COLLEGE PRESIDENTS SHARE THEIR VIEWS
President Scott Evenbeck of the New CUNY Community College
The New Community College at CUNY is scheduled to open with its first class of 500 students in the summer of 2012 at 50 West 40th Street in midtown Manhattan, a wonderful location overlooking scenic Bryant Park. It is the first new community college the University has established in more than four decades, and it will be CUNY’s second community college in Manhattan.
The New Community College (NCC) is committed to rethinking associate degree education in an environment that nurtures student success, and those of us who are working to build this new institution are mindful of the rare opportunity and extraordinary responsibility we have to do it right. Based on extensive research, the new college will integrate excellence in teaching, pro-active and responsive student supports and community partnerships.
Our primary objective is to increase the number of students, especially those not effectively served in higher education, who persist in their programs of study and attain a degree in a timely manner. We offer a clearly defined educational pathway beginning with a required summer bridge program and continuing through a first-year integrated core curriculum with inquiry-based projects related to issues relevant to New York City. Initially it will offer six academically rigorous, multidisciplinary and experientially based majors that prepare students for careers and baccalaureate study: Business Administration (A.A.), Health Information Technology (A.A.S.), Human Services (A.A.), Information Technology (A.A.S.), Liberal Arts & Science (A.A.), and Urban Studies (A.A.).
Community is at the center of The New Community College’s mission, and students are at the center of the college. The New Community College will foster an environment of cooperation and collaboration, where students, faculty and staff respect and appreciate each other’s perspectives, commonalities, differences, and contributions. Students will address compelling urban issues as they move outward into the wider community through experiential learning and internships. Graduates will have the intellectual tools and confidence to be engaged citizens and responsible leaders.
College is a time and a place and an idea — an opportunity to cultivate the knowledge and experience required to meet intellectual, creative, and professional goals. The New Community College will support students in building the knowledge and skills necessary to interpret and evaluate ideas they encounter both in and out of the classroom and to make informed judgments. Students will learn to express their ideas and know that their voices are valued. They will graduate with a greater sense of responsibility for their academic success and personal growth, prepared to pursue additional studies, a career and lifelong learning as active citizens.
I’ll close with our collaboratively developed vision statement, which affirms our ultimate purpose and aspiration:
Founded in the CUNY tradition of access to excellence, The New Community College will support student achievement in a dynamic, inclusive and intellectually engaging environment. We will be recognized for the contributions of our students, faculty, staff and graduates to our communities and to a thriving, sustainable New York City. #
