Chancellor Matthew Goldstein
Brings Change to
CUNY
By Sybil Maimin
The City University
of New York (CUNY) is on a roll! With its largest enrollment
since 1975 and a revitalized reputation,
its 20 colleges
and professional schools continue to attract some of the
brightest New Yorkers, particularly immigrants, first generation
Americans, and the less affluent. Some of
the school’s success can be attributed to Matthew Goldstein,
dynamic chancellor since 1999 and the first one to be a graduate
of CUNY (City College, 1963). Recently, an overflow crowd of
the city’s power elite in education and business came
to hear Goldstein speak at the Harvard Club, perhaps because,
as Seymour Fliegel, president of the Center for Educational
Innovation-Public Education Association, host of the event,
explained, “He always announces something, and the amazing
thing is, it always happens. He is always
prodding the system.”
In his talk, the chancellor
outlined four major areas of reform that will help the university
meet its mission as mandated by New York State law to “…maintain and expand
its commitment to academic excellence and to the provision
of equal access and opportunity for students, faculty and staff
from all ethnic and racial groups and from both sexes.” First,
academic excellence is being achieved through increased rigor
and innovation in the curriculum (900 additional faculty have
been hired bringing the total to 6300), special attention to
writing skills, higher admission requirements, an Honors College,
and new programs with public schools to help prepare students
for college. The four-year old Honors College has been a huge
success, attracting exceptional students (2100 applicants for
300 places last year) and offering a unique, world-class education.
Second, CUNY is investing in teacher education at its Teachers
Academy where it works with the city’s Department of
Education. CUNY produces about one-third of new teachers in
the public schools. Goldstein is determined to find out “if
we are attracting the most able students and, if not, why,” and “why
teachers start with the best of intentions and leave.” He
is “convinced if we start fresh we can do better” and
cites basic changes needed such as improved compensation and
better conditions. “Schools need to understand you are
competing in a market-based economy.” Third, this will
be the decade of serious investment in science at CUNY. One
of the nation’s top research institutions with over 100
research centers, institutes, and consortia, the university
must upgrade science facilities to attract and hold top faculty
and students. Goldstein worries that college students are moving
away from science. Fourth, the chancellor “acknowledged
with grave concern” that CUNY has not recruited, retained,
and educated minorities, especially blacks and Hispanics, adequately
and cited a 60-70 percent drop-out rate in some areas. “Our
society is unforgiving of no skills,” he warned. “It
is the obligation of a public, urban university to look at
the problem and see what can be done.” He has appointed
a task force to examine the best research and come up with
proposals.
A basic theme in CUNY’s history, explained Goldstein,
has been to “provide an education so the children of
the poor and of immigrants have an opportunity to achieve their
dreams.” It was with special pride that he introduced
Eugene Shenderov of Brooklyn College and Lev Sviridov of City
College, who have been named Rhodes Scholars and will study
at Oxford University next year. Both are immigrants from the
former Soviet Union and are “the embodiment of the CUNY
experience.” Shenderov said he was pleased to put to
rest the idea that public institutions are not as good as private
ones. “We still can compete on the highest levels,” he
noted. CUNY is in the midst of a major fund-raising campaign.
Its reforms and achievements have earned it new respect and,
the chancellor hopes, will contribute to the success of the
campaign.#
