About

The Moynihan Center at The City College of New York (CCNY) advances the twin goals of public scholarship and public service. Taking inspiration from Senator Moynihan’s celebrated career, the Center cultivates leaders who cross the boundaries between critical thinking, public service practice, and popular communication. Through two signature fellowship programs and a rich slate of public events, the Center works to ensure that the next generation of public scholars and public servants reflects the diversity of viewpoints and lived experiences represented at City College and beyond.

With 4,000 students, the Colin Powell School is the largest student division of CCNY. It has a very special mission within the CUNY system and one that is distinctive nationally: a commitment to transforming one of the nation’s most diverse student populations into tomorrow’s global leaders. The Colin Powell School combines the social sciences with a commitment to leadership development and civic engagement, all in service to a student body that is 85 percent people of color, half immigrants, nearly two-thirds first in their families to go to college, and mostly from low-income neighborhoods. 

Our students come from communities that have historically been denied power. They arrive with both a determination to change that and valuable perspectives on the challenges and needs of their communities. As a school, we aspire to prepare them to take power—and along the way, challenge systems of power —in order to become leaders in service to the city and society.