Eugenio María de Hostos Community College is proud to announce a $15 million gift from philanthropist, author, and activist MacKenzie Scott. This is the largest single gift in the College’s history and one of the largest in the history of The City University of New York (CUNY).
 
Hostos was one of 286 nonprofit and educational institutions recognized by Scott on Tuesday, June 15, posted online. “Higher education is a proven pathway to opportunity, so we looked for 2- and 4-year institutions successfully educating students who come from communities that have been chronically underserved,” Ms. Scott said.
 
“On behalf of the Hostos Community family,” said Interim President Daisy Cocco De Filippis, “I’d like to express our sincere gratitude to Ms. Scott for her generous support of our students and our mission. This gift will have a transformative impact on the College. For over fifty years, Hostos has been a beacon of hope, a life-transforming institution which lives up to the highest ideals of the democratic values of equity, inclusion and diversity. Hostos is a home for all who come through our doors in need of the life-changing opportunities presented by quality education delivered with care, hope and understanding.”
 
“We are humbled once again by Ms. Scott’s incredible generosity as well as the enlightened principles governing her philanthropy,” said Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguezwho served as Hostos president from 2009-2014. “The belief system she outlined in her powerful and incisive essay — that the march toward social equality can only be driven by individuals and institutions working from within communities — aligns with CUNY’s core values and the transformational work of our 25 colleges across the five boroughs. We are deeply grateful once again for this affirmation of the University as an engine for social mobility, academic excellence, affordability and social justice.”
 
“The College will work with the President’s Cabinet, the Hostos Community College Foundation, the Office of Institutional Advancement and faculty stakeholders on the details and the processes to maximize the impact of this very generous gift,” affirmed Dr. Cocco De Filippis.
 
On Tuesday, Scott announced she had given gifts totaling more than $2.7 billion. Of that, Hostos Community College will receive $15 million.
 
“This generous award will allow Hostos Community College,” said Interim President Cocco De Filippis, “an anchor in the South Bronx, to emerge from the devastating impact the pandemic had on the communities we serve in a much stronger position. It will enhance our ability to embrace and support the developmental work needed to continue to thrive as a bridge of opportunity.  We will create a number of initiatives and opportunities for our students and programs, such as:  increase scholarship, programmatic and career innovation, college capacity building while also addressing students’ needs, scholarships, supporting internships and transfer opportunities to competitive universities, developing Jobs on Campus opportunities for career advancement, and many others to be discussed with colleagues.”
 
About Eugenio María de Hostos Community College of The City University of New York
Hostos offers 28 associate degree programs and 2 certificate programs that facilitate easy transfer to The City University of New York (CUNY) four-year colleges or baccalaureate studies at other institutions. The College has an award-winning Division of Continuing Education & Workforce Development that offers professional development courses and certificate-bearing workforce training programs. The Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture (HCAC) is one of the pre-eminent Latino arts centers of the northeast. The HCAC has distinguished itself for showcasing traditional art forms as well as emerging and internationally renowned artists.
 
Hostos Community College is an educational agent for change, transforming and improving the quality of life in the South Bronx and neighboring communities since 1968. Hostos serves as a gateway to intellectual growth and socioeconomic mobility, and a point of departure for lifelong learning, success in professional careers, and transfer to advanced higher education programs. The College’s unique "student success coach" program, which partners students with individualized guidance, is emblematic of the premier emphasis on student support and services.
 
Hostos Community College is part of CUNY, the nation’s leading urban public university serving more than 500,000 students at 25 colleges.
 
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