E-Newsletter V O L U M E 4 2 NOVEMBER 2017 the 137Th Annual Alumni Dinner

E-Newsletter V O L U M E 4 2 NOVEMBER 2017 The 137th Annual Alumni Dinner

137th Annual Alumni Dinner It is hard to believe that it has been 137 years since the Alumni Association began this tradition. Tradition has played a pivotal role in the mission of the Alumni Association of CCNY since it’s beginnings by the first graduating class 165 years ago. The Dinner most notably honors alumni with the Townsend Harris Medal named after the founder of the City College of New York for outstanding post graduate achievement.

As third President of CCNY, John H. Finley strove to instill in the minds of students and Alumni the concept of dedicated service to the community as the first principle of good citi- zenship. To this end, he introduced the use of the ancient Athenian Ephebic Oat as part of each Commencement ceremony. In perpetration of this ideal, the Alumni Association awards the John H. Finley Award at the Annual Alumni Dinner. The 70th Annual John H. Finley Award was presented to Bill Ritter and Sade Baderinwa, the number 1 News Team in New York of WABC-TV’S top rated Eyewitness News. Townsend Harris Medals were presented to seven outstanding alumni of the College. Pictured standing far left Al D’Elia’74 (President of the Alumni Association) and far right Don Jor- dan (Executive Vice President of the Association) pictured center standing is Dr. Vince Boudreau, Interim President of CCNY. Medalists (left to right) Judge Stuart S. Levy ’72 Ret, Augustine L. Moscatello ’69, Bennett Cohen representing his dad Bernard Cohen ’56, (seated left to right) Jack (Jacob) Feinstein ’65, Tina Wilson Cohen (Bennett’s wife) also representing Bernard Cohen, Naomi Conn Liebler ’66 and Prof. Stanley I. Sandler ’62. Not pictured Dolores Allen Littles, who was unable to attend.

Bill Ritter of Eyewitness News holds plaque flanked by Interim President Vince Boudreau (left) and Al D’Elia’74, Dr. Frank J. Sciame’74 (right), who presented the Finley Award to Bill Ritter. Mr. Ritter also accepted the Finley Award for Sade Baderinwa, who could not attend due to injury from an auto accident. Mr. Sciame has the unique distinction of having received the Townsend Harris Medal in 1998, the John H. Finley Award in 2011 and a 2000 Honorary Doctor- ate from CCNY. . Members of the Townsend Harris Medal- ist Society pose for a group shot at a special reception in their honor prior to the annual alumni dinner. The Society was formed in 2016, representing the most distinguished alumni of CCNY, who have formed a partnership to further advance the mission and interests of the College and the Alumni Association. All members received a handsome pin, which is an exact replica of the Townsend Harris Medal. To date 65 former Medalists have shown their commitment to CCNY by joining the Society.

Message From Interim President Dr. Vincent Boudreau Dear Friends, It happens every year. We open the doors on a new semester, I turn my back for about 5 seconds, and the next thing I know, I’m writing my Thanksgiving message to the campus. This semester has slipped away faster than most, at least from where I sit, but that’s at least in part because there’s been so much going on. In the past weeks, I’ve gone to two separate sessions in which CCNY students (mainly, but not exclusively from the sciences and engineering) present posters depicting their advanced research work. It’s been a stunning experience—listening to young people try to ex- plain to me how they stain genetic markers in rats, or in ferrets, or sometimes in some inverte- brate, to predict which cancer medication will work best on which individual patients; or, what the precise mechanisms in small air passages are that are activated in people with asthma, or any of a dozen other dizzying propositions. We often think of undergraduate students learning the cannon: being on the receiving end of knowledge production by merely absorbing the work that others accomplished before them. Here’s however, I was seeing students who had asked new questions, puzzled to plot out how they would go about answering those questions, and producing new information, new knowledge, in their labs. What struck me most about these poster sessions is not just the science—and the science, believe me, is unbelievable. It was, rather, that as our students are learning to become first rate scientists, they’re also learning how to depict and communicate their science to audiences that include non-specialists like me. I can’t tell you how important I think this is. Every day in our society, to the peril of us all, conversations are taking place, often with crucial public policy consequences, in which the sta- tus of scientific truths are questioned. Indeed, we often see the very act of objectively evaluat- ing data brushed aside on the strength of some ill-formed and unfounded conviction. Teaching the young scientists working at CCNY to communicate about their work—to show the world what they have discovered and why we should all accept these discoveries—strikes me as es- sential work. We conduct these poster sessions periodically over the academic year, and to be honest, I’m not sure how frequently alumni have been invited to come and participate in them. But it’s an opportunity I plan to open up on this campus, because you’ve just got to see what I have seen. I hope that as many of you as possible will make your way back to CCNY to learn about the work our students have undertaken. The other big news on our campus came to us via the Chronicle of Higher Education, the single most influential journal today about the work of colleges and universities. Several weeks ago, an article in the Chronicle doubled down on news we heard last year, regarding the suc- cess with which CCNY has promoted upward mobility in America. Last year, we learned that CUNY as an institution, had done six times more in this area than all the Ivy League schools combined plus four other universities. Several weeks ago, we learned that CCNY was second only to Baruch College (we still like to think of it as City College Downtown) in promoting social mobility. In the nation. Period. As I reflected on this accomplishment, it occurred to me that this is, apart from anything else, our brand, and we’re doing it as well today as we ever have. In part, it means that our students, the majority from humble backgrounds, are succeeding in astonishing numbers when they leave this campus and enter the workforce. But it also means that across this campus, in the research projects we undertake, in the topics we teach on our classrooms, in our entire ap- proach to being an institution of higher education, we have set ourselves against the obstacles to upward mobility. This is something that we can all be vastly proud of. In an age when, as a society, we have done less and less to promote the prospects of the whole people—when upward mobility, that is, has in general stagnated in our population—we remain a place that generates that kind of mobility. And so, as I look at our campus at this moment, I think we are in a very good place, particular- ly in relationship to the founding mission that we embarked upon 170 years ago. And that is very good news. I hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving weekend, and that the holiday season brings you joy and peace. I’ll remind you—as I reminded our campus today—that November 28th is Giv- ing Tuesday a day we mark with our CCNY Gives campaign. Donations collected via CCNY Gives will support the Colin Powell School/NYPRIG food pantry on campus and the City Col- lege Counselling Center. Donations can be made at CCNYgives.org, or via social media (if you’re in the know!) at #CCNYGives. I hope you’ll be moved to check out these sites, and I look forward to seeing you all in the very near future. The Alumni Association Awards 67 Scholarships at its 137th Annual Alumni Dinner Over 60 Scholarship winners attended the Dinner and 50 were thrilled to be presented on stage at 137th Annual Alumni Dinner at the New York Hilton to receive their scholarship cer- tificates. Scholarships ranged from $1,000 to $6,000. The following donors attended the Dinner to celebrate their scholarship recipients including: Pa- tricia Black ’65, ’67MSE, Dr. Joyce Coppin ’58, Edward Plotkin ’53, ’56MCE, ’66MBA, Dr. Jane Katz ’63 and Nelda Latham ’68, C. Ellen Golding ’62, ’65MSE and C. Elaine Golding ’62, ’65MSE. Affiliate Group Events:

ROTC Alumni Group Close to 50 members of the ROTC Alumni Group and their spouses were joined by two members of the ROTC Instruc- tor Group and five cadets to ob- serve Veterans Day on campus and in New Jersey. Our meet- ings began with a presentation by CUNY Associate Provost for Planning Robert Maruca. Chris Gorman, Director of CCNY's Office of Veterans Affairs, dis- cussed the joint ROTC - City College Veterans Association oral history project. Allen Rothman '68 next spoke about a military service recognition monu- ment to be erected on South Campus. We were then led on an abbreviated tour of campus - it was extremely cold for November - focusing on the newly renovated Alexander Webb statue and Great Hall. Teresa Scala provided insight into the Civil War memorial in the entrance to Shepard Hall from Saint Nicholas Terrace.

Following lunch, Stan Schneider '71, gave a presentation about General Alexander Webb, second President of City College and recipient of the Medal of Honor for action at the Battle of Gettysburg. Interim President Boudreau joined us for dinner at the Doubletree Hotel in Fort Lee, NJ, after which we presented our Distinguished Alumnus Award to Aris Pappas '68. Allen Rothman, President ROTC Alumni ASIAN Alumni Group Asian Alumni invites everyone to its Lunar New Year Awards Dinner, The Year of The Dog at the Sunshine Restaurant in Chinatown. Friday, March 2, 2018 10 course Dinner with Music by Ms. B (the Official Band of the Red Rooster Restaurant) Honorees Include: Chinatown 5th Precinct Commanding Officer Thomas Ng and OCA (Organization of Chinese Americans)

$55.00 per person

th 19 Annual Spring Fling Each year we have been extremely fortunate in getting tickets to the most coveted Broadway shows like “Hamilton” and “Hello Dolly” with Bette Midler. This year is no exception. We have a limited number of tickets to this season’s two hottest shows. Wednesday, March 21, 2018 8:00 PM

Come From Away is a Best Musical winner all across North America! The New York Times Critics’ Pick takes you into the heart of the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers on 911 and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them.

$145 Orchestra

Thursday, April 26, 2018 7:00 PM

Winner of 6 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Dear Evan Hanson is an american musical about life and the way we live it. It is deeply personal and pro- foundly contemporary. Dear Evan Hanson has struck a remarkable chord with audiences and critics every- where.

$185 Mezzanine

th Cont. 19 Annual Spring Fling Saturday, April 7 - Sunday 8, 2018 Philadelphia, Here We Come! Two day luxury bus trip from CCNY includes luncheon cruise aboard the Spirit of Phil- adelphia with music, dancing and a musical review; visit to Sugar House Casino; self guided tours of the Museum of the American Revolution and the National Constitution Center; 3 hour stay at the Philadelphia Mills Outlets; Best Western Hotel and meals. Package Pricing: Double: $319 pp / Single: $419 / Triple: $299 pp / Quad: $289 pp

Wednesday, May 2, 2018 Jazz at Lincoln Center 7:00 PM Michael Feinstein Celebrates the Enchanting Lena Horne Michael Feinstein - The “Ambassador of the Great American Songbook” continues the jazz and popular song series with a glamorous tribute to an American national treasure: the enchanting Lena Horne (1917-2010). Horne was an iconic singer, dancer, actress, and activist who began her career at the age of 16 in the Cotton Club choir line, ap- peared in iconic musical films as Stormy Weather and Cabin in the Sky and lit up Broadway stage in the Tony and Grammy Award winning Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music. Between her celebrated songbook, inspiring life story, Lena Horne offers a perfect concert theme for Michael Feinstein.

$76 Mezzanine

Alumni Chapter Events: SAVE THE DATE!

Tuesday, February 13, 2018 The Gulf Coast of Florida Annual Alumni Chapter Reunion Luncheon at the Laurel Oak Country Club in Sarasota

Thursday, February 15, 2018 The Palm Beach/South Florida Annual Alumni Chapter Reunion Luncheon at the Benvenuto in Boynton Beach.

Very Special Guest Speaker at both luncheons will be President Vince Boudreau, who will be addressing both reunions for the first time. JOIN US !!! Membership for 2017/2018

The Alumni Association of CCNY, an independent 501C3 Corporation, is totally supported by you, our alumni. Kindly visit our website for events and benefits: www.ccnyalumni.org. You are very important to us and we hope that you will send in your membership dues ASAP. You can use your credit card and pay on line (secure payment service offered through PayPal and Authorize.net). Should you have any difficulties paying on line, you can pay your membership dues by credit card (MasterCard or Visa) by calling our office at (212)234-3000. Be sure to make your check payable to the Alumni Association of the CCNY. Send your check to: Alumni Association CCNY P.O. Box 177 NY, NY 10027 Your dues greatly help the Alumni Association to continue promoting the interests of the City College, to continue serving alumni and most importantly, supporting today’s students

Get connected Share and discover what Interested in professional net- Join us on Facebook is happening. Join us on Twitter working? Join us on Linked In

BE ON THE LOOKOUT! All members of the CCNY Alumni Association will receive the 2018 Alumni Wall Calendar in December 2017.

JOIN NOW !

In the spirit of the season we extend a

Don’t forget, November 28, 2017 is Giving Tuesday. Support CCNY’s Giving Campaign by going to www.ccnygives.org to make your donation, no matter how big or small.

Donald K. Jordan, Executive Vice President - Editor Nina Ferrell, Program Coordinator/ Liaison - Design