Honor Jeremy Travis’s Leadership

Senate Resolution No. 1276 BY: Senator HOYLMAN COMMENDING Jeremy Travis for over 13 years of leadership, dedication and commitment to excellence as President of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York (CUNY) WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and honor individuals of remarkable integrity and character who devote their lifework to education, contributing to the welfare of institutions and the citizens of their communities, as well as to the quality of education and the vitality of this great Empire State; and WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to commend Jeremy Travis for over 13 years of leadership, dedication and commitment to excellence as President of John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York (CUNY); and WHEREAS, John Jay College has evolved into the preeminent international leader in educating for justice and preparing students to serve the public interest as ethical leaders and engaged citizens; and WHEREAS, Within the CUNY system, John Jay College consists of the most diverse student body and is comprised of the largest veteran population; this is due in part to their significant student services and resources; President Jeremy Travis recently partnered with area corporations to establish the Veterans Corporate Roundtable to support career opportunities for veteran students; and WHEREAS, Attributable to President Jeremy Travis' illustrious guidance, freshmen enrollment has increased by half, full-time faculty has increased by one-third, and external funding for faculty research has tripled; in 2012, John Jay College joined the prestigious Macaulay Honors College of CUNY; and WHEREAS, Currently, John Jay offers 31 undergraduate majors, 15 master's degree programs and houses two nationally-recognized doctoral programs, as well as dual degree programs with the CUNY School of Law; in 2014, John Jay College launched its online program, offering students the opportunity to earn various master's degrees and advanced certificates; and WHEREAS, John Jay College's Pre-Law Institute (PLI) and Program for Research Initiatives in Science and Math (PRISM) were created as part of President Jeremy Travis' vision for supporting student success; PLI helped undergraduates secure more than $13 million a year in scholarship support, enrolling at prestigious law schools around the United States; PRISM was recognized by then-President Barack Obama as a national model of excellence, with a 2011 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Math and Engineering Mentoring; and WHEREAS, The formation of the Office for Advancement of Research helped facilitate support in faculty research and resulted in a dramatic increase in research grants over the last 10 years; in 2016, John Jay College tied for third place among CUNY senior colleges for scholarly productivity, and was ranked seventh nationwide in 10-year research-grant increase by the Chronicle of Higher Education Almanac; and WHEREAS, In 2011, the 625,000-square-foot New Building was constructed and opened, doubling the size of the campus; the New Building created a cohesive instructional environment and integrated college functions into a unified city block, creating an academic city within a city, as a true urban campus; the building also houses a 9-11 Memorial for the 67 John Jay alumni who died as a result of the attack; and WHEREAS, In 2014, John Jay College completed its first capital campaign, raising a significant amount of funds; two years later, it launched its next campaign matching the same amount; and WHEREAS, Under the luminous leadership of Jeremy Travis, John Jay College has been transformed into a senior college in the CUNY system, offering a rigorous undergraduate liberal arts program and an array of cutting-edge professional studies; and WHEREAS, In addition, President Jeremy Travis led the formation of the CUNY Justice Academy, an educational partnership involving John Jay and six CUNY community colleges; recently, he introduced the ACE program to support student success, the first at a CUNY senior college; he also initiated pipeline programs in partnership with the NYPD, DOC, and other public organizations; and WHEREAS, Jeremy Travis was also instrumental in establishing nationally known centers and initiatives at John Jay, including the Prisoner Reentry Institute and the Prison to College Pipeline (P2CP), National Network of Safe Communities, Center for Media, Crime and Justice and more recently, the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution and the Research Network on Misdemeanor Justice; furthermore, he brought the Center for Policing Equity to John Jay College of Criminal Justice and established the Franklin A. Thomas Professorship in Policing Equity; and WHEREAS, In 2005, Jeremy Travis wrote the book titled, But They All Come Back: Facing the Challenges of Prisoner Reentry, with his knowledge and vast experiences on the challenges of mass incarceration and the reintegration of released prisoners into society; and WHEREAS, Moreover, Jeremy Travis co-edited the 2014 National Research Council report "The Growth of Incarceration in the United States: Exploring Causes and Consequences," which found only a slight relationship between incarceration and lower crime rates; he also co-edited Prisoner Reentry and Crime in America in 2005; and WHEREAS, In 2009, Jeremy Travis served as Chair of the Task Force on Transforming Juvenile Justice, recommending significant changes to the state's juvenile justice system; six years later, he testified before the Task Force on 21st Century Policing created by President Obama on the Future of Community Policing panel; the following year, Jeremy Travis was named a member of the United States Partnership on Mobility from Poverty by the Urban Institute; and WHEREAS, For his exceptional work in the criminal justice field, Jeremy Travis has received numerous awards and accolades including the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, August Vollmer Award by the American Society of Criminology , the Gerhard O.W. Mueller Award by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, and the Margaret Mead Award by the International Community Corrections Association; and WHEREAS, President Jeremy Travis has done remarkable work for John Jay College of Criminal Justice, its students, and the broader criminal justice reform community; and WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to commend the efforts of those individuals who work to support our proud tradition of public education by providing their skills and talents to our schools; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to commend Jeremy Travis for over 13 years of leadership, dedication and commitment to excellence as President of John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York (CUNY); and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Jeremy Travis.