CUNY Announces $2.6 Billion Campaign
|
Chancellor
Matthew Goldstein |
Chancellor Matthew Goldstein
recently announced an “Invest in CUNY/Invest in New York” Campaign
to dramatically increase public and private support for the
University's colleges. The campaign includes $1.2 billion
in private fundraising and $1.4 billion in capital construction
money recently approved by the city and state that will allow
for additional donor recognition and matching campaigns. Total
public-private investment will be $2.6 billion over the next
eight years.
“To do greater things, CUNY must have money it doesn’t have now,” said Chancellor Goldstein. “It needs to generate the kind of investment that it must have to attract and retain the most able faculty and scholars. This is a campaign for an endowment that will support academic programs and brick and mortar to supplement the work and support that we get from state and local government.”
The “quiet phase” of the $1.2 billion private fundraising campaign has raised $460 million during the last four years. The $1.4 billion city and state approved capital construction budget will provide additional opportunities for private matching gifts. Chancellor Goldstein stated, “This is the boldest, most ambitious endeavor by a public, urban university in the nation.”
The campaign will consist of a comprehensive effort encompassing 19 separate campaigns keyed to the needs of the individual CUNY colleges. The University is encouraging the colleges to expand their fund-raising efforts and will offer resources and marketing assistance. Raising private support in this unique collaborative effort will promote investment in each CUNY College while also strengthening and enhancing the University as a whole, Chancellor Goldstein said.
Governor Pataki praised the University’s efforts “to encourage private investment in public higher education.” He further noted that the Campaign for the Colleges of The City University will “uphold the high standards of its distinguished alumni and enhance its ability to provide the highest quality education to its students.”
Mayor Bloomberg said, “This month New York City honors CUNY, which has raised academic standards while making sure the halls of learning remain wide open to accommodate all New Yorkers.” Benno Schmidt, Chairman of the CUNY Board of Trustees and former president at Yale University, has full confidence that the campaign will be a success. “CUNY has two great foundations: great students and a great faculty.” One of those students was present at the kickoff event. And Harding, a student in the new honors college, was also one of the keynote speakers. He credits his stellar education to CUNY’s specialized programs, like the honors college. “In high school I had a business focus; in college I majored in chemistry and then switched to history. My goal is to be a college professor. All of this would not have been possible without an honors college. The guidance that I received was one of the most important ingredients.”
The Chancellor noted that this ambitious fund-raising goal is made possible because of the academic renewal that has taken place at CUNY under the leadership of the Board of Trustees. “Admission standards have been re-established, graduation requirements have been strengthened, remediation has been ended at the senior colleges and a renewed emphasis has been placed on producing alumni who are ready for graduate school or the workplace,” he said.
The results have
been dramatic. Retention rates have improved, graduation
rates have increased, first-term GPA’s for freshmen
have increased, and average SAT scores of admitted and enrolled
students have increased. At the same time, more Asian, Black,
Hispanic, and White freshmen were enrolled in baccalaureate
programs in the fall 2003 than the previous fall, while overall
enrollment is at its highest level since 1975. CUNY’s
student body is about 31 percent African-American, 29 percent
White, 26 percent Hispanic and 14 percent Asian, while 43
percent were born abroad. Forty-seven percent of all college
students in NYC attend a CUNY school and CUNY has awarded
one million degrees.#
