JCAL BOARD

Dr. Claudia V. Schrader

York College CUNY

Dr. Claudia V. Schrader became the eighth president of York College on May 1, 2025, formalizing a role she had served in on an interim basis since January 2024.

Dr. Schrader has overseen significant improvements to campus facilities, including the establishment of a graduate student lounge, upgrades to common areas, the reopening of the cafeteria, which was closed for more than five years, and the establishment of a clothing closet and a stand-alone food pantry. She has worked with elected and community leaders to advocate for resources and opportunities for the college and its 6,200 students and has secured full-tuition scholarships and fees for up to two years for 20 graduate students to pursue a graduate degree in Aviation Management. Dr. Schrader established the York Opportunity Network (YON), a consortium of community-based organizations and businesses mobilized to empower pre-college youth by showcasing York College as a premier institution where they can achieve their academic and career goals. In addition, she has launched the college’s Middle States Self Study, inaugural Academic Master Planning and 2026-2030 Strategic Planning processes.

Prior to York, Dr. Schrader was the first African American president of CUNY’s Kingsborough Community College. There, she demonstrated a unique leadership style and high levels of student engagement. For instance, in 2020, amid a global pandemic, Dr. Schrader launched “The Welcome Wagon,” traveling throughout the city’s five boroughs to meet incoming students at their homes and jobs and assure them that she would be accessible and supportive as their college president. This initiative, which she continues at York College, has been featured on Spectrum News NY1, in the NY Daily News, InsideHigherEd.com, Forbes, and Positive Community Magazine.