The CUNY Asian American Leadership Initiative (“The Initiative”) was established ad hoc in 2015 to address the remarkable lack of Asian Pacific American (APA) representation in leadership roles at The City University of New York (CUNY).
The City University consists of 24 campuses across the five boroughs of New York City: 11 senior colleges, one Honors college, 8 community colleges, and 5 graduate and professional schools. It is recognized as the nation’s largest urban public university.
The absence of APAs in leadership positions at CUNY is particularly notable because of its historic mission to educate the underserved, its large APA (20.3%) and diverse student body, sizeable APA faculty (12.8%) and its location in New York City, one of the most diverse cities in the world. The City’s APAs population is 15% and growing rapidly.
The Initiative wishes to acknowledge the leadership and support of the Vice Chancellor of Human Resources Management, Gloriana Waters. Her office and staff made data accessible when available, and was an invaluable resource for this study.
