Office of the President

The Office of the President fosters student success by providing strategic vision, leadership, and support to the College’s diverse stakeholders.

Dr. Claudia V. Schrader took the helm as interin president of York College of The City University of New York (CUNY) in January 2024. She is the College’s 8^th president and is positioned to make an indelible impact on the lives of so many who choose education as a vehicle for transformation and elevation.  

Education has served as a vehicle for Dr. Schrader. She was born and raised on St. Croix, the largest of the United States Virgin Islands. She earned her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University and her Master of Arts, Master of Education, and Doctorate of Education from Columbia University, Teachers College. Dr. Schrader also obtained a certificate from the Institute for Educational Management at the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University.  

At Kingsborough Community College (KCC), she built on a long tradition of excellence. It is the first CUNY institution to be recognized three times by the Aspen Institute as one of the Top 10 community colleges in the nation and holds a nationally recognized model for Learning Communities. The College was awarded $1,186,900 by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration to its Division of Workforce Development, Strategic Partnerships & Office of Continuing Education to create a Job Corps Scholars Program for youth. Additionally, KCC also secured a $857,000 grant from the NYS Workforce Development Initiative for the development of a Maritime Technology Apprenticeship Program making it the first Department of Labor-approved apprenticeship program for marine mechanics in the nation. Dr. Schrader also secured $1 million donation from Leonard & Louise Riggio, founders of Barnes & Noble for student scholarships. The gift stands as the largest gift in the College’s history.   

Recognizing that incoming students were missing out on the excitement of beginning their college experience on campus during the COVID 19 Pandemic, in 2020 she created the KCC Welcome Wagon. Dr. Schrader traveled around Brooklyn and throughout NYC’s other boroughs to meet incoming students at their homes and jobs to welcome them to KCC, and assure them that they would find KCC and its president accessible, available, and ready to support their success. Her efforts have been featured on Spectrum News NY1 and in the NY Daily News, InsideHigherEd.com, Forbes, Positive Community Magazine and in a number of local newspapers.

Prior to becoming president at Kingsborough, she served as provost and senior vice president at Bronx Community College, CUNY; as associate provost at William Paterson University of New Jersey; and as associate provost at Medgar Evers College, CUNY, where she also held faculty rank with tenure. Dr. Schrader also taught as an adjunct at Teachers College, Columbia University, Bank Street College, and the College of New Rochelle. Her professional service includes serving as a peer evaluator for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education; membership on the American Association of Community College’s (AACC) National Council for Black American Affairs; and a 3-year term on the AACC Commission on Diversity, Inclusion and Equity.  

Dr. Schrader believes strongly in giving back to both her local and global community.  She is a Life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated^®and is an active member of the Eta Omega Omega chapter in the Bronx, where she has served as Recording Secretary, co-chair of the Rites of Passage Program and chair of the Leadership Committee.  For the past 14 years, she has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity Global Village Program building homes in Brazil, El Salvador, Vietnam, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Malawi, Zambia and Thailand for families in need. She serves on the board of the Brooklyn Kindergarten Society.

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Units

Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Planning

Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Planning (OIESP) integrates institutional research, assessment, strategic planning, and accreditation.

Legal Affairs and Labor Relations

The Office of Legal Affairs and Labor Relations serves as counsel to York College and The Office of the President, in partnership with and under the direction of the CUNY Office of General Counsel.

Diversity and Compliance

The Office of Diversity and Compliance works to ensure that York College adheres to the principles of fairness as mandated by federal law.

Government Relations and Strategic Initiatives

The Office of Government Relations and Strategic Initiatives is responsible for planning, developing, and directing all aspects and phases of the college’s government relations and community engagement operations.