Cathy N. Davidson on Why CUNY Students Give Her Hope for the Future

In this episode of The Thought Project, CUNY Graduate Center Distinguished Professor Cathy N. Davidson reflects on her 11 transformative years at the City University of New York. Calling CUNY “an educational miracle,” Davidson explains why she believes it’s the greatest university in the world: low-cost, high-impact, and driven by an extraordinary mission to serve “the whole people.” She shares how working with CUNY students — many of them first-generation and from underserved communities — reshaped her thinking and reaffirmed her belief in education as a public good. She offers an inspiring message in a time of crisis for higher education, arguing that CUNY’s graduates are exactly the kind of bold, compassionate thinkers we need to lead the next generation. As she prepares to retire from institutional life and return to writing, Davidson looks back with deep affection for the people who make CUNY what it is — and forward with hope, because of them.