BMCC Mourns Orlando Shooting Victims
June 13, 2016

To the BMCC Community:

It is with deep sadness that we mourn the lives of 49 innocent people who were brutally murdered when a gunman opened fire inside the Pulse Night Club in Orlando, Florida, on the early morning of June 12.

I join our BMCC family of faculty, staff, students and friends, as we struggle to comprehend this tragedy. It is significant to note that this act of violence occurred during Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month, a time we recognize the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan that galvanized the LGBT civil rights movement.

The attack in Orlando only serves to strengthen BMCC’s commitment to respect diversity in all its forms. It has been said before and bears repeating: An attack on one group is an attack on all of us.

I want to express my condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims in Orlando, and I urge any students, faculty or staff who need support, to reach out to the BMCC Counseling Center, as we come together to remember the victims and their loved ones.

Sincerely,

Antonio Pérez
President, Borough of Manhattan Community College
The City University of New York

BMCC Joins Nationwide Initiative to Create Open Educational Resource (OER) Degree Programs
BMCC has joined a nationwide initiative to make Open Educational Resources (OER) — free, online textbooks — available to students, building their retention and graduation rates. The OER Degree Initiative is led by Achieving the Dream, Inc., and involves 38 colleges in 13 states. The national OER Degree Initiative was launched on June 13 when representatives of community colleges including BMCC convened in San Francisco to start their work making OER available to students.“Open Educational Resources makes dollars and sense for BMCC students and faculty,” says Jim Berg, BMCC Associate Dean of Faculty. “Since the beginning of our involvement with OER, students have saved $500,000 on course materials. Now the Criminal Justice faculty have committed to develop the first degree program at BMCC which students will be able to complete without having to pay for high-priced textbooks.” BMCC representatives who attended the OER Degree Initiative Conference were (L to R): Jim Berg, Yolanda Martin, Jean Amaral, Sangeeta Bishop, Brenda Vollman and Kathleen Dreyer

Jennifer Campos Receives Peter Jennings Scholarship
Jennifer Campos, who recently earned her High School Equivalency diploma through the Adult Literacy Program in the Center for Continuing Education and Workforce Development at BMCC, is a winner of the 2016 Peter Jennings Scholarship. She was honored along with nine other awardees at a ceremony and reception at the CUNY Graduate Center, on June 16. The $1,000 scholarship will be applied to Campos’ tuition when she enters BMCC in Fall 2016 as a human services major.

Start Here, Transfer Anywhere
In June 2016, BMCC conferred associate degrees to the largest graduating class in the college’s history — more than 4,200 students. Seventy-five percent of those graduates will transfer to a four-year college or university, with about half staying in the CUNY system. The rest will transfer to more than 120 non-CUNY colleges within New York City and beyond.

Summer Tuition Waivers: Priority Given to Students who Register by July 8 for Summer Session II BMCC will offer Summer 2016 tuition waivers for courses counting toward degree completion to eligible, matriculating BMCC students who are New York State residents (U.S. citizen or permanent resident). Each eligible student may use no more than one tuition waiver in the summer session starting July 19. Learn more.

BMCC Joins CUNY to Bring Awareness to Community Needs
At BMCC, our understanding of diversity continues to expand. In response to the awareness and needs of our transgender community members, BMCC is posting signs in all single-sex facilities, including restroom and locker rooms stating: “Under the law, all individuals have the right to use the single-sex facility consistent with their gender identity or expression.” In addition, BMCC is posting signs outside single-occupancy restrooms that state: “This restroom may be used by persons of all genders.” For more information, visit www.cuny.edu.

Tanya Brown, MEOC Associate Director, Invited to Serve on NYSED Panel
Tanya Brown, Associate Director of Academic Affairs at the Manhattan Educational Opportunity Center (MEOC) has been invited to serve on the New York HSE Center Advisory Panel of the New York State Education Department. In that role, she will provide feedback to NYSED regarding administrative processes for the TASC (Test Assessing Secondary Completion) which students must pass to earn a High School Equivalency (HSE) diploma. Another focus will be the new TASC testing platform, Insight. The panel will hold a kick-off meeting via teleconference in mid-July.

Works of Joyce Solomon Moorman, composer and BMCC music professor, performed by North/South Chamber Orchestra
June 9, 2016 — BroadwayWorld

BMCC Math Chair Fred Peskoff and student Isaiah Aristy quoted in article about Quantway program
June 9, 2016 — SouthCoastToday

Alumni Now: Ami Efrati (’15) Ami Efrati earned an Associate in Arts (A.A.) in Business Administration from BMCC in 2015. Now enrolled at Baruch College, Efrati is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in accounting while serving as President of Entrepreneur Properties. “I have been brokering commercial real estate deals since 2007 and I love what I do,” says Efrati, who earned a Real Estate Finance and Development/Commercial Real Estate certificate from New York University in 2009. “My skills are constantly being challenged and I am always learning new things from this fascinating industry.”

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 levels. Learn about the ways you can help ensure student success and make a difference at BMCC.

Summer Math Start Info Session
June 29

Free Workshop: Introduction to Computer Basics (Students Only)
June 20

Free one-day CPR training Through June 30

The Conference of Birds Exhibit
Through July 9

BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center Listings

Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Scholarship Listings

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