IN THE NEWS

Baruch College Deploys Upgraded Wi-Fi

Baruch College Joins Community in Inaugural "SOF on the Block" Fair

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Support CUNY Restoration of $45.2 Million to City Budget

New Issue of Baruch College Alumni Magazine (BCAM) for Spring/Summer 2011

Freshmen Text Selection and Copy Requests for Baruch Community

SPORTS

Baruch College Recognized at 25th Annual Michael Steuerman Scholar-Athlete Awards Dinner

EVENTS

June 1: CUNY IVE Leadership Final Competitive Event

ARTS AND CULTURE

BPAC Events:

May 26 - June 26: The National Yiddish Theatre Presents The Adventures of Hershele Ostropoyler

May 28 - June 26: Platanos & Collard Greens

OFFERINGS

June 8-9: Faculty Workshop on Teaching and Learning About Diversity

Baruch College Deploys Upgraded Wi-Fi

In a strategic campus-wide initiative to deliver next generation, high-speed Wi-Fi access to the Baruch community, the College is deploying a new wireless network on campus. The new provider was selected by a special project committee, including students, for its exceptional coverage, price/performance, rich feature set and ease of use. With this new network in place, the College can better support the needs of its curriculum, increase the efficiency of campus operations, enhance the effectiveness of its educational programs and offer innovative online multimedia services that give students a more flexible and content-rich learning experience. To view the PR News release, click here. To see a video on this exciting development, click here.

Baruch College Joins Community in Inaugural "SOF on the Block" Fair

Baruch College joined this year's inaugural "SOF on the Block" event, the School of the Future's first Street Charity Fair, on Saturday, May 21.

The fair, located on E. 22nd Street between Lexington Avenue and Park Avenue South, included other community organizations, like the Gramercy Neighborhood Associates and the United Cerebral Palsy of New York, as well.

The Baruch College Performing Arts Center (BPAC) and Continuing and Professional Studies Program (CAPS) participated in the fair; CAPS held a drawing for a free class and BPAC provided members of the community a discount to its upcoming performances. The Baruch College table also provided information about the school's various programs and educational offerings.

For one day, 22nd Street became alive with games like 'shave the balloon' and ping pong while vendors sold new and used products; SOF students gave performances; and the best food trucks in NYC came together!

Support CUNY Restoration of $45.2 Million to City Budget

As you may have heard, the proposed Fiscal 2012 budget for New York City calls for $45.2 million less in direct operating support for CUNY's six community colleges. We urgently ask you to contact City Council members to urge their support to restore the proposed reductions and provide critically needed funding.

The City's budget also proposes a cut of $6 million to the Peter F. Vallone Scholarship program. Scholarship support is crucial to CUNY students, most of whom work part-time or full-time while they pursue a degree.

Please visit www.supportcuny.org today and e-mail your council members. Draft letters are also provided below, and we encourage you to personalize them to reflect your individual circumstance or opinion. Please ask relatives, friends, alumni, and others to express their views. Especially in these difficult economic times, community colleges provide a crucial pathway to careers and educational advancement, thus strengthening New York's workforce and the tax base. Because of State guidelines, please be sure to send from your home/personal computer, using a non-university address.

• Student Letter
• Community College Letter
• Faculty and Staff Letter
• Alumni Letter
• Friend Letter
• Parent Letter
• Peter F. Vallone Scholarship Letter

Thank you for your continued support.

New Issue of Baruch College Alumni Magazine (BCAM) for Spring/Summer 2011

With students and faculty immersed in exams and end-of-semester projects and nearly ready to lift their heads for a breath, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the challenges faced by the College as a whole. BCAM’s cover article investigates "Public Higher Education at the Tipping Point." Learn how Baruch is positioning itself for success at this difficult time when support for public higher education is lagging.

Where better than the alumni magazine to meet inspirational alumni, who underscore the College’s mission? Check out these profiles, among others:

• Centenarian Murray Weinstein, Class of 1935, shares personal stories from as far back as Prohibition. Talk about perspective on the last century!

• Last November, Baruch’s ranks of alumni leaders grew with the addition of Michael Grimm, Class of ’95, who currently represents New York’s 13^th district in the House of Representatives. Read about his path to Congress and what he hopes to accomplish for New York.

Ready for some fun?

You won’t want to miss this essay by preeminent Baruchian Carl Aylman, who retired last January from his position as director of student life (one he held since 1978). Aylman sums up 30+ years of Baruch wisdom with help from Einstein and the British band Chumbawamba.

Craving summer send-off news about students, faculty, awards, and initiatives? Visit News & Notes for the latest.

Freshmen Text Selection and Copy Requests for Baruch Community

Each year, a committee of faculty, students, and administrators selects a book for the entire Baruch College community to read and discuss. This year's selection is Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. We are pleased to present you with a free copy of this novel about trauma, healing, and coming of age in the aftermath of 9/11. To request a free copy, contact Mark.Spergel@baruch.cuny.edu.

All entering freshman will be given a copy of the book at orientation this summer and asked to read it in its entirety in time for Convocation and the book discussion hour that follows. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close will also be the subject of the keynote address at Freshman Convocation, scheduled for Thursday, August 25th. We especially encourage teaching faculty to include the book on their required reading lists for the fall semester.

The Library faculty and selection committee members have developed a website containing resources and a study guide to accompany the book that you can access at http://guides.newman.baruch.cuny.edu/extremelyloud

Baruch College Recognized at 25th Annual Michael Steuerman Scholar-Athlete Awards Dinner

The CUNY Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) on Wednesday, May 18, hosted their 25th Annual Michael Steuerman Scholar-Athlete Awards Dinner on the campus of Queens College in Flushing, New York.

The Bearcats were a busy group — winning one major scholar-athlete of the year award, three scholar-athlete honorable mentions, one "Friend of CUNY Award," and the popular CUNYAC Commissioner Cup Trophy. In addition, two All-American men's volleyball players were honored for their national status and for leading the Bearcats to Baruch's first-ever final four in any sport. More info

June 1, 6 pm: IBM Building, 590 Madison Avenue, 12th floor Conference Room

CUNY IVE Leadership Final Competitive Event

Take this opportunity to support the future leaders of the business world at the CUNY IVE Leadership Final Competitive Event. This semester's students worked alone or in groups to create socially-conscious projects that coincide with IBM's vision of Smarter Cities. The ideas run the gamut from education, community issues to environmental awareness. The projects are an example of how CUNY students strive relentlessly to create a better society. RSVP here

May 28 - June 26: Nagelberg Theatre, Newman Vertical Campus, 55 Lexington Avenue

The National Yiddish Theatre Presents The Adventures of Hershele Ostropoyler

Before the Marx Brothers, there was "Hershele," a beloved folk hero and compassionate jester who battles injustice armed only with his wits. In this comic tale full of song, Hershele mobilizes a community to overcome the greedy desires of a villain who stands in the way of young love. The lively music and "meshugene" antics will inspire gales of laughter, set toes tapping and make for a truly memorable evening at the theater. More info

May 26 - June 26: Engelman Recital Hall, Newman Vertical Campus, 55 Lexington Avenue

Platanos & Collard Greens

Platanos & Collard Greens is a sweetly enacted tale of secret lovers — two college students from different cultures attracted at first sight — until mom finds out and has a heart attack! This smash hit play is now entering its seventh season! If you haven't seen it yet, it's time to experience this hilarious romantic comedy. More info

June 8-9, 10 am - 3 pm

Faculty Workshop on Teaching and Learning About Diversity

Baruch College faculty are invited to join a two-and-a-half day workshop to consider how we as instructors can enhance teaching and learning about diversity. The workshop is scheduled for June 8 and 9 (10 am - 3 pm) with a brief follow up meeting in August to share project results. Professor Sonia Jarvis (SPA), whose research and teaching focus on race, politics, and the media, will serve as the facilitator. Participating Baruch faculty members will receive a small stipend.

The workshop is designed to help faculty members make the discussion of diversity a more integral part of their classes, or, if diversity does not seem to fit naturally within the class structure, to help them consider how to create a safe environment and handle discussions that veer towards topics that can cause tension and real discomfort.

Just a few more seats are available! If you interested in taking part in the workshop, RSVP to Jody Clark Vaisman at jody.vaisman@baruch.cuny.edu. We look forward to your joining us in June.