may-2008-mentorgram 

A regular communication with CUNY faculty serving as CUNY Baccalaureate Degree mentors.  This issue announces the recipients of spring/fall 2008 CUNY Baccalaureate Scholarships.

CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies 2008 Commencement

Journalist John Hockenberry to speak

Time and Place: Monday, June 9, 10:30 am, The Great Hall at The Cooper Union, 7 East 7th St. at Third Avenue (the Foundation Building), Manhattan

Graduates: 250

Speaker: John Hockenberry, three-time Peabody Award winner, four-time Emmy award winner and Dateline NBC correspondent; now co-host of an NPR morning news program, “The Takeaway”

Faculty speaker: Professor John Krinsky, Associate Professor of Political Science, City College

Student speaker: Easter Z. Wood (Area of Concentration: The African Diaspora in the Americas)

The CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies (CUNY BA), administered by the CUNY Graduate Center, is a university-wide individualized bachelor’s degree where students work one-on-one with faculty. This small program, with an annual enrollment of 600, is intended for self-directed, academically strong students who have well-formulated academic and career goals. Most are working adults, many of whom are raising families; 80% are over 25 years old (49% are over 35 years old); and a significant number are returning to school, often after a hiatus of anywhere from 5 to 30 years. Since its inception in 1971, over 6000 students have earned their degrees through this route; almost 50% have gone on to graduate school.

Four students have received major graduate school fellowships: Aaron Brower will attend Harvard Divinity School with a Presidential Scholarship - free tuition plus a $20,000 stipend; Sharif Corinaldi will attend the University of California/Berkeley for a Ph.D. in Physics/Quantum Information and Computation with the Chancellor’s Fellowship – five years of free tuition plus a $25,000 stipend; Corey Lamont will attend Howard University for a Ph.D. in English with the Frederick Douglass Fellowship - five years of free tuition plus an $18,000 stipend; and Diana Kachan, a 2008 Jonas E. Salk Scholar, will attend the University of Miami School of Medicine for an M.D./Ph.D. with a Dean’s Fellowship, covering four years of the medical degree.

117 students will participate in the ceremony, during which several scholarships will be awarded. Guests are coming from all over the U.S. including the Virgin Islands, as well as Antigua, Australia, Barbuda, Belize, The Canary Islands, Dominica, Ecuador, England, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Israel, Jamaica, and Trinidad.

Tennessee Jones: The Religious Dimensions of Social Justice in Literature, B.A., January 2008, Magna cum Laude; Thomas W. Smith Academic Fellowship; Jacob Javits Fellowship; Dean’s List

“I grew up in the Appalachian mountains of East Tennessee. Our water came from a creek spring, and my backyard was uncut wilderness. Three generations of my family lived on top of each other in a little holler, and my parents grew a tobacco crop to supplement their incomes as a sheet metal mechanic and seamstress. It was a place steeped in tradition, and though we lived on the top of the oldest mountains in the world, the horizon of opportunity was very limited.” So wrote Tennessee Jones in his application to the Thomas W. Smith Academic Fellowship, CUNY BA’s major fellowship program.

After he finished high school, Jones hitchhiked around the country and produced self-published magazines for four years; after exploring “every major city,” he knew New York was where he wanted to make his mark. By the time he came to Hunter and CUNY BA, he had considerable accomplishments to his name: publication of a book of short stories, Deliver Me From Nowhere (2005), praised in The New York Times Book Review and elsewhere, and a full-time job as an editor at Soft Skull Press. Soft Skull’s publisher credits Jones with helping take the company from “a scrappy, hit-or-miss operation to one of the more culturally significant independent publishers in the U.S,” adding that he was delighted to learn of Jones’ plan to apply to the CUNY BA because he “would be a perfect individual for a self-directed plan of study.”

Jones’ concentration uses the lens of literature and the practice of creative writing to examine the dynamics of oppressed communities. Under the direction of Prof. Barbara Sproul, Religion, Hunter, Jones’ area was made up of courses in Africana Studies, Religion and English. He included an independent study in Religion and an individual tutorial with Prof Harriet Luria, English, Hunter; both were for work on his current novel in progress, an exploration of the lives of three working class girls growing up in eastern Kentucky. Jones has been accepted to the MFA program at Hunter College.

The CBS TV Boot Camp, now in its seventh year, is a special CUNY edition of 60 Minutes that offers students real life experience producing broadcast quality news magazine pieces. Created by CBS News Senior Editor Warren Lustig, a CUNY Baccalaureate Program alumnus, it gives teams of CUNY students an opportunity to initiate compelling newscasts using facilities at their respective schools. The course includes rigorous critiques from CBS News producers and executives. Students are responsible for their own research, planning, videotaping, writing and editing. Students gain priceless experience, the kind many professionals take years to attain. Boot Camp 2008 begins Monday June 9. To enroll or learn more, visit www.cuny.edu/tvbootcamp or contact michael.arena@mail.cuny.edu, 212.794.5685.

For the first time, we have made arrangements for students, alumni, faculty, etc. to purchase various items with our new logo. Go to http://www.cafepress.com/cunyba where you can purchase t-shirts, sweatshirts, mouse pads, mugs, notepads, tote bags and baseball hats, all quality materials with the CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies logo! Not only is each item reasonably priced, but a percentage of each sale directly benefits the CUNY BA Alumni Fund (which supports Alumni Scholarships and other alumni activities).

Children’s PressLine, NYC’s top youth news agency, is looking for college interns to work with us this summer as partner with the New York Daily News’ borough supplements. Give kids a voice and the power to use it! Make a difference! Be a journalist. PressLine 122 Amsterdam Avenue New York, NY 10023 P: 212-501-1118 F: 212-501-1117 www.cplmedia.org Dates of Internship: mid-June to mid-Aug. Stipend/School Credit Available

Children’s PressLine is a non-profit media and youth leadership organization that works with kids, ages 8 to 18. We give kids the opportunity to represent themselves in the media. Our mission is to give kids a voice and the power to use it. Our work is read in the New York Daily News, the New York Amsterdam News and distributed to 400 newspapers nationwide through the Scripps Howard News Service.

Editorial Coordinator (Bronx). CPL is looking for a college intern to act as an editorial coordinator for our Bronx coverage for The New York Daily News during the summer of 2008. Interns will be responsible for managing teams of youth journalists as they research, brief, interview and write news stories on youth issues for an adult audience. Interns are responsible for brainstorming Bronx-specific news ideas with teen editors and engaging them in the story coordinating process. The intern will be responsible for producing one Daily News article a week for seven weeks for the Bronx section of the paper. Articles will cover children and teens’ neighborhood issues. Interns will oversee each step of the news-writing process, from story development to copy-editing. Interns will be responsible for managing youth journalists and producing 7 news features articles that will be printed in The New York Daily News (2.5 million daily readers).

INFORMATION FOR GRADUATING STUDENTS ATTENDING

THE CUNY BACCALAUREATE PROGRAM COMMENCEMENT ON

                                                               Monday, June 9, 2008

CAPS AND GOWNS MUST BE PICKED UP AS FOLLOWS:

Where:         CUNY BA/BS Program office, 365 Fifth Avenue, Suite 6412 (between 34^th and 35^th Streets).  Please  bring your photo ID.

When:         Wednesday, May 28, 9:00am - 7:00pm

                             Thursday, May 29, 9:00am - 4:45pm

                             BRING A BAG TO CARRY YOUR ATTIRE HOME.

CAPS AND GOWNS CANNOT BE PICKED UP ON THE DAY OF COMMENCEMENT - NO EXCEPTIONS! 

You may have a friend or relative pick up the attire for you if necessary.  That person should bring a letter signed by you giving permission to take your attire.  They will need I.D. to enter the building.

For students who have their own attire: you must pick up your tassel and stole at the CUNY BA/BS office on the days noted above.

IF YOU FORGET TO BRING YOUR CAP AND GOWN TO COMMENCEMENT, YOU WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO MARCH!

REHEARSAL:  Prior to the ceremony, at 9:30am, there will be a required rehearsal for all graduates to be held at The Cooper Union in the Wollman Lounge, located on the ground floor of the Engineering Building, 51 Astor Place, between Third and Fourth Avenues.  Please be on time. This location is across the street from where the ceremony will actually be held (The Great Hall). Your guests should go to 7 East 7^th Street at Third Avenue (the Foundation Building); you should arrive at 51 Astor Place 

– Other Details - 

ALUMNI, HIDALGO, and other SCHOLARSHIPS:  The deadline to apply is May 14.  The information about the scholarships is under Commencement at www.cunyba.cuny.edu.  NB: You can apply for the scholarship to CUNY BA by the May 14 deadline even if you have not yet heard from graduate schools with your acceptance, however, in order to receive the scholarship, you must submit proof of acceptance by May 26, when the scholarships recipients will be decided.

ATTIRE: Please wear only the black cap, black gown, red tassel, and red stole that are part of this ceremony.  Refrain from wearing stoles, medals, tassels, pins, etc. from other institutions and other ceremonies (including honor societies), as well as flowers, corsages, or other decorations.  Our goal is to have our graduates look the same; you are differentiated by the concentrations and awards we announce as you cross the stage.

BAG CHECK:  We cannot provide bag check facilities.  Please do not bring anything with you that you can’t carry in the procession.  

BICYLES: There are no provisions made at The Great Hall for bicycles.

BREAKFAST:  Will not be provided.  Please eat before you arrive. 

CHILDREN:  Do you want to hear babies crying during your commencement, or would you rather hear words of praise from CUNY faculty and others?  Childcare arrangements are NOT available; children under 16 are welcome as long as they remain with a responsible adult (other than yourself) for the entire ceremony.  Guests are asked to please take crying/agitated children out of the auditorium promptly.  Do your best to arrange to leave toddlers and infants at home with a babysitter if at all possible.

CEREMONY/RECEPTION: The ceremony will begin at 10:30am sharp and last approximately 90 minutes. A light reception of fruit and cheese will follow at The Cooper Union.

CLASS RINGS: You may order a CUNY Baccalaureate ring through the Balfour company, 1-877-225-3687.  Be sure to specify “CUNY Baccalaureate Program” when you call.  Can only be purchased by phone.

CUNY BA MERCHANDISE FOR SALE:  For the first time, we have made arrangements for students, alumni, faculty, etc. to purchase various items with our (new!) logo.  Go to http://www.cafepress.com/cunyba where you can purchase t-shirts, sweatshirts, mouse pads, mugs, notepads, tote bags and baseball hats, all quality materials with the CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies logo!  Not only is each item reasonably priced, but 10% of each sale directly benefits the CUNY BA Alumni Fund (which supports Alumni Scholarships and other alumni activities). 

DIPLOMAS: Diplomas will NOT be distributed at the ceremony. June 2008 diplomas will be available by October; Sept. 2008 diplomas will be available by December.  You will be contacted with instructions on how to receive your diploma when they arrive in the Program office.

DIRECTIONS TO THE GREAT HALL AT THE COOPER UNION, 7 East 7^th Street at Third Avenue (in the Foundation Building):

By car:

From the West Side of upper Manhattan, Cooper Union is best reached by driving south on the West Side Highway to 56th Street and continuing south on 12th Avenue (which becomes West Street).  At 12th Street, turn left and take 12th Street to Third Avenue.  Turn right on Third and drive to Cooper Square, which begins at 7th Street. 

From the East Side of Manhattan, Cooper Union is best reached by taking the East River Drive to Exit 6 (East 15th Street).  Take 14th Street Westbound to Second Avenue.  Turn left (south) on Second Avenue and drive to East 7th Street. Make a right on to East 7th Street and drive one block to Cooper Square. 

There is limited street and garage parking in the area.

By bus: Take any of the following buses and ask the driver to let you off nearest Astor Place or Cooper Square:  The M1 (5th and Madison Avenues), the M15 (First and Second Avenues), the M6 (7th Avenue/Broadway and Avenue of the Americas), the M101 or M102 (Third and Lexington Avenues).

By subway: Take the R or N (BMT Lines) subway to 8th Street, or take the No. 6 (IRT Lexington Avenue Local) to Astor Place. 

FACULTY MENTORS:  Faculty mentors have been invited, but please extend a personal invitation to your mentor(s).   Mentors interested in participating in the ceremony should contact Lidija Markes, Commencement Assistant at 212-817-8223, lmarkes@gc.cuny.edu

GRADUATES/GUESTS WHO REQUIRE SPECIAL ASSISTANCE:  Contact Lidija Markes by May 26.

GREAT HALL HISTORY:  The historic Great Hall has been an important gathering space since it was inaugurated by Mark Twain in 1859.  It was the platform for some of the earliest workers’ rights campaigns and for the birth of the NAACP, the women’s suffrage movement, and the American Red Cross.  Presidents Lincoln, Grant, Cleveland, Taft, Theodore Roosevelt, Wilson, and Clinton all delivered speeches there.

GUESTS: Ask your guests to arrive at The Great Hall, 7 East 7^th Street at Third Avenue, by 10:15am sharp (the ceremony will begin at 10:30am sharp).  Guests will be seated starting at 9:15am (no earlier).  Seating is NOT assigned for guests; it is on a first-come, first-served basis.  Picture-taking during the ceremony will be permitted, but guests will not be allowed to block any aisles while doing so.  Please let your guests know this in advance.

HONORS AND AWARDS:  If you have not already done so, or if you have more to add, please provide us with a detailed list of honors you have received (special awards, citations, scholarships and so forth).  A selection of these will be read at Commencement.  Email your information to Lmarkes@gc.cuny.edu or fax it to 212-817-1512.

INCOMPLETE COURSES:  If you find that you must take an “Incomplete” in one or more of your final courses, you may still join us for the ceremony!

NAMES:  Dr. Kim Hartswick will announce your name as you walk across the stage to receive your degree.  If you believe your name may be difficult to pronounce, please mail us a phonetic spelling of it and give us a number were we can reach you at during the day.  Please bring that phonetic spelling with you to rehearsal as well.

PARKING: Rates are listed for weekdays without tax (18.25%), evenings and weekends are slightly higher. Parking rates can change without notice, so be sure that you verify the rate before leaving your car.

AMAL CORP
14 East 1st Street (420-0753)
Up to 30 minutes - $3.81; 12 hours - $8.46

COOPER SQUARE PARKING GROUP
10-12 Cooper Square
Up to 1 hour - $5.07
12 hours - $9.30; 24 hours - $11.84

MINETTA GARAGE 122 West 3rd Street (777-3530)
Up to 1 hour - $11; 8 hours - $18; 12 hours - $24; 24 hours - $32 Early Bird rate - $13
(in before 10am, out before 5pm)

TRAVELERS GARAGE 160 W 10th Street (929-3041)
Up to 1 hour - $11; 8 hours - $18; 24 hours - $32; Early Bird rate - $13
(in before 10am, out before 5pm)

WASHINGTON SQUARE 2 Fifth Avenue (888-7400)
enter 8th Street between 5th Avenue and MacDougal Street
Up to 1 hour - $10; 2 hours - $15; 3 hours - $17; 10 hours - $18; 24 Hours - $30; Early Bird rate - $12 (in before 11am, out before 7pm)

PETS:  With the exception of guide dogs, pets are not permitted. 

PHOTOS: We have arranged for a professional photographer from Chappell Studio to take your photograph as you receive your diploma. There is no obligation to purchase. Chappell Studio (www.chappell.com) guarantees complete satisfaction with your photograph package or you’ll receive a full refund.  Chappell will e-mail you a link to online photo storage where you can access your photos. You will have the option of ordering from a variety of enlargement packages at reasonable prices. Students registered for commencement can preregister their email, and friends’ and family’s email addresses (up to 6) and Chappell Graduation Images will contact them as soon as their photos are available for online viewing and ordering. To register for this service, go to http://www.gradimages.com/Register.cfm

Your cooperation will help the day run more smoothly.

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, please call or email Ms. Lidija Markes, Commencement Assistant, at (212) 817-8223 or lmarkes@gc.cuny.edu.  She is generally available in the CUNY BA/BS office on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9am-5pm.  If you get the automated recording on her phone, speak slowly and clearly and leave a detailed message, along with your full name, your phone number, and the best times to reach you.

We are very pleased to announce that we’ve created a new Meetup for all CUNY Baccalaureate students and alumni.

Would you like to connect with other alumni in your area? Organize a campus event for fellow student? Find an alum in your field to mentor you? Hang out with other students and alumni? Meetup is the perfect tool!

Click on the link below to join. Each request needs to be approved to make sure only CUNY Baccalaureate alumni join the group, so please include your name, date of graduation and your home college when you request to join.

Dear CUNY Baccalaureate,

I am a CUNY BA grad ‘05 and also a Thomas W. Smith Fellow.  Since graduating with dual concentration in Cultural Anthropology and Comparative Literature, I went on to receive an MA degree from Columbia University’s Paris campus in French Cultural Studies.

After completing the degree in September 2006, I worked at the International Rescue Committee with youth from all over Africa and Asia.  In May 2007, I began a 6 months internship with UNHCR in Dadaab, Kenya — a group of refugee camps near the Somali border.  In February I was hired by Mapendo International and now work as a consultant.  I am currently seconded to UNHCR and am working in Kakuma, another refugee camp near the Sudanese and Ugandan borders.

Working and living in refugee camps is not easy, but the rewards are well worth it.

CUNY BA was so instrumental in both my academic and professional trajectory and I really support the program.  I also wanted to send a special thank you to Mr. Smith, if you can pass along my gratitude.

Kind regards,

Jaylene Ney

Bonnie Duen considered a number of different career tracks before hitting upon her true passion for public service.  First, she attended Adelphi University to study Biology to become a dentist.  Then, she went to Queens College to study Accounting.  The following semester she switched to Food and Nutrition.  An office job in an architecture firm led her to change her interests to a career in Architectural Design, which led her to Queensborough Community College.  There she served in the Student Government, first as Executive Secretary, then Evening Vice President, then as President - the first Asian-American female President of her class.  

Suddenly, Duen was bitten by the public service bug.  She entered the CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies, making John Jay her home college.  Under the guidance of John Jay faculty mentor Professor Jeanne-Marie Col, Public Management, she designed her own major, “Leadership Studies in Public Policy,” using courses from John Jay and Baruch Colleges.

Duen became a New York City Urban Fellow upon her graduation in 2006.  The Urban Fellows Program provides an unparalleled opportunity for young professionals to gain meaningful work experience in public policy, urban planning and government operations as they consider careers in public service.  Duen was assigned to the Economic Development Corporation - Real Estate Development. 

Today, Duen is participating in the National Urban Fellowship Inc, a nonprofit organization in collaboration with Baruch College CUNY, which involves an accelerated 14-month Master degree in Public Policy and nine months of hands-on work experience mentorship, which prepares leaders with with a strong commitment to equity and social justice issues for service in public and private organizations.

During her nine month mentorship, Duen has been with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation’s largest foundation dedicated to awarding grants for the improvement of health and healthcare, working at AARP’s National Office in Washington, D.C.  This exceptional opportunity has provided Duen with dual experience in philanthropy and advocacy.

Born in Portland and raised in New York City, Duen feels she has the best of both worlds with her Hong Kong heritage and exposure to American culture as an “ABC” (American-born Chinese).  After her interest in public service was sparked in the Queensborough Community College’s Student Government, she went on to work with Council member of District 20 John C. Liu, working on improving constituent services. In April 2005, she was chosen to participate in the prestigious Salzburg Seminar in Austria, where she studied global citizenship and World War II.  Believing that the prevention of wars lies in civic duty, she founded “CUNY Unity” at John Jay College to encourage students to be proactive in making a difference.

Duen is always refining her mission as to how she can have an impact in this global society.  Her future plans are to travel around the world to share best practices and encourage lifelong learning.  Currently, she is searching for a dual JD/Ph.D. program in Global Leadership Development.  She would like to work on projects that address the intersections between economic development, education policy and social services in all sectors and levels of government.  She is interested in running for political office with a goal of establishing a scholarship/leadership program involving all levels of government that encourages young adults in public service.  Her own experiences have taught her the importance of civic engagement and the difference that one person can make in giving back to society.