BROOKLYN BOROUGH PRESIDENT MARTY MARKOWITZ

February 19, 2013

Dear Friends,

I am pleased to extend warm greetings and congratulations to Chancellor Matthew Goldstein, Jay Hershenson, Senior Vice Chancellor for University Relations, the Board of Trustees, the officers, my fellow public officials and communities and constituents of the CUNY Colleges of the City of New York as you gather for the Annual CUNY Board of Trustees' Brooklyn Borough Public Hearing, in Borough Hall.

On behalf of all Brooklyn and New York City, I want to offer my best wishes to all the presidents of all the Brooklyn CUNY campuses: President Karen Gould, of Brooklyn College-my alma mater, which I consider the crown jewel of the CUNY system-President Russell Hotzler, of the NYC College of Technology-known for its student body diversity in Engineering and award-winning alumni in the Hospitality sector-Dr. Regina S. Peruggi, of CUNY's "College by the Sea," Kingsborough Community College, named in 2009 as one of the top ten community colleges in the country by the NY Times; and President William L. Pollard, of Medgar Evers College, which continues to be the largest institution of higher learning focused on African-American and Caribbean-American students, aside from the historically black colleges.

A college degree is a must in the fiercely competitive global marketplace. We must work together, government, academia and the private sector, to educate our future workforce and promote innovation and job creation. I am pleased to see an example of this with the NYC Urban Technology Innovation Center. By partnering with CUNY, the NYC Economic Development Corporation, Polytechnic Institute of NYU, and Columbia University, green companies looking for test sites can join with businesses that are looking for the latest in green technology. This means more green jobs for our talented young men and women. That is why we must ensure that money devoted to colleges and universities is not cut. 1 look forward to hearing from each of our Brooklyn CUNY colleges to learn how the state budget is impacting our institutions and students. I salute Chancellor Goldstein and all of the dedicated individuals-past and present-who have opened doors for and enriched the lives of thousands of New Yorkers for over 160 years. I thank all those present for helping to make Brooklyn and beyond better places to live, work, and raise a family, and for ushering in a brighter future.

Sincerely,