TESTIMONY
Reine Sarmiento, Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management, City University of New York (CUNY), on Initiatives Enhancing Access and Opportunity for NYC Public School Graduates
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7 min
Reine Sarmiento discusses CUNY's efforts to improve higher education access for NYC public school graduates, emphasizing the success of initiatives like the 'Apply for Free' campaign and Governor Hochul's top 10% proposal.
- Sarmiento details the welcome letter campaign and the 'Apply for Free' initiative aimed at waiving application fees for NYC and NYS students.
- She reports a significant increase in college applications during CUNY Month, highlighting a 386% rise compared to the previous year.
- Future plans include simplifying CUNY's application process and expanding pre-college and advising mentorship programs.
- The testimony supports Governor Hochul's top 10% proposal as a means to guarantee admissions for high-achieving students, while stressing the importance of continued support from the NYC Council.
Reine Sarmiento
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Can you hear me now?
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Yeah.
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I could hear me now.
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Renee Sarmanso, if I chanceer for enrollment management, City University of New York.
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Good afternoon, Chair Dinowitz, Chair Joseph, Head of Team Members of the Higher Education Committee, the committee on education.
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My name is Renee Sarmanto, and I am the vice chancellor for enrollment man I'm here to discuss recent initiatives to increase access and opportunity for our New York City public school graduates in higher education, the welcome letter and our app apply for free campaign in the month of October into offer commentary regarding Governor Hochul's top 10% proposal.
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1st in the fall, Cuny Chancellor Felix Matos for Iraq, Rodriguez, and New York City Public Schools chancellor David Banks, cosigned a personalized welcome letter to all New York City public school senior seniors who are on the path to graduate in 2024.
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The letter offered student admissions to the community colleges.
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They provided additional information about the 19 undergraduate college options, and a QR code that led to the QNI application.
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The power of these letters was that they were personalized.
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And tailored to each student's high school academic profile and accomplishments to date, equipping them with the valuable information to navigate their post secondary planning process was very important.
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All students graduating from high school were offered admissions of to 1 of 7 community colleges, while students with higher GPAs were allowed and encouraged apply to a CUNY 4 year institution.
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Approximately 65 High School Senior, 65,000, excuse me, High school seniors received this letter distributed in the 1st week of October and to kick off Q And E's CUNY MONTH IN OCTOBER, AND COINCIDE WITH THE COLLEGE APPLICATION SEASON.
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CUNY MONTH CELEBRATES university's vital role in as a community anchor for the city, and CUNY month showcased the university's breadth of academic, athletic, career offerings through more than 100 in person and virtual events through that month.
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2nd, in partnership with HAS College Application Month, CUNY Augmented its October outreach with an apply for a free campaign that waived the $65 application fee.
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This applied to all New York City public school students for the entire month of October, and then also extended to all New York State residents for the last 2 weeks in October.
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The initial outcomes for these fall initiatives saw New York City's students shine and nothing short of extraordinary.
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We are in encouraged by the results of these fall activities, demonstrating a clear example of what's possible when we work together to address systemic barriers limiting access to higher education.
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During the month of October, Quni received over 40,000 applications representing a 386% increase compared to the previous October.
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The increase of the New York City Public Schools applications was 369% and from non New York City public high school students, the university experienced overall a 4 94% increase in applicants in the month of October compared to the same time last year.
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More than 34,000 New York City Public Seniors received an automatic fee waiver when submitting a tuning application that month by simplifying the paperwork and facilitating communication.
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We've removed unnecessary hurdles for graduating seniors and reaffirmed to students that higher education is attainable and that CUNY's doors is always open.
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As part of the CUNY welcome letter, and CUNY month Initiatives University launched an extensive advertising enrollment campaign a degree for every dream across the entire tristate area with print ads and digital ads all over the city.
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The campaigns featured more than 60 current students in alumni to highlight the universe's unrivaled affordability in the vast range of academic programs.
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Coming out of this fiscal year, we will roll out a CUNY simplified application.
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And a counselor corner that will provide student information about the CUNY application to our counselors at their fingertips.
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Our strategies strategies to reduce barriers for all students who plan to for access to postsecondary education and it continues past the fall application season into the spring, supporting college transitions through our college career and bridge program.
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The CUNY NY CPS partnership ensures that all 55,000 New York City Public School graduates have a near peer mentor to support them as they graduate high schools.
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Student received weekly tailored messages, personalized based on their post secondary plan, the CUNY application, and financial assistance.
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The Bridge program increases college enrollment for populations historically underrepresented in higher education.
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82% of college intending graduations served by the bridge programs successfully enroll.
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Thirdly, lastly, the governor the governor's top 10 proposal is another promising students, avenue for talented students, expanding CUNY and students' automatic admissions pathways, and will provide guaranteed admissions to high level high school graduates further bolstering the access to a quality affordable education.
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While specific While specifics need careful consideration, this proposal does deserve thorough exploration.
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However, these initials represent only one piece to the puzzle of providing a public, a 1st rate public education for all regardless of their means or backgrounds.
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To truly expand for access and all and aligned CUNY strategic roadmap to lift New York.
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We must build on our existing endeavors and support pipelines to higher education.
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This necessitates utilizing resources that have been part in large part through the vision and commitment of the New York City Council.
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As CUNY continues to address affordability hat on, to strengthen precollege and advising mentorships, to expand college ready pro programs, and to reinvest in CUNY Reconnect, the New York City Public School funded program created to address the challenges of adult learners in enrolling and completing a college credentials.
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With its inception in 2022, we've enrolled 14,000 students surpassing its initial goal of 10,000.
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And thanks to the city council, the program's renewal of its 2nd year aims to strengthen the completion rates of these students.
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By working together and with your continued support, we can ensure that every New York City public school graduate can pursue its educational dreams, streamlining application process, affordability initiatives, and targeted supports for key our key ingredients in making this vision a reality.
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Thank you for your time and consideration.