On September 22, 2023, President Joseph Biden Jr. proclaimed September 25 to October 1, 2023 Asian American Native American and Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) Week. Colleges with at least 10% of the student body identifying as Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) qualify as an AANAPISI. Fourteen of The City University of New York’s campuses qualify under this designation.
Since 2008, the federal government has provided grant opportunities to AANAPISIs. To date, only four CUNY campuses—Hunter College, Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), Queens College, and most recently Brooklyn College—have been recipients of this grant, which provides resources for mentoring, mental health, curriculum-development, and other initiatives to support students of AANHPI ancestry. Queens College blazed the trails for the other CUNY campuses as the first AANAPISI grant recipient in 2009.
To celebrate AANAPISI Week, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education for Postsecondary Education, Dr. Nasser Paydar and other members of the White House Department of Education visited Queens College on Tuesday, September 26, 2023. The White House delegation met with Queens College President Frank H. Wu, along with faculty, staff, and students, including the administrators of QCAP (Queens College AANAPISI Project—recipient of an AANAPISI grant in 2022).
The Asian American / Asian Research Institute commends and celebrates the four CUNY AANAPISI-grant receiving campuses, and appreciates their dedication towards uplifting AANHPI students, faculty, and staff.
- Hunter College AANAPISI Project
- BMCC-Hunter AANAPISI Bridge Initiative
- Queens College AANAPISI Project
- Brooklyn College AANAPISI Project (Site Coming Soon)
