Futures Initiative Map Examines Diversity of CUNY Student Population

In new research visualized on a series of maps, Futures Initiative Fellow and doctoral student Michael Dorsch (Earth and Environmental Sciences) offers new insight into the diversity of students who attend colleges throughout the City University of New York.

The sociodemographic analysis shows that across the CUNY system, the racial and ethnic diversity of student populations tend to match those of neighboring communities. In some cases, the student population is even more diverse than in the surrounding neighborhoods.

In addition, the project found that CUNY's senior colleges (Baruch, Brooklyn, City, Hunter, and Queens) have a higher proportion of underrepresented minorities than the surrounding neighborhoods. (See a detailed breakdown of minority enrollment in comparison to local communities.)
 
"This research project highlights how CUNY is in many ways a reflection of the diverse New York City communities for which the university seeks to provide affordable, public higher education opportunities," says Dorsch, a program assistant with the Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay and a lecturer in the Department of Geography at Hunter College.

Dorsch's project was developed in the context of the 'Mapping the Futures of Higher Education' course, taught by Futures Initiative Director Cathy N. Davidson and Graduate Center President Emeritus William Kelly.

The course's 12 Graduate Center students-who teach a dozen courses in nine fields across nine CUNY campuses-will each work with their own students to research and develop maps, providing new perspective on the university system and City alike.

Read more about the Futures Initiative.