A huge crowd braved frigid temperatures on November 20 to give an official warm welcome to the new CUNY Language Immersion Program (CLIP) at Hostos building during a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Opened for business in August 2014, the new facility at 590 Exterior Street (East 150th Street between Exterior Street and River Avenue) is next to the Hostos Center for Workforce Development & Continuing Education, which opened in 2012.
Vice President of the Division of Continuing Education & Workforce Development Carlos Molina served as the Master of Ceremonies. Molina thanked all who braved the elements and lauded the work of everyone who was responsible for the new facility he described as a vital part of Hostos’ mission.
Interim President David Gómez was also in attendance and also spoke to the importance of the program in serving residents in the South Bronx and Upper Manhattan. He was joined by Hostos’ Senior Vice President of Administration and Finance Esther Rodríguez-Chardavoyne and CUNY’s Director of Literacy Programs Leslee Oppenheim, who both spoke about the past, present and bright future of CLIP.
CLIP will continue to provide accelerated, intensive instruction in language skills for new immigrants, remaining a beacon of hope for students like Shalim López, a CLIP alumna and Hostos’ 2014 Valedictorian.
Fatiha Makloufi , the Director of CLIP and Hostos’ CUNY Start Programs, thanked everyone for coming to see the “new visionary” design for the CLIP Program she said started 15 years ago with two classrooms and a borrowed one room office.
“It takes a village for us to complete our mission here,” Makloufi said. “It feels like a dream to finally be here and able to serve the South Bronx through this great new facility.”
The new location will serve approximately 450 students, including 275 CLIP students, 100 CUNY Start students, and 75 new students enrolled in the new Hostos Community Language Program, which started in the fall.
About Hostos Community College
Eugenio María de Hostos Community College is an educational agent for change that has been transforming and improving the quality of life in the South Bronx and neighboring communities since 1968. It serves as a gateway to intellectual growth and socioeconomic mobility, as well as a point of departure for lifelong learning, success in professional careers, and transfer to advanced higher education programs. The College’s unique "Student Success Coaching Unit" provides students with individualized guidance and exemplifies its emphasis on student support services.
Recently named one of the top 10 finalists for the 2015 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, Hostos offers 27 associate degree programs and two certificate programs that facilitate easy transfer to The City University of New York’s (CUNY) four-year colleges or baccalaureate studies at other institutions. The College has an award-winning Division of Continuing Education & Workforce Development that offers professional development courses and certificate-bearing workforce training programs. Hostos is part of CUNY, the nation’s leading urban public university, which serves more than 500,000 students at 24 colleges.