College Profiles - College of Staten Island

Overview
College of Staten Island (CSI) is part of The City University of New York, the largest urban university in the country. The College, like the University, is committed to both access and excellence. CSI’s superb campus serves the pivotal endeavors of teaching and research that promote discovery and dissemination of knowledge while developing human minds and spirits. CSI was founded in 1976 by the union of two existing colleges within The City University of New York: Staten Island Community College and Richmond College. Staten Island Community College, the first community college in the University system, opened in 1955. Richmond College, the University’s first upper-division college, was founded in 1965. CSI’s current undergraduate enrollment is slightly more than 12,000 men and women.

A general education is assured through requirements that allow students to explore a range of knowledge and acquire educational breadth in the arts and humanities, mathematics, science, and social sciences. Requirements for the associate degree provide a curriculum based on study in a specific area that is often directed toward a career. Requirements for the bachelor’s degree provide a disciplined and cumulative program of study in a major field of inquiry.

CSI awards the Master of Arts degree in cinema and media studies, English, environmental science, history, and liberal studies; the Master of Science degree in biology, business management, computer science, neuroscience, mental retardation and developmental disabilities, and nursing; the Master of Science in Education degree in childhood (elementary) education, adolescence (secondary education), and special education; and post-master’s advanced certificates in leadership in education (supervision and administration) and nursing. CSI participates with the CUNY Graduate School and University Center and Brooklyn College in a doctoral program in polymer chemistry and with the Graduate School and University Center in doctoral programs in computer science, physical therapy, and physics. With the Center for Developmental Neurosciences and Developmental Disabilities, the College participates in CUNY doctoral subprograms in neuroscience (biology) and learning processes (psychology).

Location and Community
The College occupies a 204-acre campus located near the center of Staten Island. The campus is the largest site for a college (public or private) within New York City. Set in a parklike landscape, the grounds and facilities create a rural oasis in an urban setting. In this attractive learning environment, classrooms and academic offices are located in ten buildings that form two quadrangles connected by the campus walk, which extends between the library building and the campus center. Five newly built and equipped buildings—the library building, the campus center, the biological sciences/chemical sciences building, the center for the arts, and the sports and recreation center—provide outstanding facilities for College and community activities.

The College’s location offers students the best of two worlds. While Staten Island provides a suburban environment with some of the most interesting landscape in the metropolitan area, Manhattan, the center of cultural and social life of the city, is only 25 minutes from the island by ferry. The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge provides direct access to the island from Brooklyn.

Academic Life
A four-year senior college, CSI offers two-year programs in career areas and in liberal arts and sciences and four-year programs with majors in the traditional fields of study. General education requirements have been established for all degrees. The associate degree programs require 60—64 credits, depending on the field; the bachelor’s degree programs require 120 credits, with a few exceptions. Credit may be awarded for experiential learning, internships, and independent study, and credit may be earned by examination. Minors may be taken in several fields, and double majors are permitted. Students may graduate with honors in their field of study in most bachelor’s degree majors.

The College follows a semester calendar, with classes scheduled both day and evening; summer and winter sessions are also held. The Weekend College, which was established to provide an opportunity for students with weekday commitments to pursue a college education, offers a variety of course combinations leading to associate and bachelor’s degrees.

The College gives a number of courses for credit at off-campus locations throughout the city. These include employee-development programs for major corporations and other programs, supported by grants and by participating employers and unions, that provide courses for city and state employees at agency or institutional locations.

The College has a full-time faculty of 300, of whom approximately 80 percent hold a doctoral degree or the equivalent. The faculty members have made significant contributions in many areas of scholarship, creativity, and public service. Numerous faculty members have received prestigious grants and awards, and more than 30 serve as members of the City University doctoral faculty.

Majors Offered:
The Associate in Arts degree is offered in liberal arts and sciences. The Associate in Science degree is offered in engineering science, and liberal arts and sciences. The Associate in Applied Science degree is offered in business, civil engineering technology, computer technology, electrical engineering technology, medical laboratory technology, and nursing.

The Bachelor of Arts degree is conferred in African-American studies; American studies; art; art with a photography concentration; cinema studies; economics; English; English with a dramatic literature concentration; history; international studies; music; philosophy; political science; psychology; science, letters, and society; sociology/anthropology; social work; Spanish; and women’s studies.

The Bachelor of Science degree is offered in accounting; art; art with a photography concentration; biochemistry; bioinformatics; biology; business; business with a finance concentration, an international business concentration, a management concentration, or a marketing concentration; chemistry; communications; computer science; computer science/mathematics; dramatic arts; economics; economics with a business specialization or a finance specialization; engineering science; information systems; international studies; mathematics; medical technology; music; music with an electronics concentration; nursing (upper-division program); physician assistant studies; and physics.

The teacher education program prepares students for teaching at the early childhood, elementary, and secondary levels. The academic work and field experience meet the requirements for the certification and licensing examinations given by the state and city of New York.

Facilities and Resources
The academic buildings are designed to house approximately 200 modern laboratories and classrooms. Each also houses a study lounge for students, department and program offices, and offices for faculty members. Academic and research programs are served by a computer network that allows students and faculty members full access to specialized software, the Internet, online library resources, and e-mail. All major computer languages and software packages are supported. The College is a wireless campus, and its network is available to all students.

The Center for the Arts complex provides facilities for teaching in the instructional wing and areas of public assembly in the public wing. The complex of public facilities includes a 900-seat auditorium, a 450-seat fully equipped theater, a recital hall, an experimental theater, an art gallery, and a conference center. Classrooms, lecture halls, studios, and offices for faculty members are located in the instructional wing fronting the campus walk.

The CSI Library is staffed with 14 full-time faculty librarians and 7 adjunct librarians who also hold faculty status and rank. The library also has 40 support staff members. The library’s total collection consists of approximately 219,000 books; 900 print journal subscriptions; 77 electronic databases with more than 15,000 full-text journals; 5,000 videos and films; and more than 4,000 sound recordings. The library’s online catalog, CUNY+Plus, provides complete access to the collections, including access to holdings of other CUNY libraries. In addition, the library maintains a collection of current textbooks donated by the CSI Student Government. These and other course materials are available at the Reserve Desk. Wireless laptops are loaned to students for use throughout the library. The library building also houses Instructional Support Services and the Cybercafé.

The laboratory science building provides facilities for teaching and for two research centers: the Center for Environmental Science and the Center for Developmental Neuroscience and Developmental Disabilities. It consists of a research wing and an instructional wing. State-of-the-art laboratories serve students and faculty members in their teaching and research.

The 77,000-gross-square-foot Sports and Recreation Center is a multipurpose facility providing basketball, handball/paddleball, racquetball, and volleyball courts; locker rooms; instructional areas; an indoor 25-meter swimming pool; and offices for faculty members. Recreational fields occupy the meadows in the northwest quadrant of the campus, providing a green and landscaped open area at the main approach to the campus that includes a running track, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, a soccer field, handball/paddleball courts, softball fields, and a semiprofessional baseball field (original home field to Staten Island’s minor-league baseball team).

Campus Life
The Campus Center incorporates facilities for a complete program of student activities. It contains the main dining facilities, the College health services, a bookstore, offices for student organizations, study lounges, a small performance/cafe space, game rooms, and the studios of WSIA, the student-operated FM radio station. The two-story rotunda space at the heart of the structure contains the dining areas and information services.

Sports / Varsity Athletics
The mission of the Sports & Recreation Center, including intercollegiate athletics, is consistent with that of the Division of Student Affairs and the College of Staten Island. We are committed to providing quality athletic, intramural and recreational services and programs to the college community which enhances the lives and development of the widely diverse population of the City of New York.

We offer recreational and athletic opportunities to complement the academic pursuits of CSI’s students. We support student-athletes’ academic achievements and persistence to graduation through academic advising and counseling. This is consistent with our range of support services that are accessible to our students.

Expenses
Costs for first-time freshmen or non-CUNY transfer students are $190 per credit (part-time matriculated) or $2600 per semester (full-time matriculated) for New York State (NYS) residents and $390 per credit for out-of-state students.

Financial Aid / Scholarships
Financial aid is available through state and federal programs and includes the New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) awards, Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG), Search for Elevation and Education through Knowledge (SEEK) awards, scholarships, Federal Work-Study Program awards, and student loan programs. Information about programs, application procedures, and deadlines is available from the Financial Aid Office.

CSI Presidential Scholarships are awarded annually to full-time students on the basis of academic proficiency and service. In addition, endowments have been established for scholarships in a number of fields. Further information about scholarships is available from the Career and Scholarship Center.

Admission Requirements / Application
A freshman applicant for admission to a bachelor’s degree program must pass the three CUNY Freshman Skills Assessment Tests unless he or she qualifies for exemption based on a satisfactory performance on the SAT or ACT standardized tests or Regents Examinations. Admission to a bachelor’s degree program is determined by an applicant’s score on the College’s admissions index. The index is based on the applicant’s high school courses and academic average and the combined critical reading and math SAT scores. An applicant whose score reaches or exceeds the College’s minimum index number is admitted to a bachelor’s degree program. A faculty admissions committee may consider the admission of applicants whose scores approach the College’s minimum index number. Transfer students to baccalaureate programs who have fewer than 25 credits must have a GPA of at least 2.0 and must meet freshman entrance criteria. Students must have passed the CUNY Freshman Skills Assessment Tests in mathematics, writing, and reading prior to enrolling in a bachelor’s degree program or if they are transferring from another college in The City University.

Entering first-year students may be admitted to two-year programs if they have graduated from an accredited high school or have earned an equivalency diploma (GED) with a satisfactory score.

As a general rule, the College requires a grade point average equivalent to at least a C for transfer as a matriculated student into a two-year degree program.

Requests for further information and application materials should be directed to:

College of Staten Island
The City University of New York
Office of Recruitment and Admissions
North Administration Building (2A-103)
2800 Victory Boulevard
Staten Island, New York 10314
718-982-2010
admissions@mail.csi.cuny.edu
http://www.csi.cuny.edu