In the News

CUNY SPS alum Phara Souffrant Forrest (BS Nursing '20) is one of the representatives named to Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's cohort of elected officials to serve on an advisory committee. Mamdani will be seeking the committee's insights and partnership on his affordability agenda as he prepares to take office in just three weeks. The City & State New York article highlighted the need for early coordination as elected officials will be working to shape their legislative agendas and priorities for the coming year. Assembly Member Souffrant Forrest represents District 57 in Brooklyn.

Kelley Raphael, a student in the CUNY SPS MS in Business Management and Leadership program (and BA in Human Relations alum), has been named Editor-in-Chief of the School's student-run newspaper, The Kiosk. In her new role, Raphael will lead The Kiosk's editorial direction, develop articles, and support other student contributors. Read more about Raphael in her first Letter from the Editor (linked above). This position is Raphael's second major leadership role at CUNY SPS, alongside her current position as president of the student club MELO (Management and Entrepreneurship Leadership Organization).

The Carol and Milton Petrie Foundation has awarded funding for food insecurity programs to the CUNY School of Professional Studies and several other CUNY campuses. As detailed in The Edu Ledger article, the Petrie Foundation has awarded more than $1 million to the University to combat food insecurity.

Dr. Arthur O'Connor, academic director of the Data Science, Generative AI, and Information Science degree programs at CUNY SPS, will be on a panel titled "AI, Everything, Everywhere, All At Once: Getting Beyond The Hype – How Financial Institutions Can Use AI To Make Money Or Save Money" in February. The panel was selected as a featured 'Top Agenda Pick' from the FinovateEurope event series in this Finovate blog piece.

CUNY SPS Youth Studies Professor Lumumba Akinwole-Bandele was appointed to Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's Transition Committee on Community Organizing, as mentioned in this CUNY News article.