BMCC’s New Student Assembly program, held on Tuesday, August 4th, at Theatre 1, drew in so many prospective students that Theatre 2 and the cafeteria had to be opened in order to accommodate the large, excited group.
Theatre 1—complete with brand-new seats and lighting!—was filled with students from all five boroughs who were eager to enroll at BMCC and further their education.
Volunteers and ushers distributed information packets to prospective BMCC students, who filled out information cards with their name and intended area of study.
Even the school’s mascot—the “Panther”—wanted in on the Assembly. He made a guest appearance by waving to BMCC’s future students while walking around the auditorium.
Vice President Craig calls “BMCC the premiere community college”
Vice President of Student Affairs, Marva Craig, addressed the audience by asking everyone to cheer when their borough was mentioned. She joked that the five students in the crowd from Staten Island made the best “noise” they could, but that no one could cheer louder than students from Brooklyn.
Craig called BMCC, “the premiere urban community college,” and let the incoming class in on a little secret—this is the first year in BMCC’s history that admissions had to close early and stop accepting applications for fall 2009 because there were so many. “All of you applied before June 23rd,” she said. “You are a very special class. And because you are a special class, we expect a lot from you.”
Faculty members “care about their students”
Before BMCC President Antonio Pérez addressed the audience, students were shown a slideshow of Pérez in-action around campus—shaking hands, reading to young children and even sharing a laugh with U.S. President Barack Obama.
“It’s always a pleasure to welcome new students,” he said. “The faculty we have here is as good or better than any other school. This is a college that cares about its students.”
Pérez then reminded students that what makes BMCC so unique is that the school stayed strong—and was cohesive–during 9/11 and the dark days that followed. The crowd cheered when he mentioned that Fiterman Hall was currently being rebuilt to better accommodate student needs.
Dean of Academic Affairs Erwin Wong excited the audience by telling them, “When you complete your degree, we promise you’ll get a well-rounded education both inside and outside the classroom.”
Weatherman ‘Mr. G’ greets audience
Irv Gikovsky was this year’s Assembly keynote speaker. Known as weatherman, ‘Mr. G,” Gikovsky has been delivering forecasts on New York television for almost 30 years. He joined as The CW11 News at Ten as the weekday weatherman in September 1993 and has since won four Emmy Awards and an Edward R. Murrow Award. Additionally, ‘Mr. G’ can currently be heard delivering the weather weekdays on CBS FM. A staunch supporter of education, to date, he has visited over 500 schools.
Mr. G told the audience that he worked hard all his life—against all odds, which included a childhood physical ailment—to get where he is today.
He reminded students that they must love what they do. “Passion—remember that word. I’ve had the same schedule for 30 years. For some, it’s tough. For me, it’s passion,” he said.
He also told students that they should never give up. “As a child, I wore braces on my feet,” he said. “Today, I run marathons.”
Mr. G called this year’s incoming class of BMCC freshman, ‘a special group.’ “You come from different countries and boroughs with great family values. Discover your talents. You’ll be just fine,” he said.
International students also attracted to BMCC
Students from BMCC come from more than 110 countries, and speak more than 100 languages. Most of them find out about BMCC on their own, via the internet or word-of-mouth. Orientation for International Students will be held at BMCC the week of August 10th.
