Monday, August 29, 2022
Anna C 
The City University of New York today welcomes over 240,000 students as it opens the 2022-23 academic year with historic announcements about the state’s expansion of part-time TAP, the federal pardoning of student debt, the addition of 250 new faculty and $1 billion in additional capital funding for needed improvements.
CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez will mark opening day this morning by greeting students, faculty and staff at York College in Queens and Brooklyn College three days after welcoming students who moved into the dorms at College of Staten Island.
“The pandemic tested our city and our University system but we are coming back stronger this academic year than ever before. CUNY is celebrating unprecedented financial support from state leaders and we are offering our students the flexibility they need to succeed, including in-person, hybrid and online classes. We also hired more full-time faculty and our adjuncts received a much-deserved pay raise. This academic year will be better than the pre-pandemic ‘normal’ at all our campuses.” said Chancellor Matos Rodríguez.
WATCH: Chancellor Matos Rodríguez shares a welcome message to the CUNY community.
This fall, CUNY offers a mix of mostly in-person and hybrid courses in addition to robust remote offerings. Students requested class options, which afford them the flexibility to balance their work, home and school lives while maintaining their academic momentum and pursuing their career path. This significant progression is not a return to the conditions that were in place before the pandemic began; instead, the University moves forward with an enriched understanding of student needs and an enhanced ability to meet them.
Historic Investments
At Borough of Manhattan Community College, Governor Kathy Hochul last week announced the expansion of the state’s Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) for the first time ever to part-time students. About 75,000 part-time CUNY and SUNY students – taking 6-11 credits – are newly eligible to receive financial support from the State which committed $150 million to the program. The boost is transformative for students who are balancing jobs, family and other obligations that prevent them from taking on a full-time course load.
CUNY is also welcoming an influx of 250 new faculty lecturers this fall, the first of more than 500 full-time faculty the University is hiring thanks to an additional $53 million in state financial support. Increasing the number of full-time lecturers allows for greater stability in course offerings and increases faculty mentoring for our students. Also this semester, adjunct faculty members will receive the full cumulative effect of the substantive salary increases negotiated in the 2019 contract with the Professional Staff Congress, CUNY’s union for faculty and professional staff.
With an unprecedented $965.8 million increase from the state for CUNY’s capital projects, and an additional $50.1 million from the city, the University can move ahead with expansions, needed improvements and critical maintenance of campus facilities, representing an important commitment to CUNY’s mission of serving all New Yorkers.
Many CUNY graduates and students received relieving news yesterday with President Biden’s announcement canceling $10,000 in federal student loan debt for millions of Americans, with an additional $10,000 canceled for those who received federal Pell grants.
Excited to Begin
Incoming freshman Rin Curzio, 17, starts his college journey at LaGuardia Community College, which he learned about through a special program at his high school that allows students to begin taking college courses in 10th grade and lets them pursue an engineering-related associate degree free of charge.
A New Yorker who attended public schools, and whose mother graduated from Baruch College, Curzio is eager to explore his passion for robotics and plans to major in mechanical engineering.
“I’m looking forward to the new atmosphere and freedom of college and definitely the new style of learning,” said Curzio. “I’m also pretty excited about being in more than one building and having classes specific to my interests.”
Curzio is joining a celebrated community of over 280,000 students, faculty and staff attracted to CUNY’s 175-year-old mission of providing a quality public education to all students, regardless of means or background. CUNY’s affordability and vast academic offerings across 25 colleges situated in the nation’s largest and most diverse city are unrivaled. The University grants 55,000 associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees every year.
To meet more highly motivated members of CUNY’s incoming class, please visit the CUNYverse student blog.
Leading the Way
Mayor Eric Adams visited Bronx Community College last week to announce a partnership that will engage students from four CUNY schools in an effort to prepare New Yorkers for jobs in the construction and industrial sectors, part of an $18.6 million federal grant. Calling himself the “CUNY mayor,” Adams — a two-time graduate of CUNY — also named Chancellor Matos Rodríguez to serve as a co-chair of the new Future of Workers Task Force.
Welcoming New Leaders
This year marks the arrival of several dynamic leaders for the University’s schools, including:
Continuing Safety Precautions
In acknowledging the continuing dangers posed by COVID-19, CUNY remains dedicated to providing a safe and healthy environment for our students, faculty and staff. We continue to adhere to the latest CDC guidance and any requirements from New York State and New York City.
All new students coming to campus for the first time in the fall for in-person and hybrid courses, or any other on-campus activities, will be required to be vaccinated, unless a religious or medical exemption has been approved. CUNY will not require face masks for the fall semester but anyone who would like to continue wearing masks in any setting is welcome to do so at any time.
For the safety and convenience of the CUNY community, the University continues to offer free PCR testing across a number of locations that students, faculty and staff can visit without an appointment. Mandatory weekly testing will continue for those who are unvaccinated. Random testing will continue each week for 10% of those on campuses and in offices.
For the most up-to-date information on CUNY COVID-19 guidelines, refer to the CUNY website.
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