Program Re-Engages New Yorkers Who Have Earned Credits to Return and Finish Their Degrees, including 8,000 Students this Fall
Leaders tour CUNY’s Welcome Center, the central hub where non-traditional students work with admissions specialists to find the right major and campus for them
Manhattan, NY – Today, CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez joined New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Council Member Eric Dinowitz, Chair of the Council’s Committee on Higher Education, at CUNY’s Welcome Center to celebrate the latest milestone of CUNY Reconnect, a university-wide program that seeks to re-engage New Yorkers who have earned credits and return to finish their degrees. This fall, the program enrolled nearly 8,000 New Yorkers at CUNY, bringing the total of people served by CUNY Reconnect to more than 40,000 students, the majority of whom are women and people of color.
Established by Speaker Adams and the Council in partnership with CUNY, Reconnect launched as a pilot in 2022 with $4.4 million in city funding. Thanks to the advocacy of the Council, the program has expanded to $5.8 million in the 2024-2025 academic year. Already, more than 3,000 New Yorkers who returned to CUNY through the program have graduated.
Chancellor Matos Rodriguez, Speaker Adams, and Higher Education Chair Dinowitz celebrated the latest milestone for the program during a tour of CUNY’s Welcome Center, the main hub where non-traditional students work with admissions specialists to enroll in the CUNY system.
Photos from the visit can be found here.
“Investing in educational and economic opportunities like CUNY Reconnect is indispensable to the health of our communities and entire city,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams. “Since its launch in 2022, over 40,000 working-age students have returned to CUNY to complete their degrees, the majority of whom are women and people of color. As a Council, we have focused on delivering more investments to CUNY Reconnect because when women and working families succeed, so do our communities. Nearly 3,000 CUNY Reconnect students have now graduated, unlocking new pathways to stability and security for families across our city. The success of CUNY Reconnect is clear, and I will continue to lead the Council to work with stakeholders across the city to continue bolster this program. I thank Chancellor Matos Rodriguez and fellow champions of CUNY Reconnect staff who have helped us reach this significant milestone.”
“The ongoing success of CUNY Reconnect is no surprise given how many New Yorkers want to expand their skills and education. Those with credits just needed some help returning to our doors,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “I’m grateful to Speaker Adams and our partners in government for investing in CUNY, understanding that our students are key to strengthening our city.”
“CUNY Reconnect is transforming lives by helping tens of thousands of New Yorkers return to finish their degrees, opening doors to economic growth and opportunity,” said Council Member Eric Dinowitz. “As Chair of the Committee on Higher Education, I am proud to see this program grow, especially as it helps close the degree attainment gap for people of color. Together with Speaker Adrienne Adams and CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez, we will continue expanding this vital initiative to ensure more New Yorkers can achieve their academic and career goals.”
CUNY operates a Welcome Center at 217 E. 42nd, a storefront that accepts walk-ins and can connect aspiring students to admissions specialists in central offices, which is the main hub for non-traditional students to enroll.
Although most CUNY Reconnect students enroll in the spring, this fall was the program’s largest class at 7,845 students. They are a diverse group – nearly 56% are Black or Hispanic – and the top major is STEM, followed by health professions. Enrollment is half in senior colleges and half in community colleges.
The fall students include Jesse Baltazar, who returned to Hunter College after leaving the New School in 2013 to address mental health issues. Since then, he has been working with individuals with disabilities and his professional dream is to become a special education teacher. “I want to help children learn to cope with stress and anxiety. My partner told me about the Reconnect program and they gave me information quickly so I knew exactly want I needed to do during the admissions process, including getting financial aid.”
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