Last year marked York College’s thirtieth anniversary. This spring,
the college, which is part of the City University of New York (CUNY)
system, passed yet another milestone. For the first time, it graduated
more than 1,000 students, about 75 percent of whom were people of color.
The commencement address at York was delivered this year by Dr.
John Hope Franklin, professor emeritus at Duke University and one of
the college’s founders. During his remarks, Franklin spoke about the
early vision he had for York as the provider of a “first-rate public
education” and how that vision has been realized.
“[York College’s] curriculum represents a range of interests and
activities unique not only in this community but in higher education in
this city and across the land. Its student body, eager to take full
advantage of its offerings, runs the gamut in age, tastes, academic
goals, and cultural interests,” Franklin said.
Each year, the “Top 100” editions of Black Issues In Higher
Education present a statistical portrait of where students of color
emerge on the higher education degree recipient landscape. But the
numbers only reveal part of the picture of educational achievement
drawn by thousands of students, some of whom have overcome profound
obstacles.
So this year, in addition to presenting the numbers, Black Issues
has decided to highlight some of the students responsible for the
growing degree surge. What follows are just a few of the personal
stories behind the numbers. Each of the students featured is from York
College because York seems emblematic of the new, increasingly
colorful, face of higher education — the urban public college open to
a wide swath of students, from recent high school graduates to older
workers looking to improve their job skills. York College is ranked
tenth among the top fifty non-HBCUs that awarded bachelor’s degrees to
African Americans in 199506 (see chart page 42), Many students who
enter York needing remediation leave to become lawyers, computer
professionals, research scientists teachers, and doctors. All aspire
toward a better life. And, as their stories reveal, their success at
York College is making the realization of those aspirations possible.
A Convenient, Affordable Option
When Tamara Thomas graduated from high school, she was accepted
into a pharmacy program, “but the tuition was too high.” So she settled
on York College, which was convenient to her home in the New York City
borough of Queens.
