Cabinet Meeting Minutes February 5, 2024

Cabinet Meeting
Monday, February 5, 2024
10:00 am - Noon

1. Vince Boudreau, President
2. Doris Cintron, Senior Associate Provost
3. Alex Couzis, Dean, Grove School of Engineering
4. Ramon De Los Santos, Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs
5. Ranajeet Ghose, Interim Associate Provost for Research
6. Scott Gurba, Chief Operating Officer
7. Marta Gutman, Dean, Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture
8. Ken Ihrer, Chief Information Officer
9. Sheryl Konigsberg, Chief Diversity Officer
10. Edwin Lamboy, Dean, School of Education
11. Renata Miller, Dean, Division of Humanities and the Arts
12. Naomi Nwosu-Stewart, Assistant Vice President of Enrollment Management
13. Paul Occhiogrosso, Executive Counsel to the President
14. Marie Owumi, Special Projects Manager, Office of the President
15. Susan Perkins, Dean, Division of Science
16. Lesly Pierre, Assistant Vice President of Facilities Management
17. Teresa Scala, Chief of Staff, Office of the Provost
18. Ruth Stark, Chairperson, Faculty Committee on Personnel Matters
19. Andrew Rich, Dean, The Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership
20. Mary Ruth Strzeszewski, Associate Provost for Academic Programs

Absent:

1. Carmen Green, Dean, CUNY School of Medicine
2. David Jeruzalmi, Chairman, The Faculty Senate
3. Tony Liss, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
4. Juan Carlos Mercado, Dean of Interdisciplinary Studies at CWE & Professional Continuing Studies
5. Dee Dee Mozeleski, Senior Advisor to the President and VP & Executive Director, Office of Institutional Advancement, Communications and External Relations and The Foundation for City College
6. Vanessa Valdes, Associate Provost for Community Engagement

The meeting was called to order at 10:01 am by President Boudreau. He moved into his announcements which were as follows:

1. He gave an update on the City in Your CIty fundraising travel swing with VP Mozeleski, with stops in Texas, Louisiana and California.
2. At the student protest which took place on Thursday, January 25, a security issue arose with protesters entering the NAC building. President Boudreau, Director Morena and AVP De Los Santos have drafted measures to prevent such occurrences in the future, and a plan for disciplinary action will be put in place if the measures are not followed.
3. He spoke on the current progress of the lobbying meetings with district elected officials, and the upcoming trips to Albany that himself and other CUNY officials will be taking in the next month.

President Boudreau turned the meeting over to COO Gurba to speak on the City College Capital Planning Overview. He invited Sam Martinez, a project manager from CUNY, to sit in on the presentation and answer pertinent questions that may have arisen. COO Gurba spoke on the plans that he had for the college, largely categorized under:

1. Infrastructure
2. Common spaces
3. Teaching and Learning

He has hopes that the Capital Plan will integrate smoothly with the College Strategic Master Plan.

The Cabinet Members discussed Provost Liss’ report on Navigate, and potential planning around it. He gave a special mention to faculty members who have contributed greatly to the Navigate strategy thus far. President Boudreau urged members to use departmental and review meetings to encourage faculty utilization of Navigate. In the next meeting, there will be a conversation regarding adjunct participation in Navigate, and strategies for improvement.

Cabinet members discussed the current campus climate, especially after the protest on the first day of classes. The conversation included topics such as the rights of students on campus, communication with alumni about campus events targeted at alleviating student anxiety. Some members shared the plans that they have for the semester to address the current climate:

1. CDO Konigsberg is in touch with New York City Department of Human Rights to schedule a talk series with huments to discuss antisemitism and islamophobia, with the running title of “Battling Dehumanization”.
2. AVP De Los Santos and the Student Affairs team are planning workshops centered on communicating with emotional intelligence, and understanding protected speech.
3. Dean Rich spoke of an event series hosted by the Colin Powell School which will include scholars from both Jewish and Palestinian origins.
4. Dean Lamboy is currently working on a program with Diana Punales-Moejon and the Counseling Center to address issues of violence in public schools.

All members were encouraged to put in an appearance at the student clubs tabling event which would take place from 12 to 2pm on Thursday, February 8 in the Great Hall. The security measures that were utilized at the January 25 protest were discussed and potential future strategies were brought up, including entrance and exit routes, repositioning Public Safety officers, and potential diffusion measures.

AVP Nwosu-Stewart and COO Gurba gave an update on the student deregistration list which has steadily declined based on conversations with students thus far. COO Gurba suggested including student demographic information into the deregistration list to get a more detailed analysis. The first “Funding Your Education” workshop was held in Fall 2023 and students will be followed up with regarding their FAFSA applications.

President Boudreau has written an article for the Alumnus Magazine surrounding prejudice and free speech on campus to give the alumni an understanding of current events and how they are addressed. This article will be distributed to all Cabinet members.

AVP Nwosu-Stewart also gave a brief report on the state of enrollment currently. Associate Provost Mary Ruth Strzeszewski announced that there will be email updates about the Middle States Review and a meeting for Deans and Chairs on February 20. Deans may invite anyone they believe should be attending this meeting.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:57am.

February 26 Cabinet Meeting Agenda

1. Approval of February 5 Minutes
2. President’s Announcements (when he arrives)
3. New staff introductions - Chief Financial Officer, Ismael Perez
4. Commencement
5. 4 semester scheduling (Deans)
6. Campus Climate check in (All Cabinet)
7. Strategies for Adjunct Participation in Navigate (Deans)
8. Retention Report (Provost Liss, Nikisha Williams)