BMCC To Launch New Globalization Program

In Fall 2015, Borough of Manhattan Community College (CUNY/BMCC) will launch a new program, Cultivating Global Competencies in a Diverse World, that will enhance BMCC Humanities courses by incorporating global competencies. The program is supported through a $100,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The program, carried out in partnership with New York University, is part of BMCC’s focus on global engagement and economic development efforts.

During his March 17 State of the College address, BMCC President Antonio Peréz stressed that in a global 21^st-century economy and environment, students must be prepared to interact with cultures different from their own.

“One of the missions of the college, an institutional priority, is to globalize the curriculum and prepare students to comfortably inhabit and achieve success in an increasingly globalized world,” said Social Sciences and Human Services Professor Alex d’Erizans,who is co-directing the program with Speech, Communications & Theatre Arts Professor Vincent (Tzu-Wen) Cheng.

The Fall 2015 cohort of humanities faculty will participate in a year-long interdisciplinary program including monthly and bi-monthly workshops that focus on global competencies and include visits from NYU scholars.

After completing the workshops, faculty will revise their Spring 2016 curricula to integrate at least three assignments or activities cultivating two or more of the global competencies. The competencies include; cultural understanding; responsible global citizenship; effective intercultural communication; and integrated reasoning.

Professor d’Erizans hopes the program will enable BMCC graduates to communicate more effectively with diverse audiences, using verbal and nonverbal channels. He also hopes they will be better able to integrate discipline-based knowledge into decisions that reflect humane social, ethical and aesthetic values.

“This program gives faculty and students a way to grapple with some of the issues raised by a global society in a variety of fields, rather than using a simplistic, pro-globalization approach,” said d’Erizans.

About BMCC:

Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) is part of the City University of New York (CUNY) and enrolls over 27,000 degree-seeking and 11,000 Continuing Education students a year, awarding associate degrees in 33 fields. BMCC ranks #4 among community colleges nationwide in granting associate degrees to minority students, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education.Visit: /.