The importance of investing in CUNY

The importance of investing in CUNY Testimony - March 2024 The importance of investing in CUNY In this testimony before the NYC Council Committees on Finance and Higher Education, CUF Senior Editor Dorian Block strongly encourages the Council to fully fund CUNY in the FY 2025 budget, outlining four key areas where these investments can have the greatest impact. [...] In just two years, the CUNY Reconnect initiative, thanks to the tremendous commitment of Speaker Adams and the City Council, has helped more than 26,000 students return to college and re-enroll, of which over 1,900 have earned degrees. [...] The majority of these students are Black and Hispanic, and women, and most are over the age of 24. [...] To ensure that CUNY is as effective as possible in generating economic mobility, the City Council should support the growth of these initiatives—such as the Tech in Residence Corps and the Tech Talent Pipeline Residency Internship program, Futures in Finance, and CUNY Career Launch—and help expand access to career services. [...] New York’s elected leaders are nearly unanimous in expressing the desire to expand economic mobility, while ensuring New Yorkers are ready for the well-paying jobs the city’s economy is creating and making the state’s tax base more resilient.