Author: medgarevers

Mr. Bruce Degen, a Certified Public Accountant with significant experience in a variety of management-level finance positions, most recently at JP MorganChase & Co., has been appointed as Chief Internal Control Specialist at Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York, effective January 4, 2010. In this role – a six-month appointment – Mr. Degen will oversee financial reporting, ensure efficient operations and compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and safeguard College assets.

“We welcome Mr. Degen as an integral part of our College’s financial-management team,” said Dr. William L. Pollard, President of Medgar Evers College. “I am confident that his many years of experience in business finance and accounting will ensure all College financial matters are properly managed.”

“I am proud to serve Medgar Evers College in this capacity,” said Mr. Degen. “With the deep recession impacting nearly every sector of the economy, it is critical that organizations – especially those receiving public funds – ensure resources are spent wisely and strong internal financial controls are in place.”

Mr. Degen joins Medgar Evers College from JP MorganChase & Co., where he most recently served as Vice President and Chief Internal Control Officer, where he was responsible for Sarbanes-Oxley, a private sector internal control program mandated by Congress. Prior to that, at JP MorganChase, he held three vice-president-level positions: Vice President, Diversified Consumer Services; Vice President, Consumer Credit, Integration and Support; and Vice President, Corporate Accounting Policies.

His educational background includes a B.A. in economics, and an M.B.A. in accounting from Fordham University. He is also a C.P.A. in the state of New York.

About Medgar Evers College, CUNY

Medgar Evers College was founded in 1970 through the efforts from educators and community leaders in central Brooklyn. The College is named after Medgar Wiley Evers, a Mississippi-born black civil rights activist who was assassinated on June 12, 1963. The College is divided into four schools: The School of Business; The School of Professional and Community Development; The School of Liberal Arts and Education; and The School of Science, Health, and Technology. Through these Schools, the College offers 29 associate and baccalaureate degree programs, as well as certificate programs in fields such as English, Nursing, and Accounting. Medgar Evers College also operates several co-curricular and external programs and associated centers such as the Male Development and Empowerment Center, the Center for Women’s Development, the Center for Black Literature, and The DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy.

Dr. Moses Newsome, Jr., a distinguished higher education administrator and professor, has been appointed Vice President for External Relations at Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York.

Concurrent with his appointment, what was known as the Office of Institutional Advancement and Development, comprising Development, Communications, Alumni Relations, Graphic Services, Web Services, and the College’s Radio Studio and Television Station, will now be known as the Office of External Relations, under the supervision of Dr. Newsome. External Relations will also include Government Relations and Economic Development.

“I look forward to building on an already strong program here at Medgar Evers,” said Dr. Newsome. “Working collaboratively with staff, we can take outreach to the next level, spreading information and forging new partnerships throughout Central Brooklyn and beyond.”

“We are proud and privileged to have someone of Dr. Newsome’s caliber on our administrative team,” said President William L. Pollard. “I have full confidence in his commitment to our goals and in his leadership skills to realize them.”

Dr. Newsome’s immediate plans include working with senior leadership to centralize the College’s fundraising efforts, as well as strengthening the College’s alumni relations program. He joins Medgar Evers College from Mississippi Valley State University where he most recently served as Vice President for Economic Development and Public Service. Prior to that, he was Visiting Professor of Social Work at Rutgers University and Visiting Professor of Social Work at Jackson State University. He has also served as Assistant Vice President and Dean of the School of Social Work at Norfolk State University in Virginia, and Associate Dean of the School of Social Work at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

His accolades include selection as one of 13 outstanding faculty by the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO) in 2003 for its inaugural class of Kellogg Leadership Fellows in its National Leadership Institute – charged with training and developing the next generation of senior-level leaders at historically and predominantly black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the U.S.

He has also been involved in community activities, serving as president of the Council on Social Work Education where he spearheaded a national campaign determining member needs and program priorities. In addition, he was president of the Greenwood-Leflore County United Way in Mississippi, and a board member of the Mississippi Delta Technology Council.

Dr. Newsome holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Toledo, an M.S.W. from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin. He is married to Dr. Barbara Newsome. They have two daughters and three grandchildren.

About Medgar Evers College, CUNY

Medgar Evers College was founded in 1970 through the efforts from educators and community leaders in central Brooklyn. The College is named after Medgar Wiley Evers, a Mississippi-born black civil rights activist who was assassinated on June 12, 1963. The College is divided into four schools: The School of Business; The School of Professional and Community Development; The School of Liberal Arts and Education; and The School of Science, Health, and Technology. Through these Schools, the College offers 29 associate and baccalaureate degree programs, as well as certificate programs in fields such as English, Nursing, and Accounting. Medgar Evers College also operates several co-curricular and external programs and associated centers such as the Male Development and Empowerment Center, the Center for Women’s Development, the Center for Black Literature, and The DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy.

Working with a grant from the Nathan Cummings Foundation, The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College partnered with the Danny Simmons’ Corridor Gallery and the National Conference of Artists New York to bring forth a multitude of various voices and mediums from around the country to raise awareness of the ways in which Black artists use art as a tool of transformation and liberation for themselves and the larger global community.

On February 26th at 1:00 pm, the National Conference of Artists New York will celebrate their 51st anniversary conference and Black Art History Maker’s Awards along with a panel titled Art As An Instrument for Social Change, a continuing campaign that started in 1997. The distinguished panel discussion will take place at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (1000 Fifth Avenue @ 82nd Street). The awards, given to distinguished individuals in the arts, will honor three extraordinary artists who have excelled in producing art that speaks to changing society.

The first honoree this year is noted artist, Faith Ringgold, best known for her painted story quilts — art that combines painting, quilted fabric and storytelling. She has exhibited in major museums in the USA, Europe, South America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. She is in the permanent collection of many museums including the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Guggenheim, Museum of Modern Art, and the preeminent Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her first book, Tar Beach, was a Caldecott Honor Book and winner of the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration, among numerous other honors. She has written and illustrated eleven children’s books. She has received more than 75 awards, fellowships, citations and honors, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Fellowship for painting, two National Endowment for the Arts Awards and seventeen honorary doctorates, one of which is from her alma mater The City College of New York.

The second distinguished honoree is Wilhelmina Obatola Grant, a Harlem-based, two-time Breast cancer survivor. Ms. Grant is a mixed-media assemblage artist who uses found objects as a concrete way to interpret abstract emotional and psychological aspects of human behavior and social condition. Many of the ideas that stimulate the creation of her work are reflective of her interpretations of contemporary social issues, namely: gentrification, violence against women and breast cancer awareness. It is her sincere hope to have an impact on the community through the realm of visual art. Her outreach work has extended to the media where she appeared in approximately 25 television, radio and magazine interviews. She was featured on 97.8-KISS-FM radio’s Phenomenal Woman series, the cover of MAMM, a national women’s cancer magazine, and two breast cancer documentaries: “What I Wish I Knew” and “Between Us: A First Aid Kit For Your Heart and Soul.”

The third awardee, Ademola Olugebefola, is a renowned contemporary artist whose work has set standards of innovative excellence. Widely collected and published in hundreds of books, catalogs, magazines and newspapers, his work has also been featured in major museums, universities, and galleries. His work has also been featured on television in the USA, the Caribbean, Africa, Europe and Japan. His paintings, graphics and mixed media work is shown extensively on the internet. Born in the US Virgin Islands and raised in New York City, Ademola has expanded his national exhibitions to New York State’s mid Hudson Valley over the last few years. Among a spectrum of recent art, culture and special projects activity, Albany International Airport hosted his paintings and a lecture as part of a landmark exhibition in October 2000.

In June 2001, Poughkeepsie’s Albert Shahinian Gallery presented Olugebefola and painter Helen Douglas in a critically acclaimed exhibition. Recent solo exhibitions and educational presentations include: IRADAC at City College; Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY; CHI Gallery in Oakland, California; Rush Arts in Chelsea, NY; and recent group shows at Fire Patrol #5 Art and Gallery X in Harlem and Danny Simmons’ Corrider Gallery in Brooklyn. And his most recent multimedia solo shows Blues And The Abstract Truth and Goddesses and Gurus: Earth, Wind and Fire April 2005 at Savacou Gallery in the East Village, are highlights of his recent work over the last few years. After returning from Salvador, Bahia and Rio de Janiero Brazil in February 2005 Ademola was seen as part of a Caribbean region PBS special documentary on similarities in Brazilian culture, the British and US Virgin Islands where he was born. Ademola is a long-time member of the famed Weusi Nyumba ya Sanaa artists collective and 37 year member of the National Conference of Artists.

At The Metropolitan Museum of Art, there will be an afternoon panel discussion on Art As An Instrument of Social Change with 2009 Black Arts History Maker Jeremiah Kyle Drake, (Restoring the Icon, Theatre of the Oppressed and NCA), Dread Scott, Jamel Shabazz and Khalil Almustafa. This will be a powerful session for those interested in art or those interested in making the changes that need to be made, in government, and in our everyday lives.

The National Conference of Artists New York began their 51st Anniversary Conference with the opening of the exhibition, The Black Artist As Activist on Sunday, January 31 at The Corridor Gallery, 334 Grand Avenue in Brooklyn. The exhibit is on view through March 28, 2010. Among the many artists from around the U.S. featured are Regina Agu; Andrea Chung; Sheryl Renee Dobson; Khalid Kodi; Zoraida Lopez; Joanna Mcfarland; Jasmine Murrell; Shani Peters; Terrance Sanders; Malik Seneferu, Ademola Olugebefola and Derick Cross. The exhibit features artists whose various media include collage, painting, printmaking and photography to depict images that represent the artist as activist and art as an instrument for social change.

The Corridor Gallery (Clinton Hill, Brooklyn) is a core program of the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization founded in 1995 by brothers Russell, Danny and Joseph “Rev. Run” Simmons. Corridor Gallery is dedicated to providing exhibition opportunities to the emerging artistic community including artists, curators and writers primarily living and working in Brooklyn and the surrounding areas. Since its establishment in 1996, the gallery has supported a unique constellation of artists and creative practices—experimental ventures in performance, visual art, and curatorial work and has exhibited the work of hundreds of non-commercially represented artists. The gallery serves the local community by hosting special events aimed at initiating a dialogue on matters relating to contemporary art. In addition, Corridor Gallery is also home to Rush Education Programs that expose and immerse disadvantaged urban youth in the study and practice of contemporary art. The exhibitions and educational programs of the galleries are sponsored in part by a grant from the New York State Council for the Arts and are free and open to the public. In 2008, the Gallery was awarded the Mayor’s Award for Arts and Culture from the department of Cultural Affairs for its pioneering programming.

Previous Black Art History Maker’s Awardees include, Dr. Margaret Burroughs (NCA founder), David C. Driskell (of whom the David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora was named at the University of Maryland, College Park), Elizabeth Catlett, Paul R. Jones, Voza Rivers (Harlem Arts Alliance), Dr. Barbara Ann Teer founder of The National Black Theatre, Lorenzo Pace (creator of the largest monument to Black people in the U.S., “Triumph of the Human Spirit” at the site of The African Burial Grounds), Georgette Powell, Laurie Cumbo founder of MoCADA and many more. This year’s conference is dedicated to Paul R. Jones, former awardee, who passed away last month.

About Medgar Evers College, CUNY

Medgar Evers College was founded in 1970 through the efforts from educators and community leaders in central Brooklyn. The College is named after Medgar Wiley Evers, a Mississippi-born black civil rights activist who was assassinated on June 12, 1963. The College is divided into four schools: The School of Business; The School of Professional and Community Development; The School of Liberal Arts and Education; and The School of Science, Health, and Technology. Through these Schools, the College offers 29 associate and baccalaureate degree programs, as well as certificate programs in fields such as English, Nursing, and Accounting. Medgar Evers College also operates several co-curricular and external programs and associated centers such as the Male Development and Empowerment Center, the Center for Women’s Development, the Center for Black Literature, and The DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy.

Anthony White, a student in the LPN Program here at Medgar Evers College, was recently announced as a finalist of the 2009-2010 Vanguard Award. The purpose of the award is to acknowledge students enrolled in programs leading to nontraditional careers for their gender.

The Vanguard student recognition award program was designed by the Career Options Institute in 1993. The program has recognized many students enrolled in CTE programs leading to nontraditional careers. The award includes a certificate and public recognition of the students as role models for others who too are considering nontraditional careers. (According to the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, approximately 6 percent of American registered nurses are men. In fact, males comprise 13 percent of nursing school students nationally; more than double the percentage of male RNs in the United States.) The winners will be invited to Albany where they will receive their awards at the annual New York State ACTEA Conference on Friday, February 26. The Center for Women in Government & Civil Society will host a special reception on Thursday evening in honor of the recipients and their guests, who will be spending the night at the Desmond Hotel. The following day the winners will be honored at a breakfast ceremony where they are to receive their awards.

The eligible students were nominated by faculty and staff of secondary and postsecondary nontraditional CTE programs throughout New York State. Anthony White was nominated by Dr. Gibson, the chairperson of the Nursing Department. Although, Mr. White did not win the award his nomination to the finalist slot is an honor, and it serves as a reminder that his work does not go unrecognized. Mr. White was one of 24 finalists from high schools and colleges across New York. Mr. White is continuing his studies in the LPN program. He will be graduating this June, and he hopes to become certified, and continue his studies in nursing.

About Medgar Evers College, CUNY

Medgar Evers College was founded in 1970 through the efforts from educators and community leaders in central Brooklyn. The College is named after Medgar Wiley Evers, a Mississippi-born black civil rights activist who was assassinated on June 12, 1963. The College is divided into four schools: The School of Business; The School of Professional and Community Development; The School of Liberal Arts and Education; and The School of Science, Health, and Technology. Through these Schools, the College offers 29 associate and baccalaureate degree programs, as well as certificate programs in fields such as English, Nursing, and Accounting. Medgar Evers College also operates several co-curricular and external programs and associated centers such as the Male Development and Empowerment Center, the Center for Women’s Development, the Center for Black Literature, and The DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy.

Dr. Hiroko Karan, Professor of Chemistry, Department of Physical, Environmental and Computer Sciences, was elected as the 2010 Chair-elect of the New York Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS). The American Chemical Society is one of the largest professional organizations in the nation and the New York Section of the ACS is one of the largest local sections f the ACS. It serves over 4,000 members who reside in the New York’s five boroughs, Long Island, Westchester, and Rockland Counties and North Jersey. She will be serving as the Chair of the New York Section of the ACS in the year of 2011.

As the 2010 Chair-elect, Dr. Karan has been organizing the William H. Nichols Symposium in honor of the 2010 Nichols Medal Awardee, Professor Tobin Marks, Vladimir N. Ipatieff Professor of Catalytic Chemistry, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University. This is one of the oldest and prestigious award of the ACS and the NY section of the ACS. The symposium program is attached for your information. One chemistry faculty member and two students will be invited from Medgar Evers College to attend the Award Symposium and Dinner.

About Medgar Evers College, CUNY

Medgar Evers College was founded in 1970 through the efforts from educators and community leaders in central Brooklyn. The College is named after Medgar Wiley Evers, a Mississippi-born black civil rights activist who was assassinated on June 12, 1963. The College is divided into four schools: The School of Business; The School of Professional and Community Development; The School of Liberal Arts and Education; and The School of Science, Health, and Technology. Through these Schools, the College offers 29 associate and baccalaureate degree programs, as well as certificate programs in fields such as English, Nursing, and Accounting. Medgar Evers College also operates several co-curricular and external programs and associated centers such as the Male Development and Empowerment Center, the Center for Women’s Development, the Center for Black Literature, and The DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy.

The Center for Law and Social Justice, a unit of the School of Professional and Community Development of Medgar Evers College, CUNY, has recently been awarded several grants to conduct outreach in Central Brooklyn for the 2010 Census. CLSJ will collaborate with the College’s Department of Public Administration, and the DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy. College students will be given opportunities to be directly involved in community outreach to promote Census participation by all members of the Black Diaspora residing in Brooklyn. During Spring 2010, the Center for Law and Social Justice will engage in a street campaign to get the message directly to the people and strongly encourage them “TO BE COUNTED.”

Much is at stake. A major undercount of Central Brooklyn’s residents occurred during the 2000 Census; that undercount rendered a large portion of Central Brooklyn’s residents invisible and resulted in a significant loss of federal and state tax dollars for support for the area’s critical needs in health, public education, job training, and food programs, as well as less than a fair share of electoral power.

The Center was chosen by Ford Foundation national grantee, the Unity Diaspora Coalition, for a $50K grant. The Center was also picked by the New York State Department of State for a $34K grant. Both grants are for CLSJ to lead a campaign targeted at Black participation in CENSUS 2010 in New York City with a focus on Central Brooklyn. In addition, CLSJ will conduct educational activities on the Census and civic engagement as part of the multi-racial, multi-ethnic, and multi-lingual people of color voting rights coalition, the NY Voting Rights Consortium. The Consortium’s activities are funded jointly by the New York Community Trust and the New York Foundation. The Center for Law and Social Justice is a community-based legal institution that has a heralded history in advocating for voting rights, the Census, and other racial justice issues in New York City.

About Medgar Evers College, CUNY

Medgar Evers College was founded in 1970 through the efforts from educators and community leaders in central Brooklyn. The College is named after Medgar Wiley Evers, a Mississippi-born black civil rights activist who was assassinated on June 12, 1963. The College is divided into four schools: The School of Business; The School of Professional and Community Development; The School of Liberal Arts and Education; and The School of Science, Health, and Technology. Through these Schools, the College offers 29 associate and baccalaureate degree programs, as well as certificate programs in fields such as English, Nursing, and Accounting. Medgar Evers College also operates several co-curricular and external programs and associated centers such as the Male Development and Empowerment Center, the Center for Women’s Development, the Center for Black Literature, and The DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy.

Medgar Evers College’s Film & Culture Series, in conjunction with the School of Liberal Arts and Education documentary, Before They Die, followed by a discussion. The program will take place on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at 6:30pm. The event is open to the public. Doors will open at 6:15 p.m.

The program will open with an open mic session and live performance that will be held from 6:30 to 7:20 p.m. The screening will begin at 7:25 p.m. and end at 9:00 p.m., followed by a community discussion, consisting of community leaders, activists, educators, healthcare experts, and the attendees of the event.

The program will be held in Founders Auditorium at Medgar Evers College, CUNY, 1650 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11225. For more information on Medgar Evers College’s Film & Culture Series, the full schedule and the feature films, visit www.mec.cuny.edu/filmandcultureseries or call 718-804-8815.

About Medgar Evers College, CUNY

Medgar Evers College was founded in 1970 through the efforts from educators and community leaders in central Brooklyn. The College is named after Medgar Wiley Evers, a Mississippi-born black civil rights activist who was assassinated on June 12, 1963. The College is divided into four schools: The School of Business; The School of Professional and Community Development; The School of Liberal Arts and Education; and The School of Science, Health, and Technology. Through these Schools, the College offers 29 associate and baccalaureate degree programs, as well as certificate programs in fields such as English, Nursing, and Accounting. Medgar Evers College also operates several co-curricular and external programs and associated centers such as the Male Development and Empowerment Center, the Center for Women’s Development, the Center for Black Literature, and The DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy.

On Friday March 19, 2010, Medgar Evers College, in conjunction with the New York City Department of Education and the Staten Island Integrated Service Center’s Office of School and Youth Development, will hold the Seventh Annual National Professional Social Work Month Conference beginning at 8:00 am in the Founders Auditorium at 1650 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225.

Over the past six years, the conference has grown from an initial idea of bringing together members of the social work community with other disciplines to celebrate National Professional Social Work Month, into a highly anticipated symposium that has been attended by social workers, guidance counselors, public sector administrators and staff, and students from community schools.

This year’s conference offers an opportunity for social work colleagues to gather together with the college administration, faculty and staff and administration and staff including guidance counselors, educators and other personnel form the NYC Department of Education to exchange ideas, and discuss strategies for working more effectively with each other and with youth and families.

The conference will focus on the role of professional social workers working collaboratively with schools, families, and communities to help build resiliency in young people, many of whom are succeeding despite daunting odds. Special sessions targeted to youth will address strategies for building leadership skills, self esteem and self reliance, and communication skills. In addition, adult attendees will find sessions that are of special appeal including Care for the Care Giver and Effective strategies for working with today’s youth in challenging economic times.

Previous conferences have featured special guest speakers such as New York City Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott; CUNY Trustee Carol Robles–Roman; Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes; Nan Henderson, a nationally renowned expert on resiliency and student support; Elayna Konstan, CEO of New York City Department of Education Office of School and Youth Development; and Terri Williams, leader of one of the nation’s most successful public relations firms, and a clinical social worker.

The conference is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is required. For further information, contact Dr. Eda F. Harris-Hastick, Professor of Social Work, and Conference Convener, at [email protected].

About Medgar Evers College, CUNY

Medgar Evers College was founded in 1970 through the efforts from educators and community leaders in central Brooklyn. The College is named after Medgar Wiley Evers, a Mississippi-born black civil rights activist who was assassinated on June 12, 1963. The College is divided into four schools: The School of Business; The School of Professional and Community Development; The School of Liberal Arts and Education; and The School of Science, Health, and Technology. Through these Schools, the College offers 29 associate and baccalaureate degree programs, as well as certificate programs in fields such as English, Nursing, and Accounting. Medgar Evers College also operates several co-curricular and external programs and associated centers such as the Male Development and Empowerment Center, the Center for Women’s Development, the Center for Black Literature, and The DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy.

10th National Black Writers’ Conference To Be Held March 25-28th Celebrating
Toni Morrison, Amiri Baraka, Kamau Brathwaite & Dr. Edison O. Jackson

The Tenth National Black Writers’ Conference (NBWC), hosted by the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, will be held from March 25-28, 2010. Celebrating over 25 years of history since its inception in 1986 under the visionary leadership of John Oliver Killens, the Conference assembles some of the brightest minds and finest pens in literature. John Oliver Killens was writer-in-residence at Medgar Evers College from 1981 until his death in 1987.

The theme of the National Black Writers’ Conference is And Then We Heard the Thunder: Black Writers Reconstructing Memories and Lighting the Way. Through a series of panel discussions, roundtables, author readings, and storytelling, the National Black Writers’ Conference will use the metaphor of thunder, memory, and light to examine the historical representation of the literature of Black writers and the representation of new and future directions for contemporary and emerging literary voices. With Toni Morrison as the Honorary Chair, the National Black Writers’ Conference will also honor Amiri Baraka, Kamau Brathwaite, and Dr. Edison O. Jackson.

This year’s conference attendees can again look forward to panels, readings, and workshops from highly regarded authors Sonia Sanchez, Kamau Brathwaite, James McBride, Edwidge Danticat, Bernice McFadden, Dolen Perkins-Valdez, Colson Whitehead, Toure, and Stacyann Chin.

“We are honored to have literary legends in our midst as well to have the opportunity to nurture and support the literary legends of the future,” says Dr. Brenda Greene, Conference Chair, and the Executive Director for the Center of Black Literature. “It is our responsibility to light the path for the new generation of writers and help mold them into the writers they will become. We gladly accept the responsibility to do so.”

The NBWC has grown to boast a stellar list of participants and honorees including Cornel West, Susan Taylor, Randall Robinson, Marita Golden, Sonia Sanchez, and Terry McMillan. Conference themes have addressed stereotypes in Black literature, the direction of Black literature, the renaissance in Black literature, access and expanding conversations on race, identity, history and genre Each conference is designed to uplift, strengthen, and empower the community – the writers’ community, the student body community and the community at large. It is an opportunity for young writers to connect with more seasoned writers, benefitting from the tutelage and insight as well as gaining an understanding of the challenges in publishing. It is also an opportunity for writers and readers to intellectually spar on current topics, which are often reflected in literature and to debate with some of the sharpest minds in American culture. It is a conference dedicated to the exploration of “emerging themes, trends, and issues in Black American literature.”

For more information and the full schedule, please visit www.nationalblackwritersconference.org. For media credentials or to schedule interview requests, contact Joy Doss at East West PR, [email protected] or 646.489.4432.

The economic recession has been particularly punishing for the employment prospects for African-American men. And two experts on the subject offer their perspectives on the causes of – and potential solutions to – the staggering rate of unemployment among black men.

One is Rodney D. Green, the executive director of the Center for Urban Progress in Washington. Dr. Green is also the chairman of the Department of Economics at Howard University. The other is Roderick Harrison, a senior fellow at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, one of the nation’s premier research and public policy institutions.

The show will be broadcast on Wednesday, Feb. 3, at 5 p.m. Jonathan Hicks, a DBC senior fellow and former political reporter for The New York Times, is the show’s host.

The program also includes an interview with Marcus Cederqvist, the executive director of the New York City Board of Elections. The Board recently chose new electronic voting machines that will be used for the first time in this year’s September primary elections. In making the change, New York City will become one of the last places in the country to abandon lever-operated voting machines.

And Urban Focus continues to look the conditions in Haiti following the earthquake. It includes an interview with Jean-Max Hogarth, a physician who is a partner in First Colonies Anesthesia Associates, a Maryland-based health care concern. Dr. Hogarth recently returned from Haiti, where he treated victims of the earthquake.

The show’s host is Jonathan Hicks, a DBC senior fellow and former political reporter for The New York Times who recently traveled to West Africa and reported from both Liberia and Nigeria. His reports can be found on DBC’s blog, at http://duboisbunche.org/call-and-response/.

Urban Focus is broadcast every Wednesday from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. It is broadcast nation-wide via the Internet at http://streaming.intacs.com/clients/medgarevers. In Brooklyn, the program will be aired on BCAT TV on Channel 70 (Cablevision), Channel 57 (Time Warner), Channel 44 (Verizon) and Channel 84 (RCN). Urban Focus will also be archived on the DuBois Bunche Center’s website, at www.duboisbunche.org.

Through interviews with politicians, policy makers, industry practitioners, scholars and expert analysts, Urban Focus will explore a range of issues that affect underserved communities and communities of color from Crown Heights, Brooklyn, to Cape Town, South Africa. The discussions will serve to both draw attention to problems and highlight solutions for issues of concern to these communities.

About Medgar Evers College, CUNY

Medgar Evers College was founded in 1970 through the efforts from educators and community leaders in central Brooklyn. The College is named after Medgar Wiley Evers, a Mississippi-born black civil rights activist who was assassinated on June 12, 1963. The College is divided into four schools: The School of Business; The School of Professional and Community Development; The School of Liberal Arts and Education; and The School of Science, Health, and Technology. Through these Schools, the College offers 29 associate and baccalaureate degree programs, as well as certificate programs in fields such as English, Nursing, and Accounting. Medgar Evers College also operates several co-curricular and external programs and associated centers such as the Male Development and Empowerment Center, the Center for Women’s Development, the Center for Black Literature, and The DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy.

The Male Development and Empowerment Center (MDEC) at Medgar Evers College, and the School of Science, Health, and Technology have come together to present “Black Men in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math,” that will be held on Thursday, February 18, 2010, in the President’s Conference Center at 1650 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, N.Y. The informative event, scheduled for 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., is designed to educate and inform men of color about STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). This event is free and open to the public.

Held this February in recognition of Black History Month, this program will feature distinguished speakers, such as: Professor M. Chantale Damas, an astrophysicist and Deputy Executive Officer of Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity Programs at the CUNY Graduate Center; Dr. James C. McIntosh, a leading community psychiatrist, and Co-Chair of Committee to Eliminate Media Offensive to African People (CEMOTAP); Dr. Reginald A. Blake, an Assistant Professor at New York City College of Technology, Project Director of the Black Male Initiative and renowned geophysicist; and Ms. Beverly Johnson, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Executive Director of Youth in Engineering & Science at Polytechnic Institute of New York University. This informative forum will not only analyze but also stimulate the young people of our community by taking a look at the historical and significant contributions that black men have made to the STEM disciplines.

“From the ancient to the modern, blacks have achieved and excelled in the sciences,” said Paul Washington, Director of Outreach for the Center. “From Imhotep to Dr. Charles Drew, who is particularly noted for his research in blood plasma and setting up the first blood bank, to Mark Dean, blacks in science have made significant contributions to American life. It is in this light that MDEC sponsors this forum as contribution to the trail blazing roles blacks have made to the field of scientific inquiry.”

For more information or to RSVP, contact the Male Development & Empowerment Center at 718-270-6111.

About Medgar Evers College, CUNY

Medgar Evers College was founded in 1970 through the efforts from educators and community leaders in central Brooklyn. The College is named after Medgar Wiley Evers, a Mississippi-born black civil rights activist who was assassinated on June 12, 1963. The College is divided into four schools: The School of Business; The School of Professional and Community Development; The School of Liberal Arts and Education; and The School of Science, Health, and Technology. Through these Schools, the College offers 29 associate and baccalaureate degree programs, as well as certificate programs in fields such as English, Nursing, and Accounting. Medgar Evers College also operates several co-curricular and external programs and associated centers such as the Male Development and Empowerment Center, the Center for Women’s Development, the Center for Black Literature, and The DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy.

Dr. Lisa Davis Clark, Medgar Evers College Professor of Education in the School of Liberal Arts and Education, who once served on teams spearheading high school reform in New York City Public Schools and subsequently asked to establish her own high school – Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School in the Bronx opening in 1994 – will present research for her dissertation, “Preparation of Experienced Teachers to Address Teacher Shortages,” before a gathering of nearly 500 academics and practitioners from 50 countries at the Second Paris International Conference on Education, Economy and Society, in Paris, France, July 21-24, 2010.

The purpose of the study, grounded in motivational theory, was to identify potential motivating factors for individuals earning educational credentials in shortage areas by comparing views from two groups of experienced teachers – those motivated to acquire credentials and those who were not. Teachers from four public middle schools in Central Brooklyn were surveyed; the research indicated no difference between the groups.

“We are proud to have someone of Dr. Clark’s caliber on our education faculty,” Medgar Evers College Department of Education Chairperson, Dr. Donna Akilah M. Wright. “With a distinguished record of accomplishment, and prowess as an educational innovator, I’m confident her research will be well received by scholars around the globe.”

Dr. Clark, a Bronx native, has devoted 25 years to public education as a teacher, principal, program director, instructional superintendent, and college instructor. Her credentials include a B.S. in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from New York University, an M.A. in International/Early Childhood Education from Teachers’ College/Columbia University, a P.D. in Educational Administration from Long Island University, and a Ph.D. in Education from Walden University. Dr. Clark has also presented research at the International Conference on Information Communication Technologies in Education, held in Corfu, Greece.

About Medgar Evers College, CUNY

Medgar Evers College was founded in 1970 through the efforts from educators and community leaders in central Brooklyn. The College is named after Medgar Wiley Evers, a Mississippi-born black civil rights activist who was assassinated on June 12, 1963. The College is divided into four schools: The School of Business; The School of Professional and Community Development; The School of Liberal Arts and Education; and The School of Science, Health, and Technology. Through these Schools, the College offers 29 associate and baccalaureate degree programs, as well as certificate programs in fields such as English, Nursing, and Accounting. Medgar Evers College also operates several co-curricular and external programs and associated centers such as the Male Development and Empowerment Center, the Center for Women’s Development, the Center for Black Literature, and The DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy.

In the fall of 2008, Medgar Evers College received the Predominantly Black Institutions (PBI) grant, in the amount of $1.2 million dollars ($600,000 dollars per year for two years) from the U.S Department of Education. The grant is focused on three core areas: enhancing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, internationalization and globalization, and improving the outcomes of Medgar Evers College students. Programs initiated under the PBI grant at the College focus on strengthening programs through enhancement co-curricular experiences and improving educational outcomes for students by providing increased engagement in their field of study and future practice; increasing mentorship activities and providing supplemental academic support, especially in the sciences.

Over the past year, nine programs have been implemented to support the program’s goal of increasing retention and improving outcomes for students: Job Shadowing; Career 101; Summer’s Cool; C.E.L.L., Explorations; Grad School Bound; Men @ Work; The Learning Lounge; and the STEM Tutoring Program. The C.E.L.L. or the Co-Curricular Experiential Learning Lab (C.E.L.L) provided funding for Science faculty to design and implement a co-curricular experience for students in which they participate in experiential learning activities related to their major area of study. As part of C.E.L.L. Biology professors Dr. Edward Catapane and Dr. Margaret Carroll, and Dr. Vittadello from the Department of Physical, Environmental, and Computer Science (PECS), took and mentored 11 students on a trip to the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology Conference in Seattle, Washington, from January 2 to 7, 2010. There were six student posters presented from the summer research activities. Five of the students were first time conference attendees.

In January, Dr. Movasseghi and Professor Terrence Blackman took seven students to the 2010 Joint Mathematics Conference, which was held in San Francisco, California. This year’s conference offered a large and comprehensive scientific program geared towards mathematicians of all ages and levels of expertise. Medgar Evers College students Saida Boudlal, Mitch Joseph, Kadri Kifilu, Roger Palomino, Andre Robinson, Pedro Rodriguez, and Alisha Thompson were given the opportunity to see first-hand the evolution of mathematics theory and practice. Alisha Thompson, an aspiring high school mathematics teacher, noted, “The whole thing [conference] was very positive.”

“The conference really pushed me towards the grad school direction,” added Mitch Joseph. “Seeing all the success in mathematics in general [at the conference], I need an advanced degree to go far.”

Other recent non-C.E.L.L. activities the PBI grant has supported include the Summer’s Cool project in which sixteen psychology, social work, public administration, and marketing students, under the direction of Marketing Professor Yla Eason offered marketing assistance to the Harlem Dowling West Side Center for Children and Family Services during the summer of 2009. Professor Eason, PBI Program Director Porsha Childs, and students Jermaine Green and Carline Allicock were at the Hispanic Educational Technology Services (HETS) Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from November 14th to 15th presenting their work on this project.

“We are extremely appreciative of our ability to offer our students the opportunities to enhance their classroom experiences with high-quality research opportunities in a variety of disciplines,” said Dr. Claudia Schrader, Assistant Provost, and Principal Investigator of the PBI grant. “Through the grant PBI activities have already served nearly 700 students, and we expect to be able to serve over 1,000 prior to the end of the program.”

For more information about the PBI grant, please contact Dr. Claudia Schrader, Assistant Provost, and Principal Investigator of the PBI grant at 718-270-5011 or [email protected].

About Medgar Evers College, CUNY

Medgar Evers College was founded in 1970 through the efforts from educators and community leaders in central Brooklyn. The College is named after Medgar Wiley Evers, a Mississippi-born black civil rights activist who was assassinated on June 12, 1963. The College is divided into four schools: The School of Business; The School of Professional and Community Development; The School of Liberal Arts and Education; and The School of Science, Health, and Technology. Through these Schools, the College offers 29 associate and baccalaureate degree programs, as well as certificate programs in fields such as English, Nursing, and Accounting. Medgar Evers College also operates several co-curricular and external programs and associated centers such as the Male Development and Empowerment Center, the Center for Women’s Development, the Center for Black Literature, and The DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy.

The conditions in Haiti in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake will be the topic of the next Urban Focus, the weekly radio program broadcast in conjunction with the DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy at Medgar Evers College.

New York City Councilman Dr. Mathieu Eugene will discuss the recent crisis and offer his perspective on how the Haitian community has been impacted. Councilman Eugene is the first Haitian-born official elected to the New York City Council and his office has been at the forefront of communication between New York’s Haitian community and their homeland.

The program will also include an interview with Garry Pierre Pierre, the editor of The Haitian Times, a Brooklyn-based publication that is aimed that the large Haitian community in New York City. Mr. Pierre Pierre is now in Haiti covering to cover the conditions following the earthquake.

And Brian E. Taylor, the founder and chief executive of the Penny Institute, will discuss the long-term political and economic outlook for Haiti. His organization is focused on cultivating the next generation of political minds by providing political access and awareness

The show’s host is Jonathan Hicks, a DBC senior fellow and former political reporter for The New York Times who recently traveled to West Africa and reported from both Liberia and Nigeria. His reports can be found on DBC’s blog, at http://duboisbunche.org/call-and-response/.

Urban Focus is broadcast every Wednesday from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. It is broadcast nation-wide via the Internet at http://streaming.intacs.com/clients/medgarevers. In Brooklyn, the program will be aired on BCAT TV on Channel 70 (Cablevision), Channel 57 (Time Warner), Channel 44 (Verizon) and Channel 84 (RCN). Urban Focus will also be archived on the DuBois Bunche Center’s website, at www.duboisbunche.org.

Through interviews with politicians, policy makers, industry practitioners, scholars and expert analysts, Urban Focus will explore a range of issues that affect underserved communities and communities of color from Crown Heights, Brooklyn, to Cape Town, South Africa. The discussions will serve to both draw attention to problems and highlight solutions for issues of concern to these communities.

About Medgar Evers College, CUNY

Medgar Evers College was founded in 1970 through the efforts from educators and community leaders in central Brooklyn. The College is named after Medgar Wiley Evers, a Mississippi-born black civil rights activist who was assassinated on June 12, 1963. The College is divided into four schools: The School of Business; The School of Professional and Community Development; The School of Liberal Arts and Education; and The School of Science, Health, and Technology. Through these Schools, the College offers 29 associate and baccalaureate degree programs, as well as certificate programs in fields such as English, Nursing, and Accounting. Medgar Evers College also operates several co-curricular and external programs and associated centers such as the Male Development and Empowerment Center, the Center for Women’s Development, the Center for Black Literature, and The DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy.

Physical, Environmental and Computer Science (PECS) Professors Dereck Skeete and Karl Ruddock, and eight of their students – Ahmed Nuhar, Augustus Augustin, Jose Rios, Delisha Bella, Jean Rony Hillaire, Travis Pinnock, Dwane Fraser, and John Awong – will be attending the 49th Annual Meeting of the Society of Toxicology (SOT) in Salt Lake City, Utah on March 7 to 11. Two of these students, Augustus Augustine and Ahmed Nuhar received Undergraduate Toxicology Education Program Travel Awards, that will allow them to participate in the Undergraduate Education Program, which takes place on March 6 and 7. This program is an introduction to the discipline of toxicology for undergraduate science majors and includes an orientation, a special poster session with scientists, and activities with their SOT mentor.

In addition, the students will be presenting the research that they participated in with us, and presented at the 12th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Chemical and Biological Sciences at the University of Maryland, in the Fall of 2009, titled, Is Chelation the Mechanism of Action of p-Aminosalicylic Acid (PAS) in the Treatment of Manganism?

“I am tremendously proud to be able to take eight of Medgar Evers College’s talented environmental science students to this conference to showcase their work,” said Professor Skeete. “These highly motivated and intellectually curious students will be able to learn more, and network with other environmental science students and professionals, while at the conference in Utah.”

Also, Biology student Ms. Sherine Crawford was one of five students across the world to win Pfizer’s Undergraduate Travel Award, which provides funds to students to attend the Society of Toxicology’s Annual Meeting. The purpose of this award is to foster an interest in graduate studies in the field of toxicology. Ms. Crawford will also be traveling to the 49th Annual Meeting of the Society of Toxicology to present her research paper, The Toxic Effects of Manganese on Mitochondrial Respiration and Mitochondrial Membrane Potential in the Gill of the Bivalve Crassostrea virginica (co-authors Medgar Evers College Biology student Claudette Saddler, and Biology Professors Dr. Edward Catapane and Dr. Margaret Carroll), previously presented at the 12th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Chemical and Biological Sciences at the University of Maryland.

Ms. Crawford is the second Medgar Evers College student in the past two years to win the Pfizer Travel Award, the first being Yamel Perdomo (B.S. ‘09).

About Medgar Evers College, CUNY

Medgar Evers College was founded in 1970 through the efforts from educators and community leaders in central Brooklyn. The College is named after Medgar Wiley Evers, a Mississippi-born black civil rights activist who was assassinated on June 12, 1963. The College is divided into four schools: The School of Business; The School of Professional and Community Development; The School of Liberal Arts and Education; and The School of Science, Health, and Technology. Through these Schools, the College offers 29 associate and baccalaureate degree programs, as well as certificate programs in fields such as English, Nursing, and Accounting. Medgar Evers College also operates several co-curricular and external programs and associated centers such as the Male Development and Empowerment Center, the Center for Women’s Development, the Center for Black Literature, and The DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy.

On Monday, February 1, 2010, Medgar Evers College’s Department of Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS), and Social and Behavioral Sciences will present the play “Fanon”, a play written by IDS professor Dr. Delridge Hunter. The play will commence at 7:30 pm and end at 8:30 pm. It will be held in Founders Auditorium located at 1650 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn N.Y. 11225. The play will be open to the public, and a $5.00 dollar donation is requested. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the College’s Haitian Relief Fund. (For more information on the College’s Haitian Relief efforts, click here.)

The play stars Yolanda Simmons and Thabit Rene, both Medgar Evers College students. Yolanda will play the role of Stacy, and Thabit will play the role of Freddie Freeloader. The play derives from Franz Fanon’s seminal work Black Skin, White Mask, and explores the self-perception of people of color, while providing a commentary on Fanon’s notion of their divided self-perception.

Co-sponsors of the show are Trans Art & Cultural Services, Inc., and the Andy Kirk Foundation. For more information about the play, please call Dr. Delridge Hunter at 718-270-4931.

About Medgar Evers College, CUNY

Medgar Evers College was founded in 1970 through the efforts from educators and community leaders in central Brooklyn. The College is named after Medgar Wiley Evers, a Mississippi-born black civil rights activist who was assassinated on June 12, 1963. The College is divided into four schools: The School of Business; The School of Professional and Community Development; The School of Liberal Arts and Education; and The School of Science, Health, and Technology. Through these Schools, the College offers 29 associate and baccalaureate degree programs, as well as certificate programs in fields such as English, Nursing, and Accounting. Medgar Evers College also operates several co-curricular and external programs and associated centers such as the Male Development and Empowerment Center, the Center for Women’s Development, the Center for Black Literature, and The DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy.