Borough of Manhattan Community College

Coordinates: 40°43′04″N 74°00′43″W / 40.71768°N 74.01188°W / 40.71768; -74.01188

Borough of Manhattan
Community College

main entrance (2006)
Type Public
Established 1963
President Antonio Pérez
Students 26,831
Location New York City, New York, USA
Campus Urban
Website bmcc.cuny.edu

The Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) is one of seven two-year colleges within the City University of New York (CUNY) system. Founded in 1963, BMCC originally offered business-oriented and liberal arts degrees for those intending to enter the business world or transfer to a four-year college. Its original campus was scattered all over midtown Manhattan, utilizing office space wherever available. In the mid-1970s CUNY began scouting for suitable property on which to erect a new campus of its own. The current campus has been in use since 1983. Currently, with an enrollment of over 26,000 students,[1] BMCC grants associate's degrees in a wide variety of vocational, business, health, science, and continuing education fields.

Advertising itself to potential students under the motto "Start Here. Go Anywhere," its student body is nearly two-thirds female and has a median age of 24, with attending students hailing from over 100 different countries. Another 10,000 students are enrolled in distance education programs. BMCC has a faculty of nearly 1,000 full-time and adjunct professors.

Campus

Borough of Manhattan Community College is in the heart of TriBeCa and occasionally plays host to the Tribeca Film Festival's ceremonies and films.[2] The four main campuses rest between New York City Hall and the Financial District near the Hudson River in Downtown Manhattan.

Downtown/TriBeCa campus

Off-site program

Fiterman Hall and the September 11 attacks

Fiterman Hall was heavily damaged from the collapse of 7 World Trade Center on 9/11.

Fiterman Hall was a 15-story building on the campus of this college at 235 Greenwich Street (also called 81 Barclay Street and 30 West Broadway and 82 Park Place, the building occupies the entire block bounded by these four streets with entrances on the SE corner of Greenwich Street and Park Place and the NW corner of Barclay Street and West Broadway) in Lower Manhattan. It opened in 1959 as an office building before owner Miles Fiterman, whom the building was named after, donated it to BMCC in 1993, which at the time was the largest private donation to a community college in U.S. history. It was renovated in 2000 to receive new windows and infrastructure. The building was owned by the State of New York Dormitory Authority.[3][4]

It was heavily damaged during the September 11 attacks in 2001, when debris from the collapse of 7 WTC compromised the structure. It became unsafe to occupy due to mold growth and asbestos exposure. Because traditional demolition would result in an unacceptable environmental impact, the building was scheduled for deconstruction and decontamination as part of the Lower Manhattan redevelopment project.[5]

Fiterman Hall was to have been replaced by a new building designed by the architectural firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners.[6] Deconstruction was scheduled to be complete by February 2007; however, environmental impact concerns and funding issues caused numerous delays in completing the project. At a press conference, which took place at BMCC on November 13, 2008, city and state officials announced a new agreement that solidified demolition and reconstruction plans through a funding agreement with New York City, New York State, and the City University of New York. In addition, approximately $80 million will come from an insurance settlement. Under the plan, the new Fiterman Hall was completed in 2012.[7][8]

Academics

BMCC suffers from many of the same problems that plague all community colleges such as an alarming rise in remedial education,[9] lack of freshman retention,[10] and overcrowding. A diverse student base,[11] some of whom are only recent arrivals in America[12] also makes tailoring a viable solution difficult. Improving the retention and graduation rate as well as the increased financial and academic burdens of a remedial program still remain a considerable problem.

Career development

The Center for Career Development (CCD) provide students with comprehensive career planning services. Its professional career counselors assist students in making informed decisions about an area of study; research occupations that match their personal interests; write a resume; practice interviewing, and help them prepare as candidates for internships and employment. Students also learn to clarify their career goals; develop effective communication and interpersonal skills; conduct job searches; and develop an electronic portfolio for employers to view as evidence of their skills, accomplishments and professional qualifications. In addition, CCD partners with New York Needs You, the New York office of America Needs You, to host career-oriented events and seminars to bring industry insights to its students.[13]

Athletics

Borough of Manhattan Community College teams participate as a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The Panthers are a member of the community college section of the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, soccer and swimming; while women's sports include basketball, soccer, swimming and volleyball.

Western side of the main campus building, at the Hudson River. Behind it are the Independence Plaza North and South towers

BMCC offers a large state-of-the-art recreation facility including a regulation basketball court, swimming pool, and weight room. There are active teams in many sports such as handball, bowling, baseball, soccer, and basketball. Sports teams compete in both the CUNY athletic system and the local NJCAA collegiate sports system. The women's basketball team has won numerous championships including the CUNY basketball championship and the regional Division III championships including placing third nationally in 2000 with a 21–3 regular season record.[14] The chess team has won national awards. One of the most successful programs at BMCC is the men’s soccer team with 6 consecutive wins at cuny soccer championships, 1 regional DIII championship and placing 3rd in the NJCAA national championship in 2005.

Notable alumni

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 20, 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-23. BMCC Quick Facts
  2. ↑ http://www.tribecafilmfestival.org/news-features/news/13531417.html 2005 Awards Ceremony
  3. ↑ "Fiterman Hall".
  4. ↑ "Fiterman Hall Status Update". May 2, 2003.
  5. ↑ "Lower Manhattan Fiterman Hall". Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. Archived from the original on September 12, 2007.
  6. ↑ "Work to Demolish Fiterman Hall may actually begin". Downtown Express. January 13, 2006.
  7. ↑ Fiterman is Funded, BMCC News
  8. ↑ Ground Zero building to be razed, by Theresa Agovino, Crain's New York Business
  9. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/02/education/02college.html?scp=3&sq=community+college+remedial&st=nyt At 2-Year Colleges, Students Eager but Unready
  10. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 20, 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-23. Changing Culture: A New Program for Liberal Arts Advisement at an Urban Community College
  11. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/nyregion/27neediest.html?_r=1&scp=6&sq=Borough+Manhattan+College+&st=nyt&oref=slogin An Escape From Rwanda, Then a Struggle to Survive in New York
  12. ↑ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5276/is_200708/ai_n21254740 'START HERE. GO ANYWHERE,' NOT JUST BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE'S SLOGAN: IT'S REAL
  13. ↑ http://www.bmcc.cuny.edu/career/page.jsp?pid=1005&n=Who%20We%20Are%20and%20What%20We%20Do
  14. ↑ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A03E3D6143BF930A35750C0A9679C8B63 Manhattan C.C. Setting Its Sights On Being the National Champion
  15. ↑ From Rock Star To Pre-Med at CBS News
  16. ↑ Biography of Queen Latifah at Thomson Gale Black History Archived October 17, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.

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