The Board of Trustees of The City University of New York has appointed Dr. David Gómez, a distinguished academic leader, teacher and experienced administrator, as the President of Hostos Community College. Dr. Gómez has served as Interim President of Hostos for the past year.
Chancellor James B. Milliken recommended Dr. Gómez’s appointment to the CUNY Board of Trustees after a national search and the nomination was approved unanimously. The search committee was chaired by Vice Chairperson of the CUNY Board of Trustees Philip Alfonso Berry and included trustees, a CUNY college president, faculty, student and alumni representatives.
Dr. Gómez was a longtime senior administrator at Kingsborough Community College before being named Interim President of Hostos Community College last July. He served as interim vice president for academic affairs and provost at Kingsborough after having been vice president for academic administration, program planning and development; dean of instructional services and student support; and dean of instructional services. In addition, he has been a professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Human Services at Kingsborough Community College since 1993.
Before joining the Kingsborough administration, Dr. Gómez spent more than a decade at Hostos Community College in senior administrative positions. Among the offices he held at Hostos were Dean of the College, Interim Dean of Academic Affairs, Associate Dean of the College, and Special Assistant to the President for Management and Planning.
In a joint statement, Board of Trustees Chairperson Benno Schmidt and Chancellor Milliken said: “Dr. Gómez has proven himself to be an exemplary academic leader and administrator as well as a dedicated member of the CUNY community. As a Bronx resident, Interim President and former Dean of Faculty at Hostos, he is thoroughly familiar with the College and the surrounding community and has been exceptionally supportive of its students, faculty and staff.”
President Gómez said: “I am excited about this opportunity to build upon the progress that Hostos Community College has achieved and to continue this exemplary collaboration with our outstanding faculty and staff on behalf of our students. It is with great appreciation that I embrace the opportunity to serve this important institution that has been for more than four decades a vital and necessary part of the community in the South Bronx and beyond.”
Dr. Gómez earned a B.A. in English Literature from SUNY Albany and an M.A. in Higher Education Administration and an Ed.D. in Higher and Adult Education from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Hostos Community College’s commitment to student success and completion has received national attention. It is one of the top 10 national finalists for the million-dollar 2015 Aspen Prize for Community College excellence. The college takes pride in its historical role in educating students from diverse ethnic, racial, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, particularly students reflective of the surrounding communities. Since its establishment in 1968, Hostos has served as an educational agent for change that has been transforming and improving the quality of life in the Bronx and neighboring communities.
As Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at Kingsborough Community College from 2013 – 2014, Dr. Gómez was the senior administrator charged with the development and supervision of all academic programs, including program review, program planning, personnel, resource allocation, special programs, the Office of Collaborative Programs and Information Technology. He served as the senior vice president assisting the president in coordinating the activities of Kingsborough’s three major divisions: Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and Finance and Administration. He also supervised the institutional budgeting and planning processes.
From 2010 – 2013, Dr. Gómez was Kingsborough’s Vice President for Academic Administration, Program Planning and Development, with responsibility for coordinating all interdivisional activities including financial oversight for Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and Finance and Administration. He was responsible for implementing new initiatives, including the College’s Civic Engagement initiative, CUNYFirst, CUNY Start, College Focus, and the CUNY Service Corps. Dr. Gómez served as Chair of the President’s Committee on Public Safety, composed of senior representatives from all of the college’s divisions. In addition, he was responsible for special program development, instructional technology and registration, as well as academic and administrative efforts concerning the U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE). Dr. Gómez was also charged with supervision and planning of student support services, including Tutorial Services, Math Skills Workshop, pre-enrollment academic services, and the Office of Collaborative Programs; and he served as Chair of the President’s Advisory Committee on Instructional Technology.
Hostos Community College is one of seven community colleges within CUNY — an integrated system of senior and community colleges, graduate and professional schools, research centers, institutes and consortia. Hostos benefits from the supports and synergies such a system provides and has successfully implemented various joint Associate/Baccalaureate degree programs with several of CUNY’s senior colleges, including a Civil and Environmental Engineering AS-BS with City College; a Criminal Justice AA-BA and a Forensic Science AS-BS with John Jay College; and a joint AAS-BS option in Nursing with Lehman College.
Hostos offers close to 30 degree programs, including 15 programs leading to the Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees that prepare students for transfer to four-year colleges; and 12 Associate in Applied Science degree programs that prepare students for specific careers.
More than 7,000 students are enrolled at Hostos Community College. Forty-two percent attend part time, 55 percent are first-generation college goers, and 90 percent qualify for some form of financial aid. Eighty percent of Hostos’ students graduate debt free. About a third of Hostos students are enrolled in allied health related fields.
The college’s urban campus serves as a hub for the arts and businesses in the Bronx and beyond. In response to growing demand and increasing enrollment, plans are underway to build an additional 170,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Allied Health and Natural Science Complex.
About The City University of New York: The City University of New York is the nation’s leading urban public university. Founded in New York City in 1847, the University comprises 24 institutions: 11 senior colleges, seven community colleges, the William E. Macaulay Honors College at CUNY, the CUNY Graduate School and University Center, the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, the CUNY School of Law, the CUNY School of Professional Studies and the CUNY School of Public Health. The University serves more than 274,000 degree-credit students and 218,083 adult, continuing and professional education students. College Now, the University’s academic enrichment program, is offered at CUNY campuses and more than 300 high schools throughout the five boroughs of New York City. The University offers online baccalaureate degrees through the School of Professional Studies and an individualized baccalaureate through the CUNY Baccalaureate Degree. Nearly 3 million unique visitors and 10 million page views are served each month via
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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.
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.