ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the adoption of the open admissions policy that guaranteed admission to City University of New York (CUNY) for all high school graduates, regardless of grades or standing. In 1964, a five-year experimental program called college discovery (CD) was approved by the Board of Higher Education. The program was designed to demonstrate that with the proper advisement and supportive services, students who were being excluded from the university because of existing admissions criteria could attain a college degree. CUNY's adoption of an open admissions policy in 1969 attracted a good deal of attention and commentary because of its massive scale and its inception. After resigning from City College of New York (CCNY) as president in 1969, Buell Gallagher continued his long-time association with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Government officials, university administrators, faculty, and especially students took sides on whether or not CUNY would drastically change its admissions policy.
