Dr. Larry D. Johnson, Jr., the second president of Stella and Charles Guttman Community College, the City University of New York (CUNY), announces the launch of an annual speaker series to illuminate stories of key figures in New York City. The purpose of the series is to engage the broader community surrounding the College and introduce champions for student success and community colleges. This year’s theme is entitled, “Strength, Courage, and Resilience in the 21st Century,” in response to the ongoing health and racial injustice pandemics facing the nation and the world. Join Guttman President Dr. Larry Johnson, Jr. as he engages in lively discussions with guests every month. Events are free and open to the public. The inaugural event of the series will take place virtually on October 21 at noon.
The first speaker to join Dr. Johnson is Juvanie Piquant, the first Haitian American woman to serve as the University Student Senate (USS) Chairperson. She represents more than 500,000 CUNY students in New York State and is the only student member of the City University of New York Board of Trustees. She is an aspiring attorney, completing her Bachelor’s degree in Law and Paralegal Studies at New York City College of Technology.
To learn more about the series and guests, RSVP, and watch archived events, please visit guttman.cuny.edu/speakerseries.
Guttman Community College has won national notice for its high graduation rates and innovative first-year experience academic model. Designated as both a minority (MSI) and Hispanic (HSI) serving institution, 93% of Guttman students are Students of Color. As of fall 2021, approximately 880 students were enrolled at the College.
Guttman’s graduation rates are the highest in CUNY’s community college sector. The three-year graduation rate is more than twice the national average, and the two-year graduation rate far exceeds the 4% national average of public two-year colleges in large cities. More than 80% of Guttman graduates go on to senior colleges, with the far majority of them continuing at CUNY schools. Guttman’s high graduation rates contribute greatly to the College being ranked as the best community college in America in 2020, and the top community college in New York State for 2020 and 2021 by Niche.com and other ranking agencies.
The City University of New York is the nation’s largest urban public university, a transformative engine of social mobility that is a critical component of the lifeblood of New York City. Founded in 1847 as the nation’s first free public institution of higher education, CUNY today has seven community colleges, 11 senior colleges and seven graduate or professional institutions spread across New York City’s five boroughs, serving 500,000 students of all ages and awarding 55,000 degrees each year. CUNY’s mix of quality and affordability propels almost six times as many low-income students into the middle class and beyond as all the Ivy League colleges combined. More than 80 percent of the University’s graduates stay in New York, contributing to all aspects of the city’s economic, civic and cultural life and diversifying the city’s workforce in every sector. CUNY’s graduates and faculty have received many prestigious honors, including 13 Nobel Prizes and 26 MacArthur “Genius” Grants. The University’s historic mission continues to this day: provide a first-rate public education to all students, regardless of means or background.
