Macaulay Connections

For more than 30 years, the Los Angeles Times has had a strong presence in New York City, with as many as a dozen journalists stationed here at any one time. Gifted teams of Times reporters have long been covering business, media, culture, crime, government and other topics out of the paper's New York bureau.

In the process, they amassed a sizeable collection of books. Packages from publishing houses seeking reviews arrived almost daily. Reporters used the books for research on their beats and filed them by category in the bureau's library. Over time, the paper collected a particularly impressive array of titles about New York history and architecture, as well as books by the city's most famous storytellers.

The LA Times donated more than 2,000 books to Macaulay. This is just part of the collection housed in Macaulay's Commons.

When the bureau relocated in the spring of 2009 from its longtime home at 2 Park Avenue to new space at 220 West 42nd Street, Times staff realized there would not be enough space to house the entire collection. Unwilling to abandon more than 2,000 titles, New York Bureau Chief Geraldine Baum began a hunt to find them the right home.

Baum had written a story for The Times about Macaulay and its mission in the CUNY tradition of educating New York's brightest, particularly the children of immigrants. During a visit to Macaulay's 67th Street townhouse, she noticed that while it was well-appointed, the school's headquarters was missing a crucial element for a great education: books.

At the time, The Commons had tall but empty shelves. So Baum called the dean and made an offer to donate the books-and a collection at Macaulay was born!

"I hope the students enjoy browsing the Los Angeles Times collection," Baum said.
"It's eclectic but filled with gems. It also tells you a lot about the world of New York publishing and what it has produced over the last few decades."

The students are indeed enjoying the collection as either a break from their studies or as they come to the building for other events. We are indeed grateful for this thoughtful gift.

Macaulay Honors College continues to work hard to encourage donations as part of the public/private partnership that funds our mission. In the last calendar year, we raised a total of $3,026,348 in cash collected and in new pledges. In the first quarter of 2010 we received new cash gifts and payments against existing pledges totaling $81,688. Our alumni have proven to be remarkably supportive of Macaulay, with donor participation rates that rival any of the other schools in CUNY. We are also particularly pleased about the growth of our donor recognition society, Friends of Macaulay, and that so many of the parents of current students have elected to make gifts to support Macaulay and to join Friends of Macaulay.

Friends of Macaulay celebrates unrestricted gifts of $1,000 each year (with special recognition at the $10,000/year level). At many colleges, a donor society is about thanking people for their generous gifts. At Macaulay, we have a deeper purpose: we want to find people who wish to become actively involved in our unique mission.  We are building an organization where parents, students, alumni, and volunteers can become engaged in issues concerning higher education in New York. For our volunteers, we are small enough to able to include them in a range of activities and discussions, all of which highlight the tremendous talent and promise of our students. For our students, this kind of interaction often provides networking opportunities to move ahead in their careers.

Soliciting membership in Friends of Macaulay is also the primary way that we raise money to support Macaulay Honors College.  As the cost of higher education spirals upward to new levels each year, we see access to education being foreclosed to increasing numbers of students.  The crucial problem that Macaulay is addressing is the choking off of practical access to education to some of our brightest urban students, who we know are numerous and who can make the difference for our future. Although it may sound cliché, our future is in their hands.

At the same time as education costs rise, the economic downturn has precipitated a growing budget crisis in virtually every state.  Over the next several years, public higher education in New York State will feel serious constraints.  Programs will be cut and scholarship opportunities focused on academic merit will face serious threat.  Macaulay Honors College has always been funded through a public/private partnership, but at this crucial point in our history we know that only philanthropy can preserve opportunity for the brightest and most promising minds in the system.

Please consider becoming more involved with the extraordinary experiment in urban public higher education at Macaulay Honors College. We have a wealth of opportunities to engage you.

–Daniel Blondell ’10, Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College, Selected as Senior Orator–

–Paul and Daisy Soros to Be Awarded Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degrees at Ceremony in Alice Tully Hall May 26, 2010, Introduced by N.J.Nicholas–

Ann Kirschner, University Dean of Macaulay Honors College at CUNY, announced that Robert Lawrence (R.L.) Stine, one of the best-selling children’s authors of all time, will be the Class of 2010’s Convocation speaker. The ceremony will be held from 5pm to 7pm on Wednesday, May 26, 2010, at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall.

At the same ceremony, Macaulay will honor Paul and Daisy Soros with honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees. The distinction salutes their leadership of The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans, providing opportunities for continuing generations of able and accomplished New Americans to achieve leadership in their chosen fields. They will be introduced by N.J. Nicholas, Jr., investor and former President of Time Inc.

“This will be one of our most exciting and important Convocation ceremonies ever,” said Kirschner. “We have so much to celebrate. Leading our procession into majestic Alice Tully Hall will be our first-ever 5th-reunion class, the Class of 2005, who began at Macaulay when it was still named ‘CUNY Honors College.’ This spring, we admitted our tenth class, the Class of 2014, and that means we are kicking off our tenth-anniversary celebration as well. We will have a brief ceremony, introduced by graduating senior Penny Phillips of Queens College, to mark this wonderful moment in our history.”

R.L. Stine, beloved author, to speak at Macaulay Convocation May 26

R.L. Stine is one of the best-selling children's authors in history. His Goosebumps, Fear Street, and other book series have sold over 350 million copies around the world. Bob was born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1943 to a homemaker and shipping clerk. When Bob was nine, he found an old typewriter up in the attic, which subsequently changed his life. After graduating from Ohio State University in 1965, he headed to New York City to become a writer. He wrote dozens of joke books and humor books for kids and created Bananas, a zany humor magazine which he wrote and edited for ten years. Fear Street was his first horror series, aimed at teenagers. Goosebumps began in 1992 and the book series quickly became a hit around the world. Translated into 32 different languages, it made Bob a worldwide publishing celebrity. Stine's book creations include: The Nightmare Room (also a TV series), Mostly Ghostly, a series about a boy whose house is inhabited by ghosts that only he can see; Rotten School, a humor series; and Beware!, a collection of his favorite stories, poems, comics and illustrations. These days, R.L. Stine is hard at work on a new Goosebumps series, called Goosebumps Horrorland. He lives in New York City with his wife Jane and King Charles Spaniel, Minnie. Click here to post a memory or message for R.L. Stine.

Daisy Soros grew up in Hungary and graduated from Ecole Hotelier in Lausanne, Switzerland. She came to the U.S. to study at Columbia University, attended New York School of Interior Design, studied at NYU School of Social Work, and worked extensively as a counselor to terminally ill patients and their families. She has been the recipient of the Fulbright Award, Lincoln Center Laureate Aware, Ellis Island Medial of Honor, International House Harry Edmonds Award, Casita Maria Gold Medal of Honor and The National Immigration Forum’s “Keepers of the American Dream Award.” Paul Soros, also born in Hungary, studied mechanical engineering in Budapest, but began looking for a chance to escape when a Communist government came to power, and in 1948, as a member of the Hungarian Olympic ski team in Switzerland, he defected. He took a master’s degree in engineering from Polytechnic University in Brooklyn, and in 1956, he founded Soros Associates, an international engineering firm with projects in over 90 countries. His is now active in Paul Soros Investments, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and is a board member of several corporations and non-profit organizations.

N.J. Nicholas, Jr., who joined Time Inc. in 1964, held a number of executive positions during his 30-year career with the company. He was named president of Time Inc. in 1986 and served as co-chief executive officer of Time Warner Inc. until February 1992. Nicholas is a director of the Boston Scientific Corporation, Xerox Corporation, and Time Warner Cable. He has served as a member of the boards of Turner Broadcasting, Bankers Trust Company, and Priceline; as member of the President’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations and the President’s Commission on Environmental Quality; and as chairman of the Advisory Board of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Nicholas is also chairman of the board of trustees of Environmental Defense Fund and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He attended Phillips Academy at Andover, Massachusetts, and received an AB degree magna cum laude in Economics from Princeton University in 1962 and an MBA degree from the Harvard Business School in 1964.

At the Senior Scholars Dinner on February 25, Virginia Slaughter was honored for her leadership in public higher education and her efforts as a longstanding champion of honors education. Her commitment to identifying, inspiring, and supporting the aspirations of undergraduate intellectual laders has profoundly shaped honors education at CUNY, and continues to influence its ongoing evolution.

Ms. Slaughter was presented with a book of tributes from some of the Macaulay students she has helped over the years. Ryan Merola ’07 (Brooklyn) introduced her at the event with these heartfelt remarks.

Introductory Remarks for Ms. Virginia Slaughter
Macaulay Honors College Reception

By Ryan Merola ’07 (Brooklyn)
February 25, 2010

I am very happy to introduce tonight’s guest-of-honor, Ms. Virginia Slaughter.  For alums of the Horace W. Goldsmith Scholars Program and Macaulay staff, Ms. Slaughter is known simply and affectionately as Ginny Slaughter – a generous supporter of the Honors College, an advisor to the Goldsmith Scholars, and, depending on your answers and attitude during the Goldsmith interview, a very tough interviewer.

I think it’s fair to say most of us who are Goldsmith Scholars don’t often recognize the full extent of Ginny Slaughter’s work on our behalf.  We know well the tangibles of the Goldsmith Scholars Program – a month of workshops to make us better writers and thinkers when it comes to fellowship applications, seminars during the academic year at cultural and historic venues across the City, and dinners or other events that are done to bring us closer together as Goldsmith Scholars.

The other tangible that I am sure we are all familiar with comes in a corporeal form, and he’s sitting with us tonight – that of Michael Lamb, the Goldsmith Fellowship advisor.  Ginny Slaughter’s award from the Horace W. Goldsmith foundation guarantees each of us the chance to work and learn closely with this dynamic, devoted, and out-of-the-box thinker.  I can tell you that Mike’s help, and the help of his predecessors like Patricia Duffet and Ken Estey, were integral to the success I’ve had with fellowship competitions and the application process or graduate programs.  We’re incredibly lucky that Ginny Slaughter’s support means we are able to do more than simply turn to Mike for advice and assistance, but rather that Mike actively engages us in our college and post-college pursuits.

These, again, are the obvious benefits of being a Goldsmith Scholar, and these are all things we know well and take advantage of.  But what I just mentioned is by no means the full picture of what we get as Goldsmith Scholars from Ginny Slaughter – we also get her time and efforts on our behalf, much of it behind-the-scenes, to ensure that after our winter workshops, we have what we need to be successful and are taking advantage of the opportunities before us as University Scholars.

Ms. Slaughter is constantly in contact with Macaulay staff to find out about how we as Scholars are doing in our studies and beyond.  This alone is an action wholly unnecessary for a representative of a philanthropic organization to engage in, but she does this because she is a believer in the Honors College and what we, its students and alums, can accomplish.  Ginny Slaughter comes to the winter workshops so that she can put more than a face to a name, but to better know who we are and in whose future she has invested.  And Ginny has pushed for Goldsmith activities year round because she values the community aspect of the Goldsmith Scholars program – she knows we learn a great deal, and sometimes best, when we are collaborating with our peers who have similar interests and goals.

Ginny Slaughter has been a CUNY supporter for some time and we’re fortunate that the Honors College not only came around when it did for our own educations, but because it connected us to her.  At Macaulay, we are fortunate to be the beneficiaries of the generous support of many grants and foundations, but it’s one thing to receive financial support; it’s quite another for the face of that foundation to give personally of herself and her time.  To that, the Goldsmith Scholars are fortunate that we can call you, Ms. Slaughter, our friend and supporter.

Without a doubt, we are fortunate to count ourselves among those for whom Ginny Slaughter cares and encourages.  We are a better institution because of your efforts, and we owe you our gratitude.  With that, please join me in thanking Ms. Slaughter for her continued commitment to the Macaulay Honors College.

Distinguished Fellowship Program Grooms Freshmen and Sophomores for Professional and Personal Leadership

Two Macaulay Honors College students, Patrycja Ajdukiewicz and Renelle Lawrence from Baruch College, have been awarded 2010 Jeannette K. Watson Fellowships. The three-year Fellowship program offers paid summer internships, mentoring, and enhanced educational opportunities to New York City undergraduates who demonstrate exceptional promise, outstanding leadership skills, and commitment to the common good.

Established by the Thomas J. Watson Foundation in 1999, the Fellowship operates on the principle that “talent is broadly distributed but only selectively developed.”  Watson Fellows have their pick of coveted job placements (“work they can learn from”) over three consecutive summers in non-profit agencies, business organizations, and government service that give them a chance to grow and develop interpersonal skills and gain self-confidence in a variety of professional settings.  In the third summer, Watson Fellows can apply for an international assignment through partnerships with the Institute of International Education, the International Planned Parenthood Federation, Save the Children, and many other organizations.

A summer series of weekly seminars further enhances the learning experience by encouraging debate and interaction and also by providing an opportunity for Watson Fellows to share learning from their work experiences.  Visits to cultural institutions like Shakespeare in the Park, the New York Botanical Garden, and the Museum of Natural History enable students to discover New York City’s free summer offerings.  Every Watson Fellow receives a generous stipend as compensation and support for summer employment and continuing Fellowship obligations.

Patrycja Ajdukiewicz

A first-year student at Baruch College, Patrycja Ajdukiewicz is majoring in Public Affairs with an interdisciplinary minor combining NYC Studies, French and Photography.  She emigrated from her native Poland only five years ago.  Patrycja has explored her interest in social activism as a volunteer at a Native American Navajo reservation in Arizona where she assisted in the building of a playground for children of single mothers.  Later, she worked with the Social Activism program at the Museum of Modern Art.  She is currently a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.  Patrycia is an avid Francophile, and spent a year studying at Lycée Charles de Gaulle in Paris in 2008-09. In addition to French, she is also fluent in Polish and Spanish.

Renelle Lawrence.

Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Renelle Lawrence is a second-year student at Baruch College.  She is pursuing a degree in psychology with a double minor in Japanese and interdisciplinary New York studies.  Renelle has volunteered her time to assist children improve literacy through the Book Buddies program at her local library, the Change for Kids pro

gram at P.S. 160 and as a tutor at the Champion Learning Center.  She has also worked with the Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Program in New York City teaching healthy eating and exercise habits.  Active in community service, Renelle has also participated in the Lend-A-Hand program and It’s My Park Day.  She has honed her skills in leadership and organization as a stage manager for productions from plays and musicals to fashion shows and concerts.

These two JK Watson Fellows are about to begin the process of interviewing for their first Watson summer internships. In the past, recipients have spent their first summer at such organizations as the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, DonorsChoose, Echoing Green, and the Wildlife Conservation Society at the Bronx Zoo.

Twelve colleges in all, including the seven  senior CUNY colleges with which Macaulay works – Baruch College, Brooklyn College, theCity College of New York, the College of Staten Island, Hunter College, Lehman College, and Queens College – compete annually for fifteen Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship openings; at least one college from each borough is included in the group of eligible schools. Each school may nominate up to four candidates to send to the citywide selection panels.  Campus representatives are responsible for spreading the word about the Fellowship and navigating students through the entire process.  Only the most determined candidates complete the rigorous application process.

Twenty-eight previous Macaulay Honors College students were or are currently active Jeannette K. Watson Fellows: (2002) Priya Suryanarayanan, Anja Vojvodic, and Roberta Winters; (2003) Claudio Simpkins; (2004) Frank Copeli, Ron Kagan, Katherine McCarthy, Melody Messina, and Khadija Rentas; (2005) Shahriar Ashraf, Sara Butler, Christine Curella, and Lik Chee Sim; (2006) Nicholas Copeli, Kunchok Dolma, and Catherine Zinnel; (2007) Mikaela Chase, Talia Krevsky, Valerio Russo, and Long Tran; (2008) Joseph Eastman and Michael Young; and (2009) Tyler Alterman, Brian Kateman, Ilyra Ryvin, Bing Shao, Jocelyne Jeannot and Sushanta Singha.