Senior Vice Chancellor for University Relations
and Secretary of the Board of Trustees
Jay Hershenson is Senior Vice Chancellor for University Relations and Secretary of the Board of Trustees of The City University of New York — the leading public urban university system in the nation. His portfolio includes the development and implementation of CUNY's external relations program, including governmental, media and community relations, marketing, communications and CUNY-TV and the administration of the Board of Trustees' agenda, meetings and records. He has served as Vice Chancellor since 1984 and has worked in senior level administrative positions for six CUNY Chancellors and with over 100 CUNY trustees since the mid-1970's. He has made a lifelong commitment to education and, in particular, to the use of higher education to positively transform lives.
Senior Vice Chancellor Hershenson previously served as a leader in non-profit organizations: as Executive Director of the Committee for Public Higher Education; New York City Regional Director of the New York Public Interest Research Group, Inc.; and as Unit Director of the United Fund of New York.
His national and state-wide public service has included: appointment by former President Jimmy Carter to the National Advisory Committee on Education; appointment by former Governor Hugh L. Carey as one of five Commissioners on the Temporary State Commission on the Future of Postsecondary Education and the Task Force on State Aid to Education; appointments by Senator Kenneth P. LaValle and former Assembly Speaker Stanley Fink to the State Consumer Advisory Committee; and as Chair of the New York State Standardized Testing Advisory Board. He served as a member of The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Commission on Communications and Marketing. He served on the Executive Committee of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC) Council on University Relations and Development. He currently serves on the New York State Board of Regents/ University of the State of New York Technology Policy and Practices Council and the Ogilvy and Mather Advisory Committee on Diversity. He is a member of the New York Board of Rabbis Lay Advisory Committee.
He received an M.A. in Urban Studies and a B.A. in Communications, Arts and Sciences and University Administration from Queens College, CUNY, after transferring from Queensborough Community College, CUNY. He was an adjunct faculty member in the Hunter College and Queens College Departments of Political Science. In 1974, he was elected and re-elected in 1975 to serve as the Chairperson of the University Student Senate of CUNY and became the first elected student trustee on the University's Board of Trustees.
Senior Vice Chancellor Hershenson is a former Vice Chairperson of the Anti-Defamation League Regional New York Board and current Board member. He served as a member of the United Negro College Fund Scholarship Committee and the Board of Directors of the Council of Churches. He was Padrino Duartiano Internacional of the Bronx Dominican Parade for several years and was the 2005 Grand Marshal for Education. In 2006, the Bronx Dominican Day Parade Inc. along with Casa Cultural Dominicana del Bronx N.Y. Inc. awarded him for his continued support of the Parade and its student scholarship program and he also received the Community Service Award at the 2006 annual meeting of the Dominican American National Roundtable. He was given the 2006 National Education Award by the National Hispanic Corporate Achievers and received the 2006 "Man for All Seasons Award" from The New York City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He was honored in 2006 by CUNY's Asian American/Asian Research Institute for his work and support of the Asian American/Asian community. He was named a Deputy Marshal for the 2007 National Puerto Rican Day Parade and honored in 2007 by One Hundred Hispanic Women, Inc. at its annual gala. In 2008, he was awarded the Dr. Antonia Pantoja Leadership Award by ASPIRA, Inc. at their Ninth Annual Circle of Latino Achievers Luncheon. He was presented with the Community Partner Award by Alianza Dominica Inc. at their third annual gala. He was honored as the 2008 recipient of the Marvin D. "Swede" Johnson Achievement Award for his exemplary dedication to CUNY and his outstanding contributions to state government relations on the University's behalf. The "Swede" Award was jointly granted by four national higher education organizations: the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE); the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC); the American Association for State Colleges and Universities (AASCU); and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) [click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYk2zpZu3RA to view a brief video on Mr. Hershenson shown in San Diego]. In 2009, he was the Grand Marshal of the Mexican Day Parade in New York City and received the Mixteca Diaspora Award as recognition for his leadership in working with the Mexican and Mexican-American Community to help provide access to educational opportunities.
Senior Vice Chancellor Hershenson has pioneered major public service partnerships between CUNY, media organizations, and corporate leaders. Together with New York Daily News Editor-in-Chief Martin Dunn, he proposed and supervised five "Citizenship Now!" call-ins, assisting over 40,000 immigrants. He initiated the "Voting Rights and Citizenship" calendar and curricula project, partnering CUNY with The New York Times, JPMorgan Chase, TIAA-CREF and The LaGuardia and Wagner Archives. He is the Senior Project Director for "The Women's Leadership," "A Nation of Immigrants," "Let Freedom Ring," and "City Life" calendars and curricula, again with the Times, corporate and archival partners.
Senior Vice Chancellor Hershenson was awarded the 2005 Ellis Island Medal of Honor from the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO) and the 2005 Queensborough Community College Fund Partners for Progress Alumni Partner of the Year designation. He received the 2003 Presidential Medal for his over 25 years of work on behalf of Medgar Evers College, including his help in securing support for the new $140 million academic facility — one of many major construction projects he helped CUNY to obtain. He also received the 2009 Bronx Community College Legacy Award for his work on helping to obtain the $100 million North Instructional Building. He is the Executive Producer of the Emmy Award winning television show "Nueva York," the CUNY-TV magazine program about Hispanic communities in New York City, and the Emmy Award nominated television series on CUNY-TV, "Study with the Best." With the help of Bob Isaacson, Senior Vice Chancellor Hershenson has developed CUNY-TV into an Emmy Award winning television station. His continuing collaborations on higher education matters with colleagues, governmental officials, education reporters, community leaders, and the business and labor communities are a "work in progress."
