Guttman Community College has been awarded a grant renewal of $460,000 from Robin Hood. The College is delighted to continue this longstanding partnership which recognizes and supports the work that Guttman is doing to increase opportunities for young adults in New York City. The funds support programs critical to helping our students succeed including our required Bridge and our First year Experience.
The Bridge program, a requirement for all incoming students, helps incoming students transition to their first year at Guttman. During Bridge, they learn what is expected of them academically and explore their strengths and challenges as learners. Students work with faculty, staff and peer mentors to develop strategies for success and gain practice completing assignments. Bridge is also a time of self-discovery as students develop relationships with faculty, staff and fellow classmates while engaging in academic and co-curricular activities. Robin Hood funding allows the College to pay student stipends for successful completion of the program, a critical support that allows students to prioritize campus engagement over work responsibilities.
The First-Year Experience (FYE) at Guttman Community College is a comprehensive model for academic access and future success fully aligned with the inclusive, equitable mission of the College. Students take their required FYE courses in a learning community. In these courses they examine current world issues and use New York City as a living text and laboratory, thus connecting information and concepts across multiple disciplines, contexts, and perspectives. This immersive approach equips Guttman scholars with the foundation of knowledge and skills essential to their intellectual, social, civic, and professional endeavors in and beyond the classroom. Coursework is integrated with academic advising and an array of support services. In addition, students develop constructive, self-directed academic and social relationships by participating in a diverse learning community of faculty, advisors, and peers.
Beyond the broad support of Summer Bridge and FYE, Robin Hood funding incentivizes academic success and progress toward degree through a First-Year Academic Success Award and the First-Year Academic Momentum Award.
Robin Hood is New York City’s largest poverty-fighting organization. For over thirty years, they have been finding, fueling, and creating the most impactful and scalable solutions to lift families out of poverty in New York City. We partner with over 250 nonprofits to support food, housing, education, legal services, workforce development, and more to New Yorkers living in poverty across all five boroughs.
Stella and Charles Guttman Community College is CUNY’s first new community college in more than forty years. Reimagining what community college can be, Guttman opened its doors in Manhattan in August 2012 to create a research-based, innovative model focused on moving students efficiently toward graduation. Offering associate degree programs in a nurturing environment, the College’s three-year graduation rate consistently surpasses the national average, and most graduates transfer to senior colleges. Guttman is federally designated as a Hispanic-serving institution and minority-serving institution with more than 85% of the student population identifying as Latine or Black/African American. The College was named the best community college in America in 2020 and the top community college in New York State for 2020, 2021 and 2022 by Niche.com and other ranking agencies.
