A Message from the President

Dear Friends & Supporters:  

We have arrived at the close of the first month of the year, and I remain optimistic that Guttman is off to great places. In anticipation of the start of the academic term that we refer to as Spring I, there is great excitement about student success and advancing the mission of Stella and Charles Guttman Community College.

In this issue, you will note several accomplishments of staff and students. Their successes give rise to the phenomenal atmosphere that reflects the college’s values. Additionally, we are continuing to strengthen partnerships with community-based organizations, K-12 institutions and industry partners. These are the sustainable pathways that will improve students’ social and economic mobility to thrive in the global marketplace.  

Sincerely,  

Dr. Larry D. Johnson, Jr.

For the President’s Speaker Series on Jan. 31, Dr. Johnson spoke with Randy Moore, Foundation President at Clayton Dubilier & Rice, a global private equity investment firm on the topic of "Equity through Opportunity." The Guttman community was thrilled to welcome Randy “home.” As a student success advocate (advisor), Randy was a key member of the launch and implementation team when the college opened its doors in 2012.

Dr. Johnson served as an invited panelist for AAC&U’s annual Presidents’ Trust Symposium on Jan. 19 in Washington, DC. Leading experts were asked to address a pressing issue facing higher education: “How do presidents thrive in their roles over time, and how can those considering a presidency or serving in the early years of a presidency build a path to leadership longevity with intention?” He and other panelists examined an emerging framework for leading with longevity in higher education and offered the personal and professional conditions in which a leader can stay and flourish.

In recognition of his “outstanding support of student success and for providing high-quality learning environments both inside and outside the classroom,” President Johnson has been selected to receive the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society’s Paragon Award for New Presidents.

President Larry D. Johnson, Jr. was chosen by Schneps Media for its 2024 Manhattan Power 100 list for the second year in a row. Honorees are recognized for their commitment, impact and influence on Manhattan.

Three Guttman Leaders Play Key Roles Influencing Higher Education

Rosslyn Knight, Ed.D. 

Guttman Chief of Staff Dr. Rosslyn Knight was named to serve as a College Board Middle States Regional Council member for a one-year term, effective March 1. Council members represent important communication links between the College Board and the regional member institutions. As a Regional Council member, Dr. Knight’s responsibilities include representing regional members, bringing suggestions, issues, and concerns about programs and services to the council table, and solution-oriented providing advice to Middle States regional College Board staff and member institutions. 

“I am honored to have been selected to serve on the College Board Middle States Regional Council. I look forward to working with my colleagues to support students across our region,” said Dr. Knight.

Nicola Blake, Ph.D.  

Named as a Complete College America (CCA) Fellow, Dr. Nicola Blake, Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, joins a select group of respected and accomplished content experts and thought partners. As leaders in their respective areas, they have dedicated themselves to student success, working closely with CCA, sharing their knowledge to confront and overcome higher education's greatest challenges. 

“In our roles as leaders, we don’t just steer institutions; we nurture aspirations, support dreams and forge paths toward inclusive excellence,” said Dr. Blake in her recent commentary in Community College Daily. Complete College America advocates for significant changes to increase college completion rates and close institutional performance gaps by working with states, systems, institutions and partners to scale structural reforms and promote policies that improve student success. Part of the Higher Ed Equity Network, CCA works with “campuses serving the most marginalized and minoritized students, using data to identify best practices and advancing the policies, perspectives and practices that meet the needs of students who have been systematically excluded for far too long.” 

Jaclyn Helms, Esq. 

Guttman’s Executive Officer for Diversity, Equity and Compliance Jaclyn Helms was profiled in the Dec. 23, 2023 issue of Women in Higher Education (WIHE). A monthly print magazine, WIHE provides women on campus with practical ideas and insights to gain the power they need to win respect and influence not only in higher education but in leading society. In “Crafting Equitable Access and Engagement,” Ms. Helms outlined her vision of DEI that is not performative, but “action in motion, demonstrating, serving, and making changes.” 

As the college’s compliance officer, Helms not only stays up to date with Title IX legislation, but she also works to foster equitable relationships on campus. “I don’t want the first time a student or faculty member who talks to me to be when they’re reporting something,” she said. “I want them to know me as part of the community working with them. Somebody who is working to address systemic barriers and promote equity, but also be student-centered and support learning.”

Resume & LinkedIn Event with Salesforce 

“The January 11 event at the Salesforce Tower was a success by all accounts!” said Patricia Jean, Guttman’s Director of the Center for Career and Community Partnerships. The CIH collaborated with program chairs, faculty, Women of GRIT, United Men of Color and the Advising team to invite students to this event. Sixteen students registered for the event, representing cybersecurity, business and IT, with most attending from the college’s cybersecurity program. Salesforce employees provided feedback to students on their resumes and LinkedIn accounts.  

“Students left the event feeling motivated and excited for the events we have planned for them in Fall II and spring. The CIH team will continue to foster this relationship. We already have a follow up meeting scheduled with Jerome Joseph from Salesforce later this month,” reported Jean.

Students Embark on Information Technology Apprenticeships 

2024 started with three INFT students beginning their off-site placements through Guttman’s Information Technology Apprenticeship Program: Chun Yin Chu with Accenture and William Hawkins and Juan Castillo with TD Bank.  

The coordination involved in putting higher ed/industry partnerships together is often underestimated, and Associate Professor of Information Technology Dr. Dalvin Hill acknowledges the hard work of colleagues across many units that led to valuable apprenticeships for three INFT students: “It was a true team effort. Without the coordinated work from many individuals in the President’s Office, Academic Affairs, Student Success and others, this opportunity wouldn’t have come together.” 

Alumni and Faculty Present Participatory Action Research in Netherlands 

Guttman alumni Bashir Juwara and Sadaf Majeed accompanied Substitute Assistant Professor Samuel Finesurrey on a trip funded by an Erasmus Grant to Rotterdam in December 2023. There, Finesurrey, Juwara and Majeed presented their study of immigrant and activist experiences in NYC, with data gathered through student-led oral history projects housed in the Voices from the Heart of Gotham: The Undergraduate Scholars Oral History Collection at Guttman Community College. While in the Netherlands, the Guttman team met with faculty, graduate students, and community partners at the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences (RUAS). This trip built on a partnership that began in Fall 2022, when scholars from RUAS selected Voices from the Heart of Gotham to be one of the projects with which to collaborate during their visit to NYC.  

In various forums in Rotterdam, Professor Finesurrey and Guttman alumni Juwara and Majeed focused on the pedagogy of participatory action research (PAR) through the oral history projects cultivated at Guttman and collaborated to build on student- and migrant-centered projects in Rotterdam. The Guttman delegation taught a class of master’s students constructing their own projects to engage marginalized youth, largely migrants and refugees, in Dutch society. Further, Finesurrey, Juwara and Majeed consulted with educators at a Dutch international secondary school who are looking to use PAR projects to get more buy-in from students from around the world. Finally, the Guttman team ran a workshop for the social studies faculty at RUAS on the benefits – both in-terms of research and pedagogy – of co-constructing studies with students about their own communities.

• The college was awarded a $10,000 general operating support grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation related to the Foundation’s Postsecondary Success focus. The funding will be used towards Guttman’s efforts to support students’ retention and completion.

• Guttman's United Men of Color program received a $500 scholarship from the Parenting Children of Color organization.

On Jan. 16, Guttman hosted Superintendent Beidleman and 47 Manhattan H.S. district principals and district leaders for their January principal’s conference. President Johnson and Vice President for Enrollment Management & Student Affairs Danny Ambrose welcomed the group and encouraged further collaboration with Guttman.

Information Technology Helpdesk Manager Sebastian Neri won the IT Service Award for 2023 in recognition of outstanding service to the college community. In the role of Helpdesk Manager, Neri is instrumental in the operations of the helpdesk, coordinating schedules, ensuring timely ticket response, providing amazing customer service and mentoring part-time staff. “Sebastian is a prime example of what it means to embrace the service-focused mission of the Office of Information Services," said Chief Information Officer and Assistant Vice President John Stroud.

Guttman Director of Student Life Andrew Bennett conversed with CUNY Vice Chancellor Richard White at the Jan. 17 Brother's Breakfast, New York City Hall.

On the Move with Ginel Roberts-Foster, Guttman Class of ’15

Connect with President Johnson

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