Critical Workforce Development Initiative Launched by CCNY

$1.8 million grant from the Jerome Levy Foundation will provide seed funding for the S Jay Levy Fellowships for Career Achievement

The City College of New York has received a $1,850,000 grant by a bequest of S Jay Levy through the Jerome Levy Foundation to establish the S Jay Levy Fellowship for Career Achievement. The grant will be used to help establish and sustain corporate partnerships for City College student internships.

"With the issue of workforce development at the forefront of the national conversation, this grant will provide crucial foundational funding to help us establish essential career building opportunities for our graduates," said Dr. Lisa S. Coico, president, The City College of New York. "We appreciate both S Jay Levy's generous bequest to the Jerome Levy Foundation to support City College's mission and the vision of the Jerome Levy Foundation in helping launch this important initiative."

Rigorous criteria for the S Jay Levy Fellowships will be established to ensure they are regarded among the most highly coveted career development opportunities at City College. Candidates for consideration will be required to rank among the top 20 percent of students in their respective school or division based on GPA and submit a resume, two letters of recommendation, a one-page career goal statement and a transcript. Applications will be vetted by the Office of Student Affairs and an Advisory Board will provide the final consideration and approvals. Student fellows will also be required to complete a comprehensive professional development curriculum in advance of their internship to help ensure their success. Recruitment benchmarks for year one are 45 students. This will be increased to 70 students in year two and 115 students in year three. S Jay Levy Fellows will receive a stipend of $3,500 to offset any costs associated to the students for completing the assigned internship.  

"College success is not an end in itself, but one milestone in the overall journey of becoming a productive citizen," said David A. Levy, trustee of the Jerome Levy Foundation and son of S Jay Levy. "We are pleased to provide this grant to City College of New York to launch this fellowship program, and have the utmost confidence in its mission and success. I believe my father would have been extremely proud of this effort because of his lifelong concern with employment opportunity and his loyalty to his alma mater."

About the Jerome Levy Foundation
The Jerome Levy Foundation was founded in 1954 by S Jay Levy (1922-2012) and Leon Levy (1925-2003), both City College of New York undergraduates and sons of Jerome Levy (1882-1967), an economist who strongly influenced his sons' careers and values and was a 1901 City College graduate himself. The foundation provides support for programs and organizations that, like the pioneering efforts in economics by its namesake, seek to enhance individual freedom and human dignity.

About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided low-cost, high-quality education for New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. More than 16,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in: the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture; the School of Education; the Grove School of Engineering; the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, and the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership. U.S. News, Princeton Review and Forbes all rank City College among the best colleges and universities in the United States.