Greg Mantsios receiving the UALE 2018 Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Labor Education award, with Kent Wong, Director, UCLA Labor Center and Mary Bellham, President, UALE
The United Association for Labor Education (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 in recognition of his career as an activist and advocate for the advancement of education in the fields of labor and urban studies.
In 1984, through a collaboration with NYC labor unions to meet the higher education needs of working adults, Mr. Mantsios founded the Murphy Institute, named for the former CUNY Chancellor, a forceful advocate for working people and the labor movement. In 2005, the Murphy Institute moved from Queens College to 25 West 43rd Street in midtown Manhattan under the aegis of CUNY School of Professional Services to better accommodate students across the university system.
In the Spring of 2018, the CUNY Board of Trustees, with endorsement from NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo, announced the transformation of The Murphy Institute to the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies (SLUS), naming Mr. Mantsios as Dean.
Mr. Mantsios has served as a higher education officer – first in SUNY and then in CUNY – for over three decades. His tireless work to advance access to higher education for non-traditional students, particularly those from poor and working class backgrounds, has provided thousands of students with new opportunities and, often, subsequent careers in areas of public service. His own educational path – he holds a BA and PhD in sociology and an MA in urban studies – solidified his scholarly interests and activism in the areas of poverty, inequality, labor relations, and education.
In addition to his educational leadership, Mr. Mantsios oversees the SLUS Center for Labor, Community and Policy Studies, a monthly public forum of panels, roundtables, guest speakers, and conferences generating perspective and lively discussion on the current challenges confronting workers and working-class communities. The Center also produces scholarly analysis through publication of the journal, New Labor Forum.
ABOUT UALE: An international organization of labor educators with a mission to promote education as an essential tool in the process of union transformation, to develop new leadership, and to strengthen the field of labor education in order to meet the ever-changing needs of unions and workers.