News

BMCC Celebrates Afrikan Heritage Month: Emerging, Looking Forward to Brighter Times in 2022
BMCC celebrates Afrikan Heritage Month 2022 throughout February with educational and cultural programming that commemorates the Afrikan diaspora with a growing calendar of virtual events. "This year’s theme, Looking Forward to Brighter Times in 2022, focuses on optimism and prosperity, as we navigate through current political and social climates and explore the influence of African Americans in today’s world," said President Anthony E. Munroe in a message to the College. Also this year, the BMCC community received a special message from Adrienne Adams, the first Black City Council Speaker in New York City history, who paid tribute to the trailblazers that paved the way for her and those who will follow. For the calendar of events, click here.

CUNY Board of Trustees Votes to Authorize Vaccination Mandate In compliance with a public policy directive issued by Governor Hochul, the CUNY Board of Trustees voted on Monday to authorize a vaccine mandate for faculty, non-teaching instructional staff and employees in the Executive Compensation Plan. All full- and part-time faculty, non-teaching instructional staff (which includes, among others, NTAs, CLTs and those in the HEO series), and personnel in the Executive Compensation Plan must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to remain employed by the University, except if a medical exemption, religious exception or reasonable accommodation has been granted. The University will engage with the Professional Staff Congress (PSC) regarding implementation of this mandate. Unvaccinated staff and faculty are urged to get vaccinated and upload proof via CUNYfirst.

BMCC Joins National Study to Examine Evidence-Based Teaching Practices and Student Outcomes BMCC is partnering with the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE), the leader in student success and equity through quality instruction, on a new national study made possible through a $1.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. BMCC is the only CUNY college participating in this study. The study begins in early 2022 with preliminary findings expected in early 2023.

Faculty Exhibition Inspires With a Variety of Mediums
On February 23 through April 1, the Shirley Fiterman Art Center (SFAC) at BMCC will present In Person, an exhibition of recent faculty art which can be viewed by appointment with COVID protocols in place, by emailing shirleyfitermanartcenter@bmcc.cuny.edu.

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 See the full details of BMCC's Spring 2022 Repopulation and Operations Plan. 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.

Sociology Professor Robin Isserles’ Research and Book Featured on Several Platforms Sociology Professor Robin Isserles will discuss her book The Costs of Completion: Student Success in Community College during a virtual event through the Center for Excellence at Holyoke Community College on February 15. The book, published by Johns Hopkins University Press in December 2021, was “book of the day," February 2 on the New Books Podcast.  Professor Isserles has also co-edited a 10-week online commentary series on community colleges and equity through Teachers College Record which launched on January 28. The series features Academic Literacy and Linguistics Professors Sharon Avni and Heather Finn; Teacher Education Professors Rebecca Garte and Cara Kronen; Sociology Professor Marci Littlefield; Modern Languages Professor Angeles Donos Macaya; Math Professor Claire Wladis and Dean of Institutional Effectiveness Christopher Shults.

BMCC Citizen Entrepreneur Explorers Program Featured Presentation at NY Fed Event Business Management Professor Roderick Shane Snipes shared a presentation about BMCC’s Citizen Entrepreneur Explorers Program (CEEP) during a virtual event hosted by the New York Federal Reserve on January 31. The event— What Does 21st Century Civic Engagement Look Like?— provided educators the opportunity to hear from leaders in civic education, share information and network with peers from across the country. Professor Snipes is Deputy Chair of BMCC’s Small Business Entrepreneurship (SBE) program.

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.

Review the CUNY Policy on Religious Accommodations
Faculty and staff are asked to be mindful of the CUNY Policy on Religious Accommodation, which allows students to be granted academic and attendance accommodations on the basis of religious observance. Another resource is the Religious and Ethnic Holidays Calendar developed by the CUNY Interfaith Council. For questions or to recommend additional observances, please contact Zina Richardson, CUNY Director of Operations, Student Inclusion Initiatives at zina.richardson@cuny.edu.

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 Spring 2022 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 to Thursday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday 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

Trinity Church and BMCC partner to create housing for homeless students
February 1, 2022—Inside Higher Ed

2019 BMCC study cited in column about women in STEM fields
January 30, 2022—Rapid City Journal

BMCC one of ten colleges nationwide participating in study to assess Barriers to Minoritized Student Success in Gateway Courses
February 2, 2022—Diverse Issues in Higher Education

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.  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.

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.

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
February 4

Career Development: Exploring Careers in Public Service
February 7

Admissions Spotlight on Academic & Career Communities: Education and Arts & Humanities
February 8

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