Happy Holidays!

Recent CUNY BA Award Winners

Noah Ginsburg (Sustainable Energy)
Recipient of two scholarships through his service last year as a City Year corps member. City Year is an Americorps program. He received the standard Americorps education award of $4,725 plus the Seinfeld Scholarship of $10,000 per year, renewable for four years. This scholarship was awarded to five City Year corps members in NYC for outstanding service.

Catherine Granton (At Risk Females and Environmental Education)
Outward Bound Scholarship: Chosen by Outward Bound Wilderness for a scholarship matched by the Kingsborough Community College Foundation for an Outward Bound Wilderness course for women.

Kayhan Irani, (Theatre and Social Change)
In 2007 she was awarded a certificate of recognition by Mayor Bloomberg, as part of Immigrant History Week, for her arts work in immigrant communities. She is currently co-editing a volume of essays, to be published by Routledge in 2008, “Telling Stories to Change the World” about projects around the world that use storytelling as a way of creating social justice.

Linda Jandejskova (Multimedia Arts and Cultural Studies)
Kaye scholar with CCNY and a Thomas W. Smith Fellow; now preparing for VSC art residency in January - a 4 week studio painting at the Vermont Studio Center.

Are you a CUNY BA student who has won an award?

If you've won any award, scholarship, honor, etc. this year and have not yet notified me, please send an email with the details ASAP to me at bkneller@gc.cuny.edu.
Thanks
Beth Kneller
Deputy Director
CUNY Baccalaureate Program

Talbots to Award $100,000 to Women Attending College Later in Life

Talbots announced the launch of its 11th annual Talbots Women's Scholarship Fund, a program that annually awards $100,000 in college scholarships to women wanting to attend college later in life.

Sponsored by the Talbots Charitable Foundation, this unique Scholarship Fund has awarded five $10,000 scholarships and fifty $1,000 scholarships each year since its inception in 1997. The Fund was created to fill a void in scholarship programs which are typically awarded to traditional college students. To date, the Fund has awarded one million dollars in college scholarships to over 500 women primarily in their 40's and 50's.

The Talbots Charitable Foundation serves the community through its support of the arts, education, health and civic services. Founded in 1947, Talbots is a leading specialty retailer, cataloger and e-tailer.

Applications for the 2008 Talbots Women's Scholarship can be downloaded online. Eligible applicants must be women currently residing in the United States who earned a high school diploma or GED at least 10 years ago; are currently seeking a degree from an accredited 2- or 4-year college, university or vocational-technical school; and have at least two full-time semesters or 24 credits remaining to complete their undergraduate degree.

The postmark deadline for entries is January 2, 2008, or until 1,000 eligible applications have been received, whichever is earlier. Scholarship recipients will be notified by the end of July 2008.

The Job Outlook for Graduating Seniors, 2007-08

According to the latest Recruiting Trends 2007-2008 Report by
The Collegiate Employment Research Institute (CERI) at Michigan State University:

Seniors in BA/BS programs can expect more opportunities this year with employers expected to increase the number of opportunities 7% over last year. (Breakdown by employer size: Large employers - companies with over 3900 employees - expect to increase bachelor hiring by 9%; employers with fewer than 100 employees are expected to increase hiring by 12%; medium-sized employers are cutting back on their hiring plans.)

Looking at specific majors, large employers expect to increase hiring for engineers by 12% to 14%, business by 13%, and social science/humanities majors by 20%. Computer science majors (all types) will enjoy a very good labor market. Information technology (IT) majors are the only ones that all companies, regardless of size, will be hiring. Starting salaries for bachelors graduates are expected to increase by 4% to 5%, which is double the increase offered in each of the previous two years. About 15% of employers expect to increase salaries more than 5%.

For the full report, go to http://www.ceri.msu.edu/recruiting/recruiting.html

The Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan State University
CERI is nationally recognized for its research on the transition from college to work; employment readiness of college graduates; and the transition experience through college (“the sophomore year”). The Institute is also involved in the assessment of learning in the workplace; assessment practices for University accountability (outcome assessment); and evaluation of integrated learning opportunities. CERI annually publishes Recruiting Trends that provides an analysis of the college labor market.

Degree Verification

On your job applications, resumes, graduate school applications, etc. you MUST identify that you have graduated from THE CUNY BACCALAUREATE PROGRAM. Of course, we know most of you strongly identify with your home college, and so you can include that as well...as your home college (see below for an example).

Why is this important? Because potential employers are likely to call to verify your college degree and if you write that you received your degree from "Brooklyn College" or "Hunter College," that college will receive the call and they will NOT verify your degree because that college did not confer it. Upon graduation, your degree is conferred by the CUNY Baccalaureate Program under the auspices of the Graduate Center. Employers or agencies who need to verify your degree will have to phone the CUNY BA Program (Registrar's Office, 212-817-8227).

How you might indicate your degree on resumes, job applications, etc:

Degree (B.A. or B.S.), Graduation Date, Title(s) of Area of Concentration, The CUNY Bacclaureate Program (Home College: xyz College), any Honors received.

So, if Jane Doe graduated "cum laude" in January 2007 with a B.S. in Nonprofit Accounting while she was at Baruch, her resume might look like this:

B.S., Nonprofit Accounting, January 2007, The CUNY Baccalaureate Program (at Baruch College), cum laude
or
B.S., cum laude, Nonprofit Accounting, January 2007, The CUNY Baccalaureate Program / Home College: Baruch College

Finally, note that we have three different graduation dates each year (September, January, June) so be sure you have the correct month on your records.

For graduate school applications (other than law, medical, dental schools), please use the Program's College Board (CEEB) code: 2479, to indicate the CUNY Baccalaureate Program.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions on this.
Beth Kneller
Deputy Director
bkneller@gc.cuny.edu/212-817-8238

CUNY BA Alumni Now Working at CUNY

If you graduated from the CUNY Baccalaureate Program and are now employeed at CUNY as either a faculty or staff member, please let us know. Contact Lidija Markes, Alumni Affairs Coordinator, lmarkes@gc.cuny.edu or 212-817-8223. Thank you.

Deadline Reminders

I realize that we are coming upon the busiest time of the semester but I’d like to encourage you to be mindful of a few approaching deadlines:

1. Area of Concentration forms are due on December 1^st for all students admitted into the Program for Summer and Fall 2007; getting your AOC approved is a critical part of your requirements.
2. If you have received an overdue notice regarding your AOC form you may face dismissal from the Program if you do not submit the form by December 1^st.
3. The deadline to file for January graduation has passed; students who plan to graduate in June or September 2008 should schedule graduation audits as soon as possible. If you plan to graduate in June you MUST have a graduation audit prior to the beginning of the Spring 2008 semester.
4. All students who have at least 90-100 credits (or who will reach this point at the end of the semester) and have approved AOC form(s) are encouraged to schedule graduation audits regardless of how many semesters of courses they have remaining. CUNY BA does audits early so that students have time to plan out their final semesters, rather than waiting until the end when it is too late to adjust registration or meet requirements.
5. Do not wait to contact your Academic Advisor about registration. If you have questions about requirements, you want to confirm that courses will meet requirements or if you have problems registering please deal with that as early as possible. We cannot adequately advise 700 students simultaneously. You should also plan to register AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE and not wait until late January.
6. The CUNY Baccalaureate Scholarships Application is now available on our website. The absolute deadline for this application is February 22, 2008- no exceptions will be made. Now is a good time to ask professors to write letters of recommendation as you won’t find that many are available between semesters and that they are busy early in the semester.
7. All forms are available on our website and you should visit both the website (www.cunyba.cuny.edu) and our blog (http://cunyba.blogspot.com) regularly for updated information.
8. Finally, the CUNY BA Office (and the Graduate Center) will be closed on Thursday and Friday of this week (11/22 & 11/23).

If you have any questions please contact your Academic Advisor:

A-F Helene Brown hbrown1@gc.cuny.edu 212.817.8229

G-N Rafal Szczurowski rszczurowski@gc.cuny.edu 212.817.8225

O-Z Kate McPherson kmcpherson@gc.cuny.edu 212.817.8237

If you are unable to reach your Advisor right away please leave a message or send an e-mail and we will respond to you in a timely manner. All Academic Advisors are now full-time but this is a busy time of year so you can’t always expect immediate service. Please do not contact an Advisor for another alpha group if you do not reach your Advisor immediately. All students will be responded to as quickly as possible.

If you have a registration problem please contact your Academic Advisor or the CUNY BA Registrar’s Office (212.817.8227). To schedule an appointment for a graduation audit or a credit check please contact our main office (212.817.8221). Area of Concentration forms can be faxed (212.817.1512) or e-mailed to your Academic Advisor.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday and good luck on the rest of your semester!

Global Justice Course at Lehman

I have a few seats left open in my upper-level Global Justice course at Lehman this spring. It's ideal for students working on interactions between morality, politics, and global economics. Interested students should contact me at csula@gc.cuny.edu for registration information.

-----------------------------------------

Global Justice

Prof. Chris Alen Sula

Lehman College, Spring 2008

Wed 10a-12:30p

Over 80% of the world’s wealth belongs to 20% of its population. How do we account for this huge inequality? (How) Should we respond to it morally? This class will survey prospects for global justice and their related problems. In particular, we’ll consider the historical and conceptual foundations of global justice, the roles of nations and global organizations in achieving justice, different models of equality and their possible measurements, the nature and scope of human rights, and applied issues of global justice, including citizenship, violence, and the environment. Our readings will cover the diverse areas of philosophy, political science, economics, and law. My goal is to tie theories of global justice to actual practice as much as possible, so we’ll also examine public documents like United Nations reports and resolutions, as well as psychological work on allocation behavior and judgments of equality and fairness.

Thom Brooks, ed. The Global Justice Reader (Blackwell, 2008).

Additional readings—to be distributed

Book for review (choose one of the following):

Hiram Chodosh, Global Justice Reform: A Comparative Methodology (NYU, 2005).

David Miller, National Responsibility and Global Justice (Oxford, 2008).

Martha Nussbaum, Frontiers of Justice: Disability, Nationality, Species Membership (Belknap, 2007).

Anne-Marie Slaughter, A New World Order (Princeton, 2005).

Joseph E. Stiglitz, Globalization and Its Discontents (W W Norton, 2003).

Kok-Chor Tan, Justice without Borders: Cosmopolitanism, Nationalism, Patriotism (Cambridge, 2004).

This course will be writing intensive. Students will prepare eight reading primers (questions or outlines), write three response papers (1,000 words), and complete a final project of a critical review (2,000 words) of a recent book in global justice, along with a group presentation.

CUNY BA Student on WNYC's Brian Lehrer Show

The Other "F" Word

Feminists young and old gather at Hunter College this weekend for "Freedom on Our Terms: From Houston 1977 - New York 2007" commemorating the 30th anniversary of the first National Women’s Conference. Liz Abzug, president and co-founder of the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute and Jerin Alam (CUNY BA Student), president of the Hunter Women¹s Rights Coalition (HWRC) talk about trying to "pass the torch" from one generation of feminists to another.

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/episodes/2007/11/07

CUNY BA ADVISING SURVEY

Dear CUNY BA Students,

Now that we have three full-time Academic Advisors on staff we are exploring ways in which we can make our Academic Advising services better. Please take a few minutes to complete this brief survey (by the end of November, ideally):

http://chnm.gmu.edu/tools/surveys/4099/

Thank you in advance for your time!

Commencement 2008 - Save the Date

The CUNY BA Program's Commencement, for graduating classes Sept 07, Jan 08, June 08, and Sept 08, shall take place on Monday, June 9, 2008 in the morning at The Cooper Union in Manhattan. Graduating students will receive full details in late February.

Please join us for a Study Abroad Forum

Please join the Academic Advisors at CUNY BA for an event for all CUNY BA students who are interested in studying, researching, or volunteering abroad. Come learn from your fellow students and who have had experience in these and other areas. Destinations have included Panama, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Japan, and Argentina. Please RSVP to Kate McPherson.

Study Abroad Forum
Tuesday, October 23, 2007, 6:00-8:00pm
Room C204

Save the Date: CUNY BA at The American Folk Art Museum

You are invited to a special evening for students, staff and friends of the CUNY Baccalaureate Program

Friday, November 16th, 5:30-7:30pm at
The American Folk Art Museum, 45 West 53rd Street, NYC
(between 5th and 6th Avenues)

Free entrance and live music; cash bar and café

An opportunity to mingle and also explore the Museum's permanent collection of traditional and contemporary art, as well as its special exhibition:

"Gilded Lions and Jeweled Horses: The Synagogue to the Carousel"

The exhibition traces the journey of Jewish woodcarvers and other artisans from Eastern and Central Europe to America and the unsung role they played in establishing a distinct Jewish culture in communities throughout the United States.

(No RSVP is necessary. Guests are welcome.)

Internship Opportunity with SEO

Emily Tonge, a CUNY BA student, is an alumna of SEO, class of 2007 and had the opportunity to do an internship at Lehman Brothers. It was a good experience and she would like to inform CUNY BA students about this program. Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO for short),
opens doors to some of the most competitive industries. It provides training for all interns and a support system throughout the internship by pairing interns with SEO mentors.

There will also be seminars throughout the program, which gives interns an opportunity to interact with upper management of other companies and at the end of the internship interns are able to interview with these companies.

Interns are also compensated for their work; salaries range from $600-$1,200 a week, and interns are given real responsibilities, not shredding paper all day or making coffee for your boss.

Please visit: www.seo-usa.org for more information. Round 1 deadline is November 1, 2007 so please try to meet this deadline and secure a job for the summer. Emily's contact information is listed under Hunter College as she is the liasion for Hunter but I will leave my information with you also. Her name is Emily Tonge and you can contact me with specific questions at tongeemily@hotmail.com. Thanks for your time and good luck.

Awarding of the Thomas W. Smith Graduate Scholarship

On Oct 1, 2007, the CUNY BA/BS Program celebrated the awarding of the 500th Thomas W. Smith Academic Fellowship. That same evening, the third annual Thomas W. Smith Graduate Scholarship was awarded to David Hamilton Golland, a former CUNY BA/Smith Fellow currently enrolled in the CUNY Graduate Center. Here is David's acceptance speech; it includes a wonderful tribute to the Program:

Seven years. Seven. Must be my lucky number. Twenty-one years ago--a multiple of seven--I started on my high school soccer team--as #7. And it's been seven years since I was a Smith Fellow, in the year 2000. In seven years, I've taken my Smith Fellowship and earned my BA, taken an MA at the University of Virginia, and am now only a year or so away from a PhD here at the CUNY Graduate Center. Seven years ago, as a senior in college, I started seeing another student very frequently; today we're married, and my wife was kind enough to join us today, as was my father, who has also been an unfailing ship's counselor, you might say, as I have navigated the rocky shoals of doctoral education. It's also a pleasure to be once again among friends like Steve Brier, with whom I worked for several years as a leader on the Doctoral Students' Council.

I should speak in brief about the topic of my research, which recently took me to musty libraries all over the country, but currently keeps me sequestered most days in front of the computer. I am writing a history of equal employment opportunity in the construction industry during the 1960s. As the Civil Rights movement picked up steam, with freedom rides, church bombings, lunch-counter sit-ins, and the showdown at the schoolhouse door, African-American workers were being railroaded out of a chance for a better future by segregated union locals, whites-only hiring policies, and Jim Crow apprenticeship programs, in Northern cities at least as much as in the South. What made the situation even more intolerable was the high visibility of federally-funded construction projects in the urban renewal areas, where blacks lived but whites worked. My research is on the attempts of Civil Rights organizations, as well as organized labor, to address the issue, and the public-policy response of the Johnson and Nixon administrations. Now that my archival research is completed, I intend to use this fellowship to travel for interviews with people who were part of this important aspect of our nation's history.

Where will you be in seven years? Some of you might be, like me, on the verge of a PhD. Some of you will be doctors, some lawyers, and some will already be successful entrepreneurs. One of you will be standing here speaking to new Smith Fellows. But I know for sure that every one of you will be doing something important. I say this with confidence, because you are Smith Fellows and CUNY Baccalaureate students. You know, the Honors College may get all the press, with its fancy laptops and subway-car advertisements, but CUNY BA students are what this university is really all about--strivers trying to get something more, with the creativity and passion that has already earned you the admiration and respect of your peers and professors. You are the real reason for CUNY's existence. I am honored to stand with you tonight and to once again thank Thomas W. Smith and the CUNY Baccalaureate Program for everything they do. Thank you very much.
--David Hamilton Golland, Oct 1, 2007

Interesting Faculty Research

Students seeking mentors - or the opportunity to work on research projects going on at CUNY -- may want to look at the 2006 Annual Report of the CUNY Research Foundation, which highlights research at CUNY in a variety of disciplines. It is available as a .pdf at this link:

http://www.rfcuny.org/RFWebsite/News/DetailNews.aspx?newsID=973

Internships (Deadlines Approaching)

The Edward T. Rogowsky Internship Program in Government and Public Affairs at CUNY has several internships with fall deadlines coming up for various government offices in New York City, Albany, Washington DC, etc. Their link is:
http://www.geocities.com/etrinternship/html/home.htm

For New York State Assembly Internships, go to
http://assembly.state.ny.us/internship

For other CUNY Internships, go to
http://www.uss.cuny.edu/opportunities/internships.htm

500 Thomas W. Smith Fellows Celebration

Jeffrey Reynolds (2004 Smith Fellow,) Melissa Marlin (2002 Smith Fellow,) Thomas W. Smith, Tyleen Kelly (2007 Smith Fellow), Meghan Duffy (1995 Smith Fellow)

On October 1, 2007, Thomas W. Smith and CUNY BA Program hosted a reception in celebration of 500 Thomas W. Smith Fellows. Entertainment was provided by Smith Fellows (see photo above.) The party was quite a success and everybody had a wonderful time.

Lots more photos are available. E-mail Lidija Markes for a link to the Snapfish gallery.

*

Thomas W. Smith Academic Fellowships are funded through a donation by Mr. Thomas Smith to the CUNY Baccalaureate Program to recognize academic excellence within the Program. Subject to maintenance of good academic standing, awards are renewable until the recipient completes all degree contract credits and graduates from the Program. Because the Smith Fellowship recognizes academic excellence, significant weight is given to the applicant's GPA and to the seriousness of the applicant's academic interests and plans. The next application will be available for download in November, and the application deadline will be in February 2008.

Please join us for a Study Abroad Forum

Please join the Academic Advisors at CUNY BA for an event for all CUNY BA students who are interested in studying, researching, or volunteering abroad. Come learn from your fellow students and who have had experience in these and other areas. Destinations have included Greece, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Japan, and Argentina. Please RSVP to Kate McPherson.

Study Abroad Forum
Tuesday, October 23, 2007, 6:00-8:00pm
Room C204

Bank Street College Open House

Graduate School of Education Open House
Thursday, October 11, 2007
* Sign-in and Refreshments: 5:15 to 5:30 pm
* Information Session: 5:30 to 7:30 pm
* Bank Street College Lobby and Auditorium
* 610 West 112th Street, New York, NY
At the Open House, you will have a chance to learn about our exciting degree programs, gain insight into the application process, ask questions, and meet with faculty members from various programs. There will also be a tour of the Bank Street School for Children.
To RSVP to the Open House, please e-mail (akherdekar@bankstreet.edu ) with your name and program of interest, if known, or call 212-875-4404.

An Exciting Position as a Community Organizer with Harlem United's Blocks Project

Position Description

Working under the supervision of the Managing Director and in partnership with the department’s other Community Organizer, she or he (s/he) will be directly responsible for developing collaborations with residents, policymakers, businesses and health and human service providers to design and provide HIV/AIDS awareness events, health fairs, and educational events to promote HIV testing and risk reduction skills building. S/he will work closely with the other Community Organizer (CO), Community Follow-up Worker (CFW) and Peer Workers (PWs) to saturate defined areas of East and Central Harlem with HIV stigma-reduction messages and coordinate neighborhood HIV/HCV/STD testing events and access to care and services. The Community Organizer must have extensive knowledge of Harlem and New York City’s health and human services network and must conduct assessments and refer individuals and/or families to appropriate community resources for needed services. As needed, the CO will establish ongoing relationships to ensure successful connection to quality medical and social services. As needed, the CO will assume clinical responsibilities as appropriate for the delivery of casework for individuals and/or families. COs will be required to conduct assessments and referrals during outreach activities and at other times.

Essential Job Functions

The Blocks Project, an exciting and innovative program at Harlem United, is a geographic and community organizing approach to delivering HIV prevention messages and testing to high risk areas (blocks) in Harlem. “Blocks” places people within the context of their environment and daily experiences and not just simply the customary risk-based approach that focuses on an individual’s behavior. Blocks’ staff will partner with residents and community leaders, policymakers, businesses and entrepreneurs, HIV/AIDS services providers and non-HIV community based organizations to reach Harlem residents who often do not see themselves as at risk for contracting HIV. HIV tests will be offered and hired social workers, who are trained in community organizing, will link people to local organizations providing an array of health and human services with the understanding that combating HIV is about addressing the range of problems that often face those most at risk of contracting the virus.

The following duties are mandatory requirements of the job:

· Convene monthly partnership meetings with community stakeholders, which would include residents, health and human service providers, to identify community needs, schedule health fairs, develop educational curricula and marketing materials, schedule outreach events and assess program delivery;

· Identify and build relationships with other community partners to serve as referral sources to meet the social and economic empowerment needs of Harlem residents;

· Develop training to build the outreach and communication skills of local volunteers and peer educators to promote stigma reduction messages and increase the testing rate for Harlem residents;

· As needed, accompany PWs and CFW on outreach events and conduct on-the-spot assessments and referrals to various health and human service programs and services for those in need of continued support and care;

· Maintain contact with those referred to services to ensure that those engaged are getting needed care and support; and,

· Required to work evenings and weekends as needed.

Other Responsibilities

The following duties are to be performed as assigned by the supervisor:

· Participate fully in all program evaluation activities

Education and Certification

Graduation from an accredited College or University with a Masters Degree in Social Work along with certification from the State of New York Department of Education. The hired CO should have experience in working with communities disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS.

Special Skills and Knowledge

The hired CO should be extremely familiar with East and Central Harlem communities. S/he should have a background in coalition work. The ability to speak fluent Spanish and/or one or several West African languages is a major plus. Knowledge and familiarity with HIV/AIDS services, including prevention strategies, and harm reduction, is a plus.

Salary

$38k to $45k

Please direct resume and cover letter to:

Joe Pressley, Managing Director, Blocks Project; Harlem United Community AIDS Center; 306 Lenox Avenue, 2^nd Floor; New York, NY 10027

Save the Date: CUNY BA Students at Baruch

Date Change:

October 5th from 5:30 to 7:30, Room TBA

This will be a networking event for all CUNY BA students whose home school is Baruch or others who are taking classes here for their CUNY BA degrees or even have an interest in attending Baruch in the future

RSVP by September 28th to debra_bick@baruch.cuny.edu.

You asked: Are there any scholarships available?

A student e-mailed me:

"Will there be any scholarships available this semester?"

CUNY BA Program is pleased to be able to offer seven scholarships, subject to the availability of funding. These scholarships, funded by a variety of donors, are exclusively for students enrolled in the CUNY BA/BS Program. Students who meet the basic eligibility criteria are encouraged to apply for these scholarships, as well as scholarships and awards available at their CUNY home colleges and through external organizations. The next application deadline for the scholarships will be in February 2008; the consolidated application form will be available online and in the Program Office in November.

Please visit our web site at www.cunyba.cuny.edu (Current Students>Scholarships>CUNY BA Scholarships) for more information.

- - - - -

You have a general question? Post a comment or e-mail a staff member. We will answer at least one question every week on the blog. (For any specific questions relating to your case, please contact your advisor.)

CUNY BA Networking

Thanks to Eowyn, a CUNY BA student, there is a CUNY Baccalaureate Program group on Facebook. I am still working on getting us recognized as a network and will let you know if I make any progress. Also, if anybody needs an invitation to join Facebook, please e-mail me at lmarkes@gc.cuny.edu.

Study Abroad Forum

Hi Everyone,

I am writing to ask for student submissions for a Study Abroad Forum I am organizing for CUNY BA Students. It will take place on October 23^rd here are the Graduate Center from 6-8pm. It is a good way to meet fellow students and to discuss interest in, experience with, or ask questions about studying abroad. We did a similar event in 2004 and it was wonderful.

I am interested in hearing from students who have recently studied, worked, volunteered or done research abroad who would be interested in being part of a panel. Please e-mail me directly (kmcpherson@gc.cuny.edu) and let me know where you were, what you did and give me a brief bio of yourself. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best,
Kate

Edward T. Rogowsky Internship Program in Government and Public Affairs

The Edward T. Rogowsky Internship Program in Government and Public Affairs has numerous opportunities for CUNY students. Three have deadlines coming up this semester:

The New York State Assembly Session Intern Program
The New York State Senate Session Assistants Program
The Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus CUNY Scholars Program

For information about these and other opportunities, please visit http://www.geocities.com/etrinternship/html/home.htm

Graduation Audits

Make an appointment for a graduation audit here at the Program Office when you have between 90 and 100 credits and an area of concentration form approved by your faculty mentor and the Academic Director. Call 212-817-8221.

If you expect to graduate in JANUARY 2008, it is your responsibility to schedule a graduation audit with the Program office before the end of August 2007.

If you expect to graduate in JUNE 2008 or SEPT. 2008, it is your responsibility to
schedule a graduation audit before the end of January 2008.

There is a $15.00 charge, which pays for your final transcript and diploma, due at the time of the audit (check, money order or exact cash, please).

Credit for Life Experience: Required Seminars

Attendance at a 90-minute seminar is a required part of the process for applying for credit for life experience (a.k.a. prior experiential learning). You must have room in your program for elective credits (see your degree contract or consult your CUNY BA advisor), and the work for which you will seek credit must have occurred at a time when you were not in college. Please read the full details in the Program Catalog. The seminars are held at the Program Office; to reserve a seat, call 212-817-8220 or send an email to cunyba@gc.cuny.edu

Fall 2007:
Thursday, October 4, Noon
Tuesday, October 16, 1 pm

Spring 2008:
Tuesday, February 5, Noon
Monday, February 11, 1 pm
Wednesday, February 13, 5:45 pm
Tuesday, May 6, 5:45 pm

Academic Advisement Update

We are pleased to announce the hire of two new academic advisors. Please note that each student is assigned a CUNY BA advisor based on their last name as follows:

Last Name Academic Advisor Phone Email
A-F Ms. Helene Brown 212-817-8229 HBrown1@gc.cuny.edu
G-N Mr. Rafal Szczurowski 212-817-8225 RSzczurowski@gc.cuny.edu
O-Z Ms. Kate McPherson 212-817-8237 KMcpherson@gc.cuny.edu


Academic advising is an essential component of the CUNY BA/BS Program. The Program is committed to providing the individual advice and assistance students need at every step throughout their degree programs. CUNY BA academic advisors are available to answer questions about course work, distribution requirements, mentors, life experience credits and other matters related to your degree not covered by the Program's Registrar or your faculty mentor. Students are responsible for scheduling, preparing for, and keeping advising appointments; for seeking out contacts and information; and for knowing the requirements of their individual degree programs. Students bear the final responsibility for making their own decisions based on the best information and advice available and, ultimately, on their own judgment.

CUNY BA on Joey Reynolds Show

Listen to the Women's Empowerment Panel: Judith West, Beth Kneller (CUNY BA Deputy Director), Karalyn Shimmyo (CUNY BA student) & Dr. Abby Stein (CUNY BA Alumna.)

CUNY Baccalaureate Program 2007 Commencement

CUNY Baccalaureate Program's 2007 Commencement took place on Wednesday, June 6 at 10 am at The Great Hall at The Cooper Union, 7 East 7th Street at Third Avenue (the Foundation Building) in Manhattan .

The ceremony celebrated 260 graduates who received their BA and BS degrees in January, June and September 2007.

The guest speaker was Richard D. Parsons, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Time Warner Inc. (read or listen)

The guest faculty speaker was Professor Gertrude Lenzer, Professor of Sociology and Director, Children’s Studies Program and Center, Brooklyn College. (read)

The student speaker was Karalyn Shimmyo who will be graduating with her BA in September 2007 with area of concentration in Experimental Social Psychology. (read)

Noe Venable, a CUNY BA student with Religious Dimensions in Healing area of concentration, sang The National Anthem.

Administered by The Graduate Center, the CUNY Baccalaureate Program (CUNY BA/BS Program) is the university-wide individualized bachelor's degree. The small program is intended for self-directed, academically strong students who have well-formulated academic and career goals. Most are working adults, many of whom are raising families; 80% are over 25 years old (49% are over 35 years old); and a significant number are returning to school, often after a hiatus of anywhere from 5 to 30 years. The Program has an enrollment of 700 students and has over 6,000 alumni. The program generates many graduates with compelling life stories, a few of which will follow soon.

Recent Graduate School Acceptances

Monica Agrest, Ph.D. Program in Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Literatures and Languages, CUNY Graduate Center, with a Tuition Fellowship, University Fellowship, and Teaching Assistantship *
Andrea Artz, M.F.A., History of Art and Cultural Studies, School of Fine Arts, University of Leeds / UK
Tabitha Berry, Ph.D. Program in English, Rutgers University/New Brunswick
Alejandra Cunningham, Ph.D. Program in Anthropology, CUNY Graduate Center, with a Dean K. Harrison Tuition Fellowship and stipend*
Lisa J. Davis, M.F.A., Department of Media, SUNY Buffalo, with a full tuition scholarship, Dean's Fellowship, and Schomburg Minority Fellowship*
Kristen De Joseph, M.Phil. Research Masters Program in Linguistics at the Universiteit Leiden, the Netherlands*
Adam Faulkner, M.A., Linguistics, Georgetown University*
Michelle Goguen, M.A., Art Education, City College/CUNY
Elise Gornish, Ph.D. Program in Ecology, Florida State University, with a Teaching Assistantship
Michelle Grasberg, M.S., Teaching Literacy, St. John’s University*
John Hague, New York Law School
Mahmud Hasan, M.A. Program in South Asian Regional Studies, University of Pennsylvania
Tennessee Jones, M.F.A., Fiction Writing, Hunter College/CUNY
Laura Ligouri, M.A., Women’s Studies and Anthropology, Brandeis University, with a full scholarship
Denise Osborne, M.A., Applied Linguistics, Teachers College/Columbia University*
Marie Penny, Masters of Library Science, Queens College/CUNY*
Roman Palitsky, Harvard Divinity School
Yevgeniya Przhebelskaya, M.A., Teaching Program, Childhood Education, Queens College/CUNY
Kim Smith, Master's, Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, City College/CUNY
Tina Suszynski, M.A., Arts in Education, Harvard University
Farzana Umar, M.A., Islamic Studies, Columbia University
Noe Venable, M.A. Program in Religion and Secondary Education, Harvard Divinity School*
Kerton Victory, Ph.D. Program in Biosciences, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, with a full tuition scholarship and $23,000 stipend*
Sybil White, M.A., English, Brooklyn College/CUNY

*Recipients of CUNY BA/BS Alumni Scholarships

Recognition Round-Up

Brianne Baker (History of War and Violence/English Literature) and Ian Caskey (Writing: Fiction) had papers published in John Jay's Finest, Spring 2007 issue, a compendium of outstanding John Jay student writing from across the curriculum.

Kojo Davis (Ethics/Communication and Law) has received the first Candace J. Groudine Human Rights Award, which will give him both a scholarship and an internship in Human Rights in Washington, D.C.

Sarah Lippek received second place in the the Paul LeClerc Best Library Research Paper Award and was "honorably mentioned" for the Bernard Cohen Short Story Prize and the Mary M. Fay Poetry Award, both through the Hunter English department. Her short story "Dead Wasps" was recently published in the Olive Tree Review. In addition, Lippek was accepted into the Central European University in Budapest, an elite study abroad designed for advanced undergraduate students (usually honors students), where she will complete her last year of college. Central European University, www.ceu-budapest.edu, is a US-style graduate university located in the heart of Budapest, Hungary with almost 1000 M.A. and Ph.D. students from nearly 70 countries. Lippek is one of a small group of students accepted for 2007-08, all coming from top U.S. universities and colleges including: Princeton (Woodrow Wilson School), Cornell, Columbia, Harvard, John's Hopkins, Bard, Swarthmore, Sarah Lawrence, Denison, Scripps, and Lewis & Clarke. Students in this group who achieve and maintain a B+ average during the program are admitted to the CEU for their graduate studies.

La Shon Stockton (Social Work) was named one of “The Best People in NYC” by the Mayor’s Volunteer Center of NY for her extensive volunteer service to Safe Horizon, the nation’s leading victim assistance organization. Congratulations La Shon and Safe Horizon for being the “Best People in NYC!”

Camille Watson (Philosophy/Justice Studies) won the Humanities and Justice Award for an Outstanding Senior Thesis at John Jay College in Spring 2007.

Dulce Wechsler (Latin American Literature) received the Miguel de Cervantes Award from the Romance Languages department at Hunter College.

Did you know...

That the Majority of CUNY BA Graduates Report that they Find Careers/Employment Directly Related to their Areas of Concentration? Case in Point:

April 2007

Dear CUNY BA Program:

I know you must hear this quite a bit, but I have never been happier in my life, and it is due primarily to the educational experience I was able to have through the CUNY BA program.

My degree in Sociology of Volunteerism is one of the main reasons I was able to get my new job with New York Cares. My interview for the job focused quite a bit on my degree- what I studied, why I studied it, and most importantly how this was even possible. I was proud to sing the praises of the program and describe my own fantastic experiences with it.

In my first weeks here, several people came over to ask me about my degree and tell me how wonderful it was. Again, I was all too eager to discuss the academic challenges I was lucky enough to have and the wonderful program that provided them to me. Most people here had never heard of the program. They all now not only know of it, but are sorry they didn't get their degrees through it!

My job now is directly related to what I studied, as is obvious from the job title. I am primarily responsible for managing the volunteers' records, making sure that they are able to utilize the website and sign up for what they need, as well as recommending volunteer projects to
volunteers who aren't quite sure where to begin. I have been trained to teach the volunteer orientation and will be giving my first one next week.

Perhaps the most exciting part of my job is my participation in New York Cares' role in disaster relief. Along with two of my coworkers, I work with VOAD of New York City (Volunteer Organizations Active In Disaster). I am still very new to this responsibility and still have a
great deal to learn, but basically New York Cares is New York City's primary agency dealing with volunteers who look to provide aid after a disaster. As a part of this responsibility, I will be attending a conference on Disaster Response as a panelist representing New York Cares. I still have a great deal to learn about this new responsibility, but I have no doubt my experience with the CUNY BA program has prepared me well.

Thanks to you, and all the staff for the CUNY BA program, I am working in a field that I studied specifically, and in a career that I love. I'm doing exactly what I want to do, and CUNY BA made it possible. Thank you!

Jaime Denniston-Merced
Manager of Volunteer Relations

The Women’s Forum Awards

The Education Fund of the Women’s Forum provides annual awards of $3,500 each to encourage mature women of need to fulfill their potential through the pursuit of an undergraduate college education and to enhance their capacities to provide productive and supportive service to their communities. The Education Fund also holds symposiums, which are open to the public on important social and economic topics of the day.

Applications are due Dec. 1.

For more information and to apply, go to www.wfnewyork.org.

The CUNY Pipeline Program

The CUNY Pipeline Program provides educational and financial support to minority undergraduates interested in pursuing the Ph.D. in preparation for college-level teaching and advanced research.

Along with a stipend of $3,250, the CUNY Pipeline Program provides a summer research institute at The Graduate Center which includes a 4-credit research seminar, workshops on applying to graduate school, and workshops in preparation for taking the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Fellows report on their research projects at the annual CUNY Pipeline Conference and submit a written thesis at the end of the year. Pipeline fellows who enter a CUNY doctoral program receive a tuition waiver for their first year of doctoral study, which brings the total financial package to $7,600.

Eligibility requirements: (1) Ethnic minority students (African American, Asian American, Latino/a, or Native American); (2) U.S. citizens or permanent residents; (3) Juniors enrolled in one of CUNY’s senior colleges who have earned at least 80 credits by the spring of the junior year; (5) Minimum GPA of 3.2; (6) An interest in college teaching and research. For more information and the application, go to Pipeline.

The application deadline is March 1. (Postmarked)

Diane Ingino wins Best in Show

On Wed., May 23, BMCC's Video Arts and Technology Department held its 2007 Student Video Festival in the Media Center's Studio II. There were five categories: Documentary, Video Graphics, Audio, Alternative/Hybrid, and Fiction. The projects entered originated as assignments given in the department's beginning and advanced production courses. Each student was responsible for conceiving their own project, writing the script, casting, shooting, and editing the footage (including adding music, effects, etc.). Entrants were nominated by their fellow students. Each class was asked to vote on their favorite videos produced by their classmates. 23 students were finalists in the festival. Festival judges were BMCC's Executive Director of Public Affairs Barry Rosen, VAT professor Judy Noble, and Media Center Director John Gallagher.

Diane Ingino's (CUNY BA area of concentration: Modern History and the Moving Image) 9-minute documentary, entitled Buskerville, portrayed the history and personal experiences of New York City street musicians. Combining historical research with interviews and performances, Buskerville won Best Documentary and Best in Show. The prizes were sponsored by former BMCC President Joshua L. Smith. The winner in each category received a Joshua Smith Award for Excellence certificate. For Best in Show, Ingino received a complete package of Avid Express Pro Video Editing software.

Welcome!

Welcome to the CUNY BA Program Blog!