From Pencils to AI, a Provost and VP Take the Long View

The mission of Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) prioritizes both the intellectual and personal growth of students. This focus recognizes that the transformative power of education is impacted by what happens in the classroom, as well as what happens in students’ lives.

In addition to 19 academic departments—and 60 associate degree programs—BMCC offers student support services that address everything from food insecurity to nurturing students’ social growth.

Together, the Office of Academic Affairs, led by Provost and Senior Vice President Erwin Wong, and the Division of Student Affairs, led by Vice President Marva Craig, have evolved to surround students with the environment they need, to thrive in college. As BMCC recognizes its 60-year anniversary, they share their perspective on this process.

While BMCC moves from pencils to keyboards, diversity is a constant

In 1978, VP Craig entered BMCC as a Liberal Arts major and work-study employee in the College’s midtown location.

“I vividly remember the journey from classes at 7th Avenue to the 48-story skyscraper at 1633 Broadway, known then as the Uris Building, where the Registrar’s Office was located,” says VP Craig. “We had file drawers containing academic transcripts for all BMCC students, organized alphabetically by last names.”

Pencil in hand, as a work-study employee VP Craig conducted audit checklists to ensure students filing for graduation had completed their requirements.

That number of graduates grew dramatically and in 1983, BMCC moved to its Chambers Street location in lower Manhattan.

“Fast forward to today,” says VP Craig. “I walk into a college space purposefully designed for teaching and learning. Gone are the massive file cabinets; now, students’ transcripts can be accessed from anywhere in the world using handheld devices.”

Students’ determination to make a better life is inspiring

Provost Wong started out at BMCC in 1984 as an adjunct and then full-time faculty member in the English Department, and remembers meeting VP Craig once he started serving as his department’s Deputy Chair.

“My first memory of Marva was a name associated with the Registrar’s Office when we received their forms and announcements, often connected to a clever graphic,” says Provost Wong.

“I met her in person for the first time in Theatre 1 during registration, and she discussed how she and her office would work with me to be more successful in our course offerings and addressing the needs of our students,” he says. “She struck me as an individual truly committed to the college and especially to our students.”

Craig’s earliest memory of Wong is his “distinctive handwriting” on class schedules submitted to her office.

“However, what truly stands out is his transition to Associate Dean, taking on responsibilities aligned with the Registrar’s Office,” she says.

She vividly recalls her colleague’s “dedicated late-night efforts in the registration area—adding, canceling and adjusting the class sizes to meet the needs of our growing student body.”

That growing student body—which started with a few hundred students, increased to over 6,000 by 1974 and reached over 27,000 students in 2015—has always reflected the diversity of New York City.

“The students in the early years of BMCC came from many different countries and backgrounds,” Provost Wong says.

He adds that over the years, “the percentages may have shifted, but we remain extremely diverse. In addition, more often than not, I was impressed by the students’ motivation to work hard, primarily, I would say, because they saw the attainment of the degree as a means to a better life.”

As academic offerings grow, thousands more graduates celebrate their journey

In 1993, Miles and Shirley Fiterman donated to BMCC an office building that became the original Fiterman Hall. Located on Greenwich Street, just a few blocks from the College’s Chambers Street campus, that building was destroyed on 9/11, when 7 World Trade fell against it. The site was razed and the rebuilt Miles and Shirley Fiterman Hall opened in 2012.

Over the years, BMCC also survived Hurricane Sandy, the COVID-19 pandemic, more than one national economic crisis and other challenges—steadily increasing its offerings, all the while.

Provost Wong recounts how the College moved from having just a handful of majors, to an abundance of offerings that link students to high-demand careers—many of which, like data science and cybersecurity, didn’t even exist when he joined BMCC.

“I have had the pleasure to work with the chairs and faculty to create and offer more than 60 degree programs and certificates that will provide our students with a pathway to academic and financial success,” says Provost Wong.

One of his first accomplishments within the Office of Academic Affairs “was being able to shepherd in the Mathematics program, our 20^th associate degree program registered with the New York State Education Department. Since then, we have more than tripled our offerings.”

Another point of pride, he says, has been collaborations with faculty and staff to prepare BMCC students for taking and passing the CUNY Proficiency Exam (CPE)—a graduation requirement for associate degree students and a rising junior exam for baccalaureate degree students.

“We were able to put together workshops and materials to prepare our students, so that we had a 93% pass rate—third highest among all of CUNY,” he says. “Only two CUNY senior colleges had a higher pass rate.”

VP Craig looks at her current accomplishments in the context of where she started at BMCC.

“I walked into BMCC assisting with the audit of student transcripts to ensure they had all the courses needed to graduate,” she says. “It was clerical, and all I had in front of me was an audit sheet, a pen and just a few hundred transcripts.”

Now, she says, as the Vice President of Student Affairs, “I no longer audit the courses needed for graduation. Instead, I take the lead in planning the ceremony where I get to witness the joy on the faces of thousands of elated students as they celebrate with their families, friends, faculty and staff for their outstanding accomplishments.”

It’s a sci-fi world: BMCC at its imagined 120-year anniversary

Imagining BMCC in the year 2083—today’s 60-year anniversary followed by another 60 years—Provost Wong says, “The College will grow and morph, but our mission will still be the same: to provide our students with the means to success—the knowledge to excel academically and transfer to a bachelor’s degree program, and the skills to enter the workforce and earn more than life-sustaining wages.”

Even in the distant future, he says, he’s certain the College will offer in-demand programs, “whether they be in IT, business, healthcare or arts and sciences, and by providing our students with the best faculty, staff and support services necessary to get them to the finish line.”

Training her sights on BMCC’s theoretical 120-year anniversary, VP Craig foresees a college in which there are fewer employees and Artificial Intelligence (AI) handles some of their current tasks.

In the 2083 world she imagines, this would be a BMCC News item: “After much debate and a very close vote, the Faculty Senate decided to pilot courses taught by AI in Spring 2084.”

VP Craig also envisions a future in which an increase in enrollment is belied by fewer students actually on campus.

“The physical space dedicated to teaching and learning on campus will shrink, with 199 Chambers Street being repurposed to facilitate efficient modern transportation, swiftly transporting individual students from other boroughs to lower Manhattan,” she says.

“In this future, traditional elements like bookstores and bookbags will become obsolete, as all necessary information will be accessible on devices. It will be like stepping into a sci-fi world!”

Things that matter: Planning ahead, and listening

On a final note, VP Craig says that “being a custodian of BMCC’s institutional history is truly a privilege.” She notes that while it’s critical to keep the College’s future in mind, it’s also important for those who work at BMCC to look ahead to their own life plans.

“I understand that people are not just here for work; they are here to shape their futures,” she says. “Retirement, though it may be down the road, is part of that journey.”

Alongside discussing college tasks, VP Craig engages employees in conversations about their long-term plans.

“It is a special emphasis for our new colleagues, encouraging them to kickstart their retirement savings early in their careers,” she says. “After all, the future is brighter when you plan for it!”

Provost Wong sums up his past, present and future at BMCC as a learning process in which the constant is his connections with others on campus.

“I’ve learned a lot from faculty, staff, administrators and students,” he says. “For one thing, I’ve learned to always listen. I may not always be able to resolve a situation immediately or long term, but listening matters.”