The Baruch College Faculty Handbook

This page last updated on 2/2/17

See below for brief descriptions with contact information for:

• The Student Academic Consulting Center (SACC, the tutoring center)
• The Writing Center
• Tools for Clear Speech (TfCS)
• Center for Academic Advisement & New Student Orientation
• The Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (OSSD)
• Bernard L. Schwartz Communication Institute
• Office of National & Prestigious Fellowships Advising
• William & Anita Newman Library

Student Academic Consulting Center (SACC) – the College’s tutoring center   (NVC 2-116; 646-312-4830)

SACC supports the academic success of undergraduates at Baruch College through peer tutorial services in a wide variety of subjects across the curriculum. The Center’s primary mission is to help students succeed during their college years and later in their chosen profession by helping them to develop the knowledge, critical thinking, and study skills necessary for both academic and workplace success. SACC also coordinates other comprehensive services including the Immersion Program for incoming students and the Math intensive course sequence. For more information, please visit the SACC website at www.baruch.cuny.edu/sacc or contact Michele Doney, SACC’s director, at michele.doney@baruch.cuny.edu.

The Writing Center   (NVC 8-185 and Newman Library Reference Desk; 646-312-4012)

The Writing Center offers free, professional writing support for all undergraduate and graduate students at Baruch, through one-to-one consultations, workshops, peer review groups, written feedback, online resources, and a journal of outstanding student writing. We support faculty through classroom visits, in-class workshops, referral forms, and workshop lesson plans, and we’re always available for conversations about teaching and writing. More information is available at http://writingcenter.baruch.cuny.edu/, by calling, by emailing the Center (writing.center@baruch.cuny.edu) or its director, RD Hamilton (rd.hamilton@baruch.cuny.edu), or by stopping by our location in the NVC.

Tools for Clear Speech (TfCS)   (NVC 6-121; 646-312-4834)

Tools for Clear Speech seeks to improve the oral communication skills of English language learners and nonnative English speakers at Baruch College—skills critical to active classroom participation and academic success. TfCS guides participants toward clearer, more effective oral communication by helping to improve their pronunciation, intelligibility, and pragmatic abilities. We offer a variety of user services including one-to-one and small-group tutorials with professional Speech Consultants, an integrated-skills workshop series, weekly Conversation Hours, and extensive online practice exercises in our TfCS To-Go module. We also offer the Oral Communication Video Assessment, which, through both quantitative scoring and qualitative feedback, creates a detailed portfolio of communicative progress while at the college. Visit the TfCS website at baruch.cuny.edu/tfcs for more information, or contact the TfCS director DJ Dolack at 646-312-4834.

Center for Academic Advisement & New Student Orientation   (NVC 5-215; 646-312-4260)
The Center provides comprehensive academic advisement to all Baruch undergraduates. The advisement staff promotes student-centered partnerships that encourage and support students both in their academic success and in meeting academic and personal goals. The Center is dedicated to helping students transition into college and navigate their academic careers. Our many programs include: early intervention programs for first-year transfers and freshmen, new student advisement sessions, academic probation workshops, and one-on-one advisement sessions. Our advisement activities include: walk-in advisement, student peer advisement, worksheet appointments, and e-advisement. The Center sponsors events and programs, such as the Majors/Minors Fair. We encourage and support students with information and strategies for utilizing the resources and services available at the college. The Center’s Director is Sharon Ricks. For more information, call 646-312-4260, or send an email to academic.advisement@baruch.cuny.edu. We also encourage you to visit our website at www.baruch.cuny.edu/advisement.

Student Disability Services (SDS)   (NVC 2-272; 646/312-4590)

SDS is committed to providing full access for individuals with disabilities to Baruch’s programs, services, and activities in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, and the ADA Amendments of 2008.  By advocating for and creating an accessible environment for students with disabilities, Baruch empowers students to become their own advocates. Once students have self-identified, applied for services, and provided documentation of their disability, our staff works to determine eligibility for academic adjustments and accommodations. Accommodations include but are not limited to: extended time for exams, less distractive testing environment, material in alternate format, assistive technology, notetaking services, sign language interpreters, and text/writing/reading software. Through our CUNY LEADS program we provide career counseling, resume assistance, interview skills workshops, and access to internships. Please refer students to Student Disability Services or call our office for assistance: 646/312-4590. The Director is Manuel Mantilla, LMHC, CRC.

Bernard L. Schwartz Communication Institute   (137 East 25^th St., Room 315A; 646-312-2068)

In order to support communication-intensive teaching, courses and curricula, the Schwartz Institute works directly with faculty—in engagements ranging from semester-long seminars to one-on-one consultations. Our faculty partnerships also often include supplemental support for students to practice and develop the course-embedded communication skills they’re learning in your class. Thus, unlike the foregoing units, the Institute is not a stand-alone destination for the general student body, but we welcome the opportunity to collaborate with you. The Director of the Schwartz Institute is Meechal Hoffman, who can be reached at Meechal.Hoffman@baruch.cuny.edu.

Office of National & Prestigious Fellowships Advising   (137 East 25^th St., Room 1027A; 646-312-2126)

Baruch’s Office of National & Prestigious Fellowships Advising provides assistance to all Baruch undergraduate and graduate students in developing their potential as candidates for nationally competitive fellowships. Nationally competitive fellowships provide funding opportunities to help students realize their goals. There are fellowships to fund study abroad; to fund professional development opportunities; to gain research experience; to fund graduate school; and to work for the good of their community. More information is available at http://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/fellowships/, or by contacting the Fellowships advisor, Valeria Hymas (Valeria.Hymas@baruch.cuny.edu).

William & Anita Newman Library   (Newman Library Building, 2^nd floor; 646-312-1621)

Newman Library provides a wide range of information resources and services for students with strong emphasis on assisting students individually and in groups with finding, using, and evaluating information for specific purposes. Library faculty members are available for scheduled consultations with students, creating guides for specific assignments and course topics, and offering drop-in assistance at the Reference Desk. As information literacy and subject specialists, Library faculty can provide in-class presentations for courses. The contact for these presentations is available by calling: 646-312-1609 or by completing a form on the Library’s website at http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/library/. Other services such as Reserves for course materials, laptop loans, and other forms of technology are also available.

Please feel free to contact the directors cited above if you have questions.