Total enrollment in the CUNY system has declined from 274,000 in fiscal year 2018 to 243,000 for fiscal year 2022, according to the Mayor’s Management Report released last week.
Peter Lipke, a biology professor at Brooklyn College, said he has trouble recruiting graduate students due to outdated equipment and poorly maintained labs. He recalled a steam pipe leak in 2020 that destroyed a $500,000 electron microscope.
“It’s extraordinarily difficult to train students in state-of-the-art techniques where they would get jobs in laboratories,” Lipke said.
James Davis, president of the Professional Staff Congress that represents faculty and some staff, said repairs would help convince students to return to campuses.