PREFACE

Carmen I. Coballes-Vega, Ph.D. Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs

As the fifth anniversary issue of Touchstone is published, we are inspired by its contribution as a scholarly publication by Eugenio María de Hostos Community College faculty, staff, students, and community partners. In the book, Leading with Soul, by L. Bolman and T. Deal, the authors share their thoughts about the connection between “community and the cycle of living.” They write,

“We build significance through the use of many expressive and symbolic forms: rituals, ceremonies, icons, music, and stories. Humans have always created and used symbols as a foundation for meaning. Organizations without a rich symbolic life become empty and sterile. The magic of special occasions is vital in building significance into collective life.” (p.110)

On the occasion of the five-year anniversary, it is fitting that the editors highlight some of the symbols of the purposeful and transformative roles of faculty and their collaborative work with other faculty, students and the college community.

The significance of our collective work at Hostos has been demonstrated in a variety of landmark initiatives and events during this past academic year. First, the Division of Academic Affairs in collaboration with other divisions was heavily engaged in the Middle States Association of Higher Education Self-Study for the reaffirmation of its regional accreditation. After the submission of the Self-Study, we hosted the Middle States team site visit and received a positive recommendation on all 14 standards. The Commission will be meeting in June 2012 to make its final recommendation. This thorough and deliberate effort was successful because of the invaluable work of all the administrators, faculty, staff and students who dedicated significant time to the preparation of materials and data to support the process.

Second, concurrent with Middle States, the college also developed the new Hostos Strategic Plan during the past year. This extensive and forward-looking document will provide a roadmap based on five goals and 20 initiatives for the next five years. Departments and units are finalizing outcomes for their areas which are aligned with the Strategic Plan and initiatives and include metrics for their assessment for the first year (2012-13). Third, the college completed the John Gardner Foundations of Excellence Ò in the First College Year self-study. Recommendations from the study will be incorporated into the Strategic Plan. Again, a number of administrators, faculty, staff, and students across all divisions were involved in this extensive effort. Fourth, there are two new CUNY initiatives being implemented and developed. These include CUNY First and Pathways. CUNY First is a systems software solution that will automate a variety of functions such as registration, grade submissions, and employee self-service. Pathways is a plan to establish a Common Core of courses that may be transferable to colleges across CUNY and is scheduled for implementation in fall 2013. A number of faculty are currently liaisons to the various Central Office committees reviewing courses for inclusion in the Common Core and their service is invaluable in moving forward at Hostos. In addition, the Division has appointed a new Faculty Fellow to assist departments toward further development and implementation of the Pathways initiative. Fifth, in the area of additional resources, as a result of new Compact lines, the college was able to open five new full-time faculty positions and also begin replacing retired faculty and filling existing vacancies. Over 20 new faculty lines were posted in late fall 2011 for January 2012-August 2012 potential hires. In addition, two new full-time academic advisors were hired through Compact lines for the OAA Academic Advisement Center.

Finally, during this year there were a number of faculty-directed initiatives that led the way in reaffirming the college commitment to teaching, effectiveness in student learning, research and service. Several faculty members received Professional Staff Congress (PSC) CUNY awards for research and are now preparing papers and/ or publications to share their findings. Faculty and staff also wrote and received several grants totaling nearly $869,000. Several other national and state grants for the 2012-13 year have been submitted with announcements expected in late summer or fall 2012. During the 2011-12 year, CUNY recognized several faculty/staff for their outstanding contributions to the college with awards and grants. Those included in this recognition were Professors S. Church, I. Goldemberg, A. Morales, N. Núñez-Rodríguez, N. Angulo, Y. Rodríguez, Ms. R. Cruz-Cordero, Dean C. Mangino, and Provost C. Coballes-Vega. Another notable faculty scholarship contribution was the publication of Dr. Marcella Bencivenni’s book, Italian Immigrant Radical Culture; The Idealism of the Sovversivi in the United States, 1890-1940, a well-documented and researched chronicle of Italian American radicalism and its connection to world movements during a turbulent period. The Office of Academic Affairs launched a Global Academic Programs Committee with a directive to establish guidelines and goals for the integration of global content within the curricula and encouraging new internships and other experiential learning opportunities. As a result of the work of the committee, a new study abroad program pilot was established in collaboration with the Center for Studies Martianos in Cuba. Fifteen students and four faculty/staff members will participate in a credit-bearing course offered by Dr. Carlos Sanabria, Humanities Department in early to late June 2012.

The Professor Magda Vasillov Center for Teaching and Learning led by Dr. N. Núñez-Rodríguez and Sarah Brennan organized an effective CTL Road Show series that brought professional development opportunities to the departments and units across the college. The Office of Academic Affairs, Educational Technology, and the CTL hosted the Educational Technology Showcase with Dr. Susan Ko, Academic Faculty Development Director, School of Professional Studies, as the guest speaker. The sessions included presentations by Hostos faculty and the audience included faculty from other colleges in the metropolitan area. The Office of Academic Affairs hosted two speakers, Dr. Ofelia Garcia and Dr. Ricardo Other guy, CUNY Graduate Center, for a lecture series during the year on the topics of Multilingualism and Pedagogical Best Practices. As a result of the discussions, faculty in the college will engage in research projects during the 2012-13 year on key topics connected with their classes. During this academic year, a number of faculty published articles in peer-reviewed journals. As in the past, Hostos faculty remain actively and professionally engaged and continue their involvement in professional association conferences at the state, national and international levels.

We congratulate Dr. Kim Sanabria and Dr. Carl James Grindley for their dedication and commitment to the journal in their role as co-editors. Also, I salute the members of the Editorial Review Board for their support in continuing a rich tradition at Hostos. We are also reminded of the strong mission of the college and the transformative nature of education in the lives of the residents of the Bronx and New York. Finally, we celebrate the enduring and continuing vitality of The Professor Magda Vasillov Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL).

WORKS CITED

Bolman, L. & Deal, T. (1995). Leading with Soul: An Uncommon Journey of Spirit.

San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.