News

BMCC Launches Public Health Academy, a Pipeline to Careers and Higher Degrees
The Public Health Academy (PHA), a student success program jointly administered by the Health Education Department and BMCC Learning Academy, is matching student goals with the explosive demand for community and public health professionals in underserved communities throughout New York City. Launched in August 2021 with a cohort of 20 students, the PHA links students with the fast-growing public health career sector highlighted most recently by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program is one of seven projects funded by the President’s Fund for Excellence and Innovation.

NYC.gov Vaccination Van Visits BMCC Campuses in Upper and Lower Manhattan The NYC Mobile Vaccination Van will continue to visit two BMCC campuses. Students, faculty and staff can receive a $100 incentive when they receive their FIRST dose of the Pfizer and J&J vaccine. They can also get boosters as well as PCR and rapid tests when the van is parked at these locations from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.: BMCC Fiterman Hall, 245 Greenwich Street (Lower Manhattan), Thursday, January 13.  CUNY in The Heights, (Upper Manhattan/Inwood), Thursday, January 13; Tuesday, January 18; Wednesday, January 19  and Thursday, January 20.

For more information call the Office of Public Affairs at (212) 346-8501 or email publicaffairs@bmcc.cuny.edu.

Students Taking In-Person or Hybrid Classes Must Upload Proof of Vaccination by January 18  CUNY mandates all students taking in-person and hybrid classes to upload proof of vaccination to CUNYfirst by January 18. For details, click here, read these Frequently Asked Questions or visit the Student Guide to Vaccination Verification. Faculty, staff and students who have been vaccinated, uploaded their vaccination verification in CUNYfirst and been approved will have turnstile access to the BMCC campus.  Random COVID Testing Required for Vaccinated CUNY Employees and Students To help contain the spread of coronavirus, vaccinated CUNY employees and students chosen for random, mandatory COVID testing will receive an email from noreply@cleared4work.com with instructions to complete testing within seven days at a CUNY test site — no appointment necessary; test results in 48 hours. The BMCC test site is in the café at Fiterman Hall, 81 Barclay Street. For more information, visit the CUNY testing site location page or Safe Circle Testing FAQ. Regular COVID Testing Mandated for Unvaccinated Faculty and Staff   CUNY provides on-site COVID-19 testing at 20 University locations. 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. COVID Boosters: Upload Now to CUNYfirst Vaccinated BMCC students, faculty and staff can receive a COVID booster shot at the NYC.com vaccination van or one of 20 University locations — including BMCC. The next step is to upload booster status to CUNYfirst.  Monitoring and Reporting Positive Cases Visit the Reimagining BMCC website for more information on returning to campus.

Announcements

BMCC Community Encouraged to Take Advantage of Resilience, Health and Wellness Services 
Students, faculty and staff are invited to visit the Resilience, Health and Wellness website to explore resources and strategies for physical fitness, mental health, food insecurity, nutrition, financial support and other vital areas. With a focus on health and wellness, BMCC builds a diverse and connected community that supports its members every day.

Submit Your Ballot for the 2021-2022 Employee Appreciation Awards by May 6  BMCC students, faculty and staff, show your appreciation for staff (non-faculty) who demonstrate outstanding achievement and creative contributions through their role at BMCC — beyond what is normally expected of employees. SUBMIT ONE BALLOT with a detailed nomination in any or all categories: Leadership, Inspiration, Innovation/Technology, Rookie of the Year and Team Achievement.

BMCC Grant Seekers Invited to Attend Hanover Webinar January 14
Faculty and staff seeking funding for grant projects are invited to attend the Hanover Webinar, "Prospecting: Identifying the Funding Landscape for Your Grant Project," on January 14 from 1 to 2 p.m. The session will focus on the art of identifying funding opportunities that align with faculty and staff interest areas and project concepts. Register here.

BMCC Cafeteria Announces Winter Session Hours BMCC students, faculty and staff can enjoy a hot meal, a healthy salad or a delicious sandwich in the BMCC Cafeteria located on the second floor of the main building at 199 Chambers Street, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. MBJ Food Services provides a wide variety of food items and beverages at a reasonable price.

BMCC Panther Pantry Assists Students Facing Food Insecurity BMCC students facing a food emergency are welcome to visit the Panther Pantry and take home pre-packed bags of nutritious, non-perishable food. The pantry will distribute bags of food, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hot meals will be distributed on Thursdays from 1 to 2 p.m., in S-230 located at 199 Chambers Street. For more information, contact the Advocacy and Resource Center (ARC) at arc@bmcc.cuny.edu or call (212) 220-8195

Enrollment

Remind Students Registering for Spring: Mandatory Zoom with Advisor, Proof of Vaccination
Faculty and staff, please encourage students to go online and schedule their mandatory Zoom meeting with an advisor to discuss spring registration. Remind students they can register for classes and upload proof of vaccination on CUNYfirst. Also, let them know the vaccine deadline date for the Johnson & Johnson single and only dose is January 14.

Enrollment Assistance Available on Zoom and by Phone
For Enrollment assistance, students can meet with a PantherStation Specialist on Zoom, Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit the Registration page or contact Academic Advisement at (212 )220-8315 or aatc@bmcc.cuny.edu.  

Making Headlines

Trinity Wall Street funding to BMCC will support housing for homeless students
January 11, 2022 — Episcopal News Service; January 12, 2022 — Community College Daily

BMCC Art Professor Peter (Xico) Greenwald reviews exhibition by Rococo master Antoine Watteau
January 7, 2022 — The Wall Street Journal

Human Resources

College Closed for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday, January 17  CUNY will observe Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, January 17. Instructional and Managerial staff are excused without charge to leave balances. Blue and white collar, and skilled trades will observe a regularly scheduled holiday. Hourly employees will be paid based on time worked only.

Employees Must Complete Workplace Trainings
All BMCC employees must complete the 2021-2022 Employee Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response Course (ESPARC) and 2021-2022 Workplace Violence Prevention (WPV) trainings: part-time employees by the end of the spring semester; full-time employees by July 22. Both trainings are available via Blackboard. To learn more, visit Compliance Training FAQs or contact Maria Deckinger, mdeckinger@bmcc.cuny.edu or Loriann Mazzola, lmazzola@bmcc.cuny.edu

Join Weight Watchers' Most Personalized Program Ever
BMCC employees are invited to discover WW’s new PersonalPoints™ Program to drop pounds while enjoying meals on a personalized, healthy plan. Learn more and join today with the City of New York-employee discount for as low as $7 a month.

Register Now for Deferred Compensation Retirement Fund Webinars
The New York State Deferred Compensation Plan (NYSDCP) will host webinars in January for employees thinking of enrolling. The NYSDCP is a supplemental retirement plan also known as a 457(b) plan. The NYSDCP mission is to help state and local public employees achieve their retirement savings goals and bridge financial retirement gaps in. One employee can have both a 403b and 457b plan.

• Social Security Benefits Webinar: Tuesday, January 18, 2022 12 noon. Register online.
• Pre-Retirement Webinar: Friday, January 21, 2022 12 noon. Register online.
• Enrollment Webinar: Tuesday, January 25 at 12 noon Register online. 

Those unable to attend the webinars can direct questions about NYS Deferred Compensation Plans at (844) 867-8197, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Donors and Alumni

Alumni Now: Johann Smith (History, ’20) Johann Smith enrolled at BMCC in 2017 after more than a decade traversing the world playing professional soccer. “In addition to mourning my sports career when it ended, I was trying to figure out my life’s purpose and whether or not I should go to college,” said Smith. A history buff, he eventually landed at Capital Community College near his hometown in Connecticut, but wasn’t satisfied in a smaller city. “New York City had always been my dream city, so I looked up the largest community college there and BMCC was the first place that popped up,” he said. Fast forward to 2020, and Smith is enrolled at BMCC as a Kaplan Scholar. “The professors at BMCC care deeply about their students,” he said, and credits the Kaplan program as being instrumental in his transfer to Stanford University, where he is now enrolled as an undergraduate, and sees as his next step, applying to medical school. “I’ve lived one life already; I’ve lived one dream,” he told an interviewer at the Stanford Report. “Now I’m here to realize another.”

Read more about Johann Smith and other inspiring BMCC alumni. If you know high-achieving BMCC alumni who have entered careers and could be candidates for Alumni Now, please let us know by emailing publicaffairs@bmcc.cuny.edu.

Calendar

BLA and CUNY Transfer Application Workshop
January 14

Admissions Spotlight on Academic and Career Communities: health Professions and Communications and Media
January 18

Coffee, Startups and Innovation
January 19

BLA Preparing for Spring 2022 Workshop
January 20

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.