July 1, 2020 Communication

July 1, 2020

This email is being sent to all full-time members of the Baruch College faculty
For an archive of announcements sent from the Associate Provost beginning June 2011, click here.

From: James McCarthy, Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dear Colleagues:

Earlier this week, Executive Vice Chancellor and University Provost Cruz issued guidelines for the reopening of on-site research at the CUNY colleges. These guidelines ask that each CUNY college consult with all involved groups and submit one Reopening Plan for the entire College.

To guide the process, I have appointed a committee to draft Baruch’s Research Reopening Plan. The membership of the committee is deliberately small, in order to facilitate the swift and efficient completion of a draft Plan. Be assured that its representation spans faculty and facilities, and that the members of the committee have been instructed to consult with stakeholders across the College as they conduct their work. I have charged the committee to balance the caution and attention to detail that must guide the drafting of our plan, with utmost expediency. I am confident that the CUNY Office of Research, and EVC Cruz, are operating within this same balance.

President Wu will review and approve our local plan. Once this has happened, Baruch’s plan will proceed to the CUNY Office of Research for certification, then on to EVC Cruz for review and final approval.

Some things to note:
Research reopening at Baruch, as well as the other CUNY campuses, is nested within a framework of gradual phase-in over several stages, and must address CUNY priorities and guidelines as well as New York State Interim Guidance for Higher Education Research
All research that can be conducted remotely should continue to be conducted remotely
If you need one-time access to retrieve research materials from your office, there is already a process in-place to request building access through Public Safety

Baruch researchers contribute in many important ways to knowledge and to student learning. I appreciate your patience as we plan for research reopening in a manner that is thoughtful, safe, and compliant.

James McCarthy
Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs