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February 4, 2016 FacebookTwitterInstagram
@BMCC
News
African Heritage

African Heritage Month Kicks Off With Festive Celebration
A month filled with performances, film screenings, lectures and other activities is set for African Heritage Month at Borough of Manhattan Community College in February. The celebration of African American culture and history kicked off February 3 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the main campus cafeteria with a celebration of culture and history filled with dance, poetry and music. The theme of this year’s African Heritage month is “Empowering the Next Generation.” Event organizers say that means learning the lessons of the past and present so we can build a better future. Learn more.

Marjorie L. Dorimé-Williams

Dorimé-Williams Named Director of Assessment
The BMCC Office of Academic Affairs welcomes a new Director of Assessment, Marjorie L. Dorimé-Williams, who will work with the deans and faculty at BMCC to lead the assessment of academic and non-academic activities at the College. Dorimé-Williams earned her Ph.D. in Education Policy, Organization and Leadership at the University of Illinois-Champaign, and completed both a Master of Science in Social Policy (MSSP) and a Master of Social Work (MSW) at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. She comes to BMCC from Baruch College, CUNY, where she served as Director of Academic Assessment in the Office of the Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs. “It is a pleasure to welcome Dr. Dorime-Williams to BMCC in the critical role of assessment director,” said Karrin E. Wilks, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at BMCC. “She brings the skills, knowledge, and scholarly perspective that will prove highly valuable as we continue our efforts to use assessment results to improve programs, services, and student success.”

Monthly Panels to Focus on Cultivating Global Competencies in the Diverse World
Starting on February 5, BMCC’s Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Scholarship will host four monthly panels to encourage full-time and part-time faculty to share their pedagogical strategies as part of the Cultivating Global Competencies in the Diverse World Program. In 2015, BMCC received a humanities grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support the one-year program led by the primary co-investigators BMCC Speech, Communication and Theatre Professor Vincent (Tzu-Wen) Cheng and Social Sciences, Human Services and Criminal Justice Professor Alex d’Erizans. The competencies include cultural understanding, responsible global citizenship, effective intercultural communication and integrated reasoning. The February 5th panel is scheduled from 10 a.m. - noon, in Room S-510D. Learn more.

Kathleen Dreyer

BMCC Library Welcomes Dreyer as Chief Librarian, Enhances Website
BMCC’s Library has revamped its website to provide students and the entire BMCC community with a new way to find resources, conduct research and utilize the library. In January, Kathleen Dreyer joined BMCC has the Chief Librarian. Dreyer was previously Head of the Watson Library of Business and Economics at Columbia University. “I am excited to be at BMCC and I look forward to working with students, faculty and the entire BMCC community."

Announcements
Teaching Award

BMCC Seeks Nominations for Newly Established Distinguished Teaching Award
BMCC is pleased to announce the establishment of the BMCC Distinguished Teaching Award to recognize faculty whose sustained excellence in teaching incites intellectual curiosity in students, inspires colleagues both within and outside his/her department, and demonstrates effective and innovative pedagogy with clear evidence of student learning gains. Faculty eligible for nomination/application include: full-time tenured professors, full-time lecturers with CCE, and adjunct faculty with ten or more semesters of teaching at BMCC.

Any member of the BMCC community may nominate an eligible faculty; nominations must be forwarded to the faculty member and his/her department chair. Nominees must inform their chair as to whether or not they will complete an application package as described below. Faculty may nominate themselves and must notify their chair as such. Deadline for nominations is February 15.

The nominee is responsible for assembling a complete application package, which must include:

  • A cover sheet that includes name; rank; department; date of tenure or CCE for full-time faculty; semesters taught for adjunct faculty; and a statement of consent for Selection Committee to review BMCC student evaluations of teaching on file (see cover sheet form attached).
  • A personal statement of 5-10 pages that addresses how the nominee meets the selection criteria as detailed above, and why he/she is deserving of distinction as a teacher. This statement may include descriptions of student assignments or projects, assessment instruments, or documentation of student learning.
  • A current CV.
  • Three letters of reference, including one from a former student and at least one reflecting a recent non-evaluative classroom observation (nominees should invite a peer to observe for this purpose); letters must be collected by the nominee and included in the application package.

Nominees must submit complete application packages electronically to the Office of Academic Affairs at academicaffairs@bmcc.cuny.edu. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Deadline for submission of application packages is March 15. Up to three awards will be made annually, two for full-time faculty and one for adjunct faculty. The Committee will recommend award recipients to the President, who will make the final determination of Distinguished Teaching Awards for the year. Recipients will be notified by April 15. An annual reception to honor recipients will be held in May. Recipients will receive $3000 each and will be recognized as Distinguished Teachers with the College. BMCC is committed to promoting and recognizing excellence in teaching and learning. We look forward to celebrating distinguished teaching through this first round of awards.

BMCC Hosts Annual Blood Drive, Feb. 8
BMCC is collaborating with the New York Blood Bank to host a blood drive on Monday, February 8 in Richard Harris Terrace from 12 noon to 6:00 p.m. Blood Donors can go to www.nybloodcenter.org/register to complete Health History questions. Blood Donors can register on line any time after 12:01 a.m. on the day of the donation. Call 800-688-0900 with questions about eligibility questions.

Free Tax Preparation Services for BMCC Community
This year, all taxes will be prepared virtually by certified tax preparers from the Food Bank of NYC. The new process will reduce wait times, allow students to get their refund delivered sooner, and all of the tax documents will be sent electronically to students for their convenience. Through secure encryption, all of the data will be protected and all information will be erased from BMCC computers once sent to the tax preparers. This service is available to currently enrolled students, alumni and parents of dependent students. This service is also available to current faculty and staff. Please ask students to stop by the Single Stop Office in room S235 during office hours (8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) to start the process of getting their taxes prepared for this year’s tax season. The tax preparation services are available through Friday, April 15. Tax preparation hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Services are available to students, faculty and staff with household total pre-tax incomes of $54,000 or less. For more information, contact BMCC Single Stop Office, 199 Chambers Street, Room S235 or call (212) 220-8195.

Making Headlines
BMCC Experts

When Downward Dog Is on the Syllabus: Why Schools Are Embracing Yoga
February 2, 2016 – The Seventy Four

Highlights in Jazz 43rd Anniversary Gala
February 2, 2016 – Jazz News Nestor Publishers

BMCC Student Farrukh Khamdamov Shares View in “Uber Drivers Go On Strike Today Over Recent Fare Cuts"
February 1, 2016 – The Gothamist

Per Scholas: Free Job Training for IT Network Specialists
January 29, 2016 – New York Library

Alumni and Donors

BMCC Alumna Ash Exantus Joins BankMobile as Financial Empowerment Coach
January 28, 2016 – City Biz List

BMCC Alumni Council Encourages Participation in Events and Networking
BMCC’s Alumni Council was formed to invite BMCC alumni who are interested in strengthening relationships between alumni and the college. For information contact Joy Cooper, Director of Development, at jcooper@bmcc.cuny.edu.

Ways to Give
The BMCC Foundation is grateful for contributions of all types and at all levels. Learn about the ways you can help ensure student success and make a difference at BMCC. Donate to BMCC

Calendar

The Art of Stand-Up Starring Rick Younger
Feb. 5: 8:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Tribeca Family Theatre Presents Henry and Mudge
Feb. 6: 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Spring Volunteer Fair
Feb. 9: 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Research Symposium

2016 BMCC Undergraduate Research Symposium
Feb. 17: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Learn About Upcoming Events at the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship

Panther Pride
Men’s Basketball

Men’s Basketball: Panthers Split Season Series with Broncos

Women’s Basketball: Huge Third Quarter Not Enough for Lady Panthers

Women’s Basketball: Hostos Holds on to Defeat Lady Panthers

Men’s Basketball: Panthers Rally Back to Knock Off Sharks

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The City University of New York