Provost’s Newsletter: News and Updates from the Division of Academic Affairs for June 1, 2023

June 1, 2023

Dear Baruch College Community:

Tuesday was the happiest day of my year—Baruch College Commencement! The joy on the faces of students and their families, the energy in the capacity-filled Barclays Center arena, and the dazzling clouds of celebratory confetti, all combine to make it both a memorable and inspiring event. Near the end of my Commencement script is the line, “It is an honor to serve as Baruch College’s chief academic officer.” There is no day when I feel that honor, and pride, more strongly. Thank you to all of the staff and faculty who made the event such a success!

With that happy memory, let me turn to ongoing projects and concerns. I continue to receive questions from faculty about the use of AI in class projects. We do not have a campus-wide policy that either bans or requires its use. Thus, the guidance is to include a clear policy on the use of AI in course syllabi. The diverse disciplines across the College will have differing norms regarding the use of AI tools; please discuss disciplinary specifics with your department chair. Information about AI and how to integrate it into your classroom can be found on the CTL website.

Best wishes,

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

Campus Updates

Provost Divisional Staff Recognition Event
The Office of the Provost held its first Divisional Staff Recognition Event and End-of-Semester Celebration on Wednesday, May 24. Three awards were presented. The Director Award for Staff Excellence, selected by departmental directors, was given to Rachel Rys, Assistant Director of the Writing Center. The Award for Management Excellence, selected by the associate provosts and assistant vice presidents, was given to Diana Hamilton, Director of the Writing Center. The Provost’s Award for Staff Excellence was given to Maria Burgos, Interim Director of OAA/Faculty Workload and Systems Manager. Congratulations to our honorees and to all the division staff whose hard work every day makes it possible to carry out the mission of the College.

Faculty Affairs

Tips to Review Faculty Profile Pages Over the Summer
To access faculty profile pages, you must be at Baruch or connected to the campus network via VPN. Once you access the individualized link to your page (through your browser of choice), please focus your review on the following tabs: Biography, Research and Creative Activities, Honors and Awards, and Service. The information on these tabs can be edited through Interfolio Faculty 180. Any modifications to your Interfolio account will appear on your page the following day (after the nightly system refresh). The Grants tab does not need to be reviewed at this time. The tab will not be viewable until data is updated and reviewed in the fall semester. General information about the profile pages, and continuously updated FAQs, are available here. For additional questions, please contact Associate Provost Raquel Fich.

Save the Date for the Fall Faculty Convocation
Keeping with recent tradition, we will celebrate faculty achievements at our annual Faculty Convocation, scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 21, from 12:30 to 2:30 pm. Please save the date and plan to attend! As is customary, we will honor and recognize faculty achievements, including career milestones, recent research and creative accomplishments, and distinguished teaching. At this gathering, we will also welcome one of the largest cohorts of new hires in recent years and will hear from an engaging and inspiring keynote speaker. More details about the Faculty Convocation program will be available in late August.

Preparations to Welcome the Largest Cohort of New Faculty Hires
The Office of Academic Administration, under the leadership of Maria Burgos, has worked closely with the three schools and the Office of the Provost to facilitate the hiring of approximately 65 faculty members for the next academic year. This cohort includes tenure-track professorial faculty and full-time lecturers. Incoming faculty members will participate in the New Faculty Orientation, which is being planned for mid-August. They will then be officially welcomed to the College at the above-mentioned Faculty Convocation.

Stay Connected

Strategic Planning
You can follow progress on the Baruch College Community Strategic Planning process 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. Please note that the Academic Affairs Events Calendar will return in August.