The head of the City University of New York, chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez received a warm welcome in the South Bronx Wednesday when he returned to his former home at Hostos Community College to deliver the annual State of the City University of New York address.
The Chancellor said giving the address at Hostos, where he served as President of the college for five years, was like a “homecoming” to a place that he said embodied CUNY’s values.
“ Here at Hostos, I learned so much about leadership, but above all, I was left with a deep belief in CUNY’s mission,” Rodríguez said. “So I am deeply honored to bring our state of the University to this wonderful campus.”
Rodríguez announced the new CUNY Beyond initiative, designed to lead more CUNY students from diplomas to job offers through a more integrated career-readiness program. He also celebrated big investments in CUNY campuses across the city, including two major projects for colleges in the Bronx.
He announced the sweeping new program amid several years of sustained growth following the COVID-19 pandemic, which stifled higher education enrollment nationwide, especially among community colleges and for incoming freshman, according to a study from The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Rodríguez said that through a series of initiatives, like outreach campaigns and more university partnerships, CUNY increased enrollment for the third year in a row by about 3.6%.
However the around 240,000 students enrolled in CUNY schools still falls short of pre pandemic numbers. Even with sustained growth over three years, enrollment is down around 10% from the Fall 2019 semester, according to CUNY data.
Hostos President Dr. Daisy Cocco De Filippis said that the address showed that Hostos was at the forefront of CUNY’s push to create opportunities for students.
“This is a proud moment for the Hostos community,” Cocco De Filippis said. “Welcoming Chancellor Matos Rodríguez back to the institution he once led — at a moment when CUNY is launching a transformative vision to elevate every student’s career trajectory — speaks to the enduring legacy of leadership and innovation here at the College.”
Celebrating the progress at Hostos and system-wide, Rodríguez said that CUNY needs to go even further to make sure that opportunity for students leads to success and social mobility.
“ All of this momentum; the enrollment gains, the expanded partnerships, and the outreach to high school seniors is about one thing — opening the doors of opportunity wider than ever before.” Rodríguez said. “But access alone is not enough. A college degree must lead to a future, and that is why we are building a university that prepares and empowers students to thrive in a changing world.”
The CUNY Beyond program will start at a handful of CUNY campuses including Lehman College in Bedford Park offering integrated support and partnerships aimed at connecting students to careers. CUNY said it will concentrate on career exposure, career advising, developing career skills, paid career opportunities and employer partnerships.
“ We are moving beyond the old notion of career connections as distinct from the academic journey or something that students don’t need to think about until their junior or senior year,” Rodríguez said.
Rodríguez also highlighted two big investments in Bronx colleges. In September, Mayor Eric Adams and CUNY officials announced that the landmarked Bronx General Post Office building will be the site of a new Life Sciences building for Hostos Community College.
Nearly 200,000 square feet of space in the largely vacant building will convert the historic building into state-of-the-art labs, classrooms, offices and common spaces for STEAM classes and medical students.
He also highlighted State and Federal investments at Bronx Community College which Rodríguez said had “transformed” BCC into a “hub of research and innovation.”
“ Students are now co-authoring peer review studies, studying abroad and entering interning in places like NASA,” Rodríguez said.
Rodríguez said the progress made over the past three years shows that CUNY’s mission of accessibility, affordability and excellence remains strong.
As the university system looks ahead, he emphasized that the focus will remain on ensuring that every CUNY student not only earns a degree, but gains the tools and experiences needed to succeed in New York’s evolving economy.
Reach Sadie Brown at sbrown@schnepsmedia.com or (214) 994-6723. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
