CUNY Definition?

This might sound stupid, but what does CUNY stand for? I'm looking at colleges now, and this term keeps popping up. All help appreciated.

CUNY actually stands for the City University of New York. It's a public university system in New York City, and it's one of the largest urban university systems in the U.S. What makes CUNY special is that it consists of 26 distinct institutions: 11 senior colleges, 7 community colleges, one undergraduate honors college, plus 7 postgraduate institutions.

Each CUNY college offers unique programs and contributes to the diversity and strength of the entire CUNY system. Just to give you an example, Baruch College, part of CUNY, is known for its business programs, while the City College of New York (CCNY), another part of CUNY, is known for its engineering and architecture programs.

Also, interestingly, CUNY's historical roots trace all the way back to 1847, when it started as the Free Academy, the nation’s first institution of public higher learning. It was created with the goal of providing higher education accessible to students regardless of background or means.

I hope this clears things up for you! Don't hesitate to ask if you have more questions about university-related initials or acronyms. They can definitely be confusing at times!