The City University of New York (CUNY): A History of Accessible Education and a Bold New Logo
The City University of New York (CUNY, pronounced KYOO-nee) stands as the public university system of New York City. As the largest urban university system in the United States, CUNY comprises 26 campuses: eleven senior colleges, seven community colleges, and eight professional institutions. With a budget of $3.6 billion, CUNY enrolls more than 275,000 students. Its motto, "Eruditio populi liberi spes gentium," translates to "The education of free people is the hope of Mankind."
The Genesis of Free Education in New York City
The oldest constituent college of CUNY, City College of New York, was originally founded in 1847 and became the first free public institution of higher learning in the United States. The establishment of the Free Academy hailed "first municipal institution for free higher education to appear on this globe." This initiative emerged from a period of significant socio-cultural change, including "the growing democratization of American life," rapid urban development, and increased immigration. Free elementary and high schools were sprouting up across the country, fueled by organized labor, the expansion of suffrage, and industrialization. New York City, a booming metropolis and predominant seaport, was uniquely positioned to champion ambitious educational initiatives.
The first free denominational schools were established on Manhattan Island in 1633, followed by a system of secular schools in 1805. From 1825 to 1860, New York City's population surged from 166,000 to 814,000 residents, making it the third-largest city in the Western world. On March 15, 1847, Townsend Harris, then president of the city's Board of Education, advocated for a free public school where the children of the poor would have the possibility of advancement.
The Free Academy: A Novel Experiment
Harris proposed opening the doors of higher education to all, regardless of their economic status. The idea was debated in the newspapers of the day. James Gordon Bennett of the New York Herald and William Cullen Bryant of the Evening Post supported the idea in their editorial pages. Horace Greeley, founder and editor of the New-York Tribune, opposed the use of public funds for the school. Harris and his supporters argued that money from The Literature Fund, a state budget for public education, "ought to be apportioned on the principle of the greatest good to [the] greatest number."
The Free Academy received its charter from the New York State Legislature on May 7, 1847, and construction began in November of the same year. At the formal opening on January 21, 1849, Dr. Horace Webster, the school's first principal, declared that the experiment aimed to determine "whether the children of the people, the children of the whole people, can be educated; and whether an institution of the highest grade, can be successfully controlled by the popular will, not by the privileged few."
Read also: CUNY Admission Guide
Evolution and Expansion: From Academy to University System
The Free Academy was renamed the College of the City of New York in the aftermath of the Civil War. There was an acceleration of campus activity in the years following the war, especially in the realm of student organizing and government. Richard Rodgers Bowker published the first issue of The City College Collegian in November 1866.
The next school to be established was the Normal College, later Hunter College. Normal schools, or institutions for teacher education, were first established in New York in 1834. In 1851, the state legislature formalized a board of education for the city with the mission of continuing to "furnish through the free academy, the benefit of education, gratuitously, to persons who have been pupils in the common schools of the said city and county, for a period of time to be regulated by the board of education not less than one year." In 1868 the Board of Education once more called for the establishment of a female institution of higher education, and on November 13, 1869, the Committee on Normal, Evening and Colored Schools adopted a resolution establishing a daily Female Normal and High School. The Female Normal and High School was opened on February 14, 1870. The school was established by Irish schoolmaster and exiled republican Thomas Hunter as a normal school, who "insisted on admitting students of all racial and ethnic backgrounds and teaching a combined curriculum of liberal arts, science, and education." In 1908, George Samler Davis became the official second president of the Normal College; under his administration the college curriculum was liberalized to include electives, following the model Harvard was then introducing. Under the leadership of George Samler Davis, the Normal College would be renamed Hunter College to honor its founder.
There had been intimations of a free university in Brooklyn since the dawn of the 20th century. As early as 1905, Brooklyn Controller Edward M. Grout proposed the formation of a free public university in Brooklyn. In 1909, City College opened a teacher extension program in Brooklyn, and by 1917 they had created an evening program in Brooklyn. Following the passage of the Nicoll-Hearn Bill in 1926, the board approved the opening of new City College and Hunter College branches in downtown Brooklyn. Four years later, Brooklyn College emerged from the merger of these Brooklyn annexes. On October 2, 1935, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia broke ground on the new campus.
In 1960, John R. Everett became the first chancellor of the Municipal College System of New York City, later known as the City University of New York (CUNY). The institutions merged into CUNY included the Free Academy (later City College of New York), the Female Normal and High School (later Hunter College), Brooklyn College, and Queens College. The integration of CUNY's colleges into a single university system took place in 1961, under a chancellor and with state funding.
CUNY in the Modern Era: Accessibility and Transformation
CUNY has historically provided accessible education, especially to those excluded or unable to afford private universities. The 1960s saw student protests demanding more racial diversity and academic representation in CUNY, leading to the establishment of Medgar Evers College and the implementation of the Open Admissions policy in 1970.
Read also: CUNY GPA Guide
A Bold New Logo for a Bold University
CUNY has unveiled a new brand voice and a bold new logo. The letters reach out and connect to each other to symbolize the unrivaled connectivity of the University. The stand-alone logo should be rendered in print and digital communications pieces at a minimum of 0.5 inches. The CUNY logo should be placed first in a partner logo lockup, justifying the top of the partner logo with the top of the ascenders on the U and the bottom of the N. When a communications piece is targeting out-of-state or international students, this CUNY logo lockup can be used in a way that has presence and impact.
City College: A Legacy of Achievement
The City College of New York (established as 'The Free Academy' in 1847) is the founding institution of the City University of New York and home to eight schools and divisions, each dedicated to the advancement of research and knowledge. CCNY is ranked #1 by The Chronicle of Higher Education out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. The campus boasts outstanding programs in architecture, engineering, education and the liberal arts and sciences to prepare our students for the future, and to produce outstanding leaders in every field. Undergraduates have numerous opportunities to conduct research with professors and publish and present their findings.
The City College name and logo are trademarked symbols and cannot be used outside of the college’s style guide. The City College logo is the graphic representation of the brand and is available for download.
Read also: Understanding CUNY Verification
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