Introduction by Dr. Charles J. Gibbs, President of Metropolitan College of New York

Dear MCNY Community,

We are pleased to share a thoughtful reflection from Board Trustee and Faculty Emerita, Dr. Grace “Jinx” Roosevelt, following our February 11 “Fireside Chat” with Board Chair Mr. Gary P. Jenkins, MPA’06, and President Charles J. Gibbs. Her words capture the spirit of purpose, compassion, history, and leadership that continues to guide our College and inspire our Scholars.

“I attended a “Fireside Chat” at Metropolitan College of New York (MCNY), a highly accredited educational institution that is now located on 149th Street in the South Bronx. The chat in this case was a conversation between the president of MCNY, Dr. Charles Gibbs, and an MCNY alumnus, Gary P. Jenkins, who now serves as the Chairman of its Board of Trustees. By providing a model of compassion and care, Gibbs and Jenkins’s conversation, like Roosevelt’s radio chats nearly 100 years ago, inspired in the audience a sense of possibility and hope.”

Please take a moment to read the entire reflection below.

We thank Dr. Roosevelt for her continued leadership and for reminding us of the Power of Purpose-Centered Education to bring people together and move our community forward.

Sincerely,
President Gibbs

A Fireside Chat in the South Bronx
by Grace Roosevelt

During the Great Depression of the 1930s, President Franklin Roosevelt hosted a series of radio programs that he called “Fireside Chats.” In these chats, the president educated the American people about the economic challenges they were facing, explained the purposes of the federal programs he was creating to get the country moving again, and assured his audience of his trust in their ability to persevere through the crisis.

Although no visual components accompanied the president’s radio broadcasts, FDR’s resonant voice, careful choice of words, and knowledge of the difficulties that everyday people were facing gave his listeners trust in their country and hopes for their own future well-being.

On February 11th, I attended a “Fireside Chat” at Metropolitan College of New York (MCNY), a highly accredited educational institution that is now located on 149th Street in the South Bronx. The chat in this case was a conversation between the president of MCNY, Dr. Charles Gibbs, and an MCNY alumnus, Gary P. Jenkins, who now serves as the Chairman of its Board of Trustees. By providing a model of compassion and care, Gibbs and Jenkins’s conversation, like Roosevelt’s radio chats nearly 100 years ago, inspired in the audience a sense of possibility and hope.

Jenkins has recently published a memoir, Never Give Up: A Memoir of Resilience, Purpose, and Becoming the Change, about his own rise from urban poverty to civic leadership as the former Commissioner of the NYC Department of Social Services, the largest social services agency in the USA. With carefully phrased questions worthy of a professional interviewer, Dr. Gibbs drew out Gary Jenkins’s story of growing up in Brooklyn with a single mom and seven siblings, going to the welfare center for needed support, yet also feeling a deep desire to help others.

Jenkins spoke emotionally about his mother, who never made her children “feel poor,” his sisters who helped him believe in himself, and his wife of 27 years, who reminds him why he is doing the work he is doing now as the Interim Chief Executive Officer of Urban Pathways, a non-profit dedicated to combating homelessness. “Current circumstances don’t define your destiny,” Jenkins asserted several times during the interview. He also advised his listeners to seek out mentors who can encourage them to “be the change” they are searching for.

Empowering students to “be the change” they are searching for has been the mission of MCNY for over 60 years. Founded in 1964 by the dynamic social entrepreneur Audrey Cohen, the College’s curriculum is built on a “purpose-centered” educational model that blends academic learning with job-related work. Offering degrees in human services, education, business, emergency management, healthcare management, and information technology, MCNY enables students to have a positive social impact on communities and neighborhoods throughout New York City and beyond.

As the wife of a grandson of President Franklin Roosevelt, I feel honored to serve on MCNY’s Board of Trustees under the leadership of President Charles Gibbs and alongside inspiring alumni of the College like Gary Jenkins. Their “Fireside Chat” at the College this past week was a reminder of the positive effects that a well-educated leader’s care and compassion can have on our urban communities today.