CUNY To Open New Community College

Despite proposed budget cuts, the City University of New York has received approval from the City University Board of Trustees to move forward with plans to open the city's first new community college in more than 40 years.

The New Community College has been in the works since the spring of 2008, when Chancellor Matthew Goldstein decided to tackle the low graduation rates and enrollment crunch at the system's six existing junior colleges by introducing an additional school.

The New York Post reports that NCC hopes to graduate at least 35 percent of students within three years -- a figure which weighs in at ten percent above the national average. To do so, the college will require all first year students to be enrolled full-time and follow a curriculum which includes a focus on math, professional experience and remedial support.

The college will initially offer eight associate degrees in business administration, human services, information technology, the liberal arts and more. The school will start with a modest class of 500 in Fall 2012, and intends on growing to a full capacity of 3,000 students. Tuition will be the same as at CUNY's other junior colleges.