Faculty Handbook: John Jay College Basics

John Jay College of Criminal Justice is a senior college of the City University of New York (CUNY). Led by President Karol V. Mason, it is an internationally recognized leader in educating for justice. John Jay is a federally-designated Hispanic-serving institution, it is ranked third in the nation in Black student success according to The Education Trust, and it is a top ten institution for promoting student social mobility according to The Equality of Opportunity Project. The John Jay faculty, staff and administration are proud to serve a diverse and dynamic student body of more than 11,000 students that includes approximately fifty percent students who are first in their family to attend college as well as students who are immigrants, from low-income families, or from other historically underrepresented groups.

The College participates in the doctoral programs of the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in traditional criminal justice-related fields and also in a range of disciplines that promote justice across the arts, sciences, humanities, and social sciences. To learn about the history of John Jay, go to John Jay History.  See also About John Jay College.

Vision, Mission, and Values 

Vision 

John Jay College of Criminal Justice is committed to building an equitable society where opportunity and justice are accessible to all. We empower diverse communities through transformative research and advance social mobility by cultivating critical thinkers and principled leaders who champion integrity, challenge injustice, and serve the public good with courage and compassion. We educate fierce advocates for justice. 

Mission 

A premier liberal arts college, John Jay College of Criminal Justice is a diverse and inclusive community seeking justice in its many dimensions. Through distinctive undergraduate and graduate programs, we prepare students for meaningful and rewarding careers and lives of impact in New York City and beyond. As a Minority, Hispanic, and Asian serving institution committed to historically marginalized communities, we educate and empower every graduate to strengthen communities, expand equity, and advance justice.   

Values 

Academic Freedom: We uphold the free exchange of ideas in teaching, research, creative arts, and scholarship without retaliation or censorship. 

Diversity and Belonging: We cultivate and sustain a participatory community that values diverse identities, experiences, and perspectives. 

Equity: We challenge and address biases, systemic injustices, and other barriers to access, inclusion, and success. 

Integrity: We act with honesty, transparency, empathy, and ethical responsibility across our academic and college work. 

Learning and Scholarship: We engage in transformative teaching, learning, creative activity, research, and scholarship that generates and disseminates knowledge.   

Public Service: We commit our expertise and energy to strengthening communities and partnerships that support the public good. 

Respect: We honor the dignity, humanity, and contributions of every member of our community with civility and care in a safe and supportive environment. 

2025-2030 Strategic Plan

John Jay’s 2025-2030 strategic plan will guide our work for the next several years in a manner that reflects our vision, mission and values.  

John Jay is a premier Hispanic- and Minority-Serving Institution with the most diverse student body among CUNY’s senior colleges. Our student body identifies as 44% Hispanic, 21% White, 20% African-American, and 12% Asian, with more than 130 nationalities represented - and 50% of our students are the first in their families to attend college. To learn more, go to Diversity Facts & Figures. (See Fast Facts and Initiatives here.)

Our faculty are well-prepared to work with students from a wide range of backgrounds and are committed to fostering inclusive and supportive learning environments. At the end of the most recent reporting year (2023-2024), the College had 408 full-time faculty members, including 158 (38.7%) total minority faculty, 205 (50.2%) female faculty, and 18 individuals (4.4%) with disabilities. The College is dedicated non-discrimination and equal opportunity, focusing on faculty hiring and retention initiatives and addressing climate-related issues to cultivate and protect an inclusive community that embraces and supports all members (see Initiatives here). Our faculty thrive in our multicultural, collaborative academic environment and are committed to both access and excellence in higher education.

John Jay is a premier Minority-Serving Institution (MSI) and Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). MSI means that John Jay is an institution whose enrollment of underrepresented groups exceeds 50 percent of the total enrollment. An HSI is a degree-granting institution with a full-time undergraduate enrollment that is at least 25 percent Hispanic. John Jay is a member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities (HACU), which promotes a commitment to diversity in higher education, and the Hispanic Education Technology Services consortium (HETS). John Jay College has joined Excelencia in Education as an affiliate school and is pursuing the Seal of Excelencia. (See also Resources for Culturally Responsive, Inclusive and Anti-Racist Teaching in the Teaching, Students and the Classroom section of the Faculty Handbook.)

John Jay’s campus includes several buildings on the west side of midtown Manhattan.  
 

Haaren Hall (HH or T)

Haaren Hall (sometimes referred to as the T-building for Tenth Avenue) is located on the southwest corner of W59th Street and 10th Avenue. It houses the Lloyd Sealy Library, swimming pool, alumni gym, copy center, classrooms, multiple academic Departments, faculty offices, and administrative offices. The latter include Faculty Services, Academic Programs, Student Academic Engagement and Retention, and the offices of the Provost and President. Built between 1903 and 1906, and housing first DeWitt Clinton High School and then Haaren High School, John Jay College moved into the building in 1988. Designed by architect C.B.J. Snyder in the Flemish Renaissance Revival style, this historic building features signature stone owl carvings symbolizing wisdom.
 

New Building (NB)

The newest campus building, the New Building spans W58th and W59th Streets on 11th Avenue. It houses multiple academic Departments, faculty offices, classrooms, the dining halls, Public Safety, our large classrooms and meeting rooms, the Children’s Center, many student services, and other administrative offices. The new building connects to Haaren Hall on the lobby level of each – and through the Jay Walk, a landscaped outdoor campus space above street level (on the 2nd floor). The Jay Walk includes seating outside the dining halls for a pleasant outdoor lunch, grassy areas and large steps to sit and relax, trees and gardens, and open spaces for individuals to gather on a pleasant day.
 

Westport (W)

Located on the southwest corner of W56th Street and 10th Avenue, Westport houses classrooms in the lower floors of the Westport apartment building.
 

BMW Building (BMW)

The BMW building spans W57th and W58th Streets between 10th and 11th Avenues. The building, which houses a BMW dealership, is entered mid-block on either W57th or W58th Street. John Jay has offices on the 6th and 10th floors of this building, including the Office for the Advancement of Research (6th floor), administrative and financial offices (6th and 10th floors), Human Resources (10th floor), as well as some Psychology research labs (6th floor).
 

North Hall (NH)

The oldest of our current buildings, North Hall is on the northeast corner of W59th Street and 10th Avenues. It is no longer actively used by the College but is used by NYC on occasion and is overseen by John Jay's Public Safety Office.