It is my great privilege to introduce this book, which aims to demonstrate the outsized impact of Metropolitan College of New York on our students and our communities across New York City.

MCNY is a unique institution of higher education. Its mission explicitly aims to advance social justice, and, according to U.S. News it serves one of the highest percentages of adult students in the nation. Most of our students (85%) come from underrepresented minorities, and a similar percentage are economically disadvantaged. Students come to our campuses in lower Manhattan and in the South Bronx to improve their lives and the lives of their families, often after transferring from larger colleges and universities that do not provide the same level of personal attention. MCNY is an extraordinary community that, as you will read in the stories that follow, is like family to our students. One student recently commented that it felt like the safest space in the City. All of us, faculty, staff and administration, focus on one thing: delivering a purposeful, workplace-embedded education that will empower our students to achieve professional success and to bring constructive change to their families, their places of work, and their communities.

The College’s focus on educating adults has been consistent since our founding in 1964. MCNY’s unique curriculum, Purpose-Centered Education, harnesses the knowledge and maturity of adult students and hones their skills as professionals who can add value and lead positive change. Each semester, every student is required to design, implement and evaluate a project that aims to improve programs or services in their workplace or internship site. Over successive semesters, these “Constructive Actions” (CAs) strengthen students’ abilities to assess situations, identify needs or gaps, and devise solutions. Students’ CA projects have provided the platform for alumni to start their own businesses and non-profits, to advance in their professions, and to drive positive change in law, policy and practice throughout the NY metropolitan region.

MCNY’s impact on New York City is significant. Nearly 90% of recent MCNY graduates reported that they work in one of the five boroughs. And, hundreds of our students and alumni work in NYC government: they can be found in the offices of the Mayor, in many City Council offices, in four of the five Borough Presidents’ offices, as well as in major city agencies such as the Human Resources Administration, the Port Authority, the Administration for Children’s Services, the Department of Homeless Services, the Housing Authority, the Department for Disability and Special Needs, the Fire Department, Metropolitan Transit Authority, and the Board of Education. Count-less others work in non-profit human service organizations. Just a small sampling of these agencies would include: the Puerto Rican Family Institute, Amida Care, ADAPT Community Network, Catholic Charities, Lutheran Social Services, BronxConnect, the Bronx Parent Housing Network, Samaritan Daytop Village, the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services, Goddard Riverside Community Center, HELP USA, and Acacia Network. These students and alumni work to advance equity and justice across the City and they have been doing so for over 50 years. But despite the deep impact of our alumni on our communities since 1964, MCNY is not as well-known as it should be. When I arrived as President in 2018, one of the most consistent messages I heard from stakeholders was that “MCNY is the best kept secret in New York.” That is why we decided to put out this book and tell our story through the experiences of our students and alumni, who actualize our educational and social justice mission in their professional lives and in their communities. Through their stories, we hope to illustrate the power of their collective impact within and beyond the New York metropolitan area; on community members, legislators, donors, students, and educators.

This book will also contain a brief history of the College, written by trustee and emerita faculty member Grace G. Roosevelt, a personal reflection about our founder, Audrey Cohen, written by her daughter, Wendy Cohen, Vice-Chair of our Board of Trustees, and an essay about the role of faculty at MCNY by long-time faculty member, and current Vice President for Academic Affairs, Humphrey Crookendale.
MCNY was borne out of the social upheavals of the 1960s. Its mission to promote social justice has arguably never been more important than it is today. Our experience over more than fifty years has shown us that educating adults is an important driver of social change, as the impact touches two or even three generations of family members in the same household. Students often tell me that their own children take schooling more seriously when they observe their mother or father going back to college. The success of our students and their families is the nucleus of change brought about by MCNY.

To end on a personal note, I know from first-hand experience the benefits that maturity brings to the classroom. I was 30 years old when I graduated from Duke University, at a time when adult students were not as common as they are now. I was earning a very meager living, and could only attend because I lived nearby and was fortunate to receive a full undergraduate scholarship. My degree program, which I designed myself, focused on race, class and gender oppression, as I knew from my experiences growing up in New York City that the personal hardships I faced—and often created for myself—were consistently mitigated by my privilege as a white woman. It is the inequity of that privilege that MCNY aims to dismantle by educating our students with Purpose.

We welcome you to read about our students and our history, and to join us in our work.