A Message from the President

"The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them." - Ida B. Wells 



March is always a time of renewal and reflection as we await the arrival of spring. While that is true, it is also a time wherein organizations reflect on the significant contributions of women leaders and pioneers. Mass political actions organized by U.S. women date back to the turn of the 20th century. Today around the world, women continue to march and lobby for fair and equal treatment. The nation has made great strides since the Women’s Suffrage moment, but we still have work to do. As March draws to a close, I recognize the talents of women who mentored me and who constantly remind me of the importance of equity, inclusion, and resilience.

Ending this month is also special in that I had the opportunity to speak with dynamic women for the closing Speaker Series. Each speakers’ story and commitment to student success, leadership development, family, and equity and inclusion were inspiring. 

Good wishes for a happy, peaceful Spring Break to all, and for those whose traditions include the observation of Ramadan, Passover or Easter, may you enjoy time spent in good health with friends and family.

How to stay the course and advance change? This month, two leadership organizations asked Guttman President Larry Johnson, Jr. for his insight on serving as a “steadfast agent of change” in turbulent times:

Faculty Fellowships Increase Racial, Ethnic Understanding

As communities around the country grapple with inclusion of curriculum that deepens understanding of Black History, three Guttman faculty have been awarded research fellowships that better enable them to bring accurate cultural content to their students. CUNY’s Black, Racial, and Ethnic Studies Initiative awardee, anthropologist Dr. Andrea Morrell, is examining how new patterns of racialization may emerge in a police department now with a majority of non-white officers in her study “Whiteness, Irishness, and Usable Past: Racial Imaginations of the NYPD.” For their project, “Race, Ethnicity, Culture, and Intersectionality in Mental Health,” social workers Dr. Nicole Kras and Dr. Anya Spector will draw from history, theory and research in social work, psychology, anthropology, public health and sociology to design a new course in Human Services. The curriculum will develop students’ research and practice strategies while fostering self-understanding as they study major psychosocial issues facing individuals from minoritized, marginalized and non-conforming identities.

Career Innovation Hub

“The Career Innovation Hub will deliver the kind of extensive, in-demand workforce development programming that New Yorkers need to build bridges to better-paying jobs and family-sustaining wages,” said President Larry Johnson, Jr. To create these new pathways, Guttman drew from the deep bench of talent in the Office of Academic Affairs led by Provost Nicola Blake and attracted proven industry leaders to play key roles in fostering critical employer partnerships with faculty to drive program development. Amplifying the impact of Guttman’s Center for Career Preparation and Partnerships (CCPP), Dean Curtis Mann-Messier and Associate Director of Academic Innovation and Career Success Errol Olton guide broad, interdisciplinary efforts to create credential and certificate-bearing opportunities for New York City’s working adults in emerging sectors, like Cybersecurity and Health Information Technology. “I’m passionate about policies like credit for professional licenses/certifications that help to attract and retain adults who want to complete a high-quality course of study as quickly and efficiently as possible,” says Dann-Messier.  

“I’ve enjoyed working with Guttman staff to create more course-based internships, financial literacy, transfer success, and career readiness opportunities for Latinx students,” says Olton. “It’s important that we’re focusing on educational pathways for in-demand careers that can lead our students to satisfying and family-sustaining, financially secure employment.”     

With a new A.A. International Business Track, and two new A.A.S. Information Technology Tracks in Cybersecurity and Networking, plus a Cybersecurity Certificate Program in conjunction with the Lower East Side’s Henry Street Settlement, Guttman’s skilled team in Marketing and Communications and our Admissions and Recruitment team are strategically increasing the college’s visibility and outreach. Identifying possible short-term, credit-bearing courses in professional and personal skill-building, aligned to all of Guttman’s majors is a goal for the Career Innovation Hub as is the development and approval process for a number of promising programs in the pipeline. Dann-Messier said, “Guttman has such a beautiful model for student support and success; I’m excited to see how we can extend the model to non-traditional students.”  

Women Lead

Human Services major Lianny Herrera and Business Administration student Isabella Degracia traveled with Guttman Chief of Staff Rosslyn Knight to Albany for the March 10-12 annual SOMOS gathering. “The students were selected to represent the college with the 2023 CUNY delegation along with Latinx leaders from NY’s public and private sector to engage with state elected officials,” said Knight. The event culminated in the CUNY/SUNY Mock Senate session with students debating bills on the floor of the Senate Chamber.  

Another group of Guttman women participated in CUNY’s 19th Annual Student Women’s Leadership Conference at the invitation of Career Program Manager Patricia Jean. The conference speakers, accomplished women in academia, business and government, urged participants to “understand the structure of power and then understand your own power.” This advice rang true for Daina Best, a Business major who especially appreciated “the words of wisdom shared by the panel consisting of CUNY deans who are all women.” First-year Liberal Arts student Marielis Gomera Ramirez, when asked what she took away from the March 10 presenters stated, "It was good to be reminded that there are people in our lives who plant seeds for us to explore our hidden potential."

“I really want to encourage our women students to lead with passion and purpose! They are doing amazing work at Guttman. Many of them juggle jobs, schoolwork, and extracurricular activities. Hopefully, these conferences gave them some time to acknowledge and appreciate how far they've come. I can’t wait to see what they’ll do in the future!” said Jean.

Guttman welcomed New York City Council Member Eric Dinowitz to campus on Tuesday, March 7. The council member spoke with students, staff and administration about his new legislation, Intro 660-A, which is designed to help high school students with disabilities transition into higher education. Read more.

Ribbon-cutting for the new “Guttman North” space procured by CUNY on the 8th floor of 11 W. 42nd St. occurred on March 22. Until Guttman makes the “ultimate move” to its future site on Amsterdam and W. 59th, the temporary migration of faculty and Academic Affairs personnel across Bryant Park is necessary to accommodate the college’s growth and expanded program offerings at Guttman South, our original 40th St. campus. New classrooms will be constructed on the sixth floor of the Guttman South campus by the time the Fall 2023 semester begins.

The newly acquired area on 42nd St. includes open space design for full- and part-time faculty, administrative offices, quiet zones and reservable conference rooms. Students are able to meet with faculty by pre-scheduling office hours and visitors can request access through building security and are greeted by office reception staff. To facilitate the move, a 12-Person Faculty Engagement & Transition Task Force is in place, led by Vice President for Finance and Administration Mary Coleman, Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost Nicola Blake, and Associate Professor of Anthropology and Chair of the Academic Senate Andrea Morrell.

Attorney Joey Jackson, CNN legal analyst, spoke with students on March 23 in a “fireside chat” about his educational and career journey including key moments and challenges in a profession where currently less than 20% of lawyers are people of color.

Students participate in a March 28 workshop in the fundamentals of vogue and the rich history of ballroom culture with Dominican-American actor and dancer Jason Anthony Rodriguez who co-starred in Pose and choreographed its second season.

The annual March Big Read gathers students, staff, and faculty to connect stories through face-to-face and virtual book club discussions. Guttman Library and the CUNY Humanities’ Alliance Graduate Fellows chose Valeria Luiselli’s Faces in the Crowd, a meta-novel that also celebrates the writers of the Harlem Renaissance. 

Telling Women’s HERstory events included author DJuly Fleurant (anD the words from a broken girl) and Women in STEM panelists Dr. Delaram Kahrobaei, Cybersecurity-Queens College, Halle Beverage, UX/UI-Abaxx Technologies, and Karla Fernandez, Audiologist- Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine.

Former Guttman valedictorian and Fordham graduate student Farah Reynoso offers yoga classes for students, faculty and staff.

Students and staff enjoy New York City’s cultural offerings at the Lena Horne Theatre on March 22’s “6 On Broadway” performance.

Maryam Rodriguez Guttman Class of ’18: Paying Attention to the Little Things