Year-Long Celebration to Mark Decades of Amplifying Dreams
NEW YORK, NY – March 25, 2014 – This year, Metropolitan College of New York (MCNY) celebrates its 50th anniversary and its remarkable transformation from the Women’s Talent Corps into an institution of higher learning. Themed “Amplify the Dream,” the celebratory activities kicked off during March, Women’s History Month, and will continue throughout the year with a series of special events leading to the 50th Anniversary Gala this fall.
“Launching the 50th anniversary celebration this month was befitting of the college’s early development as a training institution for women,” explains Vinton Thompson, President of the Metropolitan College of New York. “We were founded by educational visionary Audrey Cohen to provide women with an opportunity for personal and professional advancement.”
The schedule of 2014 events at the Manhattan and Bronx campuses includes panel discussions as part of the college’s popular Urban Dialogue Series, the 5th Annual Short Film Festival and MCNY Family Day at Coney Island’s Luna Park. This milestone year culminates with the “Amplify the Dream” 50th Anniversary Gala, on October 23rd at The Plaza Hotel in New York City.
Metropolitan College of New York (MCNY) was founded during the turbulence and idealism of the 1960s, to offer underserved working adults of New York City access to life-changing education. The College is a leader in tying academics to real world applications and is distinguished by its focus on equipping students to create positive change in their workplace and communities.
With President Lyndon B. Johnson’s declaration of a War on Poverty, in 1964 the U.S. Congress passed the Economic Opportunity Act to administer federal funds targeted against poverty. The Women’s Talent Corps received funding from the Office of Economic Opportunity to train low-income women to work in their own communities. In fact, through this funding, students were paid to attend training and to work in the community.
It was in 1970, that the Talent Corps expanded its programs and became the College for Human Services. Thousands of men and women graduated with degrees in human services and set out with the passion and determination to change the world. In 1992, recognizing that the term human services had become narrower in focus while the College’s programs had expanded, and in honor of Audrey Cohen’s leadership and innovative approach to education, it became Audrey Cohen College.
Renamed Metropolitan College of New York in 2002, MCNY offers graduate and undergraduate programs in human services, public administration, business, education, and emergency management. In addition to the lower Manhattan campus, the college has a Bronx extension serving students in the Bronx, Harlem and lower Westchester.
“We are excited to celebrate this milestone in MCNY history and welcome everyone to join in on the 50th anniversary festivities,” Thompson added. For a complete list of events please visit www.mcny.edu/amplify. For more information on MCNY, visit www.mcny.edu or call 800.33.THINK.
About Metropolitan College of New York
Audrey Cohen, educational visionary and activist, founded the Women’s Talent Corps in 1964. Through development and training for new professional positions, the Talent Corps created employment for thousands of people. It became The College for Human Services, later Audrey Cohen College, and today Metropolitan College of New York (MCNY). MCNY, now celebrating its 50th anniversary, continues the tradition of offering highly motivated learners an education that combines applied skills and professional knowledge to effect personal transformation and positive change in the workplace and community. MCNY is a not-for-profit, accredited, independent college. Full year-round offerings accelerate degree completion, and a unique approach to learning permits close integration of workplace activities and study. MCNY is conveniently located in Hudson Square where SoHo meets TriBeCa at 431 Canal Street, New York, NY 10013 and in the Bronx at 529 Courtlandt Ave Bronx, NY 10451. For more information on MCNY, visit www.mcny.edu or call 800.33.THINK.
