CUNY Dominican Studies Institute

1. CUNY Dominican Studies Institute

2. Beginning of the Institution • Institute began as a pilot project in 1992-1993 • Supported by the Council of Dominican Educators, Community Activists and CUNY Academics • Received a grant for its founding from the Chancellor of CUNY, Dr. Ann Reynolds for $78,372 • In the following year, the grant was renewed at the value of $100,000 • By February 22, 1994 the CUNY DSI was recognized by the CUNY Board of Trustees and appointed Dr. Silvio Torres-Saillant as its first director

3. The Founders of CUNY DSI  Ramona Hernández, Ph.D. Franklin Gutierrez, Ph.D. Silvio Torres-Saillant, Ph.D.   Anthony Stevens-Acevedo, M.A.  Ana García Reyes, M.A.   Fausto de la Rosa, M.A. DSA 2010 Conference

4. Early Years of CUNY DSI and the Dominican Library • In April 1994, CUNY DSI opened the Dominican Library headed by current and founding Chief Librarian Sarah Aponte • It has a library of: 5,000 books, 850 doctoral and master’s degree dissertations by U.S. scholars, 5,000 newspaper articles, 8,000 articles from academic journals, 150 audio visual resources and a growing collection of prints by Dominican artists of New York • The Institute opened the Dominican Archives in 2002 as a collection site to document and record stories contributions of Dominicans in the US

5. CUNY DSI as a Steward of Archives • The Institute opened the Dominican Archives in 2002 as a collection site to document and record stories contributions of Dominicans in the US • Received funding from the NYCC of $1.407 million dollars to create a new location for archives and library collections • In 2007, the DSI was awarded the Debra E. Berhardt Annual Archives Award for Excellence in Documenting New York History

6. CUNY DSI Stewards of Cultural Research • Opened the CUNY DSI Gallery in 2010 • Collects art from Dominicans of the United States which contribute to the understanding of Dominican culture • Hold public events. They’ve held a Gala Concert for “Una NocheImpresionista”, Celebrating Dominican Traditions • https://www.flickr.com/photos/cunydsi/sets/

7. CUNY Dominican Studies’ commitment to Research • Current research includes: “International Media Coverage of the Dominican Republic”, ”Update to Socioeconomic Profile of Dominicans, 2007”, “An Introduction to Dominican History for Young Readers” • Sarah Aponte collected and annotated resources about the “Dominican Migration to the United States, 1970-1997: An Annotated Bibliography” because she claims there is a need to organize the dispersed information that deals with the Dominican diaspora and settlement in the US • The CUNY DSI holds a Biennial Conference to explore new knowledge about Dominicans, offer comparative perspectives with other groups, highlight women’s work in the making of the Dominican community, study the Dominican literary production in Spanish in the U.S., the interception of institutional and community politics, and the impact of the second and third generations in U.S. society. • Themes: Dominican People: A Journey of Challenge and Growth (2016), Making a Difference… (2014), Moving Dominican Studies Forward… (2012)

8. CUNY DSI Connection to CUNY • According to research provided by Ramona Hernández (Current Director of CUNY DSI) and Anthony Acevedo, there were 34,703 students of Dominican ancestry enrolled in higher education institutions • Of this total, 76% attended public colleges and the other 24% attended private. Of those attending public colleges, the majority of students attend the City University of New York and therefore public institutions like this can make a significant impact on the lives of young Dominican • In the fall of 2002, CUNY registered 197,074 students with 46,328 being of Hispanic ancestry. Of this 46,328, Dominicans accounted for 21,280.

9. Investigation of Education amongst Dominicans • In New York City, 90% of Dominican-American students sampled were enrolled in an undergraduate program. The other 10% was fortunate enough to be enrolled in a graduate program which would give them the education to access the highest paid jobs in the labor market • They concluded the barriers to graduate school included: low level education attainment and low household income • RECOMMENDATIONS BY CUNY DSI: • Recommend private institutions open their scope of potential applicants to include Dominican students for scholarships • CUNY better inform students about scholarships and grants CUNY offers for graduate school during sophomore-senior years

10. Barriers to Graduate school: Education • In their research, they found a high school located in Washington Heights whose students were at a heightened risk to dropping out due to overcrowding, inadequate/mediocre curriculum, high teacher absenteeism and inadequate funding

11. Barriers to Graduate school: Income • Most Hispanic students feel obligated to enter the labor market immediately and either postpone or not attend graduate school at all

12. Recommendations by CUNY DSI about Education/Income Levels • CUNY DSI Contribution: CUNY DSI Dominican Blue Book • Recommendation about education: • NYCDEP develop, fund and implement plans to aid high school Dominican students • CUNY target high schools with large pop. of Dominican-Americans with pre-college programs • Community orgs. need funding to offer information to Dominican families about financial aid, scholarships, and the college application process • Recommendation about income: • Increase stipend provided for undergrad students in CUNY in work-study programs • Create financial aid award for students who conduct research in Dominican/Latino studies or Dominican/Latino communities

13. What does this Research into Education of Dominicans in NYC Indicate? • It demonstrates the purpose of the CUNY DSI • It shows what efforts like these will mean for the Dominican-American community in NYC • It demonstrates the significance of collecting and historicizing the stories of a cultural group/origin

14. Works Cited Admin, Website. “History | The City College of New York.” Website Admin, The City College of New York, 30 July 2015, www.ccny.cuny.edu/dsi/history. Admin, Website. “Current Research | The City College of New York.” Website Admin, The City College of New York, 30 July 2015, www.ccny.cuny.edu/dsi/current-research. Admin, Website. “GALLERY | The City College of New York.” Website Admin, The City College of New York, 30 July 2015, www.ccny.cuny.edu/dsi/gallery. Admin, Website. “Archives History | The City College of New York.” Website Admin, The City College of New York, 26 Apr. 2016, www.ccny.cuny.edu/dsi/archives-history. Admin, Website. “Library History | The City College of New York.” Website Admin, The City College of New York, 18 Jan. 2017, www.ccny.cuny.edu/dsi/library-history Admin, Website. “Events | The City College of New York.” Website Admin, The City College of New York, 21 Aug. 2017, www.ccny.cuny.edu/dsi/news-events. Aponte, Sarah, "Dominican Migration to the United States, 1970- 1997: An Annotated Bibliography" (1999). CUNY Academic Works. Hernández, Ramona, and Anthony Stevens-Acevedo. Against All Odds: Dominican Students in Higher Education in New York. CUNY Academic Works, 2004. López, Nancy. 1998. “The Structural Origins of Dominican High School Drop-out.” Latino Studies Journal (Long Island University)