Eleven CUNY colleges were selected to receive grants through “Bold Solutions to re-Engage,” an initiative which awarded nearly $2 million to programs designed to get students who paused or deferred higher education during the pandemic back in school.

Baruch College was not among the list of CUNY campuses taking on such a project, despite testimonies that such an initiative would greatly benefit its student population.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused many of CUNY’s services, such as classes and career counseling, to switch to online operation. Many students could not engage with virtual learning in a productive way; others felt pressure to balance school on top of growing financial and personal responsibilities.

The programs, sponsored by “Bold Solutions to re-Engage,” include a free, two-month course for high school graduates at LaGuardia Community College and a semester-long paid internship program designed to motivate students to commence their education at Medgar Evers College.

Such programming will likely incentivize students to return to school following a deferment by providing a stress-free college experience that the pandemic denied them.

These programs will also be especially attractive to high school graduates who never had the opportunity to pursue higher education prior to the onset of the pandemic.

Baruch is consistently ranked among the top “Best Value Colleges” in the United States. The implementation of such a program would reinforce this title by providing opportunities to students that would only further strengthen the value of their education.

Many of the CUNY campuses selected for the BSE program were community colleges. But Baruch could expand their partnerships with community colleges beyond the Baruch Business Academy and cater to more students seeking educational opportunities at 4-year institutions.