CUNY Master Plan 2012-2016

MISSION PART TWO
arts with Baruch’s School of Public Affairs. John Jay’s Justice Academy, a joint admission program developed
in partnership with all six CUNY community colleges, is a highly successful model of collaboration
within the University. CUNY will continue to develop these sorts of dual-joint degree programs.
Institute for Language Education in Transcultural Context
CUNY has an exceptionally rich set of linguistic resources both in its students and in the communities
surrounding its campuses. The University is thus extraordinarily well poised to advance the study of languages
and produce graduates who are trained in the use of the transcultural and translingual tools
required to enter multilingual markets, both globally and locally.
CUNY offers instruction in about 25 languages, and roughly half of CUNY’s students speak a language
other than English at home. To leverage these resources, within the first year of this Master Plan, the
University will establish a CUNY Institute for Language Education in Transcultural Context. The institute
will be housed at the Graduate Center and will also receive foundational support from Hunter College,
Queens College, and the CUNY Central Office.
As currently envisioned, the institute will coordinate the high-level research, leadership, and advocacy
necessary to deepen, broaden, and catalyze CUNY’s significant strengths in world languages and cultures,
at both senior and community colleges. It will accomplish these goals through multiple means, including
collecting and analyzing data on language teaching at CUNY and fostering the exchange of best practices
in language instruction. The institute will aim to fully develop immersion programs and study abroad
opportunities and it will foster the strategic development of less commonly taught languages. Finally, the
institute will develop models for teaching heritage-language courses and creating attractive, content-driven
minors with an eye toward heritage-language speakers.
CUNY-Theatre Development Fund Collaboration
Bridging Education and Theatre (BEAT) is a program that introduces the CUNY community to New
York City’s performing arts through a range of programs designed by the Theatre Development Fund
(TDF) and tailored to the needs of the CUNY community. Given that 80 percent of CUNY students
remain in New York City after graduation, this partnership will help them become lifelong theatregoers,
able to enjoy and participate in a vital and vibrant part of the cultural life of the city.
BEAT, which was piloted during the 2010-11 school year by Baruch, Brooklyn, and Lehman Colleges
and by LaGuardia Community College, has doubled in scope for its second year and is now available as
well at Hunter and John Jay Colleges, New York City College of Technology, and Queensborough Community
College. The program expects to expand each year, eventually to all 24 CUNY campuses.
BEAT has already launched four programs at the campuses involved in the initiative:
• Production Process: an enrichment program in which theatre professionals from different performing
arts disciplines participate in moderated discussions on various aspects of theatre production for
an audience of CUNY students;
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