Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) students in the college’s Center for Continuing Education and Workforce Development will have the opportunity starting in May to learn Swift, Apple’s easy-to-learn programming language that gives anyone the ability to create world-class apps..

BMCC is the first college in the CUNY system to offer the App Development with Swift curriculum, a full-year course designed by Apple engineers and educators to teach coding and app design to students of all levels and backgrounds. More than 50 BMCC students this year will gain the opportunity to become proficient in the powerful Swift programming language and build the fundamental skills they need to pursue careers in the booming app economy, which has created more than 1.6 million jobs in the U.S. and generated $5 billion in revenue for American app developers in 2017. Popular apps including Airbnb, KAYAK, TripAdvisor, Venmo and Yelp are all created with Swift.

“The courses are designed to accommodate students with little or no entry-level coding knowledge,” says Steve Nunez, Senior Program Coordinator in the Department of IT Programs, BMCC Center for Continuing Education and Workforce Development. “It is also aligned with national curriculum standards for computer science, so it strengthens the STEM skills of students who want to continue their education in computer science.”

“This program will take students from basic proficiency to advanced applications using Swift and Xcode. It will tap into their creativity, as they turn business ideas and strategies into viable apps. It will also enhance their collaboration and problem-solving skills, and students who successfully complete the course will be prepared to enter and compete in New York City’s rapidly changing gig economy,” said Sunil Gupta, Dean of the BMCC Center for Continuing Education and Workforce Development.

“This BMCC initiative is in alignment with the College’s mission and strategic goal to prepare students for 21^st-century careers and contribute to workforce development in NYC,” said Antonio Pérez, President of BMCC. “We’re also expanding the STEM pipeline, and leveling the playing field for underrepresented students.”

Faculty at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) teach and mentor students, conduct research, help lead the college and serve the community. The BMCC Distinguished Teaching Awardrecognizes faculty whose sustained excellence in these areas incites intellectual curiosity in students, inspires colleagues and demonstrates innovative pedagogy with clear evidence of student learning gains.

The Distinguished Teaching Award winners for 2018 are Sharon Avni, tenured Associate professor in the Academic Literacy and Linguistics Department; Paula Field, tenured Assistant Professor of Nursing; Janice Mahinka, an Adjunct Lecturer of Music in the Department of Music and Art; and Lara Stapleton, a Lecturer in the Department of English.

The awardees were selected from nearly 400 nominations submitted by students, faculty and staff at BMCC. The winners and finalists will be celebrated at a reception in Richard Harris Terrace, 199 Chambers Street, on April 17 at 5 p.m., and all members of the BMCC community are invited to attend.

“These distinguished teachers inspire their students and their colleagues every day,” said Karrin E. Wilks, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs.

“The members of the Distinguished Teaching Award committee were impressed by the quality of the nominees for this award,” said Janice Walters, Chair of both the Teacher Education Department and Distinguished Teacher Award Selection Committee. “The faculty of BMCC are inspirational teachers and pedagogical leaders in their profession.”

2018 Distinguished Teaching Awardees

Sharon Avni is an Associate Professor of ESL and Linguistics in the Department of Academic Literacy and Linguistics. She has taught a variety of classes, including online, hybrid and face-to-face models of Forensic Linguistics, Language and Culture, and academic writing. In Fall 2017, she was awarded the CUNY Research in the Classroom Grant and created a special section of LIN100 (Language and Culture), in which students engaged in case study research, documenting and analyzing language use at religious sites in New York City.

As of Spring 2018, Avni is the faculty mentor for the Gateway Initiative at BMCC, a three-semester program that helps faculty build the retention rates of their introductory courses. Along with Professor Heather Finn, a colleague in the Academic Literacy and Linguistics Department, she has conducted studies on academic literacy and accelerated models of teaching writing at community colleges. In addition, her scholarship addresses Hebrew language teaching and learning in public and private schools and other educational contexts in the United States. She has published widely in academic journals and edited books, and presented at a wide variety of academic conferences. Currently, she is involved in several funded studies examining Hebrew teaching in public schools and private contexts.

Paula Field is a tenured Assistant Professor of Nursing whose experience and research focuses on maternal, newborn and women’s healthcare. In addition to teaching courses at BMCC in obstetrical and psychiatric nursing care, in 2009 Professor Field developed an interactive, web-based remediation program for at-risk nursing students, providing them with study and test-taking skills to develop critical thinking. She earned an Associate in Nursing degree from BMCC in 1986 and continued her education at Long Island University and New York University. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in nursing practice from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

In addition to serving on the faculty at BMCC, Field has practiced as a Registered Nurse, Certified Nurse Midwife and Nurse Practitioner. Her passion for education began in the health care facilities where she started her career, developing teaching staff improvement projects. She has presented widely in nursing education conferences, published in nursing journals and contributed to nursing textbooks. A commitment to equity has led Professor Field to participate in activities such as serving on a panel at a BMCC Conference on Global Health Issues. She also led students in a service-learning project with the VA New York Harbor Healthcare System, guiding and evaluating their performance during a simulated disaster drill. “Our students benefit by learning firsthand about disaster preparedness and response, as well as by participating in community service,” says Field. “I hold the bar high but they know I am on their side. When they feel overwhelmed by the rigorousness of a nursing education I remind them, ‘The expert in anything was once a beginner’.”

Janice Mahinka has been teaching music at BMCC since January 2013. She holds a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from The Graduate Center, CUNY, and an M.A. in Musicology from Boston University. Besides teaching survey courses in Western art music and African-American music, Professor Mahinka has worked to create writing-intensive courses in world music.

“I want to empower students to become active and confident participants in the learning process, while understanding the interconnectedness of individuals within their communities—both locally and globally,” says Mahinka, who strives to create inclusive classrooms and workspaces, as well as provide relevant and inspiring curricula for students through a variety of methods, including Open Educational Resources/Zero-Cost Textbook course designs. “I think it’s important to value the knowledges and experiences that BMCC’s diverse students bring to the classroom,” she says. “I also encourage students to build learning communities, much in the way we, as faculty, have built learning communities with our colleagues at BMCC.”

Lara Stapleton, a Lecturer in the BMCC English Department, started her teaching career as a graduate student in English at New York University. She taught as an adjunct in New York City for 14 years before joining BMCC in 2009 and earning a Certificate of Continuous Employment—similar to tenure—in 2014.

“I believe in a very student-centered approach and work hard to remind students of their potential and to rise above any doubt,” says Stapleton, who has been the Faculty Advisor of the BMCC creative writing club, The Writers’ Guild, for the last eight years and inspires emerging writers with her own work as a writer and literary editor. Her collection of short stories, The Lowest Blue Flame Before Nothing, from Aunt Lute Press, is a Pen Open Book Committee Selection and her current project is a teleplay about New Orleans, for which she received sabbatical in 2015. This work examines the history of miscegenation in that city, including the trial of a woman whose family background and racial heritage came into legal question. With family and roots in both East Lansing, Michigan and the Philippines, Stapleton is an advocate for students at BMCC who are negotiating unfamiliar cultural landscapes as they complete their studies and find their voices as writers.

2018 Distinguished Teaching Award Finalists

Tess Bilhartz, Music and Art

Marcus Dargan, Speech, Communication and Theater Arts

Elisa Decker, Music and Art

Diane Dowling, Speech, Communication and Theater Arts

Melissa Eder, Academic Literacy and Linguistics

Rosemary George, Music and Art

Andrew Gottlieb, English

Alan Greenhalgh, Math

Carlos Hernandez, English

Maureen Matarese, Academic Literacy and Linguistics

Chris McCarthy, Mathematics

Frederick Reese, Mathematics

Lesley Rennis, Health Education

Gary Richards, English

Rifat Salam, Social Sciences, Human Services and Criminal Justice

Mary Sepp, Academic Literacy and Linguistics

Ioannis Tournas, Business Management

Michael Volonakis, Music and Art

Judith Yancey, Academic Literacy and Linguistics

Eugenia Yau, Music and Art

Shirley Zaragoza, Business Management

The Distinguished Teacher Award committee, formed by the BMCC Academic Senate, was chaired by Professor Janice Walters (Teacher Education) and included members Jim Berg, Associate Dean of Faculty, and Professors Jacob Kramer (Social Sciences, Human Services and Criminal Justice), Benjamin Powell (Speech, Communication and Theater Arts), Jill Richardson (English), Sarah Salm (Science), Brett Sims (Mathematics) and Shirley Zaragoza (Business Management).

The U.S. Department of State listed Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) as a top producer of students who were awarded Benjamin A. Gilman International scholarships in the 2016-2017 academic year.

The designation recognizes BMCC for its success in making international study and internships more accessible and inclusive for students of all backgrounds through the Gilman Program.

BMCC, along with five other institutions, tied for fourth place on the list of Associates institutions nationwide. BMCC sent more students overseas on Gilman Scholarships during the 2016-2017 academic year than any other CUNY community college.

Over the years, BMCC Gilman scholars have studied in places as diverse as Greece, Argentina, Italy and China. BMCC currently has four Study Abroad programs in Italy, Spain, France and Mexico.

“Because of the Gilman Scholarship, our students have been able to have a rich and rewarding academic experience in a country that they never would have been able to afford to visit, otherwise. They were able to have a firsthand experience of various cultures, learning from experts in the host country about the history of a culture other than their own,” said BMCC Study Abroad Manager Jessica Levin.

BMCC 2016 alumnus Michael Clark says his Gilman Scholarship allowed him to explore field research, an area that has since become the bedrock of his studies.

“This research directly influenced my decision to apply for a Fulbright U.S. Student Program research grant, and as a result I am currently in Kenya continuing the work I began in Uganda,” said Clark.

When Clark returns to the United States, he plans to enter graduate school at the CUNY School of Public Health.

Clark was one of the four BMCC students included in the 2016-2017 academic year. The others included Liberal Arts major Yandeli Cabrera, Childhood Education major Shakema Martin and Business Administration major Queena Cassandra Patricio.

The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, with the support of the U.S. Congress, is reshaping study abroad to make it more accessible and inclusive for American students. The Gilman Program broadens the U.S. student population that studies and interns abroad by providing scholarships to outstanding undergraduates who, due to financial constraints, might not otherwise participate. Since the program’s establishment in 2001, more than 1,300 U.S. institutions have sent more than 25,000 Gilman scholars to 145 countries around the globe.

For more information contact the BMCC Study Abroad office.

The Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) Tribeca Performing Arts Center (BMCC TPAC), the longest-operating performance venue in lower Manhattan, proudly presents The Best Jazz in the Movies, a free event in the 2017-2018 Scenes Through the Cinema Lens series. The event will be held Tuesday, May 8 at 7:30 p.m. at BMCC’s main campus, 199 Chambers Street in lower Manhattan.

This unique film retrospective will feature jazz legends such as Benny Goodman, performing with his quartet and big band in Hollywood Hotel (1937); Nat King Cole (shown right) performing in The Blue Gardenia (1953) and Duke Ellington performing in Murder at the Vanities (1934).

The retrospective will be hosted by Krin Gabbard, Professor of Comparative Literature and English at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and author of Hotter Than That: The Trumpet, Jazz, and American Culture.

The Best Jazz in the Movies will be followed by a Q&A, moderated by Professor Gabbard.

No reservations necessary for this free event. For more information, visit the BMCC TPAC website.

BMCC Tribeca PAC is downtown Manhattan’s premier presenter of the arts, reaching audiences from the college community, downtown residential and business communities, local schools, families and audiences of all ages. BMCC Tribeca PAC strives to present a broad global perspective through the presentation of high-quality artistic work in music, theatre, dance, film and visual arts. BMCC Tribeca PAC is located on the Borough of Manhattan Community College campus, 199 Chambers Street (between Greenwich Avenue and West Street) and is convenient to the 2/3, A/C/E and R/W subway lines and the New Jersey Path Train. For more information please visit the BMCC TPAC website.

Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) and the New York City Department of Veterans’ Services (DVS) will co-host a career event on April 26 for student veterans attending college in all five boroughs of New York City.

The event will be held on the BMCC main campus, 199 Chambers Street in lower Manhattan. It will present two parts: a panel of local government officials who are also military veterans at 5:30 p.m. in Theatre 2, and a networking reception at 6:30 p.m. in Richard Harris Terrace.

All college student veterans who want to attend the event must present a school photo ID, and are recommended to wear business casual attire.

The panel discussion will feature Edna Wells Handy, Acting Chief Compliance Officer, NYC Housing Authority; Jeffrey D. Roth, Deputy Commissioner, NYC Department of Veterans’ Services; James Garcia, Director of Outreach, NYC Service; Felipe C. Moon, Veterans Recruitment Program, NYS Department of Civil Service and Lisa Beatha, University Director of Veteran Affairs, CUNY.

“Student veterans have a particular understanding of what public service means,” says Wilfred Cotto, Veterans Services Specialist in the BMCC Veterans Resource Center. “For those student veterans who want to explore career options in public service that could impact the direction of local government, this event will provide key information and help them make the contacts they need, to move forward with their goals.”

“Whether they want to learn about civil service exams, management opportunities or career paths in City government, this event will be an excellent resource for student veterans. Hiring managers from city, state and federal agencies will be on hand to network with student veterans, so students should bring their business cards and come prepared to network,” says Driada Rivas, Interim Director, BMCC Center for Career Development. “It is a wonderful way to make contact with government officials who are also military veterans, and explore a vital source of opportunities.”

For more information on this event, contact Wilfred Cotto, BMCC Veterans Student Services Coordinator, (212) 220-8000 Ext 5363 or Thierry Thesatus, BMCC Associate Director for Employer Relations, (212) 776-6302.

The Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) Panther has had a makeover—and BMCC students have given it a new name—Manny (short for Manhattan).

In all, more than 3,000 students responded to an email survey by the office of Student Affairs asking them to choose between the names; Hudson, Pat the Panther, Professor Paws and finally the winner, Manny. Almost half of the student participants selected Manny with Professor Paws coming in a distant second place.

“The BMCC Panther instills pride by generating school spirit, excitement and participation,” said Marva Craig, Vice President of Student Affairs at BMCC.

Mascots such as the BMCC Panther have a storied past. They first arrived on college campuses in the late 1900s, but people dressing up as bears, tigers or elephants did not grow popular until the 1970s. The term itself is rooted in French and means “lucky charm.”

Over the years, colleges within the City University of New York system picked their own mascots, according to the CUNY Athletic Conference. At BMCC, the Panther has been around since the college’s earliest days as a business school located in an office building at 134 West 51st Street and called Manhattan Community College, or MCC.

Tracing the panther’s history

“There was a dress code back then, everyone was required to be in business attire,” said Doug Machovic, a member of MCC’s first graduating class in 1966 who is now a professor of Health Education at BMCC.

Getting ahead in business appears to have been the inspiration behind the original MCC Panther mascot. The Panther “symbolizes the power of knowledge and our drive for success in the business jungle,” said a full-page entry from the 1966 MCC yearbook that includes a drawing of the MCC panther.

Archival material provided by the A. Philip Randolph Library at BMCC, as well as first-person accounts, shows that the MCC Panther first pounced onto the men’s basketball court in late 1965 or early 1966 when the college’s athletic program was being led by William “Dolly” King; sports legend, professor and men’s basketball coach.

One of King’s lead players, Frank Navas, was also a member of MCC’s first graduating class and the college’s first recipient of the Martin B. Dworkis Award for Scholarship, Leadership and Sportsmanship, named after MCC’s first president.

“Our coach, William ‘Dolly’ King was a great athlete, but he was an even greater human being,” said Navas, who is now a professor of accounting at BMCC.

King, who arrived at MCC in 1965 as a Professor of Physical Education, Health and Recreation was a star athlete who played for the all-black New York Renaissance professional team.  Then in 1946 King made history when he signed with the all-white Rochester Royals, making him first African American to join the National Basketball League, the predecessor to today’s National Basketball Association.

King has since been recognized as one of the top basketball players of his era according to the Black Fives Foundation, a nonprofit that celebrates the legacy of African Americans in Pre-1950s basketball.

Early panther pride

Spurring the 1967 Panthers onto victory, a spirited cheerleading and booster squad led by Physical Education Professor Mary Jacobs.  The cheerleader’s co-captain was Beryl Duncan, who today is Beryl Duncan Wilson, a professor and counselor in BMCC’s College Discovery program.

“I vaguely remember someone at games wearing a distorted animal head—probably intended to look like a Panther,” said Wilson. A photograph from the 1967 MCC yearbook does in fact show what looks to be a student holding the furry head of a panther.

Wilson says she doesn’t know why the college settled on the Panther as a mascot versus a tiger or a bear—although she and others have speculated that it could be related to the Summer 1966 debut of the Marvel Comic Black Panther series.

Despite the college still being in its infancy, Panther Pride was so great during King’s time as coach, busloads of students often traveled with the basketball team to away games at colleges across the region, Wilson says.

By 1969, Coach William “Dolly” King had compiled a 50-7 record during his time at MCC. But on January 28 while at Panthers game in Binghamton, New York, King had a heart attack and died the next morning. He was just 52 years old.

By the 1970s, men’s varsity sports teams, like the college itself, had expanded. Panther teams included cross-country, soccer, track and field and wrestling teams. For women, there was now basketball, bowling, softball, volleyball and cheerleading. There were also club programs in karate and fencing. Drawings of the Panther were showing up in MCC merchandise such as banners, t-shirts and posters, as well as in yearbooks and other publications.

The panther comes to life

The first image of someone dressed in a panther costume shows up in a 1988 BMCC yearbook. By then, BMCC had a new home at 199 Chambers Street and its student body had grown exponentially. BMCC Athletic Director Steve Kelly suggested that the college probably acquired a costume sometime during that period or in the early 1990s. Nonetheless, by the 2000s, the Panther had become an intricate symbol of BMCC’s school spirit and its brand, showing up at basketball games and other events.

eManny the Panther will certainly make an appearance at the college’s 43^rd Commencement, on June 1 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden—an opportunity for graduates and their families to meet BMCC’s official ambassador of school spirit.

“The BMCC Panther symbolizes pride and represents oneness for students and the rest of the college community,” said Craig. “It wears the college colors of orange and blue, fostering school spirit, positive identity with the college, and enthusiastic participation at special and athletic events.”

L-R: Mercy College Provost Jose Herrera and President Tim Hall; BMCC President Antonio Perez and Provost Karrin E. Wilks

Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) and Mercy College, an institution in Westchester County, New York with campuses in Dobbs Ferry, the Bronx and Yorktown have signed a comprehensive master articulation agreement. The agreement was announced at the BMCC campus on Wednesday, April 18.

“This partnership provides a seamless pathway for students to receive a four-year degree and Mercy College is excited to welcome students from Borough of Manhattan Community College through this articulation agreement,” said Mercy College President Tim Hall.

“We are delighted to enter this articulation agreement with Mercy College,” said Antonio Pérez, BMCC President. “Just as BMCC has programs in place to ensure student success when they enter our institution, we place a high priority on their seamless transfer to the next level of their educational journey. The abundance of academic programs and opportunities available at Mercy College will highly benefit our ambitious graduates.”

Starting today, this partnership will ensure a smooth transfer process for BMCC students to matriculate to Mercy College with junior standing. More than 29 degree programs from BMCC Associate of Arts (A.A.), Associate of Science (A.S.) and Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degrees will be transferable to Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Behavior Science degrees at Mercy College.  A minimum of 60 credits (and a maximum of 75) from the associate degrees can be applied toward the completion of the articulated bachelor degree program. Transferring students will be expected to fulfill Mercy College’s bachelor’s degree requirements and adhere to general academic policies and procedures.

“A commitment to student success is at the heart of BMCC’s mission,” said Karrin E. Wilks, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, BMCC. “Integral to that success are pathways to baccalaureate programs that enable our graduates to move closer to their goals. We are excited at the opportunity for our students to continue their higher education at Mercy College, which will mentor and support their leadership, as well as their academic skills.”

“This is a wonderful partnership between two institutions who share a similar mission that focuses on serving our students with programs that will prepare future leaders in our shared community,” said Dr. José Herrera, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Mercy College.

In keeping with the Mercy College mission of providing students with a pathway to graduation success, Dr. Herrera explained, all transfer students will receive a PACT mentor that will help them navigate degree requirements, register for classes, track academic progress and develop leadership skills.

About Mercy College

Mercy College is the dynamic, diverse New York City area college whose students are on a personal mission: to get the most out of life by getting the most out of their education.  Founded in 1950, Mercy is a coeducational and nonsectarian college that offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs within five schools: Business, Education, Health and Natural Sciences, Liberal Arts and Social and Behavioral Sciences. With campuses in Dobbs Ferry, Bronx, Manhattan and Yorktown Heights, the vibrancy of the College culture is sustained by a diverse student body from around the region.

About Borough of Manhattan Community College 

Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) is part of the City University of New York (CUNY) and enrolls over 27,000 degree-seeking and 11,000 continuing education students a year, awarding associate degrees in more than 45 fields. BMCC ranks #5 among community colleges nationwide in granting associate degrees to minority students, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education. Visit: http://www.bmcc.cuny.edu.

Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) students, faculty and staff gathered in the BMCC Single Stop office April 23 to celebrate the opening of the college’s new Panther Pantry with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

BMCC students facing a food emergency who visit the Single Stop Office for a needs assessment will now be able to take home a three-day supply of nutritionally balanced, nonperishable food. Single Stop staff will also continue to work with and connect those students to sustainable food sources, primarily the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

“The BMCC community has always responded to student needs, and this new service takes it to another level, “ said Deborah Harte, Director of BMCC’s Single Stop program. She also said the food pantry will serve an estimated 250 students each month, with plans to expand the program as more funding becomes available.

CUNY’s interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Christopher Rosa praised BMCC’s new accomplishment, telling the audience that creating a food pantry is not logistically an easy task. “No college has greater demand for space than BMCC,” he said.

Rosa said the BMCC’s Single Stop is helping change the overall narrative and stigma that often surrounds public assistance.

“BMCC understands we are reframing the conversation about public benefits as a new form of financial aid,” he said.

BMCC leads effort

From the start, the pantry has been an in-house effort coordinated by the Office of Student Affairs and BMCC President Antonio Pérez who arranged for initial project funding from the BMCC Foundation. The college is currently applying for additional financial sources and will also accept nonperishable food donations from faculty and staff.

“For me, this is a moment that hits home,” said Pérez, as he recalled his own childhood when he and his family faced issues of food insecurity. “We must do our part to make certain students don’t go home hungry,” he said.

BMCC Vice President of Student Affairs Marva Craig said addressing food insecurity relates directly to the college’s mission to retain students and ensure they graduate. “Over the years, faculty have reported witnessing students who show up for class hungry, sometimes, those students are in need of food to get them to the finish line.”

Hunger, a national problem among college students

Conversations surrounding the detrimental role that hunger plays in Academic performance have been ongoing for years. In the past 30 days, 36 percent of university students and 42 percent of community college students felt food insecure, according to a recent study from the Hope Lab, a Wisconsin based research laboratory aimed at improving equitable outcomes in postsecondary education. At BMCC, around 71 percent of BMCC students come from families earning less than $30,000 a year, many below the poverty line.

Roseann Ragone, Assistant Director of BMCC Enrollment Management Services brought along a food donation for the pantry.

“I worked in Financial Aid for 27 years and I saw a lot of students who are in need. Giving something to the BMCC community is the right thing to do,” she said, “If everyone would donate just one item, imagine what an even more far reaching program this might be.”

On May 10, Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) will celebrate faculty and staff who have accrued up to 50 years of service to the college, with a luncheon reception in the Fiterman Hall Conference Center.

“We are celebrating the success and dedication of our faculty and staff, and their commitment to our students,” said Karrin E. Wilks, Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs. “BMCC is an amazing place to work and these honorees are a testament to that.”

BMCC President Antonio Pérez, along with other administrators of the college, will take part in the ceremony as each honoree receives a certificate honoring their years served.

The event, hosted by the Office of Academic Affairs, is open to all BMCC faculty and staff. Please RSVP to Maria Castillo, macastillo@bmcc.cuny.edu.

50 Years of Service at BMCC 

Martin P. Levine

Fay Rogg

45 Years of Service at BMCC

Edward M. Bostick

Everett William Flannery

40 Years of Service at BMCC

Laszlo Grunfeld

Joseph Johnson

Mary S. Padula

35 Years of Service at BMCC

Philip A. Belcastro

June L. Gaston

Bernardo Pace

Michael Paul Basile

30 Years of Service at BMCC

Jacqueline Andrews

Kenneth Levinson

Lisa St. Hill

25 Years of Service at BMCC

Peter Consenstein

Diane Dowling

Allan Felix

David H. Knight

Fred J. Lane

Marie A. Morgan

Frederick A. Reese

Suzanne C. Schick

Carol Wasserman

Tracy Wynn

Lily Yi-Elkin

20 Years of Service at BMCC

Lawrence C. Dumaguing

Yakov Genis

Leonore Gonzalez

Yi Han

Eda Henao

Angela E. Jervis

Konstantinos Kanellopoulos

Stephen Kelly

Alkis Papoutsis

Samuel Paul

Ruru Rusmin

Diane E. Simmons

Christopher B. Thompson

Nanette Van Loon

Nathan A. Whyte

Alternative high school students who have earned their High School Equivalency diploma and are 18 to 24 years old can now enter a training program and start working toward a career as an Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT).

This opportunity has been made possible by a partnership between the Paramedic program in the  Department of Allied Health Sciences and the Center for Continuing Education and Workforce Development at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY), Comprehensive Development, Inc. (CDI), and Northwell Health.

Funded by the Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation, the Spring 2018 EMT pilot program is serving its first cohort, 25 students who will receive technical and customer service training and earn stackable credits into the Associate in Applied Sciences (A.A.S.) Paramedic program in BMCC’s Allied Health Science department. They will also complete an internship and be placed in EMT or related healthcare positions.

“This important partnership supports BMCC’s goal to enable student transitions across the education continuum from high school to our community college,” says Sunil Gupta, Dean of the Center for Continuing Education and Workforce Development at BMCC.

The EMT program enables eligible high school graduates to accrue postsecondary, bankable college credit, he explains. “It opens a pathway to higher education in the long run and in the immediate future, makes it possible for these 18- to 24-year-olds to apply in-demand skills and certification to enter the thriving New York City healthcare industry.”

Combining customer service and technical skills training

During the planning of the EMT program, “We changed our lens to ask, ‘What do employers want from workers in these fields?’,” says Michael A. Roberts, Executive Director of the CDI. “We met with medical providers and representatives from urgent care facilities and asked, ‘What would it take, for you to hire an 18- to 24-year-old? What do you see as missing in their skill set?’”

The upshot of those meetings is that the EMT students are starting with an eight-week Bridge Program taught by CDI staff at BMCC. During this time, they focus on workplace issues and customer service skills, especially as they relate to the healthcare industry.

After completing the Bridge Program, the students complete 12 weeks of EMT occupational training taught by BMCC’s Paramedic program, and an eight-week internship at a Northwell Health medical facility.

At the end of the program, they will be eligible to take the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians EMT Certification, and will work with an employment specialist whose goal is to place them in EMT or related positions.

“Collaboration between Northwell, Borough of Manhattan Community College and Comprehensive Development Inc. will help EMT program graduates develop all the competencies needed to succeed in the workplace and perform at a high level,” said Deirdre J. Duke, Corporate Director of Human Resources Programs at Northwell Health.

Serving the at-risk male population

Another consideration in designing the EMT program was who it will serve. Participants are recruited from three high schools in the CDI network: The High School for Health Professions and Human Services, Manhattan Comprehensive Night and Day High School, and City-As-School High School.

The EMT program is modeled after the successful Medical Assistant Specialist (MAS) program at BMCC, which also provides a Bridge Program, occupational training and an internship—all culminating in job placement and retention services.

While the MAS program has excellent completion rates, “It attracts about 85 percent female students, and we realized we weren’t serving the at-risk male population,” Roberts says. “Now we have an EMT cohort of 25 participants, and 18 of them are male participants within the 18- to 24-year-old age range.”

Applying EMT skills in tangible, life-saving settings

To complete the internship component of the EMT program, “We’re going to take the students to Northwell on the Long Island Rail Road,” says Roberts. “They’ll take part in an intensive training leading to their EMT certification exam and get a full immersion into the EMT workplace.”

Vincent Papasodero, Program Director at the Northwell Health Emergency Medical Institute (EMI), says, “Thanks to this innovative curriculum, EMI will be able to offer students tangible, life-saving skills through patient simulation sessions that replicate real-life medical emergencies, interactions with actual patients in clinical settings, including those with special needs, and training in hazardous materials and emergency vehicle operations.”

Removing the driver’s license barrier

As part of a larger emergency medical system, EMTs are expected to stabilize and safely transport patients in situations ranging from routine medical transports to life-threatening emergencies.

This translates into a barrier for the young men and women of color the EMT program is designed to serve, Roberts says, “most of whom live in urban centers, use public transportation and don’t drive.”

For this reason, the EMT program provides a driver’s training component.

“Not only that, it costs the students nothing,” Roberts says. “The program is free, and it’s an incredible opportunity. Graduates of the program who earn their certification could make up to $40,000 a year, as an EMT. They can also enter the Paramedic program at BMCC and lattice up, to become a paramedic. We’ve created a number of pathways for them.”

On April 18, students in the BMCC Civic Leadership Program and Academy of Leadership and Service—both offered through the Office of Student Activities—as well as students from the Social Sciences, Human Services and Criminal Justice Department visited the United Nations Headquarters on East 42^nd Street in Manhattan.

The trip was organized through the Student Activities office for students interested in learning about the mission of the United Nations, and how they can pursue opportunities in international development and human and social justice.

Led by a UN tour guide, the students visited the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council. They learned about key pillars of the UN’s work, including efforts to promote peace and economic stability across the globe by addressing issues such as disarmament and human rights.

The students were accompanied by BMCC staff members Melissa E. Aponte, Assistant Director of Student Activities and Leadership, and Doug Israel, Director of Government and Community Relations.

According to BMCC Science major Tsering Choetso, who took part in the tour, “I greatly enjoyed the visit to the United Nations. I want to see positive change in the world and I learned that through engagement we can help create that change.”

“The BMCC Academy of Leadership and Service continues to expand leadership development opportunities for our students,” Aponte said. “The Civic Leadership program is a great example of how we seek to address their diverse interests and better prepare them to be engaged citizens after graduating. Visits to the United Nations and other governing bodies provide our students the avenues to take active participation in their communities while challenging them to apply classroom learning to real life situations.”

“I was pleased to see such strong interest from BMCC students in learning about how the United Nations is helping solve many of the planet’s most pressing problems,” said Israel. “As this semester’s Civic Leadership program comes to a close, it is clear that many of our students are interested in being more civically engaged and finding ways to have a positive impact on their communities here in the U.S. and also abroad.”

The participating students included Asana Abubakari, Djenabou Bah, Odaine Chambers, Fnu Tsering Choetso, Makeme Conde,Thierno Hamdiata Diallo, Niels Hansen, Caeden Ignaszak, Raykhon Juraeva, Stephanie Jerome,Mahnaz Masud Khan, Wendy Miguel, Kiyonah Mya Buckhalter, Kelly Otterness, Awa Sanno, Sultan Saleh, Prince Sari, Ayman Saweris, Maharanni Singh,Lansana Sylla, Beatriz Santiago Torres, Sultana Yesmin and Rumeysa Yoruklu.

Students interested in joining the Civic Leadership Program next semester may contact Melissa Aponte, Assistant Director of Student Activities, at maponte@bmcc.cuny.edu.

RELATED ARTICLES: Students Make Their Voices Heard in Albany, BMCC Celebrates Student Leadership and Service, BMCC Delegation Meets With Elected Officials

Fast forward to 2018 and BMCC’s 53^rd commencement is scheduled for June 1 in the Theater at Madison Square Garden. More than 4,000 graduates are expected to receive their associate degrees—and they will be joined by members of BMCC’s 1966 class, as well as others who graduated from BMCC in the 1960s.

Those early alumni will also attend a 50^th Milestone Alumni Reception Luncheon, and take their place on the stage during the afternoon commencement ceremony.

“The first graduating classes from BMCC helped establish the ‘Start here. Go Anywhere.’ spirit of the college that has become ingrained in its identity,” says Yaritza Gonzalez, BMCC Manager of Alumni Relations and Annual Fund. “BMCC is more than just a place where alumni completed their degrees. To many, BMCC was a second home during one of the most formative times of their lives.”

When tuition was free and the subway was 20¢

“We were a pretty diverse class, even in the sixties,” says Frank Navas, a member of BMCC’s first graduating class and a Professor of Accounting who has worked at the college for more than 50 years. “Everyone had things in common, like family income, and coming from one-parent households.”

BMCC opened in 1964 on two floors of an office building on West 51^stStreet, and expanded to several floors in other buildings, “including a location at 68^thStreet and Amsterdam Avenue, and one on Seventh Avenue, where we had a famous recording studio on the top floor and would run into Peter, Paul and Mary in the elevator,” Navas says. “We worked hard but it was a great time. There was a bar close by that we called ‘North Campus’, and we would meet up there for beer, after class.”

At that time, BMCC tuition was free, and a one-way subway fare was 20¢. New York City saw its first transit workers’ strike in 1966, and shut down for 12 days. Lyndon Johnson was President of the United States and protests against the War in Vietnam were in full swing. The Black Panther Party was formed, a woman ran in the Boston Marathon for the first time and Hair opened on Broadway.

Taking the right advice

Professor Navas came to New York City from Puerto Rico at age 11 with his mother and older sister. Since he didn’t speak English, “They put me back a couple grades in school,” he says, “but I picked up the language pretty fast. It helped that I read comic books, and I still read and collect them.” Also, he says, “my cousins would only talk to me in English.”

Even with relatives in New York, the family’s transition was a challenge. “My sister supported the household,” Navas says. “She busted her chops doing piecework in a factory. She gave up her education to support us. We were on public assistance and the social worker told me I shouldn’t go to college, that I should go to work instead.”

Navas ignored that advice. Eventually, he was moved ahead a grade and graduated from Seward Park High School on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. “I only had a general diploma,” he says. “If it hadn’t been for my guidance counselor, Mrs. Shulman, I wouldn’t be teaching here today. She got me the application for BMCC. She said, ‘There’s this new community college I just heard about and I think it would be good for you’.”

Changing times

Navas thrived at BMCC. A member of the basketball team—“Defense was my thing”—and on the Dean’s List, he was awarded the Martin B. Dworkis Memorial Award, “to the outstanding athlete with the highest academic average.”

BMCC had a dress code then, he says. “Men had to wear a suit and tie. Women couldn’t wear pants and they had to wear at least one-inch heels.”

After he transferred to Baruch College, “I don’t remember seeing any women in my accounting classes and there were no women teaching classes,” Navas says, adding that there were also no women or minorities portrayed in the case studies in his accounting textbooks—then times changed.

“At BMCC over the years, I’ve seen more women come on board as professors and students in accounting, and I would say maybe 20 years ago I began to notice women writing accounting textbooks, and the problems in the books began to reflect the diversity in our classrooms. They started to add women to the mix, and also Hispanic business owners and other groups.”

The 50^th Milestone Alumni Reception and an invitation to more recent alumni

For Navas, the support he received at BMCC still resonates after 50 years.

“When I finished my bachelor’s degree in accounting at Baruch, there was a professor at BMCC, Lewis Hughes—the best accounting professor I ever had—and he told me a committee of the accounting department wanted to offer me a full-time lecturer position at BMCC, because of his support of me. What I had to do in return, he said, was to continue my education and earn my graduate degree, my MBA.”

Navas kept his end of the bargain. He earned an MBA at Fordham University and has taught at BMCC since Spring 1973.

“The economy has changed in that time, but there is still a great need for accountants,” he says. “If students want to work in accounting they have more opportunities than ever; they can go into forensic, governmental and other areas in the field.”

Navas looks forward to attending the Milestone Luncheon on June 1, the day of BMCC’s 53^rd commencement, and comparing notes with classmates he might not have seen for decades.

“I could have gone into accounting and taught other places but I decided teaching at BMCC was the best way to give back,” he says. “I’m very proud of BMCC and I owe a lot to this college.”

According to Gonzalez, who is reaching out to alumni on behalf of the college, “We are very excited about the 50th Milestone Alumni Reception, honoring our graduates from the 1960s. We also want to encourage more recent BMCC alumni, and those who graduated 20, 30 and 40 years ago, to keep in touch with us and participate in our special alumni events. We provide a growing list of benefits for our alumni, including access to the BMCC library, gym and career center. To learn more about the alumni relations office I encourage alumni to visit bmcc.cuny.edu/alumni or email me at ygonzalez@bmcc.cuny.edu.”

The Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) Writing and Literature programrecognized outstanding student writers at the 2018 James Tolan Student Writing awards on April 24 in Theater 2, at 199 Chambers Street.

The program included welcoming remarks from Provost and Senior Vice President Karrin Wilks and English Department Chair Professor Joyce Harte. A special remembrance of English Professor James Tolan was delivered by BMCC English Professor Holly Messitt. Two student award winners, Kelly Otterness and Damian Ruff, read excerpts of their work at the ceremony.

BMCC English Professor Diane E. Simmons came up with the idea for an award recognizing student writing in 2003, soon after the BMCC Writing and Literature program began. Simmons worked closely with Tolan to make the awards ceremony a reality and by 2004, outstanding student writers were being recognized with awards that were funded by donations from BMCC faculty.

The awards were renamed for James Tolan after he passed away in March 2017.

“Jim Tolan [shown right] was a profoundly invested teacher. He was a poet and a creative writer,” said English Professor Jason Schneiderman, who called the award ceremony the perfect memorial to Tolan.

Several of Tolan’s poetry collections were published over the years, including Filched (Dos Madres Press, 2017) and Mass of the Forgotten (Autumn House Press, 2013). He was the recipient of honors from the Association of Writers and Writing Programs, the Atlantic Center for the Arts, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

“Jim cultivated creativity in himself and others and wanted his students to believe in themselves as writers,” said English Professor Holly Messitt. Tolan connected with his students through his own working-class background, and approached their writing with an enormous generosity of spirit, she says.

“His students have told me that his influence as a teacher has left them with greater insight into how to move through the world as a human being,” said Messit.

Following the awards ceremony, the Writing and Literature program, in collaboration with Poets House, presented National Book Award Finalist and Whiting Award winner Shane McRae as part of The Fourth Reading of the 2017-18 Working Writers Reading Series.

This year’s student writing award winners

• Kelly Otterness, “Colorblind Racism’s Lenses or How to Stay Colorblind in a Colorful World,” critical essay

• Damian Ruff [shown right], “The Bluest Eye and The Myth of the Black Man: A Queer Reading of a Toni Morrison Classic,” critical essay

• Damaris Frias, “La Isla de Oscuridad,” fiction

• Jorge Patino, “Contact: Epitomizing Feminism” critical essay and “Palabras,” fiction

• Daya Van Dam, “The Case of Free Will Versus Fate in Shakespeare’s Plays: How Prophesies Come True: Human Action or Written in the Stars?” critical essay

• Domonique Eaddy, “Searching for Heroine,” fiction

• Jayshawn Lee: poetry

• Margaret Rempe: “Broken Window” and “If I Knew Any Better,” drama

Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) President Antonio Pérez will step down after having served with 23 years of leadership at the college. Effective August 31, 2018, President Pérez will be leaving BMCC to pursue other opportunities in New York City higher education.

“President Pérez is a proven leader with great vision and a long track record of accomplishments at BMCC. The leadership he displayed in the wake of 9/11 and the attack’s impact on lower Manhattan—an unusual role for a college president—will not be forgotten. We wish him great luck in his future endeavors,” said CUNY Interim Chancellor Vita Rabinowitz.

Appointed in 1995, President Pérez led BMCC to have the highest undergraduate enrollment of any college in New York City, increasing from 16,500 students when he came on board, to more than 27,000 today. BMCC has also grown to provide almost 50 Associate degree programs in the Liberal Arts and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

Under the leadership of President Pérez, BMCC has become a premier institution of higher learning on the national level, leading the way in grant-funded STEM research, Open Educational Resources (OER), pipeline programs to ensure seamless transfers for graduates, and staff and faculty leadership development. He has also led the development of programs at BMCC that increase the participation of women and low-income students in STEM other high-demand fields. Throughout these efforts, President Pérez has demonstrated a solid commitment to the BMCC mission that values, at its core, equity and success for all students.

President Perez is widely known for having shepherded the BMCC community through the aftermath of the attacks of  September 11, 2001. BMCC is the only college in the United States to have lost a building to a terrorist attack. Fiterman Hall was destroyed when World Trade 7 collapsed and fell against it, and the college’s main campus at 199 Chambers Street became a command center for about 2,000 rescue workers. “That was the beginning of a new chapter in the life of our college and in my presidency,” says President Perez. “Suddenly we were faced with new and unprecedented challenges.”

President Pérez approached those challenges with strategies and a vision that have helped define leadership in a crisis and impacted crisis management protocols for higher education institutions, nationwide. He also led efforts to create a public and private partnership that enabled BMCC’s Fiterman Hall to be razed and rebuilt. It reopened in 2012.

After the college reopened, President Pérez addressed the BMCC community. “Darkness cannot be defeated by darkness,” he told students, faculty and staff who were determined to resume their education. “It will only be overcome by light, and education is all about light.” At commencement that Spring 2002, he spoke to graduates whose achievements sent a message of hope. “We at BMCC have witnessed first-hand the destructive power of terrorism,” said the President. “Terrorism feeds on hatred, and hatred is the child of ignorance. Hatred is overcome only by understanding, by knowledge and by human compassion, all of which are the best fruits of education.”

This focus on the positive, and on student success has characterized the legacy of President Pérez. After 9/11, he was determined to let BMCC students know their college was going to remain open. To get that message out, he approached one of the news trucks lined up along the West Side Highway, and offered a reporter a better vantage point—BMCC’s rooftop.

“All I asked in return is that as long they were reporting the news, they would have subtitles scrolling across the bottom of the screen announcing, ‘BMCC will be reopening’,” he says, and it did open its doors within three weeks after the attacks, as he had predicted.

In the years that followed, the revitalization of lower Manhattan gained momentum and BMCC thrived, increasing its enrollment, degree programs, retention rates, innovative curricula and student support programs.

“As the area revitalized, BMCC stayed in step with that growth,” says President Pérez. “The resiliency of our institution reflects the types of students we attract, who are looking for a better life with the same tenacity and positive response to adversity that we hold as a college. Our faculty, staff and students show a determination that reverberates within the institution. I feel strongly that the most important thing I can leave to the college is the realization that our students can start here and they can go anywhere.”

Embedded photos, top to bottom:

BMCC President Antonio Pérez and presidential candidate Barack Obama, 2007

BMCC President Antonio Pérez, center, walking to Fiterman Hall groundbreaking ceremony, 2009

BMCC President Antonio Pérez, center, at New York Stock Exchange, 2013

BMCC President Antonio Pérez with CBS reporter Lou Young on BMCC rooftop after 9/11, 2001

L-R: Antonio Perez, Jim Berg, Jose Fernandez Romero, Brenda Lagares, Daniel Torres, Marawan Elzoeiry, Christine Farias, Alexandra Artyfikiewicz, Victor Cruz, Claudia Melo, Adolfina Koroch, Karrin Wilks, Helene Bach

On May 9, the 2018 Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) Annual Research Symposium (BARS) presented a poster session that highlighted the research projects of 92 students working with 39 faculty mentors in a wide variety of fields.

Guided by their professors, the students have been examining kinetic recycling, robotic navigation, virtual reality, graph theory, the bioactivity of medicinal plants, solar panels, human memory and a number of other topics.

“The 2018 poster presentations showcase the unique undergraduate research opportunities at BMCC, made possible by the dedication and academic excellence of our faculty, as well as the talent and commitment of our students,” said Karrin E. Wilks, Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs.

She said she is not only impressed with the caliber and significant outcomes of the projects, “They expand and develop the students’ education and career preparation, and contribute to a rich and thriving research community at BMCC.”

Poster winners

As is the tradition with poster sessions, a competition determined which ones met the highest standards. They were judged by 44 volunteers; staff and faculty members who followed a rubric focused on the quality of communication and other elements.

“The poster event and competition is an illustration of students connecting to academics, faculty and the BMCC campus, which are the most promising ways to keep students engaged and on track to graduation,” said Sara Crosby, Director of the BMCC Learning Academy and a volunteer poster judge.

“I left the event feeling very proud of BMCC students, faculty, and staff,” she says, “and with my brain full of magnetic catalysts, wobble bots, protein distance maps and reiki’s effect on C. elegans!”

The winning students, along with the names of their projects and faculty mentors are:

Claudia Melo and Victor Cruz, “Antioxidant capacity of guava: A traditional medicinal plant used in the Dominican Republic (psidium guajava),” Professor Adolfina Koroch, Science;

Alexandra Artyfikiewicz, “Composting: A benefit or a cost for BMCC,” Professor Christine Farias, Social Sciences, Human Services and Criminal Justice;

Brenda Lagares and Reese Long, “Combination of griffithsin and broadly neutralizing antibodies results in antiviral synergy against HIV-1,” Professor José Fernández Romero, Science;

Amanda McKenzie, “How does attention affect the richness of our visual experience?” Professor Marjan Persuh, Social Sciences, Human Services and Criminal Justice;

Marawan Elzoeiry, “Adsorbate induced-segregation effects in three different mixed oxides: A computer-based study,” Professor Daniel Torres, Science.

Publically relevant, high-impact work

On May 23 in a conference room at 199 Chambers Street, a ceremony was held to honor the research poster winners.

The students and their faculty mentors came together, along with BMCC President Antonio Pérez, Dean Jim Berg, Provost Karrin Wilks and Director of Research Helene Bach.

Each student winner received a certificate of recognition and an award of $500 from the BMCC Office of Academic Affairs toward travel expenses to present their posters at a national research conference in the coming academic year.

Research projects at BMCC afford students with a unique opportunity to gain hands-on understanding of some of the most compelling research questions and issues under consideration today.

For example, said Professor Romero, in the project he leads with students Brenda Lagares and Reese Longare, “The TZM-bl or HeLa cells we used in our experiments are part of the legacy of Henrietta Lacks,” an African-American woman whose cancer cells were harvested without her knowledge when she died in 1951, and are the source of one of the most important cell lines in medical research today.

The HeLa cells in his project, which are provided free of charge through the National Institutes of Health AIDS Reagent Program, have been genetically engineered to become susceptible to HIV infection. “They are used to evaluate the potential antiviral synergy of a protein isolated from red seaweed, in combination with broadly neutralizing anti-HIV antibodies,” Romero says.

In other words, they are being used to contribute to the knowledge base that is enabling possible HIV treatments.

“You are all doing high caliber, graduate-level work here at BMCC,” Director Bach told the student researchers.

They are able to describe their work to PhDs and other researchers in their field, she said, as well as bring publically relevant, high-impact issues to the attention of the general public.

“Your research is not only technically difficult,” Bach said, “it warrants having a presence outside the laboratory, so that people are aware of its influence on the economy, public health, the environment and other vital areas.”

Research opportunities at BMCC

At BMCC, students benefit from multiple research opportunities housed in departments as varied as the Center for Ethnic studies, Health Education, Modern Languages, Science and Business.

These opportunities often provide stipends for student researchers who work closely with their professors who are principal investigators on state- and federally funded grants provided through the BMCC Foundation Fund for Undergraduate Research, the Louis Stokes Allied Minority Participation (LSAMP), the CUNY Research Scholars Program (CRSP) and others.

Resources for faculty researchers include the BMCC Office of Research and Scholarly Inquiry, which provides training and support for faculty and student researchers. For more information, call (212) 220-8320, Ext. 7980.

Another resource is the BMCC Office of Sponsored Programs, which offers a wide range of resources to faculty and staff as they search for external funding, develop proposals and manage funded projects. For more information, call (212) 220-8010.

The Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY), Nursing Department held its annual Pinning Ceremony in Theatre One at 199 Chambers Street on May 30. Dressed in crisp white uniforms, the 57 graduates for Spring 2018 marched into the auditorium to “Pomp and Circumstance” as proud family, friends and others cheered them on.

BMCC President Antonio Pérez welcomed the audience and Erwin Wong, Dean for Academic Programs and Instruction as well as Jim Berg, Associate Dean of Faculty offered further remarks. Karrin Wilks, Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs, told the graduates that choosing to be a nurse is a special calling.

“As nurses, you will be doing something significant for society, both patients and their families, and for that I want to thank you,” said Wilks.

In the weeks to come, the BMCC graduates will take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (RNs).

Nationwide, demand for Registered Nurses is expected to increase 16 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all other occupations, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (USBLS).

The need for nurses will likely be driven by an increased emphasis on preventive care; growing rates of chronic conditions, such as diabetes and obesity; and the need for healthcare services for the aging Baby-Boomer population, according to the USBLS.

BMCC offers both a full-time and a part-time, evening and weekend nursing programs for students who wish to become Registered Nurses.

BMCC nursing graduate Sandra Shamburger is a former member of the East German swim team and had been teaching swimming over the past few years. “In five years, I plan to either be a mid-wife or a nurse practitioner,” said Shamburger, who was ready to make a career change.

Graduate Carl Shimkin, said he felt both relieved and accomplished after completing the challenging program.

“This is a second career for me, and I was attracted to nursing because it is so meaningful and important, and that I get to help people,” said Shimkin, a former filmmaker and producer.

A native of New York City, Shimkin plans to look for opportunities outside of tri-state area and explore other parts of the country.

BMCC Nursing Department Chairperson Judy Eng said the pinning ceremony is a celebration for all the “stress and tears” students experience as they earn their degree.

“We didn’t ‘give’ this Associate Degree in Nursing to graduates — they earned it,” she said. “They don’t realize how hard they’ve worked, until this moment.”

Keynote speaker for the event was Yasmin Henry, Head Nurse, Educator, Clinical Affiliations Coordinator at Metropolitan Medical Center, NYC Health and Hospitals.  And the farewell address was delivered by BMCC Professor Sophia Clarke.

The Nursing Department also presented several special awards for the morning, afternoon and evening class sections including:

Nursing Award for Academic Excellence; Eter Bardanashvili, Dshania Lettsome and Carl Shimkin.

The Professional Development Award: Larisa Ochikova, Evelyn Paulino and Monica Rivera.

The Nursing Humanitarian Award: Sara Acosta, Nabina Khanal and Stephen Otteng.

The Best All Around Student: Kristen Buckley, Melissa Farmer, Stephen Otteng.

The Aubrey T. Robinson Award for Leadership, Intelligence, Compassion and Humor: Carl Shimkin.

The Sylvia Vincent Corliss Award for Intelligence, Caring and Humor: Monica Rivera.

The class of 2018 includes; Sara Acosta, Mayra Arcentales, Anika Arismendez, Ensa Badjie, Eter Bardanashvili, Yanique Black, Dmitry Bloomberg, Kristen Buckley, Mary Burgos, Qiling Chen, Zhong Chen, Arnaldo Cruz, Kinga Debowski, Charneil Donegan, Brittney Douce, Michelle Douglas, Melissa Farmer, Dyhia Fedoul, Alina Grinberg, Laurel Hom, Stephen Hughes, Nabina Khanal, Dina Kifayeh, Doma Lama, Raquel Lessey, D’shania Lettsome, D’shania Lettsome, Yuan Yuan Liu, Luis Madrid, Tzipora Montaine, Malda Muho, Nadezda Nevinskaya, Jenny Ng, Larisa Ochikova, Jasmine Olivo, Stephen Otteng, Foster Owusu, Evelyn Paulino, Sonia Piekarczyk, Cashima Pondt, Monical Rivera, Lisa Rodriguez, Yaquelyn Rodriguez, Maryia Rud, Habiba Salisu, Sandra Shamburger, Carl Shimkin, Olha Skyba, Maria Fernanda Soto, Brittney Taylor, Paldon Tenzin, Lianee Torres, Lilet Tubiak, Yanisda Vasquez, Lyudmyla Vitenko-Reynolds, Marion Williams and Melania Wozniak.

Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) Tribeca Performing Arts Center (BMCC TPAC), the longest-operating performance venue in lower Manhattan, proudly presents a new slate of family and school programming for the 2018-2019 Season.

Shows include Charlotte’s Web on Saturday, October 6; Pete The Cat on Saturday, November 24 and Sunday, November 25; Dragons Love Tacos on Saturday, December 15; The Magic School Bus on March 23, and more. All Family shows begin at 11 a.m..

Tickets for the Family Series are $30 or $13 with a 10Club membership. Schooltime tickets are $5 for students, with chaperones/teachers free. Purchase tickets online or call (212) 220-1460.

For 2019 Family Series programming, visit online.

Arm of the Sea Theater Presents City That Drinks The Mountain Sky

Thursday, October 18 at 10:15 a.m. and 12 p.m.

With poetry, puppetry and evocative music, City that Drinks the Mountain Sky brings alive the lyrical landscape of the Catskills and portrays the ongoing story of the watershed and those who protect its  flowing treasure. Expect visual punch and timely wit as the Hudson Valley’s premier eco-logic theater traces life’s quintessential liquid from mountaintop to city tap.

Theaterworks USA Presents Charlotte’s Web

Saturday, October 6 at 11 a.m.

Charlotte’s Web is based on E.B. White’s loving story of the friendship between a pig named Wilbur and a little gray spider named Charlotte. Wilbur has a problem: how to avoid winding up as pork chops! Charlotte, a fine writer and true friend, hits on a plan to fool Farmer Zuckerman. She will create a “miracle.” Spinning the words “Some Pig” in her web, Charlotte weaves a solution which not only makes Wilbur a prize pig but also ensures his place on the farm forever. This treasured tale, featuring mad-cap and endearing farm animals, explores bravery, selfless love and the true meaning of friendship.

Pushcart Players of New Jersey Presents A Cinderella Tale … Happily Ever After

Saturday, November 3 at 11 a.m.

Friday, November 2 at 10:15 a.m. and 12 p.m.

Providing a significant and timeless learning opportunity for today’s kids and adults. It is no wonder that this tale has been told and re-told around the globe over many centuries (its earliest known telling dates back to Ninth Century China). More than a thousand years later this beloved story continues to tell us about ourselves, our yearnings for transformation and a happily ever after conclusion. A Cinderella Tale … Happily Ever After will take young and family audiences on that sometimes happy, sometimes sad—but always compelling journey fueled by inner beauty, courage and kindness as they triumph over greed, arrogance and bully behavior.

Theaterworks USA Presents Pete The Cat

Saturday and Sunday, November 24 and 25, at 11 a.m.

When Pete the Cat gets caught rocking out after bedtime, the cat-catcher sends him to live with the Biddle family to learn his manners—and boy are they square!  But for the groovy blue cat, life is an adventure no matter where you wind up, so the minute Pete walks in the door, he gets the whole family rocking. The whole family that is, except for young Jimmy Biddle, the most organized second grader on planet earth. As the end of second grade approaches, Jimmy has a lot of tests, and the last thing he needs is some groovy cat in his life, changing his family and turning everything upside down.  But when Jimmy draws a blank in art class during the last week of school, it turns out Pete is the perfect friend to help him out. Together, they set out on a mission to help Jimmy conquer second grade art, and along the way, they both learn a little something new about inspiration.  Join Jimmy and Pete on an adventure of friendship, all the way to Paris and back in a VW Bus!  Based on the Pete the Cat Series of Books by Kimberly and James Dean.

ArtsPower Presents Nugget & Fang

Sunday, December 2 at 11 a.m.

Monday, December 3 at 10:15 a.m. and 12 p.m.

ArtsPower’s under-the-sea musical tells the story of Nugget, a minnow, and Fang, a shark, who get along swimmingly — until Nugget’s first day of minnow school. There, Nugget learns that minnows are supposed to be afraid of sharks! To regain Nugget’s trust, Fang takes desperate and hilarious measures. Nothing goes as planned. Fang is moping in deep waters when he notices that Nugget and his minnow schoolmates are caught up in some big trouble (and one very big net). Holy mackerel! Can Fang save the day and prove he’s a true friend?

Theaterworks USA Presents Dragons Love Tacos

Saturday, December 15 at 11 a.m.

A musical revue of beloved contemporary children’s books!  Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri.  Dragons love all sorts of tacos — except spicy ones!  When a boy throws his new dragon friends a spicy salsa taco party, red-hot trouble ensues.  Other stories include Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein, The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride by Kate DiCamillo and Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa School Days by Erica Silverman.

BMCC Tribeca PAC is Downtown Manhattan’s premier presenter of the arts, reaching audiences from the college community, downtown residential and business communities, local schools, families, and audiences of all ages.   BMCC Tribeca PAC strives to present a broad global perspective through the presentation of high-quality artistic work in music, theatre, dance, film and visual arts. BMCC Tribeca PAC is located on the Borough of Manhattan Community College campus, 199 Chambers Street (between Greenwich Avenue & West Street) and is convenient to the 2/3, A/C/E and R/W subway lines and the New Jersey Path Train.  For more information please visit our website, www.tribecapac.org.

The Manhattan Early College for Advertising (MECA) held its first commencement ceremony on June 22 in Theater 2 of the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) at 199 Chambers Street.

MECA is a high school that operates through a partnership between BMCC, the New York City Department of Education and industry partners from the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A’s).

First-year MECA students take all their classes at MECA, located within the Murry Bergtraum High School for Business Careers at 411 Pearl Street in lower Manhattan. They begin taking college courses on the BMCC campus as early as 10th grade.

Just five years earlier, MECA was essentially in the planning stages. Now, the school is holding its first graduation, celebrating the class of 2018 with more than 83 students.

Of those graduates, almost 60 earned 15 or more BMCC college credits. And, thirty-three of those students are graduating with 30 or more credits under their belt, according to Gregory Bryant, BMCC Academic Affairs Manager for MECA.

He called members of MECA’s first graduating class “trailblazers.” Bryant says when the students started their journey at the new school as ninth graders, they weren’t sure what to expect.  Despite challenges along the way, they completed this chapter successfully.

“The students not only met the program’s missions and goals, they have exceeded them,” said Bryant.

Ninety percent of MECA’s class of 2018 will attend colleges across the country starting in Fall 2018, including 23 students who will work toward their Associate degree at BMCC and build on the credits they have already earned there.

As he looked out over the audience of graduates and their families, MECA Principal Matthew Tossman said he was filled with happiness and pride.

“You’re first day of school was my first day as principal and I’m proud of every single one of you,” said Tossman.

Later during the ceremony, the students presented Tossman with a special leadership award. The student presenter said of Tossman, “We have a principal who has a close connection with every student.”

When Tossman introduced keynote speaker, Antonio Pérez, President of BMCC, he recalled their first meeting to discuss the new high school, and how the President told him, “MECA students are BMCC students.”

“President Pérez provided our MECA students with exceptional access and the relationship between BMCC and MECA grew into a kind of synergy,” Tossman said.

During his speech, Pérez told the graduates to always be willing to take risks. He shared his experience of facing difficulty getting into The City College of New York, CUNY, and finding himself on a bus to a college in Iowa. After a year there, he said, he came back to New York and finished his undergraduate work at SUNY Oneonta, the place where he met his wife, 50 years ago. By age 27 Pérez had earned a doctorate and by 39, he was a college president.

“Always be strategic,” Peréz told the graduates. “Always have a plan—but if you’re ever on the bus and don’t know what to expect, embrace it.”

Congratulations to the class of 2018

Esneri Acosta, Marina Adon, Akeitah Arthur, Shelton August, Sonnah Barry, Shawn Booker, Rojae Brown, Tyana Bryan, Trevon Bryant, Khali Burton, Arturo Carbente, Deemani Cardona, Matthew Carrera, Devin Castillo Genao, Jadyn Charles, Priscilla Chen, Sarah Chin, Shaniya Clarke, Aioni Cobia, Patricia Coles, Yariset Cuevas, Patrycja Danowska, Crismely Diaz, Anida Djokovic, Tara-Uwaoma Elbinum, Rafael Escotto, Veronica Feliz Garcia, Paul Flores Clavel, Kayla Foster, Jonathan Garcia, Kiyah Gibbs, Danila Grey, Terrell Guerra, Jordan Haskell, Keyauna Hopkins, Johnnie Hughes, Ithiopia Jarvis, Nathan John, Emely Kelly, Thaismarie Kelly, Kevin Kiryk, Dillon Li, Franco Lopez, Elizanel Martinez, Xavier McGirt, Sebastian Miezgiel, Hasam Mohamed, Tataynna Monroe, Davaughn Moorer, Brandon Morales, Tamara Nunez, Mike Ochoa, Moses Parente, Anabel Pere, Jadyn Peterson, Dante Pichardo, Jordan Pierce, Josiah Ponce, Lucas Przbyszewski, Michael Ramirez, Vanessa Rendon, James Robinson, Angelina Rodriguez, Gabriela Rojo, Analley Romero, Dominique Rosario, Justin Santana, Jaelene Santiago, Cameron Santiago, Sofia Serroukh, KM Shaon, Mileena Sumier, Sammy Touati, Christopher Trueblood, Wiktoria Trzeciak, Ocean Valentine, Dmari Williams, Jagoda Wronska and Anna Zamanberdiyeva.

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