New York is an immigrant city. And the City College of New York is a campus of immigrants: a gateway to America for generations. Anyone scanning the quad, the cafeteria, or a packed lecture hall will see students of almost every nationality, speaking a large proportion of the world’s languages. Historically, CCNY welcomed any student eager to remake his or her future through education. The college serves as a beacon to this day, attracting ambitious young women and men from around the world.
This principle of inclusiveness is vital to the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership. Our faculty and students are demographically diverse, and diverse in their experiences. Reflecting the city itself, our global campus fosters an essential plurality in addressing issues of security, prosperity, and justice. It positions us to make unique contributions in how we prepare new leaders, how we contribute to the public debate, and how we direct our research activity.
To further amplify these myriad voices and spur exciting new discussions, the Colin Powell School sponsors an annual series of public events organized around an important theme. This year, we turn our attention to an ongoing and wide-ranging conversation about immigration, a topic with implications for almost every aspect of our work. Today, our nation is embroiled in a contentious discussion about the future of immigration. Some regard immigration as a threat; others see the influx of immigrant talent and energy as a vast resource. In convening conversations among public scholars, policymakers, and field experts, we mobilize the expertise of our campus, our history, and our student body on an issue of vital and pressing national importance.
We've set an ambitious year of activity, starting with the 'Conversations with City' breakfast talk on October 22, sponsored by our Latin and Latino American Studies department and the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute. In the spring, our sociology department will hold a conference to closely examine the factors that lead to the radicalization of some, but not other, segments of young Muslims in the United States. Throughout the year, we will offer a full slate of events ranging from classroom activities to public lectures, which leverage our substantial expertise in issues of immigration into a more dynamic public role for the school. 
As we extend ourselves to the public, we ask our students to help us shape discussion and provide their distinctive viewpoints as a generation coming of age in the 21st century, which includes many new Americans. An especially exciting way we are doing this is by our collaboration with the Advertising and Public Relations (AD/PR) Campaign class (part of the Media and Mass Communications Department in the Division of Humanities & the Arts) and their capstone class cohort. Over the next few months, three AD/PR student teams will develop public relations campaigns that engage CCNY students in a conversation on the current support available to undocumented students. They will promote equal access to campus resources—such as financial aid, teaching and tutoring support, and pre-employment resources—regardless of students' citizenship or immigration status.
We invite you to join us in this series of immigration-related lectures and panels as, with a central focus on encouraging students to explore ways to advocate for themselves and their peers throughout the CUNY system, we continue to uphold the principle of education for "the whole people."
For more information visit our events page on our website, which will be updated throughout the year.
Last Updated: 08/09/2016 11:41