Center for Worker Education Library

History of the Center for Worker Education 1981 - Present

The Center for Worker Education (CWE) at City College Downtown was established in 1981 by City College  in collaboration with organized labor.

Center for Worker Education: Timeline

1981: CLAS approval/program @14 St. & Federal Plaza

1984: External & Internal Review/CLAS program approval

1985: ECE Program approved/half of program moved to 99 Hudson St.

1991: 10th Year in operation

1995: 6th floor added at 99 Hudson/all classes moved there

1997: Proposal to increase enrollment to 1000 Students

2001: 20th Year in operation

2003: NCATE review of ECE

2005: New Faculty Hires/City Council Funding/Division Status/External Review

2006: 25th Year Anniversary

2007: Move to Cunard Building, 25 Broadway, Floor 7, New York, NY 10004

2008: Full time librarian appointed

2009: Renamed the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies at the Center for Worker Education

2014: MA program launched

2021: 40th year in operation

Center for Worker Education: Founding Members

UNION

Barry Feinstein
President, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 237

Fred Caravan
Assistant Director, Leadership Program, NE Region, U.S. Office of Personnel Management

Joe McDermott
Education Director, Teamsters, Local 237

Barbara Omolade
Educator, Teamsters Local 237 and Empire State College

Daniel Parker
Director, Leadership Program, NE Region, U.S. Office of Personnel Management

Irwin Polishook
President, Professional Staff Congress, CUNY

THE CITY COLLEGE OF NEW YORK (CCNY)

Michael Arons
Professor of Physics

Marshall Berman
Professor of Political Science

Alice Chandler
Acting President (1978-1979)

Stanley Friedlander
Professor of Economics

Stephen Leberstein
Assistant to the Provost & Director, Program for Public Employees at 26 Federal Plaza

Ed Quinn
Professor of English

Morris Silberberg
Provost

Arthur Tiedemann
Acting President (1980-1981)

Irwin Yellowitz
Professor of History

City University of New York (CUNY)

Paul Le Clerc
Dean of Academic Affairs

David Robinson
Member, Board of Trustees

Joseph Murphy
Chancellor

Center for Worker Education: Deans and Directors

Irwin Yellowitz
History, Director 1981-1982

Stephen Leberstein
Executive Director, 1981- 2002

Ed Quinn
English, Director, 1982-1983

Leonard Kriegel
English, Director, 1983-1991

Karl Malkoff
English, Associate Dean, 1991-1997

William Herman
English, Associate Dean, 1997-1999

Harriet Alonso
History, Associate Dean, 1999-2002

Dan Lemons
Biochemistry, Associate Dean, 2002-2007

Juan Carlos Mercado
Foreign Languages, Dean, 2007-present