News

President Munroe’s Welcome to the Spring 2022 Message BMCC President Anthony E. Munroe welcomed faculty, staff and students to the Spring 2022 semester which begins on January 28.  President Munroe said “as we bring life back to our campus and Re-imagine BMCC, we must continue to navigate wisely through the pandemic. I am confident that BMCC is prepared to do so. I encourage everyone to get vaccinated, get boosted and wear a mask properly. Taking these actions are the best ways for us to protect ourselves and each other from COVID-19.”  For more of the president’s message, click here.

BMCC Partners with Google and HACU to Strengthen Digital Skills Among Latinx Students
BMCC has been selected to participate in the Grow with Google Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Career Readiness Program to help Latinx students prepare for the workforce through digital skills and career workshops. BMCC is one of four HSI CUNY community colleges selected to join the program and one of just 20 colleges nationwide.

ARC Welcome Back Fair February 9 at 199 Chambers
The Advocacy and Resource Center (ARC) will host a Welcome Back Fair in the Richard Harris Terrace at 199 Chambers Street on February 9 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. This is an opportunity for students to come to campus, connect with fellow students and find out about valuable support services. Contact the ARC at (212) 220-8195 or arc@bmcc.cuny.edu for more information.

BMCC Recognizes International Holocaust Remembrance Day The United Nations General Assembly designated January 27—the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau—as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This annual day of commemoration honors the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and millions of other victims of Nazis, and recognizes the critical role education plays in preventing future genocides. At BMCC, a deep commitment to equity and purposeful rejection of anti-Semitism, racism, sexism and bias in all its forms resonates on this important day. Learn more about BMCC’s Race, Equity and Inclusion (REI) initiative as well as BMCC policies that protect equal opportunity and prohibit unlawful discrimination. Read the BMCC mission and values statements and reach out to the Office of Compliance and Diversity with any concerns you may have.

Afrikan Heritage Month: Emerging, Looking Forward to Brighter Times in 2022 BMCC celebrates Afrikan Heritage month throughout February with events including a workshop on nutritious eating, a screening of an original stage production and a panel of Black innovators and entrepreneurs. More events are being finalized but for this year’s calendar of events thus far, click here.

How to Upload Your COVID-19 Booster Verification BMCC students, faculty and staff can now upload their verification for the COVID-19 booster on CUNYfirst: Sign on to your CUNYfirst account Select “Vaccination Verification” from the CUNYfirst Menu Click on the “Add New Record” button For more information on how to upload verification for the COVID-19 booster, click here for students, or here for staff and faculty. All CUNY faculty, staff and students are also eligible for free COVID-19 testing at 20 CUNY university locations, including BMCC. Students Taking In-Person or Hybrid Classes Must Upload Proof of Vaccination or Register for Strictly Virtual Courses CUNY mandates all students taking in-person and hybrid classes to upload proof of vaccination to CUNYfirst. For details, click here, read these Frequently Asked Questions or visit the Student Guide to Vaccination Verification. Please note that students are still able to upload vaccination records after they are dropped.  If they are fully vaccinated by the first day of classes and if their documents are approved by LVA’s, they may re-register for in-person/hybrid classes until February 3. However, they may not get their original schedule back. Students who are not vaccinated should register for online classes only. Students who will be fully vaccinated by March 28 are encouraged to consider BMCC’s Spring 8W2 Express Session starting March 28. 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. 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.

Summer 2022 NSF-REI Research Program Scholarship Applications Open Until March 1
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program at BMCC offers paid summer internships for qualified undergraduate students to conduct biology research projects with BMCC scientists. Student research will focus on the bioactivity of natural products at different biological levels of organization. For more information, click here.

BMCC Professor Carla Macchiavello Named to Team Representing the Republic of Chile at Venice Art Biennale
BMCC Art History Professor Carla Macchiavello has been named to a team of trans-disciplinary artists, architects, curators and scientists who will be representing Chile at the 59th Venice Art Biennale, with a conservation project called Turba Tol Hol Hol Tol from April 23 through November 27, 2022. For more about the project, click here.

Social Entrepreneurship Training and Seed Money Available to Students: Registration Deadline February 18 The BMCC Office of Internships and Experiential Learning and BMCC Economics alumnus William Franklin, Founder and Director of the non-profit Equitunity, invite BMCC students in any major to the Spring 2022 Entrepreneurial Economics Workshop Series, which runs eight weeks and is limited to 25 students. The registration deadline is February 18. The same series in Fall 2021 awarded a student participant $500 in seed funding to launch a small community cooperative enterprise in one of New York City’s ten most impoverished communities. Student teams are also welcome to take part in the series. For more information, contact Director of Internships and Experiential Learning Sharon Reid sreid@bmcc.cuny.edu.

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 Cafeteria Announces Winter Session Hours BMCC students, faculty and staff can enjoy a hot meal, healthy salad or delicious sandwich in the BMCC Cafeteria on the second floor 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

Register Now for Spring Express Sessions
BMCC students can register for the Spring 2022 Express Sessions (seven-week session is Feb. 7 – March 23; eight-week session is March 28 – May 24). These sessions are ideal for part-time students or new and continuing students who missed registration for the regular 15-week session. Please note, there will be limited course offerings in the express sessions and some financial aid limitations. Here are the registration instructions. Students can register on CUNYfirst or meet with 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.

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. Drop-in advisement is available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. – 5:15 p.m. via Zoom link; Meeting ID: 863 5332 0349/ Passcode: ADV. 

Enrollment Assistance Available on Zoom and by Phone 
For Enrollment assistance, students can meet with a Panther Station Specialist on Zoom, Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Making Headlines

BMCC one of four CUNY schools to partner with Google and HACU
January 24, 2022—AM New York

Slain NYPD Officer and former BMCC student Jason Rivera’s heartbreaking video
January 23, 2022—New York Post

BMCC EMT program curriculum highlighted in story about the incorporation of empathy and collaboration
January 21, 2022—The Hechinger Report

Human Resources

New Adjuncts Invited to Submit Applications to Enroll in Health Insurance
Human Resources is accepting Spring 2022 Adjunct Health Insurance Enrollment applications through February 25. Medical insurance will be effective January 28, and PSC Welfare Fund Benefits take effect February 1. Click on the Medical Insurance and PSC Welfare Fund links to retrieve a summary of the offered benefits. Forms and additional information may be accessed via Adjunct Health Insurance Enrollment.

Payroll Distribution Returns to Bursar’s Office in Room S-330 at 199 Chambers
Employees can pick up paychecks in person after 3 p.m. beginning Thursday, February 3.

CUNY Obligated to Provide Employee Information to PSC
CUNY is obligated to provide certain employee information to the Professional Staff Congress. CUNY employees in the bargaining unit represented by the PSC CUNY, AFT Local 2334, can view this electronic notice by logging into CUNYfirst and navigating the following path: Human Capital Management > Employee Self Service > Other Employee Tasks > NYS PERB Notice-All Employees. Please be advised that this electronic notice will be removed from CUNYfirst within 30 days.

Job Posting: Custodial Supervisor Promotional Exam
The filings for Custodial Supervisor Promotional, Exam #2066, and Custodial Supervisor Open Competitive, Exam #2067 are open until February 7.

Donors and Alumni

MoneyWorks Financial Planning Seminars For Spring 2022 Semester
BMCC, in collaboration with the Financial Planning Association of New York (FPANY), provides a series of free virtual seminars covering basic topics in financial literacy called MoneyWorks. To learn more about upcoming seminars, click here.  BMCC is grateful to Santander Bank and Capital One Bank for supporting this series.

Calendar

Writing Center Orientation
January 28

Free Tax Preparation Available to BMCC Community
January 31-April 13

Admissions Spotlight on Academic & Career Communities: Accounting, Business, Economics and Behavioral & Social Sciences
February 1

The Dream U.S. Scholarship Workshop
February 4

Connect with BMCC

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