On March 7th, Governor Kathy Hochul announced $1.5 million to expand the City University of New York’s Mexican Studies Institute (MSI) at Lehman College and $250,000 for the establishment of the Carol Robles Román scholarship fund at CUNY’s John Jay College. These new funding initiatives aim to create a more accessible public higher education system for both CUNY and the state.
“This funding will help the CUNY Mexican Studies Institute build upon its critical work of empowering Mexican and Mexican-American communities and enhancing our understanding of the Mexican experience through research and scholarship. We also are grateful for the fitting tribute to Carol Robles Román, who had longstanding ties to CUNY and was a fierce warrior for social justice and women’s rights. The Carol Robles Román Award for Legal Excellence will honor her legacy by supporting students who are dedicated to serving the public with passion, commitment and talent, as she once did.” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez.
Since being founded in 2012, CUNY MSI’s mission statement has been to increase Mexican and Mexican-American student enrollment. Their website also emphasizes their plans “to promote equity through academic achievement; foster research with a focus on Mexico and Mexicans in the United States, especially in NY; empower the immigrant community by collaborating with community-based organizations and public institutions to support.”…