My April Blog: “College-Ready Students or Student-Ready Colleges?”

Dear Baruch Community,

As spring arrives and the weather warms, I can feel every bit of change in the City’s pulse during my early morning runs—by the number of people out and about and even the expressions on their faces. As we enter the final stretch of the academic year and prepare for May Commencement, we also turn our thoughts to those who will soon join the class of 2026 and how we can serve them and the generations of students who will follow.

From the Battle of Lexington to Student Government to Global Engagement

Earlier this month, I cheered for our men’s volleyball team who played in the CUNY Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) tournament championship. It was my first experience with “The Battle of Lexington”—as matches against Hunter College are known. With the return of spectators, the “battle” is as much among the cheering students in the bleachers as it is among the players on the court. It was a thrilling three hours on a Friday evening, with lots of shouting, cheering, and sweating.

The Bearcats won convincingly against the Hunter Hawks in just four sets. In fact, the number of victories by our student-athletes (following the women’s tennis victory and the men’s team championships for soccer, swimming, and basketball) make the Bearcats the leading contender for the cumulative conference recognition known as the Commissioner’s Cup, far ahead of number-two Hunter.

I have appreciated the connection between the body and mind since my earlier years in college and in the navy. I often feel a special affinity for our scholar-athletes who manage to be disciplined and competitive both on and off the court. To me, it’s no accident that Baruch has the most celebrated reputation for academic excellence while consistently ranking as one of the most successful athletic programs in CUNYAC.

In my earlier blog “Unlocking the Human Potential,” I talked about my keen interest in the inner workings of the human brain and have followed the wonderful advancements in modern neuroscience research. Researchers who study brain development from children to young adults discovered that brain connections continue to take shape into the late twenties, which offers us tremendous new insights as college educators. Neural science research provides ample evidence that a healthy lifestyle has a positive impact on the development of young adult brains and hence could directly impact mental health and personal well-being later in life.

Nurturing, cultivating, and awakening each student’s potential and capability are what Baruch College and higher education are all about. Please read this month’s blog, “College-Ready Students or Student-Ready Colleges?,” where I share my thoughts on how we can make Baruch a leading “student-ready college” and exemplar for the future of higher education in the United States.

Please join the conversation—comment, subscribe, and sign up for blog notifications. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

S. David Wu
President, Baruch College