he experiment is to be tried… whether the children of the people, ‘Tthe children of the whole people, can be educated; whether an institution of learning, of the highest grade, can be successfully controlled by the popular will, not by the privileged few, but by the privileged many.” — Horace Webster CUNYMatters Founding Principal, The Free Academy cuny.edu/news • THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK • FOUNDED 1847 AS THE FREE ACADEMY NOVEMBER 2012 GRANTS&HONORS Faculty mentors and exceptional students help each other — and the University — Recognizing to further cutting- Faculty edge research. Achievement

HE UNIVERSITY’S renowned Ji faculty members continu- Tally win professional- achievement awards from prestigious organizations as well as research grants from government agencies, farsight- ed foundations and leading Sengupta corporations. Pictured are just a few of the recent honorees. Brief summaries of many ongoing research projects start here and continue inside.

The CUNY Board of Trustees has named three out- Stewart standing scholars as Distinguished Professors, the Win-Win Teamwork University’s highest faculty rank. They are: Dagmar Herzog, HE RIGHT MENTOR can change a student’s interest in mentor-based science OPENING Distinguished Professor of life – and possibly trigger a cascade of mentor- internships that it tracks federal CAREER AVENUES History, Graduate School and ing that ripples through the next generation. and private funding opportuni- CCNY chemist University Center, international- Psarris That’s the experience of cognitive neuropsy- ties on a special website. Barbara Zajc, left, ly renowned authority on the chologist Jennifer Mangels, a professor at Mentoring also is pivotal at the launched Deborah Ayeni history of religion in Europe and T into doctoral studies the U.S., on the Holocaust and Baruch College and the CUNY Graduate Center, whose NOAA-Cooperative Remote research into how people learn — particularly from mis- Environmental Sensing at Yale. its aftermath, and on the histo- takes — has won support from esteemed national insti- Technology Center, a multi-campus, ries of gender and sexuality; tutes and agencies. This year, two undergraduate multi-university venture based at City College. John Matteson, Distinguished students in her Dynamic Learning Lab won $126,000 There is a good deal of experimentation with mentor- Professor of English, John Jay College, winner of the 2008 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research ing. At New York City College of Technology, faculty Rauceo Pulitzer Prize in Biography for Fellowships. mentored eight alumni graduate students who, in turn, Eden’s Outcasts: The Story of “I’m only here as a professor because I had a great as teaching assistants mentored undergraduates in Louisa May Alcott and Her mentor as an undergraduate who saw my potential and everything from content to study skills; students in Father; Jeffrey T. Parsons, put as much into me as she would have put into a gradu- their 22 classes exceeded the semester average passing Distinguished Professor of ate student,” Mangels said. “That’s what I do for my stu- rate for those courses by an average of 10.5 percent. In a Psychology, Hunter College, dents. I treat them like the integral part of the research pilot involving CUNY’s three Bronx campuses last sum- leading authority on health team that they are.” mer, six Hostos and Bronx Community College students Young behaviors, HIV prevention and Despite the myth that mentoring is limited to small conducted research with five Lehman College biologists HIV medication adherence. liberal arts colleges, CUNY offers many opportunities and chemists, learning not only laboratory technique, for undergraduates to work closely with their profes- but also how to present data, draft research papers and The Spencer sors. Mentoring occurs across academic disciplines, but prepare explanatory posters. One participant, Ghanian Foundation has awarded a is particularly evident in the STEM fields (science, tech- immigrant Godwin Boaful (Bronx Community College, two-year $335,450 grant to nology, engineering and math). 2013) has won a place in the Kaplan Leadership Alexandra W. Logue, Executive For example, a Macaulay Honors College program Program, which includes a transfer scholarship to pur- Contel Vice Chancellor and University links scientists with undergraduates who seek research sue his bachelor’s degree. Provost, and Mari Watanabe- opportunities. Hunter College found so much student Continued on page 8 ‰ Rose, a postdoctoral fellow in the Office of Academic Affairs, for “Mainstreaming Mathematics Remedial INSIDE Students: A Random Non-Profit Org Assignment Experiment.” Fred CUNYMatters U.S. Postage PAGE Logue Office of University Relations PAID Reinventing — Big-Time Moshary of City College has 535 East 80th St. Permit # 153 2 Chancellor’s Regional Development Council been awarded $310,000 from New Haven, CT New York, NY 10075 Is Creating New Uses for Old Buildings Princeton University for “NSF – Engineering Research Center PAGE And (ERC) on Mid-Infrared 6 the BOOM Technologies for Health and the Environment (MIRTH).” Goes On Ortiz A $2.7 Billion Hunter College’s Public Building Boom Service Scholar Program (PSSP) Starts Delivering has been selected to partner New Facilities with the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation PAGE Road Maps for Retirement 14 University Seminars Help Employees Plan Ahead Walsh Continued on page 3 ‰ THECHANCELLOR’SDESK Articulating Core Values The Regional cross CUNY’s campuses, finan- lies in the top half of Economic cial managers are reviewing bud- income distribution. At Development get and investment plans in our nation’s community anticipation of next year’s state colleges, about 80 percent of the students Council REINV Aand city budgets. And as I always are from low-income households. cochaired by remind our managers, any financial plan- CUNY’s unique system encompasses a ning must start with an emphasis on our range of institutions and an equally broad Chancellor core values. range of students. This year, 38 percent of Goldstein All of us should take great pride in our undergraduates reported household CUNY’s historic tradition of access and incomes below $20,000. And while is turning quality. Readers of Gen. Colin Powell’s nationally about 28 percent of undergrad- abandoned book It Worked for Me know just how uates receive Pell grants—which are based important the CUNY mission is. In his in part on family income—at CUNY about NYC buildings ONCRETE book, the general points out that, as a 58 percent of undergraduates are Pell C and iron workers into invalu- black student, he couldn’t attend West grant recipients. are converting Point, the Citadel, the Virginia Military • A second issue is the shift in how pub- able three abandoned, Academy, Texas A & M, and other officer- lic universities are funded. As state support World War II job-creating, producing schools. He writes about what has dwindled, tuition costs have grown. machine shops at he calls his “undisting-uished academic Nationwide, from 2000 to 2010, real fund- economy- the Brooklyn Navy years” at City College: ing per FTE student fell by 21 percent. Yard into a green, boosting “My city believed that kids like me • Third, it is projected that by 2018, 63 21st century factory deserved a shot at the top…poor kids like me percent of jobs will require education projects. for a body-armor with immigrant parents, Jews who couldn’t beyond high school. As our own CUNY and military-appar- get into other schools because they were Jobs Task Force found, employers are el manufacturer; a laboratory for Jews, young adults with jobs who could only increasingly looking for college graduates designers, digital manufacturers and go to night school…kids who lived at home with strong analytical, communication, university researchers; and state-of- and came in every morning by subway or and problem-solving skills. the-art light manufacturing. About 400 bus. Education like the one I got at CCNY In such an environment, it is essential to construction jobs and 300 permanent was how the tired, poor, hungry masses remember CUNY’s core mission and val- jobs are expected. yearning to breathe free were integrated ues—including our commitment to provid- This might not have happened with- into America’s social and economic ing what we have called “the CUNY Value.” out the New York City Regional life….Though I walked away with a diploma The “value” is providing an outstanding Economic Development Council. This by the skin of my teeth, I did come out of education that doesn’t break the bank. It is two-year-old state body, cochaired by college with a wonderful liberal arts educa- an assurance to every student that the his- Chancellor Matthew Goldstein, is one tion. I found in the years to come that I was toric promise of access and opportunity is of 10 regional councils statewide that able to perform well alongside my West as true today as it was in 1847. recommend job-creating and economy- Point, Citadel, VMI, and A&M buddies.” To meet that promise, all of us must be boosting projects for competitive state I’m enormously proud that these val- more innovative, responsive, and efficient grants — with $762 million on the line ues haven’t changed. At CUNY, we ensure than ever before. in 2012 alone. that there are many portals of entry to the • We must pay careful attention to our The $46 million, 220,000-square- University and ample opportunities for students’ experience at every step and, foot, sustainable Green Manufacturing students to find programs suited to their wherever possible, find ways to enhance Center at the Brooklyn Navy Yard epito- needs. We value degree completion, and the quality and minimize the uncertainty. mizes the kind of transformative project we value graduation with a degree that • We must ensure that our state and that the council seeks out. The lead ten- reflects academic rigor and integrity and city partners fully understand our ants are military- and law-enforcement- is respected in the marketplace. We value students’ needs, and we must maximize gear manufacturer Crye Precision and the fundamental role faculty play in our all possible sources of revenue. Macro Sea, the developer that intends to academic enterprise. • We must be advocates for public open the New Lab for eco-conscious Today, public universities educate higher education, ensuring that families manufacturing and research there. WWII building at Brooklyn Navy Yard will become a Green three-quarters of our country’s across the city understand the need for Gov. Andrew Cuomo created the undergraduates. And since a college advanced credentials and the preparation regional councils in 2010 to foster regional economic growth. The council degree is associated with so many bene- and rigor those credentials demand. bottom-up economic planning from worked tirelessly last year to identify the fits—from greater lifetime earnings to To be the university of the future Colin diverse perspectives. Council members region’s best projects, and all of the pro- better health to more civic participation— Powells, we must be the smarter universi- include more than 20 community, busi- jects funded in 2011 are successfully mov- public institutions have a significant ty, the more creative university, and the ness and union leaders, elected officials ing forward.” responsibility to the well-being and eco- university that cares about getting it right and economic development experts. In 2011, the state awarded $785 million nomic development of the country itself. more than any other. That mindset must “The Regional Council initiative has statewide for these projects, including $66 That requires special attention to at permeate every corner of the University. transformed economic development in million for five city projects. The city pro- least three essential issues: A new Macaulay Honors College our city and across New York State,” jects were in some of the 15 Opportunity • First, public universities serve a stu- brochure includes a particularly memo- Chancellor Goldstein explains. “The Zones, which are formerly distressed or dent body of great variance—not only in rable quote from a student: “I was attract- council has become an invaluable forum underutilized and have undergone major terms of preparation and academic inter- ed to Macaulay because they make the for businesses, nonprofits, community rezoning, planning and public investment ests, but also in terms of family income. At investment in you, not the other way groups and individuals to discuss strate- during the past decade. Besides the Green our country’s competitive colleges, three- around.” It’s our job to make sure every gies and plans to create jobs and generate Manfacturing Center, they are: quarters of the students come from fami- student at the University feels that way.

BOARDOFTRUSTEES The City University of New York CUNYMatters High Achievers Continue Benno Schmidt Philip Alfonso Berry Matthew Goldstein Jay Hershenson IGH-ACHIEVING STUDENTS increase in the number of applicants Chairperson Vice Chairperson Chancellor Secretary of the Board of Trustees and continue to enroll at record lev- for this year, to a record 5,537 for 400 Senior Vice Chancellor for University Relations Hels at CUNY, while more stu- places. Valerie L. Beal Hugo M. Morales Michael Arena University Director for Communications and Marketing dents are on track to complete their SAT scores of students entering Wellington Z. Chen Brian D. Obergfell degrees, according to a preliminary Macaulay are now above 1400, with a Barbara Shea Managing Editor Rita DiMartino Peter Pantaleo fall 2012 enrollment report. mean average grade-point average in Freida D. Foster Kathleen M. Pesile Rich Sheinaus Director of Graphic Design The University continues to see excess of 93 percent – a student aca- Judah Gribetz Carol Robles-Román Charles DeCicco, Ruth Landa, Neill S. Rosenfeld Writers record enrollment of students with demic profile typical at Ivy League Joseph J. Lhota Charles A. Shorter Miriam Smith Issue Designer high school averages over 85 this fall, and other highly competitive institu- with a 5 percent increase over last tions. In addition, at CUNY’s five Jeffrey Wiesenfeld André Beckles Photographer year. CUNY’s highly competitive most competitive senior colleges – Articles in this and previous issues are available at cuny.edu/news. Kafui Kouakou Terrence F. Martell Letters or suggestions for future stories may be sent to the Editor by e-mail to Macaulay Honors College Baruch, Brooklyn, City, Hunter and Chairperson, Chairperson, [email protected]. Changes of address should be made experienced more than a 35 percent Queens – almost 27 percent of fresh- University Student Senate University Faculty Senate through your campus personnel office. [ 2 CUNY MATTERS — November 2012 GRANTS&HONORS

Continued from page 1 to create a pipeline for a more diverse environ- mental public service workforce. Since its ENTING–BIG-TIME founding in 1982, approximately 80 percent of PSSP alumni have gone on to leadership posts in public and nonprofit public service agencies and more than 75 percent have earned or pur- In 2011, the sued graduate degrees. In addition, over 75 per- cent have won highly competitive fellowships “state awarded with the city's Government Scholars Program and Urban Fellows Program, as well as Clark, Coro, HUD Renaissance, Congressional Hispanic $785 million Caucus and other prestigious fellowships. Up to engineers with ven- which is already the 24 Hunter juniors and seniors are admitted to largest film and tele- ture capital, busi- statewide for PSSP annually. They receive $6,000 stipends vision production ness expertise and and are placed at a nonprofit or government facility on the East market opportuni- these projects, agency for 20-hour/week internships while par- Coast. More than ties in New York ticipating in two weekly seminars focusing on City. Over 12 weeks, including $110 million would their internship work and ongoing public policy entrepreneurs will build nearly 100,000 issues in the city. Elaine M. Walsh, the PSSP refine their prod- $66 million square feet of new director, says: "Leadership development pro- ucts and meet with soundstages for TV grams for women, minority group members and venture capitalists. for five city shows and commer- immigrants are especially important in the non- Applications were to cials and the first profit and public sectors, where they have his- be accepted in projects. New York City out- torically formed the bulk of the workforce while November 2012. door streetscape back having little opportunity to advance to leader- Three projects lot. Steiner has part- ship." in the· city’s Applied ” nered with Brooklyn of Sciences Initiative. College and its Sunghoon Jang New York City College of One is a consortium of univer- prospective graduate cinema school. If Technology has received sities in Downtown Brooklyn that graduate program wins CUNY and $599,792 from the that includes CUNY and is led state approval, it would be the country’s National Science by NYU and NYU Polytechnic only graduate film program located on a Foundation for Jang University. Called CUSP — the working studio lot. “Engineering the Future: Center for Urban Science and Wiring industries in “digital Pathways to Success for Women and Progress — the collaboration deserts”· for fiber-optic broadband. This Underrepresented Students in the Engineering will confront urban challenges $13 million outer-borough project could Technologies.” The National Institutes of Health including infrastructure, ener- affect 260 buildings over two years, sup- has awarded $621,021 to porting the development of high-tech gy efficiency, greenhouse gas John M. Tarbell, Chair and industry clusters in economically emissions, transportation con- Wallace Coulter distressed areas. gestion, public safety and edu- Distinguished Professor of Creating lab space for high-tech cation. CUNY faculty and Biomedical Engineering at students will have many oppor- design,· prototyping and programmable City College, for “Endo- tunities for research and edu- hardware ventures at Macro Sea’s New thelial Glycocalyx” Tarbell cational initiatives. The other Lab, a $23.2 million facility that would research. Kingsborough two Applied Science Initiatve promote collaboration between high-tech Community College has received $375,000 from projects are the partnership of design and fabrication. the National Aeronautics and Space Cornell University with Restoring wetlands while encourag- Administration for “Petrologic-Geochemical Technion-Israel Institute of ing· waterfront development. The New Studies of Reduced Solar System Matter,” Technology, slated for York City Wetlands Mitigation Bank directed by Michael Weisberg. Kleanthis Manufacturing Center and labs for eco-conscious research. Roosevelt Island, and a major would use $10 million as seed money for Psarris of Brooklyn College has received a expansion of Columbia work at Sunset Cove Park in Jamaica Bay, $200,000 grant from the National Science Redevelopment of the Hunts Point University’s engineering school. Saw Mill Creek on Staten Island and Foundation for “Collaborative Research: Flow- Terminal Produce Market to bolster eco- · Ferry Point Park in the Bronx. It’s part of In 2012, Goldstein says, the New York Sensitive Program Analysis for Speculative nomic activity in the impoverished South City regional council “focused on refining a broader program to leverage about $576 Parallelization.” Bronx. our strategies and strengthening our imple- million in infrastructure investment at 60 Food industry partnerships between Robert Gyles of Hunter College has mentation program and, through robust sites, 18 private and 42 public. upstate agricultural groups and local received $444,410 from the New York City · Cleaning up 60 polluted brownfields public participation and council discussion, developers. A distribution center may Department of Education for a “Math Center for we have made important adjustments to for· residential and commercial develop- locate at Create@Harlem Green, where a Learning & Teaching/Continuing Education — ensure a strong, effective plan for a more ment in low-income and underserved com- former factory is being transformed into District 30.” Clarence Stanley of Lehman prosperous New York City.” munities. The goal is to unlock $1 billion in an artisanal and entrepreneurial center of College has been awarded $302,000 from the The council’s top five recommendations private investment. Projects could include sustainable business and creative enter- State University of New York: Research for state funding in 2012 are: 1,500 new housing units — including 1,000 prise. Foundation for the “New York State Small Phase III of constructing the Steiner affordable housing units — and 1.2 million SeedStart, designed to connect digi- Business Development Center.” Kingsborough square feet of commercial space. movie· studio at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Community College has received $197,413 from tal ·media entrepreneurs and software the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City for the “SIF Young Adult Program,” under the direc- tion of Saul W. Katz. The “Health Workforce Retraining Initiative,” directed by Michele To Enroll at CUNY in Record Numbers Stewart of LaGuardia Community College, has been awarded a $182,134 grant from the New men entering this fall had SAT scores Chancellor Matthew Goldstein told immersion programs to bring their York State Department of Health. Maria Contel above 1200. the Board of Trustees on Sept. 24 that skills up to college level. They includ- of Brooklyn College has received $155,430 from The strong demand for a CUNY higher retention rates were “very ed more than 740 in CUNY Start, an the National Institutes of Health for research education is fueled by strengthened much attributable to the focus and academic skills immersion program, academic standards, stabilized quality of the students” now applying and another 2,100 in the CUNY concerning “SC2: Organogold Phosphorus- University finances and CUNY’s to and entering CUNY’s most competi- Language Immersion Program. Containing Compounds as Antitumor Agents.” renewed reputation for both academic tive colleges. Enrollment at CUNY’s four-year quality and great value in a challenging A total of 269,186 students are fill- baccalaureate colleges is slightly up The United States Department of economy where college tuitions and ing CUNY classrooms in fall 2012, fol- this fall, as is undergraduate enroll- Energy has awarded Queens College student debt continue to rise. lowing 12 years of enrollment ment overall. A small dip in graduate- $2,155,000 for a “Former Worker Surveillance Overall, the number of students increases, according to preliminary student enrollment is occurring in Program,” a health study directed by Steven continuing at CUNY colleges University figures. Another 2,800 stu- teacher-education programs amid a Markowitz. Jean Callahan of Hunter College has increased by close to 2,000. dents were directed to pre-degree drop-off in teacher hiring. ] Continued on next page ‰ CUNY MATTERS — November 2012 3 GRANTS&HONORS NEWSWIRE

AVE YOU HEARD? A Hunter student led his wheelchair basketball team to its third Continued from page 3 Hgold in London's Paralympic Games … In Beijing, a Brooklyn College student received $392,260 in grant funding from the sang the lead in a Chinese opera … New research by a CCNY climate New York State Office of Temporary & Disability specialist indicates New York gardens soon might bloom all winter. Assistance for a “Housing Training Resource System.” Stefan Becker of Lehman College ently. In his experiments, men and has received a $166,269 grant from the New women were shown flashes of color and York State Education Department for “Teacher asked to identify them. Men had a hard Education for Advance Science Preparation.” time telling slight differences in shades of The “CCNY Nuclear Research Fellowship yellow, green and blue. Abramov deter- Program," directed by Masahiro Kawaji of City mined that it wasn’t College, has received $400,000 from the because of their Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The National eyes, which have Institutes of Health has awarded $154,729 in the same struc- grant support to Jason Rauceo of John Jay ture as women’s, College for research on “Yeast Cell Wall and surmised that Damage Response Pathways.” it’s testosterone City College professor “NYS Spinal Cord Injury Research that “leads to Second Coming: Program,” directed by Maria Knikou of the different con- Michio Kaku says it may be possible, with College of Staten Island, nectivities for males the use of epigenetics, to raise the dead. has received a $359,404 and females.” He has- He envisions a time when carcasses of grant from the New York tens to note that the color gap is so subtle people and animals — mammoths, State Department of that the only time it really comes dinosaurs and even the Neanderthal man Health. Sandra Watson into play is when men are — can be resurrected as clones. asked to choose between and Jane McKillop of No Place Like Home: Although violinist LaGuardia Community Mayor Michael Bloomberg similar shades, say Knikou Adrianna Mateo has toured the great con- College have received was awarded the when picking the cert halls of Europe and top American $252,222 in grant support from the Mayor's Chancellor’s Medal dur- paint color for a venues like Carnegie Hall and Steinway Fund to Advance New York City for the “CUNY ing opening ceremonies room. for The New Community Hall, she’s particularly fond of LeFrak Hall Fatherhood Academy.” It’s College. Bloomberg, an It Commutes: at Queens College. The 22-year-old, who is Jeffrey Halperin of Queens College has avid and early supporter of much easier to get studying at received two grants from the National the project, called NCC “a potentially around the City College campus by bus the college’s Institutes of Health, totaling $844,545, for game-changing model for community col- thanks to NextBus, which provides real- Aaron research concerning lege education in New York and through- time information for the two routes via Copland “Neurodevelopmental out the nation.” He picked up a second text messages and a website. School of Perspectives on ADHD” Music, thinks award at LaGuardia Community College Calling All Mentors: Baruch student Jeff and “Training Executive, of LeFrak as when the National Fatherhood Initiative McClellan is one of many first-generation Attention, and Motor home because presented him with its Fatherhood Award. college students who have received a head Skills (TEAMS): it was among Bloomberg, who has two daughters, was start through New York Needs You. The Halperin Preliminary Studies.” the first honored for his role in launching the organization, founded four years ago by Hunter College has been Young Men’s Initiative and NYC Dads, places she awarded $306,000 from PHS/NIH/National Robert Reffkin, chief of staff to the presi- New York’s first citywide effort to help performed, Institute of General Medical Sciences for a pro- dent of Goldman Sachs, provides two fathers connect with their children. The and she still records there. At LeFrak, she ject, directed by Benjamin Ortiz, titled years of intensive mentoring. award was given at the first graduation for notes that she’s in great company — “Translating TCRa Locus Control Region Hunter the CUNY Fatherhood Academy, which is Third Time a Gold Charm: notable groups like the Orpheus Chamber Activity to T Cell Gene Therapy Vectors.” The part of the Young Men’s Initiative. College student Patrick Anderson was the Orchestra and the Emerson String Quartet New York State Office of Children & Family golden guy in London’s Paralympic have graced its stage. After she graduates Services has awarded Gerald Mallon of Hunter He Sees, She Sees: Brooklyn College Games, leading the Canadian wheelchair from Queens College, Mateo wants to College $412,025 for a “Post-Adolescent professor Israel Abramov has proven that basketball team to its third gold medal. study in Paris and take some classes at Services Resource Network.” The National the sexes don’t see eye to eye on color The 33-year-old Anderson won the gold in Oxford University. She hopes to record Science Foundation has awarded $150,001 to because their brains look at hues differ- 2000 and 2004 and the silver in 2008. movie soundtracks and albums and, of Ray Gavin of Brooklyn College for “Functional course, continue to tour. of an Unconventional Myosin in Tetrahymena.” HISTORYLESSON No Union Label: New York City’s post- “Toward Human-Like recession job market may have rebound- Understanding in Breakthrough ed, but private-sector union positions Operational Language Technologies have dropped by nearly 20 percent since (Thunderbolt),” a research project directed by the 2008 downturn. According to a report Heng Ji of Queens College, has received by Graduate Center professor Ruth $215,674 in grant support from DARPA/SRI Milkman and Ph.D. candidate Laura International. The National Science Foundation Braslow, that translates to 95,000 jobs, has awarded $400,000 in grant funding to which they say is the biggest drop in the Shamik Sengupta of John Jay College for “The country. Self-Coexistence Project.” Zhigang Zhu, Tony Ro, and Yingli Tian of City College have been For Art’s Sake: In a profile in awarded $100,000 from the National Science BusinessWeek.com, exiled Myanmar Foundation for a research project titled artist Chaw Ei Thein, who is a student at “EFRIM3C: Mobility Skill Acquisition and Hunter College, said that being jailed for Learning through creating a performance art piece in the Alternative and streets of Rangoon has made her even Multimodal Perception for more committed to her art and her home Visually Impaired country. After she completes her degree, People.” she wants to return to a Myanmar where Ann Jacobs and she hopes freedom of expression is more Jacobs Jeffrey Butts of John freely granted. Jay College have received From Brooklyn to Beijing: It was a desire $442,143 from the to study Chinese that landed Brooklyn Pinkerton Foundation for College student Jacquelyn Stucker on a “The Establishment of stage in Beijing this summer. But she wasn’t the Pinkerton Fellows speaking the language, she was singing it. Program.” Christine Stucker won the lead in the Chinese opera Butts Alvarez of LaGuardia “The White-Haired Girl” that is being pro- Two 3-year-olds attending Hunter College Elementary School for gifted Continued on page 7 ‰ MEETING OF MINDS: duced by “I Sing Beijing Gala Concert,” a children at Hunter's North Building in 1948. Today the renowned school is on East 94th Street. private-public program in China.

4 CUNY MATTERS — November 2012 GREENER GREENLAND AHEAD?

EVOLVING GREENLAND: City College assistant professor Marco Tedesco and a colleague evaluate a crevasse in the Greenland Ice Sheet during a research expedition to the remote Arctic island. Tedesco’s unique measurement index indicated a record ice melt there this past summer — which created new glacial lakes plus river runoff that could eventually add to rising sea levels.

Her Next 100 Years: Bel Kaufman, life- Christopher Rosa, University assistant long student and teacher, is entering her dean for student affairs, was among nine second century with pen still in hand. At New Yorkers honored recently with a New 101, the Hunter College alumna and York Post Liberty Medal. “It’s humbling to teacher, best known for her 1965 best- receive recognition for work on behalf of seller “Up the Down Staircase,” is at work students who have already given me so on a book about her grandfather, Yiddish much,” said Rosa, who has muscular dys- storyteller Sholom Aleichem. trophy and won the educator award. He spearheads CUNY Nature’s Best: From ordinary aspirin to LEADS, a compre- sophisticated cancer-fighting drugs like hensive career- Taxol, natural products took center stage readiness pro- at the International Congress on Natural gram for stu- Products Research’s five-day scientific Speakers Roundup: New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli (above left photo), dents with conference in Manhattan. Billed as the hosted Macaulay Honors College and College of Staten Island students including Andrea disabilities at largest U.S. gathering of natural products Cella (left) and Danica Pagulayan, with CSI student affairs VP Ramona Brown and event CUNY’s 24 researchers, it was organized and co-host- organizer and CUNY trustee Kathleen Pesile … Queens College welcomed Nobel Peace campuses. ed by CUNY. Prize winner Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (above right photo, second from left), who spoke of Seven of 10 partic- her 15-year house arrest and her current role in Myanmar’s parliament. With her were ipants are working Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Queens-Bronx), left; college president James Muyskens; in the first year after Queens alumna Carole King, who sang “Daw Suu Kyi, you’ve got a friend”); actress graduation, he said. Anjelica Huston; and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn … NATO Secretary-General “All that people with Anders Fogh Rasmussen spoke at City College; U.S. labor secretary Hilda L. Solis talked disabilities ask for is an equal chance to at Borough of Manhattan Community College; Haitian President succeed or fail on their merits alone.” Michel Martelly visited Brooklyn College … Autism Speaks’ fifth A Plant Stand: annual conference drew world dignitaries to Hunter College, includ- If City College assistant professor Nir ing Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Panama President Krakauer’s research bears fruit, fig trees Ricardo Martinelli and more than 15 first ladies …. will grow like wildfire in New York City and camellias will winter in Detroit. 10 in 1,000: Kingsborough Community Lotta Lotto Luck: Frank Ulloa, a Lehman Make Krakauer’s research, supported by the College has been named one of 10 finalists College student, hit the jackpot when he Mine National Oceanic and Atmospheric for the Aspen Institute Prize for and 21 coworkers at a Manhattan car deal- Black: Administration, shows that the new USDA Community College Excellence. KCC was ership won Powerball’s $1 million prize. Birch Coffee, the Flatiron District shop Hardiness Map, detailing which plants selected from more than 1,000 entries. After taxes, he’ll get $30,081. He doesn’t opened in 2009 by Queens College alum- will survive where, doesn’t go far enough The award comes with a $1 million prize have any college loans, so he’s planning to nus Jeremy Lyman and business partner in taking global warming into account. that will be awarded in March. give some of it to his mom. Paul Schlader, is perking along: A second More than a third of the country has shift- Right Recipe: shop will be opening soon on the Upper The Good Fight: This summer, wrestler ed at least one zone since the map came New York City College of West Side. William “Spartan” Ferrara, a Queens out in January, he says, because the winter Technology alumna Kubee College student, took time out from his Something To Chew On: A new study on is warming faster than the summer. Kassaye, chef at the five-star roster of East Coast fights to jump into the gum disease by Luisa N. Borrell, chair of Peninsula Hotel in ring in his own neighborhood. Ferrara’s Lehman College’s Department of Health Manhattan, was one of six fight in Middle Village, Queens, was Sciences, found that while the disease Get Daily Newswire reports at women to win the for Showcase Championship decreased by 7.1 percent overall during a cuny.edu/newswire. To download the free app for 2012 Legacy Wrestling, an indepen- 10-year period, it remained most common your mobile device, search The City University of Award for dent organization that among adults 35 years and older, men, New York at the Apple or Android culinary brings the sport to blacks, Mexican-Americans, those without online stores. Or snap the nearby achieve- schools, youth camps high school diplomas and low-income box with your smartphone to ment from and churches. people. subscribe to Newswire. the Les Dames d’Escoffier International.

CUNY MATTERS — November 2012 5 BUILDINGTHEFUTURE

And the BOOM Goes On CUNY’s $2.7 billion building program is EW LABS WITH EASY ACCESS to top med- es the quadrangle flanked by Stanford White’s Beaux Arts ical researchers. A rooftop greenhouse. beginning to deliver beauties of 1894 to 1900. Fiscal control and recession- Custom-designed study carrels. A moot lowered costs brought the project in well under budget. courtroom. Storefront access for English- planned new facilities And that made affordable marble and slate floors, learners. A childcare center with an environ- Guastavino tile ceilings (like those in the nearby Hall of mental playground. ranging from cutting- Fame), pendant lights and custom-designed study carrels NThese are facets of buildings that CUNY is opening, – plus 15 classrooms, 25 group-study rooms and a media planning or announcing this fall as part of the desk where students can order streaming videos and University’s ongoing $2.7 billion building boom. All pro- edge labs to entire check out iPads, laptops, cameras and calculators. vide commodious yet cutting-edge facilities that will “I’m enjoying the great beauty of this building,” says enhance education and research. They include a Beaux campuses. chief librarian Teresa L. McManus. “It puts forward that Arts-inspired library in the Bronx, the start of design of a Bronx Community College is all about academics. supercomputing center in Staten Island, a classroom Hughes.) Also the Law School, now in a gleaming Long Students need a place to be, to study, to learn.” Adds stu- building rising from the destruction of 9/11, new campus- Island City office building, that encourages aspiring dent Dorian Whyte, North Hall “gives you a great initia- es for the New Community College and CUNY Law attorneys to study their performances, which will be tion into what a real school is.” School, and new classrooms, studios and gallery space for recorded by multiple cameras in trial practice rooms. CUNY’s Decade of Science – hallmarked by the forth- Hunter College’s BFA and MFA students in Tribeca. (State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman was to headline coming Universitywide Advanced Science Research The projects “reflect the continuing modernization of the official opening in late October.) Center and a companion building for City College – also CUNY facilities,” Chancellor Matthew Goldstein told the Access is a byword. Take the new Inwood home of fuels the building boom. Board of Trustees in September. “We have never seen so CUNY in the Heights, a 7-year-old continuing-education Lehman opens a $70 million Science Hall, the first in a many wonderfully designed, magnificent facilities and and workforce-development collaboration by Hostos three-building science cluster. With its rooftop garden on-time budgets.” He credited “the extraordinary work of Community College and BMCC. It moved from ill-venti- and unique water recycling system, it seeks the top Vice Chancellor for Facilities Planning, Construction and lated quarters without elevators or provisions for people “LEED platinum” rating for sustainability, which would Management Iris Weinshall and her staff,” citing her with disabilities into an inviting, $4.7 million, street-level be a feat for an energy-hungry science building. focus on quality and accountability. Under her educational emporium. “Our students do everything President Ricardo R. Fernández predicts that with its leadership, the University has taken back construction from upgrading their skills and attaining certification in new science muscle, Lehman “will change the direction management from the state Dormitory Authority. specific fields to earning their GEDs and learning English of individual lives and research, that will lead to advances There is exquisite detail throughout. Take the child- as a second language,” says executive director Aldrin in fighting disease, malnutrition, climate change and oth- friendly garden at Lehman College’s child care center, Bonilla. “We pride ourselves on some 40 certifications er conditions.” due to open this winter. Or Fiterman Hall at Borough of that can lead to employment in a changing economy.” Hunter has taken two bold steps in the health Manhattan Community College, which replaces a name- BMCC nursing student Katherine Mendez takes some sciences. One is buying a life-sciences medical-research sake damaged in the World Trade Center attack and now courses there. “It makes my travel schedule much easier,” floor at Weill-Cornell Medical College, where students invites community interaction with a street-level café. she says. “The professors and staff couldn’t be friendlier.” and faculty can use that school’s resources. The other is (“A breath of fresh air in the midst of all these skyscrap- When it comes to artistry, it’s hard to beat Bronx to swap Hunter’s aging Brookdale campus on East 25th ers,” says Community Board 1 chair Catherine McVay Community College’s North Hall and Library, which clos- Street for a new tower to be built on city-owned land at

This sleek design will replace a crumbling facade at LaGuardia Community College. Stylish new Fiterman Hall at BMCC succeeds a building damaged on 9/11.

6 CUNY MATTERS — November 2012 GRANTS&HONORS RIBBON CUTTINGS at numerous city locales herald completion of cutting- edge facilities at many campuses, Continued from page 4 including CUNY in the Heights, Community College was awarded $389,150 photos at far left, on page 6. from the New York City Department of Small Ceremonies shown on this page are, Business Services for “EMT S.A.V.E.” “Solvation from top to bottom, at the unique Directed Design of Flavonoid Derivatives for Science Hall at Lehman College, Caspase Inhibition,” directed by Thomas the model New Community College at Bryant Park, the gleaming new Young of Lehman College, has received a location of CUNY Law School and $122,250 grant from the National Institutes of Bronx Community College’s Health. Shannon Bryant of LaGuardia Beaux-Arts inspired library. Community College has received a $604,040 grant from the New York City Department of Small Business Services for the “Health Care Sector Center.” Christian Grov of Brooklyn College received $147,964 from the National Institutes of Health for a project concerning “HIV Risk and Venues for Meeting Sex Partners.” LaGuardia Community College has been awarded a $729,757 grant from the Robin Hood Foundation (MDRC) for Dalsimer the “GED Bridge Pilot Project,” under the direction of Amy Dalsimer. The Hospital League East 73rd Street and the East River. 1199 has awarded There, Hunter will consolidate science, $375,000 to Hugo Kijne nursing and other health instruction, of the College of Staten next to a planned outpatient care facili- Island for the “Clinical ty coming from Memorial Sloan- Education Agreement- Kettering Cancer Center. Staten Island Hospital.” Kijne “We will train the next generation of Amy Ikui of Brooklyn scientists, particularly minorities and College has received $155,430 from the women, in conjunction with Memorial National Institutes of Health for “SC2: A Novel Sloan-Kettering,” said Hunter President Function of Orc6 during Mitosis in S. Jennifer Raab. Cerevisiae.” Mary-Jo Kranacher, chair of the Mayor Bloomberg said the two build- accounting and finance department at York ings, expected to open by 2018, will College, has received the Outstanding “enable both Hunter College and Achievement Award of the Association of Memorial Sloan-Kettering to carry out Certified Fraud Examiners for her outstanding their lifesaving missions in outstanding, state-of-the-art contributions as an anti-fraud professional. facilities in a beautiful location.” The National Academies Transportation In August, CUNY launched New Community College Research Board has awarded a $249,410 grant in rented space at Manhattan's Bryant Park. Plans call for to Charles Jennings of John Jay College for forging a public-private partnership to erect a permanent “Best Practices in Hazardous Material Pipeline home on the West Side. Recognizing Mayor Bloomberg’s Emergency Response Plans.” Harriet Goodman “singular efforts to ensure an accessible, high-quality of Hunter College has received $180,470 from education to all New Yorkers,” Chancellor Goldstein The New York City Human Resources awarded him the University’s prestigious Chancellor’s Administration for “Delivery of Social Services Medal at the college’s inaugural convocation. Training/Education to Employees of NYC “We’re creating a potentially game-changing model for through Innovative Learning Technologies.” A community college education,” Bloomberg said. project directed by Richard Veit of the College Maria Lissete Estrada, one of the college’s first 300 stu- announced another $71 million for maintenance, which of Staten Island — "Modeling Wildlife dents, said, “I’m inspired to have a bigger, better future the state will match. Coming are upgrades to the heating, Densities and Habitat use Across Temporal and for myself, and college is just the first step for me.” cooling and electrical systems at Bronx Community Spatial Scales Over the Mid-Atlantic Less glamorously, the University has committed $10 College, a modern fire alarm system for Kingsborough Continental Shelf” — has received a $144,612 billion over 10 years to maintain every building in a “state Community College, replacement of a crumbling façade grant from the United States Department of of good repair,” resulting in 415 projects at senior colleges at LaGuardia Community College, upgrades to the the- Energy. Marie Filbin, Distinguished Professor of and 77 projects at community colleges so far. ater, including elevator replacement at Queensborough Biology at Hunter College, has received a City Council Speaker Christine Quinn recently Community College and more. $343,610 grant from PHS/NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stroke for a study of the “Role of Myelin in Spinal Cord Regeneration.” Hyungsik Lim of Hunter College has received $102,912 from Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University for “Imaging Transcription in Living Animals.”

The “Mathematics and Science Partnerships Project: NCLB/Title IIB,” under the direction of Barry Cherkas of Hunter College, has been awarded a $282,436 grant from the New York City Department of Education. Douglas Boyer of Brooklyn College has been award- Boyer ed $111,106 from the National Science Foundation for research concerning “Primate Dental Topographic and Geometric Morphology.” Bronx Community College’s library offers custom-designed study carrels. Rendering of planned Hunter College tower at E. 73rd St. and the East River.

CUNY MATTERS — November 2012 7 COVERSTORY

“IT WAS WONDERFUL.” Hunter College astronomer Kelly Cruz, left, could rely on self- starter Vivienne Baldassare.

Win-Win Teamwork Continued from page 1 graduate students. If they are close, I can better read ping up study with College of Staten Island associate Mentoring has become a key part of CUNY's Decade their faces to see if they are with me or not and adjust professor Charles Liu, who had changed her life by ask- of Science. The record 16 students and alumni who won the level of detail in my presentation.” ing her to classify galaxies according to their shapes. “I'd NSF Graduate Research Fellowships in 2012 could each • • • never thought about astronomy as a career, but I found I point to a CUNY mentor who helped set them on a path loved it,” she said. of scientific inquiry. No public university in the Few things make teachers prouder than when a stu- • • • Northeast had more NSF winners than CUNY. dent nails it. Just ask Kelle Cruz, an assistant professor While there are formal mentoring programs around of astronomy and astrophysics at Hunter College, about York College associate professor Gerard McNeil has the University, most mentoring is informal. Typically, a an undergraduate she mentored last year, Vivienne found a way to expand mentoring beyond the limits of faculty member uses federal or private funding to work Baldassare. his small biology research laboratory. “There are so few with a small number of students one-on-one. Cruz asked Baldassare (Macaulay Honors College at research labs and so many students, but you can give Hunter College, B.A. in physics, 2012) to help with many more students a research experience by bringing • • • research on wannabe stars called brown dwarfs. real-life scientific problems into the classroom,” he said. Consider NSF winner Belén Carolina Guerra-Carrillo Baldassare measured how fast some were moving away So McNeil teamed up with (Baruch, B.A. in psychology, 2010), a student of Jennifer from or toward Earth. “Vivienne wrote code to measure the Genomics Education BRAIN TRUST Mangels who was so intrigued with her undergraduate the wavelength shift in kilometers per second, handed Partnership, a consortium After graduation, research that she signed on to manage Mangels’ lab for me the final results with a bow on it and said, ‘See you at based at Washington Belén Carolina Guerra- two years after graduation. This fall, Guerra-Carrillo the next AAS Carrillo, right, managed planned to start a doctoral program at the University of [American Baruch neuropsychologist California, Berkeley, intending to explore what physical- Astronomical Society] Jennifer Mangels’ ly happens in the brain when people learn and how meeting.’ It was won- lab. those changes affect academic performance. derful.” Mangels’ other NSF-winning student, Jimena Then Baldassare Santillan (Hunter, B.A. in psychology, 2012), planned to took off for a doctoral start a doctoral program at the University of Oregon this program at the fall. An emigrant from Mexico, where she attended an University of English- immersion school, Santillan intends to explore Michigan-Ann Arbor whether being bilingual helps people focus on what’s where, with an NSF important while ignoring everything else that’s going on. graduate research fel- For her own research, Mangels examines “how we lowship, “I hope that learn after we’ve made a mistake or experienced my research will con- failure….” Her research has implications for teaching. tribute to our under- Take what Mangels calls the “very American thing” of standing of the role giving a medal to every kid in a race to boost the self- that galaxy mergers esteem of those who bring up the rear – or, by extension, and active galactic giving lagging students some reward for effort on a test. nuclei play in galaxy Does that help them learn? The preliminary evidence is evolution,” she said. yes, but only if they and their teachers think they will Cruz and see long-term improvement based on their efforts. Baldassare met at the Mangels’ goal now is to work with researchers and edu- American Museum of cators to incorporate interventions promoting this mes- Natural History, sage into everyday teaching practices. where all CUNY There also are implications for college classrooms. astronomers hold “We’re looking at what mindsets can teachers encourage appointments and to get students focused less on performance and more CUNY students are on the learning process,” Mangels said. “I always have welcome to be part of the undergraduates up at the front for lab meetings, so the community. they feel they’re as much a part of the process as my Baldassare was wrap-

8 CUNY MATTERS — November 2012 COVERSTORY

"A TURNING POINT" York College biologist Haltaufderhyde (York College, minor in biology, 2012), who planned to begin doctoral Gerard McNeil, left, urged B.S. in biotechnology, 2011) work at Massachusetts Institute of Technology this fall. Kirk Haltaufderhyde chose a career in science after Working with his Hunter mentor, Xue developed a Web to pursue working in the audio-video tool to analyze and visualize the effect of mutations in a doctorate. industry. Tapping into data pro- proteins that enable cancer tumors to survive hypoxia vided by the Genomics Education (oxygen deprivation). Xie praised Xue’s work. Partnership, he completed three “Hypoxia is quite complex, and we need new meth- original research projects and is a ods to understand it. Vincent focused on developing co-author on a manuscript being new methods to understand this genetic mutation.” prepared. “To have the research As well as awards from the major government experience with Dr. McNeil was def- sources and pharmaceutical companies, Xie received a initely a turning point,” said 2010 Genome Technology Young Investigator award Haltaufderhyde, 32. and a 2012 Hunter President Award for Faculty McNeil said that “when you find a Advancement. student like Kirk, you grab him.” • • • They met when he was taking McNeil’s General Biology 2 class and As Barbara Zajc sees it, when those “who are moti- asked for a recommendation for a vated about science come into your lab and get involved summer research program. “I said, in research, it opens the door to different career oppor- ‘What about my lab?’ He had not tunities.” Zajc, an associate professor of chemistry at thought about graduate school, so City College, enjoys her role as a mentor, particularly we spent the summer talking about with standout students like 2012 NSF Graduate that as he did research.” Research Fellowship winner Deborah Ayeni (City Haltaufderhyde is pursuing a doc- College, 2011). Now in the experimental pathology doc- torate at Brown University. toral program at Yale School of Medicine, Ayeni, who • • • was born in Nigeria, says she intends to work with can- cer-causing genes to seek “ways of interfering with can- Wouldn’t it be better if cer pathways, tumor regression and how cancers researchers could rationally predict develop resistance to chemical agents.” Ayeni’s under- University in St. Louis. “We use computers as tools for how drugs will work when they’re still in the test tube, graduate research won her a CUNY-sponsored Jonas E. students to answer unknown biological questions in the rather than relying on trial and error after millions have Salk Scholarship for graduate study in addition to her classroom,” he said. “The students at each [of more than been spent on development? That’s one thing Hunter NSF award. She anticipates a career in industrial 80 undergraduate colleges] get their own piece of the College associate professor Lei Xie hopes to accomplish research. genomics puzzle. They learn to gather data, use the in his Computational Systems Biology, Molecular Zajc specializes in fluoroorganic chemistry, develop- required tools and develop and test hypotheses. Those Modeling and Bioinformatics Laboratory. ing new methods for chemically swapping fluorine skills are applicable to every area of science. All the data “We’re trying to predict drug-target binding,” atoms for hydrogen atoms in organic compounds. “A is captured at Washington University, which puts it explains Xie. “Suppose we design drug A to bind to pro- compound may be active, but you may not know why,” together and makes sense of it at the genomic level. tein A. If we predict that the drug also binds to protein she says. “If you change it a bit, the underlying differ- Before, we needed a wet lab and a lot of room to ask B — and we know that protein B can cause another dis- ence can give you the answer.” She currently mentors unknown biological questions; now all you need is a ease — we can use this drug to treat this other disease. two undergraduates, two master’s students and one computer.” This will save a lot of money in drug development.” doctoral student, Rakesh Kumar, who in September Which is not to say that McNeil doesn’t engage in This is the kind of exploration that Xie defended his dissertation. Kumar is slated to conduct one-on-one mentoring and old-fashioned wet-bench encourages the students he mentors post-doctoral research in Zurich at one of the work in his lab. Since 2002, the National to tackle. Among them is world’s top universities for STEM studies and Institutes of Health-Minority Biomedical 2012 NSF Graduate management and where another CCNY stu- Research Support/Support of Research dent Zajc mentored, Maggie He, is near- Competitive Research (SCORE) pro- Fellowship ing completion of her Ph.D. gram has supported his work. winner “What I find very rewarding,” Zajc SCORE seeks to increase the capa- Vincent Xue says, “is that students can come from bilities and competitiveness of (Macaulay very underprivileged environments. investigators at colleges like York, Honors Participating in research opens new where at least half the students are College at avenues for them in terms of their from groups underrepresented in Hunter careers and their lives. When I hear from biomedical and behavioral research. College, B.A. in students who left my lab, and they say ‘I’m McNeil’s lab focuses on the genetics computer science, doing well’ or ‘I learned a lot,’ that’s behind oogenesis, the formation, devel- what counts.” opment and maturation of ova, or egg cells, and is “still learning new things every Predicting day.” Drug Actions With McNeil as his Doctorate-bound Vincent mentor, 2012 NSF Xue, left, worked with winner Kirk Hunter biologist Lei Xie to develop a Web tool.

CUNY MATTERS — November 2012 9 IMMIGRANTASSISTANCE New Hope for Undocumented Students

LARISSE WAS 8 when she was brought to the U.S. from the Caribbean. She discov- ered that she was undocumented when she had difficulty registering for high Cschool in New York City, but her status was never adjusted because of divorce and disloca- tion in her family. Now 27, Clarisse (not her real name) is among hundreds of CUNY students in the U.S. illegally, who hope to qualify for President Obama’s new Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA). On June 15, the president announced that the Department of Homeland Security would implement a policy for granting deferred action against deportation to undocumented young people who meet certain requirements. They will be grant- ed deferred action for a two-year period, which can be renewed, and they’ll be eligible for permission to work in the U.S. Attorneys with CUNY Citizenship Now! swiftly swung into action to offer free legal assistance to Many students in the U.S. students who wish to take advantage of the illegally have new hope of official temporary status. opportunity to apply. Since August, . . . applicants must show that they came to Citizenship Now! the U.S. before their 16th birthday; have lived assisting all student DACA applicants.” staffers have been Baruch College professor Allan Wernick, an holding free DACA continuously in this country since June 15, attorney who started and heads CUNY Citizenship assistance events on 2007; were under age 31 as of June 15, 2012; Now! says students who qualify should apply. In a CUNY campuses to statement on the Citizenship Now! website he says answer questions, pro- are currently enrolled in school; have some students fear if they sign up they are at risk for vide necessary photos graduated or obtained a high school deportation because deportation is stayed for only and screen the forms two years. “Anyone who qualifies … who doesn’t apply and evidence that certificate; have not been convicted of a is missing the opportunity of a lifetime,” Wernick applicants must send felony or significant misdemeanor; and do states. He cautions, however, that an applicant with a to U.S. Citizenship and criminal record could be deported. Immigration Services. not pose a threat to public safety. A former Borough of Manhattan Community “They leave the College student, who like Clarisse came to the U.S. event fully prepared to mail the application to the application. During her 19 years in the U.S., Clarisse from the Caribbean as a child and also asked to USCIS,” said Tamara Bloom, legal coordinator for studied at Queens College, took a semester off to remain anonymous, was brought here from the CUNY Citizenship Now! work in the hospitality industry, then earned a bach- Dominican Republic by a family friend to join his To be considered for deferred action, among other elor’s degree in nursing and a master’s in public own family at age 10. “I had no idea I didn’t have any requirements, applicants must show that they came health at Hunter College. status,” he said. When he finally found out, in his last to the U.S. before their 16th birthday; have lived con- Despite some roadblocks along the way, caused by year in high school, he said: “I started crying. I didn’t tinuously in this country since June 15, 2007; were her illegal status, Clarisse received a Peter F. Vallone know what to do. I wanted to go to college. I was under age 31 as of June 15, 2012; are currently Academic Scholarship; was on the Dean’s List; was stressed. This is my home now…. I’m not Dominican enrolled in school; have graduated or obtained a high vice president of a student organization; and writes a any more.” school certificate; have not been convicted of a health and wellness column for her church newslet- He wanted to study sports medicine but dropped felony or significant misdemeanor; and do not pose a ter. Her objectives: to pursue a doctorate degree to out of BMCC after one semester because he “could- threat to public safety. A $465 fee is required with teach, do research at John’s Hopkins University and n’t afford to continue.” Now 29, he is a personal each application; individuals in limited then open a women’s health clinic. “I feel my future trainer and has an American-born daughter who is 8. circumstances such as chronic disability or extreme is brighter,” she said, “because once I get authoriza- “I hope I get this; I know I qualify,” he said of the poverty may be eligible for a fee exemption. tion I have a lot of options.” DACA possibility. “If this happens I’m going to go Students reflecting the diverse CUNY student CUNY informs students about the free legal assis- back to school.” body have risen to the DACA challenge, Bloom said. tance via e-mails sent to all students and campus Students who are approved for deferred action “You get people just starting college; people who are liaisons; information is posted on www.cuny.edu and and receive a work permit, Bloom said, will get fol- Ph.D. students, master’s students, social workers; a at the CUNY Citizenship Now! website: low-up assistance from CUNY Citizenship Now! legally blind person who is a pediatric psychiatry www.cuny.edu/dreamers. They’ll receive guidance on how to apply for a Social student; people who want to go to law school.” In a Sept. 6 memo to college presidents, CUNY Security card and Medicaid, and obtain a New York Clarisse was one of 135 students who made the Senior Vice Chancellor and Board Secretary Jay driver’s license or non-driver ID card and the in- required appointment to participate in a September Hershenson said that as of that date 1,800 CUNY state tuition rate at CUNY. They will also receive assistance event at LaGuardia Community College. students “have asserted that they qualify under the cautionary information about possible pitfalls of She organized impressive evidence to support her program,” and he said, “CUNY is committed to traveling abroad.

10 CUNY MATTERS — November 2012 BOOKTALK Man at the Top: Bruce Springsteen By Gary Schmidgall Romeo years of youthful estrangement Still "The Boss": and “never-ending argument with his O USHER IN the high presidential Springsteen performs during 2012 "Wrecking Ball Tour."te father” to the not-quite-Lear-like 48-year- campaign season — “high” in the old who got a kind of “lifetime achieve- aggravating, not the mind-altering ment” award in 1997 from the Swedish sense — here are three vignettes government and then started loosening Tfrom John Jay professor Marc up on stage. At one 2006 concert he and Dolan’s savvy and probing biography, his “outlandish” band closed with a ver- Bruce Springsteen and the Promise of Rock sion of the chestnutty “Daring Young Man ’n’ Roll (Norton). on the Flying Trapeze,” previously record- When Springsteen introduced “Man at ed by Eddie Cantor and Pete Seeger. the Top” from the stage in the midst of the Dolan, as usual sees a self-referential 1984 campaign, he called it “a song for an angle: Springsteen was sending a message election year” and mentioned “a movie- that “in addition to politics, this tour was star and an astronaut” (obviously Ronald about making danger look graceful, about Reagan and John Glenn). The song’s ref- doing something difficult as if it was just erence to “a big white house” and to the help people get involved.” Then Dolan lation of Springsteen’s setlists, the chang- being tossed off. Nothing to it!” man being “lonely up there” would seem asks, “Was there ever a presidential candi- ing performances of any given song over The last concert Dolan covers was a to cinch the connection, but Dolan sug- date who fit better with Bruce time, the ways his 16 or so albums have tour-ending Buffalo gig with a reunited E gests that behind Springsteen’s political Springsteen’s worldview?” He also quotes been conceived and produced, and all the Street Band in November 2009 jokes were his own “doubts about impend- Obama’s backstage joke to Michelle at a tours, videos and hoopla they spawned. (Springsteen had shut it down in the mid- ing mega-stardom.” The top man in the fund-raiser: “The reason I’m running for This book is not for Springsteen virgins ’80s). It would be a one-time-only com- song dreams of having a record “in num- President is because I can’t be Bruce (like me). Ideally, the reader’s own mental plete performance of the very first album ber-one spot.” Springsteen.” soundtrack will roll as Dolan breaks down of 1973, “Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.” Part of Springsteen’s star power then This is a thinking fan’s biography, and the setlists and offers his authoritative- “Some fans expected a requiem,” Dolan was due to the long mid-’80s tenure of his yet you never get the queasy feeling this sounding two cents’ worth. When he gets writes, and the effect did seem like a com- “Born in the USA” album on the Billboard fan knows too much. This is not just one to the last album he covers, “Working on a ing full circle. But the evening ended on a chart, which the Republicans cheekily more eruption of what Dolan calls Dream,” he calls its title song "probably its happy note. It was Van Zandt’s 59th birth- tried to co-opt for their own propaganda. “Brucemania.” He does not waste space on weakest song and almost certainly the day, and a huge cake was rolled out. Four Dolan tells the hilarious tale of right-wing illustrations; there are just four, one at the weakest title song of any Springsteen years earlier Springsteen had refused a columnist George Will — sporting, one beginning of each section, plus a helpful album.” But such spoutings are part of the request to add “Happy Birthday” to the assumes, the first bow tie ever at a concert map of “Bruce Springsteen’s New Jersey.” joy and freedom of decades-long fandom, setlist, saying, “This ain’t a Jimmy Buffett by “The Boss” — taking in a performance Though Dolan teaches English, he and one gets the feeling Dolan will not show.” But this time a jocund Bruce led a and pronouncing him a “wholesome cul- rarely parses Springsteen’s flowers of mind if other fans beg to differ. rendition of the song. tural portent.” rhetoric or even quotes more We also learn what every Brucemaniac Is the book’s mellow final curtain a hint Flash forward to a New ————————————————— that Springsteen may have further rein- Bruce Springsteen than a long phrase or two. may already know: that the famed E Street Orleans gig eight months vention in store, as Shakespeare did with and the Promise of Rock ’n’ Roll There is not a single block Band was named for a street where the after Katrina, where By Marc Dolan quote of a lyric in the whole musicians often had to wait for tardy key- his final romances? Dolan is hopeful. In Springsteen introduced a Norton book, though Dolan quotes boardist Dave Sancious, that Springsteen his last paragraph he looks to the past for song in honor of the city, ————————————————— often and revealingly from is a “lifelong perfectionist” and a stubborn a prologue: “That’s what you get paid for,” “How Can a Poor Man Springsteen’s stage-gab introducing his controller (hence “The Boss”), that his he’s told his audiences: “TO BE HERE Stand Such Times and Live,” based on an songs. Professorial touches are few, as for first scheduled TV appearance was in May NOW!” old Depression lyric. After venting from instance when Springsteen’s 1970s advice 1992 on “SNL.” This was at the time of the Dolan sums up that being “consistently the stage about “political cronyism” that to “go with the flow” is likened to Keats’s L.A. riots, and Springsteen’s second song and vitally present” explains his longevity. weakens government agencies, famous “negative capability.” was the subversive “57 Channels (And He recalls the boast Springsteen made at Springsteen dedicated the song to Even prominent members of Nothin’ On).” age 26 — that he “had got this guitar/ And “President Bystander.” Springsteen’s dramatis personae — saxo- Not so well known is that Springsteen’s learned how to make it talk” — and sug- Dolan runs his story up through 2009, phonist Clarence Clemons, guitarist Oscar-worthy “Streets of Philadelphia” gests “The Boss” will not be at a loss for which allows him to discuss Barack Steven Van Zandt, producer and factotum for the 1993 AIDS film by Jonathan words any time soon. Obama’s victory. He quotes Hillary Jon Landau, vocalist (and eventual wife) Demme was inspired by the non-AIDS- Rodham Clinton saying in a primary-sea- Patti Scialfa, and their three children — related death from cancer of the daughter son debate with him, “Words are not CUNY Matters welcomes information about new are edged off mostly into the wings for the of one of his co-managers. action.” Obama responded, “No. The truth books that have been written or edited by facul- main event of this biography, which is Dolan covers the full Shakespearean ty and members of the University community. is, actually words do inspire. Words do simply to follow the growth and manipu- arc of Springsteen’s long career, from his Contact: [email protected]

NEWTITLES / CUNYAUTHORS Hip Hop A Patient In Where Do We Scholarly Last Word Conversations Every House Go From Pasticcio On Malcolm X? Say Word! Voices How did your TV Here? The Italian By Any Means From Hip Hop set become anoth- American Empire: American Review, Necessary Theater, edited by er healing device? The Rise of a the biannual, peer- Malcolm X: Real, School of Profes- In Prescription TV: Global Power, the reviewed journal Not Reinvented sional Studies’ Applied Theatre Therapeutic Dis-course in the Democratic Revolution at Home of CUNY’s John D. Calandra was edited by four scholars, faculty member Daniel Banks, Hospital and at Home (Duke 1945-2000 (Viking) looks at Italian American Insti-tute, including York College collects eight works by contem- University Press), Queens developments that propelled a probes the history and culture of Distinguished Lecturer in porary artists who confront College assistant professor of country once defined by its Italian Americans and the broad- Behavioral Sciences Ron issues such as racial profiling, media studies Joy V. Fuqua pre- regional character to global er Italian diaspora. Spanning the Daniels. The book was compiled police brutality, women's sents case studies and critical dominance, only to watch power spectrum of views of social sci- in nine months as a response to empowerment and identity poli- analysis of forces that have slip from individuals to corpora- ences and cultural studies, it Manning Marable’s 2011 biogra- tics. The book (from University transformed viewers into tions and with the dawn of the explores topics including migra- phy Malcolm X: A Life of of Michigan Press) includes a patients. Fuqua uses her analy- ’70s, move from “dreams to tion, politics, labor, race and eth- Reinvention. More than 30 noted roundtable moderated by Holly sis of an ad campaign to illus- nightmares.” Author Joshua B. nicity, urban studies and gender scholars from the African- Bass and featuring Hip Hop pio- trate how TV, and later the Freeman, professor of history at studies, as well as forms of cul- American community offer their neers Eisa Davis, Danny Hoch, Internet, turned the modern Queens College and the tural production (religious feasts, opinions on Marable’s portrayal Sarah Jones and Will Power that home into a clearing-house for Graduate Center, reveals forces cinema, music, etc.), especially of the man whose short life still traces Hip Hop Theater’s roots medical information and creat- at play that will continue to those addressing societal aspects. inspires speculation of what and imagines its future ed the contemporary consumer- affect the role of American influ- See http://calandra.i-italy.org/ might have been. Published by directions. patient. ence in the world. Third World Press.

CUNY MATTERS — November 2012 11 NIGHTSCHOOLS Free Tuition Back Then? Not ITH GRADES BELOW B, Brooklyn College Evening Division’s stu- able tuition and public support. vate donors have funded some $700 mil- they were average students dent government. His fellow night- “The Evening Session was, and would lion in scholarships through the Invest in by the standards of school student, Stu Bykofsky, edited remain, the most significant single struc- CUNY Campaign, which has raised academia. But the students Brooklyn’s night-school newspaper, ken; tural innovation of the College’s history,” $2.325 billion to date. Combined with an Wwho attended night school he is now a metro columnist at the wrote Florence Margaret Neumann in affordable tuition that is well below the at New York City’s public colleges — often Philadelphia Daily News. Night student her 1984 dissertation, Access to Free national average for public colleges and rushing to classes after a full workday — Stephen Somerstein became an Public Higher Education in New York universities, and a fraction of the cost of were anything but average. Diverse in aerospace physicist, designing and build- City: 1847-1961. “It would increasingly private college tuition, CUNY offers one age, income and life experience, they not ing earth and space-observing satellites become the critical mechanism for the of the best values in higher education in only spent their evenings striving toward after obtaining his doctorate from the fulfillment of CCNY’s mission and the the nation. their college degrees and future careers, University of California at Berkeley. expansion of access to public higher edu- By the end of 1925, City College’s night but unlike their day school counterparts, Many started out in night school cation,” providing the same opportuni- enrollment had soared to 9,480. The fol- they paid tuition for the privilege. because their high school GPAs didn’t ties to working students that more lowing year, when the Board of Higher For some 40 years, starting during the make the cut for day matriculation. privileged students enjoyed. Education was established to administer Great Depression, hundreds of Others had the marks, but like most The Schools of General Studies were New York’s public colleges, the charging thousands of these night students paid night students were obligated to work phased out in the early 1970s when of tuition and fees was stated to be with- tuition, better known as “instructional during the day. tuition charges were dropped for all in its purview. Under BHE policy those fees,” to attend the colleges’ Schools of “It was people rushing from the subway evening students while evening courses meeting requirements for freshman General Studies. Without the support of to get to school and rushing back out to get were continued. In 1976, amid the pres- admission could enroll for free as matric- modern day financial aid programs, they to their families,” Markowitz recalls. sures and politics of New York City’s dire ulants; all others could, by paying tuition, worked toward their degrees or to raise The fees collected from night-school fiscal crisis, tuition was established for register as non-matriculants. their grades to the level required to enter students became significant, and neces- all CUNY students. State and federal Then came the Great Depression. In the colleges’ baccalaureate programs, sary to help the public college system financial aid was made available to stu- 1932 — with some urging a shutdown of where the tuition was, famously, free. meet the pressures and costs of an ever- dents soon after. the public colleges, then enrolling more They were students like Toni growing demand for higher education as Today, a greatly expanded CUNY sys- than 36,000 degree-credit students — Reinhold, now a high-ranking editor at enrollment soared. In fact, the Schools of tem, serving record enrollments City College President Frederick Reuters, who put herself through night General Studies not only played a key approaching 270,000 degree credit stu- Robinson proposed limiting admissions school at City College by freelancing for role in creating more opportunity, they dents, offers tuition-free education for in order to maintain enrollment at a con- the Daily News and local radio stations. provided a precedent for how the munic- nearly six in 10 full-time undergraduates stant level. The emergency measures Marty Markowitz, now Brooklyn ipal colleges of New York could fund its thanks to federal Pell Grants, state TAP placed the best students in the free Day Borough President, began his career as expanding system in the face of explosive awards and CUNY aid. Session; others whose average was the longtime, activist president of the student demand, by combining afford- Furthermore, philanthropic and pri- between 75 and the requirement for Day Session would attend at night as part- time “limited-matriculated” students, Hunter College’s North Hall in 1963. paying $2.50 a credit until they had the marks for full matriculation. Non- matriculants were charged more. The Schools of General Studies expanded to New York’s other public col- leges, steadily increasing in enrollment, and over time totaling hundreds of thou- sands of paying students. During the 1950s — the approximate midpoint of the SGS era, Board of Higher Education Chairman Gustave Rosenberg wrote in the Board’s 1957-1959 annual report: “The municipal colleges without their night Schools of General Studies are unthinkable. For here the ideal of com- munity service is most directly realized, with the colleges serving today’s working citizens in addition to preparing tomor- row’s. It could only be in a night college that one finds a bus driver who wants to sell electronic equipment, a dance CUNY Spells he CUNY Value booklet and website, detailing the University’s rising academic Taccomplishments as well as the “CUNY Safety Net” of affordable tuition, financial aid and tax credits, is being updated this fall with new information for the 2012-13 academic year. The materials include new data compiled by the University, The College Board and other sources, confirming again that CUNY represents the best higher-education value in the nation as it continues to meet the challenge of a decade of unprecedented college enrollments. For the neediest students, broad coverage by federal Pell Grants and state TAP makes it possible for six out

12 CUNY MATTERS — November 2012 PROFESSORSATWORK

NAME: Mariette Bates COLLEGE: School at Night of Professional Studies TITLE: instructor whose goal is to become an attending school at night. “It took me Academic Director of insurance agent, a secretary who looks eight years to get my B.A.,” he said. Disability Studies forward to teaching Spanish, a man who Night school, he said, “gave me oppor- Program and loves the Greek language and wants to tunity to go to college and get my teach- Distinguished Lecturer study it regardless of credit, a mother of ing degree, which was the rest of my life.” FOCUS: six who wants a college degree.” By day, Markowitz worked as a Creating educational programs for adminis- In 1959, when Stu Bykofsky entered salesman and employment counselor. trative and supervisory Brooklyn College’s night school, night- By night he immersed himself in stu- workers in the field of school students paid up to $300 a year, dent government at Brooklyn’s SGS. “It developmental and equal to about $2,500 today, according helped me enormously in my political behavioral disabilities to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ career,” he said. “I learned how to work online inflation calculator. Even with with different age groups, there was tuition, the public colleges offered ethnic diversity.” extraordinary value. New York It was a time of protest — “the anti- Transforming Disability Care University, for example, charged $900 Vietnam War protests and black power, per year in 1959. and women’s rights,” and social change. ROM ITS BEGINNING 165 years ago, The One, a foundation started by television jour- “Every single student of the School “In 1962 it might as well have been City University of New York has always nalist Geraldo Rivera after his expose of of General Studies was there because ‘Father Knows Best’ times,” Markowitz Fhad a dual mission: Deliver high-quality neglect and abuse of mentally disabled he or she wanted to be there, and they said. “When I left, it was psychedelic — education — and serve the citizens of the city. patients at Willowbrook State School on were paying for the privilege,” recalled crazy time.” Today, CUNY’s 6,700 full-time faculty carry Staten Island. The foundation’s mission was Bykofsky. Bykofsky was living with his parents on this legacy, contributing in ways that truly to help bring people out of state institutions “For its time it was affordable,” said in the Marlboro Houses near Coney transform our city, benefiting the lives of like Willowbrook, and Bates was responsible Borough President Markowitz, who Island when he entered Brooklyn’s SGS, millions of New Yorkers every day. Many for an array of complex funding, training and attended Brooklyn at night from 1962 first as a non-matriculated student. “I provide critical training for the city’s diverse technical assistance tasks needed to set up to 1969, after graduating from Wingate did so poorly in Stuyvesant High School workforce. They teach young scientists to new community-based programs. High School in Crown Heights. He that I was expelled,” but quickly “got explore new fields like photonics, biodiversity Then she focused her attention on helping recalls instructional fees of $10 or $18 my smarts and woke up” in night and nanotechnology; they train municipal parents find care for children who were hard per credit, depending on whether a stu- school, he said, raising his grades as he employees in emergency preparedness for to fit into the system, such as those with mul- dent was “non-matriculated” or “limit- focused on English and writing. large-scale disasters; they create programs tiple disabilities or language barriers. As co- ed-matriculated” and working toward He joined ken, the night-school that teach health industry professionals how founder, and vice president of the Maidstone an Associate of Arts degree. Those who paper, editing copy in the basement of to detect early Foundation for 25 years, she assisted parents’ earned the AA and had the grades could LaGuardia Hall “until midnight, when These are incidence of oral groups and more than 600 nonprofit organi- then continue for free towards the bac- they threw us out.” Through a fellow cancer and better care zations with strategic planning and training, calaureate degree. editor, he landed a job as a copy boy at extraordinary faculty for people with with a special focus on developmental dis- The night schools had their own the World Telegram and Sun. “That who connect the developmental abilities and youth services. administrators and many part-time door opened for me because I joined disabilities. Today, as academic director of the faculty members, unlike the full-time ken,” said Bykofsky. “There were three University to its These are Disability Studies programs and Distinguished tenured professors prevalent in the day. or four of us from ken working at the extraordinary faculty Lecturer at CUNY’s School of Professional community, engaging Student activities were limited, but World Telegram and Sun.” who connect the Studies, Bates is widely recognized as a leader there was an SGS student government, Within a year of entering, Bykofsky their students in the University to its in creating educational programs for adminis- which Markowitz led at Brooklyn for had the grades for free matriculation, community, engaging trative and supervisory workers in the field of eight years, and there were intramural but he stayed in night school. “I knew I complex challenges their students in the developmental and behavioral disabilities — sports and night-school newspapers. wanted to be a journalist. Day school facing the city. complex challenges an area frequently underserved in the broader Students grabbed the opportunity. meant quitting my job at the World facing the city. field that includes physical disabilities. A retired elementary school science Telegram and Sun.” He earned his AA Take Allan Wernick, When William Ebenstein, now University teacher who serves as Brooklyn Borough in 1964. In 1966, after seven years at for example, the Baruch College law professor Dean for Health and Human Services, devel- Historian, Ronald Schweiger graduated SGS, he was offered a job as managing who launched Citizenship Now! the largest oped the first stand-alone master’s degree in an “average student” from Lafayette editor of a trade magazine, and left New immigrant-aid organization in the city, which disability studies in the country, Bates came High School in 1962 before earning a York to start his long career in assists thousands of people every year — for to SPS to lead it. Launched in 2009, the pro- two-year degree from New York City Philadelphia journalism. free — in its nine centers throughout the five gram now has about 90 students, most of Community College, now City Tech. He It had all begun in the night school. boroughs. Or Mandë Holford, a professor of whom are middle- and upper-level managers attended City College’s Evening Division “I feel very indebted to the education I chemical biology at Hunter College who has employed by service providers (about 20 per- for a year, then transferred closer to got there and to the opportunity I got created a unique program to mentor young cent of them also have some form of disability home, to Brooklyn. He worked in a tex- there,” Bykofsky said. urban scientists — while she conducts her themselves). tile company during the day, own remarkable research on the natural This fall, SPS is launching the nation’s poisons found in sea snails that are now first online bachelor’s degree in disability being used to help alleviate chronic pain in studies, designed to provide frontline workers cancer patients. Or still others, like William with a broad foundation in the field, as well Solecki, the director of the CUNY Institute for as opportunities for in-depth study in one of Value Sustainable Cities, who brings together four concentrations. “We’re focused on edu- diverse groups of researchers and public cating the workforce,” says Bates. “We need of 10 to attend college tuition- policymakers to hammer out collaborative to give workers the tools they need to do a free. Middle-class students may solutions to threatening environmental good job.” get tuition relief by filing for the changes. Noting the recent controversy over charges federal American Opportunity Tax In the following months, you’ll find the of physical abuse of the developmentally dis- Credit, worth up to $2,500. CUNY compelling stories of these and other CUNY abled in state-run group homes, Bates stress- Value also means our students faculty in this publication. These are just a es that “the quality of life of people with save more by borrowing less for few of the remarkable men and women whose disabilities depends on those who interact their education. The University’s service reflects the unique, historic bond directly with them.” The underlying idea, she continued focus on strong between the University and its city. says, is to create services for people with dis- academics and 21st-century When Mariette Bates started her career in abilities that nondisabled people would find programs and campus mental health advocacy in the mid-1970s, acceptable for themselves. upgrades, are highlighted in there were no courses on how to provide com- “Part of what we’re doing is trying to the new CUNY Value, munity care. She had to learn her skills on the transform the system of care,” says Bates. available at cuny.edu/value. job — several jobs, actually. “I’m a big fan of our students. I feel lucky to Bates began as program director at One to be here.”

CUNY MATTERS — November 2012 13 FORYOURBENEFIT ROAD MAPS for RETIREMENT As a baby boomer retirement hold.” Analysis and Reporting we’re doing this.” ROM HER NATIVE Mumbai, The pre-retirement tsunami looms, unit, there are currently At the all-day seminar in October, in India, Cassandra Pereira seminars, led by bene- 5,041 employees eligible addition to how to apply for retiree immigrated to New York in fits specialists from University seminars for retirement, or about 25 health benefits, topics included financial 1999 and found a fulfilling job the University’s Office percent of the University’s planning, pension plans, working after at the CUNY School of Law. of Human Resources are educating more than 20,000 employ- retirement, Medicare enrollment, and ForF the past 12 years, she has assisted Management and ees. Social Security. hundreds of faculty members, helping scheduled regularly Nationwide, retirement James Kovack, an IT specialist at with course materials, class preparation across CUNY campus- employees consultants estimate there Brooklyn College, said the seminar pro- and unexpected student issues. es, mark a new inter- are more than 70 million vided a road map for his retirement plan- Now, at 63, Pereira is contemplating nal initiative to about financial baby boomers expected to ning. “I picked up little pieces of her next act: retirement. educate and guide leave their jobs in the next information from each speaker,” he said. To help her start planning, Pereira — employees through and emotional decade, whose sheer num- “And they pointed me in the right direc- along with about 20 other CUNY the complex financial bers will transform the tion of where to get more information.” employees — attended an October day- and emotional issues entire notion of Williams said a common problem long pre-retirement seminar in lower surrounding retire- issues they retirement. encountered by human resources staff is Manhattan. Discussed were critical ment. The idea to launch a reg- CUNY employees nearing retirement age financial issues including pensions, Nearly 200 employ- might face. ular series of pre-retire- who never enrolled in a pension plan. Social Security and Medicare, as well as ees attended at least ment seminars at CUNY Others procrastinate and don’t start sav- psychological issues of transition and one of four pre-retire- came about in 2010 after ing money until it’s too late. identity. ment seminars held at Queens, Hunter, the Early Retirement Incentive program Williams hoped the seminars will “With this information, it’s easier for Lehman and Brooklyn Colleges in May was approved by the Board of Trustees prompt employees to begin boosting me to make a decision on when to retire and June. More than 50 employees and implemented. retirement savings in their 50s. and what I need to do,” Pereira said. “I attended two additional seminars in To help employees understand early “One of the things that we want peo- have two grandchildren in India, so I’m October and several more dates are retirement, CUNY human resources offi- ple to know is that there’s still time to looking forward to seeing them more being scheduled for 2013. cials organized several informational put money away at age 55,” Williams often.” In an effort to target employees closer meetings. After attending those meet- said. “They can start to put money away Others, including Cathy Larsen, 58, an to retirement age, only CUNY employees ings, many employees asked why CUNY in the voluntary plans to help bolster administrative assistant at the CUNY who are 55 or older with 10 or more had never offered such sessions before. their retirement savings such as the Law School, found the seminar to be years of service received e-mail invita- “There was obviously a need for some- 403B plan and the 457 plan. They can informative, but overwhelming. “I have tions to attend this year’s planned semi- thing consistent to educate employees start to do that at age 55 and still have mixed emotions about retirement,” nars. Future dates will be open to on retirement planning,” said Leslie E. years ahead,” he said. Larsen said. “Part of me feels relieved employees younger than 55, so they can Williams, University Executive Director In addition to the financial questions, and yet sad while another part of me is become better educated on the process. of Shared Services. “It became clear that the seminars also address the emotional anticipating the future and what it may According to CUNY’s Business people didn’t know enough. That’s why issues that arise in retirement. “For

ATYOUR SERV ICE UPCOMING FOR FACULTY Help Those in Need Baruch To Host Next WC2 World University Summit Fellowships for Faculty Via CUNY Campaign ext April 15-17, Baruch College Weissman School of Arts and Writing Biographies ith the holiday season approach- will host the spring meeting of Sciences and Vice Provost for Global aculty members who are writing ing, the CUNY Campaign for Nthe WC2 University Network, a Strategies, said the WC2 will be a biographies are encouraged to apply Voluntary Charitable Giving is an W forum of universities located in major major opportunity for CUNY to present Ffor a $60,000 fellowship at the Leon easy way to help those in need. Currently, world cities that addresses health, cul- itself globally, as well as showcase Levy Center for Biography at the CUNY New York City has more people living in tural, environmental and political issues. faculty expertise. Graduate Center for 2013-2014. Fellows poverty than the rest of New York State The WC2 network, which was If you are interested in participating devote the year to their projects, participate combined, said Gloriana B. Waters, established in September 2010, holds in the WC2 meeting at CUNY, go to: in monthly seminars and attend the center’s Vice Chancellor for Human two meetings per year. In addition to www.city.ac.uk/international/internationa annual lecture, conference, and public pro- Resources Management. “They may have CUNY, some other WC2 university l-partnerships/wc2-university-network grams. Fellows may not teach or partake in lost jobs or homes and find themselves in members include Hong Kong and check the most recent newsletter other full-time employment during their aca- a place they never expected to be. They Polytechnic University, Universidad which describes the research topics. demic year-in-residence. Applications are need our help, and the CUNY Campaign Autonoma Metropolitana in Mexico, Faculty may also attend as observers. welcome from CUNY faculty until Nov. 30, exists to provide it.” Last year’s campaign University of Delhi and University of If you have more specific questions, 2012. Details: www.leonlevycenterforbiogra- raised more than $500,000 from nearly Sao Paulo. email Dean Peck at phy.org/fellows_program.html, email biogra- 2,400 donors. For more details on how to Jeffrey Peck, Dean of Baruch’s [email protected]. [email protected], or 212-817-2008. give, go to: www.cuny.edu/campaign. { }

14 CUNY MATTERS — November 2012 “Part of me feels relieved and yet sad while another part of me is anticipating the future and what it may hold.” — Cathy Larsen, (More) an administrative assistant at the CUNY Law School On the Web at cuny.edu

UNIVERSITY RESPONDS TO HURRICANE SANDY

s Hurricane Sandy battered the city in late October, the City University of New York played a crucial Arole in assisting storm victims in need of shelter. Ten CUNY colleges sheltered more than 2,000 people during the hurricane and its aftermath – about a third of all those who sought shelter from the city. Among those staying in gyms, cafeterias and classrooms were people evacuated from homes, adult homes and healthcare facilities. CUNY supervisors led a squadron of public safety officers, custodians, IT specialists and other employees who worked non-stop to keep evacuees guests comfortable and the facilities running smoothly. Volunteer physicians and nurses from around the city and – through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) – the country joined city workers in caring for evacuees’ needs, using food, water and supplies that the city Office of Emergency Management (OEM) delivered before Sandy unleashed its fury. Mayor Michael Bloomberg praised CUNY’s efforts and said city employees and vol- unteers did “a phenome- nal job.” During a visit to some people, CUNY is their life,” Employee Benefits, said some CUNY Hunter College, Gov. Williams said. “It’s their identity. So employees voiced concerns about being Andrew Cuomo also when they leave their job, they’re unsure forced into nanny duties. “At some of the expressed his appreciation what to do. How do they use their time? seminars, we had ladies speak up that to the volunteers. York Do they volunteer? Do they travel?” they loved their grandchildren, but they College took in more than Manendra K. Bhugra, manager of didn’t want to be the chauffeur and the 800 evacuees, including learning and development for Corporate babysitter. And they didn’t know how to 250 with medical or men- Counseling Associates Inc., said those say no,” she said. tal health needs. Other nearing retirement should prepare a psy- And many CUNY employees said it colleges that provided chological portfolio to consider how was helpful being among others who had shelter were: Baruch their relationships will be affected by the the same questions and fears about pre- College, John Jay College, change. New retirees often expressed retirement. “There are so many things Queens College, Hunter anxiety about loss of communication you don’t know about Social Security College, City College, with the working world and loss of social and Medicare,” she said. “When you’re in Lehman College, New York interaction, she said. “The first few a group, you don’t feel bad about asking.” City College of Technology, and Bronx and months after retirement, there is excite- As more seminars are scheduled, Queensborough Community Colleges. search.cuny.edu “Hurricane Sandy” ment. Then, later, there is a sense that Williams hoped that more employees they really have nowhere to go. We try to would invest the time to attend, regard- get people to see that this is a career less of their age. “It really puts these change. It’s a new beginning.” things together, so you see how they PUZZLING OUT CUNY HISTORY — TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE Marital relationships are also affected work. That’s critical,” he said. “Once you PUZZLE by retirement, Bhugra said. In a 1999 know what you’re facing, it’s a little bit CROSSWORD HAT CUNY COLLEGE was founded in study by the American Psychological easier to deal with. It’s hopefully an W1966? Which of the University’s communi- el E. Ro Ronald A Brief Historymith & of CUNY ty colleges opened in 1969? What college Association, newly retired women tend- understanding of what you’re going to iriam S M ______By 70. 1966 College is Hunter-in-founded. Across 73. 1968 The ______the Bronx is named 1. 1847 started as CCNY’s School of Business and ______ed to be more depressed than continu- get into so the fear of the unknown is Academy is founded, College for the four- ratified through a statewide time governor. referendum. 74. Architect I. M. ___ 4. 1870 The ______75. Plagiarizes______College of the City of New 79. 1969 Civic Administration? Try your hand at the ously retired or not-yet-retired women, eased.” York is established, a free Community College is college for women. founded, named for 10. Big bang maker William Hallett the 19th century 11. 1884 Puerto RicanMedgar educator. Greene becomes the first 82. 1970 ______graduate CUNY Crossword Puzzle in the Winter 2012 _____ College, especially if their husband remained Pereira, who lives far from her grand- of City College. The Normal named for the slain 16. 1914 civil-rights leader, College is renamedCollege, after its is founded. ______84. Improvise first president, an Irish im- 85. Representation issue of salute to Scholars. migrant. employed. In addition, newly retired children, said she was excited about 1919 CCNY’s School of 90. Secretly watch 18. 91. Long, long time Business and Civic Adminis- 92. Evergreen holly tration opens in the original shrub The Free Academy building. 96. 1970 It would eventuallyllege. become ______Admis- men experienced more marital conflict spending more time with loved ones. ______Co sions Policy is 21. Like some transfers implemented. 22. Russian drinking vessel 1930 In Brooklyn, the 97. Tease With the NYC 23. 98. 1976 annexes of CCNY and 114. Opener fiscal crisis, CUNY be- 115. Shant end than non-retired men. Aside from longer visits to see 12-year- Hunter mergeollege. to form gins charging ollege 117. Hollow ______C C ______, albeit a 88. ___ Ed 25. 1937 89. “Seinfeld” uncle 123. 7-grain cereal fraction of that at 124. Glorify opens, founded through the other private and 21. Smarts 92. Chinese currency merger of the Queens 22. Flatten 93. Chem. element with 129. “I’m Thinking Of You,” public colleges.The CUNY text-wise branches of CCNY and 99. 1983 Studies is created by the 23. Sacred fig plant symbol Fe “We had a woman tell us that she mar- old Zoe and 10-year-old Gia in India, 131. After PM Hunter. 24. Opposite of SW 94. Freako finish search.cuny.edu “Crossword” ______of Trustees. 1951 All-male CCNY School of ______is 2006 The CUNY 26. 147. 26. 590 AM on your radio dial 95. Bucker conclusion 132. South African zebra founded. 134. 76th most common School of Liberal Arts begins 101. Makes flush Graduate ______of 27. Manuscript marks 97. Aches commencement Chinese surname admitting ______. 104. ___-Pei (dog) Journalism opens. 30. Elbow 98. Requirements for some 136. Pond fish 27. Before dependent 105. Annex 148. Oust 33. Absentee degrees 2006 CUNY offers 137. Shenanigans for short ried her husband for better or for worse, Pereira said she has many other retire- 28. DegreeAll-female after BA Hunter- 107. Size of small shot 149. 34. National merit 100. Children’s card game 1951 138. Hebrew evening 29. 108. Candor its first ______scholarship Abbr. 101. Opening run 139. Mr. ___ in-the-Bronx opens to 110. Poet Pound Baccalaureate Degree 36. Bit 102. Supports, in a way 140. Acid ______and extends 112. Lewdness through the School of 38. “Nowhere Like Home,” 103. Maori mint, New 141. ___ Dirty Bastard to a four-year program. 116. Higher ___ Professional Studies. text-wise Zealand plant 31. “Jabberwocky” start 1999 A mayoral task 152. Once a day 40. Aye’s opposite 104. Discharged 143. China country code but not for lunch,” Bhugra said. “So, peo- ment dreams. 1956 ______118. 2011 The ______32. 153. 42. Coffee order: Abbr. 106. Lah-dee-___ 144. Big pooch force, chaired by Benno 145. Wore away Island Community College, Schmidt, proposes an Community College at CUNY, 45. ___ Diaby 107. “Twelfth Night” part the first two-year Board of the University’s first new 46. Hawaiin light 108. One direction only 146. Short order, for short ______to reverse the 149. Either Higher Education college, is downward trends at the college in more than four 47. Boring person 109. French possessive created and opens. decades is approved by Gov. 50. Religious text of Islam 110. Clairvoyance, e.g. 150. Yiddish “Sooo?” university. The University, ple need to think about these things.” “Plenty,” she said. “If I can only afford 35. Between Q and T 1999 Andrew Cuomo. 51. Chile (country code) 111. ___ Vivipara (lizard) 151. Atop 119. 37. Prefix meaning “not” led by a new chancellor, 154. Mediterranean capital 52. ET carrier 112. Chop (off) 39. The Emerald Isle ______Matthew ______, 155. Cinematographer 54. Red Sea coast city 113. Before univ. 41. 1957 amends its open admissions Nykvist 57. Doozies Community College opens. 59. Tinker Bell, for one TWO STUDIES FOCUS ON MARIJUANA policy, and other critical JOINT43. ABC’s CONCERNSown — D Linda Sarubbi, University Director of it.” changes, including a focus 60. ___ Vey 44. Handle roughly on science, creation of new 1. After so 61. Writer Ephron 48. Between AL and SC professional schools, 2. Nigerian Ukpet-___ 62. “___ la la!” 49. Opposite NW ______and an innovative University language 64. Yoko 50. 1958 funding strategy. 3. Space telescope for 66. 17th Hebrew letter Community College opens. 1961 ______is 120. Lamb’s mother UV astronomy 67. Start of a break-in 51. 121. Not so good 4. Advanced degree? 68. Trans. Med. formed, uniting the seven 122. Elbow 5. Anglo-Saxon Abbr. 69. Small military car colleges. 1962 The CUNY 125. Diplomatic, Abbr. 6. Train Abbr. 71. Start of man EIDRE53. M. ANGLIN,126. Lending institutionassistant7. Abridged Abbr. professor72. Bet. NE and OK of clinical psychology at CCNY and the Graduate Center, has ______Center starts 127. “___, young man!” 8. ___-tzu 74. Severe brain offering doctoral programs. 128. Curbside call 9. First President of Indonesia damage Abbr. 55. Before mind or member 130. Ate 10. ___ d’Hiver 76. Think tank products 56. Little toymaker 133. Divorced spouse 11. Very dry 77. Online journal 58. Vases 1963 The Borough 135. Circular 12. “Camelot” composer 78. Transgression announced59. new research13. Lenddata ___ demonstrating80. Native American tent “an association between early cannabis use and sub- 136. Prepare to propose D of Manhattan and 140. Forfeited 14. Transfer 81. Bright 2001 ______45 Kingsborough community 142. 15. ___ Rock Star, Hip Hop 83. Blubbers colleges are ______. Honors College is launched, 17. “Not So Nice,” text-wise 86. Formal vote 63. Sound of delight FALL 2012 named for City College 19. CD follower 87. ___ Peep 65. At the plate sequent schizophrenia-like1964 The College of graduate and business symptoms20. Colgate-Palmolive that persisted into adulthood ….” At Queens College, sociology 69. executive. Company (NYSE) 2003 The CUNY School Police Science is founded. 146. Two years later, it is of Professional renamed John ______professor HarryCollege of CriminalG. Justice. Levine has been analyzing marijuana arrests — which state law limits to “open dis- New Flex Spending plays.” But some officers conducting legal “stop and frisks” reportedly tell subjects to empty their Account Limits pockets. Voila — openly displayed weed. Levine’s research also examines the nationwide “epidemic of ue to passage of President Obama’s health marijuana possession arrests … disproportionately of young blacks and Latinos who use marijuana at care reform plan, officially known as the lower rates than young whites.” DPatient Protection and Affordable Care Act, search.cuny.edu “Cannabis” CUNY employees with Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA's) face a new limit on how much they can set aside for medical expenses. Starting in 2013, FSA's — MARVIN HAMLISCH, BARRY COMMONER, EUGENE D. GENOVESE will have a $2,500 federal maximum annual contri- bution cap, down from the current $5,000. Health CHILD PRODIGY accepted by the prestigious Juilliard School of Music at age 7, who went on to win an Care Flexible Spending Accounts are a way to pay for Aunprecedented number of top awards over his prolific composing career, Queens College graduate medical expenses not covered by insurance, such as Marvin Hamlisch died recently at 68. His awards include three Oscars, a Tony and a Pulitzer all for the dental, vision, and hearing expenses, with pre-tax Broadway sensation “A Chorus Line.” A Nov. 4 concert by the Queens dollars. To enroll, employees must complete the FSA College Orchestra, which Hamlisch was to have conducted, now will be Enrollment Form every year. This year, the Open performed as a tribute to him. Enrollment Period for 2013 ends Nov. 23, 2012. New Other recent deaths with CUNY connections include Barry Commoner, employees may enroll within 30 days after becoming 95 called a founder of modern ecology and who for almost 20 years ran his eligible to receive city health benefits. Current 2012 Center for Biology of Natural Systems at Queens College. participants will receive 2013 re-enrollment packets, Also historian and Brooklyn College graduate Eugene D. Genovese, 82, sent automatically to each participant’s address on whose prizewinning but controversial book Roll, Jordan, Roll: The World the record in October. Slaves Made was praised by one historian as “the best book ever written about the slave trade.” search.cuny.edu “ Marvin Hamlisch”

CUNY MATTERS — November 2012 15 LECTURES/PANELS Explaining Our THEATER/FILM MUSIC/DANCE SPECIAL EVENTS Economic Crisis InBetrayal their latest of the book, American The Dream , award-winning investigative reporters CUNY Month is a celebra- Donald L. Barlett and James tion of the people and B. Steele analyze the causes programs that enrich the of America’s current >>Go to search.cuny.edu In the World & on the Web Nov. 1 University. Visit campus They Wished They Were Honest: economic crisis. They blame open houses, meet with ART/EXHIBITS The Knapp Commission and NYC deregulation of public Oct. 31-Nov. 11 faculty and staff, get Police Corruption policies, issues of taxes and “A Dybbuk answers to your questions Graduate Center trade, plus disregard for or Between Two Worlds” The Mammoth about admissions, stu- 6:30-8 p.m. Queens College laws. Follies Free 2 or 7 p.m., dent life and how to apply Search.cuny.edu depending on date for numerous grants and Gay “Barlett” $20; $18 seniors scholarships. Talese and students Search.cuny.edu: NOV. 1 “CUNY Month” Nov. 4 Gordon Hirabayashi’s “The Golden Land,” Nov. 5 Fight for Civil Rights presented by National Yiddish The Mammoth Follies —dinosaur Theater Folksbiene puppets Black Solidarity Jeanne Sakata was so moved Journalism Outlook: Baruch College College of Staten Island Day by the documentary “A 7:30-9:30 p.m. A Bright Future 3-4 p.m. $12, $15 Exercising Power in the Personal Matter,” about civil $33-$100 Inand his Disruption: new book, DeadlineMy Turbulent 21st Century rights icon Gordon Path from Print to Digital Nov. 9 “Black Wall Street” Spottiswoode & His Enemies City Tech Hirabayashi, she wrote her , Nov. 1-June 27, 2013 York College BMCC 8 p.m. $15 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. first play, “Hold These Truths,” Year of India: “Art From 3-7 p.m. CUNY Graduate Journalism Free about him. “This wasn’t just a the Land of the Peacock” Free School founding dean Nov. 10 story for Japanese-Americans, Queens College Mexican Studies Stephen Shepard describes NY Piano Society Baruch College this was a story for all 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Nov. 5 how journalism will continue Free Institute Opens 7:30-9 p.m. Americans to hear and be Gay Talese The city’s Mexican population Hunter College to thrive as it adapts to the Free (suggested donation $15) inspired by,” said Sakata, at Nov. 13-Jan. 25, 2013 has exploded in the past three 7 p.m. ever-changing technology an event sponsored by the “The End of Poverty” decades and while a large Free that delivers news content. Nov. 16 Johnny Pacheco CUNY Asian American/Asian John Jay College majority has found work, Search.cuny.edu 8:45 a.m.-4 p.m. Latin Music Festival Research Institute. Hear more. Nov. 7 “Stephen Shepard” Free there’s been less success in Book presentation: Lehman College Election Day Search.cuny.edu the classroom. Alyshia Gálvez, The Italians of New York by Yielding Streets 7:30 p.m. Free Nov. 6 “Hirabayashi” Through April 5, 2013 acting director of the CUNY Maurizio Molinari To Pedestrians Tweeting Away Be sure to add “A Line Around an Area” Calandra Institute Chefs’ Secrets Institute for Mexican Studies, Defending her goal of trans- Nov. 18 your voice! City College 25 W. 43rd St. City restaurateurs now have 9 a.m.-5 p.m. based at Lehman College, 6 p.m. forming car-clogged city Opera In Cinema Series: Polls in New York City Free shares his key objectives. Free streets into pedestrian to deal with gossipy social “La Traviata” will be open Search.cuny.edu plazas, NYC Transportation media. “Within seconds, a Kingsborough Community College 6 a.m.-9 p.m. 3 p.m. $15 Through Dec. 5 “Mexican Studies” Nov. 8 Commissioner Janette Sadik- chef’s new idea is on on Election Day, Puerto Rico in Its Labyrinth, by Kristallnacht Commemoration: Twitter,” says Danny Meyer, Sculptor José Buscaglia Khan says her initiatives with staff on hand Returning, Remembering, whose Union Square Hostos Community College Forgiving have boosted the number of to answer questions Nov. 4 Hospitality Group includes Times vary City Tech visitors and, in the case of The National Circus of the “La Traviata” and explain procedures. Free 12:45-2 p.m. Times Square, have also People’s Republic of China Union Square Cafe. “That’s If you have questions Free been a boon to local busi- Lehman College the shelf life of innovation in advance, go to Through Jan. 9, 2013 4-6 p.m. — two seconds,” he says. Space Invaders — Nov. 13 nesses. www.vote.nyc.ny.us Take It $25-$45; children 12 and under, Hear how he copes. From Tolstoy 18 artists who use Children’s author R.L. Stine reads Search.cuny.edu $10 unique spaces from his first novel for adults “Janette Sadik-Khan” Search.cuny.edu Nov. 29 Tolstoy was right — it’s adver- Lehman College Macaulay Honors College Nov. 16 “Danny Meyer” Shirley Chisholm sity that keeps families inter- Tues.-Sat. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 7-9 p.m. The Doo Wop Project Day Free Free esting, says Brooklyn College’s featuring leading Brooklyn College cast members of Broadway’s MFA fiction program coordina- Nov. 27 11 a.m. tor Joshua Henkin, citing the “Jersey Boys” Joyce Carol Oates Kingsborough Community College Free iconic Russian novelist to Hunter College 8 p.m. $30 describe his own latest novel: 7 p.m. The World Without You, about a Free but must reserve Nov. 28-30 family mourning their son’s “A View From the Bridge” Nov. 28 Hunter College death in Iraq. Seminar in Gender and Sexuality Lisa Kellner 7:30 p.m. Search.cuny.edu The Graduate Center $12; $5 seniors; students free “Joshua Henkin” The Seepage Noon–2 p.m. with ID of Proserpine Free

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