CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies


CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies is a public undergraduate, graduate, and professional school in New York City associated with the City University of New York system. Founded in 2018 as an outgrowth of the Joseph S. Murphy Institute for Worker Education and Labor Studies, the Murphy Institute is now one of incorporated programs at the School of Labor and Urban Studies, which provides undergraduate and graduate degrees in Labor Studies and Urban Studies, as well as certificate programs and workforce development for members of labor unions.

History

The CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies was established in 2018 as an outgrowth of the Joseph S. Murphy Institute for Worker Education and Labor Studies, otherwise known as The Murphy Institute. The Murphy Institute was first established in 1984 at Queens College in collaboration with three New York City labor unions for the purposes of providing worker education to labor union members. In 2005, the Murphy Institute was incorporated into the CUNY School of Professional Studies, expanding to provide undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Though New York labor unions had been petitioning for the Murphy Institute to become its own stand-alone school since 2012, when the New York State AFL-CIO passed a resolution endorsing the proposal, it was only until Governor Andrew Cuomo added $1.5 million to the state budget in 2018 that funding was available.

Faculty

As of 2018, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies employs fifteen faculty, some of whom have shared appointments with other universities in the CUNY system. Among the faculty include: