A new school year, a new class of BICsters ready to make their mark and change the world! Our Class of 2023 arrived on The City College campus for BIC’s Welcome Lunch and Orientation on Tuesday, August 24, 2021. Greeted by blue skies and open windows, the day was filled with curricular activities, advising, and tips on networking. With undergraduate degrees in psychology, industrial relations, and food science from Cornell, Vassar, Sarah Lawrence, CCNY, Drexel, NYU, and University of Colorado, most students this year hail from the New York area.

This Fall, BIC warmly welcomed back our amazing roster of instructors and was delighted to welcome three new BIC faculty: Benny Thomas, Donna Dei-Baning, and Diane M. Rubino. We’re so excited to have them join the BIC family.

 Pitch Like You Mean It >> CUNY School of Medicine Partners with Fall Capstone

On Thursday, December 16, 2021, the BIC Class of 2022 welcomed Dr. Carmen Green and her colleagues from the CUNY School of Medicine for the Fall 2021 non-profit capstone Client Pitch. With the guidance of Professor Katina Scott and Brianna Bishop, teams were tasked to raise awareness among new and existing donors of the outstanding work the CUNY School of Medicine does to increase quality healthcare for underserved communities and impact healthcare disparities.

Spectacular news! BIC is adding a Media track to our Master of Professional Studies (MPS) curriculum, becoming the first master's program to study media at a graduate level within an integrated model and as the basis for the next wave of technologies that will drive communications, commerce, and culture. Importantly, BIC will help establish leadership practices in responsible data use, multicultural inclusivity, and ethical media investment strategies. Admission candidates can apply now to become part of the Media track’s first cohort for Fall 2022. Want to be a part of this historic launch? Reach out to BIC to find out how you can participate!

This semester-long project in Professors Gerardo Blumenkrantz and Nancy Tag's Idea Development course not only allows for personal reflection and analysis, but forces students to develop some basic digital design skills, some for the first time. A requirement of the project is that all students use both Adobe Photoshop and InDesign. 

A big BIC welcome to Kirk McDonald, CEO of GroupM North America, our newest member of BIC’s Board of Advisors. His advisory role comes at a pivotal moment in the program as BIC launches its new Media Track in Fall of 2022. Recently named by AdWeek as one of “50 vital leaders in tech, media and marketing,” Kirk not only brings over 25 years of industry expertise working with the world’s leading brands, media companies and technology providers, but the passion of a City College alumnus. 

This Fall, BIC welcomed culture catalysts and Translation Creative Directors Steve Horn and Castro Desroches BIC ‘16 for the first @BIC Lecture of the 2021-22 academic year: "LOVE ME. LOVE ME NOT: Culture, Activism, and Creativity." In an intimate conversation with BIC Program Director Nancy Tag, the team shared inspiring details behind one of the most awarded campaigns of 2021 which was produced on behalf of Beats by Dre, directed by Melina Matsoukas, and featured a range of recognizable figures such as tennis champ Naomi Osaka, NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace, rapper Lil Baby, and activist Janaya Future Kahn.

Donna Dei-Baning, Director of Audience & Insights at Carat, Goes Back to School as BIC Professor

As a member of BIC '16, Donna Dei-Baning was a true rock star: she helped her team win the corporate client pitch, was awarded the LAGRANT Foundation scholarship in 2015, and graduated with distinction earning the highest GPA. This Fall, BIC sat down with Donna to hear more about her journey from student to faculty, how she plans to bring her current role at Carat into the classroom, and her advice for current and future BICsters… 

From research to strategic communications to graphic design to community, these BIC alum are rising high. Bravo to Ege Yorulmaz Dai, Tiffanie Burt, Yasin Usta, Mary Ma, Raymond Sein, Roxie Xie, Jael Tusa, Nicole Marie Alexander, Bong Arquiza, Dalisbeth Galvez, Chris Villanueva, Amera Lulu, Brittany Wright, Henrik Bakke-Hareide, Melissa Orr, and Carlos Matias for landing new roles at companies such as Bloomberg Media, Droga5, OBERLAND, VMLY&R, DDB, Hunter, and Edelman. Keep on rising!

As members of the BIC Class of 2023, Sekayi Williams, Annanya George, and Mayce Vassago-Barker joined Cassandra, an insights and strategy agency that builds culturally relevant brands by studying trendsetting young consumers, for a focus group for young millennials and early Gen-Z. The event sought to gauge their opinions on advertising, media, and entertainment, and how they interact with them. The session was coordinated by Research & Awareness Professor Donna Dei-Baning BIC ‘16. 

How did the vaccine, a globally accepted well-baby ritual, become a source of fear or symbol of group affiliation? What factors caused science to get dismissed when deciding whether or not to get the COVID vaccine? These are just some of the questions discussed during BIC’s one-credit Special Topic course MCA B8517 Infodemic Management developed by Professor Diane M. Rubino who is CDC certified in this newly established area of expertise. 

As Director of the City College of New York Ad/PR program for more than twenty years, Lynn Appelbaum has a unique perspective on the next generation of public relations professionals transforming the industry. 

Big BIC bravo to Kelvin Morales BIC ‘19 who recently landed a new role as a Media Supervisor at Mediahub Worldwide managing the E*Trade account. While Kelvin was in the PR track during his time at BIC, he was able to pick up the transferable skills relevant to media due to BIC’s interdisciplinary approach.

In a few short months, BIC will graduate its seventh cohort of students -- the BIC class of 2022!

Students and faculty will busily prepare for portfolio bootcamps, final capstone presentations, and the culminating portfolio defense held just before graduation in June. If you are an industry pro interested in mentoring our students during bootcamp or the annual Portfolio in Progress (PiP) event, both held in March, or serve as a judge in their final thesis presentations and portfolio defense in May, please email [email protected]. 

And BIG BIC News >> BIC will launch a new Media Track in Fall 2022 that explores the latest strategic thinking, analysis, martech, and skills. Media will not only be examined on its own terms and within an integrated model, but as the basis for the next wave of technologies that will drive communications, commerce, and culture. Importantly, BIC will help establish leadership practices in responsible data use, multicultural inclusivity, and ethical media investment strategies. 

Applications for our inaugural Media cohort are open NOW. Interested in applying, teaching, or supporting the new track? Contact us at [email protected].

We are also developing new courses for Fall 2022 and Spring 2023, so if you are an industry professional or professor and interested in teaching at BIC, send us some ideas at [email protected]. 

The MPS in Branding + Integrated Communications (BIC) at The City College of New York is a graduate program. A laboratory. A think tank. An executive training ground. A place to roll up your sleeves and learn how communication creates meaning and adds value: To a company. For the consumer. In society.

As part of the Media & Communication Arts Department at The City College of New York, BIC's 36-credit, portfolio-driven program combines theory and practice in an interdisciplinary, multi-tracked curriculum that addresses the expanding opportunities and needs of the marketing communications industry on behalf of both corporate and not-for-profit organizations.

Located in New York City, the media communications capital of the world, BIC reinforces City College's commitment to innovation, scholarship, and leadership. At a time when global, digital, and more immersive -- even tactile -- communications are rapidly evolving, BIC explores and helps solve the new cross-disciplinary challenges of creating and managing brand identity in ways that not only benefit the bottom line, but add value to the world.

Program Director