I attended CUNY after I got discharged. I had to attend at night so I could work full time during the day and slock into the city in time for classes. Lots of liberals for sure, but there were a lot of people just trying to get a good education and CUNY was one of most respected business schools. The year was 1969. Today, the entire system is a waste of tokens to get to class.
Actually, some of the CUNYs are still great schools like Baruch. They are a bargain if you are a NY resident—as little as $180/credit.