Baruch College Brings CUNY Beyond to Campus

August 24, 2026

Baruch College is expanding the ways all undergraduates connect academic learning with professional success through its participation in CUNY Beyond, a recently launched university-wide initiative of The City University of New York that embeds career readiness throughout the student experience.

Through CUNY Beyond, Baruch will strengthen opportunities for students to explore career interests, connect with regional and national employers, gain real-world experience, and develop the industry-relevant skills needed to succeed after graduation

To help lead the effort, Baruch has named Ellen Stein, PhD, formerly director of the Starr Career Development Center, as its inaugural assistant vice president for career and industry partnerships.

“Baruch has extraordinary strengths across our schools, academic departments, the Starr Career Development Center, co-curricular programs, alumni network, and industry partnerships,” Stein said. “CUNY Beyond gives us an opportunity to connect those resources more intentionally and create even more pathways for students to explore careers, gain experience, and launch successful futures.”

CUNY Beyond embeds developmentally appropriate career connected learning from day one directly into students’ education and advising making it a core part of every undergraduates experience, regardless of major or school.

Investing in Students’ Future

Launched in 2025, CUNY Beyond is reshaping how career preparation is integrated into the undergraduate experience. Supported by a $6.8 million investment in the 2027 state budget, the initiative expanded this summer to five CUNY campuses and aims to triple student participation in paid internships by 2030.

Over the next three years, a team of Baruch faculty and staff will lead the College’s implementation of CUNY Beyond across its five pillars:

• Career Exploration and Engagement
• Integrated Academic and Career Advising
• Career Connected Learning
• Work-Based Learning
• Employer Engagement

In addition to the five pillars, CUNY Beyond enables the college to have Faculty Fellows, whose responsibilities include helping to engage more faculty in career-connected learning and supporting the Practitioners in Residence Corps, to name a few.

“At Baruch, our goal goes beyond helping students earn a degree,” explained Stein. “We want every student to graduate with direction, practical experience, career-ready skills, and the confidence to move purposefully toward their next opportunity.”