Provost’s Newsletter: News and Updates from the Division of Academic Affairs for April 30, 2025

April 30, 2025

Dear Baruch College Community:

Today you have an opportunity to provide input on campus facilities! The Campus Master Plan Open House is holding two sessions today, one of which will be held from 5:30 to 7 pm this evening. Details are in the Campus Updates section below.

Last week, the American Council on Education (ACE) unveiled a complete overhaul of the Carnegie Classification System. One of the most exciting elements of the new system is the “Student Access and Earnings” classification. Using publicly available data such as Pell enrollment, census data, and earnings data from the College Scorecard, it may not be a surprise to learn that Baruch College is an “Opportunity College or University: Higher Access/Higher Earnings.” They also changed the College’s general classification to “Special Focus: Business” because more than 50% of Baruch’s undergraduate degrees are in business. Unlike the Student Access and Earnings synthesis of multiple metrics, this classification uses the single metric of degree completions. While the Zicklin School of Business is outstanding and the metric is accurate, that single metric does not reflect the scope of the College, which includes more than 3,800 majors in the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences—more than liberal arts powerhouses Amherst College and Pomona College combined—and the highly ranked Marxe School of Public and International Affairs. The third element of the classification system, announced in February, rightly classified Baruch as a “Research College and University,” a new research classification that recognizes the significant research output of faculty in colleges that do not produce many PhDs.

I want to call your attention to a new resource that CUNY has made available for helping faculty connect student learning with career resources. The Faculty Career-Connected Learning Resource Hub has a wealth of information about how you can directly connect teaching and learning in any discipline to career outcomes for students. The Toolkits and Templates page offers useful resources for implementation, as well as information on the eight career competencies that employers look for. We will be looking at standing up a career competency “badging” program for students next year.

There are some important announcements below. Please scroll down for news of the next cohort of Eugene M. Lang Junior Faculty Fellows, recipients of the Brightspace Innovation Awards, and more!

Best wishes,

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

P.S. If you teach first year or senior level courses, please remind your students to complete the NSSE survey, which closes May 12. Right now, participation is at only 12%.

Campus Updates

Baruch College Campus Plan Open House—Today
Baruch College is working with an expert team of planners, architects, and engineers to develop the Baruch College Campus Plan, which will guide the evolution of Baruch’s facilities and physical spaces and ensure that the campus continues to meet the needs of the Baruch community for decades to come. The input of Baruch students, faculty, staff, and all stakeholders will be an essential part of this process. All faculty and staff are invited to attend an open house today to share your ideas about Baruch’s future campus. There are two sessions available: an afternoon session from 12 to 2:30 pm and an evening session from 5:30 to 7 pm. Both sessions will be held in the Newman Vertical Campus (NVC), Second Floor Lobby.

Announcing the Brightspace Innovation Award Recipients
We invited full- and part-time faculty of all ranks to nominate themselves or others for a Brightspace Innovation Award. These six winners exemplify thoughtfulness and ingenuity in their use of and approach to teaching with Brightspace. They will be invited to present their innovation strategies in a showcase of teaching excellence next fall:

Ecem Basak, Assistant Professor, Chook Department of Information Systems and Statistics
Carla Bellamy, Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Suzanne Dell’Orto, Lecturer, Department of Fine and Performing Arts
Elisabeth Gareis, Professor, Department of Communication Studies
Curtis Izen, Adjunct Lecturer, Chook Department of Information Systems and Statistics
Will Millhiser, Associate Professor, Loomba Department of Management

Announcing the Eugene M. Lang Junior Faculty Fellowship Recipients for AY 2025–26
The Joint Committee on Research evaluated 26 proposals and selected ten faculty members to receive the Eugene M. Lang Junior Faculty Research Fellowship for AY 2025–26. Congratulations to the following assistant professors:

Felicia Arriaga, Marxe School of Public and International Affairs
Andrea Bazzoli, Department of Psychology
Dhruva Bhaskar, Wasserman Department of Economics and Finance
Manpreet Kohli, Department of Natural Sciences
Daniel Libertz, Department of English
Tsedale Melaku, Loomba Department of Management
Baofu Qiao, Department of Natural Sciences
Xiaonan Wang, Department of Political Science
Diana Weng, Ross Department of Accountancy
Yoori Yang, Department of Communication Studies

Weissman School Dean Search Update
The search for the next Dean of the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences is beginning next week with the first meeting of the search committee. Chaired by Marxe Dean Sherry Ryan and supported by consultant Keight Tucker Kennedy of executive search firm Isaacson, Miller, the search committee consists of:

Shelly Eversley, Chair of the Department of Black and Latino Studies and Professor, Department of English
Stephen Gosnell, Associate Professor, Department of Natural Sciences
Laura Kotkin, Assistant Vice President, College Advancement
Marios Koufaris, Professor, Chook Department of Information Systems and Statistics
Caryn Medved, Professor, Department of Communication Studies
Jenny Provo Quarles, Associate Provost
Harold Ramdass, Doctoral Lecturer, Department of English
Adam Sheffer, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics
Kristin Sommer, Professor, Department of Psychology
Sonya Wahab, Director of Academic Affairs, Office of the Associate Dean
Student representative to be selected by the School’s Executive Committee

We anticipate that there will be listening sessions facilitated by the search consultant (via Zoom) during the week of May 19 to help build the position profile.

Faculty Affairs

Reminder: Update Your Interfolio Faculty 180 Account
The Office of Academic Administration (OAA) asks all full-time faculty to update their profile and enter their honors and achievements regularly in Interfolio. The College uses reports generated from Interfolio for many purposes, such as school reaccreditations, information for the Faculty Convocation Program, award nominations, and responding to requests from the CUNY Central Office. OAA encourages faculty to update their scholarly activities in Interfolio at the start of the Fall and Spring semesters and to add noteworthy events (article or book acceptances or honors/awards received) as soon as they happen. Your cooperation ensures that OAA can provide accurate evidence of the excellence of our faculty. For questions about Interfolio, please contact Maria Burgos, Director of Academic Administration, or Sherina John, Administrative Coordinator.

Now Open: Faculty Mentoring Network Mentor and Mentee Applications for AY 2025–26
The Baruch Faculty Mentoring Network supports faculty across the College with opt-in, needs-based mentoring at all career stages. If you would like to sign up to be a mentor or a mentee next year, applications are now available through the Mentoring Network’s SharePoint site. Faculty can use this online portal to view areas of support and identify a preferred mentor. Additionally, faculty can stay updated on upcoming Mentoring Network events, workshops, faculty interest groups (FIGs), peer mentoring/networking opportunities, and other resources designed to support faculty. For more information regarding the Mentoring Network and any questions, please contact Norene Leddy, Director of Faculty Affairs.

Baruch Adjunct Faculty Showcase Their Commitment to Career-Focused Pedagogy
Earlier this year, the Starr Career Development Center launched its Career-Focused Pedagogy Training & Community Brightspace site with the goal of preparing Baruch faculty to embed career readiness into their curriculum. Of the more than 70 faculty members currently enrolled in the program, the following have successfully earned their Career-Focused Pedagogy Certificates:

Jennifer Alberghini, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Modern Languages and Comparative Literature
Larry Carbone, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Law
Eunah Cho, Adjunct Lecturer, Department of Computer Information Systems and Statistics
Curtis Izen, Adjunct Lecturer, Department of Computer Information Systems and Statistics
Rebecca Neuwirth, Adjunct Professor, Department of Communication Studies
Daisy Reyes, Adjunct Lecturer, Department of Psychology
Sara Schmitt, Adjunct Professor, Department of Computer Information Systems and Statistics

Learn more about the Career-Focused Pedagogy Training & Community Brightspace site on Starr’s website.

Starr Career Development Center Launches Career Readiness Faculty Blog Series
The Starr Career Development Center is excited to announce the launch of its Faculty Blog Series, “This Is How I Embed Career Readiness,” spotlighting Baruch faculty who have made career readiness a meaningful part of their teaching. Faculty will share how they embed career readiness into their courses and offer a glimpse into who they are beyond the syllabus. These stories aim to highlight diverse approaches, personal insights, and practical tips from across the teaching community. Read the faculty blog posts here.

Student Success

Baruch Model UN Club Wins Top Honor at National Model UN Competition
The Baruch Model UN (BMUN) Club—composed of students Zoe Arias-Montero, Ruhan Bhuiyan, Ali Darwish, Neil Gupta, Jiaxin Lin, Jose Perez, Mahdeer Rahman, Elina Salikhova, and Vanessa Sarukhanyan and led by President Alexis Lewis—performed exceptionally well in the National Model United Nations NYC Conference, earning an Outstanding Delegation award, the highest recognition given at the conference. Congratulations, all!

Teaching and Learning

Getting to Know Brightspace: Ensuring Grade Visibility
If students are reporting that they are unable to see their grades for an assessment, there are a few quick settings you can review to ensure grades are properly visible in Brightspace. These visibility issues are often tied to how the grade item or assessment is configured—not necessarily whether it’s been graded. Start by checking if the grade item is hidden from students. A hidden grade item will not appear in their view, even if scores have been entered. Next, review the grade display settings to confirm you’re showing either the points grade, grade scheme symbol, or both—depending on how you’ve set up your course. Additionally, verify that the assessment has been properly linked to the gradebook. If it hasn’t, students won’t see their grade, even if it’s been marked. For quizzes, make sure the submission view settings are configured to release the attempt grade, as this is a common oversight that can prevent students from seeing results immediately after submission. Always remember to use the “View as Learner” or CUNY Demo Student feature to double-check what your learners are seeing. For any questions, please reach out to Brightspace Support 24/7 by clicking the blue-and-white dialogue box in the bottom right corner of any Brightspace webpage or via phone at 1-888-895-2511.

Research

Faculty Achievements
Lauren Aydinliyim, Assistant Professor, Loomba Department of Management, recently had her article, “Employee Mobility Barriers: An Integrative Review Across Careers, Human Resources, and Strategic Management Research,” published in the Journal of Management.

Bin Chen, Professor, Marxe School of Public and International Affairs, had his article, “Why Did Ageing Countries Fare Differently Amid COVID-19? A Configurational Analysis,” published in the Journal of Asian Public Policy.

Linda Essig, Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs, recently had her article, “Arts Incubators as Tools of Cultural Entrepreneurship: Ten Years On,” published in a special issue on Cultural Entrepreneurship in Foundations and Trends in Entrepreneurship.

Alison Griffiths, Distinguished Professor, Department of Communication Studies, has recently had her book, Nomadic Cinema: A Cultural Geography of the Expedition Film, published by Columbia University Press.

Laura Kolb, Associate Professor, Department of English, was awarded the Shakespeare Associate of America’s Innovative Article Award for her essay, “Feminine Performance in The Taming of the Shrew: Final Speech and Missing Soliloquy,” published in Renaissance Drama.

Doug Lackey, Professor, Department of Philosophy, has a new comedy play, “Four Evangelists Walk into a Fog: Jesus Deconstructed,” opening at the Theater for the New City on Thursday, May 1.

Jennifer Maldonado, Assistant Professor, Department of English, recently had her article, “Pedagogical Strategies for Teaching the Comic Anthology Puerto Rico Strong in the Latinx Literature Classroom,” featured in Latinx Comics Studies: Critical and Creative Crossings.

Do you want to share something you published, exhibited, performed, or presented with the Baruch community? Submit your information to facultynews@baruch.cuny.edu.

In Memoriam

Remembering Mindy Engle-Friedman
It is with deep sadness that I recognize the passing of Dr. Mindy Engle-Friedman, Professor of Psychology, leader of the Baruch College Climate Studies Cluster, and campus Ombuds. In her 38 years at Baruch, Dr. Engle-Friedman fostered the research interests of hundreds of undergraduate students; created a Faculty Research Seminar on Climate Change; and started and sustained the Baruch and CUNY Climate Scholars Programs. She was committed to creating an environment at Baruch that was caring, uplifting, and fair. In 2001, Dr. Engle-Friedman took it upon herself to help students, faculty, and staff process the devastating events associated with 9/11. The success of her work led her to the role of Ombuds, which she held until this spring. Dr. Engle-Friedman received many awards for her exceptional contributions to Baruch College, and through her legacy, the light that she brought to the College will continue to shine.

Remembering Meir Lubetski
It is with deep sadness that I also announce the passing of Dr. Meir Lubetski. Dr. Lubetski was the longest-serving member of the Department of Modern Languages and Comparative Literature and also served as chair of the Committee on Committees. His passing marks the end of an era. Dr. Lubetski was a Hebraist, an expert in the Ancient Near East, specifically the material culture of the Bible. He taught courses in Hebrew and Hebrew Literature as well as Great Works of Literature. Additionally, Dr. Lubetski served on the Faculty State Senate. We were all touched by his humanity and generosity over the years, and his loss will be irreparable to the Baruch community.

Reminders

Final Adjunct Faculty Open Office Hours of the Semester on Friday, May 2
Norene Leddy, Director of Faculty Affairs, will host the last open office hours of the semester on Friday, May 2, at 2 pm via Zoom. For this last session, Catherine Kawalek and Craig Stone from the Education Technology Office will provide an overview and give individual support for working with the Brightspace Gradebook. Please join us for this deep dive into the Gradebook and general Q&A session. Adjunct faculty can register here to join. Registration links and a full calendar for the semester are always available in the Adjunct Community Space in Brightspace.

Stay Connected

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, exhibition, or award.

President Wu’s Blog
Join the conversation at President Wu’s blog. Read and comment here.

Event Listings
If you have an event for the Academic Affairs Events Calendar, published each Thursday during the academic semester, click here.