CCNY’s STEM Institute receives $1M boost from Council Member Rodriguez with support from Mayor’s Office

Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, with the support of Mayor Bill de Blasio and Speaker Corey Johnson, secured a $1 million grant to fund The City College of New York’s STEM Institute’s partnership with Northern Manhattan. The funding will be used to open an afterschool program at George Washington Educational Campus while expanding students’ opportunities to participate in summer and Saturday programs at CCNY’s campus. The goal of the Institute is to prepare high school students, particularly women and underrepresented minorities, to successfully pursue college majors in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

“In order for our city to grow, we need to expand the educational opportunities for all students. I am proud to have worked with Mayor Bill De Blasio and Speaker Cory Johnson, in order to secure the funding and support needed to expand this program,” said Rodriguez. “Our goal is to increase the number of college ready graduates, create a pipeline to higher educational institutions, and expand the application pool for STEM jobs.”

As a partner, District 6 Superintendent Manuel Ramirez has been instrumental in expanding the Institute to the George Washington Educational Campus. “District 6’s goal is to provide all students with multiple opportunities for success, and the STEM Institute in partnership with CCNY and Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, represents a wonderful chance for students to engage in 21^st century STEM activities, with opportunity for creativity, hands-on-activities, team work, robotics, and mechatronics. This is a testament of what a community can accomplish when we all work together,” said Ramirez.

CCNY Senior Associate Provost Doris Cintron, who leads a number of STEM educational efforts at the college, was instrumental in planning and implementing the STEM Institute expansion into Northern Manhattan schools. “ The presence of the STEM Institute in Northern Manhattan schools will provide minority students clearer pathways into STEM majors and careers and complement the work of other programs at the college that focus on retention and the graduation of these students,” said Cintron.

Joseph Barba, professor of electrical engineering at the Grove School of Engineering and director of the STEM Institute, is working with principals of local schools to build a robust and leveled STEM curriculum for the after-school program, some of which will be formatted for English-language learners (ELL), to allow offerings to expand to a more diverse community.

All high school students are eligible to apply to the Institute, which offers a free, intensive six-week summer program in math (advanced algebra to calculus), science (chemistry and physics), and critical writing and reading, and their admission is based on a math placement exam.

The STEM Institute is a collaborative initiative between the New York City Department of Education, the Grove School of Engineering, the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Gateway to Higher Education – New York State Department of Education,  NYS Department of Health and the Shippy Foundation with support from the Lincoln Fund and GSOE alumnus Allan Levine, Esq. 57’.

About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided high quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its role at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.2% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. More than 16,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight professional schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself.  View CCNY Media Kit.