On July 25, 2014, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that Eugenio María de Hostos Community College of CUNY will receive two grants as part of his CUNY 2020 initiative—$2.2 million for “Allied Health Training for Employment” and a portion of the $4.6 million allocated for a new multi-campus media program.

Through this initiative, the Governor awarded eight grants totaling $55 million to CUNY colleges that demonstrated how their programs would connect academic excellence with economic development to create more jobs by the year 2020.

The Allied Health Training for Employment initiative will expand Hostos’ degree and non-degree offerings by updating resources for its existing Nursing, Dental and Radiologic Technology programs while developing additional ones such as Occupational Therapy Assistant and Physical Therapy Assistant. Faculty members and students will benefit from new state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, and from pedagogical technology that bridges the gap for students who are continuing their college education, and for those who are beginning to prepare for health careers in high school.

The upgrades target the specific needs of regional healthcare employers by ensuring that Hostos’ Allied Health Sciences graduates are fully prepared for their professions.

For the radiologic technology program, two existing x-ray units will be converted to digital and a new direct digital radiography suite will be added, thereby increasing the capacity of both the degree and non-degree programs. A digital mammography unit will also be purchased, enabling students to acquire this important imaging technique and thereby expand their marketability. In addition, a Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) will be installed for the storage and retrieval of x-ray images.

For the instruction of health care professionals, medical simulation has become a standard methodology. The grant will enable Hostos to provide a nursing simulation laboratory in order to maintain the College’s competitiveness as an affordable and high quality educational experience in this field.

The Dental Hygiene program, which includes its invaluable community-based clinic, will acquire additional digital radiography equipment and a server for patient record storage. Recent New York State legislation requires the use of digital x-ray imaging for dental patients under the age of 18 in order to reduce the amount of radiation to which they are exposed. These upgrades will strengthen the efficiency of the clinic and enable it to serve the community more effectively.

Combined, healthcare and social assistance constitute one of the two largest sectors of private employment in New York City. The goal for this investment is to prepare more than 500 graduates over a five-year period to enter this high priority workforce, which is projected to grow by approximately 20 percent in some areas.

Thanking Governor Como for his support, Hostos President Matos Rodríguez said: “We are thrilled to receive this grant that will enable us to train more students  for the healthcare field. Not only will it help our students and faculty, it will also benefit the entire city by creating jobs and improving community health.”

The $4.6 million award shared by Hostos, Lehman, and Macaulay Honors College is an inter-campus boon that will create a “New Media Jobs Incubator and Innovation Lab” to prepare students for careers with New York City media companies.

The Jobs Incubator will offer students professionally focused, project-oriented workshops and business development training that will help them create and start businesses to serve local and regional communities. The Innovation Lab will provide access to expertise and opportunities that are needed to launch the best ideas on a larger scale. The rigorous academic program, which will include an honors track, designed to recruit an even more diverse student body, is projected to graduate at least 200 students annually by the fifth year of the program.

“The CUNY 2020 program is designed to connect the innovative, academic programs offered by New York City’s public universities to local economic development,” Governor Cuomo said. “In today’s economy, universities are not just classrooms and research facilities; they support thousands of local jobs and are often the top economic driver in local communities. With these awards, the State is pleased to provide funding that will help CUNY continue to offer a world-class education to hundreds of thousands of students, while also supporting new jobs and investment in the surrounding communities.”

The job incubator at Hostos will be housed at 610 Exterior Street in the Bronx, adjacent to the landmark Bronx Terminal Market. President Matos Rodríguez said the new programs will prepare Hostos students to compete in the rapidly changing media job market.
“We are very grateful to have received this grant that will support our very talented media design students. The CUNY 2020 program will enable them to acquire the experience and skills they need to succeed in a field with great demand for their abilities. This is a win-win program for everyone—for the students, the colleges, and New York City,” President Matos Rodríguez said.

This intercampus, integrated educational experience also provides students from the three campuses with opportunities to co-create and learn from the backgrounds and perspectives of others. The opportunity for increased interaction and collaboration among students will help them to develop skills that contribute to success in the workplace. The partner colleges also plan to create a new joint undergraduate major in user interface/user experience, with coursework in a variety of digital media. Together, they will create a pathway from associate’s to master’s degrees.

The New Media Jobs Incubator and Innovation Lab are strengthened by the resources of the three colleges, and their sharing of resources creates greater efficiency and more opportunities for students and industries. The program will capitalize on the strengths of the campuses’ existing digital media programs to offer coordinated coursework in “transmedia” creative development, game design, music production, animation, digital design and graphics, and studies related to the cultural context of media production. Students will have opportunities to develop skills in digital studio technologies, production and post-production, entrepreneurship, marketplace analysis, social media marketing and distribution.

To create CUNY 2020, Governor Cuomo appropriated $55 million from the 2013-14 State Budget. The program offers two- and four-year colleges in the CUNY system grants for projects that connect economic development and academic excellence. Projects are selected on a competitive basis related to economic impact, advancement of academic goals, innovation, and collaboration.
Projects were selected through a competitive process utilizing staff from CUNY and Empire State Development and will support the creation of more than 3,800 jobs over six years.

About Eugenio María de 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.

Hostos offers 29 associate degree programs and five certificate programs that facilitate easy transfer to CUNY's 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 The City University of New York (CUNY), the nation's leading urban public university, which serves more than 480,000 students at 24 colleges.