How the new Community College 7 will be "different": September 18, 1968 Letter from Al Vann to Frederick Burkhardt
Item
Ya
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2h
so oe dick
ee PLACE / Boom 602 a BROOKLYN, N.Y. 11217.
Mr. A. Vann, Chairman.
Mr. J. Pannigan, Vice Chairman
Judge T. Jones
Mrs. -E. Sease
Mr. R. Carson ti
Prof. H. Patterson, Alternate ©
Mr. Isaure Santiago, Alternate
September abe Miileic.s
Dr. Frederick H. Burkhardt i
Chairman, Committee to Seek Presidents for
Comnunity ce eee Seven and Eight
Board of Higher Education Bol
535 East 80th Street me .
New York, New York 10021
Dear Dr, Burkhardt
Miss Isaura Santiago, formerly an alternate to the Negotiating Team,
was chosen by the Bedford~Stuyvesant Coalition, at its September leth
meeting, to serve as a bonafide member of the Negotiating Team.
Without question this act was motivated by Miss Santiago's capacity
ioe a == TO work hard; her ability to provide ieadership, the competence she
personifies in representing the Puerto Rican community, and in her
contributions to our total effort. :
We continue, however, to uphold an earlier agreement allowing for
five (5) representatives of the community to serve on the Presidential
Search Committee. If an issue should arise requiring a vote, only five
of our members would be entitled to vote, one of whom would be
Miss Santiago.
: ate ane aye bl-sPeace and Unity! ..
ALBERT VANN
- Chairman
AViag
ec: Mr. Porter oh Chandler : si les i
Dr. James Oscar Lee ie a
Mr. Luis oie roCniesa
.Prof. Arleigh B. Williamson
Chancellor Albert H. Bowker
Miss Isaura Santiago
Consultant
or conecre
A.
AB.
Fe
SeSeS 2 Laat wee tee De Ske,
Frederic
s would
rv ideas 5
k H. Burkhardt
explore and then provide
regarding:
Governing Boards
composition, powers,
Curriculum
1
- Baccala
Reme
First year basic program
- <Elements for Liberal Arts core
ooo ey Pctoneas program
eate programs
dial Program
- Course content
~ Apart from course content
Admission Policy
~ Rationale
- Justification
Site
for ve coe on guidelines
-
un
®
rel
ey)
cr
a)
e)
mR
YP
~”
=e
PP
n
Ne
fe)
=
0g
fe)
Pa
Dd
oa
MH
3
ie)
D
uu
we
i)
Gr
io)
°
location, acquisition, prepara Bt ion
ae Baucation Program
pees Moo
peta el Lae cet ece eee ett ee oer Cash anon Seng pee
The above cree constitute some of the areas where the thinking of
Coalition members will be complemented and eee developed by people
of our own choosing.
In the interim, members of the Negotiating Team have met and consulted
with Dr. Roger D. Russell.
valuable
mechanism for payment.
time
Obviously he should be
I shall contact you by phone to be
I envisage using a team of
compensated for his
advised about the
consultants
eee and other individuals as needed.
Thank you for your neppont understanding a oe
AViag °
Cet)
Dr,
Prof. Arleigh B.
Chancellor Albert H.
Negotiating Team
Mr. Porter R. Chandler
James Oscar Lee
Mr. Luis Quero Chiesa
Williamson
Bowker
cooperation,
Peace and Unity!
ALBERT VANN
Chairman
{ . Or i}
a” te oe)
2h
so oe dick
ee PLACE / Boom 602 a BROOKLYN, N.Y. 11217.
Mr. A. Vann, Chairman.
Mr. J. Pannigan, Vice Chairman
Judge T. Jones
Mrs. -E. Sease
Mr. R. Carson ti
Prof. H. Patterson, Alternate ©
Mr. Isaure Santiago, Alternate
September abe Miileic.s
Dr. Frederick H. Burkhardt i
Chairman, Committee to Seek Presidents for
Comnunity ce eee Seven and Eight
Board of Higher Education Bol
535 East 80th Street me .
New York, New York 10021
Dear Dr, Burkhardt
Miss Isaura Santiago, formerly an alternate to the Negotiating Team,
was chosen by the Bedford~Stuyvesant Coalition, at its September leth
meeting, to serve as a bonafide member of the Negotiating Team.
Without question this act was motivated by Miss Santiago's capacity
ioe a == TO work hard; her ability to provide ieadership, the competence she
personifies in representing the Puerto Rican community, and in her
contributions to our total effort. :
We continue, however, to uphold an earlier agreement allowing for
five (5) representatives of the community to serve on the Presidential
Search Committee. If an issue should arise requiring a vote, only five
of our members would be entitled to vote, one of whom would be
Miss Santiago.
: ate ane aye bl-sPeace and Unity! ..
ALBERT VANN
- Chairman
AViag
ec: Mr. Porter oh Chandler : si les i
Dr. James Oscar Lee ie a
Mr. Luis oie roCniesa
.Prof. Arleigh B. Williamson
Chancellor Albert H. Bowker
Miss Isaura Santiago
Consultant
or conecre
A.
AB.
Fe
SeSeS 2 Laat wee tee De Ske,
Frederic
s would
rv ideas 5
k H. Burkhardt
explore and then provide
regarding:
Governing Boards
composition, powers,
Curriculum
1
- Baccala
Reme
First year basic program
- <Elements for Liberal Arts core
ooo ey Pctoneas program
eate programs
dial Program
- Course content
~ Apart from course content
Admission Policy
~ Rationale
- Justification
Site
for ve coe on guidelines
-
un
®
rel
ey)
cr
a)
e)
mR
YP
~”
=e
PP
n
Ne
fe)
=
0g
fe)
Pa
Dd
oa
MH
3
ie)
D
uu
we
i)
Gr
io)
°
location, acquisition, prepara Bt ion
ae Baucation Program
pees Moo
peta el Lae cet ece eee ett ee oer Cash anon Seng pee
The above cree constitute some of the areas where the thinking of
Coalition members will be complemented and eee developed by people
of our own choosing.
In the interim, members of the Negotiating Team have met and consulted
with Dr. Roger D. Russell.
valuable
mechanism for payment.
time
Obviously he should be
I shall contact you by phone to be
I envisage using a team of
compensated for his
advised about the
consultants
eee and other individuals as needed.
Thank you for your neppont understanding a oe
AViag °
Cet)
Dr,
Prof. Arleigh B.
Chancellor Albert H.
Negotiating Team
Mr. Porter R. Chandler
James Oscar Lee
Mr. Luis Quero Chiesa
Williamson
Bowker
cooperation,
Peace and Unity!
ALBERT VANN
Chairman
Title
How the new Community College 7 will be "different": September 18, 1968 Letter from Al Vann to Frederick Burkhardt
Description
On September 18, 1968, Al Vann, Chairman of the Negotiation Team and Steering Committee of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Coalition on Educational Needs and Services (B-SCENS), wrote to Frederick Burkhardt, Chairman of the New York City Board of Higher Education, to describe the Bedford-Stuyvesant community’s vision for the way a new public college planned for Central Brooklyn should be “different.” In this letter, Vann wrote to Burkhardt, who served as chairman of the Committee to Seek Presidents for Colleges VII and VIII (a committee on which Vann also served as a member), emphasizing that the “difference we seek will be profound, and will be measured by the relevancy the college will have to our community and how well we meet some of our community’s needs.” Vann's letter also detailed important aspects of the community’s proposed role in making plans and decisions for the proposed college.
In February 1968, the City University of New York (CUNY) announced plans to establish a new “Community College 7 in or near Bedford-Stuyvesant. . . oriented to the Bedford-Stuyvesant Community and operated in consultation with the community.” Representatives of a broad network of Central Brooklyn community organizations engaged in an 18 months-long negotiation with CUNY Board of Higher Education officials over CUNY’s plans for its newly announced “Community College 7,” including discussions about the proposed school’s curriculum, who would lead it, and what role the community would play in the school’s governance. The role of the Bedford-Stuyvesant community in planning and determining the leadership of the college remained a central point of controversy between Central Brooklyn’s educational and civil society leaders and CUNY officials in the negotiations that followed.
Contributor
Woodsworth, Michael
Creator
Vann, Albert
Date
September 18, 1968
Language
English
Source
Donald Watkins Collection (Brooklyn Public Library)
Original Format
Correspondence
Vann, Albert. Letter. “How the New Community College 7 Will Be ‘different’: September 18, 1968 Letter from Al Vann to Frederick Burkhardt.”, CUNY DIGITAL HISTORY ARCHIVE, accessed March 10, 2026, https://stephenz.tailc22a4b.ts.net/s/cdha/item/2018