The College of Staten Island (CSI) is a public college in Staten Island, New York, United States. It is one of the 11 four-year senior colleges within the City University of New York system (CUNY), and one of the two four-year senior colleges within the CUNY system with a program in engineering.
Programs in the liberal arts, sciences, engineering, and professional studies lead to PhD degrees, master's degrees, bachelor's and associate degrees. The bachelor's program includes selective membership in CUNY's Macaulay Honors College. The master's degree is awarded in 31 professional and liberal arts, sciences, and engineering fields of study. A clinical doctorate is awarded by the departments of Nursing, Education, and Physical Therapy. The College participates in doctoral programs of the CUNY Graduate Center in biology, chemistry, computer science, and physics, and at City College in engineering.
History The College of Staten Island is the product of a merger in 1976 of Staten Island Community College (SICC), founded in 1956, and Richmond College, founded in 1965. Richmond College had been threatened with closure because of New York City's financial crisis, while SICC, because of its status as a community college, received state support. The merger was particularly logical since the community college offered two-year degrees, while Richmond College was an "upper divisional" college (the third in the nation) that offered degrees to those in their third and fourth years of schooling.
The College of Staten Island has been located on the grounds of the former Willowbrook State School since 1993. At 204 acres, it is the largest campus by physical size in New York City. Before the relocation to Willowbrook, the College had a split campus, located at the former Staten Island Community College (in Sunnyside, on Todt Hill; the campus now houses the Michael J. Petrides School) and Richmond College (in St. George).
Presidents
Walter L. Willig, 1955–1968, was the inaugural President of College of Staten Island predecessor institution Staten Island Community College (SICC). His academic area of expertise was civil engineering. Herbert Schueler, 1966–1973, was the first President of College of Staten Island predecessor institution Richmond College. His academic specialties were German literature and philosophy. William M. Birenbaum, 1968–1976, served as President of College of Staten Island predecessor institution SICC until the merger of SICC and Richmond College in 1976, which resulted in the formation of the College of Staten Island. His academic focus was access to higher education for all. Edmond Volpe, 1976–1994, an American literature scholar, retired in 1994 after having successfully handled the merger of the two colleges and the unification of the two campuses. Marlene Springer, 1994–2007, an English and American literature scholar under whose leadership the College improved academic standards, introduced several master's programs, raised the level of the faculty, added research institutes, and introduced an Honors College, The Verrazzano School, and the CSI High School for International Studies. She retired in August 2007. Tomás D. Morales, 2007–2012; arranged for a free shuttle from the Staten Island Ferry to the Willowbrook campus; announced in May 2012 that he would be leaving to become President of California State University at San Bernardino. William J. Fritz, 2012–2021, geologist, appointed interim President on August 15, 2012, and as President on May 6, 2014. He resigned from the post on December 31, 2021. Timothy G. Lynch, 2022–present, a higher education administrator, historian, and former Chief Academic Officer of Queensborough Community College, appointed interim president in January 2022, and as president on July 1, 2023.
Willowbrook and Disability Rights The College of Staten Island’s Willowbrook campus is located on part of the former site of the Willowbrook State School, which was closed in 1987 after both Jane Kurtin of the Staten Island Advance and then ABC’s Geraldo Riviera exposed its horrific conditions to the public, highlighting the School’s systemic warehousing of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and the deplorable conditions under which they lived. This led to legislation to protect the rights of people with disabilities.
Following the establishment of its Willowbrook campus, the College has used its unique position to preserve and interpret the history of the Willowbrook State School and its significance in the disability rights movement. Through its Archives & Special Collections department, the College maintains the Willowbrook Archive, a repository of records, photographs, oral histories, publications, and other materials related to the institution and its legacy.
The campus is also home to The Willowbrook Mile, a 12-station memorial trail located on campus chronicling the history around Willowbrook State School and subsequent advocacy movements during and after its closure. The trail extends to neighboring grounds of the New York State Institute for Basic Research (IBR) and Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD). In addition, the College hosts the annual Willowbrook Memorial Lecture, which seeks to educate about Willowbrook’s legacy, supports exhibitions, educational programs, and scholarly research related to disability history, human rights, and social justice, particularly through the School of Education and Social Work with an interdisciplinary minor in Disability Studies.
Academics Undergraduate demographics as of Spring 2025 Race and ethnicityTotal White Hispanic Black/African American Asian Two or more races Non-Resident Economic diversity Pell/Tap Eligible Not Pell Grant Eligible Research
CSI has more than 80 research labs, which include the Center for Developmental Neuroscience and Developmental Disabilities (CDN), the Staten Island Breast Cancer Research Initiative, the CUNY Interdisciplinary High-Performance Computing Center (HPCC). The HPCC provides advanced high-performance computing technology resources and corresponding technical assistance to faculty and students, and is among the largest academic computing facilities in the New York metropolitan area.
Research conducted through the CDN has focused on autism, Alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative disorders. Center-affiliated faculty have secured grants from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, New York State Department of Health, and other public and private funding organizations.
The College of Staten Island Library houses a collection of more than 175,000 print volumes, over 1.6 million eBooks, and more than 200,000 electronic journals and newspapers. In addition to providing research resources, the library offers information literacy instruction and online educational materials.
The Library’s Archives & Special Collections preserves materials related to the history of Staten Island, the College of Staten Island and its predecessor institutions, Richmond College and Staten Island Community College. Its holdings include manuscript collections, photographs, oral histories, and printed materials documenting local political, social, and cultural history. The archives also house the Willowbrook Collection, which documents the history of the Willowbrook State School and the experiences of its residents, families, and staff. Holdings comprise approximately 1,400 linear feet of archival materials and more than 5,000 printed items.
Rankings
The College of Staten Island’s latest accolades include Newsweek designating CSI ”, multiple members of its faculty have been named to the Stanford University–Elsevier “Top 2%” Scientists List for 2025, the Lucille and Jay Chazanoff School of Business earning accreditation from AACSB International, recognition from U.S. News & World Report as a Top Public School and Top Performer in Social Mobility, Washington Monthly rating the College in the top 25 percent on its List of Best-Bang-for-the-Buck Colleges, Forbes honoring CSI for Return on Investment for three straight years, and consistent recognition as a Military-Friendly® School, among others.
Departments, Programs, and Academics The College of Staten Island offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate, graduate, certificate, and professional development programs. The College grants associate's, bachelor's, master's, advanced certificate, and doctoral degrees and serves students pursuing careers in the arts, sciences, business, education, healthcare, public service, and technology.
Academic Schools
CSI's academic programs are organized into four schools:
Division of Humanities and Social Sciences
The division includes nine departments: English, History, Media Culture, Performing & Creative Arts, Philosophy, Political Science & Global Affairs, Psychology, Sociology & Anthropology, and World Languages & Literatures. The division also includes the major in Science, Letters, & Society; Interdisciplinary majors and minors in African & African Diaspora Studies, American Studies, International Studies; and Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies; as well as minors in Disability Studies; East Asian Studies; Latin American Caribbean, and Latina/o Studies; and a Graduate Certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorders. The Dean is Dr. Sarolta Takács.
Lucille and Jay Chazanoff School of Business
The School of Business offers undergraduate and graduate programs designed to prepare students for careers in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. Areas of study include Accounting, Finance, Economics, Management, Marketing, International Business, and Business Analytics. The school emphasizes experiential learning through internships, applied research, and partnerships with businesses and organizations throughout the New York metropolitan area. The Dean is Susan Holak.
School of Education and Social Work
The School of Education and Social Work prepares teachers, counselors, and educational leaders through undergraduate and graduate programs leading to New York State certification. Programs in the Department of Education include childhood education, special education, literacy education, educational leadership, school counseling, and TESOL. and related fields; the Department of Social Work prepares students for entry-level generalist urban practice and provides a local and global context for understanding and addressing the experiences of people and societies. The department also offers a unique Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, which focuses on generalist practice in the first year and on disability studies in either clinical practice or macro practice in the specialization year. The Dean is Burnett Joiner.
School of Science and Technology
The Division of Science and Technology is one of the College of Staten Island's principal academic divisions, offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral-level programs in the natural sciences, computer science, engineering, mathematics, nursing, physical therapy, and related STEM disciplines. The division encompasses the departments of Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering and Environmental Science, Mathematics, Nursing, Physical Therapy, and Physics and Astronomy.
The division supports research, scholarship, and workforce development through interdisciplinary centers, laboratory facilities, and partnerships with government, industry, and educational organizations. Its Nursing program is among the College's most prominent and serves as a major pipeline for healthcare professionals throughout Staten Island and the New York metropolitan region, helping address workforce needs in hospitals, clinics, and community health settings. The Dean is Ralf Peetz.
Undergraduate and Graduate Programs