Baruch College Earns National Recognition for Transformational Student Success

Baruch College Earns National Recognition for Transformational Student Success

November 7, 2025

Baruch College-consistently recognized nationally for academic excellence, access, and economic mobility-has earned another prestigious distinction: the 2025 Barefoot & Gardner Award for Transformative Student Success from the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Higher Education.

The Gardner Institute honors one four-year institution every two years that demonstrates a deep commitment to mitigating differential outcome gaps for historically underrepresented students and advancing success for all undergraduates. Baruch was selected from a record number of submissions for its campuswide initiatives that boost academic performance and narrow retention gaps through a comprehensive, student-first strategy.

"Receiving the 2025 Barefoot & Gardner Award is a powerful affirmation of Baruch's commitment to student-centered innovation," said Kathleen Gray, PhD, Associate Provost for Learning and Student Success.

"Our faculty, students, and staff work together to create a culture of success. Through shared vision, strategic use of data, and creative problem-solving, we create pathways that position every student to achieve excellence."

A First-Year Experience Redesign

A cornerstone of Baruch's student success strategy is the redesign of its First-Year Seminar course, which helps new students make a successful transition to college life. The new model integrates experiential learning, peer mentoring that strengthens students' communications skills, and civil discourse education.

The required course introduces incoming first-year students to college resources, academic success strategies, time management and study skills-while encouraging early career exploration.

Innovating the Transfer Pathway

For transfer students, Baruch has reimagined their experience through several student-centered initiatives which include cross-border collaborations across the College.

To better align with students' academic and social needs, Baruch made it possible for transfer undergraduates to receive earlier advising and registration for classes by separating registration from orientation. As a result, there has been a 40 percent increase in new transfer students receiving spring advising appointments before January 1, and a 67 percent jump in those registered for classes by that date.

Another initiative, the Baruch Business Academy, launched in 2021, creates a transparent, seamless pathway for students to transfer to Baruch's Zicklin School of Business from partner community colleges of The City University of New York (CUNY). Participants gain access to cross-campus co-curricular activities, networking and career events, and peer-to-peer mentoring from Zicklin students.

Six of the CUNY Community Colleges are partners in the Baruch Business Academy. This initiative has expanded outside of city boundaries. Last May, Baruch signed a 2+2 Transfer Admission Agreement with Broome Community College of the State University of New York, the first such partnership between Baruch and a SUNY institution.

A Culture of Belonging and Dialogue

In 2024, Baruch launched the Baruch Connects initiative to foster a culture of respectful dialogue across the campus community.

This initiative includes a yearlong series of programs that "embodies Baruch's core values of collaboration and connection," said President S. David Wu. Events include cultural celebrations such as Diwali, Lunar New Year, Rosh Hashanah, and Eid, along with a Respectful Dialogue Series and forums on intellectual pluralism and interfaith understanding.

These programs are designed to build bridges across cultural differences and cultivate a sense of belonging.

Closing Differential Outcome Gaps

Recognized as one of the nation's most pluralistically diverse colleges, Baruch enrolls a high proportion of undergraduates who are first-generation, Pell-eligible (66 percent), and from historically underrepresented backgrounds.

This commitment to access is matched by a strong focus on student success. Between Fall 2021 and Fall 2023, the first-year retention gap narrowed from 8.1 percent to 4.2 percent, reflecting the combined impact of redesigned onboarding, peer mentoring, and academic support.

Further, Baruch has no differential outcome gap between its Pell-eligible and non-Pell students: 88 percent of Pell recipients continue their studies and 72 percent graduate within six years-well above the national average.

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