Provost’s Newsletter: News and Updates from the Division of Academic Affairs for November 9, 2022
November 9, 2022
Dear Baruch Community:
We have had some unusually warm autumn weather recently, but snow season is just around the corner and with it the potential for weather to impact our campus. Rather than “snow days” in extreme weather events, we have the option to “go remote,” that is, to move instruction and services not tied to the physical campus to remote operation. This decision is made through a protocol that is part of the College’s Emergency Management Manual. Notifications will arrive via CUNY Alert (text, voicemail, and email, depending on your opt-in preferences) and will be posted as a banner on the Baruch College homepage as early as possible the day before or the day of the event.
To prepare for the eventuality of a weather disruption, faculty should keep their course Blackboard site updated and use Blackboard to communicate with students about the remote operations (for example, posting a Blackboard announcement with a Zoom link for class). Faculty and staff can also prepare by making sure they have backed up their data, have logged off but not shut down their on-campus desktop, and have VPN installed on their Baruch laptop or home computer. If you use a Baruch laptop, please have that with you if inclement weather is predicted.
Riffing on Benjamin Franklin, an ounce of preparation is worth a pound of cure.
Please be sure to read the entire newsletter this week. There are important campus updates, information about how to nominate faculty for awards and participate in the Second Annual Faculty Research Symposium, and more, including information on several funding opportunities.
Best wishes,
Dr. Linda Essig
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Campus Updates
Interim Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, Research, and Innovation
I am thrilled to announce the appointment of Dr. Raquel Fich, Professor of Information Systems and Statistics, as Interim Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, Research, and Innovation. In this role, Dr. Fich will provide leadership for the implementation of cross-college strategic initiatives, such as the convening of interdisciplinary research clusters and oversight of administrative offices that support the work of the faculty: the Office of Academic Administration (faculty affairs), Office of Sponsored Programs and Research, and Office of Research Compliance and Outreach. The search for the permanent associate provost has relaunched with a search committee chaired by Myung-Soo Lee, Professor of Marketing and International Business, and including Associate Provosts John Osae-Kwapong and Dennis Slavin, Marxe Dean Sherry Ryan, Department of Psychology Chair Jennifer Mangels, and Deputy Director of Sponsored Programs and Research Melisa Mendez.
Center and Institute Recertification
All centers, institutes, and consortia across CUNY are undertaking a process of recertification that aims to ensure that they are in compliance with the amended Board of Trustees policy by Fall 2023. Baruch College is home to 11 centers and institutes that provide opportunities for organized research for the benefit of faculty, students, and communities but are not part of an academic department or administrative unit. CUNY’s policy guidance states that “centers and institutes are expected to operate with substantial external support to advance the mission of the University beyond what is possible to accomplish through the basic institutional budget.”
A faculty committee has been appointed to work with center and institute directors to ensure that their document submissions are complete. The committee includes Geanne Belton, Professor, Journalism and the Writing Professions; Jonathan Engel, Professor, Marxe School; Donna Gitter, Professor, Law; Peter Hitchcock, Professor, English; and Carol Marquardt, Stan Ross Professor, Stan Ross Department of Accountancy. After the first phase is completed, the committee will then review the submissions and make recertification recommendations to the College leadership.
eduroam Now Available at Baruch
The eduroam international Wi-Fi service for higher education and research institutions is now operational on the Baruch campus. Visitors from other participating eduroam institutions, including visitors from other CUNY campuses, may access Wi-Fi service by selecting the “eduroam” SSID from the list of available Wi-Fi networks and entering their home institution’s authentication credentials. Baruch students, faculty, and staff may connect to eduroam while on the campuses of other participating institutions. The CUNY login username and password are the only credentials needed. Details are available on BCTC’s website.
Faculty Affairs
Call for Nominations for Presidential Excellence Awards 2022–23
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 Friday, Feb. 10, 2023. To nominate someone, click here or email your nominations to Thuyen Nguyen.
Save the Date: Spring Tenure and Promotion Workshop
If you are a tenure- or CCE-eligible faculty member or a staff member who works on the faculty tenure and promotion process, please save the date for the annual Tenure and Promotion Workshop (in person). Tuesday, Feb. 28, 12:30–2:30 pm; light lunch will be served.
Student Success
Student Space Reopens: Newman Vertical Campus 1st Floor Cafeteria
After undergoing construction, the cafeteria has reopened as a beautiful space for students to eat, study, and socialize. A collection of photographs by Milt Hinton, one of the most celebrated jazz musicians and photographers of his era and a former member of the Baruch community, grace the walls. Cafeteria hours: Monday to Friday, 7:30 am–10:00 pm and Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 am–5:00 pm.
Research
Second Annual Faculty Research Symposium: Call for Participation
All full-time faculty are invited to submit a proposal to share their research with their Baruch colleagues in a fun PechaKucha (20 slides in 20 minutes) format as part of the Second Annual Cross-College Faculty Research Symposium. This symposium will take place in person on Friday, Mar. 24, 2023. Deadline for submissions is Friday, Feb. 10. Applicants who have been selected will be informed by Friday, Feb. 17. For the first time, several awards will be distributed! You do not need to present to attend; all faculty are welcome! Use this survey to apply.
Baruch Faculty Writing Group Is Underway
There is still space available in the Baruch Faculty Writing Group. Faculty meet weekly on Fridays from 9 am to 12 noon in the Newman Library, Fourth Floor, Room 415. Each session opens with participants briefly sharing their current projects then the majority of the time is spent working individually. If you are working on a research project and would benefit from an accountability group or would like to connect with other faculty members at Baruch, please consider joining. The diverse group includes faculty members working on projects ranging from data analysis to book projects. Coffee and tea are provided to help fuel your research. Please sign up here for particular sessions or to be a regular participant. If you have any questions, please email Elizabeth Edenberg.
Assessment and Accreditation
Ad Hoc College-wide Assessment Committee
The Office of Assessment, Accreditation, and Institutional Effectiveness (AAIE), under the leadership of Associate Provost John Osae-Kwapong, has formed an ad hoc College-wide assessment committee. The committee’s membership includes the assessment coordinators and the associate deans of the three schools. The committee’s purpose is to provide a common institutional platform for addressing assessment issues while recognizing that each of the schools has a Learning Assessment Committee with its own disciplinary-specific assessment procedures. The common platform will enable AAIE to play the role of a central and unifying support entity and to act as a liaison between the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) and the College. Additionally, this common platform will help ensure that the level of guidance and support for assessment is consistent across all three schools. The committee plans to meet monthly.
Focus on Funding
PSC-CUNY Cycle 54 Information Seminar
The PSC-CUNY grant application system is open, and the Research Foundation of CUNY (RFCUNY) is offering informational seminars to aid the application process. The final PSC-CUNY Cycle 54 Seminar session will be held on Friday, Nov. 11, noon. The seminar is being held via GoToMeeting. Access details below:
Click this link to join the meeting from your computer, tablet, or smartphone.
Or dial in using your phone: Access Code: 667-980-101; United States: +1 (872) 240-3212
Install the GoToMeeting app here.
Please note that training videos have been created for the PSC-CUNY Program. This includes a video on the seminar and a video on the mock application. The videos can be found under the Training Tab at the bottom of the list.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research (SPAR) at SPAR@baruch.cuny.edu or email Melisa Mendez or Ana Alas Iglesias.
Fall 2022 NSF Virtual Grants Conference
Join the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the Fall 2022 NSF Virtual Grants Conference held during the week of November 14–17. Registration is free of charge. We encourage you to register as soon as possible at nsfpolicyoutreach.com. For those who cannot attend the live conference, all recorded conference sessions will be available on-demand shortly after the event and posted on their website and YouTube.
Planning Grant Program
The CUNY Office of Research’s Planning Grant Program seeks to catalyze collaborative grant-seeking and encourage a culture of multidisciplinary, convergent, team-based science with potential to transform the University. This program will support multicollege research teams in the preparation and submission of complex, large-scale, center-type proposals to external funding agencies and organizations. This program aims to invest in teams motivated to apply for large grants across a spectrum of possible funders. Examples include NSF Science and Technology Centers and Engineering Research Centers; NIH Multiproject Research Grants (P and U mechanisms); DOE Energy Frontier Research Centers; NSA Centers of Excellence; and NEH Institutes, Collections, and Collaborative Research grants. Deadline: Monday, Nov. 14.
Con Edison Social and Behavioral Research Award
The Con Edison Social and Behavioral Research Award seeks proposals for behavioral research projects that aim to better understand the factors that may or may not prompt community members to contact 911 or Con Edison when they detect a gas leak or gas odor. Full-time faculty researchers in the areas of public health, human and social behavior, and public affairs or any other relevant fields are encouraged to apply. It is expected that 5–8 projects with funding levels of $25,000–$35,000 will be awarded. Extended Deadline: Sunday, Nov. 20.
PSC-CUNY Grant Program Application System Is Open for Cycle 54
The Professional Staff Congress of The City University of New York (PSC-CUNY) Research Award Program was established as a major vehicle to encourage and support faculty research. PSC-CUNY seeks to enhance the University’s role as a research institution, further the professional growth and development of its faculty, and provide support for the established and junior scholar. The PSC-CUNY Research Award Program supports academically relevant research across all disciplines. Proposals must include original research or creative activities by the principal investigator (PI).
Three award types are available:
- Traditional A: Up to $3,500
- Traditional B: $3,600 to $6,000
- Enhanced: $6,500 to $12,000
Full-time members of the instructional staff, including Higher Education Officers (HEOs) and College Laboratory Technicians (CLTs) are eligible to apply for the PSC-CUNY Award Program. Co-PIs must meet all eligibility criteria. Only one application per person, per cycle (year), as either PI or Co-PI. Please email Melisa Mendez or Ana Alas Iglesias with any questions. Deadline: Thursday, Dec. 15.
Interdisciplinary Research Grant
Urban environments across the globe are confronting technological, environmental, medical, and social issues. During AY 2022–23, the CUNY Office of Research will support collaborative research that addresses one or more of these complex urban challenges. We invite interdisciplinary proposals that address urgent scientific and societal challenges through convergent research (transdisciplinary research with societal impact). The program will fund projects that join expertise across disciplines and stipulate a clear path to new external funding. A minimum of two investigators is required: one PI and one co-PI, ideally from another CUNY college, school, and/or center. Multi-PI teams are encouraged. The program will fund up to eight collaborative research projects with budgets not exceeding $40,000. Deadline: Monday, Dec. 19.
Deadlines and Reminders
Interfolio Faculty 180 Initiated Input
The Office of Academic Affairs has opened a second “initiated input” period. Faculty have until Thursday, Dec. 1 to review their migrated data. When review is completed, be sure to scroll down and select the “Submit for Review” button. Contact your department chair if you have questions or email associateprovost@baruch.cuny.edu.
Stay Connected
Strategic Planning
You can follow progress on the Baruch College Community Strategic Planning process and submit comments and suggestions on the Strategic Planning page.
President Wu’s Blog
President Wu publishes a monthly blog. Read and comment here.
Newsletter Items?
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