“OPEN THE DOORS to all — Let the children of the rich and the poor take their seats together and know of no distinction save that of industry, good conduct, and intellect.” CUNYMatters Townsend Harris, founder cuny.edu/news • THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK • FOUNDED 1847 AS THE FREE ACADEMY NOVEMBER-DECEMBER ’09 The Case for Public Higher Education Inside A nationwide project spotlights affordable advanced learning throughout U.S. history, and its PAGE Lab Bench to Marketplace vital role in maintaining a competitive edge in today's knowledge-driven global economy. 2 The University is increasing efforts to help promote researchers’ innova- tions. ITH THE ECONOMY in tur- keep those jobs on our shores, without the people who could help at distant schools, moil, unemployment at recent training offered by community colleges.” like East Kentucky University. “But when Whighs and Americans surging Other countries are also outpacing the Craig Dunn of The New York Times sends into public colleges and universities, CUNY United States in the production of mathe- an e-mail to their president, it opens has partnered with The New York Times maticians, scientists and engineers. doors.” Knowledge Network to highlight the histo- Encouraging more students to seek masters Dunn, the Times’ manager of corporate ry, scope and diversity of public higher and doctoral degrees in those fields will partnerships-education, who also cited East education across the country. take greater governmental support. Kentucky University, recalled the resulting Their medium is a 2010 calendar, web- The CUNY calendar project became a conversation that he and Lieberman had site and curriculum with national perspec- way for the nation’s public colleges and with university president Doug Whitlock, PAGE tive and participation. Called “Investing in universities to make their history, mission who “said that 39 percent New Stars on the Horizon Futures: Public Higher Education in and presence known. More than 200 indi- of their students are first- 4 Dazzling buildings have opened on America,” it is being unveiled this fall. viduals from 108 generation college from two campuses, with others planned “The availability of high-quality, afford- the hills of Kentucky. elsewhere. able higher education is one of our And Richard said that country’s best assets 39 percent of CUNY and demonstrates the students are probably great value that first-generation from Americans have always the immigrant com- placed on advanced munity, so that shifted learning,” said his paradigm. Is 39 Chancellor Matthew percent the national Goldstein. “The calendar average? This shapes illustrates how, over time, a very different dis- public colleges and uni- cussion, because versities have become you tend to think centers of intellectual that what you thought and intense dia- know is only in PAGE Overcoming Prejudice logue, groundbreaking sci- your backyard.” A new Holocaust entific research, and artistic Lieberman 6 Resource expression and performance, described a fren- Center teaches all while welcoming a zied six-month the value of widening cross-section of stu- drive to put diversity and dents and serving as engines together the social of local and national econom- calendar with respon- ic development.” the help of colleagues sibility. “This vital site will offer edu- Steven A. Levine, Stephen Weinstein and CUNY’s cators and students alike the 2010 Investing in Futures Tara Jean Hickman. The Times Photo information they need to reach calendar spotlights the growth of public higher Archives also contributed images, historical their goals,” said Yasmin Namini, education and its vital role in a free society. documents and period material. Several senior vice president of marketing and circu- foundations lent their archival support, lation for The New York Times. “The Times colleges and universities contributed their including the Rockefeller Foundation and PAGE is very pleased to be a part of the team.” information, documents, photos and history the Kellogg Foundation, which has particu- A Boost for Founding sponsors include TIAA CREF to the calendar. larly been involved in tribal and communi- 10 Job-Seekers and JP Morgan Chase. “We reached into every state, opening a ty colleges. This is a perilous time for public higher conversation among historians and advo- The calendar took top priority, but the New grants and education. The National Conference of cates for public higher education who had- team’s efforts now shift to the Web. A basic courses help laid- State Legislatures said in July that states n’t necessarily been talking to one another website with the calendar “and the 90 per- off workers and were likely to reduce spending on higher before,” said Jay Hershenson, CUNY senior cent of everything we found out that could others prepare education by at least $145 billion in the vice chancellor for university relations and not make it into the calendar,” Lieberman for key 2010 fiscal year. California cut deepest, secretary of the Board of Trustees. “As we said, will be unveiled in stages in the com- careers. slashing aid to 17 percent less than it was roll out the website and, next year, a cur- ing months. The curriculum is still being two years ago. Florida reduced aid by 15 riculum for high school and college cours- developed and, he said, as it goes online, percent. Michigan eliminated a $140 million es, we’re involving faculty from across the probably starting in January or February, program that provided up to $4,000 to stu- nation. Already, some of them have seen educators around the country will PAGE dents in their first two years of college, along that the challenges and successes they’ve comment upon it and add to it. Celebrating CUNY Month with $60 million in scholarships. faced as public institutions are not unique, “This is a non-print curriculum that’s 12 Join the But higher education has prominent and that they’re not alone.” designed to show teachers how to work our “Success advocates. President Obama proposed The two people most intimately research into the history of public higher Express” and pumping $12 billion into community col- involved in this project both cited the same education into courses like American histo- check out leges over the next decade in hopes of example to prove that point. ry, urban issues, sociology, art and more,” November increasing the number of associate-degree Richard Lieberman, who as director of Lieberman said. “It will be a dynamic web- events graduates by 5 million by 2020. “Jobs the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives at site and we will involve as many faculty as University- requiring at least an associate degree are LaGuardia Community College spearhead- we can. The most important thing we now wide. projected to grow twice as fast as jobs ed the calendar project for CUNY, said that have is the network, which includes histori- requiring no college experience,” he said as a representative from a community col- cal societies, state libraries, national associa- last summer. “We will not fill those jobs, or lege, he had trouble getting through to tions and foundations.” THECHANCELLOR’SDESK Universities a Key to Economic Recovery University academic his is a pivotal time in our coun- programs prepare try. A fast-moving and deep reces- From tomorrow’s work- sion has resulted in the collapse force and and disappearance of some of this T entrepreneurs. country’s most venerable companies; high But universities unemployment is having a chilling effect on cannot operate in a vacuum. They are most the lives of many Americans; and mounting Lab effective working in partnership with gov- federal debt is projected to accumulate to ernment and business. For example, univer- approximately $9 trillion over the next sities provide job training, not job creation. decade — all of which, combined, is creat- For degree and training programs to work, ing shock waves not seen since the 1930s. small businesses must get the financing they It will take time to stabilize this difficult need. This recession has largely been a credit financial environment. Our economy is recession — and that has had a devastating complex and highly dependent on inter- effect on the city’s 220,000 small businesses, Bench locking relationships and structures across which employ half of the city’s private-sec- the globe. While most economists believe tor workforce, or about 1.5 million people. that we are in the early stages of a recovery, to This is why I’ve been calling for a trian- it is clear that systemic changes are needed. gular compact, a collaborative effort among What was once primarily a manufactur- government, business and universities to ing economy is now moving aggressively build the infrastructure for innovation on toward being an innovation-based economy, which the future of New York State one based on high skills. As competition depends. Government must take the lead by from across the globe increases, we must creating a climate conducive to attracting rely more and more on talented, entrepre- private investment opportunities, while Market neurial workers contributing to an economy working with lenders to make access to cap- that changes and evolves more quickly. Efforts are increasing to help University ital more predictable and creating incentives That’s why it’s time for serious dialogue for colleges and universities to develop the about what is really needed to stimulate, researchers market their important discoveries. needed programs. stabilize and redefine New York’s economy. Private industry is already developing In fact, around the world, cities and new partnerships for a new economy. For OLDIERS’ UNIFORMS that do dou- from background noise and detect hidden countries are trying to figure out not simply example, Hewlett-Packard has reportedly ble duty as antibacterial bandages. explosive devices. With physics professor how to survive but how to build resilient reduced its in-house R & D projects while Light-controlling materials that make Ronald Koder, he is engineering the device economies and societies in a new world S simultaneously soliciting grant proposals it possible to distinguish missiles from back- that can generate hydrogen or methanol market. For example, in an economy driven from universities around the world — gen- ground noise. A device that taps sunlight to from sunlight. by innovation, many in Germany believe erating a diverse pool of ideas. generate the hydrogen or methanol that may But Crouse, director of the CUNY that a movement away from factories and We need to continue to find new ways to Center for Advanced Technology in toward think tanks could be a very positive someday power Americans’ cars. use our world-class universities to increase economic development. In University labs, researchers are devel- Photonics Applications, is also an the research and workforce-development The rise of the knowledge-based econo- oping the next generation of solar cells, stor- entrepreneur, working, with University efforts that lead to new industries and the my can be seen in Israel, as well. A recent age batteries and bacteria-busting support, to move his discoveries from lab educated workers who can sustain them. City Journal article noted that this relatively technologies. And CUNY is ramping up bench to the marketplace through his Government must serve as a catalyst to small and young country “is launching far efforts to commercialize their discoveries, Manhattan-based spin-off company, ensure access to capital — working capital more high-tech companies per year than with the added goal of Phoebus Optoelectronics and risk capital. The city’s Economic any country in Europe,” thanks to an influx fueling economic devel- LLC. Development Corporation has begun this of highly educated immigrants from the opment in New York At Queens College, effort through programs to encourage Soviet Union and the availability of capital City and state. Robert Engel, professor of entrepreneurial and small business activity The intensified focus from American retirees in Israel. The mix Wherever possible, it is “ chemistry and biochem- in key sectors: the financial industry, retail- has led to momentous change: a flow of helping researchers con- istry and the college’s inter- ing and media. on commercialization of bold new ideas, along with the financing to nect with industry part- im dean for mathematics Today, we face the most serious econom- develop them. Knowledge — in the form of and science, said he is near- ic downturn since the Great Depression. ners, negotiating faculty ideas . . . is a a highly skilled and entrepreneurial work- Universities can be a key to our recovery, licensing agreements ing licensing agreements force — begat innovation and, ultimately, a encouraging innovation and advancing the with companies to mar- natural outgrowth of the with two companies — a place of leadership in the global economy. skills and creativity of thousands of new ket commercially viable Manhattan manufacturer These global developments are instruc- workers, at a time when our future has nev- innovations and encour- of sporting uniforms and a tive for New York. How can the state build University’s Decade of er been more dependent on those talents. aging investment in Newburgh, N.Y., fabric- the infrastructure for its own knowledge- Let’s put our universities to use, in partner- “spin-off” companies. finishing company — for a based economy? Science . . . . ship with government and business, and get “For the first time in lipids-based antibacterial, I believe that New York’s best economic New York back on track to prosper in this recent years, we are try- ” antifungal coating that can recovery vehicle is its large number of innovation economy. bind to cotton, wood, cork world-class universities. University research ing to stimulate the is the originator of new ideas, the spur for economy of New York by taking the faculty and other surfaces and has many potential new industries, and the catalyst for econom- ideas and trying to commercialize them,” applications. Engel said a third license, to a ic development and high-skill jobs. said Vice Chancellor for Research Gillian company in Europe, is in the works. Small. “We’re really starting to make Physicians’ lab coats and soldiers’ uni- advances now in getting licenses.” forms made from fabric treated with the BOARDOFTRUSTEES “Our scientists are developing technolo- bacteria-destroying coating would repel The City University of New York gies that have the potential to make infection in the hospital or battlefield. “The Benno Schmidt Philip Alfonso Berry Matthew Goldstein tremendous contributions to society, from military would be interested,” Engel said. “If Chairperson Vice Chairperson Chancellor sustainable energy to medical and safety someone is shot in the leg in the battlefield, Jay Hershenson innovations,” said Chancellor Matthew it’s the infection that kills the soldier. You Valerie L. Beal Kathleen M. Pesile Secretary of the Board of Trustees and Goldstein. “Bringing them to the market- have a built-in antibacterial bandage. You Wellington Z. Chen Carol Robles-Román Senior Vice Chancellor for University Relations Michael Arena place is essential, benefiting not only their can wrap the leg with the uniform.” Rita DiMartino Marc V. Shaw University Director for Communications and Marketing creators, their colleges and CUNY, but local The intensified focus on commercializa- Freida Foster-Tolbert Charles A. Shorter Barbara Shea Managing Editor economies and the public at large.” tion of faculty ideas — known as technology Joseph J. Lhota Solomon A. Sutton Rich Sheinaus Graphic Design Director Working on the cutting edge of one of transfer — is a natural outgrowth of the Hugo M. Morales Jeffrey Wiesenfeld Charles DeCicco, Ruth Landa and Neill S. Rosenfeld Peter Pantaleo Writers today’s hottest research fields, metamateri- University’s Decade of Science initiative, Miriam Smith Issue Designer als, David Crouse, a City College electrical which has upgraded science facilities, Simone Lamont Manfred Philipp André Beckles Photographer engineering professor, develops light-con- attracted world-class researchers and devot- Chairperson, Chairperson, ed other resources toward raising CUNY’s University Student Senate University Faculty Senate Articles in this and previous issues are available at cuny.edu/news. trolling materials that can make pollution- Letters or suggestions for future stories may be sent to the Editor by science and research profile. e-mail to [email protected]. Changes of address detecting sensors, improve solar panels, should be made through your campus personnel office. make it possible to distinguish missiles The new efforts emulate the model set

2 CUNY MATTERS — November-December 2009 Decade {of} Science

Queens College professor of chemistry and biochemistry Robert Engel is nearing licens- ing agreements with two companies for a lipids-based antibacterial, antifungal coating that can bind to fabric and other materials and has many potential applications. place

by the University of California, which is a aspects of patenting and magnet for research dollars and helps drive licensing them. “The California’s economy — local and statewide idea is, does it move — by facilitating faculty entrepreneurship along that continuum to and promoting partnerships with industry, get funding?” Vice University spin-off companies and other Chancellor Small said. arrangements. “You need a company to In New York, the idea of marrying higher be interested, or you education and industry to stimulate the state’s start your own company economy has caught on. In May, Gov. David because the idea is so Paterson signed an executive order creating good. We are encourag- the Task Force on Diversifying the New York ing our faculty to work State Economy through Industry-Higher closely with start-up Education Partnerships, a task force that companies and spinoffs, includes Sanjoy Banerjee, distinguished profes- with economic develop- sor of chemical engineering at City College ment and getting the and director of the CUNY Energy Institute, idea to the marketplace, and is headed by the president of Cornell the main goals.” University. The task force, which was sched- The University has uled to meet at City College in October, is been interfacing with studying best practices and will make recom- industry for years. The mendations on how to foster business incuba- CUNY Center for tion, growth and emerging technology. Advanced Technology in The strategy also dovetails with the goals Photonics Applications, of the University’s new Business and or CUNYCAT, encour- Industry Relations Office, established last ages and supports tech- month with John B. Clark as acting director. nology transfer projects. It is to be the University’s primary liaison With significant funding with business and industry; it will work from NYSTAR — the within CUNY on economic issues from New York State Office of Science, enue and show the University is serving as bring to the classroom your lab experience research to workforce development, market Technology and Academic Research — the an economic engine for the community. in taking the technology and really apply- the University and facilitate partnerships CAT develops photonics technology to pro- People want to see the University create ing it to the needs of society. Academic with business, industry, government entities mote economic development for the medi- more Silicon Valleys.” research rarely gets to the marketplace, but and nonprofits. cal, biological, industrial and military Crouse has moved to patent his break- this will.” The process of bringing innovations to sectors. This generates millions in economic through photonics work, and has tapped Robert Engel acknowledged “it has been the marketplace can be lengthy and com- impact in the state — creating jobs; leverag- approximately $3 million in government a long, slow, tedious process,” to get his plex, from obtaining funds for research, to ing millions in industry, company, CUNY grants from agencies including NASA, the eight-year-old discovery to the point of applying for patents, to licensing the ideas and federal funds; and entering into National Science Foundation (NSF), the Air commercialization, as well as the final stages to existing companies or to CUNY spin- contracts and licensing agreements with Force and the Department of Defense’s of approval by the Environmental offs, and then proceeding to prototypes, many New York companies. The CAT also Missile Defense Agency. Phoebus, his com- Protection Agency. “They’re concerned any- production and hopefully profits. Under the works with the Sustainable Business pany, has seven patents or pending applica- thing you throw away will get into the licensing agreements, which are negotiated Incubator, based at Bronx Community tions and is finalizing licensing agreements ground,” he explained. by CUNY’s Technology Commercialization College, which helps to launch, and with CUNY for his technologies. He noted that the technology-transfer Office (TCO), the University splits the roy- supports, sustainability-related companies. The opportunity to commercialize his process, including submitting the patent alties from its researchers’ work with the Crouse, who directs CUNYCAT, noted discoveries with the University’s support applications and getting innovations through faculty member and his or her college. that the University is “renovating core facili- and investment makes for a “very fulfilling” regulatory agencies, can be expensive. The TCO, in consultation with the facul- ties and offices” and “resources are being experience, Crouse said. “If someone provided the funds to do ty committee handling intellectual property, allocated.” “It’s an exciting endeavor… You have development of a particular application, evaluates researchers’ ideas for their com- Commercialization of faculty your teaching, your academic research lab; that’s what we would do,” he said. “We’re mercial viability and handles the legal innovations, Crouse said, “can generate rev- it complements rather than takes away. You looking for people who want to invest.”

CUNY MATTERS — November-December 2009 3 FACULTYHONORS

Three CSI Faculty Win National Science Foundation Grant HREE FACULTY MEMBERS at Tthe College of Staten Island have received an $839,000 National Science Foundation Robert Noyce grant to train tomorrow’s teachers. The funding builds upon the success of the college’s Teacher Education Honors Academy, whose goal is to produce outstanding math and science teachers for high- need schools. The co-authors of the grant proposal are Jane Coffee of the mathematics department and Susan Sullivan and Irina Lyublinskaya of the education department. $6 Million to Hunter School Of Social Work Family Center HE HUNTER SCHOOL of Social TWork has received a $6 million five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to operate the National Child Welfare Resource Center for City College's architecture school Permanency and Family Connections at features a five-story atrium that Hunter. The NRC, which is under the illuminates the building with daylight and direction of professor Gary Mallon, promotes fluid movement and interaction. provides training, technical assistance and information services to child-wel- fare policymakers, administrators and staff in programs designed to ensure the safety and well-being of young New Stars on the Horizon people in the child welfare system, and to strengthen their families. With a transformed architecture school at City College and a new recreation center now open at Brooklyn College, New York Times Rave Review stylish-yet-practical designs for other campuses also are on the drawing board. Of Thomas Bradshaw Play HE FALL SEMESTER brought the ing higher educational learning environments vices and state-of-the-art physical education HOMAS BRADSHAW, assistant long-awaited opening of striking new that are both functional and innovative,” said and recreational facilities. The old Plaza Tprofessor of mass communications T buildings designed by the prominent Iris Weinshall, vice chancellor for facilities Building was demolished, replaced by the at Medgar Evers College and 2009 architect Rafael Viñoly at City College and planning, construction and management. new four-story glass-and-brick structure with Guggenheim- Brooklyn College — the first new academic “Our students and faculty deserve spaces a front lawn that Viñoly describes as an out- award-win- buildings at each campus in decades. The that encourage their creative energies door “living room” for the campus. ning play- University’s Board of Trustees, meanwhile, because creative energies create knowledge.” Even as two CUNY campuses were cele- wright, approved a move by the CUNY Law School Many campuses have already benefited brating their new buildings, the University’s received a to spacious new quarters in from the Board of Trustees was approving plans for rave New Long Island City and set in University's mul- expansion at two others — in one case mov- York Times motion the construction of a ti-billion dollar ing the campus itself to more spacious quar- theater residence building in East Our students and faculty capital construc- ters. The Trustees on September 29 review for his Harlem for the Graduate “ tion program and authorized the relocation of the 26-year-old Off-Broadway Center. deserve spaces that encour- new buildings will Law School from Flushing, Queens, to a cen- stage play City College celebrated open within the trally located building in Long Island City “The the new home of the Bernard age their creative energies next few years at that will give it nearly 70,000 more square Bereaved.” and Anne Spitzer School of Medgar Evers feet of space, make it more accessible to stu- The Times Architecture, a 118,000- College, Bronx dents by mass transit and allow the school to said because creative energies Thomas Bradshaw square-foot building Community offer a new part-time program. Bradshaw constructed over the framing create knowledge. College, John Jay Under the plan approved by the Board, “has proved and foundation of a library College and CUNY will own a condominium interest in in play after play that he has a confi- built in the 1950s. Viñoly’s —” Iris Weinshall, Lehman College, a 14-story, environmentally “green” building dent vision of the theater that is his New York-based firm, vice chancellor for facilities planning, among others, the owned by Citigroup at historic Court own.” Bradshaw is the author of “Strom renowned for its public and construction and management vice chancellor Square. The Law School will occupy the first Thurmond Is Not a Racist,” winner of educational buildings noted. six floors, with Citigroup retaining owner- the 2005 American Theatre Co-op throughout the United States At City ship of the upper eight. The move is expect- National Playwriting Contest, as well and abroad, transformed the College, Bernard ed to be completed in time for fall 2011 as “Cleansed,” “Purity,” “Southern structure into a dazzling, multi-functional Spitzer, a prominent real estate developer, classes, and it will trigger another relocation Promises,” “Dawn” and “Prophet.” home for the only public school of architec- and his wife, Anne, an adjunct professor of and expansion: The Queens College School British Book Prize to John Jay ture in New York City. English literature at Manhattan Marymount of Education will move into the Law Assistant Professor David Green The Spitzer school’s new home features College, gave $25 million for the architec- School’s Flushing quarters, which is adjacent classrooms, design studios and offices, of ture school’s benefit. The building is City to its campus. AVID GREEN, assistant professor course, but also a digital design laboratory, an College’s first new academic building in over The Trustees at the same meeting Dof sociology at John Jay College auditorium and a rooftop amphitheater with two decades. Bernard Spitzer is an alumnus approved the first step in yet another of Criminal Justice, received the British unobstructed southward views of Central of CCNY’s Class of 1943; Eliot Spitzer, New University construction project: a lease Society of Criminology’s 2009 Book Park and the skyline of midtown Manhattan. York’s former governor, is their son. arrangement for a parcel of land in East Prize for When Children Kill Children: But the centerpiece is a five-story atrium It had been even longer since Brooklyn Harlem that will be the site for a residence Penal Populism and Political Culture that illuminates the building with daylight College opened a new building — 40 years, building for the Graduate Center. The site, (Oxford University Press, 2008). The from the roof to the ground floor and fea- to be precise — and so it was that some 200 on East 118th Street between Lexington and book examines the role of political cul- tures an intersecting series of steel staircases CUNY officials, state and local legislators, Third avenues, is adjacent to a new campus ture and penal populism in response to and pedestrian bridges. Like many of faculty and students (including the college’s for the Hunter College School of Social child-on-child homicide. Green’s Viñoly’s designs for universities and institu- cheerleading squad) gathered to dedicate the Work. The $29 million project, also expected research interests involve the interrela- tions, the layout promotes fluid movement college’s West Quad Building. In 2001, to be completed by the fall of 2011, will tionship between crime, the mass and interaction of the building’s inhabitants. Viñoly’s firm was hired to restore the vision provide housing primarily for graduate stu- media, public opinion and politics in a “With these outstanding new spaces, the of Brooklyn’s 1937 master plan by recreating dents and CUNY faculty. Plans call for an comparative perspective. University reaffirms its national preeminence the west quadrangle as a landscaped space eight-story building with 77 apartments, for taking complex urban settings and creat- and providing a new home for student ser- ranging from studios to as many as four bed-

4 CUNY MATTERS — November-December 2009 NOTED"ED

Should You Give to Harvard? benevolence?” Nearly half of all households with incomes of $25,000 or makes sense, Cohen says, to steer a higher ELL, NO. With all due respect to college students attend com- less and 80 percent of them work while percentage of donations to needier insti- Wour wealthiest and most distin- munity colleges — “institutions going to school. tutions, where such support produces a guished university, it’s a far better thing that help keep alive the That’s not to say that Harvard higher proportionate impact. From an to give our money to say, the Borough of American promise of econom- doesn’t offer scholarships to signifi- ethical investing perspective, then, he Manhattan Community College. So says ic opportunity,” he said. At cant numbers of low-income concludes that “the more honorable Randy Cohen, the widely read Ethicist BMCC, for example, students. But with an endow- course is to write that check to a commu- for The New York Times, in his popular many of those enrolled ment of $26 billion and private nity college or a historically black college Times Magazine column earlier this fall. are the first in their fam- donations of more than $600 or a small Catholic college or other mod- The argument, Cohen said, comes ilies to go to college. million this fiscal year, the university est institution that genuinely and down to this: Which schools have a More than three-quarters certainly does not have the level of profoundly transforms the lives of its “greater moral claim to your of them come from need that community colleges do. It graduates.”

What Are the Chances? HAT’S the probability of two strangers — whose sons star in the same role on WBroadway — working at the same place? City Tech Provost Bonne August noticed this strange coincidence when Tammie Cumming came on board this past summer as director of assessment and institutional research, bringing broad experience as a researcher, consultant and teacher to her position. Her son, Alex Ko, is the fifth actor to rotate into the title role of Billy in the Tony-Award winning hit musical “Billy Elliot.” Alex joined adjunct assistant chemistry professor David Alvarez-Carbonell’s son, David Alvarez, who has starred in the show since it opened on Broadway in November 2008 and shared a Tony. Alvarez-Carbonell began teaching at City Tech last spring. The play focuses on a poor British working-class boy, who, despite the lack of support from his family, pursues his dream of becoming a ballet dancer. Unlike the fictional character they portray, Alex, 13, and David, 15, both had the support of their parents, who made the same decision to relocate their families to New York City from Iowa and California, respectively, to give their sons the chance to make their dreams a reality. Perfect timing played a major role in bringing Cumming to City Tech and her son Alex, whose father died in 2007, to Broad- way. “He had his final audition for ‘Billy Elliot’ the same week I had my big inter- view at City Tech,” she recalls. “I had told him that if he got the part he could only take it if I could get a job in New York.” When Alvarez-Carbonell asked his son what he thought about the coincidence, the youngster replied, “Gosh, that's weird if you ask me.” Says Alvarez-Carbonell, At City College, “That’s really funny because it's the same Restoring a Portal to the Past response that Billy’s friend Michael gives RCHAEOLOGIST IS NOT his David Alvarez, left, with his father, and Alex Ko, with in the play when Billy asks him what he Ajob description, but Robert his mother, outside the theater where both boys thinks of Billy’s audition for the Royal Santos recently applied his consider- rotate in the title role of “Billy Elliot.” Ballet!” able inquisitiveness to unearth a long-forgotten architectural Presidential Honors Two Interim Leadership Appointments treasure — a covered, below- ground entryway to Shepard UNTER COLLEGE President HE BOARD OF TRUSTEES has Hall, the signature neo Jennifer J. Raab was named one of the announced two interim appointments. H T Gothic building on CCNY's 50 most powerful women in New York Robert E. Paaswell, a distinguished profes- Robert Santos, top, original North Campus. City by Crain’s New York Business maga- sor of civil engineering who joined City near the rediscovered zine. The only president of a college or uni- College in 1990 as director of the federally As the college’s vice presi- entrance to Shepard versity on a list dominated by corporate supported University Transportation dent for campus planning and Hall, left. The entrance executives, she was praised for making Research Center, was named CCNY’s facilities, Santos often walks is at the end of wide pathway, in detail Hunter one of the nation’s best educational interim president. the campus. One day, as he above. values despite a limited budget. She served Peter G. Jordan, who has been vice pres- passed Shepard Hall on the as Chairman of the New York City ident of enrollment management and stu- Convent Avenue side, he noticed Landmarks Preservation Commission for dent development at LaGuardia a box-like structure. It was an seven years prior to becoming Hunter’s Community College since 2004, was old book lift, a remnant, perhaps, of the old bookstore that once existed inside. President in 2001. appointed interim vice chancellor for stu- And there was something else: an opening that seemed to lead to the basement. Lehman College President Ricardo R. dent affairs. Santos was curious. Flashlight in hand, he went in. He was stunned to see an archway, Fernández traveled to South Korea to and a door with large bronze hinges. It had to be another entrance to Shepard Hall, maybe accept an honorary doctorate in education a secondary entrance to its old cafeteria, whose alcoves were once meeting places for like- from one of Lehman’s new international minded students. Two of the alcoves became famous as 1930s meeting spots for highly partners, Sungshin Women’s University. politicized leftists such as the young Julius Rosenberg, a Stalinist; literary critic Irving Last year Lehman and Sungshin began a Howe, and Irving Kristol — a Trotskyist in his early days and later an architect of the neo- dual-degree, student exchange program, conservative movement. built on a successful collaboration for nurs- An old University calendar photo of Shepard Hall confirmed Santos’ theory: It was indeed ing students. "This partnership represents a a lower-level entrance, covered later to create one wide pathway to the building. The photo crucial step in preparing our students for a showed, between two paths then, the opening and the descending stairway to the lower por- truly global education in an ever-shrinking tal. Santos decided to have the entrance restored. Bringing back the portal, now fenced off for world," President Fernández told the audi- renovation, will not only preserve the design and landmark status of Shepard Hall, but serve ence at Sungshin’s 41st Commencement as another entryway for 21st century academic programs in the historic space. ceremony. Peter G. Jordan Robert E. Paaswell Said Santos: “It was the right thing to do.”

CUNY MATTERS — November-December 2009 5 From Holocaust to Ho A new campus education center at Queensborough Community College uses the ultimate hate crime to teach the consequences of prejudice and the value of social responsibility.

OR MORE THAN two decades, Germany during World War II, an occur- enclosed, 2,000-square-foot exhibition the state’s only Holocaust reposi- rence that Arthur Flug, the center’s execu- space present the story of the Holocaust tory housed at a college was tive director, calls “the greatest hate crime — whose lessons will be used “to encour- tucked away in a windowless ever committed.” age awareness of and appreciation for the basement beneath the Mindful that there is a resurgence of value of diversity, and to create a sense of FQueensborough Community College bias-motivated attacks in New York City responsibility among all ethnicities,” Marti library in Bayside, Queens. and nationally, Marti says: “Having says. Now — after four years of students from more than 130 Permanent features of the exhibition planning and close to two countries in the 15,000 student space include: years of construction — the body, I believe that using the • A wall designed as a cracked window- Harriet and Kenneth lessons of the Holocaust to pane recalling Kristallnacht (“The Night of Kupferberg Holocaust examine the consequences of Broken Glass”), Nov. 9, 1938, when Adolf Resource Center and Archives unbridled prejudice is Hitler’s Nazi Party unleashed anti- has emerged from this obscuri- important for students Semitism. Hundreds of synagogues, Jewish ty in its new home attending our college.” homes and businesses were destroyed and atop a grassy slope With its new people were killed in streets that were overlooking the prominence, Marti strewn with shards of glass. main entrance says that the center • Gray cement flooring, a reminder of to the campus. will serve “as a con- the bare floors of concentration camps. There the $6 stant reminder to our • Seven-foot-high kiosks with million, 8,000- students and to the photographs, video and text that record square-foot community of Queens Jewish life before, during and after the glass, steel and the value that this insti- Holocaust. brick structure tution places on edu- • Touch screens that enable visitors to adjoining the administration build- cating current and hear survivors now living in Queens talk ing is the first facility everyone coming to future generations about their experiences, and the voices of the college sees, and that is by design. about the ramifications student interns who interviewed them for Queensborough President Eduardo Marti of prejudice, racism and stereotyping. It oral histories. hear, rising from below the trapdoor, voices wanted it to be sited conspicuously. will be a beacon of civility for the residents • Four flat screens showing a continu- of survivors describing their escape. “The first day I was being shown around of Queens,” the most diverse county in the ous movie about the origins and develop- “The new space enables us to present the campus I saw the center, and I decided United States. ment of the Holocaust. the Holocaust in a very powerful way,” Flug that it had to be taken out of the basement Because the facility “is about the root • A peach-colored wall of Jerusalem says. “Rather than get standard newsreel and placed in a prominent location on causes of prejudice, whether it be stone where, with a wave of the hand, you footage that we would use in explaining campus,” Marti says. “It’s not a memorial. expressed in a massacre or genocide,” Flug can scroll through images of families who the stories, we use the stories of Holocaust It’s a place where we show what happens says, it acknowledges mass killings that escaped and learn about their history. survivors in Queens.” At night, “the glass when prejudice becomes institutionalized.” took place in Armenia; Bosnia; Cambodia; • Listening stations where visitors can box is a shining light that beckons people What happens, as history has document- Rwanda; Nanjing, China; and Darfur. All hear survivors’ stories on phones and type to come in and study what went on and ed, are horrors like those that are the focus were hate crimes, he says, but the a response. how to avoid it.” of the new center: Six million European Holocaust was “the ultimate.” • An open trapdoor in the floor, sugges- There are also changing exhibits — cur- Jews and other minorities viewed as racially Customized multimedia and interactive tive of the crevices in cellars, sewers, barns rently “From the Star of Shame to the Star inferior were exterminated by Nazi displays in the center’s box-like, glass- and attics where Jews hid. Visitors can of Courage: The History of the Yellow Star,” which traces the lengthy history of the yellow Star of David that the Nazis forced Jews to wear to mark them in public. The kiosks can be aligned to form a Holocaust mural and moved so that the space also serves as an auditorium with a capacity of 150 for lectures, films, receptions and concerts. Warm-weather presentations can be hosted on an open terrace. Starting this semester, student volunteers are being trained as docents and teamed with Holocaust sur- vivors to conduct guided tours of the exhibit. “Survivors can tell their sto- ry using the exhibit, and students can get a better understanding of the Holocaust and develop rela- tions with the survivors,” Flug says. Construction of the At night, the glass building becomes expanded center — original- a glowing beacon, beckoning people to come in and learn about what occurred during ly housed in two large the Holocaust and how to keep it from happening again. rooms — was paid for with public and private funds.

6 CUNY MATTERS — November-December 2009 Superman and other superheroes battling Hitler. Use of the holdings is open to all. Traveling exhibitions and a speakers bureau are among the center’s public offer- ings. Educational brochures for the exhibi- tions are made available to schools nationwide as learning materials. On spe- ope cial occasions, a quartet of Juilliard School graduates associated with the center per- forms music composed during the Holocaust. It’s all part of a holistic education of stu- dents to make the Holocaust relevant to a younger audience. Queensborough offers courses on the Holocaust and genocide as electives. “We don’t address the Holocaust as sim- ply a lesson in history,” says Flug. “We address it as a way of presenting our stu- dents with real-life skills that have to do with understanding who they are, the soci- ety they’re in, and what their rights are. The survivors’ stories have an amazing impact on them. They really don’t think something like that could happen. That becomes a powerful way of creating lessons of social responsibility.” A hate-crime curriculum for schools statewide grew out of that recognition. It was developed by the center two years ago in collaboration with the New York State Division of Human Rights, the New York City Department of Education, Teachers College at Columbia University and the In the Holocaust Center's soaring exhibition area, flat screens New York City Police Department. showing a continuous film and kiosks with photos, videos and “The most important message I would text are geared toward educating a younger audience. want people to take away when they visit the center is that we must all speak out when we see prejudicial acts, and that includes bullying in schools,” says Marti. “It The architect, Charles Thanhauser, says it year, and her husband, Kenneth Flug and a two-member staff run the starts with bullying.” was “a challenging CUNY commission, Kupferberg, who died in 1993. Her gift of center with help from 24 Holocaust sur- Flug comments: “There was no recourse because you don’t want to make it seem $1 million to the college in 2007 kicked off vivors who volunteer. The archives include for the millions lost in the Holocaust, but like a celebration of death. On the other a fund-raising campaign for a $5 million 5,000 books — some written by Queens that’s not true for the victims of hate hand you don’t want it to be something endowment that will ensure the center’s residents; 1,200 videos; 500 videotaped crimes today.” that ignores the somberness of the topic…. programs “operate in perpetuity,” Flug says. interviews of survivors; dissertations; peri- The center is open Monday through We did want it to have a hopeful feeling.” “I don’t think the project would have hap- odicals; paintings and carvings by world- Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m; it’s open Sundays for The new facility, which bears their pened, both financially and the energy that renowned artist Rosemarie Koczy, who was special events. All are free. For more informa- names, is the legacy of Queens College went into it, without her,” Thanhauser says. a child victim but survived; and 1930s art tion, go to www.qcc.cuny.edu/hrca. alumna Harriet Kupferberg, who died last “I just wish she’d seen the end of it.” created by U.S. cartoonists depicting Giving New Voice to Unspeakable Pain

T WAS COLD AND SNOWING as decimated during Hitler’s reign of terror Paul Cavaliere waited at a Little against Jews. Her mother died prior to the Neck bus stop in Queens last war, but her twin brother was gunned December. He had just heard Ethel down on Aug. 25, 1941, the first victim in Katz relate how she survived the the family. IHolocaust. For more than two years, she, her “The bus was taking a while to come. I father, her older sister and two younger remember thinking to myself, ‘It’s cold.’ brothers ran from place to place trying to Then I thought about her,” he recalls. “She evade capture. They hid in a chicken coop, was on the run, had to live in a forest, an abandoned cottage, in shacks and in wearing only pajamas even in the winter grain fields. Then the gestapo found them months and I’m here in a leather jacket, in a farmhouse they’d once owned. All wool hat and warm underwear. I thought I but Katz were murdered. She received a could stick it out for a few moments.” blow to the head, but eluded the killers Cavaliere, 35, a June graduate of by pretending she was dead. Queensborough Community College, was She was rescued by three Polish boys among students who volunteered to inter- and managed to get to her family’s city view Holocaust survivors for a permanent home. For four months she hid in a false exhibit at the new Harriet and Kenneth wall, subsisting on 10 slices of bread some- Kupferberg Holocaust Resource Center one had given her. German soldiers took Holocaust survivor Ethel Katz and student Paul Cavaliere, who interviewed her, review the touch-screen and Archives. Images of Katz, 87, of Little over the dwelling but one day, her throat video that presents her wartime experiences. Neck, and Cavaliere, a Flushing resident, parched from thirst, she ventured from her appear on touch screens and their voices hiding place when they went out, and where she’s also a volunteer. history spurred him to interview her: “I are heard: Katz recounting the murder of found a pail of water. Soon afterwards, the “It’s imperative to educate the future thought it would be a good opportunity five members of her family by the Russians liberated the town. In 1947, Katz generations of the result of hate to pre- to learn.” gestapo, and Cavaliere relating his reac- left for the U.S. to live with an aunt. vent another deluge of evil engulfing and And he is passing on what he learned: tions to her story. Our Tomorrows Never Came, a book eradicating innocent humanity,” Katz says. “I told my friends and my two daughters. Katz was 17 and living in Buczacz, about her travails, is in the archives at the Cavaliere, now studying at Queens The story has to live on. That atrocity can- Poland, when before long her family was Harriet and Kenneth Kupferberg center, College to be a teacher, says his interest in not be repeated.”

CUNY MATTERS — November-December 2009 7 STUDENTHONORS City College pre-med student Jay-Sheree Allen works Students Film a Major Documentary with a nonprofit she founded that offers underprivileged Aired on Channel Thirteen girls and women tutoring and mentoring plus profes- ANIEL COWEN AND DAVI sional and personal development workshops. DSANTOS of the Macaulay Honors College at Hunter and Lehman, respec- tively, and Andres Otero of Hunter, filmed the Channel Thirteen documen- tary “National Parks: New Yorkers’ Memories.” The program, inspired by Ken Burns’ epic documentary series “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” focuses on New Yorkers whose lives were changed after visiting a National Park. It premiered September 27, and is one of the first on-air and online projects shot entirely by students. Baruch Students Win Top Marketing Awards ARUCH COLLEGE STUDENTS Bhave won two prestigious 2009 Collegiate ECHO Awards, presented by the Direct Marketing Education Foundation. Two teams of graduate stu- dents from the college’s Zicklin School of Business won silver and bronze tro- phies. The awards recognize talented Nurturing Students Who Take the Lead college students in the booming field of direct/interactive marketing. Baruch has won more ECHO awards than any COMPLETE LOSS OF VISION at 9 months didn’t limit said CUNY has a “great tradition” of producing leaders in an array other school since the program began Liliete Lopez after she came to the U.S. from Nicaragua in of disciplines. President Barack Obama, he noted, did some of his in 1986, including five gold, five silver A1990, 13 years old and never having attended school. early community organizing at City College. “The challenges we and four bronze trophies, together with Lopez began her education at 16, learning English to earn her face as a nation remind us of the importance of well-prepared and honorable mentions. GED. Today she is one of 25 students from across the University socially conscious leadership,” McManus said. selected as 2009-2010 Leadership Academy Fellows. A surprise announcement that the Verizon Foundation had Hunter Freshman Holds Notable Classmates at Hostos Community College, where Lopez is a donated a $5,000 scholarship for each fellow was greeted with National Award liberal arts and science major, gave her a standing ovation when resounding applause. McManus later commented, “This is her name was called at the Academy’s opening ceremony and extremely important for our students, many of whom work one or RESHMAN AISHA DALHATU reception at Hostos this fall. Representing 16 colleges and 20 two jobs in addition to attending classes. These scholarships will entered Hunter College with an F majors, Lopez and her Leadership peers comprise the second lighten the load and allow the students to focus on the rigors of impressive achievement on her resume: batch of fellows since the Academy was estab- their class work as well as the additional opportunities the President’s Award for Educational lished in 2007 to teach advanced leadership and responsibilities of the fellows program.” Excellence, which she received from the skills. This class of fellows was selected largely Jay-Sheree Allen and William Leverett, both 20, U.S. Department of Education as a stu- for the leadership they demonstrated as strong The academy, Allen said, two fellows whom McManus views as promising dent at Brooklyn’s Franklin K. Lane advocates and effective leaders on campus and future leaders, have plans for the money. High School. A native of Nigeria who in their communities. Some serve on campus is “leadership boot Allen, a Jamaican immigrant and a pre-med stu- moved to New York at 14, she was hon- clubs, assist in their churches, at shelters, soup dent at City College, will devote it to Women of ored for meeting “challenging standards kitchens, halfway houses and nursing homes; camp.” She wants to lead, Excellence, Strength and Tenacity, Inc., a nonprofit of excellence” as a high school student. some create their own organizations. she founded and heads. It seeks to empower under- Dalhatu, who plans to return to Nigeria she said, “because I’ve “When you look at the problems we are facing privileged girls 9 to 12, and women 18 and older, as a doctor, chose Hunter because of its in these United States and globally you realize that offering them tutoring, mentoring and self-esteem and outstanding pre-med program. been blessed, and I’ve many are a result of a lack of leadership,” said professional and personal development workshops. Nine Public Housing Residents Chancellor Matthew Goldstein, who told the been charged with being a The academy, Allen said, is “leadership boot camp.” Are Awarded Scholarships fellows: “The world is going to be better because She wants to lead, she said, “because I’ve been of you.” blessed, and I’ve been charged with being a blessing INE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS blessing to others.”' Keynote speaker Philip A. Berry, vice chairper- to others.” who live in public housing were N son of the Board of Trustees, added, “A leader is A political science and urban studies junior at awarded $1,000 scholarships under the different from other individuals …. You are being Queens College, Leverett will save his $5,000 to pro- New York City Housing Authority’s nurtured and grooming yourself. You will create the paradigm shift to pel future plans. He hopes to combine the arts and policy-making Resident Scholarship Program, which show how things can be different.” to provide funding for community groups addressing homelessness has given 44 scholarships since 2005. The Leadership Academy was conceived by Garrie W. Moore, and other social ills. “The academy is a place that can mold you,” The awards, announced September 17 the former vice chancellor for student affairs who retired this fall. he said. “Even though you might not have a direct vision of what by NYCHA and CUNY at a Hunter Moore envisaged the academy as the University focal point for you want to change, it molds you into that person. Once your pas- College reception, are funded primarily leadership courses, conferences, experiences and contacts long sion hits you, you can take off running. This is going to be an by donations from movie and TV com- associated with Ivy League colleges. Moore's goal was to have intense, productive year to help us grow even more, and I look for- panies that film on Housing Authority every student graduate with the leadership skills that are increas- ward to that.” property. “This partnership with CUNY ingly sought by the business, nonprofit and academic spheres. Such Leverett is a former Eagle Scout. He plays clarinet and tenor will build on family investment and pro- training is available today on all campuses. Building upon this mis- saxophone, and is involved in the University’s Black Male mote intellectual capital,” NYCHA sion is the academy’s executive director, Joe-Joe McManus, who Initiative; in Yearup, a workforce development program for youth Chairman John B. Rhea said. “Education holds a doctoral degree in educational leadership and joined that offers private sector experience; and other nonprofits that is an important equalizer that gives peo- CUNY in February 2008. McManus has brought together campus provide leadership opportunities. ple real opportunity.” This year’s win- leadership educators to form the CUNY Leadership Development Lopez, 32, who is in her last semester at Hostos, will use her ners were: Jermaine Anderson, Lehman Council, which created a model for producing global leaders based $5,000 to buy a laptop she will load with software for the blind, College; Sara Bracero, Baruch College; on self-awareness, identity development, cultural competency, civic and to help pay for future education. Bound for Queens College Michelle Cantey, Lehman College; Peter engagement, community building and professional excellence. “We to study political science, she plans to advocate for low-income Collazo, Brooklyn College; Shatavia wanted to develop something that drew from the … great people and people with disabilities, and run for office. “I will be Green, City College; Boris Moncayo, programs that have developed over the years in leadership,” fighting for individual rights,” she said. Brooklyn College; Gessel Morales, John McManus said. At Hostos, she helps with college registration and orientation, Jay College of Criminal Justice; Barbara The academy offers three core programs: the year-long Fellows and was vice president of Ability Awareness, a club for people Vencebi, City College; and Lena Program; a CUNY Ambassadors Program in which students devel- with disabilities. She participates in the Hostos Leadership Williamson, Borough of Manhattan op skills and acumen to advocate for their community and issues Academy whose goal is “to promote leadership as a skill necessary Community College. Approximately they’re passionate about; and CUNY Corps, to nurture leaders to every single person and a skill to be utilized in every aspect of a 55,000 to 60,000 public housing resi- who focus on service on campus, in the community, the city and person’s life.” dents attend CUNY schools. internationally. The CUNY Leadership Academy’s website is Welcoming the audience at the opening ceremony, McManus www.cla.cuny.edu.

8 CUNY MATTERS — November-December 2009 BOOKTALK

Tears, But Laughter, Too In Dancing in the Dark: A Cultural A Counter-Veiling Manifesto History of the Great Depression (W.W. Norton & Company), Graduate Center By Gary Schmidgall distinguished professor of English and the neck, hair and ears but revealing the the man who advocates the veil.” theater Morris ARNIA LAZREG BEGINS her face, then a long skirt or baggy pants (or Veiling as an act of ethno-religious self- Dickstein explores the new book Questioning the Veil: both). More concealing is the jilbab, which assertion, of course, became more despair and surprising Open Letters to Muslim Women, involves a scarf, a long head-to-feet body pronounced after 9/11. But Lazreg resents optimism at a time of Mwhich appeared last month from Princeton dire economic disloca- garment, gloves and thick socks. Definitive that women must suffer because the male University Press, with an anecdote from concealment comes with the niqab, a black Islamic leadership depends so heavily on tion in the 1930s. her Algerian childhood. When she was face-cover with slits for the eyes, or the the custom as a marker of Muslim Bringing together about 7 a roughhousing neighbor boy Afghan burqa, which leaves the face identity: “Feeling comfortable in one’s materials — from epic began pulling her hair and writhing lewdly. hidden behind a woven pane. culture and asserting its worth is one Dust Bowl migrations Seeing this from her front door, Lazreg’s The first four of Lazreg’s open letters are thing. However, reducing the essence of to comedies, swing bands and Deco mother, lacking the time to go in and don devoted to examining the main rationales that culture to the veil is another.” designs — he highlights the pivotal role her veil, pulled off one of her clogs and for (re)veiling: modesty, the avoidance of Lazreg is highly skeptical of those who of culture and government intervention hurled it at the boy. It missed him but hit sexual harassment, the assertion of cultural don the veil out of so-called conviction, in hard times. The book shows how our worst economic crisis, as it eroded indi- Marnia, leaving a bloody gash on her identity, and the assertion of one’s religious calling the term “elastic” and suggesting vidualism and punctured the American forehead. conviction or piety. the veil may be used “for strategic reasons.” dream, produced some of the greatest Thirty years after the event, Lazreg’s The subject of modesty brings Lazreg to She is at a loss to see what is gained from writing, photography and mass enter- mother discarded the veil for good, and a discussion of the Quran, which, she wearing “a symbol of gender inequality.” As tainment ever seen in this country. the daughter now wonders whether this believes, does not explicitly exhort the for piety, Lazreg is adamant: “Nowhere in event had somehow “prepared her wearing of a veil, but only says that the Quran is there an indication that the Lessons From the Crusades psychologically for the women should “preserve or protect your veil is a condition of a woman’s The lives of St. Francis and Sultan al- removal of her veil.” Clearly, acceptance of her faith.” Kamil are captured by Graduate School of the anecdote has long The fifth and final open letter, Journalism and Brooklyn College professor continued to resonate for titled simply “Why Women of journalism Paul Moses in The Saint and Lazreg herself. The reader Should Not Wear the Veil,” the Sultan: The Crusades, might well say it captures reiterates Lazreg’s multi-pronged Islam and Francis of perfectly the spirit of attack in the preceding four. Assisi’s Mission of Peace Questioning the Veil, a Discarding the veil is not a heresy (Doubleday). The book vigorous interrogation of like committing usury or drinking reveals a timely story of what she calls a “complex alcohol (veil laws are “made by interfaith conflict, war and internally contradictory men, not God,” she tartly notes). and the search for peace. custom.” Elsewhere she calls It is merely a historical Though it doesn’t lack for it “the least elevating and phenomenon that has waxed and colorful saints and sinners, most politicized” Muslim waned over the centuries and is loyalty and betrayal, and thrilling narrative, custom — even a subject to change in the future. the book brings to life an episode of deep “dysfunctional” one. Lazreg also notes that modern relevance for all who seek to find peace The subject of the veil, technology — cell phones and between the West and the Islamic world. Lazreg makes clear, is the Web — has made important — not least circumventing veil laws child’s Eating It Up because the veil is “the most play. Since the first black-and-white TV sets visible common denominator More philosophically, “the began to appear in American living of Muslim societies.” She hajib makes a woman feel rooms in the late 1940s, we have been might even have said that the removed from her environment.” watching people chop, sauté, fillet and veil is the face of Islam, for In the workplace, it has “the serve food on the small screen. But in she is eager to lay bare the symbolic effect of diminishing Watching What We Eat: The Evolution of ironies that come with the the importance of formal Television Cooking Shows (Continuum), custom. She points to [gender] equality.” More John Jay College librarian Kathleen Algeria’s first Olympic gold That the veil is a mundanely, the veil is a terrible Collins shows how cooking shows are medalist, criticized by pro- “ physical inconvenience in hot also a unique social veilists for her grossly shield against sexual climates and an impairment to barometer, correspond- immodest training togs, then hearing — a sartorial “monastery.” ing to the transition from speaks of how the new veil- harrassment is dismissed It is “neither comfortable nor women at home to wearer in Paris “revels in her convenient.” women at work, from new visibility.” as an 'illusion'. The last pages of Questioning eight-hour to 24/7 work- Lazreg is professor of the Veil are devoted to debunking days, from cooking as sociology at the Graduate ” the neo-fundamentalist mantra domestic labor to enjoy- Center and Hunter College that any decline in veiling is a able leisure, and from and an old Middle East hand, sign of Islamic decadence or of clearly defined to more fluid gender roles. the author of The Eloquence pudenda,” which has often been translated base mimicry of that Mother of Family Angst, Caribbean Style of Silence: Algerian Women in Question All Others, the “West.” She is frustrated politely as “be modest.” The Quran, Lazreg In Anna In-Between, the daughter of an (Routledge, 1994) and Torture and the that a highly personal decision (whether also notes, “does not enjoin a woman to upper-class Caribbean family who has a Twilight of Empire: From Algiers to Baghdad women’s “bodies are a source of shame or cover her face,” but what angers her most successful publishing career in the U.S. (Princeton, 2008). The unminced passion simple joy”) has been taken out of their is that the veil “implies that a woman goes on vacation to the island home of of her arguments against the veil doubtless hands — by Islamic men, of course. The should humble, belittle, and feel sorry for her birth and finds that her mother has derives from her having observed for veil, Lazreg finally ventures, “is the last her body.” She also adduces some telling breast cancer but rejects efforts to per- about two decades a growing world-wide refuge of men’s (sexual) identity.” etymology, noting that an “Arabic word for suade her to go to America for treatment trend in favor of reveiling. Her compact Lazreg speaks like the ardent Islamic shame or modesty, haya’, is close to hayah, that’s perhaps her only chance of sur- credo of a book — the text runs 124 pages feminist she is when she alludes at the end meaning ‘life.’ Is a woman to be ashamed vival. Anna and her father must convince — is intended to urge her female Islamic to the Algerian fight for independence of life, the life of the body?” But the her to change her mind. This novel by CUNY students to stop and think carefully from France: “I do not think the women Quran also exhorts men to be modest. The Medgar Evers College Provost Elizabeth about such a decision: “It is important that who veil themselves today in Algiers, Paris, fact that they aren’t, Lazreg argues, is the Nunez (published by a woman knows in her heart of hearts why or New York are engaged in the same real reason for the existence of the veil: Akashic Books) explores she has decided to take up a veil.” struggle as Algerian women were in the “Men’s desire is the root cause of veils.” our longing for belong- Veiling comes in several styles, with 1950s, when they freed themselves of the The custom, she adds, is not a personal act ing to a community, the countless local variations. As explained in veil in order to make history.” The veil, but a “social convention.” mutual respect essential her introduction, Lazreg focuses mainly on Lazreg believes, will prevent Islamic That the veil is a shield against sexual for a successful mar- the hijab, “the standardized form of veiling women from making liberating history in harassment is dismissed as an “illusion.” riage, and much more. across the Muslim world,” which includes “Desire can pierce through the veil,” says the future: “The veil is not action, it is an intricately wrapped headscarf covering Lazreg, “as it can lurk unacknowledged in reaction; it is repetition of the past.”

CUNY MATTERS — November-December 2009 9 Jump-Starting an Upgraded New government grants and University career-training programs are turning today's job-

ANDY LEE was a director of busi- inquiries from students who want the aid. want a degree; they want to refine their ness operations for UBS in “This is an important program and an skills and go back into the market. It also SWeehawken, N.J. Maxine Gomez important opportunity because it can be allows them to network.” worked in the company’s Manhattan office used not only for continuing education but Gomez, who received $3,700 in as a quality-assurance supervisor in equity also for completing or starting a degree,” says National Emergency Grants when she research. Kevin Naughten was a systems Suri Duitch, University director of adult and signed up for a project management certifi- analyst at Citibank. And Larisa Kushelev continuing education. “And it’s a great cation program, chose Baruch “because I’ve worked as a payroll specialist for The Bank opportunity for the University because stu- heard good things about it. My classes are of New York. dents have a wide range of educational and on the weekends and at night, so if I get a Was is the key word. All were laid off employment backgrounds, and they’re look- job, they won’t interfere. I had checked a during the financial crisis. They all looked ing at CUNY colleges as an option.” couple of other institutions in Manhattan, for work and came to the same conclusion: At press time, Baruch alone had more but they didn’t have night classes.” The best way to find a new job was to go than 20 students who were laid off after Naughten is using his $6,000 grant to back to school. May 31, 2008 and who were receiving earn a forensic accounting certificate and to When they began researching universi- almost $80,000 in grant money. The grants take some accounting courses. “Among the ties and courses, they were pleased to dis- range from $420 to $10,145 for courses in top schools I looked at, only Baruch was cover that they were eligible for National accounting, bookkeeping, payroll, project geared up for NEG,” he says. “When I Emergency Grants (NEG), which pay up to management, human resources/Society for looked outside CUNY, they were all asleep $12,500 per person for tuition for job-train- Human Resource Management, IT skills at the switch. Baruch made the process ing courses at approved institutions for training and real estate. smooth and expeditious.” work completed by December 2010. “This will be one of the biggest funders Naughten and his three National Applicants like them are eligible for part of we’ve had,” says Ann Clarkson, associate Emergency Grant peers are among some the $11 million newly given by the U.S. dean of continuing and professional studies 270,000 students who have registered in Department of Labor to the state to assist at Baruch College. “It’s not a performance- 2008-2009 for the more than 4,000 adult laid-off employees at 31 financial institu- based program, and although the state has and continuing education programs offered tions that range from Lehman Brothers and to approve the program for each student, by the University this academic year. Commerce Bank to Countrywide Funding it’s not vocational training. There’s more The courses, which are designed to Corp. New York received the largest award, flexibility in this regard. It targets a popula- reflect the needs of each community, range and an estimated 1,400 workers are expect- tion sorely in need. They don’t necessarily from those that prepare students for ed to receive grants. careers as phlebotomy techni- Lee, Gomez, cians and paralegals to college- Naughten and Kushelev Cultivate a Business, Or a Roof Garden prep courses for high schoolers all ended up at Baruch and personal enrichment College, which was one courses for seniors. UNY COLLEGES offer more than 4,000 continuing Continuing education of the first CUNY education courses. Here's a sampling: campuses to enter C courses are designed to be the program. flexible enough to change on a NY Designs Business Courses dime, and since the Wall Street “I couldn’t have This business incubator provides advice and assistance to afforded to go to school meltdown and resulting reces- growing businesses in architecture and interior design; sion, CUNY’s colleges have without the grants,” says fashion, jewelry and craft design; lighting, industrial and fur- placed a greater emphasis on This is a big role, and an important role, Kushelev, who got niture design; and graphic and product design. Courses programs that retrain people community colleges can play. CUNY, in $1,550 to cover the include Opening Your Design Business; Guerrilla PR for a dramatically different general, always has been ahead in the PayTrain payroll training Tactics for Designers; Business Boot Camp for Design workforce. development of workforce programs.” certificate course she is Entrepreneurs; Effective Proposal and Pricing Strategies; and Oops, I’m “The changes in courses that Continuing education is perfect for this taking. “I’m upgrading in Business. Now What? LaGuardia Community College my skills and knowledge. are occurring are different at group, Gupta says, because the courses are each college,” Duitch says. “In The course is a good Center for Sustainable Energy Solar Professional Seminars offered during evenings and on weekends, general, though, we’ve seen an so students like the ones at Baruch who are tool for passing the test. The center promotes the use of renewable and efficient energy technolo- increase in the numbers getting National Emergency Grants can It’s exactly what I need gies in urban communities through education, training, work- enrolled in industry certification continue to work or look for work while at this time.” force development, research and project facilitation. It sup- and GED courses and a they study. Lee, who was lucky ports clean energy development and energy conservation as decrease in personal enrichment When selecting courses, BMCC studies enough to land a job as the means to protect the environment, enhance public programs, particularly those for labor department statistics and projections director of project man- health and position New York City to capture emerging children, because people cannot and also elicits information from advisory agement for HBO right economic development opportunities in the energy sector. afford them any more.” boards in specialty fields like real estate. In before fall’s classes Professional seminars include Getting a Job in the Solar The campuses do extensive addition, it has staffers on the boards of began, says that “one of Industry; Selling Solar in New York, New Jersey and on Long Island; research, culling information organizations like the Continuing Education the key things that got Making the Financial Case for Solar to Your Customers; Navigating from state and national Association of New York, which also give it me this job was the fact Through the Challenges of New York City Solar PV; Obtaining Permits, Department of Labor reports, valuable input on workforce trends. that they knew I had Approvals and Incentives. Bronx Community College signed up for the project and constantly refine and rede- “We are constantly looking for new pro- fine programs to fit the prefer- management profession- Introduction to Green Roofs and Living Walls grams and new content for existing pro- ences of their populations. grams,” Gupta says. “We look at five or six al certificate course. It This hands-on, interactive course teaches how to At Borough of Manhattan new programs for each sector we cover and opened the door for install green roofs, care for green roof plants and Community College, for typically add two or three after we run me.” The grants cover search for green roof jobs. Course highlights include visits to two green instance, the focus has shifted pilots.” the $3,000 cost of his roofs. This course may be taken in preparation for the Green Roof toward workforce BMCC’s workforce development pro- program. Professional Accreditation Test. New York City College of Technology Following Baruch’s development programs. “In the grams primarily are in three areas: health last year or so, there has been a lead, other CUNY cam- CUNY’s Cooking! care, technology and urban systems. tremendous change in the way According to Gupta, the courses in the puses, including Borough In these hard economic times, New Yorkers are rediscovering that rarely people look at continuing edu- greatest demand are in allied health. of Manhattan used room in their apartments — the kitchen. In this new and innovative cation,” says Sunil B. Gupta, Paralegal and real estate licensing programs Community College, program, students can find their inner chefs through a the college’s dean of continu- as well as training programs for construc- John Jay College of comprehensive course in the culinary arts. It is designed ing education and workforce tion project managers and construction Criminal Justice and for average people who want to rise above their depen- development. “Now, skilled cost estimators, he says, also are popular. City College, have grant dence on take-out food and ramen. Baruch College applicants or are fielding individuals need retraining. BMCC’s new offerings include

10 CUNY MATTERS — November-December 2009 Q&A: DAVIDM.STEINER Innovative Hunter Dean Takes On Statewide Challenges

UNTER COLLEGE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION Dean David M. Steiner Workforce became the New York State commissioner of education on Oct. 1. CUNY HMatters spoke with him, shortly before he assumed his new post, about his -seekers into valuable professionals. goals and priorities. Q: What are your biggest challenges? DEAN STEINER: Nothing makes a greater difference in a child’s education than the quality of her teacher; that is a primary responsibility that I will undertake. We must offer students a world-class curriculum, and assess the knowledge and skills they need for success in college and for meaningful employment. As commissioner of education I am responsible for what is known as the University of the State of New York, which encompasses our K-12 school system, over 240 colleges and uni- versities, some 25 public broadcasting stations, as well as museums, libraries and the professions. It is an extraordinary responsibility, but also an opportunity to think about education in a deeper and broader sense. Q: How do you see yourself facilitating collaborations between public and private institutions of higher education? A: We must work across both groups of institutions to ensure world-class teacher preparation. We also must be imaginative about inviting libraries, museums, cultural institutions and the media to think about new forms of delivering instruction and educational resources. Q: What were your major accomplishments in four years as dean of Hunter’s School of Education? A: They really belong to the faculty who Dean worked with me to investigate what was David M. worth changing. For example, we have a Steiner new video component whereby all stu- dent teachers are videotaped in their stu- dent teaching. . . . We analyze the video one-on-one, and almost 800 video clips are searchable by faculty and students. Q: So students are able to change their practice based on what they see them- selves doing? A: Absolutely. Nothing reaches you as immediately as watching yourself teach. We also made a major partnership with Teacher U at Hunter College, in order to rethink together teacher preparation. We have a 100 percent pass record on teacher tests, and almost a third of the faculty arrived since I became dean four years ago. They come from top institutions throughout the U.S., and from abroad. Q: In setting up Teacher U, you partnered with organizations that operate charter Maxine Gomez is one of more than 20 laid-off workers who are now updating their skills at Baruch College schools. Are charter schools doing things that are not being done in traditional with the help of new government grants, which also aid students on other campuses. public schools? A: We’ve also partnered with New Visions for Public Schools to design one of New polysomnography technician training and time, we have added two online courses — York's first major residency programs for teacher training. So it’s not just about char- an electronic medical records technician paralegal and defensive driving,” says ter schools. However, charter schools do have certain freedoms to experiment. . . . program, which launches in January. Terrance Harris, the college’s director of BMCC’s technology programs, Gupta continuing education. “This is a test, and so Q: How does teacher residency differ from the traditional student teacher program? says, are particularly “helpful in this com- far it’s going very well.” A: The residency model offers the best of both worlds: You are in the schools, learning petitive work environment, where certified The college is looking to partner with about the culture of education and teaching, but you’re not yet a teacher of record. training programs are in demand. The col- more businesses and training institutes so Q: Should the state raise entry requirements into the teaching profession? lege addresses this need as it is a certified students can be prepared for existing jobs. training center for Microsoft and Cisco and “In our paralegal course, for instance, we A: The pass rates on most statewide teacher tests are about 92 percent. Is there a in November will become a certified Apple employ practicing lawyers, and we hope relationship between the skills and knowledge tested and the actual skills and Academy.” they see someone they want to hire; it has knowledge that make a difference in teaching? We need to find out. But BMCC’s role doesn’t end when the happened,” Harris says. Q: What about the training of principals? classes do. Its state-of-the-art testing center But the business benefits reach far A: We know that if you have a good school, you’re going to find a good principal. offers a variety of high-level exams for vari- beyond getting competent employees. In So we really have to take a look at the whole structure of principal preparation. ous professions that range from car some cases, employers are eligible for city mechanic to social work. “We’re looking to tax credits of up $2,400 for hiring in cer- Q: Should academic standards be raised for K-12 students? add more,” he says. tain categories. A: Chancellor Merryl H. Tisch, who heads the Board of Regents, has said so. There Recently, the college’s continuing educa- In keeping with its criminal-justice mis- is evidence that, even with a Regents diploma, students may not be fully prepared tion program has begun reaching far sion, John Jay is adding a crime-scene for success in college or employment in meaningful jobs. This is deeply challenging beyond its Manhattan campus. During the investigation course for high school teach- because we also have problems getting all of our students to reach the current summer, it partnered with the CUNY ers and another for high school students. Regents level. Graduate School of Journalism to offer “We did this because high school teachers training to students from Italy and has are trying to teach it, but they don’t know Q: As a former Director of Arts Education at the National Endowment for the Arts, plans to expand business programs to visit- anything about it,” Harris says. “We started what do you think should be done to invigorate support for the arts in our schools? ing students from China and India. it this semester, and we will go full blown A: An educated human being should have a broad and deep exposure to the arts, At John Jay, two students have applied in spring 2010.” which are a precious part of our cultural legacy. We must work with cultural insti- for National Emergency Grants. The num- Regardless of which courses students tutions, teaching artists and schools of education to increase support for the arts. ber of career courses has been increased, take or for what reason, continuing educa- and more seminars and workshops have tion means just that. Kushelev, for instance, Q: Is there something important that hasn’t been asked? been added. Some of the more popular is considering taking an advanced course in A: The key underlying question is what do we consider to be an educated human courses are EMT training and paralegal Excel. “The more I know, the more power I being? I hope that I and my colleagues never lose sight of that question, and that courses; and a pharmacy technician pro- feel,” she says. “And I’m eligible for NEG we never stop asking it. gram is being considered. “For the first funding for it, too.”

CUNY MATTERS — November-December 2009 11 Rev. Violet Dease NOVEMBER sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday

1 NYC College of Technology 234 567 Queens College Black Church, Politics Graduate Center Hunter College College of Staten Island Baruch College Chamber Orchestra Kremlin and the African American Feminist Crossover Jazz: The Hunter Unconstitutional: The Zicklin School of Business 2 p.m. $36; $34 seniors, Community, with the Rev. Violet Writings Jazz Ensemble & Jazz Vocal War on Our Civil Liberties Executive Programs students, alumni and staff Dease 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Free on Workshop 1:30-3 p.m. Free 1:15-3:30 p.m. 6-7:30 p.m. Free Technologies Free City College 4-6 p.m. (Through 11/7) Oscar Hijuelos Free Brooklyn College BMCC Kingsborough author of “The Conservatory Orchestra Abakua Afro-Latin Community College Mambo Kings” 7 p.m. Dance Company Family Arts: “Seussical” 6-8 p.m. Free $5 7 p.m. $35-$45 2-3:15 p.m. $12 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Brooklyn College Through 11/29 Queens College Graduate Center (Through 11/14) Graduate Center Virsky Ukrainian Baruch College Orhan Pamuk, with Leonard Ursula Oppens and John Jay College of Criminal York College The Theory of Everything National Dance Co. Sholom Lopate 7:30-9:30 p.m. Contemporary Composers Justice “DE NOVO” Burnt Sugar 2 p.m. Free 2-4 p.m. Aleichem: $20, free with CUNY ID 7-9 p.m. Part 1 Arkestra $25-$35 Laughter $25, $10 with Graduate “Li’l Silent” 8-10 p.m. $20 LaGuardia Community College Through Tears, Brooklyn College Center student ID 7 p.m. adults, Dina Denis Dance Presents: Lehman College featuring 20th Biannual International $15; CUNY $10 students and “Pieces of Life” Lehman Woodwind Quintet Theodore Bikel. Electroacoustic Music College of Staten Island students seniors 8 p.m. 2-3:30 p.m. $45-$55; check Festival 7 p.m. Veteran’s Day Program free with $15 in advance, $20 at the Free box office Free 7 p.m. Free valid ID door, $10 Students

Kingsborough 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Community College City College Queensborough NYC College of Technology Baruch College Queensborough Romance de Tango Book Talk: Lecture Series Community College Great American Smoke-Out Recasting Your Career: Community 2-3:30 p.m. Lori Carlson 6-8 p.m. Free Kenneth Whalum Noon Free Generations X, Y and Baby College $15; CUNY students, Quintet Boomers 5:15-8 p.m. Free David Cassidy staff and faculty $12 Graduate Center 1 p.m. College of New York City in Concert Extraordinary Lives: Free Staten Island College of Technology (Through 11/30) 8 p.m. $40-$50 Bill Kelly in Conversation “My Journey to Local Apple Festival/ Kingsborough Community With Patti Smith Japan” Diabetes Education Day College The Imagined Worlds 7-8:15 p.m. 12:15-1:15 p.m. 12:45-2:15 p.m. Free of Alex Niño Free Free M-F 10 a.m-3 p.m. Free 22 23 24 25THANKSGIVING 26 27 28 Lehman College Queens College Hunter College Lehman Big Band Blood Drive Know Your Rights Training 2-3:30 p.m. Free 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free 1-3 p.m. Free Brooklyn Lehman College College From Synge to McDonagh: “Of Mice For A Century of Violence, and Men” Queens College more events, Language and Love 3-5 p.m. HIV Screening 12:30-1:30 p.m. visit www.cuny.edu $25 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Free Free and click ‘events’ 29 30 Lehman College City College “The Nutcracker” Book Talk: Lecture Series by the Moscow 6-8 p.m. Classical Ballet Free 4 p.m. $25-$45, children 12 Lehman College and under $10 Writers of the Aran Islands 7-9 p.m. Free Details of calendar events can change without notice, so always call in advance.

Non-Profit Org U.S. Postage PAID CUNY Month is a celebration of the people and programs Office of University Relations Staten Island, NY The City University of New York Permit # 169 that enrich every part of the University — and this year, we have 535 East 80th St. New York, NY 10075 much to celebrate. Our enrollment is at its highest level in CUNY history. The number of high-achieving students coming to the University is surging. Our students and faculty are winning the most prestigious awards and fellowships in the nation. Our partnerships with the philanthropic community are providing new opportunities for students at every CUNY college. So join our celebration — get on board the CUNY “Success Express” and visit the CUNY campus of your choice this November during CUNY Month. — Matthew Goldstein, Chancellor