View source for College of Staten Island

{{Short description|Public college in Staten Island, New York}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2013}}
{{Infobox university
 | name                   = The City University of New York<br />College of Staten Island
 | image                  = College of Staten Island seal.svg
 | image_size             = 150
 | caption                = 
 | motto                  = Opportunity and Challenge
 | established            = {{start date and age|1956}}
 | type                   = [[Public university]]
 | parent                 = [[City University of New York]]
 | president              = Timothy G. Lynch
 | provost                = Nathalia Glickman Holtzman (interim)
 | academic_staff         = 1,239 (fall 2015)<ref name="auto">CSI ''Institutional Profile'', Fall 2015</ref>
 | administrative_staff   = 1,138 (fall 2015)<ref name="auto"/>
 | students               = 10,238 (fall 2022)<ref name="usnews">{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/college-of-staten-island-29040|title=CUNY--College of Staten Island|publisher=U.S. News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605092109/https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/college-of-staten-island-29040|archive-date=5 June 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
 | undergrad              = 9,290 (fall 2022) <ref name="usnews"/>
 | postgrad               = 948 (fall 2022) <ref name="usnews"/>
 | city                   = [[Staten Island]]
 | state                  = New York
 | country                = U.S.
 | coordinates            = {{Plain list|
* {{Coord|40|36|00|N|74|09|00|W|type:edu_region:US-NY|display=title,inline}} (CSI Willowbrook)
* {{Coord|40.643|-74.077|format=dms|type:edu_region:US-NY|display=inline}} (CSI St. George)
}}
 | campus                 = CSI Willowbrook<br />CSI St. George
 | sporting_affiliations  = [[NCAA Division II]] – [[East Coast Conference|ECC]]
 | sports_nickname        = Dolphins
 | mascot                 = Danny the Dolphin
 | website                = {{url|https://www.csi.cuny.edu/|csi.cuny.edu}}
 | logo                   = Staten island college logo.svg
 | logo_size              = 250
 | colors                 = Dolphin Blue & Gray
 | academic_affiliations  = [[Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities|CUMU]]
}}

The '''College of Staten Island''' ('''CSI''') is a [[public university]] in [[Staten Island]], New York, United States. It is one of the 11 four-year senior colleges within the [[City University of New York]] system (CUNY), and one of the 2 four-year senior colleges within the [[CUNY]] system with a program in engineering.

Programs in the [[liberal arts]], sciences, [[engineering]] and professional studies lead to PhD degrees, [[master's degrees]], [[bachelor's degree|bachelor's]] and [[associate degree]]s. The bachelor's program includes selective membership in CUNY's [[Macaulay Honors College]]. The [[master's degree]] is awarded in 21 professional and liberal arts, sciences and engineering fields of study. A clinical doctorate is awarded by the departments of nursing and physical therapy. The college participates in doctoral programs of the [[CUNY Graduate Center]] in biology, chemistry, computer science, and physics, and at [[City College]] in engineering.<ref>{{cite web |title=About CSI |url=https://www.csi.cuny.edu/about-csi |website=csi.cuny.edu |access-date=July 30, 2025}}</ref>

==History==
The College of Staten Island is the product of a merger in 1976 of Staten Island Community College (SICC), founded in 1956, and Richmond College, founded in 1965. Richmond College had been threatened with closure because of New York City's financial crisis, while SICC, because of its status as a [[community college]], received state support. The merger was particularly logical since the community college offered two-year degrees, while Richmond College was an "upper divisional" college (the third in the nation) that offered degrees to those in their third and fourth years of schooling.

The College of Staten Island has been located on the grounds of the former [[Willowbrook State School]] since 1993. It is the largest campus by physical size in New York City. Before the relocation to Willowbrook, the college had a split campus, located at the former Staten Island Community College (in [[Sunnyside, Staten Island|Sunnyside]], on [[Todt Hill]]; the campus now houses the [[Michael J. Petrides School]]) and Richmond College (in [[St. George, Staten Island|St. George]]).

===Presidents===
# Walter L. Willig, 1955–1968,<ref name="Hall">[https://www.csi.cuny.edu/about-csi/president-leadership/office-president/hall-presidents Hall of Presidents], College of Staten Island.</ref> was the inaugural president of College of Staten Island predecessor institution Staten Island Community College (SICC). His academic area of expertise was civil engineering.
# Herbert Schueler, 1966–1973,<ref name="Hall"/> was the first president of College of Staten Island predecessor institution Richmond College. His academic specialties were German literature and philosophy.
# William M. Birenbaum, 1968–1976,<ref name="Hall"/> served as president of College of Staten Island predecessor institution Staten Island Community College (SICC) until the merger of SICC and Richmond College in 1976, which resulted in the formation of the College of Staten Island. His academic focus was access to higher education for all.
# Edmond Volpe, 1976–1994,<ref name="Hall"/> an American literature scholar, retired in 1994, after having successfully handled the merger of the two colleges and the unification of the two campuses. 
# Marlene Springer, 1994–2007,<ref name="Hall"/> an English and American literature scholar, under whose leadership the college improved academic standards, introduced several master's programs, raised the level of the faculty, added research institutes, and introduced an Honors College, The Verrazano School, and the CSI High School for International Studies, retired in August 2007
# Tomás D. Morales, 2007–2012;<ref name="Hall"/> arranged for a free shuttle from the [[Staten Island Ferry]] to the Willowbrook campus; announced in May 2012 that he would be leaving to become president of [[California State University]] at San Bernardino some months after the faculty senate passed a motion of no confidence<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/04/faculty_senate_at_college_of_s.html |title=College of Staten Island faculty avoids no-confidence vote on President Dr. Tomas Morales |first=Tom |last=Wrobleski |website=SILive.com |date=April 19, 2012 |access-date=2016-03-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www1.cuny.edu/mu/forum/2012/05/21/prominent-geologist-dr-william-j-fritz-named-interim-president-of-the-college-of-staten-island/|publisher=CUNY Newswire|title=Prominent Geologist Dr. William J. Fritz Named Interim President of the College of Staten Island|date=May 21, 2012|access-date=July 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120704065516/http://www1.cuny.edu/mu/forum/2012/05/21/prominent-geologist-dr-william-j-fritz-named-interim-president-of-the-college-of-staten-island/|archive-date=July 4, 2012}}</ref> 
# [[William J. Fritz]], 2012–2021, geologist, appointed interim president on August 15, 2012, and as president on May 6, 2014<ref>{{cite web|url=http://csitoday.com/2014/05/cuny-board-appoints-william-fritz-president-of-college-of-staten-island/|publisher=CUNY Newswire|title=CUNY Board Appoints William Fritz President of College of Staten Island|date=May 5, 2014}}</ref><ref>[https://www.csi.cuny.edu/about-csi/president-leadership/office-president/biography About Dr. William J. Fritz],  College of Staten Island.</ref>
# Timothy J. Lynch, 2021-present, a higher education administrator, historian, and former Chief Academic Officer of [[Queensborough Community College]], appointed interim president in January 2022, and as president on July 1, 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-06 |title=Dr. Timothy G. Lynch Named President of the College of Staten Island |website=CSI Today |url=https://csitoday.com/2023/06/dr-timothy-g-lynch-named-president-at-the-college-of-staten-island/ |access-date=2024-12-06 |language=en}}</ref>

==Academics==
{| class="wikitable floatright sortable collapsible"; text-align:right; font-size:80%;"
|+ style="font-size:90%" |Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2023<ref>{{cite web |title= College Scorecard: College of Staten Island CUNY|url=https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?190558-College-of-Staten-Island-CUNY|website=College Scorecard |publisher=[[United States Department of Education]] |access-date=August 17, 2025}}</ref>
|-
! Race and ethnicity
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Total
|-
| [[Non-Hispanic whites|White]]
|align=right| {{bartable|40|%|2||background:cyan}}
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic]]
|align=right| {{bartable|27|%|2||background:green}}
|-
| [[African Americans|Black]]
|align=right| {{bartable|14|%|2||background:purple}}
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]]
|align=right| {{bartable|13|%|2||background:orange}}
|-
| [[Multiracial Americans|Two or more races]]
|align=right| {{bartable|3|%|2||background:violet}}
|-
| [[International student]]
|align=right| {{bartable|2|%|2||background:#008080}}
|-
! colspan="4" data-sort-type=number |[[Economic diversity]]
|-
| [[American lower class|Low-income]]{{efn|The percentage of students who received an income-based federal [[Pell grant]] intended for low-income students.}}
|align=right| {{bartable|51|%|2||background:red}}
|-
| [[Affluence in the United States|Affluent]]{{efn|The percentage of students who are a part of the [[American middle class]] at the bare minimum.}}
|align=right| {{bartable|49|%|2||background:black}}
|}
=== Research ===
[[File:College of Staten Island Campus (6560390369).jpg|thumb|The college campus]]
CSI has more than 80 science labs which includes the Center for Developmental Neuroscience and The CUNY Interdisciplinary High-Performance Computing Center (HPCC).<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/colleges/cuny-college-of-staten-island/|title=CUNY, College of Staten Island|work=Forbes|access-date=2018-04-25|language=en}}</ref> HPCC is made to advance the university's educational and research mission by providing advanced high-performance computing technology resources and corresponding technical assistance to faculty and students.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cunyhpc.csi.cuny.edu/zircon_d8/mission|title=Mission Statement {{!}} CUNY High Performance Computing Center|website=cunyhpc.csi.cuny.edu|language=en|access-date=2018-04-25|archive-date=April 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426145306/https://cunyhpc.csi.cuny.edu/zircon_d8/mission}}</ref> It is one of the most powerful supercomputers in the region.<ref name=":0" />

The CSI Library supports the research needs of its students, faculty, and staff by collecting, preserving, and providing access to scholarly resources in a variety of formats. To provide a balanced collection of select materials that support the College's instructional, curricular, and research goals, the CSI Library has a collection of 183,238 physical books, 1,429,124 ebooks, and other resources.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Farr |first=Brian |title=CSI Library: About the Library: The Collection |url=https://library.csi.cuny.edu/about/the-collection |access-date=2024-12-11 |website=library.csi.cuny.edu |language=en}}</ref>

The Archives & Special Collections at the CSI Library collects, preserves, and provides access to primary and secondary materials that document the history of both Staten Island and the College of Staten Island. The Archives focuses on key aspects of the College's history, including its predecessors, Staten Island Community College and Richmond College, along with faculty research and alumni achievements.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kaser |first=James A. |title=CSI Library: Archives & Special Collections: Collections Overview |url=https://library.csi.cuny.edu/archives/collections |access-date=2024-12-11 |website=library.csi.cuny.edu |language=en}}</ref>

===Rankings===
{{Infobox US university ranking
<!-- U.S. rankings -->| ARWU_NU = 
| Forbes = 451
| USNWR_NU = 
| Wamo_NU = 
| THE_WSJ = 601-800
<!-- Global rankings -->| ARWU_W = 
| QS_W = 
| THES_W = 
| USNWR_W = 
}}
As of the 2016 school year, ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'' has ranked The College of Staten Island between 146th and 187th in their Best Regional Universities in the North category, and tied for 118th in Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs that do not offer a doctorate, yet the college is unranked nationally.<ref name="us news">{{cite news
| title = Best Colleges Rankings: CUNY-College of Staten Island| publisher  = US News.com| url = https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/college-of-staten-island-29040/overall-rankings| access-date = 25 January 2017}}</ref> For 2018, the [[Times Higher Education World University Rankings]] has placed The College of Staten Island between 601st and 800th in their US University Rankings category,<ref name="times_higher">{{cite news
| title = College of Staten Island CUNY| publisher  = Times Higher Education World University Rankings| url = https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/college-staten-island-cuny| access-date = 25 January 2017}}</ref> while [[Forbes]] ranks the college 451st nationally, 152nd in their Public Colleges category, and 164th in the Northeast.<ref name="forbes">{{cite news
| title = America's Top Colleges - CUNY, College of Staten Island| work  = Forbes Magazine| url = https://www.forbes.com/colleges/cuny-college-of-staten-island/| access-date = 25 January 2017}}</ref> Furthermore, Forbes ranks the college 111th in their America's Best Value Colleges. The college is also very research oriented and the High Impact Universities Research Performance Index (RPI) grades CSI with a B for its research performance.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.urapcenter.org/2017/university.php?q=College+of+Staten+Island+(CUNY)|title=URAP - University Ranking by Academic Performance|website=urapcenter.org|access-date=2018-03-30}}</ref> Furthermore, the college is ranked 37th nationally in the 2017 SMI Ranking which measures the upward economic mobility.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.socialmobilityindex.org/|title=Social Mobility Index by CollegeNET|website=socialmobilityindex.org|language=en|access-date=2018-04-03}}</ref>

==Athletics==
[[file:CSI Dolphins wordmark blue-black.svg|thumb|upright|Dolphins wordmark]]
The College of Staten Island athletic teams are known as the Dolphins. The university was a provisional member of the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]] (NCAA) [[NCAA Division II|Division II]], but joined the [[East Coast Conference]] (ECC) in the 2020–21 academic year.<ref name="CSItoECC">{{cite web |title=NCAA Accepts College of Staten Island Into Division II Membership Process |url=https://www.eccsports.org/information/general-news/2019-20/0712119_csi_ncaad2 |publisher=East Coast Conference |date=Jul 12, 2019 |access-date=1 April 2020}}</ref> The university previously competed at the [[NCAA Division III|Division III]] level as a member of the [[City University of New York Athletic Conference]] (CUNYAC) from 1979–80 to 2019–20.<ref>{{cite news |title=Staten Island applies for D-II membership |url=https://www.d3sports.com/notables/2019/03/staten-island-applies-d2 |access-date=1 April 2020 |publisher=D3Sports |date=March 1, 2019}}</ref> The college began the transition to Division II during the 2019–20 season playing a mixed schedule of Division II and Division III teams, the college.<ref name="CSItoECC"/> During the following two years of provisional status the Dolphins will compete in the conference and are eligible for conference awards but will not be eligible for ECC and NCAA championships until completing the transition process for the 2022–23 academic year.<ref name="CSItoECC"/> The men's and women's swimming and diving teams have competed in the [[Northeast-10 Conference]] since the 2023–24 season, formerly competing in the [[Metropolitan Swimming Conference]] (METS) as the ECC doesn't sponsor the sport. The college competes in 16 sports. Men's sports are [[College baseball|baseball]], [[College basketball|basketball]], [[Cross country running|cross country]], [[College soccer in the United States|soccer]], [[Swimming (sport)|swimming]] and [[Diving (sport)|diving]], [[Intercollegiate Tennis Association|tennis]], and [[track and field]] (indoor and outdoor); women's sports are basketball, cross country, soccer, [[College softball|softball]], swimming and diving, tennis, and [[track and field]] (indoor and outdoor).

The 'College of Staten Island Baseball Complex' is primarily used for [[baseball]] and was the home of [[Staten Island Yankees]] before they moved to [[Richmond County Bank Ballpark]] in 2001. The ballpark had a capacity of 2,500 people and opened in 1999.<ref name="athletic_facilities">{{cite web |title=College of Staten Island Athletics |url=http://www.csidolphins.com/Sports/gen/2006/Directions-Facilities.asp?taba=4&tab=ath |access-date=2009-07-12}}</ref>  It currently hosts the Dolphins baseball team.<ref name="athletic_facilities" />

==Notable people==
===Faculty/staff===

* [[Nancy Bogen]], professor of English, producer of [[mixed media]] combining photography, poetry and music
* [[Patricia J. Brooks]], professor of psychology, director of the Language Learning Laboratory
* [[Jean Halley]], professor of sociology, focusing on issues of [[social power]]
* [[Tyehimba Jess]], professor of English, recipient of 2017 [[Pulitzer Prize for Poetry]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.silive.com/news/2017/10/csi_professor_weaves_poetry_wi.html|title=CSI professor weaves poetry with history in Pulitzer-winning work|work=SILive.com|access-date=2018-04-13|language=en-US}}</ref>
* [[Arnie Kantrowitz]], professor of English, gay rights activist and author of the memoir "Under the Rainbow" and a biography of Walt Whitman.
*[[Cate Marvin]], professor of English, writer of poetry and recipient of 2015 [[Guggenheim Fellowship]]
* [[Seth Roland]] (born 1957), soccer player and coach
* [[Sarah Schulman]], CUNY distinguished professor of the Humanities, novelist, playwright, nonfiction writer, screenwriter and AIDS historian<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://publishingtriangle.org/100best.asp|title=Publishing Triangle|website=publishingtriangle.org|access-date=2018-04-13}}</ref>
* [[Patricia Smith (poet)|Patricia Smith]], professor of English, winner of the 2018 [[NAACP]] Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work—Poetry<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nupress.northwestern.edu/content/incendiary-art |title=Incendiary Art |date=June 2, 2020 |publisher=[[Northwestern University Press]]}}</ref>
*[[Charles Tsun-Chu Liu|Charles Liu]], professor of Astrophysics, former director of the Verrazano School and of the [[William E. Macaulay Honors College]] at CSI<ref>{{cite web |title=Renowned Astrophysicist and CSI Professor Named Director of Two of CSI's Flagship Honors Programs |url=https://csitoday.com/2012/08/renowned-astrophysicist-and-csi-professor-named-director-of-two-of-csis-flagship-honors-programs/ |website=CSI Today |access-date=2020-08-10}}</ref>
*[[Richard Veit|Richard R. Veit]], professor of Biology and seabird ecologist

===Alumni===
* [[Farooque Ahmed]], imprisoned for planning to bomb Washington Metro stations{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}
* [[Joanne Bland]], civil rights activist in Alabama{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}
* [[Justin Brannan]], New York City Council since 2018, representing Brooklyn; former musician<ref>{{cite web |last1=Calder |first1=Rich |title=This punk-rocking councilman is energizing Brooklyn Dems |url=https://nypost.com/2018/11/18/this-punk-rocking-councilman-is-energizing-brooklyn-dems/ |website=New York Post |access-date=24 May 2020 |language=en |date=19 November 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=We Talked To Council Member And Former Hardcore Guitarist Justin Brannan About Hardcore And Politics |url=https://www.kerrang.com/features/we-talked-to-council-member-and-former-hardcore-guitarist-justin-brannan-about-hardcore-and-politics/ |website=Kerrang! |date=June 7, 2018 |access-date=24 May 2020}}</ref>
* [[Andrea Dalzell]], nurse and disability rights activist<ref name="Okine2024">{{Cite web |title=The inspiring story of Andrea Dalzell, the first registered nurse in a wheelchair in New York |url=https://face2faceafrica.com/article/the-inspiring-story-of-adrea-dazell-the-first-registered-nurse-in-a-wheelchair-in-new-york12 |last=Okine |first=Dollita |website=[[Face2Face Africa]] |date=August 10, 2024 |access-date=December 5, 2024 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Sara M. Gonzalez]], New York City Council 2002–2014, representing Brooklyn{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}
* [[Vinny Guadagnino]], [[reality television]] personality, best known for [[MTV]]'s ''[[Jersey Shore (TV series)|Jersey Shore]]''{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}
* [[Muriel A. Howard]], president of [[Buffalo State College]] 1996–2009{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}
* [[Raj Amit Kumar]], filmmaker and writer, best known for ''[[Unfreedom]]'' which is banned in India{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}
* [[Jeremy Luke]], film and television actor{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}
* [[Bahman Maghsoudlou]], filmmaker and film historian, CSI Alumni Hall of Fame{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}
* [[Michael Mulgrew]], fifth president of the [[United Federation of Teachers]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/cuny-college-staten-island |title=CUNY College of Staten Island |website=Times Higher Education (THE) |access-date=January 30, 2019}}</ref>
* [[Joe Rigby]], jazz saxophonist, NYC music teacher of the year 1996{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}
* [[Gene Simmons]], co-lead singer and bassist from the band [[Kiss (band)|Kiss]]<ref name="College of Staten Island CUNY">{{Cite web |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/college-staten-island-cuny |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628044216/https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/college-staten-island-cuny |title=College of Staten Island CUNY |website=Times Higher Education (THE) |archive-date=June 28, 2018 |url-status=unfit}}</ref>
* [[Kevin Sussman]], actor in ''[[The Big Bang Theory]]''.<ref name="College of Staten Island CUNY"/>

==Notes==
{{noteslist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{ccat}}
*{{oweb}}
*[https://csidolphins.com/ Athletics website]

{{CUNY}}
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{{Northeast-10 Conference navbox}}
{{Education in Staten Island}}
{{Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:College Of Staten Island}}
[[Category:College of Staten Island| ]]
[[Category:Educational institutions established in 1976|Staten Island, College of]]
[[Category:Universities and colleges in Staten Island]]
[[Category:1976 establishments in New York City]]
[[Category:Universities and colleges in New York City]]
[[Category:Public universities]]