John Mogulescu

In the fall of 1972, as a graduate student in social work, John Mogulescu began a one-year field work assignment at New York City Community College, CUNY. In January 2022, nearly fifty years later, he retired from CUNY, having served concurrently as both Senior University Dean for Academic Affairs at the university’s Central Office and Founding Dean of the CUNY School of Professional Studies (SPS). His tenure at CUNY extended through seven chancellors and five New York City mayors.

After receiving a bachelor’s degree from Brown University in 1968, Mogulescu taught sixth grade for three years in a New York City public school. He then completed a Master of Social Work degree at New York University.

From 1972–1985, as an administrator at New York City Community College (now CUNY’s New York City College of Technology) in its Division of Adult and Continuing Education, Mogulescu oversaw and developed training and education programs for educationally and economically disadvantaged adults.

During his time at CUNY’s Central Office from 1986 to 2020, Mogulescu oversaw the university’s Adult and Continuing Education program, serving over 200,000 adult students annually. He also led the design and implementation of some of CUNY’s most significant program initiatives, his team growing from 10 persons in the mid-1980s to nearly 350 by 2015. They developed the model for the Stella and Charles Guttman Community College, opened in 2012 as the first new CUNY community college in forty years. They also developed and administered the highly successful and acclaimed Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP), now serving 25,000 CUNY students and replicated in seven states.

Among many other programs that John Mogulescu supervised were the CUNY Service Corps, CUNY Start, Collaborative programs with the NYC Public Schools, CUNY Prep, the NYC Early Childhood Professional Development Institute, CUNY’s Workforce Development Initiative, the CUNY Language Immersion Program (CLIP) and the Emmy award winning TV series, “We Are New York.” From 2001–2018, programs he led generated over $1.3 billion in external grants and contracts, almost a quarter of all grants and contract dollars generated by CUNY’s other 24 colleges and schools combined.

CUNY SPS opened under Mogulescu’s leadership in 2003, quickly becoming one of CUNY’s fastest growing institutions. From an initial enrollment of 100 students, by 2021 SPS enrolled over 4,200 degree students and over 35,000 students in non-credit courses and programs. SPS pioneered online degrees at CUNY. In 2021 U.S. News and World Report ranked CUNY SPS 8th in the nation in its list of Best Online Bachelor’s Degree programs out of 357 institutions ranked. At the outset of Covid, SPS trained thousands of faculty members from across CUNY in how to move from in-person to online instruction.

Mogulescu has served as past president of the New York State Continuing Education Association and a member of the New York State Adult Learning Council. He chaired the New York City Police Department Board of Visitors and was a longtime member of the New York City Workforce Development Board.

John Mogulescu holds the title of Dean Emeritus of the CUNY School of Professional Studies. A 2022-2023 Leadership Fellow of the Hecksher Foundation for Children, he lives in Brooklyn.

Praise for the work of John Mogulescu and his team:

“[John Mogulescu] would have been surprised, at age eighteen, to learn he would be heralded as one of America’s most important visionaries in the field of public higher education, his work cited by none less than the president of the United States.” – Cathy Davidson, The New Education

 “John Mogulescu, who heads higher education’s version of a skunkworks at CUNY, has generated a flow of innovations … [CUNY Start and ASAP] led me into the world of student success.” – David Kirp, The College Dropout Scandal

“… A driving force behind many of the signature CUNY programs that are proven to help with student retention, persistence and graduation … much of your thought leadership around mapping the future of higher education based on best practices and innovative programming was the foundation for the creation of our latest CUNY educational jewel in the borough of Manhattan, Guttman Community College … Your work has truly impacted and transformed the lives of thousands of people throughout your career and at each level of heightened responsibility you have delivered a better CUNY for all. The City of New York is truly indebted to you.” – Gale Brewer, former Manhattan Borough President