Letter to the College Community
June 2008
Dear Colleagues, Students, and Friends,
This year's Commencement Exercises, once again under sunny skies, saw the largest graduating class in decades. We conferred degrees upon 3,566 students—2,408 undergraduates and 1,158 graduate students. Mary Pennisi, a member of the Macaulay Honors College who will be going to law school this fall, spoke eloquently for the class of 2008. And speaking for the class of 1958, the golden anniversary class, with some eighty members in attendance, was Donald Kramer, whose long-time support of the College has never wavered.
Representative of the quality of our graduates this year are Joshua Leinwand, who has been admitted to Yale Medical School, Kristin Juhrs, who will pursue a master's degree in performing arts at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, and Benelita Tina Elie, who is taking up a research position at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Two undergraduates received Jonas Salk Scholarships, the University's pre-eminent student honor. Ghulam Dastgir, who majored in chemistry and studied the molecular mechanisms of infectious diseases that afflict third-world nations, will attend SUNY Downstate Medical Center. Alex Pyronneau, a biology major, did research on cell-wall protein biogenesis in order to understand how proteins work. A member of the Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) Program and of Phi Beta Kappa, he will attend Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
It is often said that you'll find a Brooklyn College graduate in leading positions in every field of endeavor. This graduating class will certainly prove this to be true.
Honorary degrees were awarded to two of the country's most renowned writers. Paul Auster, also acclaimed as a translator, poet and film director, is the author, among others, of The New York Trilogy, The Invention of Solitude, and The Brooklyn Follies. Michael Cunningham, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Hours, A Home at the End of the World, and other novels, served until this spring as director of the fiction concentration of the College's MFA program in creative writing, taking it to new heights. An honorary degree was bestowed also on Philip G. Zimbardo, '54, a celebrated professor of psychology, author, and social-political activist.
Distinguished alumni awards went to our Commencement speaker, Leonard Lopate, '67, the widely-respected host of the Leonard Lopate Show on National Public Radio, and to Sarah Benson, MFA '04, the artistic director of the SoHo Repertory Theater in Manhattan.
And a Presidential Medal was presented to Willard N. Archie, '68, formerly CEO of Mitchell & Titus, the country's largest minority-owned accounting and management consulting firm. A member of the Brooklyn College Foundation board from 1986 to 2000, he has given generously of his time and expertise to the College.
Strengthening Our Faculty
We reached a milestone this year: faculty hired since 2000 now make up fully half of the full-time teaching faculty. Classrooms and laboratories reverberate with fresh ideas and vibrant energy. Numbering altogether 234, these accomplished teacher-scholars will be joined next semester by another thirty-eight, the result of searches by our academic departments this year.
Stars continue to shine in our firmament. We welcome this fall the masterly pianist Ursula Oppens, who joins the Conservatory of Music as Distinguished Professor, and the award-winning author Amy Hempel, who is the new director of the MFA program in fiction. The College will be able to attract noteworthy faculty through the generous support of alumni who this year alone endowed three new chairs -- the Herbert Kurz, '41, Chair in Constitutional Rights; the Carol, '61, and Larry Zicklin Chair in the Sciences; and the Jay Allan Newman, '68, Chair in the Philosophy of Culture.
Middle States Re-Accreditation
In preparation for the site visit next spring by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the College conducted a thorough review -- a self-study -- that sought to reflect upon strengths and accomplishments, pinpoint new directions that might be taken, and uncover areas where improvements seem called for. The project drew on the dedication and commitment of faculty, staff, and students assembled in various working groups. Their findings have been brought together by the Steering Committee, co-chaired by Bonnie Gustav (Anthropology) and Lynda Day (Africana Studies), ably assisted by Colette Wagner, assistant to the provost, and will now be consolidated into a cohesive draft report. A series of Town Hall meetings this fall will give the College community ample opportunity to voice opinions and concerns about the report in anticipation of the site visit.
Progress on Capital Projects
The coming year will see the completion of the first entirely new building on campus in over thirty years and substantial progress on two eagerly anticipated facilities for both arts and sciences.
Work on the West Quad in the next few months will concentrate on the interior of the building itself, the exterior restoration of James and Roosevelt Halls, and the installation of a wrought iron fence and low brick walls to mirror the grounds of the East Quad.
The transformation of Roosevelt Hall into a state-of-the-art science complex is well underway. Architects for the project have been in discussion with a working group of science faculty and are now in the process of drafting a schematic design. We will monitor developments closely to make sure that the complex does justice to our programmatic priorities.
The east side of the campus too is getting a new face. Once the original scope for the performing arts center had been modified to include the demolition of Gershwin, the architects scheduled meetings with members of the performing arts faculty to clarify needs and preferences for performance spaces and rehearsal studios, set design and construction workshops, exhibition space, classrooms and offices. A welcome accompaniment to the new center will be the opportunity to realign the heavily used but undistinguished Hillel entrance in a classical axis with the Library's tower so as to create a more pleasing and inviting portal.
Construction of an eight-story student residence by a private developer at the corner of Kenilworth Place and Farragut Road is expected to be finished early next year, in time for the incoming class of fall 2009. This is a significant departure for a college that for all its time has served commuter students. A task force is being appointed to examine changes we will have to anticipate to accommodate the needs of students in residence.
New Appointment
Brooklyn College welcomes its new provost, William A. Tramontano. He will assume his duties as the College's chief academic officer next month. Dr. Tramontano is currently dean of natural and social sciences and professor of biological sciences at Lehman College, where he also served as acting provost and vice president for academic affairs. He brings strong leadership to the College, a commitment to faculty growth and development, and a proven ability to initiate and implement new academic programs.
And Thanks
Much has been accomplished this year. You brought to bear ideas, energy, and time -- and throughout in good spirits. The College is the better for it, and I thank you. We all know we can do more. I look forward to continuing our productive work together in the year ahead.
With all best wishes for a restful and restorative summer.
Sincerely,
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Christoph M. Kimmich
President
