Hunter College Faces $14M Deficit Revealed at Secret Retreat
Hunter College is grappling with a $14 million deficit revealed at an unannounced CUNY trustees meeting that critics say may have violated New York's Open Meetings Law.
The CUNY board of trustees convened what sources described as a “retreat” or “summer session” for two-and-a-half hours at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College on 17 August, without any public notice, according to Carl Campanile writing in New York Post. The gathering examined financial conditions across CUNY’s 26 colleges and institutions, revealing Hunter’s significant budget shortfall alongside operating deficits at several community colleges.
During the session, Marc Shaw, a senior advisor at the CUNY Institute for State & Local Governance, delivered a PowerPoint presentation addressing future enrollment and demographic trends. His analysis highlighted the challenges posed by a declining high school student population and intensifying competition from other institutions, particularly State University of New York campuses.
Hunter College administrators confirmed the institution is working to close a $14 million gap within a $399 million operating budget. A school spokesperson stated that officials are implementing financial savings measures while attempting to preserve educational quality. The institution pledged that full-time faculty, staff positions, and academic programs would not face elimination, noting that reserve funds may be tapped if necessary to cover any remaining deficit by year’s end.
Questions of Legal Compliance
The circumstances surrounding the trustees’ closed session have prompted allegations that the gathering may have violated New York’s Open Meetings Law. Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, who served as a CUNY trustee under former Governor George Pataki for 15 years, sharply criticized current leadership for conducting what he characterized as a secret meeting on official business.
Wiesenfeld stated he never participated in such sessions during his tenure on the board, asserting that the topics discussed constitute a formal board meeting. The gathering occurred immediately before the board’s regular public meeting, which lasted only two minutes and addressed just two resolutions.
Under state law, governing bodies such as the CUNY board must conduct public meetings for official business, though they may enter executive session for specific matters including personnel issues or litigation.
Rachel Fauss, senior policy advisor to government watchdog organization Reinvent Albany, condemned the private session, arguing that public business cannot be conducted privately when a quorum is present. She emphasized that college finances and enrollment trends represent critical information the public deserves to access.
Enrollment Challenges Ahead
CUNY officials acknowledged that the Institute for State & Local Governance presented data on projected demographic shifts among high school and college-age populations and their potential impact on future enrollment. Students from the city’s public high schools constitute a significant portion of CUNY’s student body, making any population decline a serious concern.
The university system has not recovered to pre-pandemic enrollment levels of 271,242 students in autumn 2019. Following a post-pandemic low of 225,881 students in autumn 2022, enrollment has climbed 9.13 percent to 246,503 in autumn 2025. Officials anticipate another increase for the upcoming semester, though figures are not yet available.
Wiesenfeld, a Queens College alumnus, predicted that Jewish student enrollment at CUNY campuses will drop significantly due to anti-Israel hostility and campus protests.
CUNY Defense of Private Session
A CUNY official defended the closed “annual summer education session” as legal and appropriate, claiming no official board business was conducted and no votes were taken. The CUNY board of trustees consists of members appointed by the governor and mayor to staggered seven-year terms. Governor Kathy Hochul has appointed many current members, while Mayor Zohran Mamdani must await vacancies to make appointments.
The board is chaired by Bill Thompson, a former city comptroller appointed by Hochul.
With information from New York Post
