York College, City University of New York

York College, of the City University of New York
Academic Core Building
Motto	Sapere Aude, Incipe!
Established	1966
Type	Public
President	Dr. Marcia V. Keizs
Location	Jamaica, Queens, New York, USA 40°42′07″N 73°47′42″W / 40.702°N 73.795°W / 40.702; -73.795Coordinates: 40°42′07″N 73°47′42″W / 40.702°N 73.795°W / 40.702; -73.795
Campus	Urban, 50 acres (20 ha)
Newspaper	Pandora's Box
Colors	White, Red & Black
Mascot	Cardinal
Affiliations	City University of New York
Website	york.cuny.edu

York College of The City University of New York is one of eleven senior colleges in the City University of New York (CUNY) system. It is located in Jamaica, Queens in New York City. Founded in 1966, York was the first senior college founded under the newly formed CUNY system, which united several previously independent public colleges into a single public university system in 1961. The college is a member-school of Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

Today, with an enrollment of more than 7,780 students, York serves as one of CUNY's leading liberal arts colleges, granting bachelor's degrees in more than 40 fields, including those in the Heath Professions, Nursing (BS) and a combined BS/MS degree in Occupational Therapy, among others. The York College Library subscribes to dozens of electronic resources, as well as print journals, to support the research needs of the faculty and students.

York College is the current home of the Queens High School for the Sciences

Marcia V. Keizs, a native of Jamaica, became York College's 6th president in February 2005.

History

On October 24, 1966, CUNY voted to create a fifth senior college, designated as Alpha College, to serve the city’s growing student population. Its first president, former Queensborough Community College President, Dr. Dumont F. Kenny, quickly renamed the school York College. Kenny hoped to build a leafy, suburban liberal arts school near Fort Totten in Queens. These plans, however, quickly fell through.

York opened its doors in the fall of 1967 without plans for a permanent home. Its first classes took place in rooms rented from the Oakland Jewish Center in Bayside, Queens. An entering class of 371 students, largely white and American-born, and a full-time instructional staff of 50 occupied that site for the first academic year.

In May 1968, in response to pressure from local business, community, and religious leaders, the CUNY Board of Higher Education selected Jamaica as the future site of York’s permanent campus. While York waited for authorization to build the new campus, it relocated to rudimentary quarters throughout Queens. In 1971, when New York City Community College (originally New York City College of Technology) president Milton G. Bassin M.M.E, P.E. assumed the presidency at York, he found it housed in temporary classrooms on the campus of Queensborough Community College in Bayside. York stayed there for three years before moving to a renovated ex-Montgomery Ward’s department store and other buildings in Jamaica.

With the fiscal crisis of the mid-seventies, York’s future seemed uncertain. Jamaica residents, eager to have the college in the neighborhood, pressured the city to keep York’s doors open. In May 1978, the CUNY Board reaffirmed York’s permanence by authorizing construction of the new campus in Jamaica. At the same time, the College underwent expansive curricular development. While York maintained an emphasis on the liberal arts, it began to offer career-related majors in the health professions. The College also opened the Office of Continuing Education to give classes on practical subjects to Jamaica’s residents.

With approval from Governor Hugh Carey, construction on York’s permanent campus began in December 1980. In 1986, York held its first classes in the new Academic Core. At the time, student enrollment had grown to 4,276. In 1990, York opened the Performing Arts Center and the Health and Physical Education facilities, followed by the athletic fields a year later.

Marcia V. Keizs became the president of York College in 2005 and under her leadership the college has strengthened its academic quality through a variety of initiatives. With the construction of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s regional headquarters on York’s campus, students may take advantage of collaborative internships, fellowships, and research with world-class scientists. The CUNY Aviation Institute was established in 2003 to prepare students for success in a rapidly changing industry.

In 2009 alone, York launched the Provost Distinguished Scholars Lecture Series, which attracts renowned writers, scholars, and scientists to speak to the York community. York also hired thirty-three new faculty members and reorganized its 18 academic departments into three schools, the School of Arts and Sciences, School of Business and Information Systems and School of Health and Behavioral Sciences.

York today would be unrecognizable to an observer from 1967. The College has grown to more than 7,780 students from 120 countries speaking more than 83 languages. Despite a variety of new programs, including Nursing, Pharmaceutical Science and Journalism, many of York’s biggest changes are to come.

The College plans to build major additions to its campus, including a state-of-the-art Academic Village and a CUNY School of Pharmacy, to further improve the opportunities for students.

York College Presidents

Dumont F. Kenny, PhD, 1966–1970
Milton G. Bassin, M.M.E., P.E., 1971–1991
Josephine D. Davis, Ed.D., 1991–1995
Charles C. Kidd, Sr., PhD, P.E., 1996–2002
Robert L. Hampton, PhD, 2003–2004
Marcia V. Keizs, Ed.D., 2005 – present.

Academics

The College is organized into three Schools: the School of Arts & Sciences, the School of Business & Information Systems, and the School of Health & Behavioral Sciences. Each of the Schools focuses on a set of related programs and departments, and gives expression to the College’s mission. The School of Arts & Sciences provides students with the opportunity to obtain an excellent education in the arts, humanities, mathematics, and the natural sciences. The School of Business & Information Systems introduces students to all of the fundamental business disciplines, then allows them a wide range of choices when selecting their major field of study. Finally, the School of Health & Behavioral Sciences provides a diverse student population with programs that have received national recognition and professional accreditation.

Through the three Schools, York College offers B.A. and B.S. degrees in over 44 different liberal arts, sciences, and professional majors, including English, History, Spanish, Music, Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, Journalism, Physician Assistant, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nursing, Aviation Management, and Communications Technology, as well as the combined B.S./M.S. in Occupational Therapy.

The College is distinguished not only for offering a variety of majors and minors in almost every discipline but also for bringing professional programs in business, accounting, information systems management, teacher education, generic nursing, social work and allied health sciences to traditionally underserved populations. York College also offers certificate programs in a variety of fields that include: mortgage finance; youth work; survey research; and Spanish for professional purposes. In addition to the CUNY Aviation Institute, York College is home to the Northeast Regional U.S. Food and Drug Administration Headquarters (FDA). The College’s approximately 7,100 students hail from more than 50 different countries of birth.

Approximately 40 percent of our students study part-time, and in Fall 2008 almost 700 new students were transfer students and over 1,000 were first-time freshmen. York College offers a variety of scholarships, both merit and retention, through the York College Foundation, Student Government Association and Auxiliary Enterprises, Inc.

With about 200 full-time faculty and some 250 part-time faculty, there is a student-to-faculty ratio of 16:1. Most full-time faculty hold terminal degrees in their disciplines and are also recipients of many national and regional awards, receiving grants from federal, state and local government agencies.

Governance

Faculty, students, and administrative staff participate in College governance, which is conducted according to procedures outlined in the bylaws of CUNY and in the York College Charter as approved by the Board of Trustees of CUNY. The York College Senate is the chief legislative body of the College. Reporting to the Senate are various standing college committees which oversee such matters as curriculum and academic standards.

Accreditation

York is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of the Association of Colleges and Universities of the State of New York, the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). All Education programs are registered by the New York State Department of Education and lead to New York State provisional certification after the written parts of the New York State Teacher Certification Examination are passed. York’s Occupational Therapy Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA); York’s Physician Assistant Studies Program is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc.; York’s Social Work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education; and the Nursing Program by the National League for Nursing. A degree in Accounting at York College includes all the educational requirements to sit for the Uniform Certified Public Accounting.

Graduation Rate

Since 1971, York College has conferred more than 20,000 undergraduate and graduate degrees. York students progress toward graduation at different rates. Most students combine the role of student with that of employee and/or parent which may necessitate part-time enrollment or temporary leaves from their academic pursuits.

Location and Facilities

At the heart of the 50-acre (20 ha) York College campus is the Academic Core, which houses classrooms, lecture halls, laboratories, art studios, the library, computer facilities, academic and administrative offices, as well as dining facilities and a bookstore. On adjacent super blocks are located the 1,500 seat Performing Arts Center, the Health and Physical Education facility, which includes a gymnasium and swimming pool, Classroom and Science Buildings, Athletic Fields and parking facilities.

Institutes

The CUNY Aviation Institute (AI) at York College was established in 2003 by a grant from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to promote high quality education and research for the aviation industry. The AI is headquartered in New York City and is located on the campus of York College.

In cooperation with local, national, and international partners the CUNY Aviation Institute develops teaching materials regarding airlines, airports, service providers, civil aviation authorities, and related industries. Furthermore, the CUNY Aviation Institute develops programs of study at all academic levels, including credit and non-credit courses.

The CUNY Aviation Institute also promotes research and academic exchange of ideas in the field of aviation and assists in the training of professional educators and researchers. CUNY Aviation Institute has a partnership network comprising the private sector, educational institutions, international organizations, trade associations, governments and other bodies with interest in aviation management.^[1]

-Aviation Scholarship: York College is committed to providing ten $2000 awards, per academic year, to students pursuing their B.S. in Aviation Management.^[2]

– Aviation Club: The York College Aviation Club was established in the spring of 2008 to promote aviation within the York College community of students, faculty, and staff. The Aviation Club unites, guides, and supports Aviation Management students.

– Women in Aviation: Women in Aviation, International is the fastest growing aviation organization dedicated to encouraging young people to consider aviation careers as well as providing networking opportunities for women and men through the aviation industry. Our members represent the broad scope of aviation – general, corporate, commercial and military. WAI members include aeronautical engineers, pilots, maintenance technicians, educators, air traffic controllers, avionics technicians, airport managers, business owners, dispatchers, artists, students, flight attendants and enthusiasts.

Notable programs

Honors Program – An academic program for advanced students with the goal of providing academic, cultural and social opportunities. The program is a member of the National Collegiate Honors Council and the Northeast Regional Honors Council. York College Honors Program Official Site

Nursing – A BS (Bachelor of Science) Nursing program accredited by the NLNAC (National League for Nursing). York College Nursing Program Official Site

Occupational Therapy (OT) – The only CUNY to offer a BS/MS Occupational Therapy program which is fully accredited by the American Occupational Therapy Association. York College Occupational Therapy Program Official Site

Physician Assistant (PA) – It is the second CUNY to offer a BS Physician Assistant program (The first being City College of New York). As of March 2007, the York College PA Program is fully accredited by the ARC-PA (Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant). York College Physician Assistant Program Official Site

Aviation Management The B.S. in Aviation Management is an opportunity to prepare students comprehensively for management careers in the industry. The CUNY Aviation Institute is also located on the campus of York College. Students are offered a program of study that emphasizes business, policy and the operations of key areas within aviation, including security, aviation safety, and airport planning. Aviation students have the choice of gearing their studies toward preparation for work in for-profit arenas within aviation or for employment in the aviation public sector by selecting appropriate electives from political science, psychology, business and other areas. A major strength of the major is the integration of the liberal studies areas with a business curriculum.

Faculty

• Martin Atangana, PhD, Professor of History, 1998–2013, was also a guitarist with the group African Blue Note. He died in 2013 at the age of 55.
• George M. Bailey was Professor of Library Services and York's first Chief Librarian, 1968–1971. He had previously been Executive Secretary of the Association of College and Research Libraries (1963–1968), and went on to a long career as Associate Director of Libraries at the Claremont Colleges (1971–1989).
• Elaine Hoffman Baruch, PhD, was Professor of English, 1967–1995.
• Elena Borstein was Professor of Fine Arts, 1970–2002. Her art studio is in Upstate New York.
• James Como, PhD, was Professor of Speech and Rhetoric from 1968–2013, and is the author of several books about C. S. Lewis.
• Daisy Cocco De Filippis, PhD, was Professor of Spanish, 1983–2002. She subsequently became Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Eugenio María de Hostos Community College, and then President of Naugatuck Valley Community College.
• Ron Daniels, PhD, Distinguished Lecturer in Political Science, Department of Behavioral Sciences, has been active in the civil rights movement for decades and is President of the Institute of the Black World 21st century (IBW).
• William Divale, PhD, Author, Professor of Anthropology and Former Chairman of the Social Sciences Department.
• David Ernst, PhD, Professor of Music, taught composition, computer music and music theory from 1972-2012. His compositions have been recorded by trumpeter Jack Logan, pianists Jeff Jacob and Mark Adams, and the Slovak Radio Symphony.
• Nancy Foner, PhD, was Assistant Professor of Anthropology, 1970–1973, before joining the faculty of the State University of New York at Purchase (1973–2004), where her career spanned from Assistant Professor to Distinguished Professor. She is currently Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Hunter College and the CUNY Graduate Center.
• Jean-Avin François, PhD, Associate Professor of French and Creole in the Department of Foreign Languages, ESL, and Humanities, is a poet, novelist, and scholar. His fiction is published under the pseudonym A20.
• Bruce Jay Friedman, novelist and playwright, was Visiting Professor of English, 1974–1976.
• Reeves Gandy, Lecturer in the Business and Economics Department specializing in Aviation Management, Flight Instructor and Former Corporate Pilot. He passed away on April 16, 2010.
• Ernest Garthwaite was Professor of Fine Arts, 1968–2004. His art studio is in Old Greenwich, Connecticut.
• Uwe P. Gielen, PhD, was Assistant Professor of Psychology, 1973–1980, before joining the faculty of St. Francis College, where he founded the Institute for International and Cross-Cultural Psychology.
• Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith, PhD, Professor of Political Science, was Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. A specialist in Caribbean and Inter-American security, drugs, crime, and terrorism issues, he left York in July 2013 to become President of Fort Valley State University in Georgia.
• Barry R. Gross, PhD, Professor of Philosophy, 1969–1995, was author of two books on reverse discrimination.
• Franklin Gutiérrez, PhD, Professor of Spanish Language and Literature in the Department of Foreign Languages, ESL, and Humanities, is the author, editor, or co-editor of 20 books. He was one of the founders of the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute, and was named one of the 2009 Dominican Educators of Excellence.
• Fred J. Harsaghy, Jr., PhD, was Professor of Library Services and York's second Chief Librarian, 1972–1974. He had previously run libraries in Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, and Japan. After leaving York, he taught at the University of New Haven and in the Danbury school system. He died in 1996.
• David Ignatow, poet, was Professor of English and Poet-in-Residence, 1968–1984.
• Gladys W. Jarrett was Professor of Library Services, 1967–1985, and served as York's third Chief Librarian, 1976–1985. She was very likely the first African-American woman to be a Chief Librarian in the City University of New York system.
• Helen Armstead Johnson (1920-2006), PhD, Professor of English from 1967-1990, was a noted scholar of Edmund Burke, and also spent her career collecting, preserving, documenting, and exhibiting the contributions of African-Americans to American theater. She was founder/director of the Armstead-Johnson Foundation for Theater Research. Her papers and photographs, and the records of the foundation, are held by the New York Public Library.
• Gary D. Keller, PhD, was Associate Professor of Spanish, 1974–1979. He was the founder of The Bilingual Review.
• Reatha King, PhD, was Professor of Chemistry, 1968–1977, as well as serving as Associate Dean of the Division of Natural Sciences & Mathematics, and later Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. She left York to become President of Metropolitan State University in Minnesota (1977–1988).
• Basdeo Mangru, PhD, Associate Professor of History, Guyanese writer and academic.
• Jonah Otelsberg, Associate Professor of Business, 1979–1996, who was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study in the USSR during 1990–1991.
• Robert D. Parmet, PhD, Professor of History, 1967–present, is Coordinator of the History Program in the Department of History and Philosophy. He is one of the original 50 faculty members, and served as chairman of the department from 1972–1975.
• Peter Ranis, PhD, Professor of Political Science, 1968–2003, was author of three books on Latin American politics and recipient of three Fulbright awards.
• Sonia Rivera-Valdés, PhD, Professor of Spanish Language and Literature in the Department of Foreign Languages, ESL, and Humanities since 2001.
• Edward T. Rogowsky, city planner, was Assistant Professor of Political Science, 1967–1979, before joining the faculty of Brooklyn College. CUNY gives an internship in his name.
• Mark Rudman, was Associate Professor of English and Poet-in-Residence, 1984–1988.
• Phillips Simkin, artist, taught at York from 1973 to 2011. His 1996 sculpture, Philadelphia Books of Just Hours, is installed at the Criminal Justice Center in Philadelphia.
• Eileen Southern, PhD, ethnomusicologist, was Professor of Music, 1968–1974, before joining the faculty of Harvard University, where she became the first African American woman to become a tenured professor there.
• Gloria F. Waldman, PhD, Professor of Spanish from 1968–2006, specialized in Puerto Rican authors and playwrights.

Alumni

• Sal F. Albanese ('72), who was a Democratic candidate for New York City mayor in 2013. He was elected to the New York City Council in 1982 and served until 1998, representing part of Brooklyn. After leaving the City Council, Albanese became Marketing Director for INVESCO and then Managing Director, Institutional Sales & Marketing, at Mesirow Financial.
• Carl Ballenas ('76), social studies teacher at Immaculate Conception School and author of several local history books, including Images of America: Jamaica (Arcadia Publishing, 2011).
• Rashidul Bari ('09), author of Grameen Social Business Model: A Manifesto For Proletariat Revolution, and producer of the film, The Killing of Muhammad Yunus Biographer.
• Dr. Carole M. Berotte Joseph ('71), who became President of Bronx Community College effective Summer 2011. She was previously President of Massachusetts Bay Community College.
• Dr. Ormond Brathwaite ('82), Professor of Biology and Chemistry at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio, who received a Fulbright Scholarship in 2011.
• Vincent W. Clark ('83), who was appointed Vice President for Administration and Finance at Lehman College in 2010, after a long career in the New York City Department of Education.
• Maria M. Del Toro ('72), member of the New York City Planning Commission who had been Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Public Policy for the YMCA of Greater New York from 2004 to 2010.
• Eula Dewitt ('81), former President of the Institute of Management Accountants.
• Roger Drysdale ('93), who was a theater major and who performs professionally as Ding A Ling the Clown.
• Donna Elam, Ed.D. ('76), an authority in diversity and cultural competence training for governmental, business, community, and educational agencies, and Associate Director for Program Development and External Affairs at the David C. Anchin Center at the University of South Florida. She is the author of Why They Marched: The Struggle for the Right To Vote (Metropolitan Teaching & Learning, 2005), a civil rights book for children.
• Judge George A. Grasso ('80), who previously had been a member of the New York City Police Department since 1979, and First Deputy Police Commissioner from 2002 to 2010. He was appointed to the Criminal Court of the City of New York, Kings County by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2010.
• Andrew P. Jackson (Sekou Molefi Baako) ('90), Executive Director of the Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center of the Queens Public Library system.
• Eugene T. Kelty, Jr. ('77), Battalion Chief for the NYC Fire Department and Chair of Queens Community Board 7.
• Yanick Morin ('78), who taught French and Creole at York College from 1994 until her death in 2002. Her book of poetry, Triloji, was published by Haitiana Publications in 2001.
• George Onuorah ('86), founder & CEO of Youths Int'l Inc., who served as a liaison officer for New York City Councilmember Helen Sears.
• Deborah Persaud, M.D. (’81), an associate professor of pediatric infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and winner of a $700,000 Elizabeth Glazer award for pediatric AIDS research.
• Neilson (Neil) Persaud ('04), who is currently an International HR Professional and the author of "Managing Across Cultures" a book geared towards helping managers lead diverse teams. Neil is also a Professor of Management and Doctoral Student at Pace University.
• Joseph B. Raskin ('74), a photographer and transit historian. Many of his photos are available on Wandering New York.
• Gerald A. Reynolds, who served as Chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights from 2004 to 2010.
• Hank Sheinkopf ('73), political consultant.
• James Siegel ('77), author of Derailed, and Political Advisor to New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer.
• Jeremy S. Weinstein, member of the New York State Senate from 1979 to 1992, a New York State judge since 1993, and Administrative Judge of the Supreme Court, Queens County, Civil, since 2007.
• Steven Weitzner (’74), a former journalist, now CEO of the Long Island-based technology marketing giant CMP Media.
• Paul D. Zucker ('73) successful business executive, currently VP of Marketing & Business Development at Alliance Brokerage Corp. in NY

Athletics

York competes as an NCAA Division III member of the City University of New York Athletic Conference.

References

External links

• York College
• York College Athletics
• History of the York College Library
• York College Radio
• Pandora's Box, York College's student newspaper
• Queens High School for the Sciences at York College
• Illinois Jacquet Performance Space
• Chapel of the Sisters