ABSTRACT
The City University of New York (CUNY) is the nation’s leading public urban university. It is composed of 10 senior colleges, 6 community colleges, a technical college, a graduate school, a law school, a medical school, and an affiliated medical school and has an operating budget of more than $1 billion. In 1993, CUNY enrolled nearly 208,000 students in degree-credit programs (Access to Excellence: The Faculty of the City University of New York, 19941995). From its start, the Free Academy, one of the colleges of CUNY, has guaranteed free access to all college aspirants. Townsend Harris, who founded the Free Academy in 1847, had served on the New York City Board of Education. It was during his tenure on the Board that he led the campaign to establish the Free Academy, the institution that was to become City College of New York (CCNY). Harris founded CCNY to offer an opportunity for higher education to the children of the burgeoning working class and immigrants. At that time, New York City, with a population of more than 500,000, had only two colleges with fewer than 300 students. Higher education was available only to the wealthy and privileged. Against this background of inequality, Harris proposed what amounted to an egalitarian ideal: “Open the doors to all-let the children of the rich and poor take seats together and know no distinction save that of industry, good conduct, and intellect” (City College of New York, Office of Public Relations, Press Release, 1997).
