News

BMCC Recognizes Employees for Years of Service
The college’s employee recognition celebrates the commitment of BMCC’s employees who have reached milestone years during their time with the college and honors those employees who have dedicated quality time, energy, and hard work to BMCC. Two groups are recognized: 1) Civil Service Series (including provisional); College Assistants; Gittleson (COA, CSA, CAA); and 2) faculty and HEO title series. Read more (and see a video) about the Classified/Civil Service Staff celebration. Read more (and see a video) about the Faculty and Staff celebration.

Regular Testing Mandated for Unvaccinated Faculty and Staff  CUNY is providing on-site testing throughout the University at 20 different locations. All faculty, staff and students who 1) have not submitted proof of Covid-19 vaccination in the CUNYfirst system, 2) are unvaccinated 3) or have undisclosed vaccination status, must register by logging on to CUNYfirst, and making a selection under the vaccination status box. After making a selection, click the “submit” button located at the bottom of the page. This verification step is critical and will generate a personalized link that will let you register and make an appointment at one of the 20 Covid-19 testing locations. Unvaccinated individuals returning to campus the week of August 23 must be tested for Covid-19 during the week of August 16–20. Anyone entering a CUNY facility, must show proof of a negative test from the past 7 days. Vaccinated individuals can upload vaccine verification information at CUNYfirst.  For detailed guidance or questions regarding how to upload vaccine verification, click here.  Once uploaded, the Office of Human Resources and the Office of Health Services will review and approve the vaccine verification. Check your approval status in CUNYfirst after 48 hours of submission. If your submission was not approved, please read the reason of rejection carefully and re-submit. Once approved, your BMCC photo ID will be synced with the verification so you can simply swipe your ID on the turnstile (as you did before) when you enter the BMCC campus. Visit the Reimagining BMCC website for more information on returning to campus. Students Registering for In-Person Classes Must Submit Vaccine Documentation by September 14  CUNY students attending in-person and hybrid classes for the Fall 2021 semester are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Students must submit vaccination documentation by September 14. CUNY has posted up-to-date guidance that includes requirements, deadlines, exemptions and other details so students can be ready for the start of the semester on August 25. Temporary Mask Mandate CUNY is enacting a temporary mask mandate as of August 16. NOTE: This mandate is subject to modification based on changing vaccination statistics and coronavirus transmission rates. For the time being, all students, faculty and staff, regardless of vaccination status, must: Wear a face mask inside all CUNY campuses and office buildings. Wear a mask outdoors on campus when unable to maintain physical distance from others (for example, while attending a CUNY gathering or sporting event). The only exceptions to wearing a mask inside are: If a fully vaccinated person is alone in an enclosed space such as an office, conference room, or dorm room. In a classroom, if a vaccinated professor is teaching a class and is able to keep social distance from everyone else in the class, he or she may choose not to wear a mask. Briefly while eating or drinking, provided social distancing is maintained. To read CUNY’s update on Masking, click here. Everbridge VaxPass Required For Campus Entry Employees and guests must log onto the Everbridge app before entering any BMCC location. There is a new feature in Everbridge that will display a CUNY VAX Pass for those who have verified their vaccination information in CUNYfirst. For a visual step-by-step guide to submitting information to CUNYfirst, please visit here.

Academic Literacy & Linguistics Professor Gerald T. Huyett Passes Away Academic Literacy & Linguistics Professor Gerald T. Huyett has passed away. Professor Huyett joined BMCC in 1987 and was recognized for his many years of dedication to BMCC students. “He was a good teacher and much in demand,” said Kenneth Levinson, Chairperson, Academic Literacy and Linguistics. Funeral services will be held August 25, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. at Church of St. Francis Xavier located at 46 West 16 street in Manhattan.  A detailed tribute to Professor Huyett can be found here.  Condolences can be sent to Ralph Rivera at rriverasj@gmail.com.

Announcements

Students Can Pick Up Devices on Campus
This is a reminder that BMCC has a limited number of devices available to lend to students who do not have a personal device at home. For fall 2021, the process for a student to pick up a device has changed. No appointments are necessary and students don't need to be referred to Student Affairs. Devices can be picked up on Mondays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 199 Chambers Street. Students will make a left after entering the building and will not go through the turnstiles. They must bring a photo ID. We are closed on holidays. Students can borrow an iPad or Chromebook, while supplies last. We also have a limited number of internet hotspots for students who do not have access to reliable internet at home. Students can email help@bmcc-cuny.libanswers.com with general questions about borrowing a device. After receiving the device, they can email servicedesk@bmcc.cuny.edu with technology questions.

CUNY Partnership With Kognito Enables Staff and Faculty to Support Vulnerable Students Around Mental Health Issues 
CUNY has partnered with the online program Kognito to provide training modules for faculty and staff on how to recognize signs of distress in students and connect them with support. Through simulated conversations between a student and a faculty or staff member, the modules address mental health, suicide prevention, bullying and more. To launch the Kognito program “At-Risk for Faculty and Staff,” available through December, click here and use the enrollment key bmccaruf. For more information, please contact Professor Shirley Leyro at sleyro@bmcc.cuny.edu.

20th Anniversary CUNY IT Virtual Conference Invites Submissions: Deadline September 15
BMCC faculty and staff are invited to submit proposals by September 15 for one-hour individual presentations or panels for the 20th Anniversary Annual CUNY IT Conference, "Technologies for Teaching, Learning and Working at the Future CUNY — Utopias and Dystopias," set for December 2 and 3. Visit the conference website for more information.

Center for Continuing Education and Workforce Development Launches Student Careers and Higher Education Goals
The BMCC Center for Continuing Education and Workforce Development enables adult students to launch their careers and higher education goals in Information Technology, Allied Health and more. Whether seeking certificate training in cybersecurity, the legal field, respiratory therapy, data analytics, film editing, graphic design or more; whether looking to build English-language or math skills and get on the path to an associate degree, students at the Center gain a competitive edge in today's rapidly changing workforce. Learn more in the Summer/Fall 2021 Catalogue, available here.

Students, Staff and Faculty: Get a New ID on Campus Through August
Students, faculty and staff can obtain a new BMCC ID card weekdays in August from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. in front of the gym at 199 Chambers street. Please use the 100 North Moore street entrance. Note: This service will not be available on August 13. For more information, please contact the Service Desk at servicedesk@bmcc.cuny.edu.

Were You in Lower Manhattan on September 11, 2001?  As the 20th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, BMCC invites students, faculty, staff and alumni who were present in lower Manhattan on September 11, 2001 or were a member of the BMCC community that semester and school year, to share their experiences. A planning committee led by VP Marva Craig is organizing the college's commemoration of this important milestone and there will be a variety of platforms through which to participate. Please begin by completing this form.

Answer Your BMCC Office Phone From Any Device: RingCentral Now Available  Faculty and staff can answer their BMCC office phone from any device, anywhere with the Ring Central service. Download the RingCentral app from either the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store to a PC, Mac or other personal device. BMCC has also pre-installed the RingCentral app in desktop computers throughout the college. Visit here for more information. For training resources and videos, visit the BMCC RingCentral resources page.

Resilience, Health and Wellness: A Comprehensive Website Supports the BMCC Community  
Faculty, students and staff focused on fitness, seeking support in a time of crisis and more can find resources in the Resilience, Health and Wellness website. As BMCC President Anthony Munroe puts it, “As a community, we need to reach out to each other, encourage each other to access the resources available to us. No one has to experience this time alone.”

Enrollment

Register Now for Fall Express Sessions 
BMCC is offering two Fall 2021 express sessions: A 7-week express session, September 1 through October 26 and an 8-week express session October 27 through December 21. (The regular 15-week Fall 2021 session will be August 25 through December 21.) All students are welcome to enroll in the Fall 2021 express sessions, but they are ideal for part-time students or new and continuing students who miss registration for the regular 15-week session. Please note, there will be limited course offerings in the express sessions and some financial aid limitations. Students are encouraged to speak with an advisor to see if the Express Sessions are the best option for them. Here are registration instructions.

Students can register on CUNYfirst or meet with a Panther Station Specialists on Zoom, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, contact Academic Advisement at (212) 220-8315 or aatc@bmcc.cuny.edu.

Application Workshop Walks Students Through the Process 
Every Tuesday at 3 p.m., admissions specialists will answer questions and explain how to complete the BMCC application or apply as a readmit student. BMCC uses the CUNY Application to admit new students, and in these sessions, staff will walk students through the whole process—from completing the CUNY application online to figuring out how to send BMCC their school transcripts to complete their applications.

Information Session Demystifies Majors, Financial Aid and More 
On Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m, BMCC admissions specialists will share information about major options, financial aid, career planning and more.

Stay Connected with the Office of Admissions 
Students who prefer communicating via chat, can ask general questions about BMCC on Fridays at 3 p.m., through one-on-one chat sessions.

Making Headlines

BMCC student shares photography tips about Queens Zoo
August 9, 2021—College Magazine

Human Resources

Employees Asked to File Permanent Address That Meets Commutable Distance Standard by December 1
During the period of remote work necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, some CUNY employees changed their permanent address of record to an area outside the University's commutable distance standard, which allows for a geographic distance encompassing parts of New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and upstate New York. Because CUNY is not set up as an employer in states beyond the commutable distance standard — and as such cannot withhold other states’ incomes taxes, participate in those states’ unemployment programs or apply their localized state and municipality laws — those employees are asked to submit a change of address form to officeofhumanresources@bmcc.cuny.edu, reinstating their pre-pandemic permanent address of record that met the commutable distance standard, no later than December 1.

Payroll Distribution August 19
Payroll Distribution will occur on Thursday, August 19 from 3 to 5 p.m. at 199 Chambers Street, Theater I, Lower Lobby. Please bring your own pen to sign the registry.

Free CCA@YourService Return-to-Work Wellness Seminars Available
Click to watch these helpful online webinars: Return to Work Wellness Seminar; Kelly McGonigal: How to Make Stress Your Friend; Managing Stress As We Return To Work PowerPoint.

Alumni and Donors

BMCC Foundation Invites Community to Invest in the Future of Students
BMCC and the BMCC Foundation Board of Directors invite everyone to support the “Invest in a Future” Virtual Fundraiser scheduled at 6 p.m., September 30. Donations collected from the fundraiser will support student scholarships. The fundraiser will be livestreamed and will include student success stories and music and theater performances from BMCC students. This year's honorees are Deirdre Featherstone, owner of Featherstone Fine Jewelry and award-winning gemologist; and John Dunleavy, Global President of Eightbar/WPP Global Client Leader of IBM. MAKE A DONATION HERE. Thank you to our Corporate Supporters (so far): Bank of America, BNY Mellon, CBOE, CBRE, CITI, and DTCC. For more information email advancementevents@bmcc.cuny.edu.

Calendar

Online Free Workshop: Microsoft PowerPoint
August 19

International Student Virtual Orientation
August 24

Connect with BMCC

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Faculty and staff: Submit items for consideration in an upcoming @BMCC to publicaffairs@bmcc.cuny.edu by 12 noon, Wednesday.