The City College

of New York

Our City View

2013 Report from the President

New York City is often referred to as “the capital of the
world.” Its vibrant energy, unrivaled diversity, and endless
possibilities continue to attract people from around the
globe in search of better lives. These same qualities have
made City College a gateway to opportunity for more than
165 years.

City began life as the Free Academy, an egalitarian

endeavor intended to provide access to educational
excellence for all. Though much has changed since those
early days, our underlying mission remains the same: to
offer a world-class education to students, regardless of their
economic circumstances. To that end, we have created
an intellectually stimulating environment that promotes
innovation and inquiry. Our outstanding faculty provides
students with the knowledge and skills they require to
meet and even exceed their goals.

As you will read in these pages, the City community is

active and engaged. Many of the year’s highlights were
team efforts, collaborations involving students, faculty,
and partners in the private and public sector. Drawing on
the collective talents and expertise of all our constituents
will help keep us at the forefront of creative thought and
research going forward.

The true measure of our success will always be in

the experiences of our students.

Every year, we say farewell to another graduating class and

witness again the transformative power of education. From
here, students continue their studies or enter the workplace
with increased options and broader outlooks. They go on to
make valuable contributions as citizens, as policy makers,
as leaders and innovators. Wherever the path leads, we are
proud to begin that journey with them at City College.

Lisa S. Coico, Ph.D.

President, City College of New York
 City is dynamic, stimulating, rigorous, nurturing.
The past year was marked by progress on many fronts:
internal and external, local, national, and international.

City climbed 232 spots to reach 137 on Forbes magazine’s 2013 list of Top Colleges
in the U.S. For the second consecutive year, City appeared in The Princeton Review’s
guide to “The Best 378 Colleges.” The Princeton Review also named City one of its
“Best Value” colleges.
A five-year, $1.2 million grant from the Noyce Foundation administered by the National Science
Foundation is funding the Robert Noyce Teacher Academy Scholars Program. Implemented by our
School of Education, the initiative seeks to increase the number of science and math teachers in New
York City secondary schools. The program will prepare 42 undergraduate STEM (science, technology,
engineering and mathematics) students for teaching careers in urban schools.

We entered into a three-year

agreement with the government of
Mexico that will enable the College
to host Cátedra Cultura de México,
a series of Mexican culture lectures,
on campus and around New York City.

The Reserve Officers’ Training

Corps (ROTC) returned to
campus after a hiatus of more
than 40 years. ROTC’s financial
support, leadership training,
and specialized curriculum help
2 participants develop life skills and
earn their degrees. Upon successful
completion of the program, cadets
receive commissions as second
lieutenants in the U.S. Army.
An ambitious fundraising campaign,
launched in 2009, has raised $446 million
to date toward a goal of $500 million. We are
fortunate to have advocates who recognize
the long-term benefit of a City education to
the individual and to society at large.
Furthering
 Commencement 2013

In May, we celebrated with the Class of 2013 at the college’s 167th

Commencement Exercises. Real estate investor and philanthropist Martin
Cohen (’70), co-chairman and co-CEO of Cohen & Steers, Inc., received the
honorary degree Doctor of Science. I awarded the CCNY President’s Medal
for Distinguished Service to C. Virginia Fields, president and CEO of the
National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS, Inc. (NBLCA) and a
former Manhattan Borough president.

Matthew Goldstein, former Chancellor of The City University of New York

(CUNY) and a member of the CCNY Class of 1963, served as keynote speaker.
Chancellor Goldstein reflected on his own commencement ceremony 50 years
earlier, when Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. addressed graduates.

As Chancellor Goldstein recalled, “Dr. King wasn’t at City College that day to suggest
prestigious professions we might enter, or how to achieve personal success, or how our degrees 5
would impact our income. No. Dr. King was there to tell us what our education was really for.”

It is a message that resonates across the decades to remind us that our charge
extends beyond the attainment and conferral of degrees. We recognize, develop,
and nurture potential, and the process is mutually beneficial. Among this year’s
3,700 graduates are people whose ideas and actions will shape our future.
 City students are a step ahead.
After being stopped by police near his home in Queens, pre-law senior
Depak P. Borhara recognized the need to empower young people.
He joined with fellow students Felix DeJesus, Matthew Lazo, and Fatjon Kaja to
develop GLEY (Guidance for the Legal Empowerment of the Youth), a program of
civic education designed for youth in areas with high stop-and-frisk rates. Depak
presented the program at the Roosevelt Institute’s 2013 Policy Expo in Washington, D.C.

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Empowering
young people
Class of 2013 Salutatorian Vijay Nazareth knew from the age of four that
he wanted to be a filmmaker. When he graduated summa cum laude in
May with a BFA in film and video production, he was already well on his
way. Vijay and his brother Antonius created AVbyte, a highly successful
YouTube channel offering original musical videos they co-produced. Their
work earned them YouTube’s NextUp Award, which Vijay considers the
online equivalent of the Oscar. Vijay’s filmmaking skills also earned him
an award for best short film at the Garden State Film Festival.

International Studies major Natalia Saavedra helped City College

obtain consultative non-governmental organization (NGO) status
at the United Nations, making it the first CUNY institution to
earn the distinction.
NGO status makes it possible for more City students to intern with
UN-affiliated NGOs. For her efforts on the project, Natalia received the
International Studies Program’s Ward Medal for Service and Academic
Excellence at Commencement.

Alla Zamarayeva came to the United States from Ukraine with the dream
of becoming an engineer. As a junior chemical engineering major in
the Grove School of Engineering, she received a Goldwater Scholarship
from the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education
Foundation. An accomplished researcher, she plans to pursue a doctorate 7
in chemical engineering.
 Engaging Students to Ensure Success
In fall 2012, CCNY enrolled 16,160 students, its highest achieving
student body in recent history. But enrollment is only the beginning.
We are committed to helping students achieve their academic and
career goals with comprehensive support services and structured
pathways to graduation.

This year, we piloted a new student orientation initiative to help students develop academic
and professional skills. In the yearlong program, known as Growth and Professional
Support (GPS), first year students receive guidance from peer mentors on how to prepare
8 for and navigate college life.
To facilitate the transition of new graduates into the workforce
and strengthen alumni career services, we created a Professional
Development Institute, whose focus will be on a broad range of career
services, from coaching to internships to full-time employment.
 The STEM Career Development Institute caters to students in STEM
fields by helping them find and apply for relevant summer internships as
juniors. In their senior year, participants receive assistance in looking for
post-graduation jobs or applying to graduate school. They also have the
opportunity to serve as mentors to younger students in the program.

My monthly roundtables provide students with an open forum to bring

up topics of concern or interest. These sessions are always well attended
and informative. I am consistently impressed and amazed by the personal
narratives our students share. Their perspectives, feedback and ideas help
to shape and strengthen City.

Providing
students with
an open forum

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 “We intend to give every student at the Powell School the
chance to connect his or her course of study to a life of service.”
General Colin L. Powell

A distinguished group of guests attended the inauguration of the Colin Powell School for Civic
and Global Leadership in May. Formerly known as the Division of Social Sciences, the new
school incorporates the Colin Powell Center for Leadership and Service. General Powell, a
1958 City alumnus, served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and U.S. Secretary of State.
CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein presented General Powell with the CUNY Chancellor’s
Medal at the event.

Service learning is integral to the Powell School and reflected in the experiences
of students like political science and biology major Samuel Innocent. After
seven years as an Army medic, Sam returned to civilian life in search of other
forms of service. Enrolling at City College, he became a Fellow at the Powell
Center and served as president of the City College Veterans Association. As
a youth mentor with the nonprofit In Arms Reach, Sam works with children
impacted by parental incarceration. He applied for and received the Pat Tillman
Military Scholarship and would like to work as a physician assistant.

Sam’s participation in community service is personal. As he says,

“I always want to help on the local level, help in the very same
10 community that I came from, so that other kids may one day build
upon what I’ve done, and somebody will build upon what they’ve done,
and that way the whole community rises up from what it was when I
was growing up.”
Committing
to a life of
service

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From rising stars to established experts, in and out of
the classroom, our faculty excels at the highest levels.

The American Physical Society awarded the 2013 Arthur L. Schawlow

Prize in Laser Science to Distinguished Professor of Science and
Engineering Robert Alfano for his “pioneering contributions to the
field of ultrafast laser science.”

Carla Cappetti, a professor of English specializing in American literature

and literary theory, received a Fulbright Scholar Award for teaching and
research at the University of Venice, Italy.

Professor of Film Dave Davidson received the Pioneer of the Arts Award from the
Black Experimental Theatre/Riant Theatre. His documentary, “Hans Richter:
Everything Turns—Everything Revolves” premiered at the Los Angeles County 13
Museum of Art. The film’s subject, Hans Richter, directed City’s Institute of Film
Techniques, the first documentary film school in the U.S., from 1941 to 1957.
 Supporting
research,
teaching, and
outreach

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 Nelly Fazio, assistant professor of computer science, and Michael
Hickerson, assistant professor of biology, received National Science
Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER)
Awards to support their research, teaching and outreach over the
next five years. Professor Fazio’s award supports the creation of
cryptographic techniques, while Professor Hickerson will use his to
develop computational models that use DNA evidence to reconstruct
how communities of species have responded to climate change.

Jean E. Krasno, director of the Multilateralism and International Organization Initiative

at the Colin Powell Center, headed a six-year joint project with Yale University leading
to the publication of a five-volume collection of the papers of Kofi Annan, former United
Nations Secretary-General and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. To coincide with the
publication’s launch, the secretary-general gave a speech on campus titled, “Kofi Annan:
Insights into a Challenging Decade and the Future of the UN.”
Distinguished Professor of Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering
Emeritus Sheldon Weinbaum was elected a Fellow of the American
Academy of Arts and Sciences (the Academy), becoming one of
just five living persons with membership in the Academy and three
U.S. National Academies. Professor Weinbaum’s work explores
biomechanical phenomena in the human body.

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 Disciplines Without Borders
When I created the City SEED grant initiative,
I was hoping it would stimulate imaginative
interdisciplinary collaborations like this one, utilizing
the best of traditional and emerging disciplines.
Marco Tedesco, associate professor of Earth and atmospheric sciences, spent years gathering data on
the warming Greenland ice sheet. When it came time to present his findings, he reached out to Ina
Saltz, professor and director of City’s Electronic Design & Multimedia (EDM) program, and Jonathan
Perl, associate professor of music and audio technology in the Sonic Arts program. Together with
Ethan Ham, who teaches electronic game design, they applied for a City SEED grant.

The grant enabled the team to hire seven students to produce works for the exhibit: Patrick Alexander
and Tri Datta, PhD candidates from The Graduate Center—CUNY; EDM graduates Vladimir
Golosiy and Grzegorz Lewkowicz; Sonic Arts graduates Carlos Felipe Quiroz and Kyoungtae Suh;
and junior Sonic Arts major Andrey Radovski.

The result was “Communicating Polar Climate Change Through Data Visualization and
Sonification,” an exhibition using vivid typography, electronic sound, and computer game
technology to give a multisensory impression of the climate change data.

It was a natural partnership for Professor Tedesco, who is

a native of Italy. “I never saw art and science as separate
16 ground. I grew up in a country where art is literally on every
street,” he said.
17
 Broadening Horizons, Creating Conversations
City College is a hub of activity throughout the year, hosting one-of-a-kind events,
many free and open to the public, featuring influential public figures, talented artists,
and leading-edge thinkers.

This year:
Former U.S. Senator and Middle East peace
envoy George J. Mitchell delivered the
2013 Samuel Rudin Distinguished Visiting
Scholar Lecture.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, secretary general of the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
spoke on “Why NATO Matters to You,” a look
at how NATO deals with emerging security
challenges and contributes to global security.
Grammy Award-winning composer and pianist
Ramsey Lewis and his Electric Band performed
with jazz greats Henry Johnson, Joshua Ramos
and Charles Heath in a special Father’s Day
weekend concert.
Walter Russell Mead gave the inaugural Anne
and Bernard Spitzer Lecture on “America’s ‘Asia
Pivot’ at a Time of Upheaval: The Pacific Isn’t
Looking Pacifistic.” Mr. Mead is James Clarke
Chace Professor of Foreign Affairs and the
Humanities at Bard College.

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The 41st Annual Poetry Festival, known as New
York City’s “Woodstock of the Spoken Word,” was
held in the spring. One of the longest continually
running annual poetry festivals in the country, it
offers schoolchildren the unique opportunity to
read on the same program as professional poets.

New York City Councilmember Robert Jackson,

a tireless City champion, was instrumental
in securing $1 million in capital funding for 19
restorations and repairs to Aaron Davis Hall. The
facility is the only performing arts complex of its
kind in Upper Manhattan. A renovated Aaron
Davis Hall will provide a beautiful setting on
campus for live cultural events.
 Fostering Innovation
Ingenuity thrives in an environment where curiosity
and experimentation are encouraged.

Deadbeat Drums, a team made up of engineering students Greg Knoll, Jeremy

Neiman and Will Senisi, won the first annual Zahn Prize for Entrepreneurship.
Their design of an electronic system to teach drumming, connected to an online
progress-tracking and analysis tool, earned them $20,000. Irwin Zahn (’48)
established the Zahn Prize through his Moxie Foundation.

The $50,000 Kaylie Prize for Hardware went to Mohammod Arafat, Joenard Camarista ,
Waqas Iqbal, and brothers Bhaskar and Kunal Paneri, known collectively as NextQ. The
team developed a virtual queuing system using software that allows users to check in to a
line remotely by phone call, text message or computer browser. It then sends out notices
as each person’s turn approaches. Harvey Kaylie (‘60) endowed the prize in 2010.
Both teams will use the prize money to develop their products and will have full
access to the Zahn Center for Entrepreneurship, an incubator space on campus
for technology start-ups.

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 Clarity of Purpose
Our students, faculty, staff, and friends exemplify the positive spirit and forward
thinking that propels our City community. As we grow from strength to strength,
I am mindful of our original purpose. Maintaining accessibility and affordability while
pursuing excellence presents a singular challenge. Minimizing the financial burden
on students is crucial. As part of the CUNY system, we can take pride in the fact that
nearly 80 percent of CUNY students graduate debt-free. In a time of skyrocketing
student debt, this is a major achievement.

We can take pride in the fact that nearly 80 percent of CUNY

students graduate debt-free.

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 Each achievement, each victory, each milestone requires visionaries,
initiators and supporters. I am appreciative for all the contributions
and hard work that make our progress possible, and I look forward
to what lies ahead.

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The City College
of New York

160 Convent Avenue New York, NY 10031 phone 212.650.7000 www.ccny.cuny.edu