City University of New York
The City University of New York (CUNY) is a public university system that encompasses 23 institutions of higher education, including six community colleges, eleven four-year colleges, and five graduate and professional schools. Although CUNY is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, its colleges and schools are spread throughout New York City's five boroughs.
History
CUNY's history dates back to May 7, 1847, when New York State Governor John Young signed the Free Academy Act, which authorized New York City's Board of Education to create a free institution of higher education for graduates of the city's primary and secondary public schools. A month later, the city's voters decisively endorsed the initiative in a popular referendum and, shortly thereafter, the Board of Education itself resolved to establish the Free Academy and, under the leadership of Townsend Harris, began planning its logistics.
Schools
Four-year colleges
The CUNY system includes eleven four-year "senior" colleges, including four in Manhattan, three in Brooklyn, two in Queens, one in Staten Island, and one in the Bronx.
Bernard M. Baruch College
Brooklyn College
City College of New York
The City College of New York (CCNY) is CUNY's oldest institution.
College of Staten Island
Hunter College
Hunter College, which is currently the largest of the CUNY colleges, was founded by Thomas H. Hunter in 1870 as the Normal College for Girls.
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Lehman College
Medgar Evers College
New York City College of Technology
Queens College
York College
Community colleges
There are six community colleges within the CUNY system, including two in the Bronx, two in Queens, one in Manhattan, and one in Brooklyn.