Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced an agreement with Amazon for the company to establish a new corporate headquarters in Long Island City, Queens. The transformational project will generate an estimated $27.5 billion in city and state revenue over 25 years and create some 40,000 jobs by 2034, with an average salary of $150,000. The agreement includes commitments to build a 10,000-square-foot onsite employment center to connect New Yorkers with jobs and training, and CUNY students stand to benefit from this welcome pathway to tech careers.

CUNY Board of Trustees Chairperson William C. Thompson Jr. said: “The City University of New York is thrilled to be a lead partner in Amazon’s exciting headquarters expansion, which promises to have a transformative impact on New York City’s economy and our collective ability to spur employment opportunities and growth. CUNY is America’s largest urban university system, and we will commit our considerable college assets to ensure that Amazon has a strong pipeline for talent, ideas and innovation.”

CUNY Interim Chancellor Vita C. Rabinowitz said: “CUNY stands ready to work with Amazon and our partners in government to provide skilled graduates ready to compete for Amazon’s 40,000 new jobs. We look forward to contributing the talent and creativity of our faculty, staff and students to shape a wide-ranging collaboration over the years.”

The City University of New York is the nation’s leading urban public university. Founded in 1847, CUNY counts 13 Nobel Prize and 24 MacArthur (“Genius”) grant winners among its alumni. CUNY students, alumni and faculty have garnered scores of other prestigious honors over the years in recognition of historic contributions to the advancement of the sciences, business, the arts and myriad other fields. The University comprises 25 institutions: 11 senior colleges, seven community colleges, William E. Macaulay Honors College at CUNY, CUNY Graduate Center, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, CUNY School of Law, CUNY School of Professional Studies and CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy. The University serves more than 275,000 degree-seeking students. CUNY offers online baccalaureate and master’s degrees through the School of Professional Studies.

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