BMCC Community and Friends,
#CUNYTuesday has started, and Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) needs your donations and support!
#CUNYTuesday, the university’s fundraising campaign, which coincides with National Giving Day, is an opportunity to show support to BMCC by making a donation to improve the learning experience for students at our college.
At BMCC, advancing equity through the transformative power of education is the mission of many support programs designed to help Black and Latinx students achieve their goals. This year, BMCC is encouraging everyone to help fulfill this mission by contributing to the #CUNYTuesday fundraising campaign.
#CUNYTuesday is a CUNY-wide initiative, which coincides with National Giving Day, and BMCC is welcoming donations from employees, faculty, students, alumni and friends of the college. Contributing to #CUNYTuesday enables BMCC supporters to directly help programs that have proven success and address significant needs.
BMCC’s Urban Male Leadership Academy (UMLA), is firmly committed to increasing the graduation rates of groups that are severely underrepresented in higher education, particularly men of color. Participants of the program have shown a higher graduation rate than their peers outside UMLA — even as the gap between Black male student success and that of other groups has widened at BMCC over the years.
UMLA’s role became more critical when the coronavirus pandemic hit New York City and disproportionately impacted the economy and health of Black and Brown low-income neighborhoods. The program’s 344 student count in the 2019-2020 academic year decreased to 253 in the 2020-2021 period.
“We’re trying to create a community and give our students the tools they need to not only be successful here at BMCC, but also at their next step; whether that is going to a four-year school or going straight to the workforce,” says UMLA Director Ashtian Holmes.
Another student support program empowering Black and Brown students is BMCC’s College Discovery (CD), a program that supports BMCC students so that they can achieve their goals in college and beyond. College Discovery works with BMCC students so they have the skills to do well in their classes, the financial help they may need, and personal and/or academic counseling. By offering in-person tutoring in a variety of academic subjects; E-tutoring from home; meetings with a CD counselor; Personal Enrichment Program (PEP) workshops and CD Toolkit which helps students develop techniques for success in school, College Discovery is available to help students earn their college degrees.
Earlier in 2021, BMCC launched the Conexiones & Connections program, which is open to all Latinx students who are interested in exploring and refining their purpose through their college experience. In addition to serving all students, the program offers a community of support for males of color. Through the program, Spanish-speaking staff members offer bilingual support for BMCC Latinx students. Students are eligible to receive incentives for active participation including stipends, summer and winter tuition waivers, and opportunities to apply for paid summer leadership and career prep programs.
This year, BMCC will dedicate funds raised through the 2021 University-wide campaign #CUNYTuesday to programs that help Black and Latinx students find success inside and outside of the classroom.
BMCC welcomes donations of all amounts from faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the college. Thank you for investing in the future of BMCC students!
Sincerely,
Anthony E. Munroe
President, Borough of Manhattan Community College
