AGENCY TESTIMONY
Introduction and CUNY's role in economic mobility
0:16:47
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128 sec
Lauren Andersen introduces herself as the University Associate Provost for Careers and Industry Partnerships at CUNY. She highlights CUNY's historical and ongoing role in advancing economic mobility in New York City, emphasizing its commitment to inclusive growth and transforming the higher education system to meet current and future needs.
- CUNY serves 400,000 students across 25 campuses
- CUNY has a national reputation for propelling graduates up the economic ladder
- The university is focusing on providing students with exposure, experience, and connections for workforce success
Lauren Andersen
0:16:47
Good morning, honorable chairs, Dela Rosa and Dinowicz, and members of the Civil Service And Labor Committee and the Higher Education Committee Thank you for the invitation to come and speak today on pathways to New York City Civil Service.
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My name is Lauren Anderson, and I am my colleague, Ludwig Wietzis.
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I'm proud to represent the City University of New York here today.
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I have the honor of serving as the University Associate provost for careers and industry partnerships and chief workforce officer at CUNY.
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In this capacity, I oversee an office that was recently elevated to report directly to the chancellor as well as the university provost.
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This is a reflection of the importance that Kini places on ensuring our students can successfully launch careers while helping to fuel the growth of New York employers.
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Last July, Kini released a strategic plan entitled Kini Lifting New York.
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We chose this title deliberately in recognition of the role that Kinney plays as a leading engine of inclusive economic mobility in New York City.
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New York's economic growth must be equitable.
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It has to lift all New Yorkers, particularly communities of color, and residents who are underrepresented in critical careers long before the pandemic.
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No other institution is better positioned to lift up all New Yorkers than CUNY.
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And that's because advancing economic mobility at scale is in our DNA.
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It was instilled a 175 years ago with the founding of CUNY's progenitor, a school called the Free Academy.
0:18:05
It was created to educate and provide access, equity, and opportunity to people from families of modest backgrounds and qualify them for, quote, usefulness hereafter.
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Through decades and generations, Kini has shaped and transformed the city and state's professional in middle class, It has gained national reputation for propelling more graduates up the economic ladder than all Ivy, Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, and MIT combined.
0:18:27
Today, with 400,000 degree and non degree seeking students served across 25 campuses, CUNY continues to commit to transforming itself into the higher education system, our city and state needs both in this moment and for decades to come.
0:18:40
Central to this transformation is an effort to ensure that even more CUNY students have the exposure corporation, experience, and connections needed to fuel an inclusive and thriving workforce, including in the public sector, which served as an essential backbone of our city and state.
