An Institution of the People

When CUNY abolished open admissions in 1999, many thought minority enrollment would take a hit. But officials say they are doubling their efforts to ensure access.

By Ronald Roach

It may have produced one of the most contentious fights ever in
U.S. higher education. The battle over open admissions and remedial education at the City University of New York in the 1990s garnered
national attention and marked a shift towards greater selectivity in America’s public, four-year higher education institutions.

For 30 years, the open admissions policy at the nation’s third largest university system stood as a landmark achievement for access and equity. Even before the enactment of the policy, CUNY had already attained legendary status as a vehicle for upward economic mobility for generations of the city’s immigrant and low-income residents.

“CUNY is a system that prides itself with the importance of diversity. Our role is very closely identified with being an institution of the people,” says Jay Hershenson, the system’s vice chancellor for university relations.

After launching open admissions in 1970, CUNY transformed from a majority-White system to one that had become majority non-White by the late 1970s. The advent of open admissions also led to dramatic student enrollment growth, as the degree-seeking student population grew from less than 100,000 in the late 1960s to more than 220,000
by the mid-1970s. Nationally, only the State University of New York system and the California State University system claim more students.

Open admissions “was certainly seen as a big step toward increasing access,” says Dr. Anthony L. Antonio, a professor of education at Stanford University and the assistant director of the Stanford Institute for Higher Education Research.

But the policy quickly became a target, as critics contended that CUNY accepted far too many underprepared students, requiring costly remediation. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was among those who argued that remedial education compromised CUNY’s quality. In 1999, CUNY trustees abolished open admissions and scuttled remedial education classes at the system’s 11 senior colleges. Today, CUNY’s community colleges provide the remedial education that enables underprepared high school graduates the opportunity to gain admission to a senior college.