CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez amplified his commitment towards a vibrant CUNY community as an agent for students’ successful futures on Oct. 29 during his State University Address at Hostos Community College.
According to CUNY Newswire, the address encouraged CUNY students to act on the opportunities presented to them.
“You’re not just a model in our ads—you’re a model of what’s possible at CUNY,” Rodríguez said.
Rodríguez also lauded many elected officials, professors and Daisy Cocco De Filippis, the president of Hostos Community College, for their instrumental role in making the address possible.
The chancellor accounted for an overall 3.6% increase in CUNY enrollment, with the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, Guttman Community College, City College, Borough of Manhattan Community College and LaGuardia Community College securing the notable mentions.
“In total we expect over 8,000 new students to have joined our university this fall, for a combined total of nearly 20,000 since 2022,” Rodríguez reported.
This overall upward trend indicates that CUNY’s influence is spreading, allowing more people to be college-ready.
Rodriguez further attributed this success to an extensive advertising campaign, “A Degree for Every Dream,” launched on Oct. 2, 2023, throughout New York City.
He also mentioned working towards appealing to the future generation of students who had not yet had a taste of the college experience.
“We achieve that largely through our deepening partnership with New York City Public Schools,” Rodríguez said.
The chancellor announced the launch of the Computing Integrated Teacher Education, a $14 million initiative that aims to prepare future educators to incorporate more computer-based teaching in NYC public schools.
This was in response to an urgent need to improve reading instruction and outcomes in K-12 schools.
“All of this momentum — the enrollment gains, the expanded partnerships and the outreach to high school seniors — is about one thing: opening the doors of opportunity wider than ever before,” Rodríguez said.
Rodríguez emphasized that CUNY’s mission is to equip students to handle the careers and demands of the real world.
He praised CUNY’s five-year partnership with the New York Jobs CEO Council, which provided jobs to approximately 10,000 CUNY graduates.
CUNY also offers several career programs to help students decide on which job industry they should enter.
“This is about more than jobs. It’s about belonging—in the workforce, in the economy, and in the future,” Rodríguez said.
The chancellor ended his address by acknowledging the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s addition of Baruch College on the 6 train’s 23 St. station sign, stating that this recognition represented a connection between CUNY and the city.
