The University's newest Rhodes Scholar, David L.V. Bauer, isflanked by 2005 winners Eugene Shenderov, left, and LevSviridov on Brooklyn Bridge in 2005.

“Open the doors to all—let the childrenof the rich and the poor take their seats

together and know of no distinctionsave that of industry, good conduct,

and intellect.”Townsend Harris, founder

WINTER 2009

Budget Watch: Chancellor Goldstein commentson the University’s financial out-look. “I am confident that theUniversity will meet the currentfiscal challenges with resolve andresilience, maintaining its com-mitment to academic progressand integrity and to our students’educational success.”

Building For The City’s FutureNew quarters are on the way forBMCC’sdamagedFiterman Hall,pictured here,as well as forthe School ofSocial Workand a newSchool ofPublic Health.

Justice on TrialJohn Jay professor’s book revisitsAmerica’sinfamousLeopold-Loebmurdercase.

PAGE

9

PAGE

4

PAGE

6

PAGE

2

PAGE

10

Inside

DAVID L.V. BAUER, a senior in the University’s MacaulayHonors College at City College, has been named a 2009Rhodes Scholar, widely considered the world’s most presti-

gious scholarship. He is the third CUNY student to win a Rhodes Scholarship in the

past four years, joining CCNY’s Lev Sviridov and Brooklyn College’sEugene Shenderov, who were 2005 Rhodes Scholars.

As a Rhodes Scholar, Bauer plans to conduct research in clinicalmedicine at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at theUniversity of Oxford. During his junior year, Bauer spent 11 monthsat the Centre. There he created a computer program to analyze rawdata from a new DNA sequencing approach that is now being used toanalyze genetic changes related to cystic fibrosis and other diseases. AtCCNY he has conducted organic chemistry research towards the syn-thesis of aspirin analogues to explore aspirin's anti-cancer properties.

Bauer entered CUNY in 2005 after winning the $100,000 IntelScience Talent Search contest while a student at Hunter College HighSchool. He was called "The smartest kid in America" in a Daily Newseditorial and could have had his pick of top-ranked schools, and choseMacaulay Honors College at CCNY. He went on to win the 2007Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for undergraduates majoring inmath, science and engineering, and the 2008 Harry S. TrumanScholarship for students pursuing graduate degrees in public service.

“I am ecstatic about being named a Rhodes Scholar,” said Bauer."Many people at Hunter College High School, CCNY, the MacaulayHonors College and the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Geneticshave helped me along the way. I am grateful to all of them, especial-ly my mentor at CCNY, professor Kevin Ryan, and to Dr. Kalim Mir,at Oxford.”

Inspiring Tomorrow’sLeadersLegislators and educators areamong role models for studentsat annual Women’s LeadershipConference.

BauerWins as More Rhodes Lead to CUNY

Powering UpFaculty PrestigeAcclaimed scientists such asMandë Holford, as well as otherscholarly experts, join the faculty.

AS A SENIOR atTownsend HarrisHigh School, BariNadworny had

choices. With a 97 percent gradepoint average and a 1950 SATscore, the 18-year-old from FreshMeadows was eagerly sought byBoston University, SUNY-Binghamton and Macaulay HonorsCollege at Queens College.

She chose Macaulay at Queensbecause of its rigorous academicprogram and because she hasalways loved the “beauty anddiversity” of the campus. An addedbonus: It’s close to home.

A freshman who now plans tomajor in political science,Nadworny is emblematic of thehigh academic achievers withtop-tier grades and competitiveSAT scores who are choosing thecolleges of The City University ofNew York. Nadworny graduatedfrom one of five elite New YorkCity public high schools —Stuyvesant High School, BrooklynTechnical, Staten Island Technical,Bronx High School of Science andTownsend Harris — that sent 505freshmen to CUNY colleges in fall,2008, a 27 percent increase from fall, 1999.

But the University’s newfound popularityamong high academic achievers extendsbeyond these five prestigious high schools.

From the ranks of all publicand private schools acrossthe five boroughs and themetropolitan area,

CUNY's colleges areattracting an astounding 166percent more first-time fresh-men with combined math-verbal SAT scores of 1200 orhigher — 1,487 such stu-dents compared to559 in 1999. Andsince 1999, the collegeshave more than dou-bled their enrollment offirst-time freshmen withhigh-school averages of85 or better, according toUniversity data on thefall, 2008 freshman class.

The resounding voteof confidence from highacademic achievers is

even outpacing theUniversity record enroll-ment growth on a per-centage basis. CUNY’s fall2008 enrollment is at244,253, up 4.8 percentfrom fall 2007, when232,960 students matricu-lated. This is the ninth

consecutive year of enrollment gains.More students are seeking degrees andstudying at campuses across the fiveboroughs than at any time since themid-1970s.

“In difficult economic times, students andtheir families especially appreciate the highvalue of an education at a CUNY college,”said Chancellor Matthew Goldstein. “We areinvesting in CUNY by attracting world-classfaculty, building modern facilities and creat-

ing innovative academic programs inthe most exciting city in the

world. The University today isamong the best values in

higher education.”CUNY continues

to draw an increasinglydiverse student body.From 1999 to fall 2008,

among first-time fresh-men, the number of Asianstudents increased 76.6percent, from 3,364 to5,941, and the number ofHispanic students rose62.8 percent, from 7,136to 11,620. Black studentenrollment went up 30.3percent, from 7,262 to9,466, while white stu-dent enrollment increased24.4 percent, from 6,232to 7,753, during the

same period.Enrollment has also

reached record levels fornon-degree students takingadult, continuing and pro-fessional education classes.

continued on page 8

CUNY Enrollment Skyrocketscuny.edu/news THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK • FOUNDED 1847 AS THE FREE ACADEMY

FreshmanBaccalaureate

Enrollmenthigh school graduates

with averages of85% or better

101%

28%

FreshmanBaccalaureate

Enrollmentfrom select high schools

vides extra financial aid, tutoring and coun-seling to talented low-income studentswith shaky transcripts — but who won a

scholarship from the JackKent Cooke Foundation topay for medical school.

Honors counselors don’tsimply match students withawards. Carol Oliver, direc-tor of Hunter College’sRonald E. McNair scholarsprogram, told colleagues atthe fall meeting she hasplayed the role of friend,mentor and even psycholo-gist with students. Shepushed a student for amonth to apply to graduateschool; the student felt dis-couraged by a low GREscore.

The student now attendsRutgers University on a full

scholarship. “We have to nurture these stu-dents to help them create a balancebetween their academic and personal lives,”Oliver said.

Andrew Santiago, too, had to be nudgedto apply for the Kaplan foundation’sLeadership Program. The three-year-oldinitiative selects small cohorts of high-

2 CUNY MATTERS — Winter 2009

THE UNIVERSITY continues to mon-itor city, state, and federal develop-ments that affect CUNY’s budget.

With New York State facing its largestdeficit in state history—a $1.7 billion short-fall this year and $13.7 billion in 2009-10—the budget recommends actions to generatesavings. The New York State Legislature isreviewing Governor David Paterson’sExecutive Budget and will hold hearings inJanuary, in which the University will partic-ipate. In order to generate the savings pro-posed by the governor, the 2009-10Executive Budget must be approved by theNew York State Legislature by March 1, amonth prior to the start of the fiscal year.

The University Budget Office and theOffice of Facilities Planning, Constructionand Management have prepared a prelimi-nary analysis of the Executive Budget as itpertains to CUNY.

For our senior colleges, the proposed bud-get recommends an overall increase ofalmost $51 million over the current year: adecrease of almost $65 million in state sup-port offset by over $115 million in additionaltuition and fee revenue, based on a tuitionincrease of $600 for full-time resident under-graduates at CUNY.

We are pleased that, for the first time, theExecutive has proposed an investment planthat would allow a portion of the revenuefrom a tuition increase to be returned to theUniversity, consistent with the principles ofthe CUNY Compact. For FY 2009-10,CUNY would retain 20 percent of the addi-tional revenue for investment purposes.

The CUNY Board of Trustees has autho-rized the chancellor, in consultation with thechairman, to adopt a revised student tuitionschedule. The new schedule includes tuitionincreases of up to $300 per semester for full-time resident undergraduates attendingCUNY’s senior colleges, and up to $200 persemester for full-time resident undergraduatesattending the University’s community colleges.

At the same time, the board approved aplan that I advanced to establish anInstitutional Financial Aid Initiative to assiststudents who will be placed at risk of contin-uing their matriculation due to highertuition rates, as well as to drive down thecost of textbooks for CUNY students.

This includes the a CUNY Work-StudyProgram that will make jobs on CUNY cam-puses available to students in need of finan-cial assistance. The University has created aCUNY Jobs Initiative Web site to help stu-dents obtain full-time and part-time workand internships. Our partners include theU.S. Census Bureau, the New York StateCivil Service Commission, the Unified CourtSystem, New York City’s 311 CustomerService Call Center, and many other organi-

THECHANCELLOR’SDESK

COMING OF AGE in the streetsand shadows of the city, whatAndrew Santiago has lived with–— drugs, violence, death — is

not so unusual. But thanks to his own driveand the support of the Kaplan EducationalFoundation, the 21-year-old recently foundan oasis, a single, rented room in Harlem —a place to study, to sleep and pursue hisgoal of becoming a writer.

“It’s really quiet, it’s mine, and I sleep.It’s magic,” says the soon-to-be graduate ofBorough of Manhattan CommunityCollege, finally savoring a few of the thingsmost college students take for granted: abed of his own, safety and a good night’ssleep.

Santiago and students like him are thediamonds in the rough. Bright, hardworkingand the first in their family to go college,they often have little support at home andonly a vague understanding of what it takesto burnish their academic careers. CUNYofficials know that beyond the University’shonors programs, there are other highachievers, attending senior and communitycolleges, who qualify to compete for presti-gious scholarships. Now the University, ismoving forward with new efforts to findstudents like Santiago and prepare them tocompete for national awards.

In November, 70 CUNY administratorsfrom programs for high-achieving studentsconvened to exchange ideas on how to findthe brightest among CUNY’s many thou-sands across the University, match themwith appropriate awards and mentor themthrough the rigorous application process.“There is a range of very talented studentsat CUNY,” said James Airozo, Universitydirector of student academic awards andhonors. “We’ve expanded our outreachefforts, and that will expand the applicantpool for scholarships.” CUNY, he added, is“trying to break the assumption” that onlyHonors College students are eligible, aspublic institutions are increasingly compet-ing against private colleges and universitiesin grooming students for national honors.

The Kaplan Foundation is one of anumber of foundations, philan-thropists and other donorswho are investing heavily inhigh-achieving CUNYstudents, especially studentslike Santiago, who has writtena play and wants to develophis creative writing skills.

Other foundations anddonors are focused on creatingpaths for extraordinary CUNYstudents seeking careers in thesciences and technology.

Along with William andLinda Macaulay, the Jack KentCooke Foundation, theNational Science Foundation,the Rhodes Trust and others,Kaplan recognizes the poten-tial of CUNY students as theUniversity sharpens its own efforts to iden-tify and mentor high achievers such as itsnewest Rhodes Scholar, David L.V. Bauer,and promote them for top awards and hon-ors.

Airozo pointed to the case of MarkSmiley, who was admitted to CUNYthrough the SEEK program — which pro-

“ There is a ...range of

very talentedstudents at

CUNY.”– James Airozo,University director of

student academic awardsand honors

Andrew Santiago, an aspiring writer and winner of a

Putting Student Azations and agencies.In addition, the State

Executive Budget rec-ommends an increase ofcapital funding for critical maintenanceprojects, and for selected facilities projects,including the CUNY-wide AdvancedScience Research Center at City College.The University is committed to continuedefforts to modernize our campus facilitieswith the appropriate renovations and tech-nology to meet the educational andresearch needs of our students and faculty.CUNY is currently experiencing its highestenrollment in almost four decades, attract-ing high academic achievers in record num-ber and a diverse student body rich in tal-ent and ambition.

On the City side, all city agencies havebeen asked to submit plans for reductions ofup to 7 percent in funding for FY2010, whichamounts to $12.7 million for CUNY. This isin addition to an existing proposed reductionof $9.5 million. In December, an agreementwas reached to restore a previously proposedreduction of $5.1 million to the communitycolleges for this year. We are very grateful toMayor Bloomberg, City Council SpeakerChristine Quinn, and the entire City Councilfor these and other efforts to minimize, wher-ever possible, the impact of the City’s finan-cial difficulties on CUNY’s students.

At an October “Summit on Public HigherEducation” convened by CUNY and theCarnegie Corporation of New York, therewas widespread agreement among the assem-bled chancellors and presidents that publicinstitutions must work in partnership withthe governors, mayors, and the federal gov-ernment. Following the summit, a statement,signed by many institutional leaders andnational and state organizations, was sent toPresident-elect Obama. This “open letter,”which also appeared in the New York Times,the Washington Post, and the Boston Globe,proposes immediate federal investment aspart of the infrastructure stimulus package.

I have been encouraged by the commit-ment among public university leaders tostrengthening higher education’s critical rolein advancing the nation’s well-being.

The University will continue to workclosely with our federal, state, and city part-ners to sustain and enhance CUNY’s coreacademic priorities: maximizing the availabili-ty of full-time faculty and providing qualitystudent services to our growing student body.

Every day, I have the privilege of witnessingthe singular contributions of our faculty, staff,administrators, and alumni to our academicmission, and to the larger community. CUNYstands apart in its dedication to service, and Ideeply appreciate the work that you do onbehalf of our students and all New Yorkers.

Simone Lamont Manfred PhilippChairperson, Chairperson,University Student Senate University Faculty Senate

Benno C. Schmidt, Jr. Philip A. BerryChairperson Vice Chairperson

Valerie L. Beal Kathleen M. Pesile

Wellington Z. Chen Carol Robles-Román

Rita DiMartino Marc V. Shaw

Freida Foster-Tolbert Charles A. Shorter

Joseph J. Lhota Solomon A. Sutton

Hugo M. Morales Jeffrey Wiesenfeld

Peter Pantaleo

Matthew GoldsteinChancellorJay HershensonSecretary of the Board of Trustees andSenior Vice Chancellor for University RelationsMichael ArenaUniversity Director for Communications and MarketingRich Sheinaus Graphic Design DirectorRon Howell, Neill Rosenfeld, Ruth LandaWritersMiriam Smith Issue DesignerAndré Beckles Photographer

Articles in this and previous issues are available at cuny.edu/news.Letters or suggestions for future stories may be sent to the Editorby e-mail to subscribe@mail.cuny.edu. Changes of address shouldbe made through your campus personnel office.

BOARDOFTRUSTEESThe City University of New York

New Budget Challenges Inspire New Strategies

CUNY MATTERS — Winter 2009 3

preparation for transfer to a bachelor’sdegree program. The transfers have so farbeen to private colleges, but Benn sayswhat’s most important is that a school bethe “best fit” for the student.

The program’s focus is on high-poten-tial, low-income black and Hispanic stu-dents, and the financial help is substantial,says Benn, with up to $3,000 per yearavailable for a living stipend, transportationand other expenses for those in the associ-ate’s programs; and up to $30,000 a year,including tuition and transportation, forthose who have transferred to the bache-lor’s programs.

The funds ensure that Kaplan Scholarscan focus on being “students first,” Bennsays. “We don’t allow students to workmore than 15 hours per week.”

“We’re all people who have come fromthese difficulties and obstacles and we’re alltrying to achieve greatness. We have somuch to offer each other,” says Santiago ofhis fellow Kaplan Scholars. They includeBMCC student Nolvia Delgado, 19, ofRidgewood, Queens, who worked threejobs to help support her family beforeKaplan’s support enabled her to scale backto one, as a legislative assistant for aBrooklyn Assemblyman. Delgado’s interestsare public service and international affairs. “I possibly might be running for mayor inthe long run,” she says.

Norberto Taveras, 23, of Manhattan, isanother Scholar whose fierce drive inspires.In 2001, he fell out of a tree, suffering acatastrophic spinal cord injury. “I was total-ly paralyzed in the beginning,” he says, butafter three surgeries and years of physicaltherapy, he uses a walker and has regainedsensation in his lower limbs. A student atHostos Community College, he advocatesfor physically challenged students and plansto become an occupational therapist.

The Scholars are encouraged to learnfrom each other and from anyone else theymeet in the foundation’s offices. AndrewSantiago met a woman working there whowas in a playwriting workshop. He joinedthe workshop and wrote “Monkey,” aboutthe tragic consequences that can happenwhen an ignored child turns to his toymonkey, his imagination, for attentionbecause “no one else was there,” Santiagosays. The play was staged in July at a the-ater on East 42nd Street.

Humor is the balm for a traumatic fami-ly history with which Santiago continues tograpple. “I’ve used comedy, jokes, my wholelife to deal with everything else,” he says,adding that he would like to write for“Saturday Night Live” some day.

“It’s healing, it’s therapy, it’s fun,” headds. “If I can use my story to make peoplelaugh, feel connected and less alone, I’ll feellike I did my job as a writer.”

For now, the Kaplan Foundation is help-ing him reach for a life beyond his past, toplans that include transferring next fall to afour-year college for his B.A.

“What’s important about this program,”he says, “is the support that they give me,that someone really cares about my educa-tion as much as I do.

“That’s what I’ve been dying for, plead-ing for from my family.” His Kaplan advi-sors, he said, are “like family when youneed them to be.”

a scholarship from the Kaplan Foundation, has found direction in his life thanks to support and guidance from his BMCC advisers.

Award Winners on the Fast Track

potential, low-income, mostly communitycollege students each year for intensive sup-port, advising and leadership training —from financial assistance, to “dress for suc-cess,” to preparation for transfer to a bache-lor’s degree program.

Kaplan currently supports 17 students,aged 18 to 33, who either attend CUNYcommunity colleges or have transferred fromCUNY to four-year colleges includingMount Holyoke, George Washington,Morehouse, Syracuse, American and NYU.The deadline is Feb. 1 for interested studentsto apply to join the next cohort. Informationis available at http://www.kaplanedfoundation.org/klp/ApplicationInfo.htm

Based on his 3.65 GPA and credits,Santiago had been invited by BMCC to aKaplan informational seminar last winter.But after the meeting, “I ripped up thepaperwork,” he says, thinking: “what are mychances, really?” A BMCC scholarshipadviser pressed him to submit his applica-tion anyway, and a Kaplan representativecalled Santiago for an interview. He metwith foundation Director Jennifer Benn andKaplan academic advisor Nancy Sanchez, aCUNY alumna — KingsboroughCommunity College and Brooklyn College— who advises and nurtures the KaplanScholars closely, visiting colleges with them;

recommending books to expand their cul-tural and social horizons, bolstering theirknowledge, confidence and credentials withtutoring and counseling.

“It got emotional,” said Santiago of hisinterview. The financial assistance the foun-dation offered was key. “I’d be able to go toschool,” said Santiago, who had worked atBrooklyn day camps and after-school pro-grams for years to support himself — thejobs a stabilizing factor even when his homelife became so painful that he dropped outof Franklin D. Roosevelt High School.

“This journey to being a student,” asSantiago describes it, has been fraught. “Imake the really hard parts of my life bear-able with comedy,” he begins, sitting in theKaplan Foundation’s sleek midtown offices,where the community college studentsspend Fridays meeting with advisors andeach other.

Santiago has plenty of material. Abeloved aunt who, at 45, was “into drugs,had HIV” and “didn’t wake up” onHalloween of 2005. A brother who has“always been into trouble,” who did timeand was shot twice, the second time withnine bullets that left him paralyzed and in awheelchair. A drug-abusing uncle whocrowded Santiago out of his room in hisgrandmother’s Brooklyn apartment, leaving

him without dependable space for studyingand sleeping. A mother who went to prisonsoon after his birth, with whom he has adistant relationship. A father he never knew.

On the first anniversary of his aunt’sdeath, “surrounded by all this sadness and allthis pain,” Santiago decided: “I have to startsomewhere. I don’t want to be a nobody.”

He signed up for GED prep classes, andin a few months had the credential thatwould bring him to BMCC. “I rememberedwhen I came home with good grades, andnobody cared,” Santiago said. Now, “I wasgoing to go to school and do it for myself,out of the love I had for my aunt.”

At BMCC, “I did the reading, I did thework and I got good grades. It wasawesome,” he said. When a professorpraised his first paper as “a great piece ofwriting” and “told me I could do this,” theencouragement was a spark. Since thenSantiago has embraced a variety of genresand has even had a short play produced off-off Broadway — an achievement thatdeveloped from a contact he made at theKaplan Foundation.

Benn describes the program, which sup-ports its Scholars for three years, as “aboutremoving barriers ... whether they’re aca-demic or personal,” enabling the students todevelop academic and leadership skills in

4 CUNY MATTERS — Winter 2009

problems. Whatever we learn here andwhatever technologies we develop toaddress the challenges posed by these threeinteractive forces can be applied aroundthe world,” Olden said.

Hunter’s School of Social Work willoccupy most of the new eight-story buildingon Third Avenue between 118th and 119thStreets, which will have almost 30 percentmore space than its current, 40-year-oldhome. The existing space at 129 E. 79th St.is leased from Lois V. and Samuel J.Silberman and the nonprofit New YorkCommunity Trust. They sold the propertyfor $65 million to a developer, the BrodskyOrganization; $40 million of the proceeds— CUNY’s largest gift to date — will helppay for the new building. (The state appro-

STUDENTHONORS

Thunderstorm Studies

LAGUARDIA CC studentErnesto Rivera was the only

community college representa-tive among 10 CUNY studentsselected to participate in a majorfaculty supervised studentresearch project funded by a$459,000 National ScienceFoundation grant. The 25-year-old liberal arts/math and sciencemajor has teamed up withObehi Ukpebor, a student fromYork College, and Professor BrianVant Hall of CCNY, to studyand research remote sensing as itapplies to thunderstorm now-casting, which is the predictionof storms within a short timebefore their occurrence.

Psychology Award

SARAH KOPELOVICH, asecond-year graduate student

in the CUNY Doctoral Programin Forensic Psychology at JohnJay College of Criminal Justice,has won the prestigiousAmerican PsychologicalAssociation National ConventionResearch Award. She was hon-ored for her research project thatdeals with the hazards of overde-pendence on voice identificationtestimony, the parameters of thecross race effect in visual identi-fication, and that cautions againstthe haphazard use of multipleindependent identifiers.

CSI At Film Festival

TWO GRADUATESTUDENTS in the College

of Staten Island’s Master’s pro-gram in Cinema and MediaStudies were selected to takepart in the 56th annual SanSebastián International FilmFestival in San Sebastián, Spainlast September as part of theFestival’s International FilmSchool. Norie Taniguchi screenedher film, “Women withoutVoices,” while Kristie Falco waspart of the jury for the studentsection of the Festival. CSI wasone of only 14 institutionsworldwide chosen to participatein the 2008 International FilmSchool.

Vanguard Tech Award

LEHMAN COLLEGE seniorBlanca Cambi is one of only

nine students nationwide toreceive Vanguard’s 2008 Womenin Information TechnologyScholarship Award. Ms. Cambi iscurrently participating in theIBM-Lehman College InternshipProgram at IBM’s T.J. WatsonResearch Center in Hawthorne,N.Y. and plans further study inmanagement information sys-tems. She received $8,000 tocover tuition, books and suppliesfrom Vanguard, which awardsmerit-based scholarships tofemale college seniors.

THE UNIVERSITY isbuilding a new EastHarlem home for the

forthcoming graduateSchool of Public Healthand Hunter College's ven-erable School of SocialWork. Also, the city andstate have at long lastcleared the way to demolishand rebuild Borough ofManhattan CommunityCollege's Fiterman Hall,which was irreparably dam-aged in 9/11 attack.

The School of PublicHealth, slated to open withmasters and doctoral programsin 2010-2011, will be thenation’s only such programfocusing on urban issues. “I canthink of no better way to com-municate the seriousness ofour commitment to involvingthe local community thanlocating the school in theHarlem community,” said thefounding dean, Dr. KennethOlden. “I want our faculty tobe engaged in solving real-world problems that areimportant to the people ofthis city.” The school hasUniversity status with Hunter College.

Olden, a cancer researcher, favored com-munity health initiatives when he headedthe National Institute of EnvironmentalHealth Sciences and the NationalToxicology Program from 1991 to 2005. Hewas the first African-American to direct oneof the 13 institutes then at the NationalInstitutes of Health and previously taughtat Harvard. As he begins recruiting a facul-ty, Olden is weighing three global trends:the worldwide migration to cities; the agingof populations throughout the developedworld; and the transformation of once-lethal diseases into chronic ones, rangingfrom diabetes to some cancers.

“Our vision is to bring together a schoolin this international city to address these

The School of Public Health’s Dean Olden aims to address “real-world problems.”

Chancellor Matthew Goldstein, center, hails funding to rebuild Fiterman Hall.The Chancellor is flanked byMayor Michael Bloomberg, left, and State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, right. Behind them are CouncilmanAlan Gerson, left, BMCC President Antonio Perez, center, and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, right.

Building the City’s Future

priated $95 million for the rest.) Theremaining $25 million from the sale willcreate a perpetual fund for social workgrants. In appreciation, Hunter is renamingits School of Social Work after theSilbermans. Occupancy for both schools isslated for 2011.

Meanwhile, Fiterman Hall — structurallydamaged when the adjacent World TradeCenter 7 collapsed after terrorist attacks onSept. 11, 2001 — will be replaced by thespring of 2012. The project was delayed byissues from insurance to winning govern-ment approvals, but in November $325million in funding, including $139 millionfrom the city, was announced by ChancellorMatthew Goldstein, Mayor MichaelBloomberg, Assembly Speaker SheldonSilver, Manhattan Borough President ScottStringer and Paul T. Williams Jr., executivedirector of the Dormitory of Authority ofthe State of New York, representing Gov.David A. Paterson.

“This site is an essential part of the revi-talization of Lower Manhattan and of ourvision of making Lower Manhattan avibrant 24/7 community,” Bloomberg said.

The 14-story tower — bounded byGreenwich Street, Barclay Street and ParkPlace — will have slightly more floor spacethan the 15-story building it replaces.

The agreement comes as enrollment atthe University's six community colleges isat record levels; enrollment at BMCC alonerecently exceeded 20,000. To meet thedemand, the University is examining theidea of creating a seventh community col-lege. A special task force formed in 2008and charged by the Chancellor to “re-imag-ine community college education from theground up” has released a concept paperthat draws upon the existing schools’ mostinnovative practices while suggesting policychanges to free educators to do their bestwork. The panel's complete report is avail-able at www.cuny.edu/news.

Hershenson, Other Leaders HonoredSENIOR VICE CHANCELLOR for University Relations Jay Hershenson has

received the 2008 Marvin D. “Swede” Johnson Achievement Award for leadershipin higher education state relations. The award, presented in San Diego Dec. 11 by fourhigher education organizations, recognizes Hershenson’s achievements in advocating forCUNY to state government officials. For “enhancing the lives of others” through herleadership of Hunter College’s programs for the aging, Hunter President Jennifer Raabwon the Carter Burden Center for the Aging’s Humanitarian Award for Outstanding

Service to Older New Yorkers, on Dec. 1. The2008 Annual Latino Heritage and Culture Awardwent to Borough of Manhattan CommunityCollege President Antonio Perez and four othershonored by city Comptroller William C.Thompson Jr. at his annual Latino heritagecelebration Oct. 28. College of Staten IslandPresident Tomas D. Morales won a LatinoTrendsetter Award at a Nov. 10 gala. TheDefining Trends Media Group’s awards honorLatino leaders who define “trends that influenceboth the Hispanic and non-Hispanic culture.”Jeremy Travis, president of John Jay College ofCriminal Justice, has been named co-chair of thenewly established New York State JuvenileJustice Task Force, mandated by Gov. DavidPaterson to transform the juvenile justice system.

scientistsbehind the pro-ject. Other ses-sions focusedon the makingof the opera;Oppenheimer;the people,places andpower of theManhattanProject; andwartime deci-sions and theatomic age.Watch segments on the University Channelat www.youtube.com/cuny.

Simone Lamont Leads Student Senate

SIMONE LAMONT, a York Collegestudent pursuing a B.S. in mathematics,

has been elected the 24th chairperson ofthe University Student Senate.

She has devoted the past three years torepresenting the needs of CUNY students,including as vice chair of senior collegeaffairs, working to develop a forum for ideasand communal action plans among campus-es. and as alumni liaison for student govern-ment.

As an international student, Lamont hasbeen an active advocate for internationalstudents rights on her campus. While servingas the president of the York College StudentGovernment Association, she lobbied ontheir behalf for an office space for dealing

with internationalstudents’ interests.She also has beenalumni liaison for stu-dent government.

She hopes tobecome an educator,and believes thathigher educationshould be accessibleand affordable to allstudents.

Crimes Unit prosecutor Linda Fairstein areamong those already interviewed. Tapesand transcripts will be available in the col-lege’s Sealy Library.

Tune in to Talks on First Atom Bomb

THE GRADUATE CENTER this fallhosted five symposia about the science,

people and ethics of America’s drive todevelop the first atom bomb, an effort that— with the incineration of the Japanesecities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki — has-tened the end of World War II. The discus-sions surrounded the Metropolitan Operadebut of “Doctor Atomic,” composer JohnAdams’ provocative work about J. RobertOppenheimer, the physicist who managedthe scientific drive to build the bomb.Chancellor Matthew Goldstein moderatedthe inaugural session about the science and

Inside Look at NYC Criminal Justice

STUDENTS AND RESEARCHERS willget an insider’s look into New York

City’s criminal justice system via an ongo-ing oral history project conducted by JohnJay College ofCriminal Justiceand funded bythe Lynn andJules KrollFoundation.Bronx DistrictAttorneyRobert T.Johnson; 1990s’police corrup-tion investigatorMilton Mollen;and formerManhattan Sex

MORE THAN four decades ago,when Nancy G. Siraisi had two

small children and an entry-level jobediting encyclopedias, she made a deci-sion that changed her life.

“I’m from England, and I had adegree from an English University, andI had no intention to pursue otherdegrees,” said Siraisi, Hunter College’sdistinguished professor emerita of his-tory. “I found it difficult to work full-time. I wanted to shift to teaching andI needed graduate courses.”

She enrolled in a history course atHunter College. Her instructor was pro-fessor Pearl Kibre, a scholar in medievalstudies. “She saw that I knew a littleLatin, and she immediately told methat I must enroll in a Ph.D. program,”Siraisi said. “She was a woman of greatforce of character, and I did so. I havenever regretted it.”

Kibre was right: Siraisi, a historianof late Medieval and Renaissancemedicine, is one of 25 recipients of the2008 John D. and Catherine T.MacArthur Foundation’s prestigious“genius awards” that are presentedannually to individuals for creativityand contributions to their fields.“Professor Kibre was a historian of con-siderable eminence, and what helpedme was her encouragement,” Siraisisaid. “The Graduate Center also gaveme practical help that I can’t imagine Icould have gotten anywhere else.”

Siraisi and her husband were of“very modest means,” so the HerbertH. Lehman Fellowship she receivedmade it possible for her to continueher studies. She earned a doctorate inhistory from The Graduate Center in1970 and for more than three decadestaught history at Hunter and TheGraduate Center. “I can’t rememberhow much the fellowship was, but itwas the same or slightly higher thanwhat I was making in my editing job,plus the University was tuition-free atthat time,” she says. “I really do owe myentire academic career to CUNY.”

At 76, Siraisi plans to continue herresearch. “I have several projects, but Ialso see it as a validation of the workI’ve done already.” The $500,000award, which is given out in $100,000increments annually, will go a long waytoward furthering her research. “It willmake it easy to travel to Europeanlibraries and easy to get requests ofscans and films of manuscripts, whichcan be quite costly,” she said.

Medical historian Nancy G. Siraisi will usethe $500,000 award to pursue research.

Simone Lamont Hershenson accepts Johnson Achieve-ment Award from Frances Bradford.

Bronx District AttorneyRobert T. Johnson

“Doctor Atomic”

CUNY MATTERS — Winter 2009 5

PORTRAITS OF ANTARCTICA: Whipped by 70 mph winds, dwarfed by glaciers, surrounded by whales, seals and penguins, Scott Sternbach was inheaven. Palmer Research Station, a remote Antarctic base, is open only to scientists and the occasional artist, like him. With his 100-year-old8x10 view camera, Sternbach, director of LaGuardia Community College’s photography department, spent 2½ months making black-and-white portraits of Palmer’s scientists and crew, plus digital color landscapes, under a prestigious National Science Foundation grant. To see moreof his Antarctica images, go to www.scottsternbach.com.

Hunter Professor EmeritaA MacArthur ’Genius’

NOTED&QUOTED

AC

CL

AIM

ED

SC

IEN

TIS

TS,

wri

ters

and

eco

nom

ics

expe

rts

are

amon

g di

stin

-gu

ishe

d sc

hola

rsjo

inin

g th

e fa

culty

thi

s fa

ll, a

sC

UN

Y c

ontin

ues

to r

aise

its

profi

le a

s a

mag

net

for

high

aca

dem

ic a

chie

vers

. “C

UN

Y’S

top

pri

orit

y co

ntin

ues

to b

e th

ehi

ring

of

mor

e fu

ll-ti

me

facu

lty,

the

lifeb

lood

of

the

Uni

vers

ity,

” C

hanc

ello

rM

atth

ew G

olds

tein

sai

d. “

We

are

fulfi

lling

that

mis

sion

, fur

ther

enr

ichi

ng t

he h

igh

qual

ity

and

valu

e of

a C

UN

Y e

duca

tion

.”“I

t is

mos

t in

spir

ing

to c

onte

mpl

ate

the

cont

ribu

tion

s th

at t

hese

ste

llar

scho

lars

and

rese

arch

ers

will

off

er o

ur U

nive

rsit

y,”

said

Ale

xand

ra W

. Log

ue, I

nter

imE

xecu

tive

Vic

e C

hanc

ello

r an

d U

nive

rsit

yPr

ovos

t. “A

s te

ache

rs, t

hey

will

off

er o

urst

uden

ts e

xcep

tion

al in

stru

ctio

n, m

ento

r-in

g an

d gu

idan

ce. A

s sc

hola

rs, t

hey

will

furt

her

enri

ch t

he v

ital

inte

llect

ual a

ndar

tist

ic c

ontr

ibut

ions

and

col

labo

rati

ons

alre

ady

taki

ng p

lace

am

ong

thei

r fa

cult

yco

lleag

ues.”

Scie

nce

Stan

dout

sA

sig

nific

ant

num

ber

of n

ew h

ires

refle

ct t

he U

nive

rsit

y’s

com

mit

men

t to

the

CU

NY

Dec

ade

of S

cien

ce (

2005

-201

5), a

wid

e-ra

ngin

g in

itia

tive

to

posi

tion

CU

NY

at t

he f

oref

ront

of

rese

arch

. The

y in

clud

eC

harl

es V

örös

mar

ty, a

n ex

pert

on

fres

hwa-

ter

reso

urce

s, w

ho w

ill d

irec

t th

e w

ater

and

envi

ronm

enta

l sen

sing

labo

rato

ry a

tth

e A

dvan

ced

Scie

nce

Res

earc

h C

ente

r,w

hich

bro

ke g

roun

d th

is f

all a

t C

ity

Col

lege

. Vör

ösm

arty

, who

join

s th

e ci

vil

engi

neer

ing

facu

lty

at C

CN

Y’s

Gro

veSc

hool

of

Eng

inee

ring

, will

dev

elop

com

-pu

ter

mod

els

and

geos

pati

al d

ata

sets

to

anal

yze

the

wat

er c

ycle

’s in

tera

ctio

n w

ith

clim

ate,

bio

geoc

hem

istr

y an

d hu

man

acti

viti

es. V

örös

mar

ty c

omes

fro

m t

heU

nive

rsit

y of

New

Ham

pshi

re’s

Ins

titu

tefo

r th

e St

udy

of E

arth

, Oce

ans,

and

Spac

e.A

noth

er s

cien

ce s

tar

hire

d th

is f

all i

sA

lan

Lyon

s, pr

ofes

sor

of c

hem

istr

y at

The

Gra

duat

e C

ente

r an

d at

Col

lege

of

Stat

enIs

land

, whe

re h

e co

-dir

ects

the

Cen

ter

for

Eng

inee

red

Poly

mer

Mat

eria

ls. A

t B

ell

Lab

s (A

lcat

el-L

ucen

t), L

yons

was

a le

adin

gin

nova

tor

of m

anuf

actu

ring

tec

hnol

ogie

sfo

r el

ectr

onic

com

pone

nts;

his

wor

k w

asre

spon

sibl

e fo

r ne

w p

rodu

cts

and

for

impr

ovem

ents

yie

ldin

g ov

er $

30 m

illio

n in

savi

ngs.

As

a fo

undi

ng m

embe

r of

Bel

lL

abs

Irel

and,

Alc

atel

-Luc

ent’

s ne

wes

tre

sear

chla

bhe

esta

blis

hed

agr

oup

of

veno

mou

s m

arin

e ga

stro

pods

(co

ne s

nails

,te

rebr

ids

and

turr

ids)

, stu

dyin

g th

eir

tox-

ins

as b

ioch

emic

al t

ools

for

cha

ract

eriz

ing

cellu

lar

com

mun

icat

ion

in t

he n

ervo

us s

ys-

tem

, and

as

pote

ntia

l dru

g de

velo

pmen

tta

rget

s. H

er P

h.D

., in

syn

thet

ic p

rote

inch

emis

try,

is f

rom

Roc

kefe

ller

Uni

vers

ity

Auth

or, A

utho

rA

ccom

plis

hed

wri

ters

join

ing

CU

NY

this

fal

l inc

lude

Am

y H

empe

l, w

ho h

eads

Bro

okly

n C

olle

ge’s

M.F

.A. p

rogr

am in

fic-

tion

wri

ting

. A G

ugge

nhei

m f

ello

w w

hoha

s pe

nned

mor

e th

an 5

0 sh

ort

stor

ies,

ano

vella

and

man

y ar

ticl

es, H

empe

l suc

-ce

eds

Pulit

zer

Priz

e-w

inni

ng n

ovel

ist

Mic

hael

Cun

ning

ham

. “M

icha

el a

nd I

are

very

muc

h in

line

in t

hink

ing

abou

t fic

-ti

on, t

each

ing

and

wha

t w

orks

bes

t,” s

hesa

id, “

so it

’s n

ot li

ke p

eopl

e w

ill a

rriv

e an

dfin

d so

met

hing

the

y do

n’t

reco

gniz

e.”

Hem

pel,

who

pla

ns t

o in

corp

orat

e m

ore

poet

ry a

nd p

layw

riti

ng in

to t

he p

rogr

am,

has

taug

ht a

t B

enni

ngto

n, S

arah

Law

renc

e,T

he N

ew S

choo

l and

Pri

ncet

on.

Fran

cine

Pro

se, a

utho

r of

mor

e th

an 2

0bo

oks

of fi

ctio

n an

d no

nfict

ion,

is B

aruc

hC

olle

ge’s

Sid

ney

Har

man

Wri

ter-

in-

Res

iden

ce f

or f

all 2

008.

Her

wor

ks in

clud

eth

e ju

st-p

ublis

hed

nove

l Gol

deng

rove

, nov

-el

s B

lue

Ang

elan

d A

Cha

nged

Man

, vol

-um

es o

n gl

utto

ny a

nd t

he p

aint

erC

arav

aggi

o, a

nd b

ooks

for

chi

ldre

n an

dyo

ung

adul

ts. A

con

trib

utor

to

The

New

York

Tim

es, N

ew Y

ork

Rev

iew

of

Boo

ks,

The

New

Yor

ker

and

othe

r jo

urna

ls, P

rose

,pr

esid

ent

of P

EN

Am

eric

an C

ente

r, ha

sre

ceiv

ed m

any

gran

ts a

nd a

war

ds a

nd h

asta

ught

at T

he N

ew S

choo

l, H

arva

rd, I

owa

Wri

ters

Wor

ksho

p, a

nd a

s a

dist

ingu

ishe

dvi

siti

ng w

rite

r at

Bar

d.

Stud

ying

Con

tem

pora

ryCo

ncer

nsT

he a

cade

mic

inte

rest

s of

a n

umbe

r of

new

fac

ulty

mem

bers

res

onat

e w

ith

con-

tem

pora

ry c

once

rns,

from

eth

nic

stri

fe t

ofin

anci

al m

arke

ts t

o so

cial

issu

es.

Sara

Sch

echt

er h

as b

een

appo

inte

d di

s-ti

ngui

shed

lect

urer

, law

and

par

aleg

al s

tud-

ies

at N

ew Y

ork

Cit

y C

olle

ge o

fTe

chno

logy

, aft

er 2

5 ye

ars

as a

Fam

ilyC

ourt

judg

e an

d 20

as

an a

djun

ct p

rofe

s-so

r at

Cit

y Te

ch. “

Teac

hing

, wit

h it

s fo

cus

on p

osit

ive

futu

res

for

the

stud

ents

, was

an

anti

dote

to

my

judi

cial

fun

ctio

n of

pre

sid-

ing

over

live

s un

rave

ling,

” ex

plai

nsSc

hech

ter,

who

rec

alls

tea

chin

g he

r co

urse

“Law

Thr

ough

Lit

erat

ure

”on

Sept

12

scho

larl

y pu

blic

atio

ns in

clud

e a

book

of

poem

s w

ritt

en d

urin

g th

e w

ar in

Ser

bo-

Cro

atia

.

Exam

inin

g Ec

onom

ics

In e

cono

mic

s-re

late

d fie

lds,

new

fac

ulty

incl

ude

Ann

e Z

issu

, an

expe

rt o

n m

ort-

gage

and

ass

et-b

acke

d se

curi

ties

, as

asso

ci-

ate

prof

esso

r an

d ch

air

of b

usin

ess

at N

ewYo

rk C

ity

Col

lege

of T

echn

olog

y. F

ound

ing

edit

or o

f The

Fin

anci

er a

nd T

heSe

curi

tiza

tion

Con

duit

, she

com

es t

o C

ity

6 CUNY MATTERS — Winter 2009

Pow

erin

g-U

p Fa

culty

Pre

stig

e

Asso

ciat

e pr

ofes

sor A

nne

Ziss

u, e

xper

t on

mor

tage

s an

d as

set-

back

ed s

ecur

ities

, cha

irs b

usin

ess

at C

ity Te

ch.

rese

arch

lab,

he

esta

blis

hed

a gr

oup

ofyo

ung

scie

ntis

ts t

o re

sear

ch t

herm

al m

an-

agem

ent

and

othe

r en

ergy

-effi

cien

t te

ch-

nolo

gies

. His

Ph.

D. i

n po

lym

er c

hem

istr

yis

fro

m P

olyt

echn

ic U

nive

rsit

y.A

ssoc

iate

pro

fess

or D

anie

l Kab

at, m

ov-

ing

to L

ehm

an C

olle

ge f

rom

Col

umbi

aU

nive

rsit

y, is

a t

heor

etic

al p

hysi

cist

stu

dy-

ing

mod

ifica

tion

s to

Ein

stei

n’s

theo

ry o

fgr

avit

y, w

hich

cou

ld a

ccou

nt f

or t

hein

crea

sing

ly r

apid

exp

ansi

on in

the

pre

-se

nt-d

ay u

nive

rse.

He

has

a Ph

.D. i

nph

ysic

s fr

om M

assa

chus

etts

Ins

titu

te o

fTe

chno

logy

; muc

h of

his

res

earc

h is

fun

d-ed

by

the

U.S

. Dep

artm

ent

of E

nerg

y.Ph

ysic

ist

Chi

aki Y

anag

isaw

a, a

ssis

tant

prof

esso

r of

sci

ence

at

Bor

ough

of

Man

hatt

an C

omm

unit

y C

olle

ge, r

esea

rch-

es p

arti

cle

astr

ophy

sics

, in

part

icul

ar n

eu-

trin

o ph

ysic

s an

d it

s os

cilla

tion

, pro

ton

deca

ys, a

nd c

osm

ic r

ays.

His

inte

rnat

iona

lco

llabo

rati

ons

have

led

to t

he d

isco

very

of

the

part

icle

glu

on, o

f to

p qu

ark

(six

th a

ndla

st in

gred

ient

of

mat

ter)

and

of

neut

rino

osci

llati

on. H

is P

h.D

. is

from

the

Uni

vers

ity

of T

okyo

.A

t Yo

rk C

olle

ge, M

andë

Hol

ford

, new

assi

stan

t pr

ofes

sor

of c

hem

istr

y, h

opes

to

deve

lop

a la

b w

here

res

earc

hers

will

reco

nstr

uct

the

evol

utio

nary

his

tory

of

Law

Thr

ough

Lit

erat

ure,

on

Sept

. 12,

2001

: “Se

vent

een

of t

he 2

3 st

uden

ts m

an-

aged

to

mak

e it

to

clas

s th

at n

ight

, and

the

sess

ion

was

a c

eleb

rati

on o

f ou

r su

rviv

alan

d ou

r fr

eedo

m t

o le

arn

toge

ther

.” T

heau

thor

of

the

text

book

New

Yor

k Fa

mily

Law

, Sec

ond

Edi

tion

, Sch

echt

er h

assu

perv

ised

fos

ter

care

and

ado

ptio

n lit

iga-

tion

for

the

cit

y H

uman

Res

ourc

esA

dmin

istr

atio

n. A

for

mer

fos

ter

child

her

-se

lf, in

199

9 sh

e w

as t

he fi

rst

judg

e to

sit

in N

ew Y

ork

Cit

y’s

Mod

el C

ourt

, a f

eder

-al

ly f

unde

d pr

ojec

t de

sign

ed t

o ex

pedi

tepe

rman

ency

for

chi

ldre

n w

ithi

n Fa

mily

Cou

rt ju

risd

icti

on. A

t C

ity

Tech

, she

teac

hes

law

and

Eng

lish

cour

ses.

Jona

than

Eng

el, p

rofe

ssor

of

publ

icaf

fair

s at

Bar

uch

Col

lege

, and

ass

ocia

tede

an o

f th

e Sc

hool

of

Publ

ic A

ffai

rs, s

pe-

cial

izes

in h

ealt

hcar

e is

sues

; he

is w

orki

ngon

a b

ook

that

exa

min

es c

hang

es in

heal

th c

are

deliv

ery

sinc

e 19

70. H

e w

rote

The

Epi

dem

ic: A

His

tory

of A

IDs,

and

just

publ

ishe

d A

mer

ican

The

rapy

: The

Ris

e of

Psyc

hoth

erap

y in

the

Uni

ted

Stat

es. “

Mos

tps

ycho

ther

apy

toda

y ha

s a

stro

ng t

each

ing

com

pone

nt,"

hel

ping

peo

ple

nego

tiat

e di

f-fic

ult

situ

atio

ns in

a w

ay t

hat

prom

otes

heal

thy

func

tion

ing,

he

poin

ts o

ut. C

lass

icFr

eudi

an p

sych

oana

lysi

s, he

add

s, is

“dea

d,"

exce

pt a

s a

chap

ter

in t

hehi

stor

y of

idea

s. H

is P

h.D

. in

hist

ory

and

M.B

.A a

re b

oth

from

Yal

e.C

onsi

dere

d on

e of

the

nat

ion’

s to

pde

mog

raph

ers,

Ric

hard

Alb

a, d

isti

ngui

shed

prof

esso

r of

soc

iolo

gy a

t The

Gra

duat

eC

ente

r, sp

ecia

lizes

in t

he s

ocio

logy

and

dem

ogra

phy

of m

igra

tion

, rac

e an

d et

hnic

-it

y an

d ur

ban

soci

olog

y. W

ith

CU

NY

col

-le

ague

Nan

cy F

oner

, he

is w

orki

ng o

n a

book

com

pari

ng in

corp

orat

ion

of im

mi-

gran

ts a

nd t

heir

chi

ldre

n in

Nor

thA

mer

ica,

and

Wes

tern

Eur

ope.

Pro

fess

orA

lba

com

es t

o th

e G

radu

ate

Cen

ter

from

SUN

Y A

lban

y, w

here

he

dire

cted

the

Cen

ter

for

Soci

al a

nd D

emog

raph

icA

naly

sis

and

the

Lew

is M

umfo

rd C

ente

rfo

r C

ompa

rati

ve U

rban

and

Reg

iona

lR

esea

rch.

His

Ph.

D. i

s fr

om C

olum

bia

Uni

vers

ity.

Boj

ana

Bla

goje

vic,

ass

ista

nt p

rofe

ssor

of

polit

ical

sci

ence

at

LaG

uard

ia C

omm

unit

yC

olle

ge, e

mig

rate

d to

the

U.S

. fro

mB

osni

a-H

erze

govi

na in

199

6 to

con

tinu

ehe

r w

ar-i

nter

rupt

ed e

duca

tion

. Onc

e he

re,

her

educ

atio

nal t

raje

ctor

y w

as s

wif

t, fr

omth

e G

ED

and

hig

h sc

hool

dip

lom

a sh

eea

rned

in 1

997,

to

her

asso

ciat

e de

gree

from

Uni

on C

ount

y (N

.J.)

Col

lege

in 1

998

to h

er R

utge

rs U

nive

rsit

y (D

ougl

ass

Col

lege

) B.

A. i

n 20

00, t

o he

r R

utge

rsPh

.D. i

n gl

obal

aff

airs

in 2

004.

Her

rese

arch

inte

rest

s in

clud

e ca

uses

of

war

,co

nflic

t re

solu

tion

and

pea

cebu

ildin

g. H

erla

test

sch

olar

ly a

rtic

le “

Peac

ebui

ldin

g in

Eth

nica

lly D

ivid

ed S

ocie

ties"

was

pub

lishe

din

Pea

ce R

evie

w in

Oct

ober

200

7. N

on-

Tech

aft

er 2

0 ye

ars

at T

empl

e U

nive

rsit

yan

d re

mai

ns a

vis

itin

g pr

ofes

sor

atU

nive

rsit

y Pa

ris-

Dau

phin

e. W

ith

her

hus-

band

, Cha

rles

Sto

ne, s

he h

as c

o-au

thor

edT

he S

ecur

itiza

tion

Mar

kets

Han

dboo

k:St

ruct

ures

and

Dyn

amic

s of

Mor

tgag

e- a

ndA

sset

-Bac

ked

Secu

ritie

s, th

ree

book

s on

glob

al s

ecur

itie

s, an

d on

e on

the

Eur

opea

nm

arke

t. Z

issu

has

a p

aten

t pe

ndin

g fo

r a

met

hod

of m

odel

ing

and

com

puti

ng t

heri

sks

of in

vest

ing

in s

enio

r lif

e se

ttle

men

ts,

cont

ract

s th

at t

rans

fer

a lif

e in

sura

nce

poli-

cy f

rom

the

insu

red

(set

tler

) to

a li

fe s

et-

tlem

ent

com

pany

. Her

eco

nom

ics

Ph.D

. is

from

The

Gra

duat

e C

ente

r.G

ene

Park

, ass

ista

nt p

rofe

ssor

of

polit

ical

scie

nce

at B

aruc

h, s

tudi

es t

he p

oliti

cal e

con-

omy

of J

apan

— h

ow t

he J

apan

ese

finan

ceth

eir

stat

e, t

ax a

nd u

se p

ublic

fun

ds. H

e al

soex

amin

es w

hy J

apan

has

rec

ently

bec

ome

ade

btor

cou

ntry

. His

boo

k Ta

xatio

n W

ithou

tSp

endi

ng: F

inan

cing

the

Japa

nese

Sta

te, th

eFi

scal

Inve

stm

ent L

oan

Prog

ram

and

the

Polit

ics

of P

ublic

Spe

ndin

gis

und

er r

evie

w f

orpu

blic

atio

n. H

is n

ew w

ork

will

con

tras

tJa

pan’

s po

litic

al e

cono

my

with

oth

er in

dus-

tria

lly d

evel

oped

nat

ions

’. Pa

rk h

olds

aPh

.D. f

rom

Ber

kele

y.

Gene

Par

k, a

ssis

tant

pro

fess

or a

t Bar

uch,

stu

dies

Japa

n's

polit

ical

eco

nom

y.

Man

dë H

olfor

d is

assis

tant

pro

fess

or o

f che

mist

ry at

Yor

k.

CUNY MATTERS — Winter 2009 7

Sara

Sch

echt

er le

ctur

es o

n la

w at

City

Tech

.

The University counted270,725 enrollments in2007-2008, an increase ofmore than 40,000 over theprevious year.

Other notable enrollmenttrends this fall includeincreases in both full- andpart-time study at the under-graduate and graduate levels;in professional training and indegree programs that offerflexible modes of learning.

Beyond the traditional fall-spring semester model, theUniversity promoted a feastof “Summer in the City”classes and activities this pastsummer — yielding a 4.8percent enrollment increaseover the summer of 2007.CUNY is also gearing up forWinter Session ’09. Theshorter sessions are quick,intensive opportunities toearn academic credits, andare expected to boost year-roundenrollments even more by exposing CUNYand non-CUNY students to the Universityand its affordable offerings.

The fall 2008 preliminary enrollmentdata show the University building upon awave of student increases that began in2000, when CUNY implemented adminis-trative and academic reforms that haveboosted its reputation nationwide.

Besides adding the outstanding new fac-ulty teaching at CUNY this fall, theUniversity continues to strengthen its sci-ence programs in part by expanding Ph.D.-

granting authority to twoscience-focused senior colleges,City and Hunter; by modernizing

science facilities in all fiveboroughs; and by hewing to its mis-sion to expand educational oppor-tunities for one of the most diversestudent populations in the world.

This fall, every CUNY sector,from senior colleges to communitycolleges to graduate programs, post-ed notable enrollment increasescompared with fall 2007.

CUNY’s community colleges sawthe largest gains overall, 5.9 per-cent, with Borough of ManhattanCommunity College in thevanguard with a 10.9 percentincrease, followed by Kingsborough,7.7 percent, and Queensborough,5.3 percent.

Among thesenior col-leges,MedgarEvers inBrooklyn sawthe biggest

burst upward, 11 per-cent, compared withfall 2007. YorkCollege followed witha 5.6 percent jump,and College of StatenIsland’s enrollmentwent up by 5.2percent.

CUNY’s graduateschools and programssaw a 5.6 percentoverall increase. TheSchool of

Professional Studies, which includes thepopular and flexible CUNY OnlineBaccalaureate degree, reported a 39.1percent leap. At CUNY Graduate School ofJournalism — now entering its third year andoffering an innovative journalism, broadcastnews and new media curriculum culminatingin a Master of Arts degree — enrollmentincreased by just over 10 percent.

Enrollment of first-time fresh-men was

up 5.3 percentUniversity-wide, withthe biggest

gain at theSchool ofProfessionalStudies, 28percent; atMedgar Evers,the gain was24.2 percent;and atLehman, 14.9percent,among theseniorcolleges.Among thecommunitycolleges,BMCC (24.3percent),Kingsborough(13.5percent) andHostos (13.5percent)posted thehighestincreases.

8 CUNY MATTERS — Winter 2009

FACULTYHONORS

continued from page 1

Private Lives Wins Prize

CANDICE M. JENKINS,Associate Professor of English at

Hunter College, received the ModernLanguage Association of America’sseventh annual William SandersScarborough Prize for her bookPrivate Lives, Proper Relations:Regulating Black Intimacy. The prize isfor an outstanding scholarly study ofblack American literature or culture,and includes a $1,000 cash award.Her book, which is a study of repre-sentations of sexuality and the bodyin African-American literature, wascited for being “daring in its argumentand meticulous in its execution.”

Hempel Wins Rea Award

AMY HEMPEL, who is coordina-tor of Brooklyn College’s M.F.A.

Program in Fiction, has won the2008 Rea Award for the Short Story,a $30,000 prize awarded to anAmerican or Canadian writer for“significant contributions to the disci-pline of the short story form.” Herwork, The Collected Stories of AmyHempel, was one of The New YorkTimes’ Ten Best Books of 2006.

Chemical Engineers Honor Denn

MORTON M. DENN, AlbertEinstein Professor of Science

and Engineering at CCNY, receivedthe American Institute of ChemicalEngineers’ 2008 Founders Award foroutstanding contributions to chemicalengineering. Dr. Denn, a CUNYDistinguished Professor of ChemicalEngineering with a joint appointmentas Professor of Physics, also headsCity’s Benjamin Levich Institute forPhysico-Chemical Hydrodynamics.

NSF Gives Cardoso $3.1 million

HUNTER COLLEGE’S ElizabethDa Silva Cardoso has received a

$3.1 million grant from the NationalScience Foundation for her project“MIND Alliance for MinorityStudents with Disabilities in Science,Technol-ogy, Engineering andMathematics.” The project is designedto increase the quantity and qualityof minority students with disabilitiesin the sciences at high schools, com-munity colleges, colleges and in thework force. A Professor in Hunter’sSchool of Education, Dr. Cardoso willpartner with Southern University atBaton Rouge on the project.

$1.7 million For Spinal Research

TWO College of Staten Island fac-ulty members, Maria Knikou and

Zaghloul Ahmed, received grantstotaling $1.7 million for spinal cordinjury research from the NY StateDepartment of Health, WadsworthCenter for Spinal Injury ResearchBoard. Both members of CSI’sPhysical Therapy Department, Dr.Knikou was awarded $1.4 million forresearch on the neural mechanismsunderlying locomotor recovery, whileDr. Ahmed received $300,000 forresearch on the effects of combinedmagnetic stimulation and acrobaticexercises on an animal model of spinalcord injury.

Total CUNYEnrollment

25%

15%

31%

GraduateEnrollment

Community CollegesEnrollment

CUNY Enrollment SkyrocketsTristan Wright-Crishon, a student in the popular Accelerated Study in Associates Program (ASAP), works in a music technology lab at Queens-borough Community College.

Caverly, kept sex matters under wraps.When the only testimony on the

men’s sexual activities was tobe given, Caverly made

sure it waswhispered in a hud-

dle around the stenog-raphers before his

bench, out of earshot ofaudience and reporters.

Spicing the atmosphereoutside the courtroom was

the Ku Klux Klan, newlyresurgent in Chicago and

promising a lynching if thewheels of justice did not pro-

duce a hanging. Darrow’s bril-

liant initial gambitwas to have hisclients plead guilty(thus avoidingmuch washing ofdirty laundrybefore a jury) andthen focus ondefending them atgreat length duringthe pre-sentencinghearing beforeCaverly alone.

Darrow, whose sole aim was toavoid the gallows, would use thehearing to throw his clients on thecourt’s mercy. One historic aspectof Baatz’s narrative is Darrow’sattempt to “mitigate” the crimethrough scientific evidence deliv-ered by expert witnesses. No fewerthan 12 psychiatrists, including thenation’s leading one, WilliamAlanson White of Washington,D.C.’s, famed St. Elizabeth’sHospital, held forth on the causesof mental illness, the killers’ crip-pling “infantilism,” and theirendocrinological disorders. Insteadof being “spoiled rotten,”as Crowe and countless mediakibitzers thought, the two boys

suffered from “affective incapacity.” Crowe countered with 90 witnesses

intended to “aggravate” the crime, amongthem a slew of neurologists willing to saythey found “no mental disease” in the men.In the end the judge ignored all the scienceand, simply on the basis of their youth, sen-tenced Loeb and Leopold to life terms forthe murder and 99-year terms for kidnap-ping for ransom. His carelessly forgetting to

campaignagainst the

death penalty,Darrow, Baatzsays, had been for30 years “the mostfamous lawyer in theU.S.” Among his clientswere the CommunistLabor Party and theassassin of a Chicagomayor. The year afterthe Leopold-Loeb trialhe headed to Tennesseefor his most famousshowdown — withWilliam Jennings Bryanat the Scopes trial.

Darrow’s opponentin Criminal Court wasno slouch: the wilyprosecutor RobertCrowe, whose idee fixewas that the confessedkillers must hang. Two-thirds of Baatz’s narra-tive is devoted to theirepic courtroom duel-ing. The murder hadbeen solved in just afew days, mainly dueto the almost immedi-ate discovery of thebody and Nathan’s dis-tinctive tortoiseshellglasses lying nearby,plus the later discoverythat a ransom note wasproduced on the sametypewriter as Nathan’s study notes for alaw class.

Adding to the tension was the threat ofan anti-Semitic backlash — and a homo-phobic one, for it soon emerged that theLoeb-Leopold relationship was sexual.According to Baatz, neither backlash brokeleash. The Jewish community retreated tosilence, and the discretion of the presidingjudge, the poised, liberal-leaning John

They gave a whole new mean-ing to the word “sangfroid,”those two famously not nice

Jewish boys Richard Loeb andNathan Leopold. Indeed, theybecame poster boys for cold-blood-ed murder after they kidnapped 14-year-old Bobby Franks, smashed hishead with a chisel, pouredhydrochloric acid over the body,then stuffed it into a drainage pipein a nature preserve south ofChicago. It all happened onMay 21, 1924, whenRichard was 18, Nathan 19.

Though they confessedelaborately to the deed andscrupulous preliminary plan-ning, they never expressed aniota of remorse. Indeed, while therumor floated before sentencingthat a despondent Leopold hadhanged himself in the Cook Countyjail, he was blithely passing time play-ing the rec room piano and tellingjournalists that Rimsky-Korsakov washis favorite composer: “I like him for hisprecision and finish rather than for hisemotional qualities.”

Emotional qualities were in eerily shortsupply in these two callow but exceedinglybright youths. Richard was, at 18, theUniversity of Michigan’s youngest graduateever in 1923, while Nathan matriculated atthe University of Chicago at 14. Nathanintended to apply to Harvard Law School inthe fall, Richard to Chicago’s Law School.

The murderers’ icy intelligence andsuave good looks combined with their highsocial station — both families were wealthypillars of Chicago’s Jewish community(Richard’s father was a vice president ofSears, Roebuck) — to make the 1924 triala major media event, right up there withthe Lindbergh and the O.J. Simpson mur-der trials later that century. Chicago’s sixdaily papers — those were the days! —assigned multiple reporters to the story,and the fate of Loeb and Leopold quicklybecame a national obsession.

When the centennial of the births ofLoeb and Leopold passed in 2005, SimonBaatz was well into his extensive researchfor what is, astonishingly, the first full-scaleattempt to explore how the criminal jus-tice system dealt with the case in all its“complexity and intricacy.” The 541-pagestudy, For the Thrill of It: Leopold, Loeb, andthe Murder That Shocked Chicago (Harper),has just appeared — very fittingly, sinceBaatz is a professor of history at John JayCollege of Criminal Justice and theGraduate Center. He tells of becominginterested in the case after happeningupon a London cinema that was revivingAlfred Hitchcock’s 1948 film “Rope,”which was based on the murder. (Loeb andLeopold had originally planned a jointstrangulation with rope, but it was Loebwho wielded the chisel.)

Many other factors combined to give thetrial an unprecedentedly high profile, mostobviously the two families’ hiring of thecelebrity legal firebrand Clarence Darrow.Famed for his defense of the Haymarketanarchists back in1886 and for a long

BOOKTALK

CUNY MATTERS—Winter 2009 9

By Gary Schmidgall

Justice on Trial: Revisiting Leopold-Loeb

state the terms should be “consecutive”rather than “concurrent” meant that,according to state law, they could be eligiblefor parole in 20 years. Darrow hadtriumphed, though he was widely seen inthe media, Baatz writes, as “the villain ofthe piece.”

Baatz makes clear that he is troubled bythe appearance of great legal panoply andexpense saving Loeb and Leopold from thescaffold, while in many similarly horrificmurders involving indigent or illiterate con-victs the outcome was a noose. On the oth-er hand, he is willing to grant that the trialmarked an advance in the delivery of crimi-nal justice. Baatz quotes Darrow’s remarkto a New York Times reporter: “Modernscience says that young mental defectivescan be adjusted to meet the problems oflife in a normal manner. ... Influences canbring about cures that, in their wider appli-cation, spell crime prevention.”

What happened to them? Thanks tofamily money funneled into his prisonaccount, Loeb became something of a pow-er behind the scenes in prison. He was notabove bribing guards or pursuing otherinmates for sexual favors. One inmate, ashort 21-year-old named James Day, cameunder pressure from Loeb for sex. On Jan.28, 1936, Day got his hand on a contrabandrazor and used it when Loeb entered ashower area for a tryst (Loeb had a key tothe door to ensure privacy). Loeb died thatday from more than 50 slash wounds.

Nathan Leopold behaved much betterbehind bars, teaching in a prison school,volunteering for experiments with anti-malarial medicines, and becoming an X-raytechnician. In 1953, at his first parole hear-ing he testified, “I was a smart-aleck kid. Iam not anymore.” Crowe wrote furiouslyfrom retirement that Leopold “ought tohang…it was a brutal murder.”

Leopold had to wait another five years,until March 13, 1958, for freedom. Soon hewas working as a medical technician at a small Protestant hospital in Puerto Rico.There he met and in 1961 married a 53-year-old widow from Baltimore. They lived quiet-ly and comfortably (thanks, in part, to a 1929inheritance from his father), traveling widelyafter he emerged from parole in 1963.Leopold died of a heart attack in 1971.

Baatz notes that F. Scott Fitzgeraldrevealed in 1927 that he was working on anovel about the Franks murder. It never sawthe light, which is a shame. The author ofThe Great Gatsby might have done it proud.He could have called it In Cold Blood.

Confessed killers Nathan Leopold, left, and Richard Loeb, were defended by celebrity lawyer ClarenceDarrow, at right in bottom photo, with the defendants.

“ . . . they became

poster boys for cold-blooded

murder after they kidnapped

14-year-old Bobby Franks,

smashed his head with a

chisel, poured hydrochloric

acid over the body, then

stuffed it into a drainage

pipe . . . ”

brate what we can do, and what we havedone,” said Trustee Valerie Lancaster Beal,leading up to Senior Vice Chancellor forUniversity Relations Jay Hershenson

heralding women’s initiatives andlater presenting awards to KimJasmin of JPMorgan Chase andBrenda Griebert of TIAA-CREF,the conference co-sponsors.

An inspiring keynote speech byNew York Secretary of StateLorraine Cortes-Vazquez, thefirst woman to hold that office,had students lining up to speakwith her afterward.

Statistics — and experiences —shared during the conferenceindicate that women are stillunder-represented in leadershippositions despite having moreeducation than men. They aremore likely to earn the minu-mum wage or less, often have towork twice as hard as men in thesame jobs, and are held to differ-ent standards. The U.S. ranks27th in the world for women astop executives — after suchcountries as Argentina, Cuba andSouth Africa, reported ViceChancellor for Human ResourcesManagement Gloriana Waters.

Many people believe the factthat wives do most of the domes-tic work in the home has a lot todo with “why women take lessdemanding jobs, jobs that don’tinvolve leadership,” said InterimExecutive Vice Chancellor andUniversity Provost AlexandraLogue.

But there are signs of progress:Current thinking, e.g., that femi-nine traits, such as consultingwidely before making a decision,are indicative of good leaders,Logue said.

willingness to work hard, learn from themistakes of others and have the forceful-ness of purpose to say, ‘Yes I can.’”

“The reason we’re here today is to cele-

Goldstein told the group, noting that “in1964 there were black people who could-n’t vote in this country.” Now, he said,“Anything is possible. All that’s needed is a

ON THE HEELS — high heels —of this year’s historic campaignsby women for America’s two top

jobs, a select group of more than 350 par-ticipants gathered Nov. 14 at thefourth annual CUNY/New YorkTimes Knowledge NetworkWomen’s Leadership Conferencefor tips on achieving their ownambitious goals.

The young student leaders maynot be quite ready for WhiteHouse runs. But their thought-provoking questions and ideasshowed that they — as much asthe female legislators, businessexecutives and educators on thedais — exemplify the conferencetopic: Advocates for Change.

Five official student bloggers— all members of the 2008-2009CUNY Women’s Public ServiceInternship Program — continual-ly posted their observationsthroughout the seven-hour con-clave at New York’s RooseveltHotel (to read their full reports,go to www.cuny.edu/womensleadership).

Bursts of applause were fre-quent from the conference-goers,most of whom were women.They cheered mothers who jugglefamily responsibilities, jobs andcollege courses they hope willhelp them break the infamousglass ceiling. They cheered theUniversity, their colleges, theirprofessors, each other. And theycheered two major new rolemodels: President-elect BarackObama and his early challenger,Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton —who they’d just learned was beingconsidered for Secretary of State.

Obama’s win has been a “seachange,” Chancellor Matthew

WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP (www.cuny.edu/womensleadership) is just one of many compelling subjects

covered in a series of interactive University websites thatput invaluable information at your fingertips.

You can hear audio and watch video illuminating keystruggles for human rights and milestones in Americanhistory, learn about achievements of CUNY faculty andstudents as well as University philanthropic activity, findleads for jobs and get advice on personal issues includingcitizenship and immigration.

The websites, which are illustrated with archival photosand drawings, build on information featured on printedcalendars issued over the last few years. Also available viathese online sources are school curricula (for Grades 7, 8and 11) developed by the LaGuardia and WagnerArchives at LaGuardia Community College.

Most of the information — published in partnershipwith The New York Times Knowledge Network — isavailable in Spanish as well as English.

In addition to the Women’s Leadership website —which summarizes the recent conference and includeslinks to blogs by students who covered the meeting — thenewest in the series of online resources grew out of the2009 City Life Calendar.

City Life: This highlights the importance of citiesthroughout American history as magnets for creativity inthe arts, commerce and politics stemming from diversepeople and ideas. The City Life home page also providesthe links to several of the following topic sites, as well asto community service resources. www.cuny.edu/citylife

Let Freedom Ring: Listen to sounds of freedom, includingslave narratives, Malcolm X’s “Message to the Grassroots”speech, songs of labor, and an interview with a Roe v.Wade attorney. www.cuny.edu/freedom

Nation of Immigrants: Immigration milestones from the16th century to the present day are spotlighted via CUNYRadio podcasts, video of distinguished speakers and a listof prominent immigrant University alumni.

www.cuny.edu/nationofimmigrantsVoting Rights and Citizenship: This section begins with events

leading up to the adoption of the U.S. Constitution and con-tinues through contested elections and the expansion of vot-ing rights to women, African-Americans, Native Americansand Chinese-Americans. It then moves on to discuss thecountry’s newest voices. Link via www.cuny.edu/citylife orwww.cuny.edu/freedom

Women’s Leadership in American History: Read about thecountry’s First Ladies, women in politics, the nation’s four-month women’s strike for workers’ rights, women and warwork, feminism and the women’s movement, and trendstoward increased numbers of women in science andsports. Link via www.cuny.edu/citylife orwww.cuny.edu/freedom

Student Jobs: The University’s employment-opportunitiesinitiative aims to help students obtain part-time and full-time work, as well as internships. This site includes links tojobs as court interpreters, as representatives at New York

Today’s Leaders Inspire

10 CUNY MATTERS — Winter 2009

W O M E N ’ S L E A D E R S H I P C O N F E R E N C E

Student bloggers who reported their thought-provoking observations of the conference are,from left: Nastasiya Korolkova, Soribel Feliz,Megumi Saito, Kamilla Bryan, Catherine Zinnel.

U S E F U L C O N N E C T I

pants. Could we hope to see a greaterfemale representation in our legislature inthe near future? — Megumi Saito, a seniorpre-law major at City College.

Elected officials discussing their viewsduring panels on advocating for change ingovernment were New York State Sen.Ruth Hassell-Thompson; AssemblywomenBarbara Clark, Deborah Glick and AnnetteRobinson; New York City CouncilwomenGale Brewer, Melissa Mark-Viverito, RosieMendez and Diana Reyna. The conferencewas chaired by LaGuardia CommunityCollege President Gail Mellow, with panelsmoderated by other women college presi-

dents; it was coordinated byPat Gray, the University’sdirector of special events andcorporate relations. Closingremarks were by AnnKirschner, dean of MacaulayHonors College.

Speaking on a panel aboutJustice for Women andChildren in the Family wereNew York Family Court JudgeBryanne Hamill, CUNYSchool of Law InterimAssistant Dean for StudentAffairs Angela Burton and pro-

fessor Donna Hae Kyun Lee of theBattered Women’s Rights Clinic at theCUNY Law School.

What traits mark a good leader?Some tips from keynoter Cortes-Vazquez:

• Be bold and courageous, which is notreckless, but fully conscious of conse-quences.• Never forget the shoulders you stand onand the responsibility you have.• Arm yourself with information so youcan combat the misinformation.• You have to be your word.• If you need to step back because you gettired, transfer the power to someone else.

Waters adds: “Watch how people whohave power use it. Pay attention …. You

have to build that network.We have to build it.”

Most ambitious youngpeople also know not tooverlook role models of theopposite sex. John JayCollege senior AjibadeLonge, one of the few malestudents in the audience,said he was there becausehe hopes to become anattorney specializing inhuman rights. His inspira-tion? His grandmother, whoas a girl was denied an edu-cation in their nativeNigeria, but now runs anelementary school there.“Out of nothing, shebecame something,” he saidproudly — words oftenheard around CUNY.

“Leadership is hard for everybody, butwe’re put in a box — you saw it inClinton’s campaign,” said luncheon keynot-er Carla A. Robbins, deputy editorial pageeditor of The New York Times. “It’s goingto be better for you,” she assured youngwomen in the audience. As for now, “Youcan have it all, but you’re not going tosleep very well.”

Young idealists often haven’t yet climbedhigh enough to hit the glass ceiling. Butblogger Catherine Zinnel, a MacaulayHonors College senior and political sciencemajor at Hunter College, wrote that, whileinterning in state and city government jobs,she learned of “the doublestandards that are unfairlyimposed on female leaders,from appearance to familyresponsibilities.”

Other bloggers reflectedon the conference’s govern-ment panels:

“I was frustrated to seethat if everything was soclear — we lack the money,we need the money, weneed to do A, B, and C tosee change happen — thenwhy was it not happening?… Why are all these policymakers so clear-ly willing and dedicated to reform, still notseeing these reforms happen? I suppose ittakes years of patience and perseverance,and activism on the part of the legislator’sconstituency, to really get things done. Isuppose, to echo this morning’s testament,we need to put more women on it.” —Macaulay Honors College senior NastasiyaKorolkova, an international relations majorat Baruch College.

“Currently, about one-third of all CityCouncil members are females. In contrast,in the CUNY Model City Council Project,in which high school students learn aboutNYC government and legislation …females make up two-thirds of all partici-

SEVEN YEARS AGO, BRIAN COHEN joined CUNYas its chief information officer. Recently, CUNY

Matters sat down with Cohen, who is also associ-ate vice chancellor, to talk about how technology ischanging CUNY.

Q: What role has technology played in shapingeducation at CUNY?

A: Over the last five years the University has invest-ed between $350 million and $400 million in tech-nology infrastructure improvements. You can see theresults of this investment when you visit our collegesand see the latest technology in the labs, librariesand classrooms. The technology investment has alsobeen used to introduce new systems and computerfacilities over the last five years: upgrading ourBlackboard online course management system;developing the Degreeworks On-line AcademicAdvisement system, expanding our resources for ourscientists through the High Performance ComputingCenter, as well as our CUNY computer grid.

Over the next five years we’re going to seetechnology playing three major roles: It will be an“enabler” helping the University to become a moreefficient organization. It will be an “enhancer” thatwill enrich the experiences of students and faculty.And, finally, technology will be a “supporter” ofeverything we are trying to do, providing betterservices on both the administrative and the aca-demic side.

Q: One of our biggest cur-rent technology projects isCUNYfirst. Tell us how it fitsinto the University’s long-term strategy.

A: When CUNYfirst startedover seven years ago, it wasa conceptual projectaddressing the need toreplace our antiquatedcomputer systems. The stu-dent systems, the personnelsystems, our financial sys-tems — all were based on1970s technology. CUNYfirstwill replace all those sys-tems with one single inte-grated system. (“First”stands for Fully IntegratedResource and Services Tool.)And we believe theUniversity will thus be farmore efficient in delivering critical services, oper-ating and supporting the needs of our students.For example, in the future, if a student finishes atwo-year CUNY community college and moves on toa four-year college, or goes on to do graduate workat CUNY, the student will no longer need to createa new record for each institution.

Q: What about some of the other technologicaltools that students and faculty are using?

A: Now we run Blackboard in one location sup-porting the entire University. It has allowed us toreduce the cost of providing Blackboard servicesacross the board. Over the next several months wewill be upgrading from Blackboard 6.3 to 8.0,which provides enhanced features and greateropportunities for collaboration. CUNY will be thefirst institution of this size to deploy Blackboard8.0. In fact, it is already being used by the OnlineBaccalaureate program.Other systems we’re working on include

DegreeWorks, an online academic advisement sys-tem, which students can use to determine whether ornot the courses they are taking meet their curriculumrequirements before they meet with a faculty mem-ber for advice. It also gives them the capability tothink through “what if” scenarios: What would hap-pen if I change my major at this point?

Q: One of the critical things today is how a uni-versity communicates with its students. Whatkinds of systems is CUNY using?

A: There are two types of communication initia-tives that we have been working on. The first,Live@Edu, came out of many discussions amongthe University’s IT directors. We found that, insome cases, students were getting e-mailaddresses from their campuses; in many othercases, they weren’t. We also found that, because ofthe high costs of running an e-mail system, it wasvery difficult for us to have a standard serviceacross the University. Now, via a partnership withMicrosoft, the University is able to offer all of itsstudents e-mail services at no cost. Access to stu-dent e-mail is simplified via the Internet andaccessible from virtually everywhere. And, as ourstudents graduate, their e-mail accounts remainavailable to them as alumni accounts. Since westarted this effort last year, Live@Edu has alreadyestablished 175,000 e-mail accounts.

Q: What about the second initiative?

A: The second communication initiative is CUNYAlert, which evolved out of the tragic shooting inci-dent at Virginia Tech. That tragedy heightened ourown awareness that we needed a better tool tocommunicate with students, faculty and staff

about any kind of emergency situation. CUNY Alertis a partnership with New York State’s EmergencyManagement Office. Students, faculty and staffregister for the system at their campus of choice,and if there is an emergency at that campus, wealert them through the system, either by e-mail orphone; by landline, cell or text message — or allthree. Since we activated the system nine monthsago, we have had almost 90,000 registrations andwe have already used the system several times.Most recently, the College of Staten Island alertedits campus community of a fire and advised every-one to avoid the area.

Q: Along with the many benefits of the Internetage, there is a growing concern over securityissues. What sort of measures is the Universitytaking to assure security and privacy for users?

A: One initiative involves our shift away fromusing Social Security numbers as IDs, not only forstudents, but also employees. We’ve been lookingto use the CUNY portal as a means of logging intoour systems. We’ve also been investing substan-tially in security, providing better software to pro-tect the environment and minimizing the amountof spam that comes into the University that poten-tially brings viruses. And we have licensed anti-virus software for the entire University.

Q&A: BRIANCOHEN

Tomorrow’s

“… Watch howpeople who havepower use it. Payattention … .”

Technology Plays Many Roles University-wide

CUNY MATTERS — Winter 2009 11

City’s Citizen Service Call Center and with the U.S.Government Census Bureau for the 2010 census. It alsoprovides information about the state’s next Civil ServiceProfessional Careers Test, and links to numerous otheremployment resources. www.cuny.edu/studentjobs

Faculty/Student Achievements: Highlights include a facultyvideo showcase, podcasts of faculty lectures and featureson faculty/student teams working on research projects inscience and teacher development.www.cuny.edu/lookwhoisteaching

Philanthropic Activity: Read about alumni, friends andother philanthropists and foundations that are providingan unprecedented level of private funding to Universityschools and programs, supporting scholarly research byworld-class faculty and endowing student scholarships atevery college. “They are investing in CUNY, investing inNew York, and investing in futures,” Chancellor MatthewGoldstein says. www.cuny.edu/invest andwww.cuny.edu/investing

O N S

Chief InformationOfficer Cohenshapes CUNY

technology.

sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday

Office of University RelationsThe City University of New York535 East 80th St.New York, NY 10075

Non-Profit OrgU.S. Postage

PAIDStaten Island, NY

Permit # 169

Brooklyn CollegeExpressions DanceCompany in SCORE!8 pm$25

WINTER SESSION begins

Lehman CollegeDoo Wop Night8 pm$20 - $45

College of Staten IslandCDNDD ColloquiumSeries Fall 200810 amFree

KingsboroughCommunity CollegeFree Sundays atKingsborough: FALU3 pmFree

Baruch CollegeMBA & MSInformation Session6 pmFree

BMCC“What’s My PerfectJob?"Workshop forCareer Changers6 pm$20

Lehman CollegePoncho Sanchezand Gato Barbieri8 pm$20 - $45

Get the latest New York State and Cityfiscal information and its impact on the University’s2009-2010 operating and capital financial plans.Visit www.cuny.edu/podcasts and subscribe to TheChancellor’s Report, a comprehensive update fromChancellor Matthew Goldstein for the Universitycommunity. Subscribe also to podcasts of the Boardof Trustees committee hearings, including theCommittee on Fiscal Affairs and the Committee onFacilities, Planning, and Management, where theUniversity operating budget and capital budget dataare presented and discussed. The audio of these andother CUNY Radio podcasts can also be downloadedon demand to your iPods or personal computer.

Full details:

www.cuny.edu/radio

Details of eventscan change without notice, so always callin advance.

JANUARY 2009

City CollegeWomen’s Fencing7 pmFree

QueensboroughCommunity CollegeKuba Textiles(10 am-5 pm Tues. & Fri.;10 am-7 pm Wed.-Thur.;12-5 pm Sat.-Sun;closed Monday)Free

QueensboroughCommunity CollegeLibrary Exhibit: From Star of Shame to Star of Courageusually 10 am-4 pmFree

Martin Luther KingDay

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

NewYear’s Day

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 2 3

Visitcuny.edu/podcastsfor The Chancellor’s

Report andmore.

Subscribe today!

WINTER SESSION ends

Shirley Alston Reeves,original lead of theShirelles, 1/24

Women’s Fencing,1/30

Pancho Sanchez, 1/17

Gato Barbieri, 1/17

Nai-Ni Chen, 1/31

KingsboroughCommunity CollegeFamily Arts atKingsborough: Nai-Ni Chen2 pm$10

For complete,University-widecoverage of the

Class of 2008, visitwww.cuny.edu/news

Queens CollegeThe Velveteen Rabbit2 pm $12

25 26 27 28 29 30 31