MAKING OF A PRESIDENT
local communities ; to create “ a college-going culture ” in the Bronx , which was lagging behind the city in both economic and educational performances .
Sharing a light moment with Lehman College President Emeritus Leonard Lief in the early 1990s .
time , they would prove to be prescient .
During those same years , CUNY came under fire from New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani . Former Yale President Benno Schmidt was asked to chair a task force that reviewed the entire Universitywide system . The result was a 1999 reported titled “ CUNY : An Institution Adrift .” The Schmidt report , as it became known , urged senior colleges to eliminate all remedial courses , making them the focus of the system ’ s community colleges — a significant policy shift . Since Lehman College , under President Fernández ’ s leadership , had instituted those changes years before , he was asked to testify before the New York State Board of Regents . “ I was convinced that the community colleges were better at providing remedial education to students than the faculty of a senior college ,” he said . Critics complained that Black and Latino student enrollment figures would plummet ; they didn ’ t . In fact , over time they grew , particularly at the community colleges .
The Evolution of Higher Education — and Lehman College
In 1999 , with a new Chancellor , former Baruch College President Matthew Goldstein , at the helm , the University sought to get its house in order . From the beginning of his time at Lehman , President Fernández wanted to leverage the College ’ s academic standing and its connection to the local community and marshal the College ’ s intellectual resources to improve the lives of the
Even during the difficult years of his first decade , Lehman College had committed itself to a beautification process to improve its campus facilities . In 1994 , The APEX , designed by Uruguayanborn architect Rafael Viñoly , opened with an Olympic-sized swimming pool , outdoor tennis courts , an indoor track , plus basketball , racquetball , and handball courts . President Fernández also updated the College ’ s technological capacities — computers were a rare site on campus when he arrived in 1990 . In 1999 , the College ’ s $ 13.5 million Information Technology Center opened in the center floor of Carman Hall , the College ’ s main classroom building . In his address at his formal installation as president in October 1991 , President Fernández had noted that the central challenge facing both Lehman College and the City University of New York was “ to educate the next generation of America ’ s urban students , and to do it as if our city ’ s and our nation ’ s welfare depends on it , because it really does .” Under President Fernández ’ s leadership Lehman College has fostered relationships with an array of Bronx public schools in an effort to create a fairer , more equitable public school system in the borough . The goal was to establish collaborative efforts with the NYC Department of Education to turn out better-prepared students from the borough ’ s K-12 system .
With the dawn of a new century , Lehman College made national headlines when two of its finest , and longest serving faculty members , won accolades that made them household names in their respective fields . Composer John Corigliano , a Distinguished Professor of Music , won an Academy Award for Best Original Score ( The Red
Distinguished Professor of English Billy Collins , with Myrna M . Rivera , the chair of the Lehman College Foundation ’ s board of directors , and President Fernández , at the College ’ s 2014 gala .
President Fernández with Robert F . Kennedy , Jr . at Lehman College in 2005 .
In 2008 , then CUNY Chancellor , Matthew Goldstein , ( center ) and other CUNY leaders participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for the future Science Hall .
14 Lehman Today