College of Staten Island: Celebrating 50 Years of Membership

By Danielle Wiseman, The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce

The College of Staten Island (CSI) is New York City's largest college campus with a total of 204 acres and Staten Island's only public institution of higher education. The campus is centrally located on Staten Island, making it easily accessible for borough residents and commuters alike. Due to its size, the College is an incredible economic driver for Staten Island. With that distinction comes a great responsibility to serve the entire Staten Island community through education, civic engagement, and a commitment to the future leaders of Staten Island.

CSI offers dynamic academic programming and employs more than 2,000 faculty members annually. Its population of 11,000 students is incredibly diverse in gender, race, and ethnicity. The College is currently home to the Lucille and Jay Chazanoff School of Business, the School of Education, the School of Health Sciences, the Verrazano School Honors Program, the Teacher Education Honors Academy, and the Macaulay Honors College University Scholars program, as well as the Division of Humanities & Social Sciences and the Division of Science & Technology. CSI St. George and the CSI Tech Incubator are extensions of the main campus, both located on the north shore of Staten Island.

To better serve the community - and with assistance of its governmental partners - CSI continues to grow and improve its facilities. Recent projects include a long-term renovation of Building 2M with the goal of housing the Lucille and Jay Chazanoff School of Business in its entirety; an upgrade and expansion of the College's STEM labs, thanks to a $2.9 million grant from Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis; the purchase of new equipment and technology to expand the Wind Energy Workforce Education and Training program, made possible by $1.7 million in funding from Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand; the renovation of CSI's track and field complex and athletic fields; and the upgrade of lighting and audiovisual systems in all of the theaters in the CSI Center for the Arts with $3 million in funding from Borough President Vito Fossella, and Councilmembers Joseph Borelli, David Carr, and Kamillah Hanks.

Much of the institution's recent success is due to its newest President, Timothy Lynch, who has been with CSI since 2022, when he began as Interim President. As a two-time City University of New York (CUNY) graduate and first-generation college student, Lynch understands the value of public education and is a fierce advocate of CSI.

"Eighty percent of our alumni will stay in the immediate five boroughs, which means that an investment in CSI is an investment in New York City," emphasizes Lynch. "CSI is a great engine of economic and social mobility not only for our students but also for the entire city. Staten Island is incredibly unique, and we have an obligation and an opportunity to serve the community far beyond academics. We used to be the best kept secret in higher education, but now we want everyone to know all of the great things we're doing."

CSI's campus is all-encompassing, including a full sports and recreation center, softball and baseball fields, a soccer park, a track and field complex, a tennis bubble, an astrophysical observatory, a complete Center for the Arts, a student-run art gallery, residence halls, and Staten Island's Small Business Development Center (SBDC).

The school is also an anchor of the community, constantly partnering with local organizations to bring opportunities to the next generation of Staten Islanders. "We have fantastic partnerships with many of the organizations on Staten Island because we're truly committed to the Borough," says Lynch. "We like to say that we're not a community college, but we're the college for the community. We provide so many services, from the Nutcracker Ballet to summer camps to high school graduations, and we want to be a hub for Staten Islanders."

The College of Staten Island was formed in 1976, when Staten Island Community College, a division of The State University of New York (SUNY) system, and Richmond College, a division of the CUNY system, decided to merge in a cost-cutting measure. With the merge, CSI became part of the CUNY consortium and began to offer bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees, in addition to associate's degrees.

The College originally operated as a split campus, utilizing Staten Island Community College's campus in Sunnyside, the current Michael J. Petrides School, and Richmond College's space in St. George. However in 1993, the College of Staten Island found its permanent home on the grounds of the former Willowbrook State School, the largest state-supported institution for children with intellectual disabilities until its closure in 1987. After its closure, the site fell into disrepair. Upon acquiring the property, CSI undertook the responsibility of restoring the space, repurposing some existing buildings and creating entirely new ones. In 2022, CSI opened the Willowbrook Mile, an approximately 2-mile path that exhibits the site's history.

"Willowbrook State School plays an important role in the history of individuals with cognitive, developmental, and intellectual disabilities," says President Lynch. "We embrace the legacy of 'place,' and we're working with members of that community to foreground the disability rights movement that in many ways started here at Willowbrook."

This year is the College of Staten Island's 50th anniversary with the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce. CSI joined the Chamber in 1974 as a means of becoming more involved in the community, and the relationship has only strengthened over time. Since joining in the 1970s, CSI has become a crucial partner to the Chamber, collaborating on events, workforce development initiatives, and various community projects throughout the years. The Chamber also frequently works with CSI's SBDC to help small businesses get off the ground.

"Over the last five decades, the Chamber has been an invaluable asset to the College of Staten Island," says Lynch. "Chamber President Linda Baran has been a great thought partner as we explore new economic development opportunities, and we know that we can always count on the Chamber to provide insight and support."

Congratulations to CSI on 50 years of Chamber membership, and we look forward to a continued partnership in the future!

This story is part of our 2024 Annual Meeting's Long-Term Member Celebrations. To read more or register for the event, click here.