 20, 2024. Credit score: Marcus Beasley/CUNY
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 thus far to CUNY’s partnership with town’s public faculties 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 future on their minds,” the previous Hunter Faculty historical past professor additionally vowed to strengthen the college’s profession growth efforts — in the beginning by “ramping up our engagement and partnership with employers of every size in every field.”
Greater than 31,000 employers are actually actively recruiting from CUNY faculties, stated Matos Rodríguez, whereas the college’s Spring Ahead program has thus far this 12 months related practically 1,000 college students — a lot of whom are in group faculties and early of their faculty careers — with internship alternatives, up 60% from final 12 months.
General, he stated, CUNY has instantly related greater than 20,000 college students to paid internships over the past 5 years.
CUNY may even be transitioning its Faculty of Medication — established in 2016 as the primary new medical college within the metropolis since 1860 — out of Metropolis Faculty and into the Graduate Heart so it may well stand alone as an impartial faculty, he stated.
As we speak, practically 70% of scholars getting into CUNY’s medical college establish as Black or Latino — far increased than the state’s common of 21%, in accordance with Matos Rodríguez. And graduates have a tendency to remain in New York; about 75% of CUNY medical college alumni apply within the metropolis, together with practically 40% who work in “underserved areas.”
Matos Rodriguez additionally introduced Wednesday that the college shall 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 “consider the appropriate balance between the interest recognized by the First Amendment and the principles of academic 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 regulation college students have additionally introduced a lawsuit towards the college alleging it cancelled scholar graduation audio system to punish and chill speech in help of Palestinians.
“This affirmation of the primacy of free expression at our university is something that many members of our community, including the leadership of the university faculty senate, have wanted to see for some time,” Matos Rodríguez stated. “I look forward to our collaborative work ahead as we seek to continue creating a safer and more inclusive student, faculty and staff member.”
Matos Rodríguez, nonetheless, stated little Wednesday to deal with school issues about finances cuts and a chronic contract combat. Members of CUNY’s school union, Skilled Workers Congress, have been and not using a contract since February 2023, and negotiations have been ongoing since June of final 12 months.
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 might be greater than what CUNY has supplied.
In response to Wednesday’s deal with, union president James Davis referred to as on town and the state to extend its help for CUNY and to “agree to a fair contract” for its 30,000 school and employees members — particularly in mild of “threats to public higher education coming from president-elect Trump.”
“The governor, legislature and City Council have prioritized enrollment support and made targeted investments in CUNY, now they must reverse the mayor’s deep cuts to community colleges, pass strong city and state budgets that fully fund CUNY, and do all they can to protect CUNY students,” Davis informed THE CITY.
Further reporting by Jonathan Custodio.
THE CITY companions with Open Campus on increased schooling protection.
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