John Jay College boasts more than 50 years of providing a high quality education, particularly for students who could not otherwise afford to attend college. This enviable track record, touted by College officials as the “John Jay Value,” is the focus of a new campaign to tell the John Jay story in memorable ways to prospective students and their families, friends and supporters, legislators and elected officials, and the broader community.

The campaign was formally unveiled in January as students and faculty returned to the campus for the spring semester. At its heart is a glossy booklet that describes in vivid, full-color terms some of the key facts about John Jay, from access and diversity to affordability and academic excellence, from student success to institutional impact.

The John Jay Value campaign, which accompanies and supports the CUNY Value initiative, highlights compelling facts, figures, charts, images and videos that combine to make a powerful case for the value of a John Jay education for its students and alumni. The dual initiatives were launched as the New York State Legislature began gearing up for deliberations on Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s budget proposals for CUNY and a new five-year program of predictable tuition increases.

The John Jay Value booklet presents a wide variety of compelling facts about the College:

• The student body represents more than 130 nationalities, and more than 90 percent of the New York’s Assembly and State Senate districts;
• The school consistently ranks in the top 10 of important college-ranking lists;
• The John Jay tuition is considerably lower than other institutions, and only 20 percent of students borrow money to attend college, allowing the vast majority to graduate debt-free;
• John Jay faculty are award-winning scholars who annually receive millions of dollars in grant funding;
• Students go on to top-tier graduate and professional schools, and competitive internships and fellowships;
• John Jay alumni can be found in leadership roles in the public, private and nonprofit sectors nationwide and worldwide.

The John Jay Value campaign will include both print and digital materials, and will be shared in a variety of communication channels, including the College website, social media and email. President Jeremy Travis called on all members of the College community to use the information in the John Jay Value publication in conversations and engagement with legislators and civic leaders. “Together, we can make a difference at this critical time,” he said.