News

BMCC Only CUNY College Named 20-Year Top Producer of Gilman Scholars, Ranked Among Community Colleges Nationwide BMCC is the only CUNY college recognized as a Benjamin A. Gilman 20th Anniversary Top Producer Institution for having generated, through its Study Abroad program, 27 Gilman scholars out of more than 600 Study Abroad participants from Fall 2001 through Summer 2020.

BMCC Provides College and Local Communities Opportunity to Get Vaccinated
More than 80 students, faculty, staff as well as New York City community members received a free COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot during a NYC Mobile Vaccination Clinic hosted by BMCC on October 28. The vaccine van was parked in front of Fiterman Hall where BMCC community members could also pick up a free BMCC mask. This event is part of the college's on-going effort to encourage students, faculty and staff to get vaccinated. A $100 incentive was offered to individuals who received their first dose of the vaccine.

$4.77 Million DOE Grant Guides BMCC STEM Students Through Pipeline to John Jay College The U.S. Department of Education has awarded $4.77 million for a five-year pipeline partnership, Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program (HSI Program), involving three CUNY colleges: John Jay College of Criminal Justice, which will serve as the lead institution; BMCC and Queensborough Community College (QCC). A pipeline from both BMCC and QCC to John Jay College will enable the community college graduates to complete their bachelor’s degree and move on to graduate school and careers in STEM.

CUNY in The Heights Ribbon-Cutting Event Scheduled, Oct. 29 BMCC will be hosting a ribbon-cutting event at the newly renovated CUNY in The Heights, located at 5030 Broadway, between 213th and 214th Streets, in Upper Manhattan on Thursday, October 29, 2021 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. You can watch the event LIVE on YouTube. “We are very proud and excited to bring educational and career opportunities to the residents of Upper Manhattan,” said Anthony E. Munroe, President of Borough of Manhattan Community College. “Our event welcomes many key local and state leaders who have contributed to our efforts to advance equity and socioeconomic mobility for residents who want to earn a college degree, a certification or obtain skills to help them in their career exploration.” In addition to President Munroe, other speakers include Félix Matos Rodriguez, CUNY Chancellor; Adriano Espaillat, U.S. Congressmember (NY 13th District); Ydanis Rodriguez, New York City Councilmember; Carmen De La Rosa, Assemblymember (District 72); Gale Brewer, Manhattan Borough President; Johanna Garcia, Chief of Staff, Office of NYS Senator Robert Jackson; and Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Hostos Community College President.

CUNYTuesday Addresses a Critical need by Raising Funds for UMLA
At BMCC, advancing equity through the transformative power of education is key to the college’s mission, and reflected in the goals of the BMCC Urban Male Leadership Academy (UMLA).The program’s 344 student count in the 2019-2020 academic year decreased to 253 in the 2020-2021 period. To help reverse that trend, BMCC will dedicate funds raised through the 2021 University-wide campaign #CUNYTuesday to the program. Donate now

BMCC President Greets Trick or Treaters
On Oct. 28, BMCC President Anthony E. Munroe greeted children from the college's Early Childhood Center as they celebrate the Halloween season. The children sang songs with President Munroe and enjoyed Halloween candy and treats. For more information about the BMCC Early Childhood Center, click here. 

Students Taking In-Person or Hybrid Classes Mandated to be Vaccinated  CUNY mandates that all students taking in-person and hybrid classes get vaccinated and upload proof of vaccination to CUNYfirst. For details, click here or read these Frequently Asked Questions. For instructions to upload your information, see the Student Guide to Vaccination Verification. Regular Testing Mandated for Unvaccinated Faculty and Staff  CUNY provides on-site COVID-19 testing at 20 University locations — including BMCC. Faculty, staff and students who (1) have not submitted proof of COVID-19 vaccination in the CUNYfirst system, (2) are unvaccinated or (3) have undisclosed vaccination status, must register on CUNYfirst and make a selection under the vaccination status box, then click the “submit” button at the bottom of the page. This generates an email with a personalized link to make an appointment at a CUNY testing location. Obtain CUNY Access Pass Through Cleared4 Vaccinated BMCC students, faculty and staff must use the CUNY Access Pass to document their vaccination status and enter campus. The CUNY Access Pass — generated through the Cleared4 platform — replaces the Everbridge VaxPass and expires one year from the date you became fully vaccinated. Watch for an email from “no-reply@cleared4work.com” in your BMCC email (check your spam folder, if you don't see it). For more information, visit CUNY Access - Cleared4 Guide for Vaccinated CUNY Students, Faculty and Staff or Cleared4 FAQs. Monitoring and Reporting Positive Cases Visit the Reimagining BMCC website for more information on returning to campus.

Virtual Hack-a-thon: Hacking for Social Good and Innovation 
BMCC students are invited to attend and participate in the BMCC Hack-a-thon. Students are invited to build their own dream project, learn from our talks and mentors, and win prizes. The BMCC Hack-a-thon is free. The purpose of this hack-a-thon is to inspire BMCC students from all majors to work in a collaborative environment to solve real world problems by creating needed projects while helping BMCC students familiarize with current technology.

Announcements

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. 

BMCC Students, Faculty and Staff Have Access to LinkedIn Learning BMCC is pleased to announce that access to Linkedin Learning has been restored. All BMCC students, faculty and staff have access to Linkedin Learning using their BMCC email logon credentials. If you have not yet used Linkedin Learning, it can be accessed through the Learning Resource Center. Linkedin Learning provides access to thousands of online courses designed for self-paced learning. Linkedin Learning resources can enhance course materials and learners can earn course completion certificates to advance in their careers.

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

Hispanic Heritage Month Celebrates the Latinx Diaspora with Art, Documentary Film and More  BMCC honors Hispanic Heritage with events that run now through December and are hosted by staff and faculty from the Departments of Academic Literacy and Linguistics, Ethnic and Race Studies, Modern Languages and Social Sciences, Human Services and Criminal Justice, as well as the ESL Lab and the Women’s Resource Center.

Help Our Students Succeed: Share Information About the Learning Resource Center 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. Email lrc@bmcc.cuny.edu or call (212) 220-1383 for more information.

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 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on days when no classes are scheduled, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Don't forget to mask up, when you're purchasing food.

Enrollment

Virtual Open House Events, November 4 and 10, 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, each 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

Federal grant will help BMCC students transfer to John Jay College of Criminal Justice
October 25, 2021—Diverse Issues in Higher Education

Human Resources

Open Enrollment for Flexible Spending Accounts: Now Through November 19
The Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) Program open enrollment period for Plan Year 2022 is open now through November 19, 2021for an effective date of January 1, 2022. The Plan Year 2022 FSA Program brochure and forms are on the FSA website under Forms and Downloads. Once the proper forms are processed, the participant will receive a confirmation letter. If FSA payroll deductions don’t appear in January 2022, the participant should notify FSA immediately.

Flu Shots Available
Flu season is here. Help your colleagues fight the flu. City Employees can receive a vaccine at any WorkWell NYC worksite flu clinic, a participating pharmacy, or your in-network healthcare provider.

Looking to Change Benefits? Open Enrollment is November 1 through November 30
Open Enrollment is the one time during the year when you can change your benefit elections, add or remove dependents for health, dental and flexible spending account plans without a “Qualifying Life Event.” For additional information contact Diana Lopez
(dlopez@bmcc.cuny.edu).

CUNY Time Off to Vote Notice for Election Day, November 2 The CUNY Time Off to Vote Notice to Employees lays out parameters for taking time off to vote on Tuesday, November 2. For voting information, visit Vote.org, Vote NYC or the New York State Board of Elections. Employees can also contact BMCC Human Resources, officeofhumanresources@bmcc.cuny.edu or (212) 220-8300.

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. To learn more, visit Compliance Training FAQs here or contact Maria Deckinger, mdeckinger@bmcc.cuny.edu or Loriann Mazzola lmazzola@bmcc.cuny.edu.

Calendar

Pride Month Pride Ball: End of Month Celebration
October 29

Conversation with Rob Robinson: Using International Human Rights Law to Address Economic, Social and Cultural Rights October 30

Join Us for Mindful Mondays
November 1

CUNY in The Heights: Panther Pantry Food Pick-up (Every Tuesday)
November 2

Career Development: Lunch & Learn with Marketing VP, Lamar Johnson
November 2

The Counseling Center “Happy Hour”
November 3

Entrepreneurial Economics Workshop Series: Get a Chance to Get Your Project Funded November 8 - December 10 (Register by Nov. 5)

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.