For the Borough of Manhattan Community College episode in NACCTEP Now's CUNY series we talk with President Dr. Anthony E. Munroe. As the largest undergraduate school in the CUNY system as well as one of the largest Hispanic Serving Institutions in the Northeast, BMCC is situated in lower Manhattan near Wall Street, the United Nations, and where the World Trade Center once stood. The location is "a prime position to develop educators with a global perspective."

Partnerships with local performing arts centers help future educators to learn how to incorporate art into the classrooms and lessons, the A in STEAM. On the STEM side, BMCC started a Women in STEM program to encourage and mentor women entering the field, as well as being a part of the New York HSI STEM Hub and the Pipeline Opportunity for Intercollegiate STEM Education with NYU. In BMCC's teacher education programs, integrated technology is emphasized so that future teachers can seamlessly incorporate new and future technologies into their classrooms. Some practicum and student teaching placements include co-teaching and designing lessons for both hybrid and fully online settings.

Additionally, Dr. Munroe shares that BMCC is "an environment where every student feels seen, valued, and supported, regardless of [their] background." Part of this includes programs specifically for first generation students as well as programs such as the New York State Opportunity Promise Program which provides free tuition for students over the age of 25 attempting their first college degree and the CUNY Reconnect Program which waives tuition and fees for students over 25 who are returning to complete a degree they had previously started and stepped away from.

This special CUNY series episode features Dr. Cocco De Filippis, President of Hostos Community College in the South Bronx sharing how Hostos' Associate of Arts, AA, and Associate of Applied Science, AAS, degrees help local students enter and advance in the teaching field. While AAS degrees allow students to directly enter the workforce or advance in their field, AA degrees lead to transferring to a bachelors program and 85% of the students from Hostos who transfer do so to another CUNY school.

One particular highlight of Hostos' education programs is a Bilingual AAS degree that is beneficial for their local community where over 50 languages are spoken. From their first courses, students in the education programs complete field experience hours. Some of these hours are completed by reading to children in the on-campus Child Care Center, others may include attending a local PTA meeting.

Dr. Cocco De Filippis is particularly proud of how Hostos' programs respect and honor the cultural differences of their students, especially with non-traditional students who may be parents or grandparents entering the teaching profession. Her passion for the profession and encouragement of those pursuing teaching is evident throughout this episode.

Dr. Christine Mangino, President of Queensborough Community College, and Dr. Anita Ferdenzi, leader of Queensborough's Education Academy, talk about the seamless pathway between Queensborough and Queens College for students in the education pathway. A grant from the Heckscher Foundation ensures that courses are transferred as courses rather than as a blanket transfer of credit hours. Curriculum and transfer meetings between the schools include the presidents of each school, showing the importance of developing seamless pathways for students pursuing transfer between the two schools. Queens College also has a new dual birth through 2nd grade and 1st through 6th grade degree which will allow even more courses to transfer.

Dr. Mangino also mentions the new child care center they hope to begin work on in the summer of 2026 that will include observation rooms that can be used by education students, psychology students, and nursing students. Ideally, the center will be available to both students and employees with small children.

The Drs. also discuss how the diverse student body at Queensborough reflects the diversity within the Queens community. Students from 120 countries who speak more than 80 different languages and dialects may one day have a positive effect on their own community.