This was a particularly challenging year in Academic Affairs. There were many tasks that needed to be completed by academic and administrative units, additional requirements for compliance with external regulations and many people had to assume additional responsibilities because of staff vacancies. So as we approach the end of the fiscal year I am particularly pleased and grateful for what we were able to accomplish in Academic Affairs this past year. This issue of Academically Speaking identifies a few things that colleagues in Academic Affairs want to share but there are many other things that deserve mention. There are too many to list here, but I would like to illustrate our successes by mentioning a few things.
We started the year by welcoming new faculty and staff who “hit the ground running” and it is hard for me to imagine what the year would have been like without them. I heard about some of the experiences of new faculty at the last session of our year-long New Faculty Orientation. They are already involved with student groups, College events, publishing articles and basically doing the things I talk to prospective faculty about during interviews. I am grateful for their enthusiasm for our academic community and for the many talents they and others bring to the College.
Our Centers continue to be a novel way of bringing our community together around some key areas of interest. The Center for Science and Engineering Education had a highly successful official opening in October. This collaborative effort of science faculty has a compelling mission of enhancing opportunities for student success in the sciences and increasing diversity in science careers. In addition to events during the year, the Center will sponsor two summer camps, a Forensic Science camp for girls and an Engineering camp, that already have more applications than they have slots available.
Our Fox Rothschild Center for Law and Society, under the leadership of Kathy Smith, continues to produce innovative programs and many firsts for the community. One that deserves special note this year is Wills for Heroes. Wills for Heroes is a national initiative and Community College of Philadelphia is now the first institution of higher education to use this event as a service learning project. The Center faculty had the novel idea of including students in helping first responders prepare wills and basic estate documents.
Our third Center, the Center for International Understanding also had a successful year under the leadership of Fay Beauchamp. A Title VI B grant is creating an opportunity to bring an international focus to some of our business programs. The Center is also the focal point for study abroad opportunities with Chris DiCapua sharing the responsibility for coordinating opportunities to locations such as Mexico, Greece, Turkey, Ghana and China.
The Art Department celebrated “35 years of Clay at Community College of Philadelphia” with a display of ceramic work by past and present faculty, alumni and students. Karen Aumann was the force behind this exceptional show.
We were able to showcase student talent in concerts, photography and art shows, and student publications . Two students under the guidance of Rich Saxton participated in a poster presentation in Washington DC and were so impressive that the College was given additional funding for the grant that sponsored their work related to the transportation industry.
Tom Ott gave an exceptional Lindback Lecture. He did a skilful job of connecting current research, past Lindback presentations and examples of his own practice in his lecture. It is easy to understand the selection of Tom for this special recognition.
All of you who experienced the Poets and Writers events, International Week events, CCPTV programming, lectures, and even advisory committee meetings know the depth and breadth of what went on in Academic Affairs this past year. Bravo to all of you who make this a vibrant institution of higher education.
Judy Gay
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