Leadership and Service Event Credits Students’ Dedication to CUNY SPS

On May 13, the CUNY School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS) hosted its second annual Student Leadership and Service Recognition Ceremony to acknowledge the outstanding service CUNY SPS students demonstrated over the past year.

The in-person event, which honored more than 50 students who contributed to new and existing CUNY SPS clubs, organizations, or committees during the 2021-2022 academic year, was held at the Theater at CUNY’s New York City College of Technology (City Tech) in Brooklyn. 

Hosted by Anthony Sweeney, associate director of student life, the ceremony also featured remarks by Interim Dean Jorge Silva-Puras; Jennifer Grace Lee, associate dean for enrollment management and student services; and many of the CUNY SPS faculty and staff who serve as club advisors. CUNY SPS alumni Yvette Humphries and Shakima Williams-Jones, co-chairs of the inaugural Student Association, delivered the keynote address.

In his opening comments, Interim Dean Silva-Puras reflected upon the commitment of CUNY SPS students who continued to build community during the pandemic.

“All your efforts have a ripple effect that you may not even be aware of… You’ve also created a supportive structure for the other students, helping to make the entire student community at CUNY SPS stronger and more engaged. On a fundamental level, you’ve also brought people together at a time when so many of us have been profoundly isolated,” Silva-Puras said. “And at the core, that is what service does—reaffirm our faith in each other—which is something that the past couple of years has shown us all is crucial to survive and thrive.”

In their keynote address, Humphries and Williams-Jones shared some of their own experiences as student leaders.

“I was an online student, no one knew me,” Humphries explained. “So why would I have the chance of being voted in by a student body who didn't know who I was? Yet I asked myself, ‘Why not?’ I saw unique opportunities to be a part of something that would eventually be bigger than Shakima or I, or anyone else had imagined.”

Next, Williams-Jones added her insights. “Our real goal was to build an environment where we would become family, which is often harder to do online. But I think we laid the groundwork that enabled that to happen. Look around this room—Student Association is still happening!”

At the ceremony’s finale, student leaders were presented with an award and thanked by their CUNY SPS club advisors, who expressed their gratitude for the students’ contributions. A complete list of organizations and clubs whose members were honored in the ceremony include:

• Black Student Union
• Cyber Intelligence Alliance
• Delta Alpha Pi
• Disability & Access Coalition
• Film Club
• Health Information Management Club
• Health Services Administration Organization
• Human Relations and Sociology Club
• Latinx Student Union
• Management and Entrepreneur Leadership Organization (MELO)
• Museum Studies Organization
• The Psychology Organization
• Veterans Organization
• Governing Council
• Student Association

For more information on CUNY SPS student clubs and organizations, visit the Student Life page.

About the CUNY School of Professional Studies

As New York’s leader in online education since 2006, the CUNY School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS) offers the most online bachelor’s and master’s degree options at the City University of New York, and serves as the University’s only undergraduate all-transfer college. With 24 degrees and numerous other non-degree and grant-funded workplace learning programs, CUNY SPS meets the needs of adults who wish to finish a bachelor’s degree, progress from an associate’s degree, earn a master’s degree or certificate in a specialized field, and advance in the workplace or change careers. Consistently ranked highly by U.S. News & World Report for its online offerings, and noted for its soaring growth and enrollment, CUNY SPS has emerged as a nationwide leader in online education. The School’s renowned and affordable online programs—which offer in-state tuition to all students regardless of where they live—ensure that busy working adults may fulfill their educational goals on their own time and schedule.

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