Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Message Archive

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

 

From:  Provost James McCarthy

 

The Freshman Text Selection Committee has begun the process of picking a common reading for the incoming freshman class of Fall 2012.  I invite you to suggest titles for what will be our thirteenth annual freshman text.

 

This activity is one of the few opportunities for the entire Baruch community to engage together in a shared intellectual pursuit.  All entering freshmen receive a free copy of the selected text and are asked to read it prior to attending the fall Convocation, in which the text is the subject of the keynote address.  Titles can be fiction or non-fiction, classic or contemporary, biography or autobiography, a work of drama or even a graphic novel. This year the committee is particularly looking for titles that:

• students will be eager to read on their own over the summer and discuss;
• will challenge students intellectually;
• faculty can incorporate into their course reading lists;
• can be discussed across the disciplines;
• have not already appeared on most high school reading lists;
• ideally do not exceed 300-350 pages.

 

In addition, this year we are looking especially for titles that explore one or more of the following areas:

• identity formation through the arts, culture, sexual orientation, or migration;
• civic/global awareness;
• speaking out against abuse or injustice;
• ethics and integrity;
• community and technology—crossing boundaries: the influence of technology on privacy.

 

The committee welcomes one or two suggestions per individual (rather than a complete list of your favorite books!)  For a complete listing of past titles selected as the freshman reading go to: http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/orientation/destination-baruch.html

 

If you would like to recommend a book for consideration, please email Mark Spergel (Mark.Spergel@baruch.cuny.edu) no later than December 13^th.  The committee will then meet to determine a short list of titles from all suggestions received by the deadline and announce its decision by mid-semester.  The committee has set up this timeline in order to provide faculty with sufficient advance notice to incorporate the text into their fall syllabi.

 

This year’s selection committee comprises the following members:

 

Cristina Balboa (SPA)

Allison Deutermann (English)

Kimberley Goonie (student rep)

David Hoffman (SPA)

Randy Hensley (Library)

Didier Lopez (student rep)

Joanna Mendez (student rep)

Sean O’Toole (English)

Zoe Sheehan-Saldana (FPA)

Mark Spergel (Orientation/New Student Programs)

Ashka Thaker

Valerie Watnick (Law)

Elizabeth Wollman (FPA)