Celebrating CUNY Month
Baruch College
Baruch College has a more-than-150-year history of excellence in public higher education with an emphasis on business. The College’s 15,500 students speak 110 languages and come from 120 countries. With nine applicants for every seat in the freshman class, Baruch is a top college choice whose “real-world classroom” and diverse student body ensure that graduates head into the professional world with a thorough understanding of business and globalization. A senior college in The City University of New York system, Baruch College offers undergraduate and graduate programs of study through its three schools: the Zicklin School of Business, the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences, and the School of Public Affairs. The College also offers non-degree and certificate programs through its Division of Continuing and Professional Studies (CAPS).
Borough of Manhattan Community College
By Barry Rosen
The Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) is the largest community college in CUNY and the only community college in Manhattan with a vital, engaged community of students representing more than 150 countries. BMCC awards associate degrees in Science, Arts and Applied Science in twenty-three areas. More than 40 percent of the Class of Spring 2006 graduated with honors. BMCC is especially known for its outstanding Nursing and Allied Health departments, with the first nationally certified EMT program in NYS. The school offers fully accredited Nursing and Health Information Management Technology programs that are offered both in day and evening classes as well as such innovative academic programs as Multimedia Programming and Design, which is funded by grants from Microsoft and the National Science Foundation.
College of Staten Island
By Lia Kudless, Ph.d.
As Staten Island’s only public institution of higher education, CSI awards bachelors and masters degrees as well as associate’s degrees. This year, CSI added doctorates in physical therapy and nursing and a master’s degree in business management to its graduate offerings. New residence halls are coming to campus. International programming includes the Virtual Classroom and a new certificate program in Modern China Studies. The College also prepares high school students for careers in the global economy through the Gates Foundation-funded CSI High School for International Studies, in partnership with the Asia Society and the NYC Department of Education. CSI’s Discovery Institute helps to improve the quality of K-12 education by providing professional development for hundreds NYC teachers annually. The College also houses the only public Astrophysical Observatory in New York City and is recognized internationally for its world-class polymer chemistry research.
Hostos Community College
Eugenio María de Hostos Community College was created in 1968 to meet the needs of Spanish-dominant students in the South Bronx who needed transitional bilingual educational opportunities. Hostos now has an honors program and collaborative programs in the field of electrical and civil engineering with The City College of New York as well as an innovative relationship with Cheney University and Grambling University, which provides broader access to these prominent Historically Black Colleges. The Serrano Scholars Program, developed from a concept by Congressman José E. Serrano, prepares students from diverse ethnic backgrounds for careers in international affairs and national security. Serrano Scholars graduate from Hostos and can then apply to Columbia University for their undergraduate and master’s level studies in international affairs or public administration.
Hunter College
Hunter is the largest of the CUNY schools, one of America’s oldest public colleges, and one of, if not the most diverse college in the nation. Founded in 1870, it was among the first schools to champion the concept that competitively qualified young women of all races and backgrounds deserve a first-class public higher education. Today, Hunter is a gateway to the American Dream for some 21,000 men and women who pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in more than 170 programs of study. There are students from more than 80 nations, speaking some 40 different languages. Thanks to a world-renowned faculty, many of the College’s departments are ranked among the best in the nation, including social work, education, health sciences and nursing. Hunter is unique among the CUNY campuses in having two women graduates who have won Nobel Prizes, both in Medicine.
Lehman College
The only CUNY senior college located in the Bronx, Lehman College offers a graduate program in public health, while its undergraduate program in multilingual journalism is the first of its kind in the country. A new science facility will break ground in 2007 and a new multimedia center scheduled to open in the Fall of 2008, will give students hands-on production experience with cutting-edge technology.
A specialization in plant sciences is offered through the CUNY Ph.D. program in biology allowing doctoral students to research areas like biotechnology, biodiversity and medicinal plants through a collaboration between CUNY and the New York Botanical Garden. Lehman’s faculty includes Distinguished Professor of English Billy Collins, described as “the most popular poet in America,” and Distinguished Professor of Music John Corigliano who won the Academy Award in 2000 for his score to “The Red Violin.
Queens College
Queens College enjoys a national reputation for its 115 undergraduate and graduate majors including recently added degree programs in Business Administration, Neuroscience, and Fine Arts and Graphic Design and, coming in fall 2007, an MFA in creative writing. Students from over 130 countries, speaking 66 different languages, attend class on a beautiful, 77-acre campus with a view of the Manhattan skyline, It is the only college in CUNY with a Division II athletics program, which boasts nationally ranked teams. Last spring, with a $10 million gift from graduate Max Kupferberg and his wife, the college established the Selma and Max Kupferberg Center for the Visual and Performing Arts which houses the former Colden Center, the Godwin-Ternbach Museum, Queens College Art Center, Department of Drama, Theatre and Dance, Department of Media Studies, Aaron Copland School of Music, and Louis Armstrong House Museum and Archives.
