Dear College Community,
Happy New Academic Year! Mark your calendars:
Convocation Tuesday, September 8, 2026 12pm 3D01 September 11 Memorial Friday September 11, 2026 8:30am Guy Brewer Plaza Kirk Buddy Memorial Tuesday, September 29, 2026 Time/Location: TBA York College Anniversary Gala Thursday, October 22, 2026Atrium Business & Conference Center at Laguardia Airport For more college events check out: https://www.york.cuny.edu/events |
Get ready to GALAvant, celebrate our 60th Anniversary, and raise funds to support student success! Every one of you are inextricably connected to York College and has helped shape our history. Your presence at this milestone celebration would be especially meaningful as we honor our past and envision our future together. I look forward to celebrating with you as we enter our diamond era and continue the York College story you have helped build.
Additional event details and ticket information are available here: https://York60th.givesmart.com
Please join me in welcoming Dr. Thomas Jordan as York College’s new Chief of Staff. A respected higher education leader with more than 25 years of experience, Dr. Jordan brings a deep commitment to student success. His career includes leadership roles at York College, SUNY Delhi, the SUNY Bronx Educational Opportunity Center, and other institutions, where he has built strong partnerships, advanced innovative programs, and championed opportunities for students to thrive. We are delighted to welcome him back to the York College family and look forward to the insight, experience, and collaborative spirit he will bring to our community. Dr. Jordan joins us on September 8.
I extend my deepest gratitude to Nyisha Howell for her exceptional service as Chief of Staff. Nyisha has been a steadfast advocate for York College students, approaching every challenge with compassion, professionalism, and an unwavering focus on their success. Her thoughtful leadership, tireless support of the campus community, and ability to bring people together have left a lasting impact on the institution. I thank her for her dedicated service and the many ways she has helped advance York College’s mission while advancing the needs and aspirations of our students. I don’t need to tell you that Nyisha is one of those jewels in our crown that makes York shine. I am grateful that she will continue to serve as part of my leadership team.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank VP Williams for her service to the college and for her support of our students. Karen joined York College during an unprecedented period in higher education and was just what that trying time called for: a steady and compassionate leader. Through it all and even now, she remained focus on what matters most: student success. I am grateful for her leadership in strengthening critical support services, advancing enrollment and retention efforts, and championing students’ holistic development and well-being. Her thoughtful leadership and care will leave a lasting mark on York students and will be a part of a legacy that will continue beyond her retirement. I celebrate and wish her the best of luck, good health and success in her next chapter. I will be maintaining executive oversight of Division for the next few weeks until such time as an interim is named.
Financial Recovery Plan Updates
Institutional Advancement /Workforce and Continuing Education
As I shared in my last update, we continue to focus hiring efforts on positions that will increase revenue as well as ensure the health and safety of our campus community. A search for a Director of Workforce and Continuing Education will commence this fall.
First round interviews have been completed for the VP for Institutional Advancement (IA). As I shared, the college has not had executive leadership in this area since 2023 and there are many opportunities to generate needed philanthropic funds that we need to pursue.
Enrollment and Retention
York Rising is not just the name of our current Strategic Plan; it is an apt descriptor of our efforts these registration season. Although Form A (date in which enrollment count is finalized) is still weeks away, thanks to our incredible staff and faculty across all divisions, our current data demonstrates an increase in Fall 2026 enrollment. As of August 31, we have 7,027 students enrolled. Of that 4,786 are undergraduate and degree students and 2,241 are high school students. The table below provides a snapshot of headcount of each cohort on August 31 for the past 5 years.
Cohort | As of August 31, |
Fall 2022 | Fall 2023 | Fall 2024 | Fall 2025 | Fall 2026 |
First-time Freshmen | 763 | 679 | 771 | 725 | 781 |
Transfers | 470 | 493 | 546 | 489 | 581 |
Undergraduate Readmits | 159 | 191 | 338 | 278 | 248 |
Continuing students | 3407 | 3055 | 2688 | 2776 | 2825 |
New Graduate Students | 73 | 87 | 89 | 93 | 118 |
Graduate Readmits | 1 | | 3 | 1 | 1 |
Continuing Graduate Students | 170 | 164 | 164 | 159 | 157 |
Non-Degree students *Includes HS | 1369 | 1268 | 995 | 1764 | 2316 |
Similarly, our retention rate for First-time Full-time freshman has also increased.
Full-time First-time Freshmen entering in… | %Retained |
Fall 2025 | 69.7%* |
Fall 2024 | 68.2% |
Fall 2023 | 57.5% |
Fall 2022 | 59.5% |
*Preliminary
One of the most important responsibilities we share is ensuring that York remains a destination where students choose to enroll, persist, thrive and graduate. While we should be encouraged by our progress, enrollment and retention are not singular efforts. It requires a long-term strategy that aligns with our Strategic, Academic Master, and Facility plans; marketing, student services, community and high school partnerships and resources. This fall we will begin the development of a new Strategic Enrollment and Retention Plan designed to guide our efforts over the next 5 years. The plan will establish a vision for how we will attract, enroll support, retain and graduate students in this increasingly competitive landscape.
This process will be data-informed, inclusive and collaborative and will engage staff, faculty, students, alumni and community partners. This effort will be about more than increasing enrollment, but about how we strengthen the student experience and improve outcomes. I look forward to engaging with all of you as we engage in this important work. More information will be forthcoming.
Facilities
We continue to make improvements to our physical plant to enhance both the safety and experience of everyone on campus. Of note….
You may have noticed that the Public Safety desks at the 160th Street, Liberty Avenue, and Guy R. Brewer Boulevard entrances have been repositioned to in front of the entrance turnstiles, creating a more welcoming and secure point of entry.
At the front door entrance to the Academic Core on your left, the screen on the red pole now all daily events happening on campus.
Students can also take advantage of new lockers located on the first floor outside the Student Activities Office. These lockers are for daily use and are accessible through your cellphone. Please note that overnight storage is not permitted.
One of my favorite additions to the campus is the new Book Nook. Inspired by Professor Linda Grasso's idea of creating a space where members of our community could donate books or pick up a book to enjoy for pleasure, we installed a bookshelf and reading area. I was delighted to contribute a loveseat, and together these additions have created a cozy corner that encourages reading, sharing, and discovery. You are invited to take a book, leave a book and discover a new story. The Nook is in the hall by the entrance of Lecture Hall M105.
As you enter through the 160th Street entrance and look to your left, you will be greeted by a vibrant ground mural (in progress) that has transformed what was once a plain concrete wall into a colorful celebration of creativity and community. The mural was designed and painted by Prof. Carlos Sandoval De Leon and a talented group of students who dedicated much of August to bringing it to life. New benches nearby provide a welcoming space to pause, reflect, and enjoy this beautiful addition to our campus landscape. These enhancements are part of our ongoing commitment to creating a campus that is safe, welcoming, engaging, and reflective of the pride we all share in York College.
Thank you to our faculty, staff and students who spent the afternoon painting the benches at the entrance to the Classroom Building. It is amazing how a simple coat of paint can make such big difference. There are still a few finishing touches that need to be made, and I will be coordinating second afternoon soon.
Community Connections
In August, we participated in the Downtown Jamaica Interagency Walkthrough convened by Deputy Speaker Dr. Nantasha Williams, which brought together elected officials, city agencies, and community stakeholders to address quality-of-life concerns throughout the neighborhood. I previously reached out to our elected officials to share pictures and describe the deplorable sanitation conditions under the LIRR trestles on Guy R. Brewer Boulevard between Archer Avenue and York College, as well as around Archer Avenue and 160th Street. There is a consistent presence of garbage, debris, and other hazardous conditions that students, residents, and visitors encounter daily. We will continue to work to ensure a comprehensive cleanup, a consistent maintenance schedule, and stronger coordination among responsible agencies to ensure this critical corridor is clean, safe, and welcoming for our community.
We were excited to host the NY Knicks Youth Basketball Clinic on August 22nd. The event was sponsored by the Queens Borough President, the NY Knicks, Madison Square Gardens and a host of other organizations. Over 150 kids practiced drills, received a bookbag and got to meet Knicks legend and Southeast Queens local business owner John Starks.
Governance
Thank you to all the AY 25-26 Senate Committee Chairs who provided reports on activities this past academic year, key accomplishments, ongoing initiatives and recommendations or potential areas of focus that warrant attention in the coming year, including suggestions the AY 26-27 committee may address. I will be sharing reports in the coming week with respective chairs. This year Senate will also need to pick up where we left off in terms of the report and recommendations regarding our Charter. I look forward to seeing everyone at Senate.
Feathers in our Cap!
Congratulations to us! York College is among the 8 CUNY Colleges on Time Magazine’s Best Colleges list for 2026-27(https://time.com/article/2026/08/25/americas-best-colleges-2027/)
and among the 11 CUNY colleges in Washington Monthly’s 2026 Best Colleges for your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars. (https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026-college-guide/2026-best-colleges-for-your-tuition-and-tax-dollars/).
Claudia Schrader, EdD
President
York College
The City University of New York
94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd
Jamaica, NY 11451
(718) 262 2350
cschrader@PROTECTED
IG: Yorkcunyprez
60th Anniversary Gala info: