Dr. Yolanda T. Moses, President
For 150 years City College's mission has been to provide the students
of the City of New York with a first-class education. Generations of students
have benefited from the dedication of City College teachers, mentors, and
advisors. The question for us today is what kind of future City College
will have. Will it be a future that affirms our historic mission and builds
upon the great tradition of access to excellence? The answer to this question
depends, in great measure, on the commitment of faculty to their roles as
teachers and to the industry and creativity they apply in this capacity.
Constructing excellent opportunities for learning requires not only up-to-date
disciplinary knowledge, but also a sensitivity to individual student learning
strengths and a willingness to integrate innovative with familiar teaching
tools.
The need for a broad institutional commitment to offering a dynamic curriculum
and responsive teaching practices has never been more compelling. We continue
to expand the diversity of our student body as more and more international
students, representing ever-increasing numbers of countries, language groups
and educational histories, enroll. Our students' lives are becoming more
complex as they struggle to integrate family, work, and academic demands.
Finally, the explosion of the knowledge base in most disciplinary specializations
often defies our attempts as teachers to construct coherent presentations
using conventional teaching strategies.
A priority for the College, as we look to the 21st century, must be to provide
both the incentives and resources for every faculty member to take their
teaching seriously and to invest the considerable time and energy required
for both curricular innovation and for supportive, one-on-one engagement
with students. This faculty handbook and the soon-to-be open Center for
Teaching and Learning are early steps in this effort.
I challenge you to make the learning experiences of every student in each
of your classes better in the next year. With this commitment, the City
College mission statement will continue as a vibrant and valid representation
of the City College experience.
Dr. Yolanda T. Moses
President of the City College of New York
Administration Building, Room A300
(212) 650-7285
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