Baruch College Alumni Magazine

In my short time here, I have noted three factors critical to our success: our students; our commitment to academic excellence; and our extraordinary and generous alumni and other benefactors. Our supporters’ generosity with their time, input, and resources has driven many of the changes on campus that are responsible for the College’s rising stature. For example, the Princeton Review named Baruch College one of higher education’s best values in America’s Best Value Colleges (2007).

The active involvement of alumni and friends of the College has made this a propitious time to discuss the College’s aspirations for the next six years. In the second year of my presidency, students, alumni, faculty, and staff have joined me to develop a strategic plan for 2006 through 2011. We are now working on its implementation.

We have identified five overarching goals for Baruch College that guided our planning and decision-making:

To become a nationally ranked urban public college
To offer outstanding academic programs taught by a distinguished faculty with selected programs nationally recognized for excellence
To enhance the quality of the college experience for all our students
To increase the College’s visibility and recognition in New York City and beyond
To increase our endowment, resources, and alumni support

At the root of the strategic plan is an intention to build a sound financial base to ensure the quality and breadth of our educational programs at reasonable cost. To advance these goals, we have initiated a feasibility study for a historic campaign, which would have a goal of increasing our endowment and reserves.

As we implement the strategic plan, it is clear that we want Baruch to be the gateway for an academically superior, career-driven, and diverse student body to play a central role in New York’s international business, civic, and cultural growth. At Baruch, a multicultural, multiethnic environment is the norm. U.S. News & World Report has named Baruch the most diverse college in the country for seven years in a row. When our students graduate from Baruch, we hope that they become positive agents of change in environments where diversity will be an asset.

We continue to be grateful for your confidence and support. I would like to extend my appreciation to those of you who worked on the strategic plan and assure all of you that there is a role you can play in Baruch’s future.

Thank you,