Humanities & arts MAGAZINE
The City College of New York
Powers: Page 6
IN THIS ISSUE
Message from the Dean 1-2
Student Project Highlight 2
Publishing Certificate Program 3-5
Alumni Profiles 6-7
Student Experiences at Stanford 8-9
Faculty Publications 10
Faculty Presentations/Exhibitions 11
Faculty Awards & Grants 12
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
As I write these lines, we are
slowly emerging from a
record-setting cold spell. But
the sun is out and theres blue
sky, which to me at least
more than compensates for the
frigid temperature!
With this, our second issue of
the Humanities and Arts
Magazine, we inaugurate two
regular features, Alumni
Profiles and Spotlight on H&A
Programs. Youll read about
Richard Strier (66), just
retiring from a long and
distinguished career as
professor of English at the
University of Chicago, and Vu
Chung (01), vice president of
Prosek, a global public
relations and corporate
communications firm. Our
exciting and highly successful
Publishing Certificate
Program takes center stage in
our Spotlight column. In
MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN
Volume 2014, Issue 1
succeeding issues of the
Magazine we plan on three per
year youll read about many
more of our highly accomplished
alumni and our innovative edu-
cational, scholarly, and creative
programs.
One of my major goals as Dean is
to increase the number of full-
time faculty in the Humanities
and Arts. Last year we hired
seven great new colleagues. This
year we have ten searches
underway in Philosophy,
English, History, Theatre and
Speech, Jewish Studies, and Art.
The search committees are busily
sifting through piles of
applications. In some cases, we
have well over 400 applications,
which tells us that City College is
a highly desirable institution for
outstanding scholars and
creative artists who are also
committed to teaching. We look
forward to another set of great
and diverse colleagues joining us
in Fall 2014!
Continued on Page 2
Humanities & Arts Magazine, Edited by Melissa KR
Volume 2014, Issue 1 Page 2
Humanities & arts MAGAZINE
This year we launched a new and exciting masters degree in Branding and Integrated
Communications. Were in the second year of an excellent Masters of Fine Arts in Digital and
Interdisciplinary Art Practice. Both programs are emblematic of so much that goes on in the
Division: they draw on the best traditions of humanistic, creative, and professional knowledge, and
work at the frontiers of new forms of expression that go beyond individual disciplines. In the next
few years we hope to establish a new Center for Applied Philosophy. Our colleagues in History
have already started building a dynamic program, Science and Society. Last year we hired a new
director of Black Studies, Cheryl Sterling, and shes already brought great verve to the program.
Jewish Studies is also on the upswing with new hires adding a scholarly dimension to the excellent
curriculum that Roy Mittelman has developed. And over the next few years we hope to carry out a
top to bottom renovation of our Art Department studios and electronic equipment. Our students
deserve only the best!
One of the developments Im most pleased about are the new interdisciplinary projects weve
established across the 8 divisions and schools of CCNY. Our Division, the Colin Powell School for
Civic and Global Leadership, and the Center for Worker Education have established a year-long forum on Human Rights. Were bringing leading scholars, activists, and writers to campus for
lectures, exhibits, and discussions that are open to the entire campus and the New York City
community. You can find the description and schedule here: http://www.humanrightsccny.org. The
participation of our Division in this exciting enterprise has been enabled by the generosity of the
Rifkind Family and the Winston Foundation, which have funded the Simon H. Rifkind Center for
the Humanities and the Arts at CCNY.
In the pages below youll read some comments from the students who spent 10 weeks this past
summer at Stanford University for a research program in the Humanities. Theyre an impressive
group, and our Stanford colleagues agreed. So much so that Stanford has agreed to fund the
program for another two years while my Stanford counterpart, Debra Satz (73), and I search for
private gifts to secure the program in perpetuity. Well be selecting another 10 CCNY students to go
off to sunny California this summer for a new and invaluable educational experience.
As you can see, a lot is going on in the Division of Humanities and Arts!
Its only possible because of the dedication and hard work of our faculty and
staff and the support of our alumni. Thanks to all of you, and best wishes for the
New Year!
With best regards,
Eric D. Weitz
MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN (continued from Page 1)
STUDENT PROJECT HIGHLIGHT
Steven Chalmers is currently enrolled in
the Studio Art program concentrating in
Photography, and is scheduled to graduate
in Spring 2014. (Continued on page 12)
Volume 2014, Issue 1 Page 3
SPOTLIGHT ON H&A PROGRAMS
Humanities & arts MAGAZINE
The Division of Humanities and Arts has many exciting, successful programs that all of us should celebrate. In each issue we will highlight one of those programs. To inaugurate this column, we have asked David Unger to write about the Publishing Certificate Program he directs. The PCP provides rigorous, intellectually challenging courses with hands-on experience to prepare students from diverse backgrounds for careers in the publishing industry.
In 1998, writer and City College alumnus Walter Mosley, like Saint Paul, was struck by a proverbial bolt of lightning: he realized that if more people of color worked in publishing, diversity among published writers would increase.
And thats the beginning of the Publishing Certificate Program (PCP) at CCNY. Mosley contacted then CCNY President Yolanda Moses, who was a co-member with him on the Board of the National Book Foundation. They met with publishers on the NBF board and encouraged them to support the
creation of a publishing program at City College. Major companies John
Wiley & Sons, Harcourt, Little Brown, Bantam Doubleday Dell, and Scholastic responded to the call with multi-year grants to CCNY.
The PCP offers a comprehensive publishing program with professional training to CCNY students, especially those from underrepresented minorities, so that they can enter the publishing world as successfully as their counterparts from more elite colleges. We did not duplicate the then existing Radcliffe (now Columbia) Summer Institute or the NYU, Stanford, or Denver programs. We seek students from all backgrounds who love books and reading, and who have never considered publishing as a career option. When they graduate with a PCP certificate, they are ready to go!
In the 15 years of the PCPs existence, more than 250 students have earned the certificate by taking a minimum of four publishing courses such as E-Book Publishing, Legal Issues, and Books for Young Readers. They also complete internships in publishing houses or literary agencies. In addition to their coursework, this robust internship program gives our students the hands-on experience or apprenticeship necessary to succeed.
Along the way, we have partnered with Book Expo America and the Womens Media Group to give our students additional support and mentoring. We are proud to say that approximately 50% of our graduates have worked in publishing for at least one year and that today at least 20% of our graduates are employed editors, designers, and publicists in publishingsome with over 14 years of experience.
We have an amazing faculty comprised of Lisa Healy (Simon & Schuster), John Jusino (HarperCollins), Carol Ross (Hachette Book Group), Tanya McKinnon (Victoria Sanders Literary Agency), Jason Ashlock (Moveable Type), and veteran independent editors Carol Taylor and Rakia Clark. They also act as mentors to our students.
PCP has been a great success story, and we look forward to expanding the program over the next few years.
David Unger, Director of the
Publishing Certificate Program
Volume 2014, Issue 1 Page 4
Retha Powers has [made] . . . familiar to African Americans . . .
their own intellectual history . . . and to all Americans . . .
African American history and culture. I cannot stress how
important publications such as this are to reflecting, and creating,
a deeper, shared understanding of the richness, complexity, and
variety of a truly multicultural American culture. Henry Louis
Gates, Jr., Harvard University
Bartletts Familiar Black Quotations . . . is not only the most
comprehensive book of quotations from black thin
