City University of New York (CUNY)
City University of New York (CUNY)ISTOCK

With Jewish students facing a steep rise in antisemitism on many college campuses, Hillel International announced it is expanding its Campus Climate Initiative (CCI).

CCI is a comprehensive program that fosters a campus climate in which Jewish students feel comfortable expressing their identity free of antisemitism and harassment.

CCI, now in its third year, has added 12 new campuses, along with five campuses expanding their participation, for a total of 40 campuses across the United States.

The diverse institutions joining the latest cohort include both rural and urban communities, large research universities and liberal arts colleges, and Jewish communities large and small.

“CCI’s program is intentionally integrated into the institution’s broader diversity, equity and inclusion commitments to foster a positive campus climate for all students,” Hillel explained. “The program provides campuses the tools to assess their current campus climate, learn best practices and policies, and develop action plans to measurably improve.”

“I am so proud of the partnerships we have developed with dozens of colleges and universities who are deeply committed to improving the experiences of Jewish students as part of their DEI commitments for all students,” said Mark Rotenberg, Hillel’s vice president for University Initiatives & Legal Affairs,

“The challenges of antisemitic hate, harassment and marginalization on campus require awareness and commitment to change by university leaders, and the CCI program’s dramatic growth from eight schools to 40 in two years shows that those leaders are out there.”

In order to proactively counter antisemitism before an incident occurs, CCI works with university leaders to accurately understand the atmosphere on their campuses and take specific positive steps that enable Jewish students and all students to thrive.

Participating schools include seven colleges from CUNY.

“CUNY has a rich and storied history of service to Jewish New Yorkers that is an important part of our tradition of openness to groups that have been excluded from higher education,” CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez said. “We have remained vigilant and unequivocal in our intolerance of antisemitism yet we know more needs to be done across the world to end antisemitism in all forms."

"I’m proud of our growing partnership with Hillel International and grateful they selected so many of our campuses for their Campus Climate Initiative, which works to end antisemitism and build safe, learning environments where all students can thrive, regardless of race or religion," Rodriguez added.