Provost’s Newsletter: News and Updates from the Division of Academic Affairs for April 19, 2023

April 19, 2023

Dear Baruch Community:

As we approach the “home stretch” of the spring semester, I hope you are as excited as I am about the upcoming celebrations—Student Achievement Awards, Commencement, Employee Recognition Ceremony, and Spring Fling—that make the end of each academic year so memorable.

During last week’s Spring Recess, I spent several days in Washington, DC, where I attended the annual meeting of the American Council on Education (ACE). It is always helpful to learn what is going on at institutions across the country, but this year it was particularly interesting (and at times disheartening) to hear how some state-level legislation is affecting colleagues’ work as it relates to inclusion and equity. One topic that I know is important to our community is forthcoming changes to the Carnegie Classifications system, which is used nationally by institutional researchers to study groups of similar institutions based on degree production and size. ACE, rather than the Carnegie Foundation, is now the home for the classification system, and they are in the process of studying and revising it to be more holistic. ACE will also be adding a separate “social and economic mobility” classification. Faculty often ask me about our Carnegie classification. Baruch is a Masters: Large institution according to the current system; this classification is not a ranking, but rather a sorting. In addition, and importantly, I also attended a session on how evidenced-based teaching practices can narrow equity gaps in student retention rates.

Here at home, I want to remind full-time faculty that there is still time to apply to be in next year’s class of Provost’s Innovation Fellows. Applications are due Monday, May 1.

Best wishes,

Dr. Linda Essig
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Campus Updates 

Fich Named Associate Provost
I am delighted to share that Raquel Fich, currently serving as Interim Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, Research, and Innovation, has been appointed to the position on an ongoing basis effective June 1.

Korenman Named Marxe Interim Associate Dean
As Dr. Hilary Botein prepares to return to her faculty appointment in August, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Sanders Korenman as Interim Associate Dean of the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, effective with the start of the Fall 2023 semester. Dr. Korenman has served as the Marxe School Faculty Development Chair since 2019.

Faculty Affairs

Provost’s Innovation Fellows
The 2023–24 Provost’s Innovation Fellowship is accepting applications! Up to three Provost’s Innovation Fellows will have the opportunity to work with the Provost on key strategic priorities, leading faculty task groups, creating programs, and building community partnerships. To learn more and apply, please visit the website. Application deadline: Monday, May 1.

Internal Review of Faculty Profile Pages Continues
We invite all faculty to preview and review the content of their Faculty Profile Pages before their public release. To facilitate this process, the Office of Faculty Affairs launched a website with detailed instructions and Frequently Asked Questions. Faculty are encouraged to verify the content of their pages and make the necessary adjustments in Interfolio 180 before these pages become publicly available. While the structure of the pages is standard, faculty will be able to deactivate some tabs and hide the CV button from the public display by filling out a specific request form. For instructions on how to check your own page, please visit Faculty Profile Pages or contact Interim Associate Provost Raquel Fich.

Student Success

Congratulations, John DelValle!
Please join me in congratulating Financial Aid Administrator John DelValle. He is the first Financial Aid Administrator CUNY-wide whose named has been added to the honor roll of the National Association of Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) for obtaining his professional certifications and credentials.

Incorporating Career Readiness into Your Course(s)
Join Clemente I. Diaz, Associate Director of the Starr Career Development Center and Adjunct Lecturer in the Department of Psychology, for an interactive workshop focused on identifying strategies and resources to prepare students for the workforce and on incorporating career readiness into your curriculum. The workshop will take place on Friday, Apr. 28, from 12 noon to 1 pm, via Zoom. Register here.

2023 Undergraduate Post-Graduate Outcomes Survey
Each spring semester, the Starr Career Development Center surveys graduating seniors to gather information about their post-graduate plans. The data collected is used to create the basis of the annual Post-Graduate Outcomes report, which provides valuable insights into the career paths of Baruch College graduates (most recent report here). To gather more meaningful major-specific outcomes data, this year the center has launched a survey for each school. It would be greatly appreciated if faculty members could help share the survey with graduating seniors. The survey flyer and a draft email to students are available here.

Teaching and Learning

Blackboard to D2L Brightspace Transition Plan
CUNY is transitioning to a new Learning Management System (LMS), D2L Brightspace. Brightspace was determined to be the LMS that can best meet CUNY’s needs. The transition to a new LMS will allow CUNY to expand online learning and deliver more engaging learning experiences using modern teaching and learning technology widely adopted by peer universities. The transition will be phased in over two years, with four groups of campuses transitioning over sequential semesters: Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, and Spring 2025. Department chairs will be briefed on the transition this week. Additional information about the Brightspace Transition can be found on the website. Please direct questions about the transition to lmstransition@cuny.edu.

Call for Nominations: Common Core Course Review Committee (CCCRC)
CUNY is calling for nominations for a new Common Core Course Review Committee (CCCRC), which will serve for a two-year term from Fall 2023 through Spring 2025. The committee, led by two co-chairs, reviews courses submitted to all eight areas of the Common Core and discusses or votes on courses remotely four times per academic year. The committee may also be asked to review courses submitted via student appeals process, contribute to decisions regarding select major courses, or similar requests. Each committee member will receive one-course release for the two-year term, and faculty members who serve on the CCCRC are chosen through college governance processes.

If you are interested in nominating someone—or yourself—please contact Associate Provost Dennis Slavin.

Research

IDEATE Access Will End Soon
Access to IDEATE (CUNY’s former system used to submit IRB protocols) will close Wednesday, May 31. IDEATE is only accessible to researchers on a CUNY desktop either from a Baruch office computer or remotely using VPN. At this time, there are still several protocols from Baruch’s researchers that have not been transferred to IRBManager. These protocols need to be migrated or closed by submitting a final report. The Office of Research Compliance and Outreach contacted Baruch’s researchers with protocols in IDEATE, and CUNY Central sent individual email notifications on Apr. 13. These emails contain instructions on how to download files from the system before it is completely phased out. Please contact Keisha Peterson or Janet Badillo if you have any questions about retrieving your protocols from IDEATE.

Interdisciplinary Research Clusters
Three clusters are currently active to foster interdisciplinary research across the College: (1) Climate Studies and Environment, (2) Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and (3) Data Science, Technology, Cybersecurity, and Informatics. These clusters interlink with one another through the lens of innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration. The Climate Studies and Environment cluster was initially convened during Baruch’s Inaugural Conference on Climate Research, Teaching, and Collaboration on Mar. 10. The Entrepreneurship and Innovation cluster had its kickoff meeting on Mar. 28. The Data Science, Technology, Cybersecurity, and Informatics cluster will meet for the first time in early May. More details will follow. Any faculty member whose research or grant activities overlap with these themes is welcome to join these research clusters. To do so, please contact Interim Associate Provost Raquel Fich.

Undergraduate Research
Baruch undergraduates in all fields will be able to display their original research at Baruch’s annual Research & Creative Inquiry Expo. Research posters will be viewable in person on Thursday, May 11, from 12:30 to 2 pm in Baruch’s Main Gym and available in an online exhibition. Prizes will be awarded for the best posters in various fields. Students may submit posters for this event until Tuesday, May 2 here. For more information, please contact Professor Kathy Pence.

Assessment and Accreditation

Accreditor Issues New Standards
Baruch College’s institutional accreditor, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), has recently issued revised standards. The fourteenth edition of the MSCHE Standards for Accreditation and Affiliation is now available. Associate Provost John Osae-Kwapong and the Office of Assessment, Accreditation, and Institutional Effectiveness are reviewing the changes with the Baruch Academic Council.

Focus on Funding

CUNY-HRPT Visiting Scholars Research Pilot
Hudson River Park intends to fund two projects with budgets up to $10,000 each, inclusive of a 12% indirect cost rate. For eligibility and submission details, review the program guidelines. The program welcomes applications from scholars in a variety of fields, including but not limited to marine biology, ecology, environmental science, urban planning, and architecture. As a visiting scholar, you will have access to research resources and facilities in the Hudson River Park as well as the opportunity to collaborate with other scholars and researchers. To apply, please visit the CUNY-Hudson River Park Trust Research Pilot program page and submit your application by Monday, May 15.

Deadlines and Reminders

Strategic Plan Framework Survey
Earlier this week, you received an invitation to provide feedback on the draft Baruch College Strategic Plan framework. Please access the survey here and complete it by Monday, Apr. 24.

Stay Connected

Strategic Planning
You can follow progress on the Baruch College Community Strategic Planning process and submit comments and suggestions on the Strategic Planning page.

President Wu’s Blog
President Wu publishes a monthly blog. Read and comment here.

Share Your Research and Creative Activity
Keep the College up to date with your research and creative activity by emailing facultynews@baruch.cuny.edu with the what, where, and when of your publication, presentation, exhibition, award, and so on.

Newsletter Items?
If you have an item you would like considered for inclusion in the biweekly Provost’s Newsletter, please click here to send an email to the Provost mailbox. If you have an event for the Academic Affairs Events Calendar, published each Thursday, click here.