Futures Initiative

The Futures Initiative advocates greater equity and innovation in higher education at every level of the university. Housed at the Graduate Center and reaching throughout the CUNY community, the Futures Initiative empowers the next generation of intellectual leaders with bold, public, and engaged teaching and learning. With an emphasis on student-centered practices, the Futures Initiative redefines graduate preparation to include translation of specialized research into the best undergraduate teaching, including for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Futures Initiative also fosters greater understanding of the complexities of the higher education landscape by spearheading data-driven research in areas critical to institutional change. Through HASTAC@CUNY (a hub of the online network Humanities, Arts, Science and Technology Alliance and Collaboratory), the Futures Initiative extends its collaborative peer-to-peer practices across institutions, disciplines, national boundaries, and economic and social disparities, promoting reinvestment in higher education as a public good.
On the FI Blog
More Like ThisCourse Announcement: Global Feminisms
Learn about Global Feminisms (Fall 2022) course with Prof. Saadia Toor (Women’s and Gender Studies, The Graduate Center | Sociology, College of Staten Island) and Prof. Chaumtoli Huq (CUNY School of Law)
- Announcement
Call for Team-Taught Courses (Fall 2022/Spring 2023)
Apply now to teach a team-taught course at the Graduate Center and serve as a Futures Initiative Faculty Fellow! Read the post.
- Announcement
2020-2021 Lennihan Arts & Sicences Grant Winners
Congratulations to this year’s recipients of the Louise Lennihan Arts and Sciences grants! Each recipient will present about their work in a Fall 2021 event. Read on to learn more about each interdisciplinary project. Read the post.
- Congratulations/Kudos
Latest News
Mar 8, 2023
End of the English Major? Hardly!
Graduate Center scholars say "The New Yorker" story is a clarion call, but the humanities remain relevant.
- GC Stories
- Faculty News
Jan 24, 2023
ChatGPT Guidance for the CUNY Classroom
Graduate Center experts weigh in on how professors can reap the benefits and avoid the pitfalls of ChatGPT.
- GC Stories
- Faculty News
- Student News
- Alumni News
Aug 30, 2022
‘The New College Classroom’ Shows That Active Learning Is Effective and Equitable
The new book by Cathy N. Davidson and Christina Katopodis is a how-to manual for engaging students and empowering them in their own education.
- GC Stories
- Faculty News
- Alumni News
Jun 7, 2022
Cathy Davidson Named Senior Adviser on Transformation to Chancellor
Davidson, the founding director of the Futures Initiative and an expert on higher education, will help drive key changes across CUNY.
- GC Stories
- Faculty News
Who We Are

Cathy N. Davidson
Founding Director
- Futures Initiative
Distinguished Professor
- English
Distinguished Professor
- Digital Humanities
Distinguished Professor
- Data Analysis and Visualization
Distinguished Professor
- American Studies
Director of HASTAC@CUNY

Lauren Melendez
Administrative Specialist, Director of Undergraduate Leadership Program
- Futures Initiative

Adashima Oyo
Executive Director
- Futures Initiative