Founded in 2012, the Mexican Studies Institute of CUNY is the first academic institute east of the Mississippi River specifically devoted to Mexican and Mexican-American studies. It is the culmination of nearly a decade of work by faculty, administrators, staff, and students to boost enrollment of Mexican and Mexican-American students in CUNY; support equity by promoting academic achievement, improving outcome and career success; foster research with and about Mexico and Mexicans in the US, especially in New York; and collaborate with community based and public institutions to support and empower the Mexican community, especially through education. CUNY MSI is a CUNY-wide institute housed at Lehman College in the Bronx. The Mexican Studies Institute also organizes lectures, conferences, symposia, film series, workshops, and exhibitions that are open to the public. In this short period of time, the institute has become the first space especially devoted as a resource for the coming together of CBOs for the promotion of cultural, educational, and social programming for the larger Mexican community and all interested in knowing more about the contributions of one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in New York City and the country in general. In collaboration with CUNY Dominican Studies Institute and El Centro for Puerto Rican Studies, we have been able to establish the Annual Summit on Latinos “SOL NYC”. The daylong search conference seeks to gather together academics, elected officials, and members of unions and community-based organizations seeking to identify current adverse conditions affecting Latinos in New York City. In January 2018, CUNY MSI, through Lehman College, signed an agreement with eight of Mexico’s top public universities to strengthen cooperation. It is expected that these agreements will lead to student and faculty exchange opportunities as well as bilateral research projects.