News

BMCC Signs Statement of Shared Interest with Chandigarh University
On November 25, BMCC signed a Statement of Shared Interest with Chandigarh University, located in Mohali, Punjab India. Chandigarh University is a globally acclaimed institution, that has embraced an inclusive education model integrating groundbreaking research to shape a community of professionals dedicated to pioneering innovation, advancing sustainability, and driving transformative social impact. The Statement of Shared Interest aims to foster academic exchanges, global learning exchanges and innovative initiatives. Representing BMCC were President, Dr. Anthony E. Munroe and Vice President of Enrollment Management, Dr. Sanjay Ramdath.

BMCC Signs Statement of Shared Interest with India’s Eastern Institute for Integrated Learning in Management
On November 26, BMCC signed a Statement of Shared Interest with the Eastern Institute for Integrated Learning in Management (EIILM) located in Kolkata, India. Along with the collaboration with SNDT Mumbai and Pune University, this is another significant alliance with a university in India. This collaboration will allow EIILM students to enroll in BMCC courses and gain insights from faculty members in the business management department. The agreement enhances opportunities for BMCC students to study abroad and participate in exchange programs.

NY Congressman Dan Goldman Visits BMCC and Learns About Vital Programs
On December 2, BMCC President, Dr. Anthony E. Munroe, welcomed Representative Daniel Goldman (D-NY-10) to the 199 Chambers St. campus for a brief tour and overview of many College programs and initiatives underway to improve student success and career readiness. After a visit to BMCC’s healthcare labs, Rep. Goldman spoke with students from BMCC’s Project Impact and the Conexiones and Connections programs to hear about their educational pathways. Conexiones has been supported by a $3 million five-year grant from the federal Title V funding stream for Hispanic Serving Institutions. The last stop on the tour was the Advocacy Resource Center’s Panther Pantry where the congressmember learned about BMCC’s efforts to reduce students' food insecurity.

Sociology Professor Elizabeth Wissinger Speaks at Univ. of Cambridge Event Sociology Professor Elizabeth Wissinger gave a talk focused on Bio-design and the Future of Human Embodiment at the University of Cambridge (UK) Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy on October 28. Professor Wissinger, who is currently on sabbatical, recently completed a month-long visiting scholar position at Cambridge. Professor Wissinger was also recently interviewed on Valerie Aki’s podcast Poder, Glamour, & Gloria. The episode, The Kardashian Effect and Celebrity Culture debuted on December 3 and is available on Spotify.

U.S. Senate Majority Whip Durbin Highlights BMCC Dreamer’s Story in Floor Speech On December 3, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee called on Congress to pass legal protections for noncitizens who were brought to the United States as children, known as Dreamers. During a speech from the Senate floor, Senator Durbin highlighted the story of BMCC alumni Dulce Martinez (pictured left), who was able to obtain Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status which allowed her to continue her studies and graduate with honors with an associate's degree in early childhood education. The BMCC Office of Public Affairs highlighted Ms. Martinez story in 2019. Ms. Martinez went on to serve as a BMCC mentor and employee, focusing on advocacy for immigrant and undocumented students. She is currently a Lead Teacher at a Head Start preschool in Brooklyn and pursuing a master’s degree. President Anthony E. Munroe was recently in Washington D.C. where he met with the White House and Congressional leaders and discussed the importance of creating a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients, undocumented students, and Dreamers. Watch Senator Durbin’s full speech from the Senate floor here.

Farewell Celebration Honors Dean Hutmaker
A Farewell Celebration on Tuesday, November 26 in Richard Harris Terrace honored Dr. Michael Hutmaker, who served at BMCC for 15 years as Dean of Student Affairs in the Office of Student Affairs and will be leaving his role at the College in early January 2025. Working alongside Vice President for Student Affairs, Dr. Marva Craig, Dean Hutmaker championed the holistic collegiate experience through opportunities both inside and outside the classroom. In addition, he was instrumental in developing and leading collaborative projects between Academic Affairs, Enrollment Management and Student Affairs.

Field Trip to a Meditation Center and BMCC Workshops Help Students De-Stress
On December 2, Ethnic and Race Studies Professor Irasema De Jesus took over 30 of her BMCC students enrolled in the class, “Health Problems in Urban Communities,” to attend a 90-minute meditation class at the Kadampa Meditation Center on West 24th Street in Manhattan. The session was led by Kadampa Meditation instructor Julie Tellis and made possible by the Enhanced Learning in the Classroom (ELIC) fund created by the BMCC Association Board. “Through meditative techniques, students learned how to better manage their stress and anxiety,” said Professor De Jesus. “They were introduced to various practices of breathing, silence and how to quiet the mind, skills that serve students well as they face end-of-semester deadlines and finals.” Finals week is December 15 through 21. Additional support for students can be found in BMCC De-Stress Fest events including Chess Time, December 10; Poetry Pop-Up, December 11 and Crochet Day, December 12. Another option is the study skills workshop, Study Smarter, Not Harder, December 11 and 13. Students can also make an appointment with the BMCC Counseling Center or call the Center at (212) 220-8140. 

Making Headlines

In an op-ed: CUNY Chancellor touts growth in enrollment, highlights BMCC student’s story
December 2, 2024—AM New York

BMCC partnership with non-profit paralegal organization highlighted
December 2, 2024—Bronx Times

BMCC and London School of Economics partner to expand global ops
December 1, 2024—Diverse Issues in Higher Education

Kaplan Educational Foundation celebrates BMCC students who are part of latest cohort
November 25, 2024—Paramus Post

Did You Know?

Announcements

Relax and Rejuvenate at De-Stress Fest
BMCC is hosting its annual De-Stress Fest as students prepare for final exams and other academic deadlines. Activities are ongoing through December 12. Find out more here.

BMCC Community Invited to Participate in Planning of WHM 2025
Faculty, staff and students are invited to attend a planning meeting for BMCC’s 2025 Women’s Herstory Month on December 17 via ZOOM. The planning committee will hold further meetings in January and February. Please contact Anika Thrower at athrower@bmcc.cuny.edu for further information.

CUNY Brightspace Improvements Prioritize Ease of Use

1. Demo Student Tool: CUNY has developed a new demo student tool to improve the “view as learner” functionality. Learn how to add a demo student to your class, how to add the tool to your course navbar, and the differences between demo student and “view as learner.”
2. Winter/Spring 2025 Courses: CUNY has begun creating Winter/Spring 2025 courses. You must be the instructor of record listed in CUNYfirst to access your course in Brightspace.
3. Access to Attendance Tool Ends Dec. 28: CUNY will disable the Brightspace attendance tool on December 28. Save your data now, by going to your attendance register and clicking the "Export All Data" button, which will generate a file for download.
4. Are you receiving emails from Brightspace? Emails are forwarded to your preferred email address listed in CUNYfirst. Test your @login.cuny.edu address by sending yourself a test email at that address. If you do not receive the test email, email defacsupport@bmcc.cuny.edu for troubleshooting steps.
5. Ongoing support: View this integrated BMCC/CUNY calendar for workshops and more. Visit a wealth of online resources or email the Digital Education faculty support team at defacsupport@bmcc.cuny.edu.

Faculty Encouraged to Nominate Students for Transfer Scholars Network Cohort The Office of Academic Affairs is recruiting outstanding BMCC students for the College’s third Aspen Transfer Scholars Network (TSN) cohort. TSN connects students with senior admissions reps at highly selective partner institutions, and provides personalized support to help those students navigate the transfer admissions process. Eligible students: Have only attended community college (transfer students from senior colleges are ineligible) Possess a minimum 3.5 GPA Demonstrate academic achievement (including participation in Honors courses) Have financial need (an adjusted gross income not exceeding $100,000) To nominate a student, fill out this form and a staff person will follow up. Please contact Tiffany James, Director of Student Success or Carei Thomas, Director of Academic Advisement and Transfer at transfersuccess@bmcc.cuny.edu for more information.

Students Facing Food Insecurity Can Visit the Panther Pantry BMCC is a member of the College and University Food Bank Alliance. Let your students know that if they are facing a food emergency, they can take home nutritionally balanced, non-perishable and frozen food items by visiting the Panther Pantry in the Advocacy and Resource Center (ARC), 199 Chambers Street, Room S-230, on Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Save the Date: January 9, Special Closing Tour
Join the BMCC community on January 9, 2025, at 11 a.m., for a special closing tour of Incandescence: The Chandelier in Contemporary Art hosted by curators Bartholomew Bland and Lisa Panzera. Click here to register for this event! Works by 45 artists explore the motif and meaning of the chandelier through sculptural forms, photography, painting, drawing, installation and video. This stunning collaborative exhibition is spread across three CUNY venues: BMCC, BCC and Lehman College.

Enrollment

Winter and Spring 2025 Advisement and Registration is Open
Faculty and staff, please encourage students to talk to their advisor to discuss their academic progress and registration. Things to know: All students must meet with their advisor before registering. Students can register on CUNYfirst or meet with a Panther Station Specialist on Zoom. When choosing classes on CUNYfirst, students should pay close attention to the class meeting mode (in-person, online or hybrid), as well as the class session (15, 8 or 7 weeks). For more information, visit the Registration page or contact Academic Advisement at (212) 220-8315 or aatc@bmcc.cuny.edu.

Human Resources

Mandatory Trainings for 2024-2025 Now Available
New York state law and CUNY policy requires that all employees complete the Employee Sex-Based Misconduct Prevention and Response Course (ESPARC), Workplace Violence Prevention (WVP) and Gender-Based Violence Training (GBVT) on an annual basis.

• GBVT is required for all HR professionals and managers with at least one direct report. 
• Full-time employees are required to complete ESPARC, WVP and GBVT (if applicable) no later than May 30, 2025.
• Part-time employees and adjuncts who are Fall appointees: Complete the training by December 31, 2024. Spring appointees, complete by May 30, 2025.
• Active employees are automatically registered for the trainings in Blackboard. Sign into CUNY Blackboard by using your CUNYfirst credentials and navigate to Organizations to complete the trainings.

For more information, review the Compliance Training FAQs or reach out to your campus compliance administrator.

Sports and Wellness

Dive in! The BMCC Pool Is Open
The BMCC pool at 199 Chambers Street, second floor North, is open Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. BMCC community members must present a current BMCC ID and bring their own lock and towel. Pool users are required to wear proper swim attire and bathing caps. Call the Athletics and Recreation Department, (212) 220-8260 or visit here for more information. 

Follow the Panthers The BMCC athletic program leads eight varsity teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level. For more news on the Panthers, visit the official site of BMCC Athletics and follow the Panthers on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Calendar

NYPD Police Cadet Corps Employer Tabling
December 10

Study Skills Workshop: Study Smarter, Not Harder
December 10

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.