I hope that this late-month email update finds you well. I write with important updates as to recent activities.
This week was a typically busy one, and began with the second CUNY Board of Trustees meeting, where I was able to discuss matters of local and system importance with several members of that body. Among other items, we discussed campus infrastructure projects, the role of athletics, and the ongoing Presidential search (for more on the last item, please see this update from Trustee and Search Chair Michael Arvanites). On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of attending the 11th Annual Phi Beta Delta Induction Ceremony, where we recognized faculty, staff, and students committed to the role of international education, and listened to an engaging presentation about careers for students in these fields.
On Wednesday, I hosted CUNY’s Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer Héctor Batista to our campus. The EVC spoke to members of our administration and provided updates on many areas of his expansive portfolio, including athletics, budget and procurement, cybersecurity, facilities and operations, human resources, and ongoing labor negotiations. The COO also met with a group of our fantastic student-athletes to hear their concerns and offer his encouragement and support. On Friday, we had a similar visit from Vice Chancellor for Facilities Planning, Construction, and Management, Mohamed Attalla, who provided updates on capital projects, campus improvements, and facilities operations. It was great to have candid conversations about our local challenges with members of the Chancellery, and I am hopeful that such visits will result in heightened awareness of our situation and a proportionate increase in responsiveness and attention.
The week also saw some notable on-campus events. These included the opening of the Drama Program’s production of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, a Black Queer Studies lecture (“Community Calls: Lesbian of Color Ancestral & Performance Archiving”), a Jazz repertory recital (thank you Professor Guarna!), a lecture on recognizing and combating anti-Semitism in the classroom, and a new gallery installation “Support Systems,” that features the work of our part-time colleagues in the department of Performing and Creative Arts.
On-campus events such as these show the vibrancy of our intellectual community, something that was mirrored by the Faculty Center’s “Technology Day,” which tackled such diverse issues as hybrid learning, the threat of ChatGPT, and how to better engage with millennial learners. Many thanks to the presenters, and especially to the facilitators and organizers: the event is EXACTLY the type that I had envisioned: under the leadership of Director Wilma Jones, the Faculty Center has become a site of robust programming, and of organic and authentic engagement in areas of curricular development and classroom management. Today’s event was encouraging on another level, in that its “interdisciplinary” focus tapped into the expertise of our colleagues in Information Technology, and I want to thank our AVP and CIO Patty Kahn for her work here. By tapping into technical, instructional design, and other expertise we were able to bridge divides—digital and otherwise—that have for too long separated faculty from reaching their full potential in serving our students: and I know that this will result in a drastically improved experience for our students, something that will impact our ongoing retention and enrollment efforts.
We also had two external agencies visit campus this week: the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing spent three days assessing our Associate’s, Bachelor’s, and Master’s Nursing programs, and is making recommendations to that body that we will receive in the fall. Based on preliminary conversations with the team, I am pleased with what they took away from the visit and I want to thank our faculty and Interim Dean H. Michael Dreher for a very thorough report and their hospitality. On Friday, the School of Education hosted the annual conference of the New York State Foundations of Education Association (NYSEFA). That NYSEFA chose CSI is a testament to our being at the forefront of Teacher Education, a theme that will be brought home by Saturday’s event honoring our longtime colleague, Dr. Jane Coffee, founder of the Teacher’s Education Honor Academy (TEHA), a lasting legacy to CSI’s commitment to serving and leading in the areas of teacher education and preparation. I look forward to that event, and to providing additional updates next week.
Until next time,
Timothy G. Lynch, Ph.D. (he/him/his)
