Read the latest health and safety guidelines for Fall 2021 here.
Félix V. Matos Rodríguez
Félix V. Matos Rodríguez became the eighth Chancellor of the City University of New York (CUNY) in May 2019, making him the first educator of color, and the first Latino to lead the nation’s largest urban university. CUNY’s sprawling system comprises 25 campuses with an enrollment of over 275,000 degree-seeking students, over 225,000 adult and continuing education students, and an operating budget of over $3.6 billion.
Op-Eds
am New York: CUNY Graduate School leads push for health equity during pandemic and beyond (10/01/21)
New York Daily News: Putting innovation in our educational DNA (09/24/21)
Media
Chancellor Matos Rodríguez’s distinguished career spans both academia and the public sector: He is a scholar, teacher, administrator and former Cabinet secretary for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Dr. Matos Rodríguez is a dedicated champion of accessibility, inclusion and excellence in higher education. He built a diverse team of tested leaders to serve on his cabinet, and as administrators. During his first year in office, he appointed pioneering leaders such as Dr. S. David Wu, as president of Baruch College, who became the first Asian-American to serve as a college president at CUNY starting in July 2020. In keeping with his ambition to grow access for traditionally underrepresented firms to CUNY, he unveiled a comprehensive plan to bolster business opportunities for firms owned by women, minorities and service-disabled veterans.
Responding to the crisis of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, Dr. Matos Rodríguez oversaw within a week the transition of nearly all of CUNY’s 50,000 course sections to distance education. To ensure the success of CUNY students who lacked the resources to participate in distance modalities, the University quickly purchased thousands of laptops and tablets, and paused classes on most campuses to safely distribute the devices to those who needed them.
In April 2020, the University announced the Chancellor’s Emergency Relief Fund to provide urgent support to students facing financial hardship amid the pandemic. Launched with $3.25 million in initial donations, the fund has provided grants of $500 each to thousands of CUNY students, including undocumented students who were excluded from financial relief by the federal government.
Prior to his appointment as Chancellor, Dr. Matos Rodríguez was president of CUNY’s Queens College from 2014 to 2019 and of CUNY’s Eugenio María de Hostos Community College in the Bronx from 2009 to 2014, making him one of a select few U.S. educators who has led both a baccalaureate and a community college.
While at Queens College, Matos Rodríguez introduced “QC in 4,” an initiative that helps students complete their bachelor’s degrees within four years; he significantly increased the college’s endowment; and he created accelerated graduate programs that allow students to save time and money as they work toward master’s degrees.
At Hostos, Matos Rodríguez and his leadership team were responsible for dramatically improving the college’s retention and graduation rates and doubling its fundraising. These accomplishments made Hostos one of the finalists for the prestigious Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence in 2014.
From 2006 to 2008, Matos Rodríguez served as Puerto Rico’s Cabinet secretary of the Department of Family Services. In this position, he formulated public policy and administered service delivery in such programs as Child Support Enforcement, Adoption and Foster Care, and Child and Elderly Protection. He oversaw a $2.3 billion budget and over 11,000 employees. Earlier, he had been Senior Social Welfare and Health Advisor to the Governor of Puerto Rico.
A cum laude graduate in Latin American Studies from Yale University, Matos Rodríguez received his Ph.D. in history from Columbia University. He has taught at Yale, Northeastern University, Boston College, the Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, City College and Hunter College, and was affiliated with the History department at the CUNY Graduate Center. At Hunter, he also directed the Center for Puerto Rican Studies, one of the largest and most important Latino research centers in the United States. Read More
Highlights
August 2021
The Chancellor welcomes the CUNY family back to campuses and offices for the fall 2021 semester, showing that you #CantStopCUNY. After more than a year of preparing new and robust safety protocols, CUNY campuses are among the safest places to be in New York City. The Chancellor also announces the suspension of a long-held practice which prevented graduates who owe unpaid tuition and fees from accessing their transcripts, and lifts financial holds for students enrolled during the pandemic.
July 2021
The Chancellor and Governor Cuomo announce the CUNY Comeback Program, forgiving up to $125 million in outstanding tuition and fee balances for at least 50,000 students, accrued during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the nation’s largest student debt forgiveness plans of its kind, it enables students and graduates to focus on pursuing their educational and career goals.
April 2021
The Chancellor joins Queensboro FC Owner Jonathan Krane and York College President Berenecea Johnson Eanes to announce the city’s first stadium designed specifically for professional soccer, hosted at York. The stadium will host QBFC games, York College commencements, CUNY Athletic Conference events and community events for the surrounding area of Jamaica, Queens.
March 2021
The Chancellor challenges the CUNY familia to #VaxUpCUNY, getting vaccinated as soon as they are eligible. Two mass vaccination sites opened in February and operated by FEMA and New York State at Medgar Evers College and York College administer over 100,000 COVID-19 vaccines to New Yorkers in the first three weeks. A third site, run by the City, opens at The City College of New York, followed by sites at Lehman College and Queensborough Community College.
December 2020
The Chancellor continues a successful trend of fundraising for CUNY, raising a record-breaking $2 million on CUNY Tuesday. The University receives a historic $60 million in gifts from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, with $30 million each going to Lehman College and Borough of Manhattan Community College. This follows a generous $10 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Chancellor’s Emergency Relief Fund gives grants to 10,500 students.
September 2020
CUNY celebrates a month of recognition for its distinction as an engine of social mobility in college rankings. Business Insider ranks eight CUNY schools among the best for return on students’ investment, including Baruch College taking the top spot. U.S. News & World Report includes 10 CUNY schools among the top-performing public schools in the northern U.S., and the Wall Street Journal names Baruch College and City College as the top two Best-Value public colleges in the country.
August 2020
CUNY welcomes students to a largely virtual fall 2020 semester. Fewer than 2% of courses are offered in person, meeting a need for classes that are difficult to deliver remotely. The Chancellor welcomes nine newly appointed college leaders to their first full semester, including four chosen over the summer to lead York College, Borough of Manhattan Community College, Queensborough Community College and LaGuardia Community College.
August 2020
Along with 27 CEOs from some of the New York area’s largest employers, the Chancellor announces the New York Jobs CEO Council. The Council aims to hire 100,000 traditionally underserved New Yorkers — including 25,000 CUNY students — by 2030. In collaboration with CUNY and the Council, the EverUp Micro-Credential program begins in December 2020.
“The ground beneath us may shift, but our commitment to the equity, inclusion and excellence needed to sustain New York City’s standing as a world-class city will never, ever waver.”
June 2020
CUNY celebrates the class of 2020 with a special virtual commencement for the uniquely resilient graduates. The Chancellor joins college presidents and deans, elected officials and guest stars to cheer on these students, earning a near-record 56,000 degrees. CUNY students are paid to serve as coaches to the 57,000 graduates of New York City’s public high schools, ensuring they make a successful transition to college.
April 2020
CUNY announces the Chancellor’s Emergency Relief Fund to provide urgent aid to CUNY students who are facing financial hardship amid the COVID-19 crisis. The fund, launched with $3.25 million in initial donations, is distributing grants of $500 each to thousands of CUNY students, regardless of their immigration and citizenship status.
March 2020
To protect the health and safety of students, faculty and staff in the face of COVID-19, the Chancellor moves the country’s largest urban public university to distance learning and distance working. The massive undertaking transitioned all 25 campuses, 275,000 students and 20,000 faculty to a new educational modality to maintain academic continuity, safeguard students’ ability to finish the semester and protect their financial aid.
February 2020
The Chancellor announces the appointment of Dr. S. David Wu as president of Baruch College. He will become the first Asian-American in history to serve as a CUNY college president. In March, the Chancellor announces more history-making appointments, naming Robin L. Garrell, Frank H. Wu, and Daisy Cocco de Filippis as the new leaders of The Graduate Center, Queens College and Hostos Community College.
December 2019
To help ensure that students have the resources they need to succeed, the Chancellor announces a partnership with City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, a $1 million pilot program to combat food insecurity at CUNY’s community colleges.
December 2019
The Chancellor successfully broadens the network of generous donors to the University. On the annual nationwide day of giving known locally as CUNY Tuesday, the University reaches the $1.5 million mark, surpassing the initial goal of $1 million and far outmatching proceeds of previous years.
September 2019
The Chancellor and CUNY Citizenship Now! commemorate Citizenship Day 2019 by helping a record number of more than 600 permanent residents apply for citizenship in the largest event of its kind ever held in New York City.
August 2019
The Chancellor unveils a detailed plan to bolster business opportunities for firms owned by women, minorities and service-disabled veterans in keeping with his ambition to increase the University’s engagement of traditionally underrepresented firms.
July 2019
The Chancellor broadens CUNY’s record of public service by overseeing student relief work in Puerto Rico, championing a key initiative and encouraging civic engagement. The 220 CUNY Service Corps students log more than 22,000 hours of work, and the Chancellor pays them a visit and lends a hand.
February 2019
Félix V. Matos Rodríguez is appointed the eighth Chancellor of CUNY, becoming the first educator of color, and the first Latino, to head the University. He opened his tenure on May 1, further diversifying CUNY’s leadership by announcing the first appointments to his multicultural cabinet.