Speakers included:

Kim Hartswick, Academic Director, CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies

Kate McPherson, Senior Academic Advisor, CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies

Winston Scarlett, Student Speaker, CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies (African Diaspora Studies)

Kenneth Yanes, Coordinator of Study Abroad, City College

Deborah Stengle, Center for International Service at the College of Staten Island

Chris Tingue, Center for International Service at the College of Staten Island

Stefania Migliori, College of Staten Island: Florence, Tuscania, and Venice (Lorenzo de Medici)

Galit Berkovitch, Hunter College

Joan Migliori, The John D. Calandra Italian American Institute

Ken Lewandoski, International Studies & Programs, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Emmanuel Pérez, Lehman College

Maria-Luisa Ruiz, Medgar Evers College

Joy Phaphouvaninh, International Education Coordinator, CUNY

Listen to the speakers’ presentations

Listen to the question and answer session

WBCR 1090 FM (Brooklyn College)

WKRB 90.3 FM (Kingsborough Community College)

WMEC 91.5 FM on Sundays from 6pm to 8pm and Cablevision BCAT TV 70 daily from 1pm to 5pm  (Medgar Evers College)

WHCR 90.3 FM (City College)

http://www.lagcc.cuny.edu/webradio/ (LaGuardia Community College)

If you hear it, let me know!  Thanks!

Beth Kneller, bkneller@gc.cuny.edu

Goethe’s conception of world literature allows us to recognize that national and cultural boundaries still exist, but that literature circulates across these boundaries, helping to reshape relations among peoples. This conference is dedicated to considering literature as a space that extends beyond historical, linguistic, and traditional disciplinary boundaries and welcomes papers that approach literature as an alternative and/or minority discourse across cultural, political, national, institutional and social limitations. Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following ways in which literature crosses boundaries: Transmission, Translation, Transference, Transaction, Transgression.

The conference organizers invite abstracts for individual 15-20 minute papers on any related theme in literature ranging from classical to contemporary. 300 word abstracts should be submitted by January 15, 2010 to gbusl@nd.edu <mailto:gbusl@nd.edu> . Please include your name, affiliation, and paper title in your email; and attach an abstract with title ONLY in PDF or Word format for blind review.

The Urban Fellows Program is sponsored by The City of New York and administered by the department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS).  The program is designed to introduce America’s finest college students and graduates to local government and public service.

The Urban Fellows Program is a highly selective, nine-month fellowship which combines work in Mayoral offices and City agencies with an intensive seminar series that explores the current urban issues which have an impact on public policy. The program is richly diverse in that participants come from all over the country to work in New York City.

After participating in an extensive interview process, New York City Urban Fellows are placed at an array of agencies across the city where they learn about public policy through a hands-on approach. 

This knowledge is supplemented by a series of workshops that help to promote a deep understanding of the structure of New York City government.  The program seeks to ensure that every Urban Fellow comprehends the intricacies of City, State and Federal finance and the interaction between these levels of government. 

During the year, these lessons are further enhanced by group trips to Washington D.C. and Albany, where the Fellows meet face-to-face with the representatives and policy-makers who help shape life in New York City. 

Each class of New York City Urban Fellows works from September through the middle of May. For their services, the program provides:

• A nine-month stipend of $30,000
• Health Insurance coverage

Eligibility is based on when you achieve your undergraduate (BA, BS) degree from a four-year college. For the 2010-2011 program, Urban Fellows will only accept applications from candidates who:

• Receive(d) their Bachelor’s Degree in the Spring of ‘08, ‘09 or ‘10
• Can commit to a the nine-month Fellowship
• Agree to suspend any graduate study or outside work for the duration of the Fellowship
• Applicants must be able to demonstrate their eligibility to work in the United States after graduation and for the entire fellowship period. Applicants must meet the criteria set forth by the I-9, “Employment Eligibility Verification,” from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Students may apply via the link above; the deadline is January 7, 2010.

Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP)
Website: http:/www.med.yale.edu/omca/smep
Sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the SMDEP offers intensive science enrichment for freshman and sophomores interested in pursuing careers in medicine. Students attend weekly seminars and workshops as well as social and cultural events. Participants receive a stipend of $500.00, and travel expenses of $100. Housing and meals are provided at no cost to the program participant. The application deadline is March 1, 2010. Applicants are accepted on a rolling admissions basis.

Kibbutz Lotan’s Center for Creative Ecology offers:

The Peace, Justice & the Environment Fall Semester in Israel, a 16-credit college program for 14 students, accredited through U Mass Amherst, which teaches Social Justice, Group Dynamics, Sustainable Agriculture and Design.

The Green Apprenticeship Practical Ecology Training Program, an intensive seven-week work/study permaculture experience: Students learn local food production, organic gardening, ecological design techniques, natural and alternative building, sustainable technologies, community design, and environmental ethics while living in a unique eco-neighborhood—a prototype model for sustainable living.

For detailed information visit www.kibbutzlotan.com or www.rjisrael.org, or email kibbutzlotan@gmail.com.

For a recent article about Kibbutz Lotan: http://reformjudaismmag.org/Articles/index.cfm?id=1529

B.S., June 2007

International Health/Urban Sustainable Planning

Thomas W. Smith Academic Fellow

“CUNY Baccalaureate was the gateway that enabled me to realize my dreams, aspirations and goals.  It gave me opportunity after opportunity to broaden my experiences and explore the importance and wholeness of education, achievement and success.”

Salimata Fandjalan, originally from Mali in Western Africa, was the first person in her family to go to college.

Upon applying to CUNY Baccalaureate Fandjalan’s goals included working with developing nations, promoting wellness and education, population control, environmental issues, AIDS and disease prevention, cultural and social acceptance, and more.  In September 2005 she began a project called “The Kia Brown School Project” in which she helped build a school in Bamako, Mali, hoping to eradicate illiteracy there and help prepare children to assume their responsibilities as adults in the world and in modern Africa.  She started her CUNY education at Bronx Community College where she served as Vice-President of the Muslim Student Association, worked with NYPIRG promoting voter registration in 2004, and participated in the Student Government Association, the Inter-Organizational Council, and the United Student Senate, receiving many awards for her contributions to CUNY and the community.  She also volunteered at Lincoln Hospital as a student researcher. 

Under the guidance of Prof. Bobbie Menendez, Health Sciences, Lehman College, Fandjalan completed an area in International Health with courses from Hunter, Lehman and York Colleges in multiple disciplines; for her area in Urban Sustainable Planning, she worked with Prof. Jill Gross, Urban Affairs, Hunter College, and took graduate and undergraduate courses in Hunter’s Urban Affairs department.  In this second area, she included an Urban Studies Internship, working at The Door, a nonprofit organization that provides counseling as well as legal, education and health advising to young adults.  There, she helped the young women create a newsletter targeted to young adults in urban settings addressing their issues and raising awareness about urban policies that can affect the way they live their lives.

After graduation, Fandjalan returned to her native Mali.  There, she has initiated the One Laptop Per Child Project and did a pilot program in a village not too far from Bamako, the capital of Mali. Now, Mali is preparing to receive between 10,000-12,000 laptops which will be given to the children of Timbuktu, and the rest of the country will follow. You can find out more information about the OLPC project at www.olpcmali.org.  She is working on other projects as well; one in particular called the Murals For Mali (http://www.muralsformali.blogspot.com/) which is still in the planning phase.  She hopes to return to the U.S. to pursue a Masters degree in public health or business administration.

Ella Viola:  Zoology

Thomas W. Smith Academic Fellowship, 2009

Memorial Scholarship, 2009

Under the direction of Professor Leonard Ciaccio, Biology, College of Staten Island, Ella Viola is designing a degree in Zoology, using courses in Biology and Anthropology from Brooklyn College and the College of Staten Island.

In her own words…

When Robert Frost talked about “two roads” diverging in a yellow wood, he wasn’t kidding when he said the one less taken was “grassy and wanted wear.” My own unusual path towards a bachelor’s degree has been twisted, narrow, overgrown and barely visible at times – but I’ve kept walking. Ever since I can remember, I’ve had a passion for animals and dreamt of a career working with them. Being young and in love, I took a detour – the long way around – but with hard work and a stubborn determination to keep putting one foot in front of the other, things are falling into place. It has been quite a stroll.

After high school I got married and needed a job. I enrolled in Grace Institute, a vocational school, and quickly became a very young and inexperienced member of the adult workforce.  For a few years, until the birth of my first son, I worked as an administrative assistant in Manhattan. Eventually I got a job with a podiatrist. The work was oddly intriguing. It stoked my curiosity for science and convinced me that it was time to return to school and pursue my passion.

By this point, I had two children and loved every minute of being a mother. I got the crazy idea to go back to school to become a nurse for animals. LaGuardia Community College became my second home and the professors became family. I took a job as a teaching assistant in the laboratory and eventually in a classroom setting. My path was leveling out, becoming clearer. Pregnant with my third child, I graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science and a Veterinary Technician’s license. Then, our family moved to Staten Island (my husband owns a retail business there), and the daily commute to Queens became too much. Regrettably, I gave up my position and began the search for another job closer to my new home.

While working part-time at an animal hospital, I met some people who introduced me to the Staten Island Zoo. I applied and was accepted for an instructor position. The zoo combined my love for animals with my passion for teaching. I found my niche – my path was now crystal clear. Through the years, I have been promoted into my current position as Director of Education.  My responsibilities include hiring and training of education staff and volunteers, designing curriculum for school groups, teachers and families using the zoo’s animal collection and incorporating the conservation message embedded in the zoo’s mission statement into every program, special event and public relation opportunity available.

Through motivation and persistence, I have been able to reach professional goals that I never thought possible. However, something is still missing. My formal education is limited to domestic animals and medical procedures. I am long overdue for a Bachelor’s degree. It is time to take the next step and increase the depth and breadth of my knowledge. CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies has been a neon sign on my path, and I am too wise to ignore its glow.

Looking down the road, I could see myself eventually becoming the curator of the zoo. But that’s a long way off. For now, I’m going to stick with what has worked for me throughout my life. Focus on the task at hand, work hard, put one foot in front of the other. It has not been as easy as it could have been, but as Frost would say, that “has made all the difference.”