Hello,
For those who might be interested, this is a response to a mayoral commission in New York that attacked the City University of New York. The commission was lead by Benno Schmidt, former president of Yale.
Jacob Segal
>>>NEWS from...
>>>
>>>THE FRIENDS OF CUNY
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>For Immediate Release: Contact: Bill Zwart - 212-582-5020
>>>June 6, 1999 Helen Marshall - 718-507-0813
>>>
>>> RESPONSE
>>>
>>>TO THE MAYOR'S ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON CUNY
>>>
>>>
>>> We have gone over the June 7th Report of the Mayor's Advisory Task
>>>Force on City University.
>>>
>>> Taken at face value, we find it to be an indictment of the Mayor of New
>>>York City for a public school system that graduates too many students
>>>who are unprepared to enter either college or the work force, for his
>>>constant public berating of City University to the point where excellent
>>>CUNY colleges have difficulty attracting highly qualified students, and
>>>for his constant falsification of statistics to make his points.
>>>
>>> Further, the Report is an indictment of the Governor of New York for
>>>taking away financial aid (S-TAP) from students who need remedial
>>>courses, and for vetoing funding for full-time faculty lines.
>>>
>>> There are many other aspects of this comprehensive Report. Some we
>>>agree with; some we don't.
>>>
>>> We agree that providing remedial courses remains an essential function
>>>of City University. Leaving students with no opportunity to advance
>>>beyond a high school diploma, in New York City, in the 21st century, is
>>>simply unthinkable.
>>>
>>> We disagree that non-credit remedial courses be restricted to
>>>community colleges at CUNY. The finest private colleges in America,
>>>including Columbia, Princeton and Stanford, offer such courses where
>>>called for. It does not diminish their prestige. It should not
>>>diminish the prestige of Hunter or Brooklyn.
>>>
>>> We agree that the testing instruments for determining reading, writing
>>>and math skills are faulty and invalid. We therefor call upon the Board
>>>of Trustees to postpone implementation of their resolution denying entry
>>>into senior colleges for those who fail a test, at least until better
>>>tests can be devised, lest students have their education interrupted by
>>>the flawed results of invalid testing.
>>>
>>> We disagree that time limits be imposed on students seeking a bachelor
>>>or associate degree. The report itself recognizes that work, family,
>>>illness, financial set backs, the need for remedial work, or other
>>>perfectly legitimate pressures may delay the completion of study toward
>>>a degree. Students who persevere under difficulties should be
>>>congratulated and aided rather than be told they are "too late."
>>>
>>> We disagree that TAP be removed from remedial courses, unless and
>>>until another equivalent financial aid package is in place. It is
>>>ironic that "the Mayor and the Governor" be asked to devise a special
>>>form of financial aid for remedial courses, since it was the Governor
>>>who killed "S-TAP", the State aid aimed at helping students who needed
>>>remedial courses.
>>>
>>> We agree that an aging faculty, too heavily weighted toward adjuncts,
>>>is not healthy for the University. Accordingly we renew our call for
>>>the Governor to support funding for hiring new, younger, full-time
>>>faculty. (He vetoed last year's funding.)
>>>
>>> We agree that the NOW program, designed to encourage and prepare high
>>>school students to enter CUNY, should be funded and expanded. At best,
>>>however, NOW deals with only a small percentage of college bound
>>>students. The College Preparatory Initiative, apparently abandoned by
>>>the Giuliani administration, sought to prepare all high school graduates
>>>to enter CUNY. The CPI should be revived.
>>>
>>> We disagree that funding for remedial programs should be sought from
>>>the funds of secondary schools. Insufficient funding is a principal
>>>reason for the lack of preparation in high school graduates. Depriving
>>>them of funds will worsen the problem.
>>>
>>> We disagree that "flagship" campuses should be created and designated
>>>by the CUNY Central bureaucracy. Some campuses will naturally forge
>>>ahead in certain areas of study, then others will move ahead of them.
>>>This ebb and flow of campus prestige or cache cannot be dictated, and
>>>the competition for eminence will keep everyone alert. Having a campus
>>>chosen as a "flagship" by CUNY Central is a formula for smugness rather
>>>than achievement.
>>>
>>> We disagree that the SAT exams should be used as a sole indicator of
>>>entrance into CUNY generally or into particular campuses. The College
>>>Board itself says this is not a good idea, the Federal Department of
>>>Education is concerned about racial bias in SAT results, and some
>>>studies show that SAT's are not a good indicator of success in college.
>>>The Report calls for tests that will measure skills and aptitudes with
>>>precision and detail. The SAT's do not do that.
>>>
>>> We disagree that a strong Chancellor is going to be able to "save"
>>>CUNY, as long as that Chancellor is chosen by or responds to pressure
>>>from the Mayor. This Mayor's interference with education policy at CUNY
>>>is one of the main reasons that the leadership of the University is, as
>>>you put it, adrift. Top quality educators will not work under the
>>>conditions that now prevail at CUNY, thanks to the Mayor. If the Mayor
>>>backs off and allows the Board, that he and the Governor appointed after
>>>all, to select a Chancellor on its own and to let that Chancellor do his
>>>work without daily interference from City Hall, then there may be some
>>>organizational progress.
>>>
>>>Many crucial facts are ignored by the Schmidt Report. For example:
>>>
>>> It ignores national surveys which show that CUNY's grading is
>>>relatively tough. CUNY does not give out the high grades that most U.S.
>>>colleges and universities do.
>>>
>>> It ignores indicators of success: graduates of City, Hunter, Brooklyn
>>>and Queens Colleges continue to earn PhDs in greater percentages than
>>>almost all other New York City area colleges.
>>>
>>> It ignores data that show that remediation works, that those who pass
>>>remedial courses graduate in nearly the same percentages as those who
>>>didn't need remediation.
>>>
>>> It ignores statistics that show, most notably, that eight-year
>>>graduation rates at CUNY surpass the national average.
>>>
>>> It ignores that 30 percent of the students who transfer to CUNY in
>>>good academic standing with at least 30 credits from Columbia, NYU and
>>>St. John's were found to need remediation when they entered CUNY.
>>>
>>>Friends of CUNY was formed in 1998 to campaign for the historic mission
>>>of the City University of New York--to preserve access for the poor and
>>>for immigrants and to serve an urban population. The Friends of CUNY
>>>wants the State Education Law to be respected. The higher education law
>>>requires the University "to maintain and expand its commitment to
>>>academic excellence and to the provision of equal access and opportunity
>>>for students, faculty and staff from all ethnic and racial groups and
>>>from both sexes." The Friends of CUNY have and will continue to oppose
>>>efforts, which emanate from political expediency and from quarters
>>>opposed to the entire philosophy of CUNY's mission, to diminish this
>>>obligation. A list of Steering Committee members is attached.
>>>
>>> -30-
>>>
>>>Attachment Converted: "C:\INET32\download\vcard8.vcf"
>>>
>>ICQ 35917011
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