Total student enrollment for the Fall 2006 semester has topped 13,000, the highest in over 10 years, according to Associate Registrar Richard Iannacone. The figure is a seven percent gain from a year ago. Gains reflect a 10 percent increase in new student (freshmen and transfers) enrollment as well as improved efforts to retain current students, he said. CCNY experiences both a marked increase in the number of applications received and the number of students accepted, resulting in the largest freshman class in more than a dozen years, added Director of Admission Joseph Fantozzi. To bolster retention, the College made a concerted effort to get current students to see their advisors and register that included emails and phone calls, Mr. Iannacone noted. In addition, on-line registration, which in previous years was closed in mid-August, remained available until the first day of classes, making it more convenient for students to enroll for the term.
Andy Grove Calls For ‘Disruptive Technologies’ To Address Healthcare, Energy
In a speech to inaugurate The Grove School of Engineering, Intel co-founder and former chairman Andy Grove, called for development of “disruptive technologies” that could meet the United States’ healthcare and energy challenges. In healthcare, treatment needs to be shifted from inconvenient and expensive facilities such as emergency rooms and nursing homes to more accessible and lower cost facilities, Dr. Grove said. He advocated in-store retail clinics that could “provide very low-cost generic services for a reasonable fee” and development of electronics gear that would enable the elderly to remain in their homes rather than enter nursing homes. Dr. Grove also called for development of an Internet-based “shoebox” that would store all of a patient’s medical records and provide healthcare providers with common access. Shifting to energy, Dr. Grove said the United States first needs a “clear understanding of the nature of the problem. The loss of our strategic destiny is our number one problem.” While a multitude of alternatives to imported oil are available, including coal, nuclear and agri-fuels, engineers are needed to address the myriad problems with them, he said adding that “we need a ‘Moore’s Law’ for energy.” More on this story.
NOAA-CREST Center Receives Five-Year, $12.5 Million Commitment
The NOAA Cooperative Remote Sensing Science and Technology Center (NOAA-CREST) was awarded a new five-year funding commitment with a base of $12.5 million. The award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) run October 1, 2006 through September 30, 2011. An $800,000 add-on grant brings NOAA’s commitment to the Center for 2006-2007 to $3.3 million. “The CREST research thrusts serve as a platform that provides access to state-of-the-art facilities, education and research opportunities for all of our graduate students, Professor Reza Khanbilvardi, director of the Center. “The new commitment is an indication that NOAA sees us as a partner for the long-haul.” CREST researchers support NOAA’s prediction, analysis and disaster prevention activities in a variety of ways, he noted. The center’s activities include developing algorithms for forecasting, developing sensors, calibrating satellite equipment, validating data and devising new applications and analytical techniques for satellite data. In addition, the center has recruited, mentored and trained growing numbers of graduate students in NOAA-relevant science, engineering and technology, with a special emphasis on underrepresented minorities. More on this story.
President Williams, COO Cronholm Host Towers Gala Opening
President Gregory H. Williams and Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Lois Cronholm invite the College community to an afternoon of food, music and raffle giveaways at the gala opening of The Towers, CCNY’s residence hall on the South Campus, at 2 p.m., Thursday, September 28. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be followed by a tour of the L-shaped complex, which has 164 apartments and accommodates 600 students and faculty members. The Towers is the first student housing residence hall ever built on a CUNY campus. “We hope that the entire CCNY community will join us for the joyous opening of our residence hall. We are so pleased at how successful the Towers is becoming,” said Dr. Cronholm. Enter through the gate at 133rd Street and St. Nicholas Terrace to get to The Towers and attend the gala. Please RSVP by calling 212-650-8666.
New Staff Lounge Opens in NAC
Fulfilling a promise made to the Professional Staff Congress, CCNY opened a staff lounge yesterday on the first floor of the NAC building. President Williams and Senior Vice President Cronholm host a reception to inaugurate the facility, which is located between the Lillian and Harold Hoffman Student Center and the Ballroom and open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Previously, staff members shared the NAC third floor lounge with faculty. Furnished with couches and a table, the lounge provides staff with a roomy and comfortable space in which to relax, read or eat. It is decorated with artwork from the CCNY collection. Dr. Cronholm designed the lounge’s interior, selecting the fabrics, rugs and couches being used.
Kenneth Clark to Posthumously Receive CCNY President’s Medal
CCNY will pay tribute Tuesday, October 3, to one its most prominent professors, Dr. Kenneth Clark, whose research findings were instrumental to the 1954 Brown Vs. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling that declared school segregation unconstitutional. The college will host a roundtable for academics, “The Scholarly Legacy of Kenneth Clark,” from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., followed by a public tribute in the Great Hall, beginning at 7 p.m. During the tribute, President Williams will posthumously present the CCNY President’s Medal to the family of Dr. Kenneth Clark, who passed away last year. The tribute will also include presentation of CCNY’s first annual Kenneth Clark Prize to Dr. Errol Rodriguez, who won the award as a doctoral student in clinical psychology at the CUNY Graduate Center, and remarks by several notable figures, among them prominent attorney and civil rights leader Vernon Jordan.
President Williams Hosts “Conversation with Dr. Roscoe C. Brown”
Dr. Roscoe C. Brown, a member of the legendary Tuskegee airmen and former President of Bronx Community College, will discuss his life in a public conversation with President Williams at 12:35 p.m. Thursday, October 5, at 12:35 p.m. in Shepard 95. A “Conversation with Dr. Roscoe C. Brown & President Gregory H. Williams” is presented by the CUNY Institute for Research on the African Diaspora in the Americas and the Caribbean (IRADAC), Finley Student Center and CCNY’s Black Studies Program. It is open to the public. The discussion will explore the range of Dr. Brown’s activities as a celebrated figure in African-American history and education. He was among the African-American pilots who trained at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama and distinguished themselves with their bravery and effectiveness as a segregated unit in World War II. Dr. Brown also was the founding director of the African American Studies Program at New York University and later President of Bronx Community College. The event will be taped for broadcast at a later date on the WHCR – Harlem Community Radio series “In Conversation with President Williams.”
Lynn Appelbaum Elected to PRSA College of Fellows
Lynn Appelbaum, Associate Professor and Director of CCNY’s Public Relation and Advertising program, has been elected to the College of Fellows of the Public Relations Society (PRSA). She will be inducted at a ceremony November 11 at PRSA’s international conference in Salt Lake City. Election as a Fellow is one of the highest awards a public relations practitioner or teacher can attain. “It clearly identifies outstanding professionals who have significantly advanced the profession with exceptional performance and leadership,” said Scott Shirai, chair of the College of Fellows. Professor Appelbaum is one of only 436 Fellows among PRSA’s 22,000 members. To be elected a Fellow, a PRSA member must have practiced or taught public relations for over 20 years, demonstrated superior capability in those roles, exhibited personal and professional qualities that serve as a role model, and advanced the state of the profession. Professor Appelbaum has taught at CCNY since 1993. She previously was press manager for NBC’s “Today” show and has held communications or marketing positions with Cooper Union, Merkin Concert Hall and the Lucy Moses Art Center. In 2005, she co-authored a major study on diversity within the public relations profession. More on this story.
Professor Krakowski Shoots Feature Film in Guatemala
MCA Chair Andrzej Krakowski, joined by departmental colleagues Jerry Carlson and Babak Rassi, spent his summer in Guatemala making the first feature film shot in that country in over 70 years. The project, Looking For Palladin, stars CCNY alumnus Ben Gazzara, ‘xx, Talia Shire, Vincent Pastore and David Moscow, supported by a cast of Mexican, Guatemalan and Iranian actors. It tells the story of a young Hollywood agent who comes to the city of Antigua to locate an actor (Gazzara) who disappeared 20 years earlier. “The film is about how imposing one’s prejudices and stereotypes can make things worse for oneself,” Krakowski said. For Krakowski, who wrote the script and is the project’s producer and director, this is his eight directorial role on a feature film and 45th film project. His earlier projects include Campfire Stories, Farewell to My Country and Triumph of the Spirit. Professor Carlson is the film’s co-producer and appears in the film. Professor Rassi is the editor. English Professor David Unger, who grew up in Guatemala, worked on script translations and came to the set, as well. Krakowski said he expects to complete the film, now in postproduction, in February 2007.
Tattoo Book a Big Hit for Electronic Design Professor Ina Saltz
In 192 visually engrossing pages, Ina Saltz, graphic designer, photographer, columnist and Associate Professor in CCNY’s Electronic Design and Multimedia Program, explores a relatively modern twist on the ancient practice of tattooing. Her hot-selling book, BODY TYPE: Intimate Messages Etched in Flesh (Abrams Image) was released September 1. Photographs from the book, most of them taken by Professor Saltz, will be displayed September 28 – October 28 in an eponymous exhibit at Cooper Union. The book is the first foray into the complex and vivid realm of contemporary typographic tattoos, she adds. Unlike traditional tattoos centered on imagery, typographic tattoos use typefaces to convey feelings or make a statement. “It’s a highbrow, intellectual tattoo book,” says Professor Saltz, who interviewed and photographed over 300 subjects. “Typographically tattooed people tend to be highly educated, affluent, culturally aware and sophisticated.” BODY TYPEgrew out of an article Saltz penned for her column in “STEP Inside Design,” a leading graphic design magazine. The book has already landed Professor Saltz interviews with Fox News Channel, Time Out New Yorkand Access Hollywood. Call (212) 353-4200 or visit www.cooper.edu/art/lubalin for more information on the “Body Type” exhibit.
Junior James Robidoux Wins American Identity Literary Prize
James Robidoux, a junior majoring in International Studies, won the Special Prize for Essay in the American Identity Literary Contest for his work “Meeting the World Through the Center.” Mr. Robidoux’s essay described his experiences as a volunteer at the International Center in New York, whose mission is to educate foreign guests about American culture. Founded by writer/novelist Charles Hugh Smith, the Berkeley, Calif.-based American Identity Prizes are the nation’s only literary awards for undergraduate writers working on themes of multicultural and multi-racial experience and identity in fiction or non-fiction. The judges cited Mr. Robidoux’s “excellent development of the contest theme, stylistic coherence and clarity, and sympathetic portrayal of a unique slice of the multicultural world of New York City.” Said Mr. Robidoux, who is in his junior year: “I’m ecstatic that coursework from one of my classes at CCNY, ‘Writing for the Humanities,’ with Gina Marten, was found to be worthy of a prize outside of academia. Being recognized in this manner has helped me to appreciate the guidance given me by my professors as well as motivated me to keep my writing standards high, in the hopes of future recognition.”
Dominican President Holds Town Hall Meeting at CCNY
Dr. Leonel Fernández Reyna, President of the Dominican Republic and a former New York resident, addressed a town hall meeting for Dominican academicians and leaders of organizations from around the United States in CCNY’s Great Hall September 20. Participants discussed constitutional reforms pertaining to two issues:Congressional representation for Dominicans overseas and granting Dominican nationality to people of Dominican ancestry born outside the Caribbean Island. This was President Fernández’ second visit to CCNY in two years. He delivered the keynote speech at a Dominican economic development seminar in the Great Hall, in December 2004. Raised in New York, President Fernández is serving his second, non-consecutive term as head of state. He previously was President from 1996 to 2000. The CUNY Dominican Studies Institute at CCNY helped the Dominican government arrange the meeting.
From the President
I hope you saw Time magazine’s article yesterday on Andy Grove’s visit to City College last week to inaugurate The Grove School of Engineering. This was more than a P.R. coup for the college; it was a call to action for the nation to address two of its most pressing problems – healthcare costs and energy independence – and Andy chose to deliver that call right here at his alma mater, CCNY.
Andy’s generous gift to the college, which was announced last year, transcends money. He has linked his reputation with ours, and now his vision, as well. The ideas he presented before audiences in The Great Hall and in Steinman Hall are engineering solutions. They reflect concepts he learned in our classrooms more than 46 years ago; concepts we still teach. As Andy told a gathering of our students: “We are engineers. We take the problem, decompose it and solve it.”
Next week, we honor one of the most influential members of our faculty of all-time. Kenneth Clark wasn’t an engineer, but his investigations into the self esteem of African-American children helped break the yoke of racial segregation in public schools. Please join us in The Great Hall at 7 p.m. Tuesday, October 3, at which time I will posthumously present the CCNY President’s Medal to Dr. Clark’s family.
Gregory H. Williams
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