New Lehman College leader outlines his vision

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Lehman College has a new president.

CUNY’s board of trustees recently appointed José Cruz to the role, which he officially takes over on Monday, Aug. 15. He comes from California State University, Fullerton, where he served as provost and vice president for academic affairs, and has a PhD in electrical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. Mr. Cruz received his bachelor’s in electrical engineering from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez and speaks fluent Spanish. Below are highlights of an interview conducted via email.

Why did you come to Lehman?

I was drawn to the presidency of Lehman College by the magnitude of the challenge and the potential impact of the work. In my opinion — from a mission-critical perspective — Lehman College is the most important senior college of the City University of New York.

What challenges do you face?

The immediate challenges faced by Lehman — as articulated in its leadership profile — are similar to those faced by public colleges and universities throughout our nation: differentiating itself from other institutions; ensuring continued enrollment health; strengthening and building external partnerships; sustaining effective governmental and outreach efforts; diversifying revenue streams; and articulating a shared vision for future success.

I intend to address these issues in a very thoughtful and purposeful manner. I will work to build upon [outgoing] President [Ricardo] Fernandez’s legacy of leadership, engage the college’s shared governance structure to revisit the scope and reach of our vision, and lead the college’s efforts to bridge the gap between its current reality and its professed aspirations.

In an article you wrote for The Huffington Post in 2012, you called for expanding college access for low-income students. How will you do this at Lehman?

Expanding access will require a holistic assessment of the college’s policies and practices. I will start by learning more about Lehman’s current efforts to expand access and will then work with the campus community to explore opportunities to: (responsibly) increase overall enrollment levels; strengthen outreach efforts to prospective students; improve the yield of the admissions process; enhance high school and community college educational pathways; and formalize articulation agreements, among others.

According to U.S. News & World Report’s 2016 College List, Lehman has a 14-percent four-year graduation rate.

What’s your plan to increase this number?

I have always stated that the promise of access must be sustained by the prospect for success. I am heartened by Lehman’s commitment to strengthen academic resources and student support services, along with enhancing the student experience and life on campus, as ways to improve student retention and graduation rates.

And I look forward to contributing my experience in these efforts, particularly as it relates to using actionable data to inform student advising efforts; strategically addressing bottleneck courses through course redesign and supplemental instruction to improve student learning; leveraging the power of high-impact practices — such as undergraduate research, internships, and study away programs — to enhance the student experience, increase graduation rates, and narrow achievement gaps; and structuring financial aid policies and practices to sustain student progression, among others.

How do you see Lehman’s role in the community?

I strongly believe that public colleges and universities must strive to be excellent stewards of place. To achieve this ideal, Lehman College must construct frictionless educational pathways; help drive the economic development of the region it serves; recognize the value of place as a living lab for the generation and application of knowledge; nurture civic engagement of its faculty, staff, and students; and engage locally with a global community. In short, Lehman College must continue to add value to the place it occupies, both physically and figuratively.

How do see your institution’s relationship with the top-rated High School of American Studies at Lehman College growing?

As the sole senior college in the Bronx, Lehman College shoulders significant responsibility to advance the mission of the City University of New York to be “of vital importance as a vehicle for the upward mobility of the disadvantaged in the City of New York… ensuring equal access and opportunity” to students, faculty and staff “from all ethnic and racial groups.”

To help meet our responsibility, I will work with the campus community to expand its influence, increase its relevance and reach its full potential as an engine of opportunity for the region it serves. The exact nature of the work will be established in a collaborative manner and I look forward to sharing more specific answers to this question in the near future.

Jose Cruz, Lehman College, Lehman, Lisa Herndon

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