Provost’s Newsletter: News and Updates from the Division of Academic Affairs for March 6, 2024

March 6, 2024

Dear Baruch College Community:

March is Women’s History Month, so please join me and Associate Professor Kathy Pence, Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies minor, for this month’s Academic Affairs Coffee Chat/Tea Talk tomorrow, Thursday, Mar. 7, from 9:30 to 10:30 am in the Newman Vertical Campus (NVC), Room 14-245.

Last week, I attended the final game of the CUNY Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Baruch Bearcats earned the championship for the third year in a row in what was an exhilarating nailbiter, beating Lehman College, 73-71, at the buzzer. The next basketball game I am planning to attend will be the annual Student vs. Faculty/Staff game on Thursday, Apr. 4. What I love about that game is I can cheer enthusiastically for both sides. I hope you’ll be there too!

On a more academic note, I want to share some feedback I regularly receive from students. Last week, I met with the Vice President of the University Student Senate (USS), who happens to be a third-year student at Baruch. She communicated that it can be challenging for students to use multiple Learning Management Systems (LMS) especially those that aren’t supported by CUNY or Baruch’s own BCTC. She conveyed her hope that with the transition to Brightspace, “faculty will use Brightspace and not some other LMS that we’re not familiar with.” For more information on Brightspace, please visit the transition site.

Finally, please see the “Campus Updates” section for news of the appointment of the inaugural Director of Experiential and Community Engaged Learning.

Best wishes,

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

Campus Updates

Director of Experiential and Community Engaged Learning Announced
Following a national search, Dr. Anthony Maniscalco joined Baruch College as its inaugural Director of Experiential and Community Engaged Learning (Ex-CEL) on Monday, Mar. 4. His portfolio will focus on supporting the curriculum for two high-impact practices (HIPs): undergraduate research and community engaged learning. One of his first projects is to complete an inventory of where these practices are already being implemented, building upon an earlier report by Provost Innovation Fellow and Professor Don Waisanen of the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs and the undergraduate research advocacy of Provost Innovation Fellow and Associate Professor Kathy Pence of the Department of History. Please help welcome Dr. Maniscalco to the Baruch community and respond to his information requests about the experiential learning opportunities in your department or classes.

Feedback on Associate Provost Candidates
Candidates for the position of Associate Provost for Teaching, Learning, and Student Success are visiting campus this week and last. If you had the opportunity to attend the campus forums or to otherwise meet with the candidates, please provide feedback on this form by end of day Thursday, Mar. 7. Thank you for your participation in this important process.

Faculty Affairs

Interfolio Workshop
All full-time faculty are invited to a hands-on Interfolio Workshop on Wednesday, Mar. 20, from 1 to 2:15 pm in the NVC Room 14-275. Associate Provost Raquel Fich will provide a brief overview of Interfolio, including faculty profile pages and Faculty 180. After the overview, Faculty Workload and Systems Manager Maria Burgos, Associate Provost Fich, and Administrative Coordinator Sherina John will be available to help faculty individually. Please bring your laptop. Space is limited, so please RSVP in advance.

2024–25 Faculty Leadership Development Fellowship
The CUNY Office of Faculty Affairs is now accepting applications for the 2024–25 Faculty Leadership Development Fellowship. This fellowship is designed to provide faculty with an interest in pursuing a career in academic leadership the opportunity to explore this path and develop their administrative skill set. Click here for more information about the program and a link to the application portal. The deadline to apply is Monday, Apr. 1. Please reach out to Dr. Annemarie Nicols-Grinenko, Senior University Dean for Faculty Affairs, with any questions.

Teaching and Learning 

The Dialogic Classroom Workshop
As part of the occasional series, “Civil Discourse in Times of Conflict,” Baruch College’s Office of the Provost and Center for Teaching and Learning has engaged Essential Partners (EP) to lead a two-day workshop on “The Dialogic Classroom” on April 4 and 5. This training will support instructors in creating a more open, connected, and conversational culture within the classroom. Faculty must commit to attending the full two-day workshop (with some allowance made for their teaching schedules) to receive a $500 stipend. Space is limited, so please apply by Friday, Mar. 8 at 5 pm.

Lunch & Learn
All faculty are invited to a brown bag Lunch & Learn session with Meechal Hoffman, Director, and Julia Goldstein, Associate Director, of the Bernard L. Schwartz Communication Institute (BLSCI). They will walk you through their Very Short Guides on Assessment and Evaluation. In each Very Short Guide, you’ll find a concise introduction, practical suggestions for easy implementation, and a few references to high-impact further reading. The workshop will be offered in person on Monday, Mar. 11 at 12:30 pm in the NVC Room 14-275, and online via Zoom on Wednesday, Mar. 13 at 12:30 pm. Whether you join online or in person, bring your lunch! Please RSVP here and let us know which session you’d like to attend.

Research

Cross-College Research Symposium on Friday, Mar. 22
Faculty from across the College will share their research with Baruch colleagues in a fun PechaKucha format at the Third Annual Cross-College Faculty Research Symposium. This symposium will take place on Friday, Mar. 22, in the Newman Conference Center, Room H-750. All faculty are welcome to attend. There will be audience choice awards decided on the day of the symposium, so please plan on attending all day. This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Sean Decatur, President of the American Museum of Natural History. Learn more here. Please RSVP by Friday, Mar. 15. Please reach out to Katherine Pence, Associate Professor of History, with questions.

Focus On Funding 

Mellon Foundation Provides Two Million Dollar Grant for CUNY Libraries
The City University of New York has received a $2 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to create a centralized institutional archive. The funding will be used to establish a single point of public access for its 31 libraries, as well as many of its 100 cultural centers and institutes, which house collections of significant historical interest. This will also create public access to CUNY’s Central Office University Archives, a collection of thousands of administrative and internal records dating back to 1926. Click here for more information on the grant.

Reminders 

Mental Health Awareness Week Is March 4–8
Check out the Mental Health Awareness Week website for details on all of the resources and events available to you and to our students occurring March 4-8. From mindfulness to change management, there is a program for every interest, and resources to support mental and emotional health.

March Coffee Chat/Tea Talk Celebrates Women’s History Month
Please join Provost Essig and Associate Professor Kathy Pence, Director of the Minor in Women’s and Gender Studies, for a coffee (or tea) and conversation on Thursday, Mar. 7, from 9:30 to 10:30 am in the NVC Room 14-245.

Ethics Week 2024
This year, Ethics Week at Baruch will take place from Monday, Mar. 18, to Saturday, Mar. 23. To support this initiative—celebrating its 20th anniversary at the College—we encourage you to invite distinguished guests to speak that week, either in your classes or in an event open to all. Modest stipends for speakers are available. Learn more here. Please contact Associate Provost Dennis Slavin as soon as possible if you are interested in inviting a guest.

Faculty Affairs Open Office Hours for Adjunct Faculty on Tuesday, Mar. 19
Norene Leddy, Director of Faculty Affairs, is continuing to offer biweekly open office hours for adjunct faculty. The next session will take place on Tuesday, Mar. 19, from 2 to 3 pm via Zoom. Faculty must register in advance. Upon registering, faculty will receive a confirmation email with a recurring Zoom link that may be used to attend any of the future sessions for the remainder of the Spring 2024 semester. These open office hours are optional and provide an opportunity for adjunct faculty to discuss any questions or concerns they may have. If you are interested in attending but are unable to make the scheduled time, please contact Norene Leddy.

Baruch Faculty Writing Group Continues
The Baruch Faculty Writing Group builds a community of scholars across Baruch College by providing an informal weekly working time for research and writing during the semester. We provide a quiet space, tea, and coffee to help fuel your academic projects. The group meets weekly in person on Wednesdays from 11 am to 1 pm in the Newman Library, Information and Technology Building, Room 415, and via Zoom on Fridays from 10 am to 12 noon. For additional details and to indicate your interest in attending the meetings, please contact Elizabeth Edenberg, Assistant Professor of Philosophy.

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, presentation, exhibition, award, and so on.

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

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 during the academic semester, click here.