CUNY SPS 2022-2027 Strategic Plan
Letter from the Dean
I am very pleased to share this update on the progress the CUNY School of Professional Studies has made over the past two years in advancing our 2022–2027 Strategic Plan.
This plan is the guiding document that directs our actions and ensures we remain true to our mission: providing high-quality education to degree- and non-degree-seeking learners across our region.
The progress outlined here reflects the deep commitment of our faculty and staff. Together, we have strengthened academic and student support, invested in faculty development, cultivated innovation, nurtured a culture of care, expanded enrollment, and helped thousands
of learners take meaningful steps toward their goals. These outcomes are the product of shared purpose and dedication to the mission of CUNY SPS.
I extend my thanks to Gil Stack for leading this update effort and to the many faculty, staff, and students who served on the six working groups. Their insight and energy have been essential to tracking our progress and driving the action items embedded in each strategic pillar.
As we enter the final two years of this strategic plan, we will continue to build upon this momentum. By keeping the six areas of strategic importance in focus, we can ensure CUNY SPS remains a place where opportunity meets ambition, and where education opens doors for individuals, families, and communities across New York City and beyond. I look forward to reconvening next year to assess the current plan and to begin shaping our 2028–2033 Strategic Plan.
Lisa R. Braverman, PhD
Dean, CUNY School of Professional Studies
Pillar I:
Members of the Expanding Enrollment and Access Strategic Planning Work Group
Chair: Chris Bouknight
Members: Leah Chajeczkis
Lai Wan Chau
Prerna Dar
Angela Francis Habibe Illingi
Lucas Sifuentes
Pillar II:
Members of the Ensuring Academic Success and Career Development Strategic Planning Work Group
Co-chairs:
Shannon Gallo
Anne-Marie Leveille-Tulce
Members:
Holli Broadfoot
Claudine Campanelli
Hannah Miller
Arianna Rodriguez
Johanna Rodriguez
Pillar III:
Members of the Improving Teaching and Learning
Experience Strategic Planning Work Group
Co-chairs:
Kate Moss
Linda Paradiso
Members:
Regina Bernard Isabelle Elisha
Tara Lanni
Matt Lewis
Andrew Marcum
Diane Merians Penaloza
Ruru Rusmin
Jeanneth Sangurima-Quiles
Pillar IV:
Members of the Innovative Learning Solutions Strategic Planning Work Group
Co-chairs:
Rebecca Brown Cesarani
Amy Perez
Members:
Charlene Armstrong
Michelle Attles
Tanja Carter-Searls
Jennifer Chand
Viktoriia Chubirka
Jennifer DePalma
Clarke Griffith
Tisa Joyner-Nance
Dorothea Nixon-Porter
Dawn Picken
Michael Schultz
Anita Staeheli
Elisa Tosatti
Pillar V:
Members of the Providing a Culture of Care Strategic Planning Work Group
Co-chairs:
Frances Correa
Zeita-Marion Lobley
Members:
Anjali Anderson-Buckley
Trevie Bynum
Bianca Castro
Leah Chajeczkis
Jenna Coplin
Angela Francis
Janet Guidi
Vanessa Nisperos
Jan Oosting
Carolee Ramsay
Lianna Scull
Pillar VI:
Members of the Cultivating Innovation Strategic Planning Work Group
Co-chairs:
Trevie Bynum
Jose Muniz
Members:
Charlene Armstrong
Kathryn Larkins
Matthew Lewis
Lilly Mathew
Helen (Huo) Ruan
Fallon Saratovsky
Mariam Abdul Sattar
Anthony Sweeney
Elise Tosatti
I. Expanding Enrollment and Access
Six Areas of Strategic Importance
Ensuring Academic Success and Career Development
Improving the Teaching and Learning Experience
Broadening Innovative Learning Solutions (ILS) Providing a Culture of Care Cultivating Innovation
Expanding Enrollment and Access
1.
Double student enrollment in CUNY SPS programs by 2027/28
• Achieved 22% enrollment growth since 2022—a significant achievement that builds on the 95% increase since 2015
• Developed a New York–focused marketing plan and launched a brand refresh that reinforces our role as the city’s leader in online education for adult learners, which will be supported by a redesigned website, multi-channel outreach, data-driven marketing, and strategic recruitment partnerships
• Piloted elements of a new Strategic Enrollment Plan through the cross-functional Enrollment Task Force established in 2023
• Established program-level enrollment targets
2.
Strengthen institutional capacity to scale online programs and student support
• Fully digitized all CUNY SPS forms for seamless student access
• Adopted Jabber to guarantee student calls are answered in real time, whether staff are on campus or remote
• Converted new student information sessions into a virtual format, removing barriers and broadening reach
• Ensured diplomas and transcripts are accessible digitally and in print through Parchment
3.
Expand enrollment pathways for working adults and underrepresented populations
• Launched CUNY Community College Universal Transfer Paths
• Introduced the Online Psychology Academy in partnership with seven community colleges
• Partnered with Guttman Community College SEEK program
• In partnership with the New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute (PDI), offered the School’s first Spanish-Language modality certificate: Child Development Associate Certificate (CDA). Foundational work included translation of applications, forms, curriculum, and recruitment of bilingual support staff and faculty
• Developed alternative pathways into graduate programs, including advanced certificates and piloting guaranteed admission for SPS undergraduates
• Strengthened graduate recruitment and enrollment via partnership between Academic Affairs and Admissions
• Explored accelerated semesters in certificate and degree programs, including seven-week sessions in Business, Psychology, Nursing, and General Education
Ensuring Academic Success and Career Development
1.
Increase undergraduate and graduate completion rates across all programs
• Piloted proactive interventions to improve at-risk student performance including mentorship clusters focused on academic and career growth and updates to courses with high DFWI rates for first-year students
• Identified high-risk courses and provided early interventions
– Leveraged EAB, Degree Works, and Brightspace to personalize and improve the student experience
– Boosted Counseling and Wellness Support, guided by the Healthy Minds Survey and regular student satisfaction surveys
• Evaluated and configured 750 transfer course equivalencies in TREX
• Provided new scholarships via transformational funding support and donor drives
• Updated FAFSA instructional videos to demystify the process for students
Close retention and completion gaps to achieve equitable outcomes for all students
• Created actionable reports using EAB Navigate to identify students at greater risk of academic difficulty, allowing for timely, targeted interventions
• Disaggregated learning outcomes assessment results by race/ethnicity and used results for continuous improvement
Build a career success model responsive to today’s economy
• Utilized platforms (Career Link, LinkedIn) and events to strengthen career readiness
• Increased student participation in career events by ten percent
• Developed ten career-infused degree maps that combine academic and career milestones
• Improved student and alumni employment data collection through surveys, ensuring programs remain responsive to workforce needs
Improving the Teaching and Learning Experience
1.
Invest in recruitment and retention of a diverse faculty
• Developed faculty reappointment, tenure, and promotion criteria
• Created faculty workload and release time guidelines and procedures
• Hired six new full-time doctoral lecturers as part of the CUNY Lecturer Hiring Initiative
2.
Enhance innovative and reflective practices in teaching and learning
• Modernized the CUNY SPS studio with state-of-the-art equipment to support high-quality digital instruction
• Researched models from Centers for Teaching and Learning to inform faculty development and practice
• Began discussions between Academic Affairs and the Office of Innovative Learning Solutions (ILS) for deeper cross-collaboration
• Leveraged EAB Navigate to enhance communication and coordination between students, faculty, support offices, and advisors
• Launched Brightspace as the new Learning Management System for CUNY SPS
• Provided transformational funding to support faculty research and conference participation 3.
Support faculty research, especially in teaching and learning scholarship
• Hosted the 2025 Student Leadership Conference: The Future of Artificial Intelligence
• Convened the first CUNY SPS Transformative Learning and Development Conference, with a goal of fostering a collaborative community and supportive space to share activities, ideas, and best practices for creating transformative teaching and learning experiences at CUNY SPS
• Established annual faculty and staff travel budgets
Broadening Innovative Learning Solutions (ILS)
Diversify partnerships and programs beyond the public and nonprofit sectors
• Expanded Office of Innovative Learning Solutions (ILS) partnerships, including NYC Training Council and Department of Social Services Degree Fair
• Cultivated corporate and private partnerships, including the Brooklyn Navy Yard
• Developed customized workplace learning programs
• Created a best practices group for professional development
• Rebranded PEWL as the Office of Innovative Learning Solutions
• Incorporated equity, diversity, and inclusion into ILS initiatives, training 17,000 social services workers in anti-bias practices
• Developed new academic and non-academic programs, including the Youth Mental Health Advocate Program (with Youth Studies)
• Established the Leading with Purpose microcredential
• Hosted an interactive Industry and Community Partnership Breakfast Forum on May 7. The forum brought together leaders from diverse industries, ranging from finance, travel, healthcare, non-profit, and government sectors to facilitate a comprehensive exchange of ideas. JetBlue, Deutsche Bank, Merck, and the New York Chamber of Commerce were among the many companies represented
Providing a Culture of Care V.
1.
Foster a culture of care for faculty and staff grounded in equity, diversity, inclusion, respect, and support
• Established Core Values: care and respect, honesty and integrity, equity and belonging, collaboration and transparency, innovation, access and support, and student-centeredness
2.
Support professional satisfaction and advancement
• Distributed and analyzed faculty, staff, and student climate surveys with action steps under discussion
• Developed robust adjunct onboarding and orientation experience
• Updated faculty handbook and created an Academic Affairs website
• Expanded professional development opportunities through LinkedIn Learning, faculty conference funds, and transformational funding for research and leadership development
• Instituted faculty and staff success markers, including service awards and recognition through The Scoop and the Dean’s Newsletter
• Created equity, diversity, and inclusion-informed learning and development activities, including the Committee on Institutional Equity and Diversity professional development series
Cultivating Innovation VI.
Strengthen innovations that make SPS distinctive, responsive, equitable, and transformative
• Implemented and refined the use of systems and platforms to support increased capacity: Slate, CourseDog, Degreeworks, EAB, Brightspace, and Workday (to replace CUNYfirst)
• Offered free Google Professional Certificate microcredentials to CUNY SPS students, faculty, and staff. These industry-recognized certificates have been evaluated for Credit for Prior Learning. In 2024-2025 696 students earned at least one professional certification through this program
• Launched cross-departmental innovations to enhance the student experience, including 7-week sessions in the spring and fall terms, updates to new student enrollment, advisement and support processes, and targeted communication to students through EAB Navigate
• Began integrating data and automated tools into key projects and processes related to enrollment and student success through groups like the Enrollment Management Taskforce Data Subgroup and platforms such as EAB Navigate
• Invested transformational funds in staff professional development, including executive leadership seminars and mid-level workshops
• Established new industry outreach position through transformational funding
Expand innovative leadership in online pedagogy and systems
• Improved use of educational technology (Brightspace, Panopto)
• Volunteered to participate in the first wave of university-wide implementation of new CRM (Slate) and LMS (Brightspace)
