News

Watch How-to Video: Submitting Vaccination Documentation

BMCC Honors Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the BMCC Women’s Resource Center, Health Services and Human Resources are presenting events and resources to save lives and support life-saving research. According to the American Cancer Society, the chance that a woman will die of breast cancer is one in 39, and there are 3.8 million breast cancer survivors the United States today. To learn more, visit this BMCC resource page or Cancer Prevention Works breast cancer fact sheet. Join the following activities and help empower the BMCC community to participate in early screening and better treatments. 

• Breast Cancer Awareness Testimonial and Affirmation Padlet
• Women’s Resource Center Instagram
• Breast Cancer Awareness Month Display: My Body Is my Temple, through November 29
• Breast Cancer Walk: Join the BMCC Team, October 17 
• Coping and Working with Cancer (Faculty and Staff only), October 19 
• Join BMCC to promote awareness by wearing pink on October 20

GE Healthcare Best Imaging Roadshow Provides Free Breast Imagings On October 20 at 1:30 p.m., members of the BMCC community are invited to get a free breast imaging scan through the GE Healthcare Best Imaging Roadshow, celebrating five years of the Senographic platform. The van will be parked in the courtyard at the west gate entrance to BMCC. The Roadshow will also champion GE Healthcare’s “Please Don’t Skip” (#dontskip) message with the help of U.S. Olympic champion April Ross, who lost her mother to breast cancer and shares the importance of regular preventative screenings.

BMCC Online Informatics Program Ranked Sixth Best in Nation BMCC has been named one of 2021’s best schools for online programs and courses in healthcare education by EduMed.org. BMCC earned top honors for distance education for its Health Informatics program. EduMed researched more than 7,700 accredited schools using data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and from the schools themselves to come up with its rankings lists. “We set out to find schools that are making online education a priority,” said Wes Ricketts, founder of EduMed.org. “Each school in our rankings has a winning combination of flexibility, affordability, academic rigor and student support.” View the full list of colleges included in the ranking. Learn more about BMCC’s Health Informatics Program.

BMCC Ranks Among Top Hispanic-Serving Institutions Named one of the nation's "Top 100 Colleges and Universities for Hispanics" by The Hispanic Outlook on Education Magazine, BMCC is recognized as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and offers programs including Conexiónes, which serves Hispanic and low-income students.

College Pipeline Program Receives $1.36 Million in Federal Funding The State University of New York, Manhattan Educational Opportunity Center (Manhattan EOC), administered by BMCC, has received renewal of its funding—$1.36 million—from the Federal TRIO Programs at the Department of Education for its College Connections Project. The five-year grant period began September 1. The project aims to motivate and empower adults 19 and older to seek higher education. In addition to Harlem, College Connections serves communities throughout upper Manhattan and the Bronx.

BMCC Out in Two Scholarship Program Welcomes Fall 2021 Cohort
BMCC celebrated the newest cohort of the college’s Out in Two scholarship program with a virtual awards ceremony October 13. The Fall 2021 cohort of 24 BMCC students has committed to graduating from BMCC within two years of their first semester. Since the scholarship’s establishment in 1999, an average 90% of Out in Two scholars have transferred to prestigious four-year institutions such as Columbia University, New York University and Cornell University, said President Anthony E. Munroe in his remarks to the group. 

Announcements

BMCC Pride Month Honors the LGBTQ+ Community 
BMCC supports the LGBTQIA+ community with resources and events including Pride Month, celebrated each October. Whether you are a student who wants to talk about identity, a faculty/staff member interested in serving as a Pride Mentor or more, you'll find a supportive forum at the Pride Month events. These include an artist talk on October 20 at 7 p.m. featuring Kendall Bessent via zoom; meeting ID 861 7953 1801. View the full list of Pride Month events here.

Panther Pantry and COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Come to CUNY in The Heights
BMCC/CUNY in the Heights (CITH) provides educational opportunity to the communities in Inwood, Washington Heights and the Bronx. BMCC’s Panther Pantry will set up a Food Pick-up at CITH on Tuesdays through November 30, so students experiencing food insecurity can take home bags of free, nutritional food. On these Tuesdays: October 19 and 26, and on these Thursdays: October 14, 21 and 28, CITH will provide a clinic to deliver the Moderna COVID-19 vaccination. For more information, contact CUNY in The Heights at (212) 776-6610 or cith@bmcc.cuny.edu.

Economics Seminar: Economics Is too Important to be Left to Economists: A Talk with Dr. Jayati Ghosh The BMCC community is invited to join a virtual conversation on October 25 from 11 a.m. to 12 noon with economist Dr. Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Dr. Ghosh will discuss why too many of the decisions that affect ordinary people’s lives are made by policy makers on the basis of economic theories that are often illogical and ungrounded. It is important for everyone to be aware of these policy decisions, and to have enough understanding to question them. RSVP for this event to receive the Zoom link.

BMCC Community Invited to Asian Heritage Month Planning Meeting: October 20  The 2021-2022 Asian Heritage Month Committee will meet Wednesday, October 20 at 12:30 p.m. via Zoom: Meeting ID 837 6276 8471; Passcode 422227. BMCC community members of all backgrounds are invited to join this multi-ethnic group of colleagues. The purpose of Asian Heritage Month is to increase awareness and appreciation of the Asian and Asian-American experience and encourage understanding among all groups.

Pablo Helguera Exhibition Opens October 15 at Shirley Fiterman Art Center 
Shown above, Pablo Helguera, Evanston, November 10, 1989 (video, 13 min), 2021.

Help Our Students Succeed: Share Information About the LRC 
Let students know about free, in-person academic coaching and tutoring offered through the BMCC Learning Resource Center (LRC) at 199 Chambers Street, Room S-510. The LRC also offers computer lab hours so students can complete classwork on campus. Students can email lrc@bmcc.cuny.edu or call (212) 220-1383 for more information. 

Promote Your Event More Effectively, With Digital Signage BMCC programs that promote themselves on digital platforms reduce the college's carbon footprint and multiply their audience by enabling entire communities to spread their news. The Office of Public Affairs will guide you through a range of free digital options including the BMCC website calendar, social media channels, video screens across campus and e-newsletters distributed by Public Affairs (@BMCC) and Student Affairs (Panther Paw). Flyers and posters on easels deface college walls, block walkways, waste paper and reach a limited number of people. Digital platforms do a much better job targeting and expanding your audience. Reach out to the Office of Public Affairs to learn more.

BMCC Panther Pantry Assists Students Facing Food Insecurity  BMCC students facing a food emergency are welcome to visit the Panther Pantry Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and take home a three-day supply of nutritionally balanced, non-perishable food. Contact the Advocacy and Resource Center (ARC) at arc@bmcc.cuny.edu or call (212) 220-8195 for more information.

Encourage Students to Join BMCC’s Conexiones Program BMCC’s Conexiones program builds community and cultural awareness so participants can persist and graduate. The program serves Latinx as well as other students from low-income households who are not participants in ASAP, the BMCC Learning Academy (BLA) or College Discovery. To refer first- or second-semester students to the Conexiones program, email connections@bmcc.cuny.edu with the student's name and CUNYfirst ID number, and the Conexiones team will reach out to them. Another option is for the student to complete this Conexiones & Connections Interest Form.

BMCC Cafeteria/MBJ Food Services: Hours of Operation  BMCC students, faculty and staff can enjoy a hot meal, snack or beverage in the BMCC Cafeteria at 199 Chambers Street. MBJ Food Services provides a variety of menu items at a reasonable price. The cafeteria is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on days when no classes are scheduled, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Rest and refuel at tables throughout the lobby. Please mask up, when you're selecting and purchasing food.

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. Also, 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. 

Enrollment

Fall 2021 Virtual Open House Welcomes Future Students
The BMCC Admissions Office is offering future students and their families a two-day Virtual Open House on Thursday, November 4 and Wednesday, November 10 from 4 to 6 p.m.  Students will become familiar with BMCC's 50+ academic programs and online learning options through virtual mini sessions. They’ll have the unique opportunity to speak with current BMCC students and faculty, and learn how to apply. For more information, contact the Admissions Office at (212) 220-1265 or admissions@bmcc.cuny.edu.

Application Workshop Walks Students Through the Process  
Every Tuesday at 3 p.m., admissions specialists will 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 virtual sessions, staff walk students through the whole process — from completing the CUNY application online to including transcripts and more.

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

Making Headlines

New York Governor Kathy Hochul references defacement of BMCC's Shirley Fiterman Art Center window in announcement of $25 million to help non-profits improve facilities and protect against hate crimes
October 7, 2021 — The Broadsheet

Chicago Apprentice Network find diverse talent through pipelines such as Zurich Apprenticeship Program at BMCC
September 17, 2021 — Crain's Chicago Business

Human Resources

Approaching Retirement? Join Webinar October 15 The New York State Deferred Compensation Plan (457b) is hosting a Pre-Retirement Webinar on Friday, October 15 at 12 noon. Join the conversation about important considerations for retirement: longevity, income sources, asset consolidation, required minimum distributions and more. A Q&A will follow. Register online.

Make Strides Against Breast Cancer October 17 and Join Webinar October 19 October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. On October 17, join the BMCC team for a five-mile walk event, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, through Central Park. Bring your family and friends, and raise awareness and funds for better treatments and research to save lives. On October 19, join the WorkWell webinar Coping and Working With Cancer. Learn how to balance work and cancer, or support a co-worker with cancer.

Get Your Flu Shot at BMCC October 20 WorkWell NYC will bring a Flu Shot Clinic to BMCC on Wednesday, October 20 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Make an appointment here: username "nyc," password "welcome," or call (866) 481-4391. Enter BMCC's West Gate, on West Street between Chambers and North Moore Streets. Please bring the consent form made available upon registration and arrive on time for your appointment.

HR Website Redesign Improves Access to Resources
The mission of the BMCC Office of Human Resources (HR) is to attract and employ highly qualified and committed individuals while providing exceptional human resources-related services to current, prospective and former employees of the college. To that end, a redesign of the HR website provides links to many important resources at a glance. To learn more, visit here.

Electrician Exams Open Through October 29
The Electrician (CUNY) Exam #2076 and Electrician (CUNY) (Pro) Exam #2526 are open through October 29. The filing fee is $101. The exams are open-competitive and promotional. Applications will not be accepted at CUNY college Human Resources departments or the 395 Hudson Street location. Instead, visit the Online Application System (OASys). For more information, visit CUNY’s Notice of Exams or email classified.centex@cuny.edu.

Full- and Part-Time CUNY Employees Must Complete These Trainings  
Part-time employees must complete by end of the fall semester, the Employee Sexual and Interpersonal Violence Prevention and Response Course (ESPARC) and Workplace Violence Prevention Training (WVP). Full-time employees must complete both trainings — which are on Blackboard — by the end of the academic year. For more information, visit Compliance Training FAQs here or contact Maria Deckinger, mdeckinger@bmcc.cuny.edu or Loriann Mazzola lmazzola@bmcc.cuny.edu.

File Permanent Address Meeting Commutable Distance Standard by December 1 
Some BMCC employees working remotely have changed their permanent address of record to an area beyond the  University's commutable distance standard which includes parts of New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and upstate New York. Because CUNY is not set up as an employer beyond the commutable distance standard — and cannot withhold other states’ incomes taxes, participate in their unemployment programs or apply their localized state and municipality laws — employees are asked to submit a change of address form to officeofhumanresources@bmcc.cuny.edu, reinstating their address of record that meets the commutable distance standard, by December 1.

Alumni and Donors

Give the Gift of Education
Your generous donations go a long way in funding scholarships, research and programs, and allow us to continue delivering quality education to our students. Ways to give include Direct Gifts, Gifts of Securities, Gifts of Real Estate and many more. For details, please visit the Ways to Give page on the BMCC website, call the Office for Institutional Advancement at (212) 220-8020 or email Lorna Malcolm, Vice President, Institutional Advancement at lmalcolm@bmcc.cuny.edu. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Take Action in 2021 on Charitable Deductions for Non-Itemizers
The CARES Act allows taxpayers who take the standard deduction to claim a charitable deduction for cash donations made to public charities. For 2021 only, the maximum amount that joint filers may deduct doubles to $600. (Single filers or married filers who file separately are limited to $300.) Please consider a charitable donation to Giving to BMCC Foundation. For more information, please call the Office for Institutional Advancement at (212) 220-8020 or email Lorna Malcolm, Vice President, Institutional Advancement at lmalcolm@bmcc.cuny.edu. Thank you for your support.

Calendar

Clothesline Project: Gender-Based Violence Virtual T-Shirt Exhibit
October 1 through November 5

Career Development: Microsoft 365 Fundamentals 30-Day Cloud Challenge
October 1 through 30

Finding Balance: Balancing School, Life and Work in the New Normal
October 15

Make Your Own Degree Path With the CUNY B.A. Program
October 18

UMLA Workshop Series (for all students): Building Generational Wealth
October 20, November 17 and December 1

Fall 2021 Business, Government and Public Service Virtual Career Fair
October 20

Conversation with Rob Robinson: Using International Human Rights Law to Address Economic, Social and Cultural Rights October 20

Connect with BMCC

@BMCC is produced and published by the Office of Public Affairs.

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