Felix Matos Rodriguez to remain CUNY chancellor despite anti-Israel violence
The controversial chancellor of CUNY will continue to run the largest public urban university in the US — despite criticism over anti-Israel protests that have plagued its campuses, including Brooklyn College, The Post has learned.
CUNY's Board of Trustees recently conducted a job performance review of Felix Matos Rodriguez, who nabbed the gig in 2019, and gave him a thumbs up to continue overseeing 25 campuses and institutions, including 11 senior colleges, 7 community colleges, and 7 graduate, honors, and professional schools, sources said.
'He's staying,' CUNY Board chairman Bill Thompson told The Post.
Advertisement
Another CUNY official, referring to Matos Rodrugez's nickname, said, 'Felo has considerable support on the board. He's not going anywhere.'
Sources said Matos Rodriguez received high marks for steering CUNY through the COVID-19 pandemic that preceded the heated Gaza-related campus demonstrations.
3 CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos Rodríguez will stay on to run the school.
NYC.gov
Advertisement
The latest protest at Brooklyn College last Thursday saw anti-Israel student agitators brawl with cops after they set up a tent encampment — with one officer being forced to fire a Taser to subdue a violent protester.
At least 14 people were taken into custody during the melee, the NYPD said.
A bipartisan group of nine New York City and state lawmakers condemned the chancellor in a scathing letter following the violence, demanding that Brooklyn College take swift action.
'It is unacceptable but not surprising that almost two years after October 7th — after an investigation into CUNY and several public hearings — we are still grappling with disruptive and criminal behavior against Jewish students, encampments and masked agitators on campus,' the letter, obtained exclusively by The Post, read.
Advertisement
One of the signees, councilmember Inna Vernikov, went so far as to call on the chancellor to resign if he didn't sort out the chaos.
'There are only two ways to end the pro-terror anarchy that has infested our campuses: for the CUNY Chancellor to either step up or step down,' she told The Post on Sunday.
In another frightening incident, anti-Israel criminals caused at least $3 million in damage and the need for costly extra security at taxpayer-funded City College's campus in Upper Manhattan during a violent protest there last year.
3 Councilwoman Inna Vernikov has been calling out CUNY to crack down on anti-Israel protesters.
Stephen Yang
Advertisement
Matos Rodriguez — the first CUNY chancellor of Hispanic descent, who pulls in $670,000 a year — serves at the pleasure of the board, whose members are appointed by the governor and mayor.
The confirmation of his job status comes after rumors swirled that he was stepping down.
Matos Rodriguez, for his part, said he loves the job and wants to continue heading CUNY 'as long as I can.'
'I'm deeply committed to CUNY. Leading our students, faculty and staff is the honor of a
lifetime, and I will continue to serve our incredible community for as long as I can,' Matos Rodriguez said in a statement to The Post.
On Sunday, he also attended a Mother's Day celebration at Queens College to celebrate families of children with autism, and stayed for two hours, sources said — bucking any signs he was packing it in.
3 A series of anti-Israel protests have broken out on the campus as of late.
Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/Shutterstock
Meanwhile, in a reply to the letter from the lawmakers, Matos Rodriguez defended his response to the Brooklyn College protests.
'That is why on May 8, when protestors violated CUNY policies, Brooklyn College President Michelle Anderson followed our protocol and requested NYPD assistance on campus,' he said.
Advertisement
He also addressed what he called 'inaccuracies' in the lawmakers' letter.
Brooklyn College closed the campus library only as a precautionary measure because the protest was nearby, he insisted — and final exams were not in session during the melee.
He also vowed that the college is investigating the actions and conduct of all CUNY faculty, staff or students who may have violated CUNY policies or the law.
Brooklyn College and CUNY have also provided additional security for the Jewish student group Hillel, the chancellor added.
Advertisement
'We will continue to fight antisemitism anywhere we find it and to ensure that campuses across CUNY are safe, welcoming, and secure for all students,' he said.
Still, reports of campus antisemitism are of such concern that Gov. Hochul ordered a review of Jew hatred at CUNY campuses in 2023.
The analysis — released last September and overseen by former state chief judge Jonathan Lippman –concluded that CUNY needed a top-to-bottom overhaul to combat 'alarming'' antisemitism fanned by its own faculty and do-nothing higher-ups.
Advertisement
A native of Puerto Rico, Matos Rodriguez previously headed CUNY's Queens College and Hostos Community College, and had served as cabinet secretary for Puerto Rico's Department of Family Services.
Matos Rodriguez is set to testify before the City Council on Thursday regarding the municipal budget for higher education.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
20 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Thousands of demonstrators march through Rome to call for an immediate end to the war in Gaza
ROME — Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets of Rome on Saturday against the war in Gaza in a protest called by Italy's main opposition parties, who accuse the right-wing government of being too silent. Protesters held a banner reading 'Stop the massacre, stop complicity!' at the start of the march, which moved peacefully through the center of Rome amid a massive display of rainbow, Palestinian and political party flags.
New York Post
22 minutes ago
- New York Post
Ex-NY Young Republicans leader Gavin Wax gets nod for FCC spot
WASHINGTON — The former leader of New York's Young Republicans was endorsed Saturday by an outgoing member of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to fill his vacancy. FCC commissioner Nathan Simington told The Post in a phone interview Saturday that Gavin Wax, 31, 'would be a great' replacement and had been hearing 'buzz' about a potential nomination from President Trump. 'I don't want to get ahead of the president,' said Simington, who has served at the FCC since the Senate confirmed him as Trump's pick in December 2020, before adding: 'Trump has been very smart and creative with his picks in general. And he seems willing to look outside of, I guess, the establishment … or Beltway insiders.' 4 FCC commissioner Nathan Simington told The Post in a phone interview Saturday that Gavin Wax, 31, 'would be a great' replacement and had been hearing 'buzz' about a potential nomination from President Trump. AP Simington, who previously served as an associate at law firms like Mayer Brown as well as in a senior advisory role at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, is departing the FCC after his term expired last year and he stayed on in the intervening months as a holdover. Wax is currently serving under the Republican appointee as chief of staff and senior adviser at the FCC. If confirmed, he would be the youngest-ever FCC commissioner since 1945, when Democrat Charles Denny was confirmed at age 32. 'I came in as someone whose experience was primarily on the international trading side of wireless finance, and so I've been reading a lot of telecom reg[ulations],' he explained. 'Gavin and I have collaborated on a lot of writing, and I think the common thread of tying it together is a desire to take a fresh look at telecom.' 4 Simington is departing the FCC after his term expired last year and he stayed on in the intervening months as a holdover. AP 'Gavin has spent a lot of effort with me thinking through questions of 5G industrialization. … I would expect [him] to focus on what it means to get smart manufacturing up and running at high scale in the United States,' he added. The two co-authored an op-ed in the conservative Daily Caller last month calling for 'DOGE-style' reforms at the FCC to do away with 'outdated practices that burden consumers, broadcasters, and taxpayers alike.' Established as part of the Communications Act of 1934, the five-member FCC regulates TV, radio, internet, satellite and cable industries, approves licensing and auctions off the use of spectrum for services like 5G. 4 'I don't want to get ahead of the president,' said Simington. 'And he seems willing to look outside of, I guess, the establishment … or Beltway insiders.' AFP via Getty Images As for his work chairing the Young Republicans, Simington noted: 'The commission is an organization of 1,600 people. … I have to say when I got Gavin's resume, the line items about the sizes of the events that he had organized and put on … my response was, this guy can clearly do things that I would find very challenging.' Wax hosted the group's annual holiday gala in previous years. Trump was the keynote speaker for the event in 2023. The FCC currently has two Republican commissioners including Simington and two Democratic commissioners. 4 Wax hosted the group's annual holiday gala in previous years. Trump was the keynote speaker for the event in 2023. Kevin C. Downs Democratic Commissioner Geoffrey Starks announced that he was stepping down Friday, leaving another vacancy. Olivia Trusty was previously nominated as the third Republican to serve on the panel of commissioners and is in the process of being confirmed by the Senate. Chairman Brendan Carr, a Republican, has led a series of reforms at the agency since Trump returned to the White House, including targeting diversity practices at Verizon and hinting at broader changes to so-called 'Section 230' protections for big tech companies. The latter has been the subject of furious debate by Republicans due to the liability shield it provides the platforms, even as some Facebook admitted to taking advantage of the tool to censor Americans' views online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Neither the White House nor Wax immediately responded to requests for comment.
New York Post
22 minutes ago
- New York Post
Andrew Cuomo refuses to condemn Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie for killing bipartisan bill commemorating Oct. 7 attack on Israel
Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo refused to condemn state Assembly Speaker and longtime ally Carl Heastie for torpedoing a bipartisan bill that would have commemorated Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack on the Jewish state. Cuomo, the frontrunner heading into the June 24 NYC Democratic mayoral primary, told The Post Saturday he was unaware of the bill or that the Bronx pol went to extraordinary lengths to ensure it didn't reach the Assembly floor for a vote. 'I don't know how it happened, but I have no doubt that the Democrats in the Legislature would all honor the memory of Oct. 7 and stand in unity in honoring Oct. 7,' he insisted after leaving the Attneu Synagogue on the Upper East Side, where he addressed members of its congregation. 4 Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo insisted Saturday he's an avid Israel supporter — but refused to condemn state Assembly Speaker and longtime ally Carl Heastie for torpedoing a bipartisan bill that would have commemorated Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack on the Jewish state. William Farrington Although Cuomo wasn't willing to attack Heastie, he quickly jabbed Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani — a socialist who has been polling second only to the former governor in the Democratic mayoral primary race. 'The Democratic Party is 100% in support of the Jewish community, and I'm sure would stand in solidarity in condemning Oct. 7,' he said. 'Democratic socialists, Zohran Mamdani, that's a different story.' 4 Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) went to extraordinary lengths Friday to ensure it didn't reach the Assembly floor for a vote – such as stacking a committee with Democratic allies who'd vote to scuttle it, sources said. Hans Pennink 'The outlier is Zoran Mamdani and the Democratic socialists who said they won't visit Israel, who said they don't acknowledge Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, but he does not represent the majority of Democrats in the city,' said Cuomo. Cuomo personally '100% support[s]' commemorating Oct. 7, he said. The bill, sponsored in February by Brooklyn Republican Assemblyman Lester Chang, would enshrine Oct. 7 alongside other days of commemoration in the Empire State, such as 'Rosa Parks Day' and 'Susan B. Anthony Day.' 4 Smoke rises from Israel after Hamas terrorists infiltrated areas of southern Israel, as seen from Gaza, October 7, 2023. REUTERS 4 Socialist Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani — who is a staunch Israel critic — is polling second only behind Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary. Daniel Efram/ZUMA / Sources told The Post Friday they believe Heastie, the most powerful Democrat in the Assembly, likely didn't want a bill with a Republican as its primary sponsor to reach the floor for a vote, even though 13 Democrats have already signed on as co-sponsors. Chang said he'd let a Democrat take over as the bill's sponsor if it meant the measure would pass.
