Making Way for Funding

Greetings from the famous Algonquin Hotel in New York City! If you are familiar with the hotel’s history, you know that this is the site of the famous Algonquin Round Table where Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley and Robert E. Sherwood lunched. The hotel was located near Vanity Fair where they all worked. Their gatherings grew in number and included Edna Ferber, George S. Kaufman and others. In fact legendary editor Harold Ross secured funding for The New Yorker magazine at the Algonquin. Even John F. Kennedy was quoted as saying, "When I was growing up, I had three wishes. I wanted to be a Lindbergh-type hero, learn Chinese and become a member of the Algonquin Round Table."

I am here for Converge's fourth roundtable to discuss the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for education. It has been an interesting experience learning how state leaders, and K-12 and higher education executives are working to make plans for a historic infusion of funding.

A round of applause to Mr. Burton Sacks and the working group of vice chancellors and senior staff at CUNY who developed a stimulus funding opportunities Web site.

CUNY is on the move to develop multi-campus proposals for workforce development; broadband technology; building, renovations and systems upgrades to campus facilities; and alternative energy sources.