S O A R A Place to Launch Your Life TM

Volume 2, Issue 1 A Message from Cheryl Williams University Associate Dean for Special Programs April 2015

Greetings All. envision expanded possibilities for the many high This academic year has been one of reflection on our school graduates who aspire to higher education, but past and contemplation of our future. We celebrated who fear they can’t afford college. the 50th anniversary of College Discovery in Decem- We’re also encouraged by the growing interest in ber, only to begin planning a commemoration for the Single Stop, a relatively new program in the OSP same landmark for SEEK. Two of the TRiO pro- portfolio, but one which is shifting the paradigm on grams, Talent Search and Upward Bound, are also how colleges provide financial support to low income marking 50 years of service. We in the Office of Spe- college students. Located on each of our community cial Programs (OSP) are grateful to the SEEK, CD, college campuses, since 2009, Single Stop has gener- Upward Bound, and Talent Search faculty, staff, and ated nearly $141 million in benefits, tax refunds, and supporters who over the past fifty (50) years have as- supportive services for students and their families. sisted thousands of talented and motivated students to Where the program shines is in helping students navi- expand their horizons through the counseling, aca- gate the public benefits bureaucracy. Most important- demic, and financial support our programs provide. ly, early studies suggest that students who access Sin- Looking back, a reality we share is the 50 year annual gle Stop services will be more likely to persist and struggle we’ve faced to ensure that legislators contin- ultimately earn a degree. ue to provide funding for our programs. TRiO and As you will see on the following pages, our programs Special Programs professionals now swap war stories and students are thriving. I invite you to read and about experiences lobbying elected officials, whether enjoy! on Capitol Hill for TRiO, in Albany for SEEK, or the NYC City Council for College Discovery. Neverthe- Inside this Issue Page less, we go armed each year knowing we are engaged  College Discovery Celebrates 50 Years…………..2 in a just fight, drawing strength from the joy we get  Speaking of Her Honor………………………….....3 helping our students shine.  NY/NJ Metro McNair Poster Conference……....3 Looking forward, we are encouraged to see the atten- tion being given to increasing college enrollment of  SEEK Math Support at Baruch College…….…..4 low income, first generation students. It’s been quite  SEEK & CD City Council Hearing……………....5 some time since the National, State, and Local higher  Remembering the Time at College……...6 education agendas have come into alignment to focus  Single Stop Statistics………………………………7 so explicitly on this population. The most recent and  United Leaders of CUNY at Somos…………..….8 powerful example came with the passing of the NYS  Tri-State Consortium Conference………………...9 budget which included a 20% increase for State op- portunity programs. We applaud the new Assembly  Upcoming Events………………………...………..10 Speaker’s “Higher Education Road to Success,” and  SEEK/CD Assessment Committee Update…….11 Page 2 College Discovery Celebrates 50 Years

son, University Relations and Board Secretary, Vice Chancellor Frank Sanchez (Student Affairs), and Dean Cheryl William from

th the Office of Special Programs, and Trustee Rita On Friday, December 12 , 2014, which has Dimartino supported the occasion with her pres- been proclaimed “CUNY”s College Discov- ence. ery Day” by the proclamation received from the Office of the Mayor of the City of New The entertainment for the evening included a pi- York, a standing room only crowd of two ano selection played by Isaac Lopez, a student at hundred students, alumni, faculty and staff Hostos Community College, and the unveiling of came together in the Atrium of the Graduate the winning CD logo designed by Raymond School to celebrate the Fiftieth Anniversary Lopez, a Borough of Community Col- of the College Discovery Program. Dr. Ped- lege student. ro Perez, the moderator and chair of the event committee began the celebration with Of special note were the reflections shared by words of welcome and introduced the Col- alumni Dr. Milga Morales , Vice President for lege Discovery Parade of Alumni. As shared Student Affairs at College by Dr. Perez, these individuals represented (Queensborough Community College CD Class of only a small portion of the incredible 1967) and Mr. Robert Hill, former Vice Chancel- achievements College Discovery participants lor for Public Affairs, University of Pittsburgh have made. A glimpse of their individual (Borough of Manhattan Community College CD stories collectively presented in the program Class of 1967). Their reminiscing allowed us to may be viewed at http://www.cuny.edu/ venture back in time and to connect to how the academics/programs/seekcd/Archived/ program has consistently created access and op- CD50thGalaProgramBook- portunity for students over the last fifty years. let_12_8_2014.pdf, along with other infor- Maria Grieco, the Chair of the University Council mation about the celebration. of CD Directors closed out the celebration with remarks which were followed by a musical selec- During her remarks NYC Councilmember tion by the Taiko Drummers. Everyone who at- Inez Barron acknowledged the efforts of her tended left with a sense of the transformative val- CUNY Liaison, Legislative Director Ndigo ue that the College Discovery Program continues Washington (LaGuardia Community College to add to the City University of , our CD Class of 1991), and her special connec- students, and our broader community and city. tion to the program through her husband, Continue on pg. 12 Councilman , ( Technical College CD Class of 1976 & Hunter SEEK Class of 1988). Other words of encouragement and support were also spo- ken by Senior Vice Chancellor Jay Hershen- Volume 2, Issue 1 Page 3 Speaking of Her Honor While in John Jay Ms. The SEEK Club of the Department of Velasquez was elected SEEK Counseling and Student Support Services, to many positions and and the Undergraduate Student Government of The the City University of City College of New York hosted a conversation New York recognized with the Honorable Carmen Velasquez, NYS Su- her contributions and preme Court Justice on March 5th 2015. Honorable conferred upon her “The Belle Judge Velasquez emigrated from her native country Zeller Scholarship”. Ms. Velasquez also received of Ecuador at the age of fourteen (14). She began the Counsel for Legal Education Opportunity Fel- her formal studies with a goal towards becoming an lowship (CLEO) as well as the Temple University attorney even though she did not initially have the Graduate Fellowship which paid for her entire legal ability to speak a word in English. While she was a education and living expenses allowing her to suc- student, many advisers tried to dissuade her from cessful obtain a Juris Doctor degree from Temple pursuing a legal career, suggesting that she should Law School. become a secretary instead. However, her strong Ms. Carmen R. Velasquez was elected to the Civil will and determination proved skeptics wrong. She Court bench in New York on November 4, 2008. In completed her early education at Long Island City November 2014, after six years of service, she High School and entered John Jay College of Crim- made history as the first Ecuadorian American to be inal Justice as a SEEK student to pursue her higher elected to the Supreme Court of any state in the education degree. .

NY/NJ Metro McNair Poster Conference

The first annual NY/NJ Met- Master of Science Candi- ro McNair Poster conference date in Information Sys- was held at John Jay College tems at New Jersey Insti- on Friday, February 13, 2015 tute of Technology; Ni- and included poster presenta- koleta Despodova, (John tions of students from CUNY (Hunter and John Jay Jay College Alum and Colleges), St. Johns University and Bloomfield NSF Awardee) Doctoral College in New Jersey. Candidate in Psychology and Law at The CUNY Graduate Center; and Dr. John Jay's President Jeremy Travis opened the pro- Charles Barrett (St. John’s McNair Alum) Ph.D. in gram and Dr. Andre McKenzie, Vice President for School Psychology Lehigh University, Pennsylva- Academic Support Services at St. John's University nia. moderated the graduate alumni panel at lunch. The Luncheon Alumni Panelists included Ms. Estefania Congratulations to all for a successful event and the Ponti (Hunter College & Macaulay Honors Pro- anticipated ex- gram & McNair Alum), Doctoral Candidate in An- pansion to in- thropology at The CUNY Graduate Center; Mr. clude more col- Isaac Clarke (Bloomfield College McNair Alum) leges.

Page 4

SEEK Math Support at Baruch College Achieve Student Success by David Rosen

Under the excellent leadership of Dr. Angela An- In addition, our tutors who are well prepared and selmo and Acting Director Kristy Clementina Pe- intrinsically motivated have often received SEEK rez, SEEK students at Baruch College did very tutoring themselves, are part of a community, re- well in gateway math classes compared to regularly ceive feedback, update their styles and skills, dif- admitted students in fall 2013. This success was ferentiate instruction, collaborate with professors, based on a variety of interacting factors and multi- work as a team, interact freely with counselors, and ple initiatives (some academic in nature, others de- are highly respected. signed to increase engagement) which interacted to promote student success. Finally, we piloted a new program where tutors check the math work of the students they tutor, and In the fall of 2013, the pass rate for gateway math share these results with their counselors. Counse- (C or higher in algebra and pre-calculus) for regu- lors received more information about how much larly admitted students at Baruch College was work their students were doing and were able to 61.1%. The same semester, the gateway math pass have a more informed conversation with their stu- rate for SEEK students was 81.8%. Thus, SEEK dents. It helped by encouraging students to do ex- students at Baruch College scored 20.7 percentage tra work, providing status updates for counselors, points higher in the pass rates for gateway math “reality checks” for students in trouble, and a clear courses. We are very proud of our students’ suc- path and roadmap for success. Counselors did not cess. need to wonder how their students were doing, or how much work they were completing. A side ef- SEEK initiatives are built on a strong extant foun- fect of this initiative was that student issues (e.g. dation of what we do and who we are. New addi- personal, attendance) were drawn to the forefront tions to our practices always stand “on the shoul- sooner rather than later. ders of giants” and add to our history. Some fea- tures that we feel contribute to our success are Examining results after two years, we can say that our close-knit and flat non-hierarchical cul- on average, students who show us no work may ture with its sense of mission, our good relationship receive math grades around D+, while those who with the math department, mandatory freshman show us all the work we ask for may receive math tutoring, learning communities, our summer im- grades around B-. We are grateful to all those that mersion and winter intervention programs, strong support SEEK and College Discovery, and we hope counselor support, and peer mentoring. to continue to pilot exciting initiatives like this that help unlock our students' incredible potential. Volume 2, Page 5 SEEK & CD Supported at City Council Hearing

On December 10, 2014, the 64th International Hu- The focus of the hearing was to examine the cur- man Rights Day designated by the United Nations rent status of the programs and the current metrics General Assembly to call attention to the universal for success. Chairperson Barron reminded every- declaration of human rights, Chairperson Inez one that it is “important that we remember that Barron began the City Council Committee on these are programs born in the civil rights move- Higher Education’s oversight hearing recounting ment with the purpose of advancing human how in the midst of the civil rights movement the rights.” CUNY administration began to address the injus- tice of the times before the 1960’s when a college As it has since its beginning, College Discovery education was “largely a privilege afforded to provides access to the CUNY's community colleg- white people” by establishing the College Discov- es for Black and Hispanic students from low- ery Program. income neighborhoods who graduate from public schools unprepared to meet college admission Article 26 of the human rights declaration states: standards or to perform at the college level. "Everyone has the right to education. Professional Providing these students with academic tutoring to education shall be made generally available and bring their skills up to the college level and coun- higher education shall be equally accessible to all seling services to support and guide them through on the basis of merit. Education shall be directed their college career, the program continues to to the full development of the human personality equip students with potential and curiosity with the and to the strengthening of respect for human tools they need to enter the world as contributing rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote adults who could exercise their rights as equal understanding, tolerance and friendship among all members of society. nations, racial or religious groups and shall further the activities of the United Nations in the mainte- College Discovery’s success led to the New York nance of peace." Chairperson Barron stated that we State Assembly Black and Hispanic Caucus, in- were “called on this day to remember that the cluding then Assembly Members , work of the Higher Education Committee and of Basil Patterson, , Percy Sutton and the City University of New York is fundamentally Shirley Chisholm, working with Republicans in to advance all human rights; among them, the the New York State Senate two years later, in 1966 rights to liberty, life, security of person and the to enact legislation signed by then Governor Nel- right to participate in the institutions of govern- son Rockefeller, creating the SEEK program to ment.” provide similar access to the City's four-year col- leges. Continued on page 7 Page 6

Remembering the Time Retired SEEK Counselor William Modeste reminded the students that a By Norka Blackman-Richards group of newly elected young black and Puerto Rican NY state legislators, At 1:00 PM on Monday July 21st, 250 SEEK Percy E. Sutton (whom the SEEK Pro- freshmen students and faculty rallied on the plaza gram is now named after), Shirley outside the Rosenthal Library clock tower to re- Chisholm, Basil Paterson, Arthur Eve, commemorate the significance of its being named and fought for and the Chaney-Goodman-Schwerner Clock Tower won the legislation and funding on after three young civil rights workers who had been July 5th, 1966 to create this highly successful pro- killed in Mississippi in 1964. The SEEK Program is gram. Tiffany Brown, from QC NYPIRG, told the planning to replicate the event every year during the students how important it was to talk about today’s summer. issues and encouraged them to get involved in student organizations that were trying to take action around Dozens of white and yellow balloons were released by them. She also pointed out that various departments students on the fourth floor of the library as symbols had internships and programs where students could of peace and continued hope. Students read poetry link their studies to their social justice concerns. and es- says, SEEK Director Frank Franklin welcomed the incom- sang, and ing students and pointed out that not only had the crea- played tion of the program been an accomplishment of the music civil rights movement but also that continued funding inspired of the program is an ongoing struggle that will need by the their support. Mark Levy, a QC alumnus and 1964 genera- Mississippi Freedom Summer veteran who later taught tion of in SEEK, emphasized that what was most important to activists who struggled to secure voting rights for all. remember in learning about James Chaney, Mickey Schwerner, and Andy Goodman is not about them per- Colorful placards were carried that connected to the sonally but rather what issues they were fighting for, struggles of the 1960s to issues impacting students in what still needs to be fought for, and an appreciation 2014. Contemporary issues, like immigration rights, of the strength and contributions of the thousands of gay rights, racial profiling, prison complex and dis- ordinary, young, and local people who remain the true crimination were highlighted. Some of the signs car- heroines and heroes of the long -- and still ongoing -- ried by the SEEK students read: “The rights of the Movement. minority should never be subject to the whim of the majority”; “Marriage is about love not gender”; Original poetry and essays were read and civil rights- “Prison labor work is modern day slavery. Let’s end era music performed by incoming SEEK freshmen, it”; “Be loyal to your Country, take the time to vote.”; Rebekah Marquez, Isaiah Chrishom, Kamljeet Kaur, and “Everyone in this country deserves an education. Katherine Cordoba, Paola Pena, Khaleel Anderson, Just because you don’t have legal papers doesn’t Mariana Krslovic, Maria Iannou, George Ciani, Car- mean you are not contributing to society.” men Rodriguez, Marielena Fernandez, Jackie Chen, Carmine Couloute, Alexus Lawrence, Adriana Mallea, Many Queens College students and faculty had been Imani Deale, John Ctorides, and Kadeem Lewis who active in the civil rights movement of the 1960s and had been reading and studying about Freedom Sum- fought against discrimination and injustice in New mer 1964 and the civil rights movement as part of their York, Virginia and Mississippi. The SEEK program at summer orientation program. The reading assignments CUNY, itself, was one the gains of the civil rights included an article published last year about the Clock movement in the north. Today, 11 SEEK Programs tower in The Knight News. Continued on pg. 6 exist CUNY-wide.

Volume 2, Issue 1 Page 7

City Council Hearing cont’d from pg. 5 To date these programs have enabled approxi-

mately 230,000 low- income high school gradu- ates to matriculate as CUNY students. son provided After testimony had been to the standing heard from the CUNY room only au- panel of speakers which included Vice Chancellor dience in the Frank Sanchez (Student Affairs), Dean Cheryl Williams hearing room. (Office of Special Programs), Dr. Angela Anselmo (Director, Baruch College SEEK Program), and Ms. Visit the higher education committee’s calendar at Gia Blackwell, BMCC, at least ten other students and http://legistar.council.nyc.gov/Calendar.aspx to stay up staff members shared their personal stories of how to date on hearings that impact the City University of SEEK or CD has impacted their lives. There was great New York. appreciation for the program and the insights each per-

Single Stop at CUNY harnesses America’s most effective anti-poverty tools to create economic mobility for low-income families and individuals. Through a unique one -stop shop Single Stop connects people to the resources they need to attain higher education, obtain good jobs, and achieve financial self-sufficiency.

From 2009 to December 2014 Single Stop USA and its partners have served 60,096 families and individuals at CUNY, connecting them to $ 140,925,921 in benefits, tax refunds, and supportive services.

Single Stop Clients at a Glance: CUNY Demographics

Average Income—$ 4,420 62 % Female 46% Work at least part-time 38% have one or more children in their household 64% attend school full-time

Remembering the Time derful traditions of QC, SEEK history, and the rele- vance of their studies to the issues they, themselves, Continued from pg. 6 will confront.”

SEEK’s Assistant Director & Academic Coordinator, Many original documents and mementos from this Norka Blackman-Richards said: “This is the first an- activist era at QC are available for viewing and re- nual commemoration. We need to do this every year search in the Queens College Civil Rights Movement as new students come to QC so that they can learn the Archive. A dramatic selection of those materials is about the efforts of those who came before them, the currently on public exhibit in the Library Rotunda need to protect and preserve what was won, the won- through September. Page 8

United Leaders of CUNY (ULC) at Somos

SEEK and CD students from seven CUNYUnited colleges Leaders of CUNYpacting participate our communities in and to celebrate our culture th Somos El Futuro attended the 28 Annual Spring SomosSEEK El Futuro and CD studentsand from achievements.” seven He continued by acknowledging Conference in Albany, NY the theme ofCUNY which colleges was attended how the the 28th work Annu- done through the Youth Leadership In- Somos Now! Leading a new generational Spring of change, Somos El Futurostitute Conference “has been a driving force for educational out- in Albany, NY the theme of which was opportunity, progress and success. Somos Now! Leading acomes new generation by empowering youth to aim high, reach their of change, opportunity,academic progress and and professional potential, enhance their The United Leaders of CUNY (ULC) success.attended The the ULC groupleadership attended theskills and support them through scholar- panel discussion sessions sponsored by panel discussions sponsored by some ofsome their of their elected elected representativesships.” A Graduated on Students Mentorship Program is representatives on topics which includedtopics public which included expectedpublic health, to be launched soon. health, immigration and education. Theyimmigration were also and education; the CUNY/ present to hear from advocates at the CUNY/SUNY The United Leaders of CUNY introduced themselves Luncheon and to observe he CUNY/SUNY Model Senate Session. to other participants at the conference including As- sembly Speaker , Bronx Borough Presi- As stated by NYS Assemblyman , the dent Ruben Diaz Jr., Senators Jose Peralta and Adri- Chairperson of the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force, ano Espaillat, and New York City Public Advocate “Since its inception, The Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Letitia James who gives a shout out to CUNY and Force and the Somos Conference have brought to- expresses her support of education in her City & State gether legislators, community partners, business, la- interview (http://www.cityandstateny.com/27/28/30/ bor, student and other leaders to tackle the issues im- tish-james-somos.html#.VRdUoOEc580). Volume 2, Issue 1 Page 9 United Leaders of CUNY Executive Board

Ronald Burey, Chair - John Jay College of Criminal Justice Stacey Mohamed, Vice Chair SEEK Affairs - Brooklyn College Jeanette Foster, Vice Chair Public Relations - City College Maritza Acevedo, Vice Chair SEEK Affairs - Hunter College Maruf Hossain, Vice Chair Legislative Affairs - Hunter College Jesus Garcia, Vice Chair for Fiscal Affairs—Hostos Community College Gustavo Navarro, Vice Chair Student Success - LaGuardia Community College Fernando Andrade, Vice Chair Event Planning –John Jay College of Criminal Justice Stephanie Guity—Vice Chair CD Affairs - Queensborough Community College Events - Tri-State Consortium participants to come together to build, grow and chal- lenge their knowledge, understanding and to be moti- The Tri-State Consortium of Opportunity Programs in vated to work towards making students lives better Higher Education’s 13th Biennial Conference—25th and stronger. Dr. Baston quoted Dr. Martin Luther Anniversary Celebration King and reminded the more than 400 participants of was held from April 12 the “Fierce Urgency of Now” which is applicable to through the 15th in Tar- higher education today. rytown, New York. The Consortium is open to all Other keynote speakers included Dr. Watson Scott college and university op- Swail, President and CEO of the Educational Policy portunity programs located Institute, Dr. Belle Wheelan, President of the Southern in the states of New Jersey, Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on New York and Pennsylva- Colleges, and Dr. Tina Smith, Strategy Director for nia. At these institutions, the Lumina Foundation. the opportunity programs serve tens of thousands of Mr. H. Carl McCall, Chairman of the State University college students from edu- of New York Board of Trustees received the Tri-State cationally and financially disadvantaged backgrounds. Lifetime Leadership Award in recognition for his hav- ing achieved excellence and prominence in his own The Tri-State Consortium has a four-fold purpose: life, and for having provided a consistent and extraor- 1. To improve access to, and the quality of, higher dinary level of support to the principles of access and education for students who are economically dis- opportunity throughout the course of his career. advantaged and academically underprepared in the states of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania; We commend our own SEEK faculty and staff and 2. To stimulate conversation and share common con- students for sharing their knowledge and insight cerns and techniques among various opportunity through the presentations they provided to conference program personnel; attendees. David Rosen shared the success of the 3. To increase the effectiveness of these programs by SEEK Math Initiatives at Baruch College. Melisse strengthening the case of support; and Bessaha, Carmen Solis and Drs. Chevy Alford and 4. To ensure the survival of Opportunity Programs in Janice Zummo conducted a workshop on Paradigms the Tri-State region and beyond. that Build & Sustain Effective SEEK/CD Student Leadership. Drs. Cheryl Franks and Carmen Solis,

with their interns (Jessica Jensen, Delmar Dualeh, and Dr. Michael Baston, VP Student Affairs & Enrollment Jeanie Yoon) presented Social Work Internships as Management and Associate Provost of LaGuardia Models for Student Success in Opportunity Programs. Community College was the keynote at the opening Continued on Pg. 10 dinner. He set the tone for the conference as days for Volume 2, Issue 1 Page 10

Tri-State Continued from pg. 9 visory Board. Dr. Koyoko Toyama conducted a workshop on the Thirty-five (35) individuals, including a few College Discovery Scholars Project: New Model CUNY program staff, also participated in the Tri- for Engagement & Retention. Eric Rodriguez pre- State Leadership Institute designed to provide in- sented on Career Development with a Focus on tense professional development to strengthen lead- Education. Drs. Monica Son and Nancy Ve- ership skills and share strategies and ideas to assist lazquez-Torres informed conference participants with the successful progress of their opportunity on One Size Doesn’t Fit All: Knowing and Serving program’s attaining student success. Latino/Millennial Students. Pedro Luna, Dr. An- nette Hernandez, Angelia Pinnock, Walter Valero In recognition of her demonstration of exceptional and Robert Cole shared their experience on Creat- achievement during her college and professional ing a Culture of Innovation to Impact the Reten- career, Ms. M. Ndigo Washington, LaGuardia tion of Students in an Educational Opportunity Community College Class of 1991, received the Program. James Bravo and Marcus Hollon shared Tri-State New York Outstanding Alumni Award. what they learned in their presentation on The Ur- ban Male Leadership Academy: Providing Lead- ership Opportunities Though Our Student Run Ad-

Upcoming Event April 24, 2015 Student Leadership Academy Pre– Conference Baruch College June 24 to 26, 2015 Student Leadership Academy Conference The mission of the Student Leadership Academy is to promote leadership development and prepare students for on-campus and community leadership positions now and beyond graduation, including active involvement working with the United Leaders of CUNY (ULC). Our mission is accomplished by providing opportunities for students to hone their leadership skills through participation in a comprehensive program of structured and informal trainings, activities and events. The vision of the Leadership Academy is to help students successfully navigate social and professional environments through the development of skills in:

 Public speaking  Problem solving  Social and professional  Self-Management etiquette  Advocacy  Team building  Conflict resolution skills Volume 2, Issue 1 Page 11

Spotlight: SEEK and College Discovery Assessment Committee by Philip Gordon

The SEEK and College Discovery Assessment Com- comes, we will spend the 2015-16 academic year mittee is responsible for shaping how our campuses, working on how to measure these outcomes across the the Office of Special Programs, and CUNY measure University. the success of SEEK and CD programs and students. Comprised of Directors, Academic Support Profes- In addition to its work on learning outcomes, the As- sionals, and Counselors from community, comprehen- sessment Committee is also reviewing the OSP Annu- sive, and senior colleges, this Committee reflects the al Goals templates. Each year, SEEK/CD programs commitment of SEEK/CD and OSP staff to creating a are asked to develop academic, retention, and gradua- culture of continuous improvement for our students. tion goals for their program. And while OSP provided updated templates last year, we have used the feed- For the 2014-15 academic year, the Committee has back from the Assessment Committee this year to im- taken on two principal tasks: 1) developing freshman prove both the templates and the OSP review process. learning outcomes and 2) refining the annual goals We think the new versions will make it easier than documents that are included as part of each program’s ever for SEEK/CD personnel to determine their pro- Annual Report. gram goals. Programs can expect to receive their re- vised templates this spring for submission to OSP In 2013, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Frank along with their annual reports at the end of June Sanchez charged CUNY’s student affairs programs 2015. with the development and measurement of student learning outcomes. Laurie Beck, the University Direc- We extend our appreciation to the committee for its tor of Assessment and Strategic Initiatives, has spear- time and efforts. headed this initiative across CUNY’s student affairs programs. Her work has guided the work of the As- Assessment Committee Members: sessment Committee as it seeks to develop learning outcomes for SEEK/CD students that answer the David Rosen (Baruch) question, “What should all SEEK and CD students Vanessa Rozzelle (BMCC) know, have, or be able to do as a result of being in Cynthia Suarez-Espinal (Bronx CC) their opportunity program?” Phil Gordon (Central) Frances Kingston (Central) Our Committee will spend the remainder of the 2014- Mavis Hall (Central) 15 academic year finalizing the University’s learning Ana Zevallos (City) outcomes for SEEK and CD freshmen. With support Paul Dorestant (NYCTC) and feedback from the Directors’, Academic Support Sunday Coward (Hunter) Coordinator, and Counseling Coordinator Councils, Nancy Velazquez-Torres (John Jay) our programs will have a uniform set of freshman Kyoko Toyama (LaGuardia CC) learning outcomes for use across the University for Sherrill-Ann Mason (Medgar) the first time ever. After we finalize our learning out- CD Celebrates 50 Years cont’d from pg. 2 Congratulations for a job well done to the CD Celebration Planning Committee: Pedro Pérez, Event Committee Chair, Borough of Manhattan Community College Maria E. Grieco, Chair, University Council of CD Directors, Hostos Community College Brian Mitra, Kingsborough Community College Brenda Vargas, Kingsborough Community College Cynthia Suarez-Espinal, Bronx Community College Kyoko Toyama, LaGuardia Community College Winston Yarde, Queensborough Community College

Upcoming Events plore the innovations, collaborations, and actions in undergraduate education that will prepare global Continued from page 10 citizens for the 21st century through instructional

strategies, research and co-curricular experiences; Coordinated Undergraduate internal and external collaborations; new technolog- Education (CUE) Conference ical tools, new classroom platforms, and blended learning opportunities are CUNY colleges currently Engaging for Impact: CUNY as a employing and developing to prepare its students Catalyst for Change for their futures. When: May 8, 2015 Since 1847, CUNY has served as one of the single 9:00am - 4:30pm most important avenues to upward mobility in the nation, enrolling over 270,000 degree-seeking stu- Registration and Continental Breakfast dents annually. Although the numbers of students 8:15am-9:00am and institutions have grown, CUNY has remained committed to intellectual and leadership develop- Where: The City College of New York ment, professional preparation, and social action. 160 Convent Avenue, New York, NY 10031 However, evolving technologies and the rate of Shepard Hall change are affecting the CUNY mission in exciting, positive, and challenging ways. Additional information is available at http://www.ccny.cuny.edu/ae/cue-conference.cfm This year's CUE conference—Engaging for Im- pact: CUNY as a Catalyst for Change—shall ex-

Office of Special Programs 555 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019 646-664-8700 Cheryl Williams, University Associate Dean Mavis Hall, Director Frances Kingston, Program Associate for Financial Affairs Philip Gordon, Research & Assessment Associate Starla Braswell, Program Director CD Scholars Christopher Espinoza, Advisor to United Leaders of CUNY Akilah Bryan, Administrative Assistant