Setting the groundwork at BMCC
Ingino graduated from BMCC in May 2009, with an Associate in Applied Science degree in Video Arts and Technology (VAT), which is now—along with the Multimedia program—part of BMCC’s expanded Media Arts and Technology department.

She received Honors awards from two departments–Cooperative Education and VAT–and was a BMCC Foundation Scholar, a Phi Theta Kappa member, and a recipient of the Joshua Smith Award for Excellence in the 2007 Student Video festival. In addition, BMCC sponsored her attendance at the Salzburg Global Seminar International Study Program in Salzburg, Austria.

One of CUNY’s best kept secrets
Selected by the Video Arts and Technology Department, Ingino participated in the CUNY/CBS program Bootcamp, where she co-produced “What’s Eating New York?,” a video news segment on the ecological phenomenon now occurring as the City’s cleaned-up waterways are seeing marine life return – and eat away at wooden structures supporting the waterfront.

“BMCC is always the only community college that gets invited to participate in Bootcamp,” says Ingino.

“Considering that the program was begun by and is overseen by Warren Lustig, senior producer of 60 Minutes,” she adds, “BMCC’s participation speaks volumes about the quality of their Video Arts and Technology program. I feel that the VAT program is really one of the best kept secrets at CUNY.”

Making choices that shape the future
“I almost went into the Writing and Literature program, because I love writing,” says Ingino.  “But I chose the VAT program to gain some technical skills—cameras, lighting, video editing, etc.”

Like many students, her interests cover a range of subject and career areas, and at BMCC she was able to explore those possibilities.

“Of course, writing is a huge part of media-making, too,” she realized. “Then I discovered I really enjoy video editing, and won the Joshua Smith Award, which told me I’m moving in the right direction.”

At Hunter College, Ingino’s home campus, she continues making use of a variety of academic offerings, especially Liberal Arts courses. “Right now I’m taking a Gothic Literature course, and I love it!,” she says.

To keep her studies on track, she works with faculty mentors in the CUNY BA/BS program— Kelly Anderson, in the Film and Media Department at Hunter, and Carol Berkin, a history professor at Baruch College.

“I check in with them whenever I have questions about courses I want to take, and anything related to my Area of Concentration,” she says.

Student-designed curricula reflect their diverse goals
The CUNY BA/BS program enables students to design their own curricula. Ingino’s self-constructed major, or Area of Concentration (AOC), Documentary Media Production and Research, closely reflects her professional goals.

“Mostly, I like documentaries that educate, incorporate history somehow, and address social issues,” she says.

“I also enjoy arts and entertainment, and profiles of creative, inspiring people.  I guess the connecting thread is a focus on people, and the lives they lead, rather than on places or politics.”

At the recent Smith Awards ceremony, benefactor Thomas W. Smith personally presented each of the 45 recipients with his or her award.

“For me, hearing all these unique AOCs was inspiring!,” Ingino says. “So many ideas of what a career or academic focus should be!  There were several other AOCs which incorporated Media Studies, but in totally different ways than mine.”

From:  http://www.bmcc.cuny.edu/news/news.jsp?id=1999

The city will acquire a floating dock and rig it to the pier, welcoming kayakers, boaters, and, perhaps, ferry service. Eventually, the “Eco Dock” as it is now being called, will offer ferry service, helping commuters get to and from work in Manhattan.

[pictured here: Councilman Vincent Gentile; Joan Davidson (Hudson River Foundation); Peter Killen (Board member of Sunset-Ridge Waterfront Alliance);  Josephine Beckman (District Manager of Community Board 10, Brooklyn), Heather McCown at the podium; Roland Lewis (CEO of Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance).]

“This is a sign of progress,” said Heather McCown, who started the Sunset Ridge Waterfront Alliance over two years ago. “When they rebuilt the pier, they really cut us off in terms of ferry service or water access. This is a sign we’re finally going to utilize the pier the way it used to be utilized.”

The Eco Dock is the first step to realizing McCown’s longtime dream — an aquatic alternative to Bay Ridge’s sluggish R train.

“If we can get a ferry reinstated, it’s going to be great for commuters, the local businesses, and the property values in Bay Ridge,” said McCown. New York Water Taxi — which operates a route between Lower Manhattan and the 58th Street pier— has expressed an interest in servicing the 69th Street pier.

The funding has been secured by Councilman Vincent Gentile (D–Bay Ridge), with whom McCown and the Sunset Ridge Waterfront Alliance have long worked.

Read about McCown’s academic plan here: http://cunyba.gc.cuny.edu/blog/heather-mccown-civil-society-in-the-urban-landscape/

The Syrian President Bashar Assad and the Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud in Damascus earlier this month. Ho Sana / AFP Photo

A recent article in The National (Abu Dhabi) by Mohamad Bazzi, analyses the methods and motivations of Syria’s attempts to rejoin the Arab political order after years of isolation.
He graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1997 from CUNY BA with a concentration in Urban Studies and is presently an adjunct senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and a journalism professor at New York University.

JFEW Scholars at Macaulay will participate in special workshops and retreats throughout their college years designed to bolster a progressive understanding of workplace etiquette and mores, and to provide a solid foundation of professional skills and personal development toward graduate pursuits.

Originally founded in the 19th century to help immigrant Jewish women adjust to American life, the Foundation is, today, a private, nonsectarian organization whose mission is to help women of all backgrounds and ages attain the education and training they need to make them productive, economically independent members of the community. The Foundation has been providing scholarship assistance for higher education to women for 70 years.

A joint project sponsored by City Hall, CUNY-TV and NBC, the guide allows qualifying political candidates to tape a statement about their platforms. It will be rolled out in September and will also be available online. The Video Voter Guide will air on NY Nonstop and NYC TV Channel 74 each election. The primary election Video Voter Guide will begin airing on Monday, September 7, at noon on NY Nonstop and at 8 p.m. on NYC TV Channel 74. The public can also watch these videotaped statements online: They will be posted on www.nyc.gov/videovoter/ and NBCNewYork.com, and they will be linked to users’ Voter Guide profile in the online Voter Guide.

Fleurima, a student at University of Texas at Austin who transferred to Brooklyn College in the fall 2007 semester, landed the internship through the New York City Internship Program in Government and Public Affairs, coordinated by CUNY’s Edward T. Rogowsky Internship Program.

“As CUNY interns at NBC, our responsibility is to facilitate the production process by guiding the candidates throughout the various phases of the shoot,” explains Fleurima, who is working with Katherine Mateo (Lehman College) and Mila Matveeva (Hunter College).

A self-described “socially conscious person” who has done community organizing in Brooklyn, Fleurima says she likes to stay aware of the political process and how to bring “the necessary changes we need to make to improve our communities.”

The Edward T. Rogowsky Internship Program is named after the late professor emeritus of political science at Brooklyn College and director of the Brooklyn College Graduate Center for Worker Education. Until his death in March 2001, Rogowsky wrote many books and articles about politics, voting and economic development in New York City.

From: http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/pub/1899.htm

The scholarship came as a surprise to Bayona who studies journalism and political science through the CUNY Baccalaureate Program.

“This scholarship is great because the money really helps – I have been living off of my savings and student loans,” said the married father of a one-year-old son.

Bayona said that about two or three weeks ago, Gabor emailed him saying she had nominated him for the scholarship. Bayona was suprised that the applications were to be postmarked for the following Monday, forcing him to get all documents ready in two days. A few weeks later, Bayona got a phone call congratulating him on receiving the scholarship. “All I could say was ‘Wow,’” he recalled.

Bayona came to the U.S. in 1996 from Venezuela with a bachelor’s degree in theater. He went straight to NYU to receive a degree in film, where he realized he wanted a degree from an American school that could push him forward in the business and journalism world.

With recommendations from school advisors regarding the best public universities, he was advised to attend Baruch for the school’s quality education and reputation.

Before becoming a full-time student, Bayona worked for two years at the New York Daily News for the Spanish publication Hora Hispana. He left last year to pursue a bachelor’s degree.

“I recommended Jose for the scholarship because of the overall quality of the work he was doing in my journalistic writing class [and because of] his interest in understanding the economic and business ramifications of the financial crisis and how it impacts small businesses in New York City,” said Gabor.

Bayona and Gabor were not only delighted to have received the scholarship but the Donald W. Reynolds National Center was pleased to grant him the award.

“He represents journalism across several languages but the main reason was for his intelligence,” said Andrew Leckey, president of the National Center for Business Journalism. “It is not just because he is a bilingual writer. He not only writes with accuracy and intelligence but with empathy.”

The Reynolds Center is located at Arizona State University and gives many business journalism workshops nationally, including a few given at Baruch. This is the third year they have given out the scholarship.

“As an aspiring journalist, Jose realizes that the most important stories today require a willingness to explore business and economic issues,” said Gabor.

Bayona will graduate next December and hopes to get a job with a reputable newspaper. Along with looking for work, he will apply to the Columbia and CUNY journalism graduate school programs.

“I am really grateful for Professor Gabor,” said Bayona. “I never received anything outside of Baruch and this really helps me.”

Story by Lillian Rizzo, for The Ticker, Edited by J D Salle.  http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/wsas/Reynoldsscholarship.htm

Six alumni of the CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies were included in a full-page add which CUNY placed in the New York Times Education Life section and which featured distinguished recent CUNY graduates who have won prestigous awards.