Students, professors, alumni and other individuals from across the University community gathered recently for the Brooklyn Campus’ annual Founders Day Lecture. This year’s distinguished speaker was Dr. Lester W. Young, Jr., chancellor of the Board of Regents, University of the State of New York, who presented “The Impact of Place on the Transformation of Education in New York State.”
Dr. Young spoke about current challenges in education and how place affects students’ access to education, affordable housing, employment opportunities and health care. He shared that according to a 2022 report from the New York Comptroller’s office, nearly one in five New York children live in poverty and parents are forced now with making decisions and choosing schools for their young children based on perception as opposed to enrichment.
“The challenge for us in public education is how do we fix it?” said Dr. Young. “To all of you young people here who have selected teaching as your aspired profession, I would ask you, I would implore you to seriously consider it. Because young people, the next generation, what we do in this moment that we’re in is going to impact generations to come.”
St. Joseph’s hosts its Founders Day Lecture annually, to celebrate the founding of the institution and the achievements and contributions of its founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph.
