News Archive
A garbage innovator and a budding journalist: Joshua Goodman and Paige Oamek are both SLU graduates who were spotlighted recently in CUNY’s second annual 50 Under 50 Alumni Awards.
For some of SLU’s experiential learners, this fall’s internship was the first time they ever used an office phone. For others, it was their first time in an office, period.
SLU served as a vital academic hub and practical “laboratory” for scholars and students to engage in critical teaching and research over the past year.
Two major labor movement summer schools will be held at SLU in summer 2026—one as a new permanent program and the other as a cyclical hosting event.
A drivers’ advocate and former taxi driver, SLU student Mohammad “Tipu” Sultan has been named one of “The 2025 Unsung Heroes” by City & State New York. Sultan is a Labor Studies bachelor’s student and recent recipient of SLU’s Joseph S. Murphy Scholarship for Diversity in Labor.
SLU alum Joshua Goodman (Urban Studies M.A. Fall 2023), is featured on CUNY’s second annual 50 Under 50 Alumni Awards list. Goodman is Deputy Commissioner for Public Affairs and Customer Experience at the New York City Department of Sanitation, and credits SLU with inspiring his work.
How police should engage with people suffering from mental health conditions is a complex policy question that New York City has grappled with for decades. Due in part to the efforts of SLU master’s student Christina Sparrock, however, one piece of that puzzle was recently resolved.
The SLU Urban Studies faculty added two new members this fall, with the arrival of Assistant Professor Samantha Agarwal and Distinguished Lecturer Puya Gerami. They both will specialize in the Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice program.
Samantha Agarwal was an invited panelist at the Engaging Stuart Hall In/From the Global South Symposium at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, October 29-31. She participated in the 2025 American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS) Dissertation-to-Book Workshop at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on October 22.
Two SLU students who are both in their final year of the Urban Studies Master’s program recently won CUNY-wide awards that provide financial support and professional experience.
With all 51 districts of the New York City Council up for election on November 4, new faces are coming to local government – and SLU alumnus Justin Sanchez is likely to be among them.
SLU graduate student Joseph Juntunen has been working in the nightclub and entertainment industry for most of his life, and organizing there for almost as long.
It is with deep sadness that we learned of the news of the passing of Kent Wong – a giant in our field, a beloved colleague and mentor, and a dear friend of so many of us at SLU.
SLU student Rina D. Cummings comes across as even keeled and self-possessed, even though her life has been shaken by profound transitions. Born in Liberia, she spent part of her childhood in a Ghanaian refugee camp before immigrating at 12 to America.
Sofya Aptekar published “Indebted Heroes: Debt Extraction and Military Labor in the United States” in South Atlantic Quarterly and co-authored “For Collective Liberation: Anticapitalism in the Migrant Justice Movement” for the Spring 2025 edition of Spectre …
On my first day of work, as I walked onto the 19th floor of SLU’s campus, I was pleasantly struck by Helen Keller’s famous quote displayed on the wall: “It’s a terrible thing to see and have no vision.” …
Dear SLU Community,
I am very happy to announce the appointment of Dr. Rita “Kiki” Edozie as Associate Dean for AcademicAffairs at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies …
Organized labor has taken center stage in the 2020s, with workers leading successful organizing drives at Amazon, Starbucks, Apple, and across a range of industries from health care to higher education …
SLU and the 21st Century ILGWU Heritage Fund are proud to announce a new scholarship to support labor leaders of exceptional promise to complete their undergraduate or graduate studies at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies …
Commencement is an exciting time and a feast for all the senses — it’s understandable if one’s attention sometimes flickered away from the oratory onstage …
“Capstone” is a word often heard in the halls of SLU — yet most of us never learn about the content of these important student projects …
Leading up to Commencement, Anna Tresvalles knew that when she crossed the stage to receive her bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies, she wanted her 9-month-old baby daughter Tala to be with her …
In life and work, you never know when you’ll need a good lawyer. So you may want to remember the name Kaarthika Thakker …
Labor Studies B.A. student Joseph Newswander is this year’s Valedictorian and will speak at Commencement on May 28. Joseph has not only excelled academically …
Associate Professor of Urban Studies Kafui Attoh is the longest-serving professor in his department …
When Elee Ballinger decided to leave her small town amid the redwood forests of northern California for college, she opted for a true urban experience: attending Hunter College, living in Brooklyn …
For Dani Lopez, a social entrepreneur and student in the Urban Studies Master’s program, the challenges of her youth plus lessons learned from working as a financial aid administrator led her to co-found a company …
Women make up half the world’s population. How does one even begin to learn women’s history …
Every weekday at 7 a.m., Joana Oliveras punches in for her shift at Baruch College …
Adin Feder lives in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. After getting a bachelor’s degree in English, Feder is now a participant in Union Semester, taking classes at SLU and interning at Laborers Local 79 …
Sonia Rodriguez has held one job for 26 years, and she loves it. She’s a senior registration clerk in the Bureau of Disease Control of the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene …
Below are reflections from students who worked on this fall’s political campaigns, and who responded to outreach from SLU staff. We welcome additional input, especially from those who worked for other political parties …
Natasha Bartley is near the home stretch of obtaining her master’s degree in Urban Studies at SLU. An employee of the city Department of Transportation for a decade …
College athletes bring in millions of dollars of revenue to their schools, but only in recent years have legal authorities opened the door to viewing them as college “employees” …
The transportation industry has seen rapid technological change over the past decade, much of which has been enabled by the advancement and integration of artificial intelligence (AI) …
Two SLU alumni have been recognized in CUNY’s inaugural 50 Under 50 alumni list, which celebrates exceptional graduates who have made significant strides in their respective fields over the past year …
For Kerwin Simon, the chaos of Covid led to clarity around his academic and professional pursuits …
“To get from there to here, it is about persistence, yes, but it is also about the support I’ve gotten along the way,” says Koffi Bentum, who graduated from SLU with a Bachelor of Arts in 2021 …
Eugene Patron’s enthusiasm and positivity about his CUNY SLU experience shines brightly. “What I learned in the program was spot on!” he says …
Steamfitting – and union membership – are in Brian Hunt’s blood. Raised in a union family, his father was a steamfitter …
For Pedro Freire (Class of 2022, MALS) the journey has been long from South America to Connecticut to CUNY to California …
The semester has taken off with some strong partnership with the Community and Worker Ownership Project …
Steven Attewell, a policy historian whose primary interests are U.S. social and economic policy of the 20th century, teaches Urban Studies majors …
An expert in political economy of cities, public space, and urban transportation …
Arthur Cheliotes, President Emeritus of Local 1180, Communications Workers of America AFL-CIO, where he was elected as president 11 times …
The UALE has recognized Gregory Mantsios, Dean of CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies (SLUS), with the 2018 UALE Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Labor Education Award …