Provost’s Newsletter: News and Updates from the Division of Academic Affairs for November 16, 2023

November 16, 2023

Dear Baruch College Community:

It’s only November, but plans are already well underway for the Third Annual Cross-College Faculty Research Symposium! Faculty will be able to share research-in-progress in a fun and engaging way, and based on feedback from last year, there will be additional time for networking and Q&A. The keynote speaker will be announced soon—and it will be someone you won’t want to miss—so mark your calendars for Friday, Mar. 22.

The national holiday of Thanksgiving is next week, with the College closed on Thursday, Nov. 23, and Friday, Nov. 24. For many, this is a time to gather with friends and family to express gratitude around an abundant dinner table. It is also a time to remember those who may not have an abundant table around which to gather. For my family, Thanksgiving is usually a time to support those in need, whether via a Thanksgiving food drive, serving meals to others, or making a monetary contribution.

However you choose to recognize Thanksgiving, I wish yours is filled with peace and gratitude.

Best wishes,

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

Campus Updates 

Data Storage and Backup Recommendations for Faculty and Staff
CUNY offers access to cloud-based storage services through OneDrive and Dropbox, providing a convenient way to store and access working files from anywhere with an internet connection. It is crucial to back up working files regularly to protect them from loss or damage. Learn more about how to use cloud-based storage here.

Faculty Affairs

Call for Nominations for Presidential Excellence Awards 2023–24
The Presidential Excellence Awards Committees seek nominations for the Presidential Excellence Awards for Distinguished Scholarship, Distinguished Teaching, and Distinguished Service. All full-time faculty members who are in their fourth year or beyond at Baruch, with the exception of Distinguished Professors and Distinguished Lecturers, are eligible for these awards. Adjunct members of the faculty who have taught for a minimum of six semesters at Baruch (i.e., in their seventh semester or beyond) are eligible for the Distinguished Teaching Award (Adjunct Faculty). Letters of nomination are welcome from any source within the Baruch community, including students, chairpersons, colleagues, staff members, deans, and departmental executive committees. Self-nominations will not be accepted. The deadline for nominations is Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. For more information, please visit the Presidential Excellence Awards page. To nominate someone, click here or email your nominations to Vanessa Cano.

Student Success

Help Students Avoid Scams
Recently, a Baruch student lost over $2,000 to a job scam. The scammer posed as a Baruch faculty member seeking paid research assistance. It’s important to note that students are hired as research assistants through the College, not by individual faculty members. However, the student was not aware of this and fell victim to the scam. To help students avoid similar situations, please remind them to never send money to a prospective employer as part of the application process. The Starr Career Development Center offers helpful advice for students on how to avoid job scams; please share the website with your students.

Applications Now Open: Belle Zeller Scholarship Program
The Belle Zeller Scholarship Program, established in 1979 in honor of Professor Belle Zeller, a pioneer in the American labor movement and the founding president of the Professional Staff Congress, provides financial support to exceptional CUNY students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, law, and other professional school programs within the CUNY system. Eligibility requires a minimum of 16 credits completed at CUNY, full-time enrollment, a GPA of 3.75 or higher, and a commitment to voluntary community service. Each year, the program awards $5,000 scholarships to selected scholars from a pool of distinguished applicants. Scholars are categorized into three groups: undergraduate students, doctoral candidates affiliated with the CUNY Graduate Center, and students enrolled in the CUNY law and other professional schools. The application can be accessed at the Belle Zeller Scholarship site, with a submission deadline of Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, including submission of letters of recommendation. For inquiries, please contact scholarship@bellezeller.org.

Teaching and Learning

Past Due: Textbook Orders for Spring 2024
To support the academic success of our students and assist them in their financial planning, and to comply with the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, all textbook orders are required to be listed in the schedule before enrollment begins, which for the spring semester was October 30. As of November 8, only 58% of courses for Spring 2024 had textbook adoptions. Please note that if you require no books that information also must be entered into the system.

To enter your Spring 2024 textbooks, please log in to the Baruch Bookstore portal. Faculty can click either “Faculty” at the top of the page or “Log in” to access their account. Each faculty member has access to view and edit the courses they are assigned to teach and/or oversee. Students who encounter no information in CUNYfirst on textbooks for their courses will be directed to their instructors for information on textbooks. If you have questions about the Akademos virtual bookstore, please contact Weeli Ko, Akademos Client Success Manager.

Academic Integrity Policies and Procedures
Annie Virkus-Estrada, Associate Dean of Students and Academic Integrity Officer, and Dennis Slavin, Associate Provost for Teaching and Learning, are available this semester and in Spring 2024 to present to the academic departments on the College’s academic integrity policies and procedures. Questions from faculty suggest that such discussions are needed. Please email Vanessa Cano to invite Associate Dean Virkus-Estrada and Associate Provost Slavin to present to your department.

Research

Interdisciplinary Research Grant 2024
The Interdisciplinary Research Grant (IRG) program for 2024 seeks proposals for interdisciplinary research projects that address scientific and societal challenges through convergent research with clear public impact. The IRG program will fund projects that join expertise across disciplines and are poised to take advantage of existing external funding opportunities. A minimum of two investigators is required: one principal investigator (PI) and one co-PI, ideally from different CUNY colleges, schools, and/or centers. Multi-PI teams are encouraged. Funding is anticipated for six to eight awards of $45,000 each with the grant period starting in January 2024. The deadline for proposals is Monday, Nov. 20, at 9 am. For guidelines and more information, visit the IRG site.

Faculty News and Publications

Congratulations, Daniel Williams
Dr. Daniel Williams, Professor of Public Affairs, has been recognized with the 2023 Steven D. Gold Award, presented by the Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management. This prestigious award honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of public financial management, particularly in the areas of intergovernmental relations and state and local finance.

Public Scholarship and Playwriting
The Migration Policy Centre at the European University Institute has published a blog post by Dr. Els de Graauw, Associate Professor of Political Science, “The Role of Cities in Shaping Immigrant Rights: The Case of Houston, Texas.” Dr. de Graauw was a visiting scholar at the Migration Policy Centre last summer.

Dr. Douglas Lackey, Professor of Philosophy, has a new play premiering at Theater for the New City. Spies for the Pope runs through Sunday, Nov. 26. Learn more here.

Want to share your recent publications, awards, or achievements? Faculty can click here. Staff can click here. Be sure to put “For the newsletter” in the subject line of your email.