Freshmen Text

One way that Baruch's Freshman Year Programs build intellectual community is through a common reading: everyone participating in the freshman year - students, faculty, staff and administrators - reads the same book.  The freshman text for the 2008-2009 academic year is The Namesake.  This coming-of-age novel by Pulitzer-Prize winning author Jhumpa Lahiri tells the story of the Ganguli family and their experiences across cultures and generations. You can obtain a complimentary review copy of the book by contacting Mark.Spergel@baruch.cuny.edu. We hope that you enjoy reading the book and that you will find ways to incorporate it your freshman year course. Every entering fall 2008 freshman will be given of a copy of the book and instructed to read by the start of the fall semester. Use this link to see a study guide for students.

Baruch holds programs and special events based on the freshman text throughout the year, but the reading figures prominently in a freshman's transition into college, especially from orientation through convocation. Convocation is the formal portion of a series of activities called Baruch Beginnings. At Baruch Beginnings first year students meet their fellow students in their freshman block under the guidance of student leaders and faculty. The event provides an outstanding opportunity for students to meet each other, to discuss the freshman text and to learn about the College.

The freshman text for the 2007-2008 academic year was Tracy Kidder’s Mountains Beyond Mountains.  The book tells the inspirational story of the efforts by Dr. Paul Farmer to alleviate some of the most intractable public health problems facing the developing world.  Partners-in-Health Director of Development, Ed Cardoza presented the keynote address.

The freshman text for the 2006-2007 academic year was Chris Hedges’ War Is A Force That Gives Us Meaning.  The author delivered the keynote presentation on the horrors of war based on his experiences as a war correspondent covering several decades and major conflicts throughout the world.

The 2005-2006 freshman text was George Orwell’s classic 1984.  Bill Lutz, Professor of English at Rutgers University and author of Doublespeak Defined, gave the keynote address at Convocation on the legacy of 1984 in today’s world.

The 2004-2005 freshman text was Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America. Ehrenreich is the author of twelve books including the New York Times bestseller The Worst Years of Our Lives and contributes regularly to Time, Harper’s, The New Republic, and The Nation. Nickel and Dimed follows her odyssey working as a minimum wage earner in America. What she experiences provides a revealing glimpse into the lives of the working poor. Harper’s editor Lewis Lapham delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Convocation on his protégé’s best-selling work.

The 2003-2004 freshman text was Yann Martel’s Life of Pi. An international award-winning novel, Life of Pi is a powerful and engaging story as well as a moving parable. Ann Patty, editor of Life of Pi, delivered the 2003 Convocation address while the audience was treated to greetings from a larger-than-life Yann Martell’s projected on the large Mason Hall screen via videotape.

The 2002-2003 freshman text was John Henry Days by Colson Whitehead. A powerful and moving novel that explores issues of race and technology in America, John Henry Days received numerous awards. Colson Whitehead, a MacArthur Fellowship winner, delivered a moving address at Baruch's convocation in August 2002.

The 2001-2002 freshman text was Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation. Subtitled "The Dark Side of the All-American Meal", Schlosser's book is an engaging and controversial account of the development of the American fast food industry and its consequences. The work has attracted a great deal of critical attention and remains a best seller on college campuses. Mr. Schlosser a journalist whose work has appeared in Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, and many other publications, addressed the entering freshmen class at Convocation.