FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 282-10
June 22, 2010
City Graduation Rate Far Exceeds National Average with 53 Percent of Students Receiving Degrees in Three YearsCenter for Economic Opportunity Program Provides Support to Help Students and Working Adults Complete Associate Degrees
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg will join City University of New York Chancellor Matthew Goldstein to preside at a graduation recognition ceremony later today for the students who completed the City’s Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP). The program provides extensive support to help students and working adults complete associate degrees. When the program was launched in 2007, the Mayor and Chancellor set the ambitious goal of graduating at least 50 percent of students within three years – a rate that is more than three times the national average for urban community colleges. The City has already reached that goal, with 53 percent of students completing their coursework, and is on track to reach 56 percent in September.
“Three years ago, our Center for Economic Opportunity developed the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs based on the simple notion that we can make school schedules more conducive to the demands of working families,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “Our community colleges are the gateway to opportunity for so many people looking to further their own careers and create a better life for their families. They serve as a model for other cities that want to restore America’s leadership in higher education.”
Full Press Release:http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.c0935b9a57bb4ef3daf2f1c701c789a0/index.jsp?pageID=mayor_press_release&catID=1194&doc_name=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyc.gov%2Fhtml%2Fom%2Fhtml%2F2010a%2Fpr282-10.html&cc=unused1978&rc=1194&ndi=1
Showing posts with label CUNY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CUNY. Show all posts
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Advancing Diversity in Public Service
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
by Dana FordeMar 13, 2008, 23:09
Officials at New York’s City College are undertaking a mission to increase diversity in the field of public service by introducing plans for a national center and creating a new academic curriculum.
The Board of Trustees at the City University of New York (CUNY) recently approved the naming of the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service, which will be housed adjacent to the City College campus.
Named after U.S. Rep. Charles B. Rangel — the powerful chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means and a founding member and former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus — , the center’s primary mission is to become a national hub for the advancement of diversity within the field of public service, says Dr. Brett Silverstein, who is the current director of the center and the college’s dean of social sciences.
College officials say that the Rangel Center will serve as a valuable locale for future recruitment and academic events and programs that are designed to attract students from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds and propel them toward leadership positions in government and public service.
According to a 2003 report issued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, non-Whites occupy just 13.8 percent of top managerial and supervisory policy-making positions in the U.S. federal government, adds Silverstein. Increasing diversity among the public service work force, he says, is an essential ingredient for a properly functioning government.
“I think there is a general feeling that in a democracy it is useful if the
various populations of the people of that democracy have representation in the government,” he says. “We think of it (the center) as access to excellence … as a way to level the playing field.”
Construction of the center in Harlem will take place over the next few years after funding is secured. The blueprint for the center includes a specialized library, conference space and offices for visiting scholars, officials say.
Nevertheless, several specialized academic programs that are designed to complement the Rangel Center and its mission are set to begin soon. For example, officials are preparing to recruit and enroll students in a new master’s program in public service. This program will incorporate intensive academic seminars and mandatory internships that are arranged through the center. Silverstein says that the first incoming class is tentatively scheduled to begin the new graduate program this fall. A joint bachelor’s and master’s program in public service and a mid-career Rangel fellowship program in leadership and policy innovation are new additions to the college that will also complement the Rangel Center.
In addition to training and educating students about public policy issues that affect minority populations, the Rangel Center and its curriculum will incorporate studies relating to race, gender, ethnicity, class, immigration and various cultural influences that may impact the policy-making process, says Silverstein. College officials also have plans to sponsor internship and mentorship opportunities for participating students.
George Dalley, Rangel’s chief of staff, says the center is part of the Harlem Congressman’s long-term commitment to increasing the number of minorities who participate in various levels of government. [To see the entire article, go to: http://diverseeducation.com/artman/publish/article_10821.shtml ]
by Dana FordeMar 13, 2008, 23:09
Officials at New York’s City College are undertaking a mission to increase diversity in the field of public service by introducing plans for a national center and creating a new academic curriculum.
The Board of Trustees at the City University of New York (CUNY) recently approved the naming of the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service, which will be housed adjacent to the City College campus.
Named after U.S. Rep. Charles B. Rangel — the powerful chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means and a founding member and former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus — , the center’s primary mission is to become a national hub for the advancement of diversity within the field of public service, says Dr. Brett Silverstein, who is the current director of the center and the college’s dean of social sciences.
College officials say that the Rangel Center will serve as a valuable locale for future recruitment and academic events and programs that are designed to attract students from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds and propel them toward leadership positions in government and public service.
According to a 2003 report issued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, non-Whites occupy just 13.8 percent of top managerial and supervisory policy-making positions in the U.S. federal government, adds Silverstein. Increasing diversity among the public service work force, he says, is an essential ingredient for a properly functioning government.
“I think there is a general feeling that in a democracy it is useful if the
various populations of the people of that democracy have representation in the government,” he says. “We think of it (the center) as access to excellence … as a way to level the playing field.”
Construction of the center in Harlem will take place over the next few years after funding is secured. The blueprint for the center includes a specialized library, conference space and offices for visiting scholars, officials say.
Nevertheless, several specialized academic programs that are designed to complement the Rangel Center and its mission are set to begin soon. For example, officials are preparing to recruit and enroll students in a new master’s program in public service. This program will incorporate intensive academic seminars and mandatory internships that are arranged through the center. Silverstein says that the first incoming class is tentatively scheduled to begin the new graduate program this fall. A joint bachelor’s and master’s program in public service and a mid-career Rangel fellowship program in leadership and policy innovation are new additions to the college that will also complement the Rangel Center.
In addition to training and educating students about public policy issues that affect minority populations, the Rangel Center and its curriculum will incorporate studies relating to race, gender, ethnicity, class, immigration and various cultural influences that may impact the policy-making process, says Silverstein. College officials also have plans to sponsor internship and mentorship opportunities for participating students.
George Dalley, Rangel’s chief of staff, says the center is part of the Harlem Congressman’s long-term commitment to increasing the number of minorities who participate in various levels of government. [To see the entire article, go to: http://diverseeducation.com/artman/publish/article_10821.shtml ]
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
U.S. Education Department to Probe Program for Black Men on 16 CUNY Campuses
Chronicle of Higher Education
News Blog
February 4, 2008
The U.S. Department of Education has opened investigations at 16 campuses of the City University of New York to determine whether a program to improve the enrollment and graduation rates of black men violates federal civil-rights law.
In April 2006, the New York Civil Rights Coalition filed a federal complaint with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights about CUNY’s proposed “Black Male Initiative,” which the civil-rights group charged would offer “remedial and differential treatment” to students based on race and gender. The group argued that such a segregated pedagogy violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
The Office for Civil Rights received that complaint in May 2006, followed by a second complaint from the same group, in June 2006, charging discrimination in the hiring of staff members for the program.
“In order to investigate the allegation in the most thorough and appropriate manner, OCR determined it would open individual complaints against each of the 16 colleges,” said Jim Bradshaw, a Department of Education spokesman.
In 2006 a CUNY spokesman told The Chronicle that the system was not planning any race-exclusive programs, but that it was considering the promotion of gender-focused programs to help black men. The program under attack was part of a four-year master plan called the “Initiative on the Black Male in Education,” approved by the CUNY Board of Trustees in 2004.
“We will, of course, continue to fully cooperate with the Office for Civil Rights,” Jay Hershenson, a CUNY spokesman, said today. “CUNY is confident that [the program] will be recognized for its great work in fostering access and success to the benefits of education, including to those who are underrepresented in higher education.”
According to the civil-rights group, the CUNY institutions that are under investigation are the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Kingsborough Community College, LaGuardia Community College, Baruch College, Brooklyn College, City College, Lehman College, College of Staten Island, Medgar Evers College, Hostos Community College, Hunter College, Queens College, Queensborough Community College, York College, the CUNY Graduate School and University Center, and the New York City College of Technology.
—JJ HermesPosted on Monday February 4, 2008 http://chronicle.com/news/article/3862/department-of-education-to-probe-program-for-black-men-at-16-cuny-campuses?utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
News Blog
February 4, 2008
The U.S. Department of Education has opened investigations at 16 campuses of the City University of New York to determine whether a program to improve the enrollment and graduation rates of black men violates federal civil-rights law.
In April 2006, the New York Civil Rights Coalition filed a federal complaint with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights about CUNY’s proposed “Black Male Initiative,” which the civil-rights group charged would offer “remedial and differential treatment” to students based on race and gender. The group argued that such a segregated pedagogy violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
The Office for Civil Rights received that complaint in May 2006, followed by a second complaint from the same group, in June 2006, charging discrimination in the hiring of staff members for the program.
“In order to investigate the allegation in the most thorough and appropriate manner, OCR determined it would open individual complaints against each of the 16 colleges,” said Jim Bradshaw, a Department of Education spokesman.
In 2006 a CUNY spokesman told The Chronicle that the system was not planning any race-exclusive programs, but that it was considering the promotion of gender-focused programs to help black men. The program under attack was part of a four-year master plan called the “Initiative on the Black Male in Education,” approved by the CUNY Board of Trustees in 2004.
“We will, of course, continue to fully cooperate with the Office for Civil Rights,” Jay Hershenson, a CUNY spokesman, said today. “CUNY is confident that [the program] will be recognized for its great work in fostering access and success to the benefits of education, including to those who are underrepresented in higher education.”
According to the civil-rights group, the CUNY institutions that are under investigation are the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Kingsborough Community College, LaGuardia Community College, Baruch College, Brooklyn College, City College, Lehman College, College of Staten Island, Medgar Evers College, Hostos Community College, Hunter College, Queens College, Queensborough Community College, York College, the CUNY Graduate School and University Center, and the New York City College of Technology.
—JJ HermesPosted on Monday February 4, 2008 http://chronicle.com/news/article/3862/department-of-education-to-probe-program-for-black-men-at-16-cuny-campuses?utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
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