“Rethinking CUNY for a Changing Economy”
A Center for an Urban Future Policy Symposium

Tuesday, December 4, 2018
8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

@  The Greene Space
44 Charlton Street

As the largest urban university system in the nation, CUNY has made many strides over the past two decades, launching innovative programs like CUNY ASAP that are helping more students earn a degree. Despite its successes, CUNY still struggles to tune in to the needs of New York City’s employers—with consequences for CUNY’s students and the city’s economy. In today's fast-changing world, there's little doubt that CUNY needs to embrace the disruption coursing through the economy and pursue new strategies and initiatives to meet these challenges.

This symposium explored what CUNY should be doing differently to forge closer ties with employers, boost college success, expand the focus from a college credential to a career, and reposition CUNY to help more students participate in the city’s rising prosperity. It will also examine ways that city and state policymakers, business leaders, and community-based organizations can support CUNY to scale up the initiatives that are working and make necessary changes for the road ahead.

The forum featured a panel discussion, which included the following speakers:

• Kenneth Adams, Dean of Workforce & Economic Development, Bronx Community College
• Tamar Jacoby, President, Opportunity America
• Gail Mellow, President, LaGuardia Community College
• Randy Moore, Chief Operating Officer, COOP
• Eric Westphal, Senior Director, Global Legal & Corporate Affairs, Cognizant

This symposium is part of the Center’s Middle Class Jobs Project, a research initiative made possible through generous support from Fisher Brothers and Winston C. Fisher.

_{Photo credit: Nathan Dumlao/Unsplash}