U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat [standing center] and CCNY President Boudreau [on his right] with Infrastructure Fundamentals and EPA Brownfields trainees, who had earned OSHA 30-Hour certificates from RIWI while enrolled in NYC DOB SST.
The City College of New York is the recipient of $5.1 million in both Federal and State funding for projects supporting workforce development and the CCNY-based CUNY Dominican Studies Institute [DSI]. The funds are part of a record $25 million in U.S. Congressional Fiscal Year 2026 Appropriations to CUNY.
Of CCNY’s Federal allotment, $3.1 million was procured by U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) for the CUNY DSI.
“This support will lead to more community events at the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute at City College. I won’t stop fighting for the resources to support CUNY and its students as they pursue a high-quality higher education,” said Schumer.
The funding also will enable the Institute to renovate and expand its facility, allowing for more in-person activities. Founded in 1992, CUNY DSI is the nation's first university-based research institute devoted to the study of people of Dominican descent in the United States and other parts of the world.
The remaining $2 million in Federal support for CCNY was secured by Espaillat for the College’s Rangel Infrastructure Workforce Development Initiative (RIWI). It will expand RIWI’s skills-based workforce development programs for low-income New Yorkers through increased access to computer labs, instruments and career opportunities.
Espaillat is a longtime supporter and advocate of RIWI, which is in his Congressional District. This latest funding brings to nearly $13 million the amount raised by the Congressman for the Initiative, whose overarching goal is to prepare local workforce for the crucial work of rebuilding America’s Infrastructure.
CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez lauded New York’s congressional delegation for the funding to CCNY and other CUNY schools. “Federal support will safeguard CUNY’s proven ability to provide an affordable, high-quality education that prepares students for academic and professional success in a fast-changing world,” he said.
About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. Education research organization Degree Choices ranks CCNY #1 nationally among universities for economic return on investment. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.8% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Lightcast puts at $3.2 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers, and society. At City College, more than 16,500 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity, and scholarship. In 2023, CCNY launched its most expansive fundraising campaign ever. The campaign, titled “Doing Remarkable Things Together,” seeks to bring the College’s Foundation to more than $1 billion in total assets in support of the College's mission. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic, and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.
Jay Mwamba
p: 917.892.0374
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jmwamba@ccny.cuny.edu