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July 23, 2025
The City University of New York (CUNY) has announced its 2025–2026 Black, Race, and Ethnic Studies (BRES) fellows, awarding funding to support research on subjects including whiteness and LGBTQ+ “robot companions.”
The announcement was published on CUNY’s official website on June 24.
A total of 17 doctoral students and 21 faculty members across 10 CUNY campuses were selected for fellowships. Funded research projects explore themes such as “racial trauma,” “environmental migration,” and “health equity in BIPOC communities.” Notable project titles include “Whiteness: Decolonization, De-Assimilation, and Repair” and “The Intersectional Needs of LGBTQ+ Communities for Robot Companions.”
The City University of New York (CUNY) has selected new fellows for its 2025–2026 Black, Race, and Ethnic Studies (BRES) program, awarding funding for research on subjects including whiteness, racial trauma, LGBTQ+ “robot companions,” and pro-Palestinian activism in higher education.
Announced on June 24 via CUNY’s official website, the program granted fellowships to 17 doctoral students and 21 faculty members from 10 CUNY campuses. Projects explore a range of topics such as “environmental migration,” “health equity in BIPOC communities,” and “justice in Palestine.” Titles include “Whiteness: Decolonization, De-Assimilation, and Repair” and “The Intersectional Needs of LGBTQ+ Communities for Robot Companions.” One project, led by a sociology professor, is titled “Whose School? Colleges and the Movement for Justice in Palestine.”
Student fellows receive $4,000, while faculty are awarded $5,000 or a course release to support their research. The BRES Collaboration Hub, funded by CUNY’s Chancellor’s Strategic Investment Initiative, will host the fellows throughout their work.
CUNY officials framed the initiative through a lens of social justice. CUNY Graduate Center President Joshua Brumberg praised the program for advancing conversations around “justice, identity, and inclusion,” while Chief Transformation Officer Rachel Stephenson said the fellows’ research reflects CUNY’s “collective commitment” to embedding race-based scholarship across the institution.
However, the BRES program and other race-related initiatives at CUNY have drawn national scrutiny. BRES faculty director and sociology professor Van Tran acknowledged that race-centered academic work “has faced increasing attacks and scrutiny across the nation.”
Recent controversies have also drawn attention to CUNY’s political climate. In June, longtime CUNY official Arthur Cheliotes resigned after sharing a post online alleging that Israel paid Hamas to carry out the October 7 massacre—claims widely condemned as antisemitic. CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez distanced the administration from Cheliotes, stating, “He needs to step down immediately.”