S e n i o r I n t e r n a t i o n a l F e l l o w s P r o g r a m H a n d b o o k 2015 w w w . p h i l a n t h r o p y. o r g Senior International Fellows Handbook 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 What You Need to Know Before Departing and Upon Arriving In New York City 2 About the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (CPCS) 5 How to Get to the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (CPCS) at the Graduate Center 7 The Graduate Center and International Fellows 8 Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (CPCS) and International Fellows 9 The International Fellows Program (IFP) 11 Accessing Your Email Account 13 Medical Insurance and Medical Care 15 Transportation 17 Tips on How to Get Around 20 About the Graduate Center, City University of New York (GC, CUNY) 23 Graduate Center Academic Policy 25 Explore New York 26 Where to Shop 32 New York City Bookstores 34 INTRODUCTION Welcome 2015 Senior International Fellows Congratulations on your selection as a Senior International Fellow and welcome to the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society. We are delighted that you will be participating in the program and hope that it will provide you with opportunities to learn and to share your experiences, interests, and concerns with others in the field of philanthropy. As an International Fellow at the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, you will be expected to explore community philanthropy and grantmaking practices in comparative perspective. Fellows are encouraged to use their time to read, conduct research, and to engage in discussion with visiting practitioners/speakers and other Fellows in order to explore best practices in terms of their adaptability and applicability to your home city, country or region. The Center is located amid the nation’s largest concentration of foundations, corporate donors, nationally and internationally-oriented nonprofit organizations, and relevant archival materials. This central location should facilitate your research efforts. Midtown Manhattan is also where many of the city’s most exciting activities take place. We are pleased to offer this handbook as a guide and reference for your stay in New York City. This booklet provides general information on the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society and its home institution, the Graduate Center (GC) of the City University of New York (CUNY), and will acquaint you with program requirements and the Center’s expectations of program participants. There is also information on some of the resources that are available to you in New York City, such as libraries and bookstores. Finally, helpful information about getting in and out of, as well as around New York is included. We strive to address as many facets of the program as possible, but we expect that you may have questions that remain unanswered in this manual. We welcome your queries. Again, welcome to the Center and we look forward to working with you! Staff of the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society February 2015 1 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE DEPARTING and UPON ARRIVING IN NEW YORK CITY In this and the following pages is information that will be useful to you as you wrap up your preparations for departure from your home countries and when you land at the airport. Please read all the information carefully and thoroughly. Weather | During your stay in New York City, you may expect the temperatures to range on average from the 40s to the low 70s in degrees Fahrenheit. Early mornings and evenings are often cool. My advice to you is to consider bringing a light-weight coat that will allow you to wear layers of clothing underneath. Of course, a blast of chill or a heat wave may come unexpectedly in NYC! If you are unaccustomed to these temperatures, you may wish to bring a heavier coat as well. Clothing | We recommend that you plan on packing some other-than-casual or professional attire (non-Western or Western). We have planned several activities (including seminars and meetings with heads of foundations and other senior staff members; a program lunch; receptions, etc.) where dressier pants, skirts or dresses for women and jackets for men are strongly suggested. Sandals, sneakers (athletic shoes), and jeans are generally to be avoided on such occasions. Transportation from airport to your residence in New York City | There are a few modes of transportation available to you for travelling from the airport to your residence, and they vary by cost and length of travel. Least expensive options 1. SuperShuttle (800-258-3826) http://www.supershuttle.com/Home.aspx). See also pages 17 to 17 for additional details. SuperShuttle services all major airports in the New York City metropolitan area. Reservations may be made online or by phone, but you will need a credit card to pre-pay the reservation. You may also contact SuperShuttle by using one of SuperShuttle’s telephones in the baggage claim area of the airport to make a reservation for pickup and you may choose to pay the driver in cash upon boarding. The costs are as follows: $20 from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) $16 from LaGuardia Airport (LGA) $23 Newark Liberty Airport (EWR) Please note that should you opt to take SuperShuttle (Blue Van), trips are generally between one to two hours depending on the airport of origin, traffic and the number of stops on the route to drop off and pick up passengers. 2 2. Public transportation If your flight is landing at JFK Airport or LaGuardia Airport, the least expensive route would be to take a combination of local New York City trains at the cost of approximately $7.50 and $2.50 respectively. For directions from these airports and Newark Liberty International Airport to your destination via public transportation, please contact Amal A. Muhammad at [email protected]. Most expensive option (but easiest and most direct) New York City Yellow Cab or Boro Taxi We strongly recommend that you take a licensed New York City Yellow Cab (http://gothamist.com/2007/09/30/new_cab_logo_de.php) or a Boro taxi (http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/html/passenger/shl_passenger.shtml) from the airport to your residence. New York City yellow cabs come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but all must be yellow and bear the logo “NYC Taxi” or green and bear the “NYC T Boro” logo. If you travel via a service car, which is NOT an NYC Yellow Cab, you may be greatly overcharged. Accept taxi rides from uniformed agents only. (Please go to the taxi stand outside the baggage claim area in the arrivals area of the airport; the lines move quickly.) These taxis may be boarded from clearly marked areas outside the arrivals area of the airport where taxis are permitted to queue. Upon entering the taxi you should see the driver’s permit/photo posted behind the driver’s seat. Taxi fare (approximate): $52.50 from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) $32 from LaGuardia Airport $75 Newark Liberty Airport These fares do not include bridge and tunnel tolls ($7.50 or $13.00) and tip. In addition, it is usual to add a 12% to 15% tip to the fare. Credit cards are accepted in New York City yellow cabs and receipts are available upon request. Please be sure to check that you have all of your belongings with you before leaving the taxi. Since some of you may be first-time visitors to New York City, we advise that you take a cab to your residence, so please be prepared to have funds to cover the cab fare in the event that you do not have or plan to use a credit card. International House (I.House) | I.House is located at 500 Riverside Drive (between 123rd and 124th Streets on the Upper West Side of Manhattan). The main entrance is on Riverside Drive and is open until 7 P.M. Should you arrive after 7 P.M., please use the 155 Claremont Avenue entrance. This link gives you 3 an idea of where Claremont Avenue is located, as it could easily be missed by the taxi driver. Where you see the red flag marked with the letter “A” is the location of the entrance from Claremont Avenue of I. House. Medical insurance documents | Please have your medical insurance documents accessible when you arrive at I. House, in case such documentation (i.e. proof of required coverage) is requested of you by the staff person at the front desk. The front desk staff person will let you know the room assigned to you upon your arrival. Additional information about your medical insurance benefits can be found in the brochure in your welcome packages (see next entry), which will be available to you upon your arrival at your residences. Another copy of your insurance policy cards will also be included. Welcome packages | Last, but not least, we are preparing welcome packages for you which we anticipate will either be in your rooms or will be available for pick-up upon your arrival at I. House at the front desk. The package will include a printed copy of the handbook and the first week’s schedule, among other things. If you do not find your welcome package in your room, please be sure to ask for it at reception. Finally, upon your arrival, please call me at 718-724-3121 (mobile) to assure me and Center staff that you arrived.