Provost’s Newsletter: News and Updates from the Division of Academic Affairs for November 13, 2024
November 13, 2024
Dear Baruch College Community:
Last week, approximately 75 faculty and staff members attended an enlightening talk on Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) and its impacts. The talk was sponsored by The Baruch Artificial Intelligence Think Tank, a federation of faculty and staff working in both formally charged committees and informal networks to advance the ethical use of Gen AI in teaching, learning, operations, and research. Please consider joining the AI Think Tank mailing list to receive periodic updates and resources. Also, keep an eye on the AI Think Tank webpage, which includes links to frequently updated programming and resources.
Activities and plans include the following:
- A group of faculty is advancing a series of student-facing panels with industry experts on “AI and the Future of Work” during the Spring 2025 semester.
- A cross-college committee co-chaired by Professor Elizabeth Edenberg, Department of Philosophy, and Associate Dean Kannan Mohan, Zicklin School of Business, are working to create a college-wide curricular plan for AI.
- “AI & Teaching” disciplinary work groups are coordinating with the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) to generate refreshed content for the CTL AI Resources page.
I encourage every member of our community to review this Student Guide to AI, developed by the American Association of Colleges and Universities and Elon University. It begins with a piece of advice that I in turn pass on not only to students, but to everyone reading this newsletter:
Make it your goal to become skilled in using AI comfortably, effectively, safely, and ethically. Learn AI’s capabilities and limitations. Understand when and how it can augment your work and when your unique human expertise and creativity is invaluable.
Adjusting to the presence of a new—and disruptive—technology isn’t easy. Yet, I encourage every member of our community to begin or continue their own learning journey, from wherever your starting place might be.
The Provost’s Newsletter will be taking a break for Thanksgiving, returning Wednesday, Dec. 4. However you recognize that day, I wish you and yours peace and abundance.
Best wishes,
Dr. Linda Essig
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Campus Updates
Activity-Based Budgeting Workshop on Thursday, Nov. 21
An Activity-Based Budgeting (ABB) Faculty Engagement Workshop will be held to provide an opportunity for faculty to ask questions and learn more about the College’s transition to the ABB model. The discussion, on Thursday, Nov. 21 from 12:30 to 2 pm in the Information and Technology Building, Room 750, will be led by David Vuletich, PhD, MBA, Managing Director in EAB’s Research Advisory Services. Please RSVP for in-person attendance here. Remote access will also be available; register here. Lunch will be served.
Faculty Affairs
NCFDD Faculty Success Program Recipients Announced
An ad hoc committee of faculty representatives from across the College have selected the NCFDD Faculty Success Program recipients for the Spring 2025 semester. Join me in congratulating Eric Tsimi, Assistant Professor, Department of Modern Languages and Comparative Literature, and Diana Weng, Assistant Professor, Stan Ross Department of Accountancy. They will join a semester-long program with colleagues from across the country that includes faculty coaching, planning, networking, and other support for success in academia.
Interfolio Workshop on Thursday, Nov. 21
All full-time faculty are invited to a hands-on Interfolio Workshop on Thursday, Nov. 21 from 1 to 2:30 pm in the Newman Vertical Campus (NVC), 14th Floor, Room 14-270. Associate Provost Raquel Fich will provide a brief overview of Interfolio, including faculty profile pages and Faculty 180. After the overview, AP Fich, along with Director of Academic Administration Maria Burgos and Administrative Coordinator Sherina John, will be on hand to help faculty individually. Please bring your laptop. Space is limited, so please RSVP here in advance.
Student Success
Zicklin School Team Wins Regional Round of Deloitte FanTAXtic Tax Case Competition
The Zicklin School of Business/Baruch College team was named as one of 16 regional winners of Deloitte FanTAXtic 2024, Deloitte’s student Tax Case Study Competition. More than 70 teams representing more than 40 colleges and universities participated in the regional event. Students Masayori Sudo Hasegawa (team captain), Randy Huynh, Yingyi Guan, and Alex Liang represented the Zicklin School, along with faculty advisor Michael Meisler. Congratulations, all!
Teaching and Learning
Research in the Classroom Grant Program
The CUNY Office of Research is relaunching the Research in the Classroom (RIC) grant program. RIC is designed to encourage faculty to incorporate authentic research and experiential learning activities into their undergraduate courses. This program aligns directly with Baruch’s strategic initiatives related to experiential learning and student research. Eligible full-time faculty and lecturers across all disciplines are invited to apply for one of 16 RIC Fellowships, each worth up to $10,000. These grants can be used for course releases, summer salaries, research materials, and/or student travel. Awardees are expected to implement their course designs in the 2025-26 academic year and share their curricular materials as Open Educational Resources (OER). Proposals are due by Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, with awards announced in February. Click here for more information and application guidelines.
Getting to Know Brightspace: Tracking Student Success with the Class Progress Tool
Monitoring student performance and engagement is essential for fostering student success. The Class Progress Tool in Brightspace helps you do just that. This feature allows you to track students’ activity, progress, and performance in real time, giving you key insights to identify those excelling and those who may need additional support. You can view detailed metrics such as attendance, login frequency, assignment submissions, quiz performance, and overall grade trends—all in one place.
To access the Class Progress Tool, from your course homepage, click on “Course Admin” and select “Class Progress” from the available tools. The tool displays an overview of each student’s progress, and, by clicking on an individual student profile, you’ll get more detailed reports on their activities and grades. You can also customize the tool to focus on the metrics that matter most in your course, such as quiz scores, participation, or access to content modules. For more information, review this helpful article about the Class Progress Tool. If you have 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
Zachary Calamari, Assistant Professor, Department of Natural Sciences, recently had his article “Bank Vole Genomics Links Determinate and Indeterminate Growth of Teeth” published in BMC Genomics.
Do you want to share something you published, exhibited, performed, or presented with the Baruch community? Submit your information here.
Assessment, Accreditation, Institutional Effectiveness
New Online Assessment Course Available for Faculty and Staff
Baruch College is providing faculty and staff with the opportunity to complete Assessment 101, an online, asynchronous course developed by the CUNY Assessment Council. The course introduces the fundamental concepts, tools, and processes of assessment in education. This free course can be accessed anytime by visiting this webpage. You will be prompted to log in with your CUNYfirst credentials (firstname.lastname##@login.cuny.edu). When you have successfully completed the course, please send your feedback to Melissa Sultana, Associate Director for the Office of Assessment.
Baruch Associate Director Presents at National Conference
The Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) held its annual conference in Washington, D.C., in October 2024. Melissa Sultana, Associate Director for the College’s Office of Assessment, participated as a panelist for a session entitled Designing and Practicing Assessment: Experiences and Challenges. Congratulations, Melissa!
In Memoriam
Remembering Claude Taylor
I am saddened to share that Claude Taylor, Lecturer in the Department of English, passed away unexpectedly last week. This was Professor Taylor’s 30th year of teaching at the College, often teaching classes specifically for English-language learners. A published poet, Professor Taylor gave readings of his poetry in venues across New York City, including Fusion Arts Center, the American Language Institute, and, of course, here at Baruch College.
Reminders
Applications for Joint Projects from Faculty in Strategic Research Clusters Due Friday, Nov. 15
Full-time faculty in any of the three strategic research clusters (Climate Studies, Data Science, and Entrepreneurship and Innovation) are invited to form an interdisciplinary cross-departmental team and propose a joint research project. Promising early ideas for joint research projects aligned with the theme of the cluster will be considered for a $5,000 research award. Awards can only be used for research-related expenses for this project and must be spent before Monday, June 30, 2025. The goal of this seed funding is to help teams develop a viable proposal for submission to an external funder by the end of the award period. For more information, please see the full details in the “Cluster Research Interdisciplinary Incentive Grants” section of the Faculty Grants and Awards for 2024-2025 webpage. The deadline for the proposal application is Friday, Nov. 15. For more information and questions about this call, please contact Associate Provost Raquel Fich.
Faculty Affairs Open Office Hours for Adjunct Faculty on Friday, Nov. 15
Director of Faculty Affairs Norene Leddy hosts biweekly open office hours for adjunct faculty. These 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. Julia Goldstein, Associate Director, Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at Baruch, will join this week to talk about the Very Short Guides for faculty. These guides cover key teaching concepts in a single page, with additional resources if needed. Catherine Kawalek, IT Academic Tech and Pedagogy Manager, CTL, will also be available during the second half of the session for Brightspace support. Adjunct 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 Fall 2024 semester. If you are interested in attending but are unable to make the scheduled time, please contact Norene Leddy.
Save the Date: Spring Faculty Mentoring Network Gathering on Thursday, Mar. 27, 2025
Please save the date for our Spring Faculty Mentoring Network Gathering on Thursday, Mar. 27, from 5 to 7 pm, scheduled to begin immediately after the Faculty Research Symposium.
Baruch Faculty Mentoring Network SharePoint Site Now Available
The College-wide Baruch Faculty Mentoring Network SharePoint site is now available to support both professorial title faculty and lecturers at all career stages. The site is available to all full-time faculty via CUNYfirst login (firstname.lastname##@login.cuny.edu). It includes faculty resources and contacts, as well as events, workshops, deadlines, and more. The mentor pairing program is now at capacity; however, faculty interested in being paired with a mentor can fill out the mentee application to be added to a waitlist. If you’d like to learn more about the Baruch Faculty Mentoring Network, please contact Norene Leddy, Director of Faculty Affairs, and Dr. David Jones, Senior Mentor and Professor of Political Science.
Adjunct Community Space in Brightspace
The Adjunct Community Space is updated regularly to provide resources and announce events, trainings, and other critical information for adjunct faculty—please be sure to turn on notifications. If you are an adjunct faculty member and you do not see the Adjunct Community Space in your list of Brightspace courses, please contact Adjunct Services to be added as soon as possible.
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.