Building Momentum

Macaulay HONORS COLLEGE 

2023-2024

INVEST IN MACAULAY

A Message From the Dean

It is with immense pride and optimism that I present the 2023–2024 Annual Report for Macaulay Honors College. In last year’s report, I shared the news that Macaulay had secured transformative investments to propel us toward the ambitious objectives outlined in the college’s 2020–2025 Strategic Plan. This year, I am delighted to share the tangible progress we’ve made—progress that underscores our commitment to student success and excellence in Honors education.

Despite the lingering challenges of the pandemic, Macaulay has successfully launched a series of bold initiatives, each advancing key priorities of the Strategic Plan. From expanding our academic offerings to enhancing student support services, we are not merely recovering; we are building a stronger, more vibrant future for Macaulay Honors College.

The successes highlighted in this report reflect the extraordinary motivation of our students,  dedication of our faculty and staff, and generosity of our individual and institutional donors and partners. Each achievement is fueled by our shared commitment to academic excellence, a sense of belonging, and the transformative power of an honors education.

As we look ahead to 2025, I am excited to share that we are partnering with the Boston Consulting Group to embark on a new strategic planning process. This forthcoming 2025–2030 strategic plan coincides with a significant milestone: Macaulay Honors College’s 25th anniversary. Together, we will build on our past successes and chart a new course for the future. I look forward to unveiling this vision in the year ahead and continuing to work with all of you to shape the next chapter of Macaulay’s remarkable journey.

Thank you for your support and belief in our mission. Together, we are creating a more resilient and dynamic Macaulay Honors College community. I invite you to explore the many accomplishments of this past year, as we celebrate our progress and set our sights on a bright and impactful future.

Congratulations
Class of 2024!

This year we celebrated the graduation of 468 members of the Macaulay Class of 2024. These students, who began their Macaulay journeys during the pandemic demonstrated remarkable success and resilience and made meaningful contributions both inside and outside the classroom.

The class achieved an impressive average GPA of 3.8 while completing more than 25,000 hours of community service (or an average of 52 hours per student). 12% graduated with more than one major and 5% designed their own majors through the CUNY Baccalaureate program. The top majors were Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Computer Science, Psychology, Political Science, Economics, Marketing, Finance, and Nursing. More than half of these students were in STEM and allied health fields.

Class of 2027 Snapshot

Macaulay welcomed 533 students into the Class of 2027, boasting an impressive mean high school GPA of 95.9. Among the top intended majors, 23% of students plan to pursue studies in Biological Sciences, followed closely by 22% in Physical Sciences. Additionally, 16% have chosen Social Sciences as their focus, while 14% are aiming for a degree in Business.

FRESHMAN CLASS PROFILE

  • 533 students
  • Mean high school GPA: 95.9
  • Top intended majors:
    • Biological Sciences (23%)
    • Physical Sciences (22%)
    • Social Sciences (16%)
    • Business (14%)
  • 83% from New York City
  • 84% from public high schools
  • 53% speak a language other than English at home
  • 32% first generation in college

Student Success

Targeted wellness initiatives, hands-on career learning, and a data-driven approach to fueling career success

Key Achievements

COLLABORATIVE WELLNESS

  • 16 new Student Wellness Ambassadors trained
  • Wellness task force formed

CUNY HONORS BUSINESS HUB

  • 217 students participated in business case competitions and career accelerator workshops
  • 106 students mentored through the Professional-in-Residence program led by executive leader Rajiv Basu

ALUMNI OUTCOMES

  • Partnered with Lightcast to gain insight into alumni career pathways
  • Over 4,000 alumni profiles matched

Program Highlights

Post-Pandemic Wellness for the Whole Community

The Collaborative Wellness Project, supported by the Aronson Family Foundation, addresses post-pandemic wellness needs across Macaulay’s eight partner campuses. In 2023–2024, we welcomed 16 student wellness ambassadors and established a dedicated Wellness Task Force. We also collaborated with the JED Foundation to conduct a college-wide mental health assessment and assist with the implementation of wellness programming. Early successes include the development of prevention-focused wellness education and high student engagement in new programming, demonstrating the initiative’s positive impact on fostering a supportive campus culture.

Connecting Honors Business Majors Across Cuny Campuses

The CUNY Honors Business Hub pilot program exceeded its objectives by engaging over 380 Honors business majors across CUNY campuses. Enhanced career preparation efforts, including content sprints and case competitions, provided hands-on learning experiences for students, while the Professional-in-Residence program connected over 100 students with industry experts. 

Using Alumni Outcomes Data to Drive Career Success

With funding from the Booth Ferris Foundation, we partnered with Lightcast, a global leader in labor market analytics to develop career profiles of over 4,100 of Macaulay’s 6,000 alumni. With new information about the occupations and industries our graduates are working in, we have begun to identify opportunities to address underemployment and wage disparities, particularly in the healthcare sector. Findings will lead to programming to enhance career pathways and ensure long-term student success.

Academic Excellence

Data literacy, hands-on research, and innovative partnerships

Key Achievements

FOCUS ON DATA SKILLS

  • Launched a mult-pronged initiative to enhance data literacy across the Macaulay student experience
  • Welcomed our first Lecturer in Data and Society

SCIENCE FORWARD

  • Strengthened data literacy and research skills in Science Forward
  • Increased student engagement and public-oriented data collection at annual Bioblitz, including 1,463 observations of 387 species with 25 new species added to the iNaturalist database for Prospect Park

ACADEMIC ADVISEMENT

  • Welcomed the college’s first Director of Academic Advisement

GRAY STEM SCHOLARS

  • 15 students admitted to the inaugural cohort of Gray STEM Scholars with an average high school GPA of 3.5

FRIEDMAN TRANSFER SCHOLARS

  • 26 students joined the first class of Friedman Transfer Scholars with an average CUNY GPA of 3.8

Program Highlights

Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS)

A new partnership with Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) connects Macaulay scholars to professionals and mentors and provides them with opportunities to engage in biomedical research fellowship in collaboration with the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS). Ten scholars have successfully completed this fellowship in 2023–2024, working in the laboratories of the HSS Research Institute and clinical research facilities under the mentorship of world-class HSS researchers. Scholars deepened their understanding of how research drives medical advancements across diverse fields while also presenting research as a viable and impactful career path.

"My mentor was a rock star … this internship taught me the possibilities and prepared me to enter a career in medicine."
–Nidhi Mahadevan '25

New York:
City Designed

In 2023–2024, Macaulay launched the *New York: City Designed* program in partnership with the Design Trust for Public Space. This year-long initiative is guided by a steering committee of city agencies, non-profits, and private-sector design and architecture firms. It offers a dynamic combination of experiential learning, workshop-based problem-solving, internship placements, and in-depth site visits.

The program equips participants with practical skills and access to career opportunities in urban planning and design.

The inaugural cohort of this summer internship program included seven scholars who successfully completed placements with prestigious organizations such as the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, Historic House Trust of New York City, TenBerke, Times Square Alliance, NYC Department of City Planning, WXY Studio, and 3×3 Design. These opportunities have provided invaluable experiences and opened doors to future careers in the planning and design sectors.

"What I like most is community outreach, event planning, and just talking to people.”
–Shivani Ramsaran ’25

Data Skills for all Majors

Macaulay Honors College enhanced data literacy among its students to meet the growing demand for data-driven decision-making skills across industries. Central to this initiative was the appointment of Allen Hillery as our inaugural Lecturer in Data and Society.

With over two decades of experience in data science at Fortune 500 companies, Hillery brought invaluable industry insights into the classroom, teaching courses on data literacy, data ethics, and data storytelling.

His innovative approach was highlighted by the successful pilot of a Digital Storytelling Intensive course, which attracted students from various disciplines and campuses, equipping them with hands-on experience using industry-standard tools like Tableau. The course also included visits to The New York Times and Salesforce, where students engaged with professionals to discuss their career trajectories and the ethical implications of data in journalism and business.

Macaulay's data storytelling course, led by Allen Hillery, included a visit to The New York Times, where Larry Buchanan highlighted data's ethical and journalistic power.

SCIENCE FORWARD

Macaulay continues to improve data-skills development for all students. In 2023-2024 a group of consortial full-time faculty assessed Science Forward students’ ability to present clear, original visualizations of data in research-poster format. While the faculty assessment group found that 78% of Macaulay student projects scored proficient or exemplary in creating original visualizations of a data set and/or data analysis, the group also revised the research poster rubric and recommended scaffolding activities to help students better connect their data visualizations with core research questions. These improvements were most evident in BioBlitz, the annual common science event for Macaulay’s Science Forward seminar, which offers sophomores the opportunity to engage in hands-on scientific research while enhancing their data skills.

The Fall 2023 BioBlitz in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park saw a significant increase in data collection. Students working alongside scientists made 1,463 observations documenting 387 species and recording them to iNaturalist. This represents 4% of all iNaturalist observations in Prospect Park. Included were several species—the Arrowhead Orbweaver, Magnificent Bryozoan, and Snow Fungus—that had not previously been recorded in the park. 

For many participants, BioBlitz was their first exposure to field research, deepening their appreciation for data collection in urban ecology and how the data that they themselves collect and analyze can serve the community as a whole. 

Reflecting on their experiences, students expressed a newfound enthusiasm for scientific exploration, underscoring the event’s impact on fostering data skills, scientific curiosity, and environmental stewardship among the next generation of New York’s leaders.

PATHWAYS TO EXCELLENCE

Dr. Saranna Belgrave-Banton, Director of the Gray STEM Scholars, worked closely with Macaulay campus Directors to recruit and admit fifteen students for the inaugural cohort who commenced their studies in Fall 2024.

Dr. Shellaná Henderson, Director of the Friedman Transfer Scholars program, collaborated with 7 of CUNY’s community colleges to develop a seamless transitions for high achieving transfer students. 26 Friedman Scholars were selected to begin their Macaulay journey in summer 2024, enrolling in the two core seminars Arts of New York City and the People of New York. Under the leadership of Dr. Lisa Brundage, Director of Academic Affairs, 17 students from Borough of Manhattan Community College were accepted into the Bridge Scholars Program, funded by the Petrie Foundation and the Ichigo Foundation, with a pipeline to Baruch. Together, Bridge Scholars and Friedman Scholars represent the largest transfer cohort ever at Macaulay, and these students will transfer to Macaulay bachelor’s programs in Fall 2025.

Undergraduate Research Awards

In May, Macaulay Honors College held its first-ever Outstanding Research Awards, celebrating exceptional undergraduate research, scholarship, and the arts by its seniors. This consortium-wide competition also honored the contributions of faculty mentors to the students’ education. All students who submitted projects were invited to the Awards Celebration with their faculty mentors.

Submissions were judged on quality, originality, and field contribution. Trisha Sherman won first place, receiving a $1,000 prize.

Five finalists presented their research, with the winners announced afterward.

Nathalie Segarra-Valle (Brooklyn):
La Petit Mort: Examining the Efficacy of Sexual Communication Strategies
Advisor: Cheryl Carmichael
Chana Deitsch (Baruch):
Social Media and Autonomic Manipulation
Advisor: Elizabeth Edenberg
Eli Bursztyn (Queens):
High Lead Levels Discovered In Water and Dust at Queens College
Advisor: Annie Stoeth
Nabiha Subzwari (Hunter):
Characterization of Exosomes from Mature Oligodendrocytes with Myelin Regulation Potential
Advisor: Carmen Melendez-Vasquez
Trisha Sherman (Queens):
Beyond the Citational Chain: Unraveling the Hindu-Centric Narrative
Advisor: Miles Greer

Macaulay
Community

Flourishing clubs and standout performances, the City Nature Challenge, and the return of the CUNY Film Festival

Key Achievements

STUDENT CLUBS

  • 785 Macaulay Scholars were active in clubs, an increase from previous years

CUNY FILM FESTIVAL

  • The 16th Annual Film Festival returned to the College after a 3-year hiatus due to the pandemic

CITY NATURE CHALLENGE

  • For the 8th year in a row, Macaulay was the official organizer of the City Nature Challenge for New York City
  • Set new record for number of observers with 25,314 observations of 2,193 species by 987 people

MACAULAY’S 2023 CLIMATE SURVEY

  • 85% of students feel included in campus activities
  • 80% report positive faculty relationships

Program Highlights

Club Activities

The 2023-2024 academic year saw a vibrant increase in student club activities at Macaulay, significantly enhancing community engagement and student participation. Among the most active organizations, the Macaulay Deewane club stood out with an impressive 64 meetings, driven by their preparation for regional competitions and heightened rehearsal schedules. Overall, performing arts clubs continued to lead in regular activities, with the Musicians Collective hosting 87 meetings, followed by the Theater Club with 84, and the Triplets with 58. Community-building events also saw a notable rise, with each club averaging 6.4 events compared to 5.8 the previous year.

Club membership flourished, with an average of 32.6 students per club, up from 26.9 in 2022-2023, and total membership across all clubs reaching 1,645 students, engaging 785 unique participants. The newly established Macaulay Asian-American Pacific Islander Student Society contributed meaningfully to campus culture, hosting a well-attended Lunar New Year Festival and co-sponsoring collaborative events like Arts Night 2024. Together, these efforts underscore the thriving culture of student involvement and community at Macaulay.

City Nature Challenge 2024

With generous support from the New York City Council and Councilmember Gale Brewer, Macaulay Honors College significantly expanded the impact of the City Nature Challenge (CNC) serving for the eighth year in a row as the New York City’s official organizer for this global event and engaging a record number of participants. Led by Dr. Kelly O’Donnell, the effort brought together Macaulay students and community members to observe and document local wildlife using the iNaturalist platform, with student volunteers leading public events across the boroughs. 

The 2024 CNC was a resounding success, with NYC participants contributing 25,314 observations of 2,193 species—over 10,000 more than last year—and achieving the highest number of observers ever recorded for CNC:NYC. Globally, CNC engaged 83,000 participants across 690 cities, recording over 2.4 million observations. NYC ranked first in observations and observers among similarly sized regions and second in species count. 

Thanks to support from Councilmember Brewer’s office, 42 public events were held with 600 City Scientist kits distributed, fostering broader engagement than any other year prior. Macaulay students played a pivotal role, contributing 7.8% of NYC’s observations and uniquely identifying 10 species, underscoring the college’s dual role as both host and vital participant in advancing urban environmental science.

Cuny Film Festival

The 16th Annual CUNY Film Festival @ Macaulay Honors College marked a triumphant return after a 3-year hiatus due to the pandemic, thanks to support from the CUNY LGBTQ+ Consortium. With the theme “Creativity in Bloom,” the Festival was organized by students as part of a Macaulay New Media Lab class in partnership with Lehman College. There was remarkable engagement with 118 film entries from all 25 CUNY campuses, competing for 14 awards across categories like experimental, sci-fi, documentary, and LGBTQ+ representation. The event’s success was bolstered by contributions from 21 judges, including Emmy and Cannes winners, alongside screenings of classic films and lively Q&A sessions.

Beyond the competition, the festival featured a 3-day exhibit by the LaGuardia-Wagner LGBTQ+ Consortium, highlighting the intersection of media, politics, and the LGBTQIA+ community, with popular events like the Drag Story Hour NY. Drawing over 400 attendees, the festival brought together students, graduates, faculty, and alumni in a celebration of CUNY’s diverse creative talent. With support from partners like GLAAD Media and The New Plaza Cinema, plans for next year include expanding the program with a Story Slam and a Queer Voices film and panel event to further amplify the voices of CUNY creatives.

College Climate

In 2023-2024, Macaulay Honors College collaborated with Qualtrics to develop a new College Climate Survey. For the first time in the college’s history, Macaulay will conduct its own annual survey to track changes in college climate over time, aligning with best practices of most colleges. This project was supported by the Jewish Foundation for Education of Women. With a 26% response rate, which is an above average rate, the survey highlighted significant disparities in the student experience across our eight CUNY campuses.. Additionally, the survey revealed low awareness of support resources available across CUNY and at Macaulay, signaling a need for improved communication and education on available support systems.

Unlike the university-wide climate study, Macaulay’s also includes questions designed to better understand students’ experiences with their religious identities—an aspect that holds significant importance to our community. Simply put, we have work to do with and for our students. Our research team is continuing to assess the findings and is conducting focus groups with students across the campuses. The final report will be complete in Spring 2025.

There were also encouraging findings. 85% of all students feel included in campus activities, and a strong majority reported positive relationships with faculty, with 80% of students, stating that faculty are genuinely concerned about their well-being. These positive indicators are an important foundation that we will build upon as we work to address belonging and well-being at Macaulay. The survey’s annual administration will help ensure that progress continues in addressing gaps and improving campus climate. The data collected will allow the institution to monitor trends and implement key initiatives to support students.

Community Conversations

In 2023–2024, Macaulay hoste a number of public officials and community partners for conversations on topics of importance to our communities. Highlights included a visit In September from United States Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, Uzra Zeya, who participated in a fireside chat with Dean Dara N. Byrne. Under Secretary Zeya shared insights from her professional journey aiming to inspire students interested in fields such as journalism, activism, private enterprise, philanthropy, and human rights. In March, Macaulay hosted a discussion between CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez and Commissioner of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, Rossana Rosado. The event celebrated women’s history in New York and focused on the role of education in advancing women’s rights and community safety.

Institutional Longevity

Diversifying revenue streams, strengthening government relationships, and upgrading critical infrastructure

Key Achievements

$13,758,990 raised to date to support the 2020 Strategic Plan goals

$1,000 increase to Opportunities Fund awards for students

$600,000 raised from annual Gala

$3,013,990 in capital and technology grants

Program Highlights

Diversifying Revenue Streams

Over the last two years, Macaulay has made significant strides in diversifying our revenue streams and securing funding to improve our physical space. Significantly, the $13,758,990 raised to date is directly connected to the goals identified in the 2020 Strategic Plan, which was otherwise without resources to advance any of its goals prior to FY23. In addition to philanthropic grants and new endowments, we secured funds from City Council and the Manhattan Borough President’s Office, ramped up our space rental program with local entities such as ABC Studios and New Plaza Cinema. CUNY Central has been very supportive by way of investments for special initiatives and much needed capital renovations such as an upgrade to our bathrooms. This infusion of new revenue streams has helped us update curriculum, add new programs and staff. lift morale, expand student services, and improve the overall organizational health.

Macaulay Gala

For the second year in a row, the Macaulay Honors College Foundation Gala has exceeded fundraising targets, raising $600,000 and enabling us to maintain a base-level Opportunities Fund award of $2,500—$1,000 per student above the award level in previous years. Early evidence indicates that this new award level is having a positive effect on the number of Pell students pursuing opportunities to Study Abroad.

Critical Technology

This year Macaulay made significant strides in updating technology infrastructure to support institutional longevity and resilience. Key initiatives were decommissioning aging desktop computers and replacing them with new laptops to improve security and reliability; migrating data from an aging network-attached storage (NAS) server to a modern Nimble NAS; implementing a robust new security framework; and decommissioning Microsoft Exchange Servers following our complete migration to Office 365, bringing us into compliance with CUNY policy. Taken together, these improvements have strengthened our technological foundation, ensuring continuity and adaptability enhancing performance and capacity, and bolstering security.

Support from CUNY and New York City Officials

A focus this year has been strengthening relationships with federal, state, and local elected officials to support Macaulay’s mission and expand opportunities for its students and community. We are deeply grateful for the support received from the New York City Council, from Councilmember Gale Brewer, and from Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. Thanks to investments from these offices, Macaulay was able to expand the impact of the City Nature Challenge and add to the knowledge of biodiversity in New York City. We will soon upgrade  technology in our classrooms and meeting spaces to better support hybrid collaboration and learning, critical for a college whose students are spread throughout all five boroughs of the city. We are also grateful for investment from the CUNY Transformation Fund that is enabling us to to upgrade the college’s website and enhance its accessibility, and to implement software to better manage and track community service performed by our students..

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