Senate Resolution No. 1351

BY: Senator RIVERA

honoring Jennifer J. Raab upon the occasion of
the end of her tenure as President of Hunter College

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to acknowledge
those individuals whose professional lives and civic endeavors serve to
enhance the stature of the State of New York; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor
Jennifer J. Raab upon the occasion of the end of her tenure as President
of Hunter College after 22 years of distinguished service on Friday,
June 30, 2023; and

WHEREAS, A graduate of Hunter College High School (whose campus she
now oversees), Jennifer J. Raab received a BA with distinction in all
subjects from Cornell University in 1977, an MPA from Princeton in 1979,
and a J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1985; and

WHEREAS, Before coming to Hunter College, Jennifer J. Raab worked as
a litigator at Cravath, Swaine & Moore and Paul, Weiss until she was
appointed Chair of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission,
a position she held from 1994 to 2001; and

WHEREAS, Jennifer J. Raab, in dedicated service to the betterment of
her community, sat on the Board of Directors of Compuware Corporation;
is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations; serves on the Steering
Committee of the Association for a Better New York; serves on the
advisory boards of the National Institute of Social Sciences and
WOMEN.NYC; and sat on the Board of Directors of The After School
Corporation, United Way New York, and the One To World Foundation; she
was also a member of the 2004 - 2005 New York City Charter Revision
Commission; and

WHEREAS, For the past 22 years, Jennifer J. Raab rendered faithful,
conscientious, and valuable service to Hunter College; and

WHEREAS, Jennifer J. Raab was the longest serving CUNY President,
and oversaw the largest CUNY school, ensuring the success of over 24,000
students and five schools, as well as managed an annual operating budget
of more than $250 million; and

WHEREAS, In her capacity as President, Jennifer J. Raab served with
loyalty, honor and distinction; and

WHEREAS, Jennifer J. Raab has led the successful transformation of
the college from an open-admissions institution to a selective, highly
ranked college; under her leadership, graduation and retention rates
have risen markedly, and hundreds of Hunter students have earned
prestigious awards including two Rhodes, two Marshall, two Truman, five
Schwarzman, five Luce, and seven Goldwater scholarships, along with six
Soros Fellowships; and

WHEREAS, The college routinely has been named a Fulbright
Scholarship Leader by the State Department, having produced 88 Fulbright
Scholars during her tenure, and is called the "crown jewel of the CUNY
system" by the Princeton Review; and

WHEREAS, Since Jennifer J. Raab assumed the presidency, Hunter
College has significantly increased its government grants and awards
while raising more than $530 million in private support for the college;
most recently, she helped broker a $52 million gift from Leonard Lauder-
the largest gift given to a single CUNY institution; and

WHEREAS, The Mother's Day Scholarship Program, launched by President
Jennifer J. Raab in 2005 to celebrate the thousands of mothers,
grandmothers, aunts, and sisters who are Hunter College graduates, has
raised more than $9 million in scholarship funds for Hunter students;
and

WHEREAS, During her tenure, her faculty secured more than $1 billion
in research awards and grants, providing hundreds of students with
life-changing exposure to lab and field science; Hunter College's
research contributed to many scientific fields, including astronomy,
climate change, and community health and medicine, and affected cancer
treatments while playing a major role in helping end the HIV epidemic;
and

WHEREAS, Jennifer J. Raab, in her role as President, also launched a
$50 million library renovation; built a floor in the new Belfer Research
Building at Weill Cornell Medical College; constructed a $131 million
School of Social Work in East Harlem; added a new facility in Tribeca
for Hunter's renowned art graduate program and gallery; purchased and
renovated a townhouse on E. 67th Street to house Hunter's theater
department; and completed the $25 million restoration of the historic
1908 Roosevelt House on E. 65th Street- now the Roosevelt House Public
Policy Institute at Hunter College; and

WHEREAS, In 2016, President Jennifer J. Raab's achievements were
recognized by her election to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences;
in 2022, she was awarded the Gold Honor Medal for distinguished service
to society and humanity by the National Institute of Social Sciences;
and

WHEREAS, In her official acts, Jennifer J. Raab was governed by a
keen sense of duty and always showed a unique grasp of human problems;
and

WHEREAS, During her tenure with Hunter College, Jennifer J. Raab
earned the admiration, esteem, and affection of her colleagues; now,
therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Jennifer J. Raab upon the occasion of the end of her tenure as
President of Hunter College after 22 years of distinguished service; and
be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Jennifer J. Raab.