Meyer, Gerald, 1940-....

Gerald Meyer was crucial figure in shaping the first three decades of Hostos Community College. Meyer was born in New Jersey in1940. He studied history at Rutgers University where he formed the Liberal Club which supported civil rights and liberties. In 1968 he completed his masters degree in Eastern European History at City College where he again was involved in political activism. In 1969 he entered the history PhD program at CUNY Graduate Center and in 1972, Meyer joined the faculty at Hostos Community College where he continued his efforts for civil rights as a member of the Faculty Senate, the PSC and as a leader in numerous initiatives that coalesced faculty, staff and students to advocate for civil rights and for the needs of the college. One of his most significant contributions was involvement in the five year long Save Hostos Movements that took place in the 1970s when the colleges future was in jeopardy due to lack of facilities and was threatened by almost certain closure due to CUNYs fiscal crisis. Meyer completed his Ph.D. in 1984. He retired from Hostos in 2001, where he still teaches as an adjunct and is active in the life of the college.