The City University of New York (CUNY) is expanding its partnerships with firms such as Centerbridge Partners and Bain & Co. to enhance programs that support students in securing employment after graduation. This initiative is part of the university’s five-year “CUNY Beyond” plan, which aims to integrate career preparation and workplace experience throughout its undergraduate curriculum.
Universities across the United States are facing challenges as fewer young people enroll in higher education and as technological advancements like artificial intelligence change the job market for new graduates. CUNY Beyond seeks to position the public university system as a direct pathway to employment for prospective students.
“Students are choosing where they go for higher education based on if those paths can lead to jobs or not,” said Lauren Andersen, a CUNY vice chancellor. “We are integrating deliberate connections to careers into all of our undergraduate paths, which will require a sea-change transformation in the way we help students.”
CUNY’s enrollment has started to recover but remains more than 11% below pre-pandemic levels. The decline reflects broader trends in higher education, with New York projected to have 27% fewer high school graduates by 2041, according to estimates from the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.
Launched this year, CUNY Beyond incorporates career exploration directly into classroom activities and coursework rather than treating it as an extracurricular option. The program combines career advisement, internships, and other opportunities within undergraduate degree tracks and aims to reach 180,000 students by 2030.
Pilot efforts have already brought representatives from companies like LinkedIn and Google into classrooms and created internship opportunities at major employers including large accounting firms.
“It’s been really important for us to have these large employers in New York City in the bunkers with us,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez.
Jeff Aronson, co-founder of Centerbridge Partners who helped launch a workforce development program at CUNY, described the partnership as beneficial for both parties: “Everyone’s looking for talent and everyone’s looking in the same places,” Aronson said. “There’s this huge pool of talent right in our own backyard that’s largely undiscovered by the business community.”
Daniel Reden, a business major at CUNY School of Professional Studies and chairperson of the University Student Senate, noted that practical work experience is increasingly important given changes brought about by AI technology. “AI is letting everyone have PhD-level expertise at their fingertips,” Reden said. “It’s not enough to just have a piece of paper. A college needs to provide internships and experiences that can give students human connections and relationships, which matter the most.”
Chancellor Matos Rodríguez expressed confidence that CUNY Beyond would strengthen student recruitment and retention: “In an era of increased competition, creating a clear pathway to a career will make us even more appealing as a place of opportunity for students.”
