Medgar Evers College 2024

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear friends of Medgar Evers College,

Another year has gone by since we last convened like this, and I’m happy to report that it has been an incredibly rewarding one at Medgar Evers College.

And we couldn’t have done this without the support of our legislators, the community, and my CUNY colleagues — particularly those here in Brooklyn.

I am ecstatic to announce that we saw admission grow in the Fall semester, reversing the trend that we have all felt CUNY-wide and showing that our continued outreach strategies are indeed working.

With that, we’ve also shifted into focusing on retention, and it is out of that goal that our A.C.C.E.S.S. Code was born. It stands for Accountability, Continuous Improvement, Community Engagement, Equity, Sustainability and Student Success. It’s through this prism that we will measure our success moving forward.

Over the next few pages, you will see how we are addressing these categories, with programs such as CHAMPSS and Brooklyn Recovery Corp both aiding in equity and community engagement, while SEEK and ASAP are direct reflections of student success.

For the first time in more than a decade, we are also home to a CUNY Athletic Conference championship title in 2024, with our men’s and women’s indoor track teams shattering records.

We have made tremendous strides in our goal of being a viable institution over the long-term, optimizing workflows across our campus in order to better serve our students and our community.

I believe that 2024 is going to be another banner year at Medgar Evers College and look forward to working with every one of you as we continue to shine a spotlight on our Central Brooklyn gem.

Sincerely,

Patricia Ramsey, Ph.D., President, Medgar Evers College

Thank you for your interest and ongoing support of Medgar Evers College. Over the ensuing pages, you’ll find key updates and insights from some of our incredible programs on campus that are helping thousands of students attain their dream of a college degree.

Medgar Evers College continues to positive signs of enrollment growth. The pandemic was particularly hard on our student population, as we serve students who demonstrate the highest of need.

However, in Fall 2023, we experienced a 5.4% enrollment increase over our Fall 2022 enrollment. We also saw a slight increase in our Spring 2024 enrollment over what we had in spring 2023. This demonstrates that Medgar Evers is an institution of opportunity and provide both access and affordability to the people of Central Brooklyn and beyond. We are pleased to have experienced an almost 20% enrollment increase in our first-year students, which is due to increased outreach to our Department of Education partners.

We are projecting that this growth will continue as we forge new partnerships across New York City and State. A point of pride for us is our CHAMPSS Program, which was made possible through a grant from the New York City Mayor’s Office, and continues to draw increased interest from new and transfer students. This Program allows us to help eliminate financial and social barriers that oftentimes impede students’ ability to pursue higher education.

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We were literally born out of the community, with social justice in our DNA. Medgar Evers College is a gem.

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Dr. Patricia Ramsey President

A.S.A.P.

Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) assists students in earning associate degrees within three years by providing a range of financial, academic, and personal supports including comprehensive and personalized advisement, career counseling, tutoring, waivers for tuition and mandatory fees, Metro cards, and additional financial assistance for textbooks.

Here are some recent highlights for ASAP at Medgar Evers:

• The program has exceeded our 2023-2024 recruitment targets for the first time since before the pandemic. Our engagement and retention rates also saw increases — a huge testament to our staff. Our enrollment is holding at over 550 students, including Associates degree students and those in our Bachelor Extension program.

• ASAP Central celebrated passing the milestone of serving more than 100,000 students, with the MEC ASAP Valedictorian from Spring 2023 quoted in the press release.

• Our peer mentor team also coordinated a beautiful photoshoot for Black History Month, recreating iconic Black Panther inspired photos with ASAP staff members. You can see the photo on instagram.com/mec.asap

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Having to deal with the struggles of everyday life and still managing school can be a lot, but with the help of the ASAP team it can be done.

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Sanya RobertsASAP student

It has been quite the couple of months for the Medgar Evers College Department of Athletics, bringing home sought-after CUNYAC titles for the first time since 2011.

Led by Hugh Reid (a lawyer by day, a 25-time CUNYAC conference winner by night) Medgar Evers’ men’s and women’s indoor track-and-field teams captured titles at the 2023-2024 CUNYAC Championship meet. For the women’s team, it was the Cougars’ first indoor title in 20 seasons. The men’s squad made history, winning its first indoor championship ever.

Speaking of basketball, four Cougars earned CUNYAC Basketball All-Star status, including Aaliyah Lyons being named women’s Rookie of the Year, Sheila Quezada making the First-Team All-Star squad, while Anamaria Dzagnidze and Derek Wicker both picked up sportsmanship honors.

In women’s volleyball, Acacia Scotland earned CUNYAC sportsmanship honors, while cross-country stars Kenia Irish-Bramble (Rookie of the Year), Nana Samake (All-Star), Jada Lambert and Padi Kuma (sportsmanship) were also honored by the conference.

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It is so gratifying to see the men make history, and witness the women squash a twenty-year drought.

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Hugh Reid Coach, Indoor track & field

BLACK MALE INITIATIVE

The Male Development & Empowerment Center, born out of the Black Male Initiative founded at Medgar Evers College, has hosted a number of events to help impact students.

The annual CUNY BMI Legislative Breakfast was held on February 7, 2024. The event was hosted by the Medgar Evers College, Male Development & Empowerment Center, along with CUNY BMI. It featured guest Marc Morial, CEO & President of the National Urban League, and Council Member Kevin Riley.

Dr. Mathew Knowles addressed the students at Medgar Evers College on February 27, 2024, about the Keys to Success in Business and Entrepreneurship. He spoke about his time managing Destiny’s Child, his Daughter Beyonce, and family successes.

The Center also held a mental health workshop, Surthrival Mode. Author, Life Coach, and Mental Health Advocate Pervis Taylor, III discussed navigating through emotions and trauma using the 4 A’s of Surthrival Mode (Acknowledgement, Acceptance, Articulation and Alchemy).

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It takes the same amount of energy to dream big as it does to dream small.

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Dr. Mathew Knowles to students at the event

BROOKLYN RECOVERY CORPS

Brooklyn Recovery Corps (BRC) is a paid internship program that provides experiential learning opportunities for MEC students at the sophomore, junior and senior level. The BRC is funded as a part of the NYC Juneteenth Economic Justice Plan, this collaborative program matches BRC interns with non-profit organizations and small businesses in Central Brooklyn to engage in real world, hands-on learning experiences, projects and assignments designed to spur economic recovery and growth in Brooklyn.

“BRC is a gateway into the professional world I would say that anyone who is very driven should join being in such programs give you a leg up in that it forces you to look at your career path,” said Genesis Smith, a 2023 intern.

Since its inception, a look at a few accomplishments:

• Recruited and placed 214 students since the program started

• Program has recruited and engaged 97 partners since it began in Fall 2021

• Four interns received full time employment with their internship placement

• Incorporated interviews, orientation bootcamp and matching fair activities to enhance the student experience

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This partnership with BRC has not only supported our operational needs but has also significantly contributed to our mission of fostering a resilient and spiritually vibrant community in Brooklyn.

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Rev. Rashad

Raymond Moore

FirstChurchBaptist of Crown Heights

CENTER, WOMEN’S DEVELOPMENT

Founded in 1982 by a coalition of students, faculty, staff and community members, the Center for Women’s Development (CWD) supports the self-actualization of students by providing specialized resources needed to assist Medgar Evers College women students in their pursuit of higher education. The Center’s services and programs promote self-empowerment, self-awareness, and respect of women while encouraging them to achieve academic excellence and hone their leadership skills within a collegial environment conducive to teaching and learning.

As a sample of the empowerment being encouraged, a group of students led by Eternity Council (above) has started the “How to be a corporate BADDIE series,” which focuses on connecting students with professionals to learn tangible skills.

BADDIE stands for Bold, Acclimated, Dauntless, Determined, Intelligent, and Exceptional. With this new focus and direction, the group is putting on a series of workshops that include optimizing resumes, mock interviews, dressing for success, learning professional skills, and what it takes to be a leader.

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I created ‘How to Be a Corporate BADDIE’ with the vision that one day, we will own our own establishments or lead our careers. In those moments, we can look back at the foundations learned in this series.

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Eternity CouncilFounder of the BADDIE series

CHILDCARE CENTER

The Ella Baker/Charles Romain Child Development Center was established in October 1982 to provide child care services to the children of students, staff, and the College’s surrounding community. Since 1984 when the State began to fund the child care centers of The City University of New York, enrollment of the Children Centers was limited to the children of the college students.

Medgar Evers College Child Development Center is located in the Carroll Street Building, Room 107. The program consists of child care for children from 2 to 5 years old, which includes NYC Board of Education full-day Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program.

We also offer an after-school program for children ages 5 to 12 years old. The Center operates on a subsidized fee schedule which is based on public funding eligibility.

Due to limited space children are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

As of the Spring 2024 semester, the Center is serving 35 children during the day and a handful with after-school care.

COLLEGE NOW

The College Now program is designed to help high school students with their transition to college by exposing them to college-level work and college life. High school students are given the opportunity to accrue college credits through an array of course offerings and are provided with classes designed to improve their reading, writing, and math skills. Most credits are accepted at CUNY and SUNY institutions and some private institutions. With a target enrollment of 225 students, the CN program surpassed the spring 2024 enrollment with 236 students.

The College Now program is piloting a new course under the FutureReadyNYC initiative (FRNYC) which is aligned with four different industries — business, education, healthcare, or technology. Through this career-connected pathway, College Now is now offering Introduction to Entrepreneurship (ENTE 201) for the Spring 2024 semester.

With 27 enrolled students, the course is intended to expand career development to include entrepreneurship as an acceptable vocation. Additionally, nearly all the students are demonstrating course competencies by progressively advancing toward the Student Learning Outcomes.

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It’s amazing privilege

of profoundly activating the program and course objectives by having 21% of the class either completing or already accepted to a college or university and 40% committed to starting firms as they graduate high school.

William Franklin Instructor

C.H.A.M.P.S.S.

Through a generous grant from the Office of the Mayor of New York, Medgar Evers College received a $20 million grant, the largest in institutional history. With this transformative gift, we are implementing the MEC Cultivating Holistic Academic Mindsets to Promote Student Success (CHAMPSS) Program, designed to provide first-year and new transfer students with earned associate degrees, comprehensive support services that include financial, social, and academic advisement to ensure successful matriculation experience at the College, leading to the completion of a baccalaureate degree.

So you might be wondering how a student is eligible for up to $3,676.45 per semester along with a monthly Metro card and book scholarship. To participate students are required to complete an application and must meet the following requirements:

• Freshman and current full-time, transfer, or re-admit degree-seeking MEC students.

• 2.0 or better Grade Point Average.

• Students must complete the FAFSA application (PELL and TAP).

• Must be a resident of New York

By integrating the appropriate academic and social supports in the program, students will be able to focus on their education without the distractions and challenges that can often derail success.

S.E.E.K.

The Percy Ellis Sutton Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge (SEEK) is a New York State-funded program founded in 1965 and designed to meet the needs of students who are considered economically disadvantaged and academically unprepared. Here are recent highlights:

In October, a group of nearly 20 students gathered during Club Hours to assist the Percy E. Sutton SEEK (SEEK) Program, Accelerated Studies in Associate Programs (ASAP), Center for Women’s Development (CWD), and Male’s Development and Empowerment Center (MDEC) in planting daffodil bulbs and caring for trees along the perimeter of Medgar Evers College.

Also, 25 SEEK students have been participants in the CUNY ICORP — the Innovative Career Opportunity and Research Program. This is a new initiative bringing research experience and graduate school preparation to undergraduate SEEK scholars across multiple CUNY senior colleges.

The work and businesses of 10 SEEK Students were showcased at the Annual SEEK Student Showcase, which is designed to give the campus a sampling of the academic, cultural and entrepreneurial activities/experiences of SEEK students at Medgar Ever College.

Students and staff worked in teams to pick up trash, cultivate the soil, eliminate weeds, providing much-needed care to the public trees surrounding the campus along Crown Street, Bedford Ave., and Franklin Ave.

S.P.C.D.

The Mission of the School of Professional and Community Development (SPCD) is to support life-long learning and provide caring environments to enrich the academic, cultural, social and professional development of youth and adults. The SPCD provides opportunities for community residents to: improve the skills needed for new career opportunities; enhance the skills that lead to promotional opportunities; improve basic skills in preparation for higher education; and to explore cultural and artistic workshops that enhance personal development.

This includes the Science Technology Entry Program (STEP) provides assistance to eligible students in acquiring the skills, attitudes, and abilities necessary to pursue professional and or pro professional study in post-secondary degree programs in scientific, technical and health-related fields. 80% of graduating seniors pursue professional degree programs of study in STEM and step targeted field, all students have improved in their attitudes towards STEM and 85% of students will graduate with an Advanced Regents Diploma.

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I encourage you to explore our programs and certificates that can fuel the changes you most want to make in your career, your future, and your life.

Dr. Evelyn Castro Dean, SPCD

TRANSITION ACADEMY

The Transition Academy has been established at Medgar Evers College to support students experiencing homelessness or issues of housing and food insecurity. The Academy can provide assistance to help students navigate through the complex process of the homeless system and work on streamlining finding adequate housing.

Services include: Food pantry; food vouchers; navigating the shelter system; transportation to school; referrals to agencies that help with housing and eviction prevention; advocacy and referrals for students dealing with domestic violence; counseling referrals; SNAP applications; available clothing items and personal hygiene toiletries; and job placement.

The Academy is open: Mondays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Tuesdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.; and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. All CUNY students are welcome on Wednesday. Students are allowed to visit the pantry once a week. Community pantry: Every last Tuesday of the month from 3-5 p.m. Mobile Pantry: Every first Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (both at 1638 Bedford Avenue).

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Food is a HUMAN RIGHT! Medgar Evers College Cougar Country Pantry offers nutritionally balanced and nonperishable food.

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We are Medgar Made. MEDGA R EVERS