CUNY Master Plan 2012-2016

THE CUNY MASTER PLAN 2012-2016
individuals, businesses, the economy and taxpayers. Increasing the number of community college students
who graduate will not only make it easier for employers to find qualified workers, it will dramatically
raise the employment prospects of graduates and put them on a career track with significantly
higher earning potential. And, of course, with higher earnings comes more spending in the local economy,
higher tax receipts and more effective public investments in the form of operating aid and grants.” 8
Each of the community colleges of CUNY has developed programs on its campus that have shown positive
results in improving retention and graduation rates. From the development of learning communities
at Kingsborough, to the establishment of curricular academies at Queensborough, to the use of
e-portfolios at La Guardia, faculty and staff are consistently assessing their work to ensure that students
are achieving greater levels of success. Many of these interventions have been part of large nationwide
efforts to impact student success and have been rigorously evaluated by organizations such as MDRC and
the Community College Research Center of Columbia University. Major foundations including Gates,
Robin Hood, Helmsley, Hecksher, Walmart and others have reinforced the good work of CUNY’s community
colleges with large grants that invest in the best practices that have been implemented on CUNY
campuses. Over the next four years, CUNY will continue to play an active role on the local and national
stage, sharing with colleagues those practices that have proven successful, as well as continuing to support
faculty and staff innovation to improve graduation rates. In September 2011, CUNY hosted “Reimagining
Community Colleges: A National Colloquium.” Educators from 26 states and the District of
Columbia gathered to examine the mission, structures, and practices of community colleges. In opening
remarks Chancellor Goldstein said, “If we don’t reimagine community college education, and convince
the marketplace of its tremendous value to our future, our country’s entrepreneurial capacity and its
educated workforce—that is, our social and economic front line—will be seriously compromised.” Two
CUNY initiatives, described below, are leading the way in rethinking community college education in
support of significantly increased student success.
Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP)
ASAP has proven to be one of the most successful community college programs in CUNY’s—as well as
the country’s—history. Created in fall 2007 with funding from the Mayor’s Center for Economic Opportunity
(CEO), the program is designed to help students earn their associate degrees as quickly as possible,
with a goal of graduating at least 50 percent within three years. The fall 2007 cohort exceeded the goal
and achieved a 55 percent three-year graduation rate versus 24 percent for a comparison group. The
ASAP graduation rate was three times the national urban community college three-year rate of 16 percent.
The fall 2009 cohort, primarily low-income students with developmental education needs in one or
two courses, realized a two-year graduation rate of 28 percent versus 7 percent for a comparison group,
and will likely meet the 50 percent target by next summer after three years in the program.
8
Center for an Urban Future. Mobility Makers. November 2011
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