CUNY Beyond Council
Connects Students to Careers

CUNY Beyond represents one of the University’s largest workforce development efforts in recent years, with a goal of helping 180,000 students secure career opportunities by 2030. By partnering directly with employers and industry leaders, CUNY is positioning students to graduate with stronger professional networks, real-world experience and direct pathways into New York’s leading industries.

CUNY Chancellor Matos Rodríguez Enlists Business and Philanthropic Leaders to Launch CUNY Beyond Advisory Council

Public-Private Partnership Aims to Put Students on a Career Path From Day One

Council Builds on the University’s Ambitious, Effort to Integrate Career Connections and Experience Within Every Undergraduate Degree Program

The City University of New York today announced the creation and inaugural convening of the CUNY Beyond Advisory Council. Bringing together over a dozen leaders from industry, philanthropy and academia, the advisory council is part of the University’s landmark CUNY Beyond initiative to integrate career-connected learning system-wide. This also marks the latest effort by the University to engage New York’s largest employers following the launch earlier this year of the “Power Your Business with CUNY” campaign.

“CUNY campuses are teeming with driven and accomplished students. The goal of the CUNY Beyond Advisory Council, bringing together New York’s preeminent business and philanthropic leaders with our campus leadership, is to ensure we’re providing these students with the direction, connections and skills they need to thrive,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “I want to thank each member for joining this endeavor. Their participation is a vote of confidence in our students, and their guidance will help ensure more businesses and organizations recognize the vast pool of talent in their own backyard.”

Chaired by the Chancellor, the council boasts among its members employers from New York’s leading industries, including health care, finance, philanthropy and the arts: 

• David Moskovitz, Senior Managing Director, AccentureCarley Graham Garcia, Principal, Worldwide Community Engagement, Amazon

• Sean Decatur, President, American Museum of Natural History

• Keri Larkin, Principal, Bain & CompanCass Conrad, Executive Director, The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation

• Randy Moore, President, CD&R Foundation  

• Bill Neuenfeldt, Senior Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer, Centerbridge Partners

• Aliou Sidibe, Manager, EY (CUNY alumni)

• Kyla McNally, Managing Director, J.P. Morgan Chase

• Debra Humphreys, VP Strategic Partnerships, The Lumina Foundation

• Mary Beaudette, Senior Director, Careers, New York Presbyterian Hospital

• Fred Polirer, Vice President, People & Culture, NineDot Energy

• Richard Buery, CEO, Robin Hood Foundation

• Ruth Watkins, President, Post-Secondary Education, Strada Education Foundation

• Chelsey Pellot, Associate Manager, The Whitney Museum of American Art (CUNY alumni)

• Anthony Munroe, President, Boroough of Manahattan Community college

• Nancy Cantor, President, Hunter College

• Kenneth Adams, President, LaGuardia Community College

• Fernando Delgado, President, Lehman College

• Punita Bhansali, Biology Professor, Faculty Co-Director of Career Connected Learning, Queensborough Community College

• Jason Hendrickson, English Professor, Faculty Co-Director of Career-Connected Learning, LaGuardia Community College

Preparing for Professional Success

 Chancellor Matos Rodríguez announced the launch of CUNY Beyond last fall during his annual State of the University address. The program seeks to integrate career exposure, career-connected learning and paid work-based experiences into every aspect of the undergraduate journey. Successful implementation would enable 180,000 New Yorkers to secure career opportunities by 2030, driving an estimated $3.3 billion in future wage growth and a $700 million return on public investment.

Leveraging philanthropic support, the program will roll out in phases over the next five years, starting at Hunter College, Lehman College, LaGuardia Community College and Borough of Manhattan Community College. In addition, Governor Kathy Hochul, in her proposed executive budget for fiscal year 2027, allocated $6.8 million for CUNY Beyond, which will support the expansion to additional colleges this year.

Employer engagement is central to the success of this effort. In addition to the advisory council, CUNY is working to drive employer awareness with the launch in January of “Power Your Business with CUNY.” The digital campaign, which is visible across LinkedIn, Google and YouTube and also ran on TaxiTV, highlights how New York’s employers benefit from their collaborative relationship with the University and connects them to the CUNY Industry Support Hub. A one-stop-shop where employers can access the University’s network of 400,000 students, the hub and its campus network has enabled CUNY to engage thousands of employers and help students secure paid internships, part- and full-time roles, and other career experiences. 

“I am excited to join the CUNY Beyond Advisory Council and work alongside such a dynamic group of leaders,” said David Moskovitz, senior managing director, Accenture. “This council represents a unique opportunity to support CUNY Beyond and bring the power of cross-sector insights, resources, innovation, best practices and solutions. By coming together from industry, philanthropy, and academia, we can bolster CUNY's drive to make career-connected learning a reality and accelerate economic mobility for CUNY students.”

“Career exploration and project-based learning are increasingly critical for connecting students to successful careers," said Carley Graham Garcia, principal, worldwide community engagement, Amazon. "New York City is home to more than 28,000 Amazon employees, and we're proud to build on our strong relationship with CUNY — from our Career Choice Program, which supports nearly 1,300 employees pursuing learning at CUNY institutions, to our partnership on the CEO Jobs Council, to welcoming students, faculty and staff to the CUNY@Amazon classroom at our corporate hub in midtown Manhattan. Joining the CUNY Beyond Advisory Council is a natural next step in preparing students of all ages for high-skilled jobs, and we're excited to be part of it.”

"We’re honored to represent the green economy on the CUNY Beyond council,” said Fred Polirer, vice president, people & culture, NineDot Energy. “As a company founded and based in Brooklyn, that builds energy projects in all boroughs to benefit New Yorkers, we know firsthand how important it is to have talented individuals ready to work in the growing fields of clean energy and urban sustainability. We’re excited to share our vision and expertise with CUNY leadership and students.”

“CUNY has long been one of the most powerful engines of social mobility in the country,” said Aliou Sidibe, manager, EY. “CUNY Beyond builds on that legacy by ensuring students graduate not only with a degree, but with the skills, experience, and professional networks needed to thrive in today’s economy.”

CUNY also works closely with the New York Jobs CEO Council, a coalition of executives from the largest employers in New York founded on a commitment to hire 100,000 underserved New Yorkers by 2030, including 25,000 CUNY students. In the organization’s first five years, nearly 10,000 CUNY students have been hired by its members.

SOURCE: City University of New. York