About the College
At the center of New York City on West 40th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, Stella and Charles Guttman Community College is the first new community college in the City University of New York in more than four decades. The second CUNY community college in Manhattan was inspired by former Chancellor Matthew Goldstein’s interest in improving graduation rates for CUNY’s racially and ethnically diverse urban students with a wide range of linguistic and cultural backgrounds. “There is no more urgent task in higher education than to find ways to help more community college students succeed,” the Chancellor said.
The New Community College at CUNY (as Guttman was originally known) officially opened its doors with its first 289 students on August 20, 2012, after four years of planning in consultation with experts from around the country and hundreds of faculty and staff across the University. It was approved by the CUNY Board of Trustees on February 28, 2011, by the New York State Board of Regents on June 21, 2011, and by New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s approval of a master plan amendment on September 20, 2011—the final act in the establishment of the new college. Guttman was initially accredited by the New York State Board of Regents in December 2012 for a five-year period and then accredited in June 2017 by action of the Middles States Commission (Middle States Commission of Higher Education). Guttman is one of twenty-five CUNY schools and colleges that comprise the nation’s leading public urban university system. The University serves more than 275,000 degree-seeking students and almost as many adult continuing education and professional education students.
April 2013, The City University of New York received a $25 million gift from the Stella and Charles Guttman Foundation to support student retention and help increase graduation rates. In honor of the $15 million endowment gift ear-marked to the new college—the Foundation’s largest and the largest ever given to a New York State community college—the CUNY Board of Trustees passed a resolution in June 2013 to rename The New Community College “Stella and Charles Guttman Community College.” The gift provides support in perpetuity for activities such as paid internships, community service and experiential learning opportunities, and student emergency funds.
Guttman’s notable features include the following:
• A multi-step admissions process designed to help students determine if Guttman is the right fit to address their educational needs and career aspirations;
• A bridge program that introduces students to the curricular model and the demands of college-level work and full-time attendance in the first year;
• Learning communities across the first year that create a socially and academically supportive environment while fostering cross-disciplinary thinking and analytical reasoning;
• Structured advisement from professional staff scheduled each week; integrated academic and student services that build on strengths, have high expectations, and support student progress and timely degree attainment;
• A variety of associate degree and certificate programs with well-defined pathways to degree, transfer, and/or careers;
• A Center for College Effectiveness that fosters a culture of inquiry and continuous improvement by building bridges among data, dialogue, and decisions and by involving faculty and staff in planning and institutional assessment.
Mission
Guttman Community College works alongside our students in advancing our mission to:
• Enact inclusive and equitable practices to advance social and racial justice inside and outside our classrooms.
• Engage students in supportive communities and guided paths that lead to academic excellence and timely degree completion.
• Empower students to make informed choices about their educational and professional journeys.
Vision
An educational institution that is responsive to its students, adaptive to the economy, relevant to a modern society, and accessible to all.
Strategic Plan 2018–2022
Guttman Forward 2028 is the College’s strategic plan, which focuses on five key pillars:
Pillar 1 - Elevate Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging (EDIB) We will achieve equitable student and employee outcomes and advance social and racial justice inside and outside our classrooms.
Pillar 2 - Support Student Success and Academic Excellence We will prepare students to thrive beyond our doors by providing an intellectually stimulating, experientially rich education with clear pathways and comprehensive student support from a community committed to teaching, service, and scholarship.
Pillar 3 - Amplify Employee Vitality and Engagement We will cultivate an environment where there is a spirit of teamwork, and a shared sense of purpose, and where employees feel appreciated, supported, and proud to say they work at Guttman.
Pillar 4 - Advance Growth We will serve more students more effectively by expanding availability and access to our educational offerings while retaining quality of support and services.
Pillar 5 - Optimize Operations We will build efficiencies into the implementation, maintenance, and assessment of operations by streamlining processes, innovating systems, and better-utilizing technology.
Accreditation
Stella and Charles Guttman Community College of the City University of New York is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. (267-284-5000). The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
As documented in the Middle States Statement of Accreditation Status for Guttman, on June 24, 2021, the Middle States Commission reaffirmed Guttman’s accreditation. The next evaluation visit is scheduled for 2028–2029.