For Third Consecutive Year, Baruch College President S. David Wu Named to City & State’s Power of Diversity: Asian 100

May 3, 2022

City & State, the premier media company covering New York politics and public affairs, has released its third annual Power of Diversity: Asian 100 list –– and Baruch College President S. David Wu is once again included among the most influential leaders in the state’s Asian community.

The Power of Diversity: Asian 100 “identifies New York’s Asian American leaders from a wide range of backgrounds who are gaining political power and standing up for their communities”

City & State noted that President Wu, in his role as Baruch’s eighth president, “has worked to ensure the continued growth of the school amid a pandemic that has disrupted education at all levels.” The magazine also highlighted the launch of Baruch’s Multidisciplinary Financial Engineering Hub, and the opening of the Allen G. and Mary E. Aaronson Student Center, the College’s first permanent space dedicated to student activities.

Baruch alumni New York State Assembly Members Yuh-Line Niou (MPA ’11) and Ron Kim (MPA ’06) were also included among the 2022 Power of Diversity: Asian 100, topping out the list at #2 and #3, respectively.

A New York Leader

In the first two years of his tenure as President of Baruch College, President. Wu has brought heightened attention to Baruch’s history as an iconic New York City institution –– as well as the unique contributions the College makes to the city’s economy and culture.

Last July. New York City’s preeminent nonpartisan think tank, The Center for an Urban Future, asked President Wu to contribute his actionable ideas to its major report: 250 Ideas from New Yorkers to Revive NYC’s Economy, Spark Good Jobs, and Build a More Equitable City (July, 2021).

Based on his recommendations to help a NYC recovery, he was then invited to present his idea—”Pair CUNY’s talented, diverse, and tech-savvy students with local small businesses that need help to thrive”—at the public policy organization’s symposium held this past September.

Building Community

At the beginning of his presidency at Baruch, President. Wu proactively established the Task Force for the Future, which is harnessing lessons learned from the pandemic and integrating them with the institution’s innovation to initiate a paradigm shift in college education.

President. Wu has also led engagement with the Baruch community on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies and practices through a series of listening sessions and through a special Presidential Advisory Council, which has been tasked with conceiving a long-term vision for building and strengthening a culture of diversity, inclusion, and equity at Baruch.

In November of 2020, the College received a $1 million gift from Bank of America to fund comprehensive new initiatives supporting education and career development programs that prepare Black and Latinx students to enter the professional workforce, and to embark on a path to success.

The $1 million gift represents the largest corporate gift to Baruch in 20 years, and was the second largest in the College’s history.

Recognized as a Bold, Visionary Leader

In September, President Wu was named one of the “Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business” by the Asian American Business Development Center –– the only awardee representing the education sector among the other honorees who were C-suite and senior executives from Fortune 500 companies and global brands.

He has also been named to City & State’s annual “Higher Education Power 100” list, in addition to being recognized by CollegeCliffs as a “Top 50 U.S. College and University President” in 2020.

Connect with President Wu

President Wu maintains a monthly blog where he shares “ideas and perspectives that impact the campus community, higher education, and society at large.”

Subscribe to President Wu’s blog, follow him on Twitter @DavidWuBaruch, and connect with him on LinkedIn.

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