The New York Times has reported how Mayor Michael R Bloomberg last week announced plans to spend $50 million of funding on New York’s community colleges if he is elected for a third term.

The initiative led by Bloomberg and named ‘the gateway to middle-class’ supports President Obama’s plans to boost the popularity of community colleges in the United States. By 2010 President Obama wants five million American students to have graduated from community colleges across the country.

The report in the New York Times stated how Bloomberg’s funding would elevate the number of graduating students to 120,000 a year, a “43% increase over the 84,000 students that are currently expected to graduate by that time.”

“It’s going to be an exciting new era for our community colleges,” said Bloomberg. “We have some of the best community colleges in the country here in New York.”

Plans for a new community college in New York are currently under development. To date, New York City has six community colleges in The City University of New York (CUNY) network including Borough of Manahattan Community College, Bronx Community College and La Guardia Community College. The new development would see this figure rise to seven. “This will be the first new two year institute of higher education to be built in New York City in 37 years,” said Bloomberg.

To learn more, visit the CUNY Newswire website at: www1.cuny.edu/forum/?p=4221