Welcome from the Chancellor
Welcome to the Joseph S. Murphy Institute for Worker Education and Labor Studies, a partnership between The City University of New York and organized labor. As part of CUNY’s new School of Professional Studies, the Institute offers educational opportunities for union members and serves as an academic resource on issues of concern to the labor movement. This mission reflects the vision of the late Joseph S. Murphy, former Chancellor of CUNY and lifelong champion of labor and of education for workers.
Twenty years ago, with the support of Chancellor Murphy, Queens College established a Worker Education program and Labor Resource Center that were the antecedents of the new Institute. Since that time, the program has initiated new courses and degree programs, developed effective tutoring and counseling models, and grown to serve 20 unions and over 1,200 students each year. The Labor Resource Center has sponsored local forums and national conferences; launched a nationally acclaimed journal, New Labor Forum; published a widely used anthology on the labor movement; and conducted strategic research. The Institute elevates these activities to a University-wide level and provides unions and their members with a single entry point into CUNY’s 1,400 academic programs, 19 campuses, and diverse intellectual resources.
For workers seeking college degrees, new skills, or technical expertise, the Institute offers academic support services, ongoing counseling throughout the educational process, and assistance with choosing from among CUNY’s many programs and courses. Institute staff work to ensure that students have successful educational experiences, and ones that meet personal and professional goals. For unions and employer partners seeking education for workforce development, the Institute works with CUNY colleges and faculty to provide and develop courses, and certificate and degree programs of all types, both in the liberal arts and technical fields. For the labor movement, the Institute offers a forum for ideas and debate, a venue for labor’s voice, and a source of intellectual resources for research and leadership development.
I am delighted about the potential of this new Institute to create educational opportunities for workers and a strong partnership between the University and organized labor.
Sincerely,
Matthew Goldstein
Chancellor