You have /5 articles left.
Sign up for a free account or log in.
Matthew Goldstein sent a letter to students and faculty members of the City University of New York system Friday afternoon announcing his plans to retire this summer. Goldstein has been chancellor since 1999, and in his years leading the university system, it has undergone major changes. Under Goldstein, new admissions standards for four-year institutions resulted in many of them attracting more top students, while CUNY's community colleges emerged as leading centers of reform in two-year college education. A new community college was launched this year, and it makes full use of many of the reform ideas circulating in the discussions of two-year colleges. CUNY also launched a number of new divisions in addition to the new community college. Among them are the William E. Macaulay Honors College, the CUNY School of Professional Studies, the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and the CUNY School of Public Health.
Goldstein also was chancellor when CUNY officials (as well as their counterparts at the State University of New York) reached an agreement with state officials in a bid to lead to more stable appropriations and tuition increases (both of which have fluctuated widely in the past). Some student leaders, however, have objected to any tuition increases, and there have been protests when rates have been raised.
Goldstein's letter to the system noted pride that during his tenure, more than 2,000 full-time faculty jobs have been added systemwide.
Relations between CUNY and its faculty union during Goldstein's tenure have sometimes been frosty. Currently, CUNY administrators and the union are divided over a program designed to create a smooth path for community college students to enroll in four-year programs after completing associate degrees. While the goal is one most educators applaud, faculty leaders have said that the plan has been poorly designed and has ignored professors' concerns.
