Provost’s Newsletter: News and Updates from the Division of Academic Affairs for March 5, 2025
March 5, 2025
Dear Baruch College Community:
It’s hard to believe it is already March! Earlier this week, you received an update from the Governance Review Committee co-chairs. Over the next several weeks, all faculty, staff, and students will be invited to participate in the review process via a survey. The Committee will also conduct numerous focus groups during the month of March. To familiarize yourself with the documents under review, please read the Governance Charter and the Bylaws of the General Faculty.
Early in the Fall semester, I announced the Faculty Grants and Awards Program for 2024-2025. Two of these awards, the Brightspace Innovation Awards and the Assessment Excellence Awards, have application deadlines at the end of this month. Details of how to apply can be found below at the links in the “Teaching and Learning” and “Assessment, Accreditation, and Institutional Effectiveness” sections, respectively. I look forward to recognizing faculty for their excellence in these areas.
Looking ahead, next week is important for two reasons: it is both Mental Health Awareness Week at Baruch and it is Ethics Week! Generously supported by the Charles Dreifus Ethics-Across-the-Curriculum Initiative, the week typically features classroom discussions, guest speakers, public workshops or presentations, and announcement of the recipients of the annual Abraham J. Briloff Prizes in Ethics.
Best wishes,
Dr. Linda Essig
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Campus Updates
Congratulations to Dr. Damali Smith Tolson
Last week, Director of Student Life Damali Smith Tolson successfully defended her dissertation, “Navigating First-Generation Identity: The Experiences of First-Generation College Students and the Assets They Utilize to Challenge and Overcome the Hidden Curriculum,” earning a Doctorate in Education from Rutgers University. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Smith Tolson on her academic achievement!
Updated Blogs@Baruch Login System
Blogs@Baruch is changing the authentication system from the Baruch username account to the CUNY Login account. As of Tuesday, Mar. 4, when you attempt to log into Blogs@Baruch, you will be redirected to the CUNY Login authentication form. Use your CUNY Login account, not your Baruch username on this form. If you have previously logged into Blogs@Baruch with your Baruch username, you will still be able to access your existing content after authenticating with your CUNY Login account. If you have any issues, please contact Christopher Silsby, Blogs@Baruch Manager.
Student Success
Nominate Students for the 2025 CUNY Undergraduate Research Celebration
The 2025 CUNY Undergraduate Research Celebration will take place at John Jay College of Criminal Justice on Friday, May 23. Faculty in all fields are encouraged to nominate Baruch undergraduate students who have either completed or are currently working on individual/group research projects to be displayed at the celebration. Faculty members may nominate one student or group. If selected, students’ attendance at the event is required, so please discuss your nomination with them in advance. Faculty mentors are warmly welcome to attend and support their students. Click here for the Faculty Nomination Form. Students presenting at the Baruch Research and Creative Inquiry Expo may be excellent candidates for this CUNY-wide event. The deadline to submit a nomination is Tuesday, Apr. 1. Please email ExCEL@Baruch.cuny.edu with any questions.
Teaching and Learning
Ethics Week 2025
This year, Ethics Week will take place from Monday, Mar. 10 to Saturday, Mar. 15. Generously supported by the Charles Dreifus Ethics-Across-the-Curriculum Initiative, the week typically features classroom discussions, guest speakers, public workshops or presentations, and announcement of the recipients of the annual Abraham J. Briloff Prizes in Ethics. Please consider organizing some of your class time during Ethics Week around ethical issues as they relate to your subject or discipline. We also encourage you to invite distinguished guests to speak that week—either in your classes or in an event open to all.
Personal Statement Writing Workshops for Lecturers and Professorial Line Faculty
Faculty are invited to attend a Personal Statement Writing workshop for lecturers applying for CCE status, and a separate workshop for professorial title faculty applying for tenure or promotion. Both workshops, led by Rainer Hamilton, Director of the Writing Center, will introduce strategies for developing and revising a statement, review successful statement models, and invite peer feedback on drafts. Even if you don’t have a draft, join us to meet colleagues, provide feedback, and learn more about the application process. Faculty are encouraged to bring their laptops and draft versions of their statements. The workshop for lecturers, featuring Harold Ramdass, Doctoral Lecturer, Department of English, will be held on Thursday, Mar. 13, and the workshop for professorial title faculty will be held on Tuesday, Mar. 18. Both workshops will be held from 1 to 2 pm in the Newman Vertical Campus (NVC), 14th Floor, Room 14-266. Please click here to RSVP for the lecturer workshop and here to RSVP for the professorial title faculty workshop.
Call for Applications: Brightspace Innovation Awards
The Brightspace Innovation Awards recognize faculty who have demonstrated exceptional use and implementation of the Brightspace Learning Management System (LMS) to enhance student learning. Five $1,000 awards are available for full-time and adjunct faculty members. Faculty must have actively used Brightspace in their teaching during the 2024-25 academic year to be eligible. Recipients will participate in a showcase event in May 2025 to share their innovation with the Baruch community. Click here for more information and submission details. The submission deadline is Monday, Mar. 31. Please contact Jenny Provo Quarles, Associate Provost for Pedagogy & Online Programs, with any questions.
Getting to Know Brightspace: Utilizing the Announcements Tool
The Announcements Tool allows you to post updates, reminders, and important course information directly on the course homepage, ensuring your students see critical messages as soon as they log in. All announcements created are also sent to the entire class via email for maximum visibility. Announcements can be used to highlight upcoming due dates, share resources, provide feedback, or motivate students with encouraging messages. To create an announcement, navigate to Course Admin and select Announcements. Click “New Announcement,” add a title and content, then choose the display and expiration dates to control visibility. You can also attach files, embed videos, or link to course materials to make your posts more interactive. Instructors can find additional guidance in this article. 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
Research in the Classroom Grant Recipients
Three Baruch faculty members received grants for their Research in the Classroom (RIC) grant proposals, sponsored by the CUNY Office of Research. RIC is designed to encourage faculty to incorporate authentic research and experiential learning activities into their undergraduate courses. The Baruch awardees this year are Ram Bezwada, Associate Professor, Aaronson Department of Marketing and International Business; Rebecca Spokony, Associate Professor, Department of Natural Sciences; and Chester Zarnoch, Professor, Department of Natural Sciences. They will implement their course designs in the 2025-26 academic year and share their curricular materials as Open Educational Resources (OER). Congratulations, all!
Faculty Achievements
Tsedale Melaku, Assistant Professor, Loomba Department of Management, recently had an article she co-authored, “Enough is Enough: Identifying and Overcoming Acts of Anti-Black Performative Allyship in the Peer Review Process,” published by Organization.
Do you want to share something you published, exhibited, performed, or presented with the Baruch community? Submit your information here.
Assessment, Accreditation, Institutional Effectiveness
Call for Applications: Assessment Excellence Awards
The Assessment Excellence Awards recognize faculty for their assessment efforts that have contributed to the improvement of Baruch College student outcomes. Five $1,000 awards are available for full-time and adjunct faculty members. Faculty must be actively engaged in program or departmental assessment activities during the 2024-25 academic year to be eligible. Recipients will participate in an assessment showcase event in May 2025 to share their work with the Baruch community. Click here for more information and submission details. The submission deadline is Monday, Mar. 31.
Provost Reading Corner
I recently read a terrific (and heartbreaking) book tracing developments in U.S. immigration policy from 1980 to 2022, Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis by Jonathan Blitzer. It documents policy developments through the impacts those policies have on individuals: a doctor, an activist, a music entrepreneur, and others. The timing of my recent reading is particularly relevant, as the Howard J. Samuels State and City Policy Center in the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs is hosting a conference today on the topic of “Immigration and Urban Communities: Policy and Pathways.”
Dr. Kenya Nyota Lee, Chief of Staff to President Wu, recently recommended Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Talents. During the height of the pandemic, I had read Butler’s Parable of the Sower (1993) about a “pox” decimating Los Angeles—while I was living in the LA neighborhood near where she wrote the book. Parallels to people and places I knew were uncanny. Parable of the Talents, written in 1998, also seems oddly prescient, set against a divided nation in crisis in 2032.
Reminders
Adjunct Faculty Open Office Hours on Friday, Mar. 7
Norene Leddy, Director of Faculty Affairs, will host the next open office hours for adjunct faculty on Friday, Mar. 7, at 2 pm via Zoom. These biweekly open office hours are optional and provide an opportunity for adjunct faculty to meet with Ms. Leddy and discuss any questions or concerns they may have. This session will feature guest speaker Clemente Diaz, Associate Director of the Starr Career Development Center. He will provide an overview of the Center’s new resources to support faculty. Catherine Kawalek from the Education Technology Team will also be on hand to provide support for both Brightspace and Zoom. Adjunct faculty can register here to join. Registration links and a full calendar for the semester are also available in the Adjunct Community Space in Brightspace.
Mental Health Awareness Week 2025
One of the ways the Division of Academic Affairs advances the mission of the College, especially its overarching commitment to care and respect, is by partnering with the Counseling Center for the annual Mental Health Awareness Week. From Monday, Mar. 10 through Friday, Mar. 14, there will be resources and activities for students, faculty, and staff to support you in caring for yourself and others. Please click here for more information and a schedule of events.
Applications Still Open: Eugene M. Lang Junior Faculty Research Fellowship
All currently untenured full-time and tenure-track assistant and associate professors at Baruch with two or more consecutive years of full-time teaching service as of June 1 are eligible for a Lang Fellowship. Eligible faculty members may submit one project for consideration each year. Lang Fellowship award amounts will vary between $3,500 and $8,000, with approximately five to seven awards available. The award period will be June 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. Proposals should be emailed to the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research with a copy sent to Ana Alas Iglesias, Sponsored Programs Coordinator. The application deadline is Friday, Mar. 14. Click here for more information about eligibility and proposal requirements.
Call for Participation: Third Annual Student vs. Faculty/Staff Basketball Game
The Undergraduate Student Government is once again organizing a student vs. faculty/staff basketball game, and all are invited to participate. This year’s game will be held in the Baruch Gym on Thursday, Mar. 20. Warm-ups will begin at approximately 5:15 pm, and the game starts at 6 pm. Whether you’re a basketball pro, a casual player, or just in it for fun, this is your chance to engage with students in a new way, enjoy some friendly rivalry, and be part of an event that brings the Baruch community together. Want to play? Click here to sign up.
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.