SEEK in CUNY Archives
CUNY Cultivating Archives and Institutional Memory Project January 2026
A guide to SEEK and College Discovery history in CUNY’s archives.
Guide Overview
SEEK in CUNY Archives is an inclusive research guide to archival materials about the Percy Ellis Sutton Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge (SEEK) program, and College Discovery (CD) program available at CUNY archives. The SEEK Program was established within CUNY in 1965 on the pre-baccalaureate level to integrate Black and Puerto Rican students into the CUNY system and expanded to other senior-level colleges in 1966. The program provides students with academic and financial support, as well as tutoring and counseling services. Currently, the SEEK Program is available at twelve of CUNY’s four-year colleges. College Discovery is a two-year program offered at six of CUNY’s community colleges and provides students with the same opportunities as the SEEK program on an associate degree level.
The purpose of this guide is to provide students and researchers with an overview of all available SEEK and CD collections and materials in the various archives in the CUNY system. Materials about SEEK and College Discovery programs can be found in the records of SEEK and College Discovery offices, as well as in other collections relating to college administration, college publications, Open Admissions, Ephemera Collections, and other special collections. The guide is organized by repository with descriptions about which archival collections contain SEEK and College Discovery materials.
The following CUNY archives are referenced:
This guide was researched and authored by Reign McConnell, Associate Archivist of the CUNY Cultivating Archives and Institutional Memory Project, an initiative administered by CUNY’s Office of Library Services to explore, unify and increase awareness of CUNY’s vast archival collections. Photos, publications, and other historical records found in CUNY archives illustrate CUNY’s relationship to broader social and political currents within New York City and beyond. The guide is one of several projects aimed at increasing awareness of research materials that provide context to people, events, and ideas that have shaped CUNY’s past, present, and future.
CUNY Digital History Archives
SEEK's Fight for Racial and Social Justice (1965-1969)
SEEK’s Fight for Racial and Social Justice is a curated digital collection. It offers a variety of items, including speeches, meeting minutes, and reports from the early years of the SEEK program. The collection also includes several oral history interviews with instructors and students about the SEEK program.
Baruch College Special Collections and Archives
The Baruch College Reports Collection (1939 – 2001)
The Baruch College Reports Collection contains reports and publications produced by both Baruch College and CUNY. The collection includes Annual Reports, CUNY Studies and Reports, CUNY Master Plans, CUNY Student Data Book, Self Study Reports, and other bound reports. Materials relating to SEEK are available within the CUNY Master Plans series, and the CUNY Studies and Reports series.
Materials relating to SEEK within this collection include:
Open Admissions Papers (1969 – 1979)
The Open Admissions Papers contain documents related to the period of Open Admissions at Baruch College and other CUNY schools. The materials include correspondence, memoranda, studies, and reports.
Materials relating to SEEK within this collection include:
Baruch College General Ephemera Collection (1987 – 2018)
The Baruch College General Ephemera Collection contains various flyers, invitations, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, calendars, etc. related to events at Baruch College, a portion of which are SEEK focused.
Brooklyn College Archives and Special Collections
SEEK and College Discovery Programs (1964-2015)
The SEEK and College Discovery Programs Collection contains various materials relating to the SEEK department at Brooklyn College. The collection holds materials relating to SEEK’s administration and structure, Affirmative Action, SEEK events, SEEK-run special programs and summer programs, SEEK Reports and Plans including reports on SEEKs status, and information regarding SEEKs impact on students. The collection also includes SEEK publications, photographs, and ephemera.
City College of New York (CCNY) Libraries Archives & Special Collections
City College of New York Department of Special Programs/SEEK Program Collection
The City College of New York Department of Special Programs/SEEK Program Collection documents the founding and history of the SEEK program at CCNY between the mid-1960s and the late-2010s. The collection holds materials created during the SEEK Program’s life at the Alamac Hotel in 1968, and the centers closing as the program shifted into becoming the Department of Special Programs/SEEK Program at CCNY. The collections contents include administrative correspondence, faculty meeting minutes, guidelines and policies, SEEK events and publications, student produced newsletters, and SEEK publicity documents showcasing the impact and public response to CCNY’s SEEK department across CUNY campus’ and throughout the city.
College of Staten Island (CSI) Library Archives and Special Collections
The College of Staten Island Publications and Reports Collection
The College of Staten Island Publications and Reports Collection is a collection of publications, reports, plans and programs created by, and for, the College of Staten Island. The Campus Publications series includes publications produced by various campus offices, departments, committees and other campus groups. The Programs and Invitations series consists of programs and invitations for recurring college events. The Reports and Plans series consists of accreditation reports, evaluations, governance plans, profiles, long-term plans, program reviews, self-studies, survey results, and task force reports. The Student Publications series includes student publications such as newspapers, literary publications, and yearbooks. Materials related to SEEK can be found in the Reports and Plans series, and the Campus Publications series.
Materials relating to SEEK within this collection include:
New York State Senator John J. Marchi Papers (1958-2002)
The New York State Senator John J. Marchi Papers consists of approximately 65 linear feet of materials pertaining to John J. Marchi's legislative career. The collection is organized into series for Subject Files, Constituent Correspondence, Legislative Files, Media Files, Personal Files, Campaigns, Photographs, and Memorabilia. SEEK related material can be found in the Legislative Files series.
Materials relating to SEEK within this collection include:
Archives of the Puerto Rican Diaspora, Center for Puerto Rican Studies (Centro) at Hunter College
Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños / Center for Puerto Rican Studies Records (1973-1999)
The Center for Puerto Rican Studies Records documents the founding, administration, and programs run by Centro. The records showcase Centro’s role within the Puerto Rican/Latino community, its influence in academic circles and its ongoing commitment to chronicling and interpreting the Puerto Rican experience. The collection contains various documentation relating to Centro’s Administration, Reports, Finances, Proposals, and Programs, and additionally includes photographs and audio-visual media. The SEEK related material is housed within the Subject Files of Director Frank Bonilla.
Materials relating to SEEK within this collection include:
Clemente Soto Vélez and Amanda A. Vélez Papers (1960 - 1994)
The Clemente Soto Vélez and Amanda A. Vélez Papers primarily showcases the life and work of Clemente Soto Vélez, Puerto Rican nationalist, poet, journalist, and activist. There are additional documents pertaining to his wife, Amanda Vélez, and his son, Clemente Soto, Jr. This collection includes personal letters, poetry, manuscripts, biographies, interviews, speeches, and materials about cultural and political organizations. Materials related to SEEK are located within the Subject Files series of this collection.
Materials relating to SEEK within this collection include:
Hunter College Archives and Special Collections
The Academic Skills Department/SEEK Program of Hunter College records (1966-2012)
The Academic Skills Department/SEEK Program of Hunter College records document the establishment and development of the SEEK program at Hunter College. The SEEK program at Hunter College sought to offer students remedial courses, counseling, and financial assistance. The primary goal of the program was to encourage and support non-traditional students to obtain baccalaureate degrees. The Academic Skills Department/SEEK Program of Hunter College records are organized into series pertaining to SEEK administration, SEEK publications, SEEK reports, and miscellaneous SEEK items.
LaGuardiaCommunity College Special Collections and Archives
Academic Affairs (1972, 2007, 2011)
The Academic Affairs collection at LaGuardia Community College Special Collections and Archives contains correspondence, memos, reports and other materials relating to degree granting departments and programs under the Division of Academic Affairs. The collection contains a series dedicated to the College Discovery program, which helped students academically and via a variety of support services including counseling, new student seminars, tutoring, supplemental instruction and financial aid. The College Discovery series holds student information guides and programs, correspondence, documentation of conferences and events, and other documentation focusing on College Discovery’s growth and students' success.
Photograph Collection (1971)
The Institutional Archives contains more than 750 black and white, as well as color photographs. The Faculty and Staff series of photos contains both individual and group photos of college faculty and staff from dates ranging from the early 1970's to the mid-1990's. Within this series of the collection is a sub-series of photos dedicated to College Discovery.
Queens College Special Collections and Archives
The SEEK History Project (Circa late 1960s – 2025)LibGuide: SEEK History Project - SEEK History Project - Research Guides at Queens College, CUNYJSTOR: Queens College Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge (SEEK) Program Collection on JSTOR
Queens College Archives and Special Collections partnered with the Queens College SEEK Program in 2019 in order to initiate The SEEK History Project. The project consists of The Queens College SEEK Records, a digital collection available on JSTOR, and over 20 oral histories conducted by the Queens Memory Project, a local history initiative jointly sponsored by the Queens Public Library and Queens College.
The Queens College SEEK Records showcase the SEEK program at Queens College from its beginnings in the 1960s through the early 21st century. The collection contains various administrative materials such as agendas, meeting minutes, reports, guidelines, and other historical documents. The collection also includes curriculum materials, advocacy documents, publications, photographs, audiovisual material, biographical files, and ephemera.