A long-time friend of the CUNY College in the South Bronx, Schumer once again demonstrates his support for equality of opportunity and education in the nation’s poorest congressional district.
Senator Schumer delivers the keynote address at a Hostos Community College Commencement Ceremony. Hostos President Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D., is seated on the left.
On Tuesday, March 26, 2024, Senator Chuck Schumer (D - NY), called Hostos Community College President, Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D., to share the good news that he had secured a $1 million congressional earmark for the College, which serves a predominantly minority student body in the South Bronx.
The Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) funds will be used to expand two existing on-campus employment programs at Hostos Community College (the Mentor/Mentee Jobs on Campus program and the Hostos Research Center's faculty-student mentorship program) that pay students and help them learn administrative, professional workplace and research skills.
“ We are so grateful to Senator Schumer for once again stepping up and supporting our students here at Hostos. The Senator clearly understands that prosperity begins with justice and equality, and that building pathways for success for our diverse community requires strong foundations in education and job training,” said Hostos President Dr. Daisy Cocco De Filippis. “By expanding the funding for these campus jobs programs, he has guaranteed that our students will benefit from experiential learning, and gain invaluable skills to help propel them up the socio-economic ladder. On behalf of the students, faculty and staff here at Hostos, we thank Senator Schumer for his vision and steadfast support of equality in education.”
The Hostos Community College (HCC) Mentor/Mentee Jobs on Campus (MMJOC) initiative and the Hostos Research Center (HRC) and its faculty-student mentorship program help HCC retain students by offering them paid work on campus while simultaneously building their career skills by placing students in administrative offices and pairing them with faculty members working on research projects. Hostos is home to some of the least prepared students in New York City for college, and it is located in the poorest congressional district in the US. The pandemic increased the levels of unemployment and general economic problems in the South Bronx. Now as we see enrollment beginning to rise again at Hostos (up 8% in year-over-year comparisons for the past 3 semesters), the College is a source of revitalization and resurgent economic opportunities in one of the parts of New York City and New York State that needs those opportunities the most.
About Eugenio María de Hostos Community College
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 for over half a century. Since 1968, Hostos has been 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.
Hostos offers 28 associate degree programs and two certificate programs that facilitate secure transfer to The City University of New York’s (CUNY) four-year colleges or baccalaureate studies at other institutions. A two-time Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence finalist, the College has an award-winning Division of Continuing Education & Workforce Development that offers professional development courses and certificate-bearing workforce training programs. Hostos also boasts both men's and women's basketball teams, which have won multiple CUNY Athletic Conference championships, with the women's team making history in 2024 as the only team ever to secure seven consecutive titles in the conference's history. The College is part of CUNY, the nation’s leading urban public university, which serves more than 500,000 students at 25 colleges.
For inquiries, email
publicrelations@hostos.cuny.edu.
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