Rosenfield Family Honored in Naming Ceremony

On Monday, May 20, a lobby-naming ceremony and reception were held to honor a landmark gift of $1 million for the BMCC Out in Two program, from the Herbert and Audrey Rosenfield Fund. The event also honored the Rosenfield family, important contributors to the growth and cultural vibrancy of lower Manhattan, and long-term supporters of successful scholarship programs and initiatives at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY).

Before signage commemorating The Herbert and Audrey Rosenfield Lobby was revealed, speakers included Tom and Patricia Rosenfield, who along with their brother Nelson continue to keep their parents’ legacy alive.

The lobby is located on the first floor of the Miles and Shirley Fiterman Hall, and Patricia Rosenfield opened her remarks by thanking the Fiterman family, “and my BMCC Foundation Board colleagues Steven and Miles Fiterman, for the honor of permitting our family to be associated with theirs. This is a very special happening that doesn’t take place too often.”

The vision of Herbert and Audrey Rosenfield

More than a hundred BMCC administrators and close family friends of the Rosenfields, as well as colleagues including Ray O’Keefe — a lifetime friend of Herbert Rosenfield and co-founder, with Mr. Rosenfield, of the BMCC Foundation — gathered in the lobby as the event began.

“Our parents envisioned that Borough of Manhattan Community College should become the anchor institution for maintaining a vibrant community in downtown Manhattan, especially after the new World Trade Centers were built in 1974,” said Patricia Rosenfield. “Not only has the college nurtured the talents and lives of so many deserving New Yorkers, but it has enriched an entire community with its educational programs, its fabulous art exhibitions, its music performances and its stunning architecture represented by the beautiful Miles and Shirley Fiterman Hall built on a deeply historic educational site. We are all celebrating Borough of Manhattan Community College and its enduring contributions to New York City and far beyond.”

Tom Rosenfield spoke of meeting many BMCC Foundation Scholars at the annual BMCC Foundation Gala, Invest in a Future, held May 16.

“I want to underline, as I mentioned in my remarks Thursday evening, that the real stars, the real champions are the students of the Borough of Manhattan Community College — 26,000 strong, and I just learned today that it’s actually 27,000, as of this fall — all with moving stories about how appreciative they are to BMCC, to be able to reach their goals; single parents, armed service veterans, first responders — how gratifying it is for us to see these hard-working, tireless heroes push themselves even further to obtain higher education, and to transform their education into a life of service to the community. You inspire us to be better and to do better.”

Tom also spoke about his parents’ belief that education is a human right, “an obligation of society,” and the importance of community service.

“It was by natural extension of this belief that in 1987, Herb and Audrey set up the Abner B. Rosenfield Scholarship Fund to support students who exemplify academic excellence and good citizenship,” he said. Also, in 1999, “Herb and Audrey were early supporters of BMCC President Tony Pérez and his initiative to launch the Out in Two scholarship program. In 2018, to reinforce the Out in Two program, with the support of President Karrin Wilks, Doris Holz and the BMCC Foundation Board, my sister, brother and I felt it was natural that the Herbert and Audrey Rosenfield Fund continue the work started here by my mother and father, by making an additional gift to BMCC.”

That gift, he said, “perpetuates the spirit of appreciation of education interlaced with an obligation to community service. Muhammad Ali said, ‘Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth’. We hope that the students, alumni, faculty and administrators that pass through this lobby understand this is really to honor you, champions of the Borough of Manhattan Community College for your drive, your optimism and your potential.”

The transformational power of education

In his comments, BMCC Foundation Board Chair Anthony J. Portannese described the success of the Out in Two program.

“One of the things they found was, by giving folks a commitment and a hand in meeting their college expenses they could then focus on their academic work as opposed to working two or three jobs,” he said, and cited facts such as, recipients of the Out in Two scholarships have a graduation rate of nearly 90 percent over three years, versus 23 percent for non-recipients.

“The BMCC Foundation is so fortunate to have donors such as the Rosenfield Fund and others,” Portannese said. “I wish Herbert was here today to see the legacy that he left behind. Since they first started the BMCC Scholarship Foundation, we have awarded more than 6,000 scholarships that amount to more than 13 million dollars.”

Karrin E. Wilks, interim president of BMCC, spoke of the impact of those scholarships.

“Our highest priority here at BMCC is to improve student success, not incrementally but dramatically” she said. “In order to do that, our students need a lot of support. We have to think about the full cost of attendance when we think about financially supporting students, so these scholarships that the Rosenfields have made possible, go beyond tuition and fees. They go to helping our students pay for housing, food, transportation and textbooks. There is nothing more powerful than an education, to transport students’ families out of poverty and into a better life for their families and communities. Our students are going to make a big difference, and that difference is made possible by the Rosenfield family. So, I want to thank them deeply.”

Doris Holz,Vice President of Development and Chief Operating Officer of the BMCC Foundation, shared memories of meeting with Herbert Rosenfield, and a tour they took of Miles and Shirley Fiterman Hall, followed by a lunch with Herbert Rosenfield and then-BMCC President Antonio Pérez.

“During the lunch, Herb characteristically announced a very generous gift to the Abner B. Rosenfield Fund to support BMCC students who demonstrate both academic excellence and good citizenship,” Holz said. “He let us know, in no uncertain terms, that he loved Fiterman Hall.”

Family and community “were paramount to Herb,” Holz said. “We are so fortunate to have Herbert and Audrey’s children; Pat, Tom and Nelson, the trustees of the Herbert and Audrey Rosenfield Fund, maintaining the legacy of support for BMCC begun by their parents and pledging a $1 million gift to BMCC. And because Herb loved Fiterman Hall, it is fitting and appropriate that this naming be located in the lobby of Miles and Shirley Fiterman Hall.”

After the naming signage was revealed, the guests gathered on the 13^th-floor terrace lobby for a champagne reception celebrating the Rosenfield family and the legacy of Herbert and Audrey Rosenfield.