Welcome to Baruch College

With our origins in the Free Academy, Baruch College has a long and storied history of advocating and pioneering for change in public higher education.

The vision for Baruch is audacious and sets it apart from the norms in higher education. It demands academic standards and rigor comparable to any top U.S. institution while providing affordable access to students who are largely underrepresented in the system of higher learning. This distinction echoes a central theme in my thinking for Baruch’s future: in epitomizing both academic excellence and social mobility, Baruch is poised to lead in the shifting landscape of higher education.

The impact of Baruch is profound, both as a private good-one that advances our students’ personal and career success-and a public good, creating much needed social change, innovation, and economic prosperity for our city, and our world. Drawing on this legacy, we must use the lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic to put Baruch on a path to transformation that allows us to deliver our mission with more fluidity and ever-better quality. At the same time, we must help hard hit communities in New York City to recover from Covid.

The road to a new normal will be bumpy and it will require the ideas and feedback from a broad array of contributors. Please feel free to contact me at President@baruch.cuny.edu with your thoughts.

S. David Wu, PhD
President, Baruch College