ANNUAL REPORT - The City College of New York - CUNY

Division of Interdisciplinary Studies at the 

2011/12 

ANNUAL REPORT

Mission Statement 

The primary mission of the Division of 

Interdisciplinary Studies at The Center for Worker 

Education (CWE) is to provide an excellent 

education to working adults from New York 

City and surrounding regions. CWE offers an 

interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts degree, a 

Bachelor of Science degree in early childhood 

education, and a number of certificate programs. 

CWE serves a population that would be otherwise 

underserved by the College, and its courses and 

educational programs are specifically designed 

for students whose access to higher education 

may have been limited or interrupted due to 

financial limitations, work responsibilities, and 

family obligations. 

A spirit of open inquiry, curricular innovation, 

and academic integrity are linchpins of the 

CWE mission. Equally important are respect for 

diversity among faculty, staff, and students, 

and a continuous search for our common 

ground as learners, teachers, and scholars. 

In providing its program, CWE seeks mutually 

beneficial relationships with labor unions, 

community-based organizations, city agencies, 

and employers in both the non-profit and private 

sectors who share our educational mission. With 

a dual focus on excellence and access, and by 

reaching out to the community, CWE aims to be 

a positive force in lower Manhattan and the New 

York metropolitan area. 

Executive Editor: 

Elena Romero 

Assistant to the Executive Editor: 

Jessica LeBron 

Writers: 

Alessandra Benedicty, Marlene Clark, Marc 

Deitch, Jessica LeBron, Kathlene McDonald and 

Elena Romero 

Layout/Design: 

Richard Zuluaga- ZuQu Media 

Photography: 

Cel Garay- Xcel Photo 

Jessica LeBron 

Elena Romero 

Anmole Bhandari 

Table of Contents 

Letter from the Dean 1 

Juan Carlos Mercado 

IAS Chair Update 2 

Kathlene McDonald Provides a Year in Review 

Master’s Program Update 3 

Masters in the Study of the Americas Flourishes at CWE 

News Briefs Downtown 4 

CWE Subway Ads, Scholarships and Awards, Events, and More 

Faculty Books 6 

The Power of the Pen 

Exhibits at the Center 8 

Diverse Artwork and Photography Installations add Richness to the Center 

Center for Worker Education at a Glance 11 

Student Demographics, Graduation and Retention Data 

Quest Update 12 

Things Couldn’t be Better for Quest 

Conferences 

Women & Work in the Americas 13 

Push for Hip Hop 14 

Lecture Series 16 

Planting the Seeds 

Study Abroad 

Bienvenidos a Buenos Aires 17 

Student Spotlight 

Head of the Class 19 

The Third Time is a Charm 20 

Working Class Hero 21 

Teaching Highlights 

Students at Work 22 

Staff Spotlight 24 

Moving on Up 

Faculty Spotlight 25 

Of the Urban Mindset 

Faculty Honors and Achievements 26 

Institutional Friends and Affiliates 28 

Directory 29 

Cover Artwork: Shannon Ali 

“In African lore these magical shells are used by the seeker for spiritual guidance and direction,’ 

said artist Shannon Ali.” As the “Night Fairy” image began to take shape, I asked myself “who is 

really speaking to the seeker-is it really the shells or is it Night Fairy”

LETTER FROM THE DEAN 

JUAN CARLOS MERCADO 

I 

am happy to report that the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies at the Center for Worker Education is on a continual 

growth spurt. A special place since its inception, the Center has been evolving during the past five years in terms of 

programs, on-campus activities, recruitment efforts, and support staff. 

Thanks to the hard work of our dedicated staff and faculty, we have been able to transform the Center into an 

undergraduate and graduate facility. We continue to offer a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies, a BS in Early Childhood 

Education, as well as a Master of Arts in the Study of the Americas. We have recently secured a letter of intent to launch 

an MA Program in International Education and Policy. Prof. Elizabeth Mathews will serve as the director of the new MA in 

International Education and Policy (online MA). Prof. Alessandra Benedicty will serve as the director of the MA program 

in the Study of the Americas. Both will work together to insure a cohesive branding of our graduate degree programs. 

We’ve had much to celebrate over the past year. The Book Talk Lecture Series has become one of our most successful 

lecture series offered on campus. This fall it will have a special focus on childhood. The Book Talk lecture Series course will look at the interdisciplinary 

study of the child and will explore issues such as poverty, education, physical design of children’s spaces, the role of media and the institutionalization 

of young children. Students will attend a series of lectures by authors in the field of studies of childhood and use these talks as a springboard for class 

discussions. For the past seven semesters, the Book Talk Lecture Series has enrolled 20 or more students for this special course. The lectures have 

also attracted members of the local Wall Street community to attend. This fall will mark our first attempt to teach the course as a hybrid. Taught by 

Professor Elizabeth Matthews, the course will meet both in our auditorium and online. This is very exciting as our students are asking for more online 

and hybrid classes. The Center has been very responsive by increasing our online and hybrid courses all-year round. 

The Center continues to serve as a hub for cultural events. “The Struggle for Free Speech at the City College of New York: 1931-42,” an exhibition 

documenting student and faculty political activism at CCNY in the 1930s, was on display during the months of September and October. Carol Smith, 

a retired CCNY faculty member, curated the exhibition, which was made available courtesy of City College Libraries. The exhibition documented the 

activism that was spawned by the Great Depression and the rise of fascism in Europe. The exhibit was intended to inform students of the historical 

events at City College by showcasing photographs, cartoons, graphics, political flyers and publications from the City College Archives, Taminent 

Library at New York University, the Reference Center for Marxist Studies and the New York State Archives. 

For Hispanic Heritage Month, the Center and Latino Artists Round Table (LART) presented the first International Colloquium on Hispanic Literature 

Originally Written in Spanish in New York. An overview of literary works written in Spanish by Hispanics residing in New York from the 19 th century to 

the present was provided to attendees. The keynote speaker was Daisy Cocco De Filippis, and the event included panels and roundtables as well 

as a presentation of books published by publishing houses Editorial Campana and Artepoética Press. For Black History Month, the Center hosted 

New York City photographer Darius Vick’s black & white photo exhibit on black motorcyclists entitled “Denim & Chrome.” For the past three years, 

CWE has promoted hip-hop as part of its interdisciplinary studies through several course offerings including “History, Culture and Politics of Hip Hop” 

and “Reading Hip Hop: Off the Records, In the Books” lecture series as well as its annual “Is Hip Hop History” conferences held every February in 

celebration of Black History Month. The Center recently hosted its 3 rd annual Is Hip Hop History Conference with keynote speakers from both the 

music and academic worlds. Legendary deejay/producer Pete Rock spoke on the first day of the conference and author Dax-Devlon Ross spoke on 

the second day. For Women’s History Month, the Center held its Women and Work Conference and hosted a closing reception with the unveiling of an 

amazing exhibit entitled “Feminina” by renowned artist Andrea Arroyo. These are just a few of the exciting events that have taken place at the Center. 

You will find more about our accomplishments and the Center’s progress in the pages of this report. I hope that they will inspire you to join me, our 

staff, faculty and students as we all work towards building an even greater, better, stronger CWE. 

Sincerely, 

Juan Carlos Mercado, Dean 

CENTER FOR WORKER EDUCATION 2011/12ANNUAL REPORT - 1

IAS CHAIR UPDATE 

KATHLENE MCDONALD PROVIDES A YEAR IN REVIEW 

research and will draw on courses in literature, film, history, psychology, 

sociology, anthropology, political science, economics, urban planning, 

public administration, law, and education. 

Led by Prof. Elizabeth Matthews and with funding from a federal Title 

V grant, we expanded our online and hybrid course offerings. These 

courses provide much-needed flexibility for our working adult students, 

and Prof. Matthews has ensured that the faculty members teaching 

these courses are grounded in best practices in online pedagogy. This 

summer, we will be offering a cohort of online and hybrid classes, 

targeting high-enrollment, high-need courses across the curriculum. In 

order to support students in these courses, as well as all CWE students 

who want to develop their technological literacy, we began offering tech 

support services through CWE’s Tech Support Specialist, Ms. Michelle 

Baksh. 

This past year has been a rich and exciting one for the Department 

of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. We initiated some 

key curricular changes, most notably our pilot semester of 

an Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies course in Spring 2012. 

Prof. David Eastzer developed the inaugural version of this course, 

structuring it to explore some of the ways that different disciplines have 

approached the topic of “Being Human.” He provided a fascinating and 

enriching experience for the students and got us off to a great start for 

this important course, which will eventually become a required course 

for all the concentration areas. 

Both full- and part-time faculty spent much of the year assessing one 

of our current Divisional Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to 

produce an in-depth work of original research and writing using an 

interdisciplinary approach. The faculty engaged in several discussions 

and workshops to assess our effectiveness in teaching research 

skills and to determine best practices for scaffolding research skills 

throughout and across our curriculum. These ongoing discussions will 

be useful as we prepare to develop 400-level capstone courses for all 

our concentration areas. 

Faculty were fortunate to have a new professional development 

opportunity through the Film Learning in the Classroom (FLICR) 

workshop series, sponsored by a grant from Verizon and led by adjunct 

instructor and film studies guru Ron Kopp. These workshops provided 

faculty with a set of tools to develop students’ critical thinking and 

writing skills through the use of film. The effects of this workshop can 

be seen in both our Core and elective classes, as faculty members 

have successfully integrated innovative assignments involving films in 

courses ranging from science to sociology. 

Our MA Program in the Study of the Americas continues to grow and 

thrive. Several students completed capstone projects while others 

began thesis projects, and we will be graduating our first MA students 

this year. 

Prof. Elizabeth Matthews wrote a Letter of Intent for a new online MA 

Program in International Education and Policy. The CLAS Faculty 

Council approved the Letter of Intent in May, and Elizabeth will shepherd 

the program through the proposal stage next year. This new program 

will provide exciting graduate opportunities for many of our current 

students, and the online format will make the program accessible to 

students across the country and around the world. 

Sadly, we will be losing one of our key faculty members, Prof. Lotti 

Silber, who will be joining the Anthropology Department uptown starting 

in the Fall. However, we have a search underway for her replacement, 

and we look forward to welcoming a new faculty member in the Social 

Sciences next year. 

Additionally, several members of our faculty and staff developed two 

new interdisciplinary concentration areas: one in Urban Studies and 

Policy and one in Child and Family Studies. These new concentrations 

will provide students with new opportunities for interdisciplinary 

2 - CENTER FOR WORKER EDUCATION 2011/12 ANNUAL REPORT 

Photo: Cel Garay/Xcel Photo

MASTERS PROGRAM UPDATE 

MASTERS IN THE STUDY OF THE AMERICAS FLOURISHES AT CWE 

CWE in Early Stages of Adding Second 

Masters Degree 

Katawba Battersbee 

The M.A. in The Study of the Americas at CWE continues to grow. Ten 

new students joined the program in September 2011; an additional 

two began their studies in January. 

Students are getting ready to leave the program as well. We expect to 

graduate our first two M.A. students on June 2, 2012. Katawba Battersbee 

and Cristian Santana, both CWE undergraduate alums, will be receiving a 

June 2012 – Master of Arts, the first graduates of the Study of the Americas 

program. In addition, three students are currently working on thesis projects, 

with two expecting to complete by the end of the summer semester. 

One of our summer graduates, Bonnie Ip, who was one of the first students 

to join our program, will begin her studies in the M.A./Ph.D program in 

sociology at The New School in September. 

Marlene Clark has been faculty advisor for the students of the M.A. program 

in the Study of the Americas this year while former Director, Lotti Silber, was 

away on sabbatical leave. Next year, Prof. Alessandra Benedicty will direct 

the program. 

The Center has recently proposed a Master’s Program in 

International Education & Policy. With its focus on education, 

the program plans to offer students the opportunity to critically 

evaluate international education theories, practices, policy, 

assessment practices, program evaluation, ethics and human 

rights. In this program, students will examine and evaluate the 

impact of globalization as well as cross-national political and 

economic trends that shape values and practices in education. 

The program will enable students to consider educational 

practices and policies comparatively. Students will apply best 

practices in both development and assessment to their own 

professional environments and interests. Opportunities for 

internships in international education and study abroad will 

also be available to students enrolled in the program. 

The goals of the proposed MA are to enable working adult 

students who complete an undergraduate course of study in 

the division to pursue graduate studies which will enhance 

both their liberal arts knowledge base and their critical 

analysis skills in thinking, reading, and writing. “We believe 

that this program will provide an additional course of study 

that complements our undergraduate bachelor’s program in 

Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, and will appeal to other 

potential students who may wish to enter the program,’ stated 

Elizabeth Mathews, who will serve as the program’s director. 

This proposed degree program evolves, in part, out of 

students’ interests in education, policy and related fields 

as well as the market demand for degrees with a global or 

international focus. CWE hopes to reach professionals who 

are already teachers, who are teaching abroad and who are 

working in education in a non-pedagogical role, in New York, 

the United States and abroad. Additionally, it wishes to serve 

those students who need a flexible, low-residency graduate 

program, by offering the needed courses in an asynchronous, 

online format using CUNY’s BlackBoard. “We see this MA 

as part of our overall strategic plan to be a leader in offering 

innovative, flexible, interdisciplinary education programs to 

working students,” said Dean Juan Carlos Mercado. 

Cristian Santana 

5 

Photos: Elena Romero 

CENTER FOR WORKER EDUCATION 2011/12 ANNUAL REPORT - 3

NEWS BRIEFS DOWNTOWN 

and the QUEST Award for Leadership, Scholarship & Community Service 

was awarded to Jennifer Duran. The Hartmann Scholarship Fund was 

awarded to Ayanna Richberg. Her tuition scholarship will cover both her 

fall 2012 and spring 2013 tuition. 

Photo by Cel Garay/XCEL Photo 

Photo: Elena Romero 

CWE Debuts on Subway Platforms 

CWE expanded its advertising campaign in 2012 to include subway 

platform ads. Enlisting CWE alum Mary Eustace, media buyer at Dom 

Camera, CWE began its aggressive subway campaign in the spring 

semester. Simultaneously, it also ran ads on the Staten Island Ferry and its 

terminal. CWE casted graduating senior Jessica LeBron, who commutes 

to CWE from the Bronx, as its model. The ad campaign ran March through 

the end of June and was spotted in all five boroughs. 

Maria Bowen Chapin scholarship board members with student award recipients 

CWE Hosts 2012 Scholarships and Awards 

Celebration 

A total of 26 scholarships and awards were given out at the recent 2012 

Scholarships and Awards Celebration at CWE. A total of five students 

were among the 2012 graduating seniors. The CWE Dean’s Awards for 

Academic Excellence went to John Biswas and Margarita Kravchenko; the 

Edward Rivera Prize for Autobiography was awarded to Shari Perlman; the 

Samuel Wallach ’29 Award for Educators’ award went to Theresa Falcón 

Panel Discussion on Turning Point in 

Developmental Disabilities Services 

Forty years ago Geraldo Rivera 

exposed the horrific conditions at 

the Willowbrook State School on 

Staten Island which warehoused 

over 6,000 people with 

developmental disabilities. The 

exposé ‘Willowbrook: The Last 

Great Disgrace’ contributed to a social revolution in how developmental 

disabilities services are delivered today. It was 25 years ago that under 

Governor Mario M. Cuomo Willowbrook was closed. ‘A Promise Fulfilled’ 

can be read on a memorial stone which was erected to commemorate 

the closing, but did New York State keep its promise of comprehensive 

community living options for people with developmental disabilities 

Last year’s exposés in the New York Times threw a shadow on the 

social revolution and the promise of community care for all people with 

developmental disabilities. The series of articles under the heading 

‘Abused and Used’ highlight tremendous shortcomings, horrendous 

abuses, and avoidable deaths. The series also raised questions about 

wasteful Medicaid spending and financial abuse. Governor M. Cuomo 

came into office with a reform agenda which included the reining in of 

Medicaid spending. His Medicaid Redesign Team proposed a managed 

care system. The New York Times exposés also prompted an overhaul of 

the State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, which is now 

pursuing an ambitious reform agenda. 

CWE held a panel discussion entitled “40 Years After the Willowbrook 

Expose: Learning from the Past – Envisioning the Future” in May to address 

some crucial questions at this turning point in developmental disabilities 

services in New York State. The panelists included Dr. Mariette J. Bates, 

Academic Director of Disability Studies programs and Distinguished 

Lecturer at CUNY’s School of Professional Studies. She began her career 

as the Program Director of Geraldo Rivera’s foundation One to One, 

created in the wake of his exposé of Willowbrook State School, where 

she was responsible for grant-making, technical assistance to grantees, 

and training of court monitors and Special Masters overseeing institutional 

reform. Also on the panel was Lisa Severino, a self-advocate with the Self- 

Advocacy Association of New York State, Emily Holl who represented a 

siblings perspective, Evelyn Alvarez, Senior Vice President at HeartShare 

Human Services, and Travis Proulx, Director of Cummunications at the 

NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilities. 

4 - CENTER FOR WORKER EDUCATION 2011/12 ANNUAL REPORT

CWE Premieres Documentary About 

Gun Violence 

200 graduates, including two of the Center’s first graduating MA students. 

The ceremony honored the late Stanley Feldstein, former CWE Adjunct 

Associate Professor, who died in October 2011, after a short battle with 

lung cancer. Feldstein taught history at CWE for many years and was well 

loved by students, faculty, and staff. 

Graduating students then participated in the CCNY Commencement. Each 

division sported a new banner, while students were given tassels in the 

color designated for their division. CWE tassels are now burnt orange. 

Photo: Anmole Bhandari 

(From Left, Clockwise) Ja’Vese Phelps-Washington, Leslie Willis-Laurie and film director Sixx King 

Sixx Degrees Films tackled the issue of Black on Black crime and the 

mothers who lose their sons to it in a 5- minute documentary, “Mothers of 

No Tomorrow – Genocide American Style,” which made its college debut 

at CWE on May 11. The film followed three mothers who lost their sons 

to violence. Sixx Degrees CEO Sixx King, who spoke at a film Q & A at the 

Center, took his mission of telling their stories seriously. Prompted by the 

“loss of lots of friends” to violent crimes, the 35 year-old writer, producer, 

director, actor and activist “thought about what my mother would have to 

go through if something happened to me. No parent should have to write 

their child’s obituary. That’s not the natural order of things.” 

Former NBA pro basketball player John Salley, moved by his own personal 

experience of a friend lost too soon, signed on as executive producer of 

the film. Previous screenings of “Mothers of No Tomorrow – Genocide 

American Style” have been screened at the Enon Tabernacle Baptist 

Church in Philadelphia, PA. Two of the mothers featured in the film traveled 

from Philadelphia for the screening. Ja’Vese (javeez) Phelps-Washington 

and Leslie Willis-Laurie were able to answer questions after the film and 

captivated the audience by their remarkable strength and courage to 

discuss their personal stories. 

CWE Hosts its Second Annual Graduation 

Convocation 

For years, CWE students have always asked why CWE does not have its 

own graduation ceremony. Last year, President Lisa S. Coico granted CWE 

students their wish as well as CCNY’s other divisions. 2011 marked the 

first time in CCNY history that each division would host its own graduation 

convocation. CWE’s ceremony was held at the Marian Anderson Theatre at 

Aaron Davis Hall at City College. In 2011, 180 graduates, along with their 

family and friends, gathered for the two-hour ceremony and reception. The 

second annual CWE graduation convocation held May 30, 2012 celebrated 

CWE Salutatorian Theresa Anne Falcón and 

CWE Valedictorian Margarita Kravchenko at 

CCNY Commencement Ceremony 

Laura Clark 

(From Left) Debbie-Edwards-Anderson, Sean Woods, Nina woods, Prof. soye zaid-Muhammad 

CWE Adds More Online classes to Summer and 

Fall Schedules 

As more and more working adult students find a need to take online 

classes, CWE has responded to the demand by increasing its online 

offerings. This summer, CWE will offer five online classes (The Short Story; 

Life Experience Workshop; Masculine/Feminine: Success, Failure, Gender 

and Race; Child Psychopathology; and Public Economics), and one hybrid 

course (Corporate Communications). In fall 2012, CWE will offer two online 

courses— the Psychology of Parenting and Sociology of Education. Much 

credit can be given to Professor Elizabeth Matthews, who has led the push 

for online teaching at the Center. 



FACULTY BOOKS 

THE POWER OF THE PEN 

CWE FACULTY MEMBERS PUBLISH BOOKS ON EVERYTHING FROM HISTORY TO FASHION 

Several part-time and full-time faculty members have published 

books in the last year. From self-published to titles linked with 

distinguished academic presses, each title is as unique as the 

writers themselves. From German philosopher Martin Heidegger to the 

evolution of hip hop fashion, each author critically examined fascinating 

topics and placed them into context. Each book is a good read whether 

for pleasure or classroom instruction. 

Martin Woessner, Assistant 

Professor 

Author, Heidegger in America 

(Cambridge University Press 

2011) 

Heidegger in America explores 

the surprising legacy of his life 

and thought in the United States 

of America. As a critic of modern 

life, Heidegger often lamented the growing global influence of all things 

American. But it was precisely in America where his thought inspired 

the work of generations of thinkers – not only philosophers but also 

theologians, architects, novelists, and even pundits. As a result, the 

reception and dissemination of Heidegger’s philosophical writings 

transformed the intellectual and cultural history of the United States 

at a time when American influence was itself transforming the world. 

A case study in the complex and sometimes contradictory process of 

transnational exchange, Heidegger in America recasts the scope and 

methods of contemporary intellectual and cultural history in the age of 

globalization, challenging what we think we know about Heidegger and 

American ideas simultaneously. 

Kathlene McDonald, IAS Chair 

Author, Feminism, the Left, 

and Postwar Literary Culture 

(University Press of Mississippi, 

July 2012) 

Kathlene McDonald provides a 

cultural history of women writers 

on the Left and the roots of 

feminist literary criticism. Her 

new book traces the development of a Left feminist consciousness as 

women became more actively involved in the American Left during and 

immediately following World War II. McDonald argues that women writers 

on the Left drew on the rhetoric of antifascism to critique the cultural and 

ideological aspects of women’s oppression. In Left journals during World 

War II, women writers outlined the dangers of fascist control for women 

and argued that the fight against fascism must also be about ending 

women’s oppression. After World War II, women writers continued to 

use this antifascist framework to call attention to the ways in which 

the emerging domestic ideology in the United States bore a frightening 

resemblance to the fascist repression of women in Nazi Germany. 

This critique of American domestic ideology emphasized the ways in 

which black and working-class women were particularly affected and 

extended to an examination of women’s roles in personal and romantic 

relationships. Underlying this critique was the belief that representations 

of women in American culture were part of the problem. To counter 

these dominant cultural images, women writers on the Left depicted 

female activists in contemporary antifascist and anti-colonial struggles 

or turned to the past, for historical role models in the labor, abolitionist, 

and anti-suffrage movements. This depiction of women as models of 

agency and liberation challenged some of the conventions of femininity 

in the postwar era. 

The book provides a historical overview of women writers who 

anticipated issues of women’s oppression and the intersections of 

gender, race, and class that would become central tenets of feminist 

literary criticism and black feminist criticism in the 1970s and 1980s. 

It closely considers works by writers both well-known and obscure, 

including Lorraine Hansberry, Alice Childress, Martha Dodd, Sanora 

Babb, and Beth McHenry. 

Irina Carlota Silber, Associate 


Author, Everyday Revolutionaries: 

Gender, Violence, and 

Disillusionment in Postwar El 

Salvador (Rutgers University 

Press, November 29, 2010) 

In Revolutionaries on the Postwar 

Highway: Disillusionment in El 

Salvador, Irina Carlota Silber 

chronicles the political violence, collective trauma, and continued 

injustice facing the people of El Salvador as they transition to peace and 

democracy following the twelve-year civil war between the Farabundo 

Marti National Liberation Front and the Salvadoran government. The 

book is centered largely upon twenty months of fieldwork spanning 

from 1993-2007 in the former war zone of Chalatenango. Following the 

war, this area was the focus of national and international reconstruction 

projects. The book is mainly structured around two central moments, 

the immediate postwar period of reconstruction (1993-1998), and the 

more recent period of emigration to the United States (2000-2007). 

Giving a long term view of what happens in the aftermath of a protracted 

war, Silber traces the lives of the rank and file members of this historic 

struggle for justice and reconstruction, following community members 

along their journey from revolutionary activists to postwar development 

recipients and ambivalent grassroots actors, to in many cases now 

undocumented migrants. Silber pays particular attention to the gendered 

dimensions of the clash between a revolutionary social project and the 

demands of postwar reconstruction and neo-liberalism. She argues that 

the dynamics of postwar rebuilding served to re-marginalize members of 

destroyed communities. 


Elena Romero, Academic 

Advisor/Communications 

Coordinator & Adjunct Lecturer 

Author, Free Stylin’: How Hip Hop 

Changed the Fashion Industry 

(Praeger, April 30, 2012) 

Elena Romero’s first book, Free 

Stylin’: How Hip Hop Changed the 

Fashion Industry chronicles and 

critically examines how hip hop celebrities and urban designers carved 

their own niche in the $192 billion dollar apparel industry. “The tale is as 

historic as it is controversial,” states Romero. “For years, designers and 

manufacturers have taken their cues from the streets to enhance their 

clothing lines. But it wasn’t until the eighties that the urban consumer 

was recognized as a viable demographic. Looking to appeal to young 

customers, the industry began hiring and backing talented African- 

American designers and entrepreneurs.” 

An unconventional union on the surface, the pairing made a lot of 

business sense. Seasoned fashion executives brought proven track 

records while aspiring designers provided street credibility, music 

connections and a fresh perspective on design. The end result: a multibillion 

dollar industry. Through interviews with urban designers, retailers, 

trend forecasters, music experts and Hip Hop celebrities, Free Stylin’ 

explores how hip hop transitioned from the hood to the runway; how 

race, ethnicity and culture played into commercialism; how celebrities 

impact the fashion industry; and ultimately what led major department 

stores to jump on the urban bandwagon. Foreword by “The Shark” 

Daymond John, Co-founder, Fubu The Collection; star of ABC’s The 

Shark Tank and author of The Display of Power and The Brand Within. 

Photographs courtesy of legendary Hip Hop photographers Jamel 

Shabazz, Ernie Paniccioli and Ronnie Wright. 

Dan North, Adjunct Lecturer 

Author, Slow Walker (2011) 

52 beautifully constructed essays 

depicting a year of one retired 

journalist and his love of walking 

in the woods. Although Dan lives 

in a city, he reports to getting 

a little “jittery” if away from the 

moss covered ledges of the nearest wooded land. Dan North is “The 

Slow Walker.” Dan North was born in New York City in 1935. After 

graduating from college in 1955 Dan hitchhiked and drove around the 

United States for four years, working mainly in construction. From 1959 

until he retired from full-time work in 1999, Dan served as a reporter for 

daily newspapers and as an editor for a labor union magazine. Dan is 

now a part-time writer, editor and teacher. North has co-authored Not 

For Bread Alone (Cornell University Press, 2002), the memoir of hospital 

union leader, Moe Foner. 

Joanna Clapps Herman, Adjunct 


Author, The Anarchist Bastard: 

Growing Up Italian in America 

(Excelsior Editions/State University 

of New York Press, March 2011) 

Joanna Clapps Herman’s most 

recent publication is called: 

The Anarchist Bastard: Growing 

Up Italian in America, begins, “I was born in 1944 but grew up in the 

15 th Century.” With that, Herman neatly describes the two worlds she 

inhabited while growing up as the child of Italian American immigrants 

in Waterbury, Connecticut, a place embedded with values closer to 

Homer’s Greece than to Anglo-American New England, where the ethic 

of hospitality was and still is more Middle Eastern and North African than 

Anglo-European, and where the pageantry and ritual were more pagan 

Mediterranean than Western Christian. It was also a place where a stuffed 

monkey wearing a fedora sat and continues to sit on her grandmother’s 

piano, and a place where, when the donkey got stubborn and wouldn’t 

plow the field, her grandfather bit the animal in a fury. In essays filled 

with wry humor and affectionate yet probing insights, Herman maps and 

makes palpable the very particular details of this culture--its pride and 

its shame, its profound loyalty and its Byzantine betrayals. 

CWE Librarian is also a Playwright 

Seamus Scanlon, CWE’s librarian, is also a playwright. He 

recently had his one-act play, “Dancing at Lunacy” performed 

off-Broadway. Originally from Galway and currently living 

in New York, Scanlon won the 2011 Fish One Page Story 

competition and the 2011 Gemini Magazine Short Story 

competition. “Dancing at Lunacy” has won praise from the 

Huffington Post, Back Stage and Inside New York not to 

mention the Galway Independent. 


EXHIBITS AT THE CENTER 

DIVERSE ARTWORK AND PHOTOGRAPHY INSTALLATIONS ADD RICHNESS TO THE CENTER 

Since relocating to the Wall Street area in 2007, CWE has worked to 

create dialogue amongst students, staff, professors and communities 

around the arts. CWE has been exhibiting diverse artwork and 

photography installations as its way of showcasing the work of emerging 

artists while servicing the downtown community. A variety of art, film, and 

music courses are offered every semester and a number of faculty members 

conduct research focusing on visual arts. These include Prof. Marlene Clark’s 

work on De Kooning, Prof. Carlos Aguasaco’s work on superheroes and 

Mexican identity, and Prof. Alessandra Benedicty’s work on the aesthetics of 

Vodou and Santeria. 

Free and open to the public, the CWE art gallery space has covered a wide 

range of topics from free speech to black motorcyclists in America. Here are 

some highlights from our most recent exhibits: 

The Struggle for Free Speech At The City College of New York (1931-42) 

September 6-October 28, 2011 

The exhibit addressed an important time in history describing a series of 

events that took place at City College as it pertained to student and faculty 

political activism, free speech, protests against militarism, social and 

economic injustice at home as well as the threat of fascism abroad. 

The exhibition documented the activism that was spawned by the Great 

Depression and the rise of Fascism in Europe. The activism of faculty 

and student radicals resulted in repeated crackdowns by the College 

administration and outside political forces to limit dissent on campus. The 

New York State Rapp-Coudert Committee, (1940-42) a legislative committee 

investigating “subversive activities” in New York City’s public schools and 

colleges ultimately resulted in the dismissal of 50 CCNY faculty and staff. 

“The exhibit was intended to inform students of the historical events at 

City College,” said Smith, who previously co-curated exhibits at Princeton 

University and New York University. “It was our hope to encourage thought 

and reflection on academic freedom and the right of free speech on college 

campuses so as to avoid some of the errors and injustices that were 

perpetrated in the past as this debate continues today.” The exhibit was 

divided into two sections: Part I covered student activism, Part II focused 

on faculty activism and the ensuing repression. The exhibit concluded with 

the apology by the Board of Higher Education in 1981 for dismissal of the 

faculty and staff in 1941-42. Photographs, cartoons, graphics, political flyers 

and publications from the City College Archives, Taminent Library at New 

York University, the Reference Center for Marxist Studies and the New York 

State Archives were used. Several displays highlighted the graphics of Hugo 

Geller, William Gropper and Harry Gottlieb from the United American Artist 

Workshop Group, protesting the actions of the Rapp-Coudert Committee. 

The exhibit was first mounted at the Morris Raphael Cohen Library, The City 

College of New York and has also traveled to the CUNY Graduate Center, NY 

Technical College, Baruch College, Salt Lake City Community College and 

The American Labor Museum. 

Inner Environments: New Paintings from Florencia Fraschina and 

Andrea Cukier 

November 10, 2011 through January 25, 2012 

Argentine Artists Florencia Fraschina and Andrea Cukier worked from 

diverse perspectives to bring together their first art installation in 15 years 

entitled Inner Environments. 

Curated by Carol Smith, a retired CCNY faculty member of the Department 

of SEEK Counseling and Student Support Services, “The Struggle for 

Free Speech at the City College of New York: 1931-42” was an exhibition 

documenting student and faculty political activism at CCNY in the 1930s, This 

traveling exhibit was made courtesy of the City College Libraries. Additional 

funding was provided by the Puffin Foundation and Yip Harburg Foundation. 

The former graduate art classmates chose a total of 25 painting to 

display. Both artists consider themselves heirs of an Argentine artistic 

lineage of painters who, in spite of the changes and tendencies of the 

twentieth century, used unassuming and traditional techniques to convey 

an intense emotional engagement with the pathos of a place. Cukier’s 

ambiguously abstract landscapes are somber, meticulously crafted, 

pieces. Their complex atmosphere evokes clouds, mist, and reflections 

of changing light on water. Her brushstrokes reveal elements resembling 

barbed wire, fleeing birds and industrial debris. Full of anticipation and 


mystery, Fraschina’s visceral work boldly depicts aspects of human frailty 

through voluptuous figures and vigorous colors. Her interior scenes give 

us a subtle sense of loss and hope. 

Denim & Chrome: The Evolution of Black Bikers 

February 1-28, 2012 

Denim & Chrome by noted New York City photographer Darius Vick was 

an exhibit of 20 black & white photographs illustrating Black bikers in 

America. While a variety of subcultures and lifestyles have been built up 

around motorcycling, The Denim & Chrome exhibit captured the lives of the 

modern day black biker. Vick’s photographs tell their part of this American 

pasttime. The Denim & Chrome exhibit focuses on the modern day Black biker 

As a freelance photographer born and raised in New York City, Vick has 

been greatly inspired by metropolitan life and its rich culture. Vick made 

his natural transition into photography in 2006 after working in video and 

film for five years at brand management company Sundree LLC. Selftaught, 

Vick’s work has been featured in an array of magazine publications 

including Essence, Men’s Fitness and Set. His work has also included a 

variety of clothing designers and commercial clients including Alador & 

Smith, Le Rich Couture and Luxirie, the women’s brand of LRG. 

Broken Passage 

El Descanso 

Vick spent the last three years chronicling the lives and the stories of the 

modern black urban riding community through the lens of his camera. 

Traveling throughout major urban cities including New York, Philadelphia, 

Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles, Vick brilliantly captures the intriguing 

subculture of the black riding community. The result is an extensive 

collection of over 8,000 images that highlight black bikers working on their 

bikes to the various landscapes in which they ride. “There has always been 

something very cool about riding a motorcycle,” said Vick, an avid hardtail 

chopper rider. The bike he rides carries the camera that captures a lot of 

the images found in the Denim & Chrome project. “I selected 20 images 

for this exhibit that captured the classic Americana spirit of the black biker 

lifestyle.” 

The exhibition displayed bikers in a variety of settings— hanging out at 

Habana Outpost in Fort Greene, Brooklyn; a guy doing some wrenching on 

a bike in his garage in Howard Beach; a biker building his bike in his living 

room; a biker/mechanic/bike builder pondering over an old Harley in his 

garage; a biker in the middle of Manhattan posing for the camera; a biker 

at Orchard Beach bike show in a very nostalgic outfit; an older gentleman 

passing by with his two dogs in a basket wearing biker goggles; a biker 

riding with no hands taking a stretch on a long road to Oak Beach Inn 

(OBI) in Oak Beach, Long Island; an early Sunday morning biker hangout 

; a biker in a photo studio posing with a very expensive cigar; a group of 


EXHIBITS AT THE CENTER 

DIVERSE ARTWORK AND PHOTOGRAPHY INSTALLATIONS ADD RICHNESS TO THE CENTER 

fluidity of movement that characterizes 

the figures in her work. 

bikers posing in a parking lot with bikes and a old-school Lincoln; to a biker 

on a street corner in Williamsburg, Brooklyn wearing a tricked-out Harley 

Davidson leather vest. 

Feminina 

March 23 to April 28, 2012 

“Feminina” featured 20 works based on characters from world history and 

mythology. Arroyo’s work continued to celebrate femininity and strength, 

as she explored notions of gender, race, and identity. Featured works in the 

exhibit include Egyptian Night Goddess (image above,) Lilith, Cleopatra, 

Aphrodite and Malinche, all based on powerful female characters from 

world cultures. Arroyo’s background in the field of dance is reflected in the 

Xochiquetzal: Aztec Goddess of the Earth 

Andrea Arroyo is a Mexican-born, 

New York-based artist whose work is 

exhibited widely. She is a self-taught 

visual artist with a background in 

contemporary dance (she trained with 

Merce Cunningham). She was selected 

by President Bill Clinton to create the 

“Clinton Global Citizen Award.” Other 

honors include the 21 Leaders for the 

21st Century Award, Groundbreaking 

Latina in the Arts, Official Artist of the 

Latin Grammys, New York City Council 

Citation Award for Achievement in 

Art, Outstanding Latina of the Year, 

New York Foundation for the Arts 

Fellowships, Northern Manhattan Arts 

Alliance Awards, and Lower Manhattan 

Cultural Council Awards. Her works are 

in numerous public collections (The 

Library of Congress, The Smithsonian Institution, The NY Public Library, 

National Museum of Mexican Art, etc.) and in many private collections 

around the world. She has completed permanent Public Art projects for 

New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the New York School 

Construction Authority, and CITYarts, among others. 

Red Lilith: The First Woman 



CENTER FOR WORKER EDUCATION AT A GLANCE 

STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS, GRADUATION AND RETENTION DATA 

CWE STUDENT 

POPULATION BY 

GENDER 

MALE 

15.7% 

FEMALE 

84.3% 

25 

20 

15 

10 

5 

CUMULATIVE CREDITS EARNED BY CWE 

STUDENTS BY AGE 

14.0% 

22.6% 

17.4% 

11.7% 

11.9% 

11.1% 

5.5% 

3.1% 

2.6% 

0 

18-24 

25-29 

30-34 

35-39 40-44 45-49 

AGE RANGE 

50-54 

55-59 

60+ 

CWE STUDENT 

POPULATION BY 

ETHNICITY 

ASIAN/PACIFIC ISL. 

5.5% 

OTHER 

2.0% 

WHITE, 

NON-HISPANIC 

13.2% 

BLACK, 

NON-HISPANIC 

35.2% 

NON-REPORTING 

2.0% 

HISPANIC 

42.8% 

CWE STUDENT 

POPULATION BY 

RESIDENCY 

NEW JERSEY 

0.7% 

STATEN ISLAND 

3.5% 

WESTCHESTER 

1.5% 

QUEENS 

11.6% 

BRONX 

18.3% 

BROOKLYN 

25.1% 

LONG ISLAND 

1.0% 

OTHER 

1.8% 

MANHATTAN 

36.5% 

UNDERGRADUATE 

CWE STUDENT 

POPULATION 

MAJORS 

E.C.E. 

33.4% 

LIBERAL ARTS 

66.6% 

CWE FALL 2010 

COURSELOAD 

FULL-TIME 12+ CR. 

52.1% 

PART-TIME 

QUEST UPDATE 

THINGS COULDN’T BE BETTER FOR QUEST 

LIFELONG LEARNING PROGRAM COMPLETES 17 TH YEAR 

CWE’s Nina Woods, Alessandra Benedicty and Quest Vice President Michael Wellner 

Quest, the CWE/CCNY Community For Lifelong Learning completed 

its 17 th successful year. Membership now reaches almost 200 with 

most participating in over 38 different courses. 

This year saw the addition of several new courses including “Exploring 

the Human/Animal Connection”, “New York City, Its History, Heritage and 

Heart”, “World of Choices”, “A History of Architecture” and “Science 

and Math for Everyone”. The governing Council was expanded to eleven 

members and met monthly through the year with over 90% attendance. 

This past year, Quest saw the addition of three new members to the 

Council: Doreen Demartini, Roy Clary and Carloyn McGuire. Additionally, 

Quest re-elected Marilyn Rosen and Steve Allen to the Council and elected 

June Dwyer as the newest Council member. Michael Wellner was elected 

to vice president; Jim Slabe was re-elected to treasurer, Marian Friedmann 

was re-elected to secretary. 

As always, this year’s edition of Q Review, the Quest Literary and Art 

Magazine, was a tremendous success and was well received by all. Each 

All smiles at the annual Quest luncheon 

year the progress can be seen and the quality of the work improves. 

Over the years, Quest members have learned presentation skills and many 

are applying newly achieved knowledge of Power Point to their offerings. 

In addition, several members formed a series of hands-on classes in 

various computer program skills which was very successful. 

Seven times each semester, Quest is host to a guest speaker. This past 

year saw participation from well known figures from the arts, academia and 

business world. Often these Wednesday afternoon presentations filled the 

auditorium to capacity. 

Quest has begun the process of having Hearing Loop technology installed 

in all classrooms and the auditorium to facilitate audio reception to the 

hearing impaired. 

Once again, Quest has had a very successful year and is proud to be an 

integral member of the CWE/CCNY family. 

Attendees of the annual Quest luncheon held may 16 at Battery Park gardens 

uest founding member and friend of the Center Mr. Robert G. Hartmann 

Qhas established a scholarship fund of $120,000 for students in the 

Division of interdisciplinary Studies at the Center for Worker Education. The 

Hartmann Scholarship Fund will provide full tuition scholarships for students 

who have the greatest financial need and the determination to continue their 

education. At least one Hartmann Scholarship will be awarded each year. In 

spring 2012, the first scholarship recipient was named. Ayanna Richberg 

was awarded this first scholarship which will cover both her fall 2012 and 

spring 2013 tuition. The Dean, faculty, staff and students wish to thank Mr. 

Hartmann (Bob) for his generosity and consideration. 


CONFERENCES 

WOMEN & WORK IN THE AMERICAS 

CWE HOSTS A SYMPOSIUM ON GENDER, LABOR, IMMIGRATION AND HUMAN RIGHTS 

immigration, labor and work, Latin America, and race, class and gender. Her 

current research is on Wal-Mart in Chile, where she lived for seven months 

while on a Fulbright scholarship. 

The lecture was followed by a panel discussion on issues facing immigrant 

women workers in the US held by scholars and activists. Speakers included 

Alyshia Gálvez (Latin American and Puerto Rican Studies, Lehman College/ 

CUNY); Joycely n Gill-Campbell (Outreach Coordinator, Domestic Workers 

United); Ruth Milkman (Sociology, Murphy Institute and the CUNY Graduate 

Center); and Susanna Rosenbaum (Latino and Hispanic Caribbean Studies, 

Rutgers University). The closing lecture discussed “Global Women Workers: 

Life in and after Trafficking into Forced Labor” and was presented by Denise 

Brennan, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Anthropology 

at Georgetown University. A cocktail reception/opening reception for 

Andrea Arroyo’s “Feminina” exhibit, ended the day’s activities. 

Colloquium on Hispanic Literature in New York 

Hosted at CWE 

Latino Artists Round Table (LART) and The City College of New York’s 

Division of Interdisciplinary Studies at the Center for Worker Education 

hosted the first international colloquium on Hispanic literature originally 

written in Spanish in New York, October 14 and 15, 2011. Over the course 

of two days, the colloquium provided an overview of literary work written 

in Spanish by Hispanics residing in New York from the 19 th century to 

present. A series of panels and roundtables as well as book presentations 

by publishing houses Editorial Campana and Artepoética Press took place 

with about 250 attendees ranging from students, writers to academics. 

A 

symposium exploring issues facing women workers across the 

Americas, including Wal-Mart workers in Chile, sex workers in Cuba 

and the Dominican Republic, and immigrant women workers in the 

US, became the topic of CWE’s most recent Women & Work Conference. 

This year’s conference entitled Women & Work in the Americas was 

sponsored by the MA Program in the Study of the Americas, the Dean of 

the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies at the Center for Worker Education, 

the Frances S. Patai Fund, and the CCNY Women’s Studies Program. 

The keynote speaker for the colloquium was Dominican-American writer 

and educator Daisy Cocco De Filippis, president of Naugatuck Valley 

Community College. Dr. De Filippis previously served as provost and 

senior vice president for academic affairs at Eugenio Maria de Hostos 

Community College of the City University of New York. It was the fourth 

conference hosted by LART. Its previous conferences have been held at 

New York University and in the Dominican Republic. 

The one-day conference organized by Kathlene McDonald, Chair, 

Department of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at the Center for Worker 

Education, hosted several lectures, panel discussions and an art reception 

as part of its activities. 

The Conference opened with “Wal-Mart in Chile: Women, Organizing and 

Resistance” presented by Carolina Bank Muñoz, an Associate Professor 

of Sociology at Brooklyn College/CUNY and the author of Transnational 

Tortillas: Race, Gender and Shop Floor Politics in Mexico and the United 

States, winner of the Terry book award. Her areas of research are 


Carolina Bank Muñoz discussing Wal-Mart in Chile. 


Photos: Cel Garay - Xcel Photo 

CONFERENCES 

PUSH FOR HIP HOP 

IS HIP HOP HISTORY CONFERENCE & READING HIP HOP LECTURE SERIES BUILD FOLLOWING IN BOTH 

ACADEMIC AND MUSIC COMMUNITIES 

McDaniels, Vinnie Brown of the Grammy award-winning rap group Naughty 

by Nature, deejay/producer Pete Rock to scholars such as Mark Anthony 

Neal (professor of African and African American Studies, Duke University), 

Bakari Kitwana (journalist, activist and political analyst) and author Dax- 

Devlon Ross. 

“We have found tremendous success with our “sampling” from the 

perspective of our working adult students (who have grown up with hip-hop 

culture) as well as the general public, who have attended many of our events,” 

said Warren Orange, one of the conference’s co-founders. “Our conferences 

and the two courses are the primary means that we have used to promote 

our goals.” 

Dean Juan Carlos Mercado, IAS Chair Kathlene McDonald, DJ/Producer Pete Rock and 

conference cofounder Elena Romero 

Hip-hop pedagogy has become an established entity in academia. In 

addition to a growing vibrant literature and select course offerings, 

hip-hop now boasts a Hip-Hop Education Center (H2ED Center) at 

New York University and hip-hop archives at Ivy League universities including 

Harvard and Cornell. The City College of New York (CCNY) through CWE 

has been offering many possibilities for pedagogical innovations across and 

beyond the traditional academic spectrum. 

For the past three years, CWE has promoted hip-hop as part of its 

interdisciplinary studies through several course offerings including “History, 

Culture and Politics of Hip Hop” and “Reading Hip-Hop: Off the Records, 

In the Books” lecture series as well as its annual “Is Hip Hop History” 

conferences held every February in celebration of Black History Month. Its 

efforts in the study of hip-hop have drawn legends such as veejay Ralph 

The conference re-conceptualizes the hip-hop community to include scholars, 

students and artists. “We attempt to always address the four elements of hiphop: 

the deejay, the graffiti artists, b-boys/b-girls and Mcees (rappers),” said 

Elena Romero, conference co-founder. “Each gathering presents a hip-hop 

pioneer as well as a prominent academic as a keynote speaker.” 

The conference takes place over the course of two days. It commences with 

a legendary hip-hop pioneer leading a keynote address. A hip-hop pioneer 

is defined as a person who has made significant contributions to the hiphop 

culture or movement with a minimum of 15 years of experience in the 

hip-hop business. The second keynote speaker stems from the academic 

realm and is generally someone that has distinguished themselves through 

the publishing of work on or about hip-hop. Last, but not least, CWE provides 

a forum for young up-and-coming scholars to present their research through 

presentations and panels. Students have hailed from New York (New York 

University) to Canada (McGill University). 

The third annual “Is Hip-Hop History” Conference, which took place 

February 24-25, 2012 focused on “The battle” as a classic hip-hop theme, 

with its own popular dialectics. The hip hop pioneer keynote speaker was the 

legendary deejay and producer Pete Rock and author Dax-Devlon Ross, Esq. 

served as this year’s academic scholar. Ross is the author of “The Nightmare 

and the Dream: Nas, Jay-Z and the History of Conflict in African-American 

Culture.” 

CCNY President Lisa S. Coico Backs Hip Hop 

CCNY President Lisa S. Coico graciously donated 

$10,000 to support the 3 rd Annual “Is Hip Hop History” 

Conference held February 2012. A special thank you to 

President Coico for her generous contribution, which 

made this event possible. Her incredible support is greatly 

appreciated. CCNY CWE Alumni Group also provided a 

donation of $250 towards the conference. 

B-Girl Odylle Beder 


Photos: Cel Garay - Xcel Photo 

Warren Orange, Emery Petachauer, Henry Chalfant, Jun Nunez, Elena Romero and 

Dax-Devlon Ross, Esq. 

Reading Hip-Hop: Off the Records, In the Books Lecture Series 

“Reading Hip Hop: Off the Records, In the Books” provides a forum for 

discussion with authors who chart what we know and understand about 

hip-hop. The first series made its debut September 9 through December 2, 

and addressed a variety of subjects including hip-hop fiction, the business 

of hip-hop, music sampling, fashion, music politics and culture. 

“Hip-hop continues to make an indelible mark in all areas of art and 

entertainment,” said Warren Orange, Adjunct Lecturer of the “Reading 

Hip Hop” course and co-founder of the “Is Hip Hop History” annual 

conference.. The series served as a pre-cursor to the Center’s annual spring 

“Is Hip-Hop History” conference. “In line with its often forgotten element, 

knowledge, the number of books about the subject is also increasing. The 

six authors are a testament to why hip-hop continues to capture so many 

imaginations.” 

Similar to the Center’s successful Book Talk Lecture Series, the Reading 

Hip-Hop series is structured as a four-credit undergraduate course and 

public lecture forum. “The Reading Hip-Hop Lecture Series provides 

a unique experience to our students by bringing hip-hop scholars and 

experts to our campus,” said Dean Juan Carlos Mercado. “Each lecture will 

address a different component of hip-hop history.” 

CWE’s Warren Orange and author Joe Schloss 

Left - Kevin McMahon AKA DJ Kool Kev, Right - Emery Petachauer 

Lecture series speakers included Dr. Jared A. Ball, Assistant Professor 

of Communication Studies, Morgan State University and host of FreeMix 

Radio. Dr. Ball, who was a speaker at last year’s “Is Hip-Hop History” 

Conference, discussed his book “I Mix What I Like: A Mixtape Manifesto.” 

Other lecturers included former Source magazine journalist Dan Charnas; 

Valerie Joyner, television writer for hit television shows including In Living 

Color, The Wayans Bros and The Jamie Fox Show; Joseph G. Schloss, 

visiting scholar and adjunct assistant professor of music, New York 

University; and former DNR/WWD editor Elena Romero, who currently 

serves as communications coordinator and adjunct lecturer at the Center. 

CWE’s Elena Romero, author Dan Charnas and CWE’s Warren Orange 


LECTURE SERIES 

PLANTING THE SEEDS 

Jerry Carlson, Professor, Director of the Cinema Studies Program 

in the Department of Media and Communication Arts at The City 

College and member of the faculty of Film, French, and Comparative 

Literature at the CUNY Graduate Center as well as Alessandra Benedicty, 

Assistant Professor, Caribbean and Francophone Literature, Division of 

Interdisciplinary Studies at the Center for Worker Education were awarded 

a City SEEDS grant from the Office of the President at the City College 

of New York. Their research project, “Aesthetic and Cultural Expressions 

of African-Derived Religions,” sought to reveal how Vodou, Santería and 

Candomblé heavily inform cultural practices in major urban spaces across 

the Western hemisphere, especially along the Atlantic. 

Their project hinged on breaking down the binary that opposes the 

‘religious’ to the ‘secular.’ In so doing, their work contributed to the 

creation of new discursive spaces through which to consider and study the 

under-theorized interpenetration of European and African thought systems 

in the Hemispheric Atlantic. As part of the grant, in the Fall semester of 

2011, thanks to support from the City SEEDS, Dean Juan Carlos Mercado, 

and the Center for Worker Education faculty and staff, they organized and 

hosted an extremely successful semester-long lecture series that created 

not only a dialogue, but a community. Through nine lectures hosted 

mostly at CCNY’s downtown campus at the Center for Worker Education, 

Benedicty and Carlson created a community, that sought to carve out new 

epistemologies to theorize the importance of African-derived traditions in 

urban spaces. At each lecture they had between 40 and 110 attendees, from 

the beginning to the end of the semester. The community that they created 

included academics from throughout the tri-state area, public intellectuals, 

respected community leaders, and performers. The lecture series enabled 

them to create bridges with researchers at the Graduate Center, notably 

the Center for the Humanities and the Caribbean Epistemologies Seminar, 

as well as Barnard College, Columbia University. 

For more information, visit www.transcarib.org . 

(Left Row, Top to Bottom) Mama Lola and Donald Cosentino, Ned Sublette, Stephen Selka, Berta 

Jottar, Román Diaz, Carlyle Van Thompson 

(Right Column, Top to Bottom) Yvonne Daniel, Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert, Alexander LaSalle, Lyn 

Di Iorio, Colin Dayan, Rachael Miller Benavidez 

Book Talk Lecture Series Continues to Grow 

The Fall 2011 lecture series was the seventh in a series titled “Book 

Talks” pioneered by Dean Juan Carlos Mercado to feature the work of 

authors both from CCNY and from other universities. The next lecture 

series will take place in the Fall 2012 semester and is titled Book Talk: 

The Child. In this hybrid course taught by Professor Elizabeth Mathews, 

students interested in the interdisciplinary study of the child will have 

opportunities to explore issues such as poverty, education, physical 

design of children’s spaces, the role of media and the institutionalization 

of young children. Students will be able to attend a series of lectures 

by authors in the field of the studies of childhood and use these 

talks as a spring board for class discussions. The culminating project 

for the class will be an analysis of an issue impacting children. 


Photo: Cel Garay - Xcel Photo

STUDY ABROAD 

BIENVENIDOS A BUENOS AIRES 

TWO GRADUATING CWE STUDENTS HEAD TO ARGENTINA FOR SIX CREDITS OF LEARNING 

While New Yorkers were celebrating a winter New Year’s Eve 

in the big city, two City College Center for Worker Education 

(CWE) graduating students celebrated a summer New Year’s 

Eve in Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

Jessica LeBron and Jane O’Connor both took advantage of the winter 

study abroad program in Argentina at Universidad Nacional Tres de 

Febrero (UNTREF) from January 1- 22, 2012. The program offered four 

classes where students earned a total of six credits in three weeks 

towards their undergraduate degree. LeBron, studied “Spanish 225 

Intermediate Spanish & Aspects of Argentinean Culture”; this allowed her 

to earn six credits and fulfill her Spanish requirements. O’Connor studied 

“Human Rights in Argentina in the 1970’s and Eva Perón’s Story.” The 

classes were taught in English and she fulfilled her elective requirements. 

The programs cost of $2,250, covered tuition, health insurance, housing 

(homestays), breakfast, dinner, and excursions (airfare not included). 

Classes were held Monday through Friday with one class held in the 

morning and one in the afternoon usually ending between 3:00 - 4:00pm. 

Each day after class UNTREF scheduled a field trip, tango lesson or 

excursions. 

LeBron first learned of the winter study abroad program during her first 

semester at CWE in 2011. She met a classmate, Brian Easy, who had 

participated that year in the study abroad program to Buenos Aires. At 

the time, the study abroad program seemed impossible for LeBron, who 

was working full-time as a print analyst at Publicis - Zenith Media and 

attending CWE full-time. When she learned that she was going to be 

laid off that changed everything. “I decided that I would accelerate my 

classes at CWE to graduate in spring 2012 and put my employment on 

hold until after graduation,” LeBron stated. “Being laid off has been a 

blessing in many ways. I was able to take full advantage of a not so 

fortunate event.” 

O’Connor applied to the winter study abroad program to increase her 

speaking skills in Spanish and to complete her graduation requirements 

for spring 2012. “I felt that this would be a perfect fit for my educational 

endeavors,” O’Conner said. She learned about the Buenos Aires program 

through the bulletins and postings displayed in school. 

LeBron and O’Connor met at CWE in summer 2011 while taking MATH 

150. In the fall of 2011, they decided to travel together and ended up 

being the only CWE students to take advantage of the study abroad 

opportunity. “Every time we saw each other, we would count down the 

days to our trip,” said O’ Connor. LeBron’s and O’Connor’s homestay was 

with Delia Diehl Gainza, a local Argentinean woman, who has hosted over 

100 students from North America “Delia’s home was the perfect place 

for two adult women. We felt at home the very first day,” said LeBron, of 

Gainza, who lived in a three-bedroom apartment. LeBron was the 108th 

student for Gainza and O’Connor was her 109th student to stay with her 

Casa Rosada-the official executive mansion and office of the President of Argentina 

Jane O’Connor, Jessica LeBron and Carla Louis in Puerto Madero on New Year’s Eve 

Statue in plaza de Mayo commemorating May 25, 1810 Revolution 

CENTER FOR WORKER EDUCATION 2011/12 ANNUAL REPORT - 17 

Photos: Elena Romero (Chris Dunn) All other images by Chris Dunn

STUDY ABROAD (CONTINUED) 

BIENVENIDOS A BUENOS AIRES 

TWO GRADUATING CWE STUDENTS HEAD TO ARGENTINA FOR SIX CREDITS OF LEARNING 

over the last 15 years. However, this was Gainza’s first time hosting a 

homestay for adult students. “I usually host students ranging from 18 - 22 

years of age,” she said. “I only host homestays for women.” 

They both loved Gainza’s cooking. “Delia made the most amazing 

Argentinean meals,” stated O’Connor. Neither woman were picky eaters 

and they asked Gainza to only make them traditional Argentinean meals, 

which she happily obliged. “Each night dinner was a surprise.” Gainza 

(Argentinean) only speaks Spanish, LeBron (Puerto Rican) speaks Spanish 

fluently, and O’Connor (Irish) and is learning Spanish. Yet, Gainza and 

O’Connor were able to communicate just fine. 

The students visited many museums including el Museo Evita, a mansion 

where Eva Perón started a home for single mothers; el Museo de Arte 

Latinomericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA), Centro Cultural Borges, 

Museo Xul Solar, Museo del Mate , Cabildo, Manzana de Las Luces, 

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Escuela de Mecánica de la Armada 

(ESMA) and Museo Histórico. They also visited, Plaza San Martín, Plaza 

del Congreso, and Playa de Mayo. LeBron’s favorite monument was the 

Obelisco, located in la Plaza de la República while O’Connor became fond 

of a barrio called La Boca. LeBron and O’Connor also visited la Casa 

Rosada (the pink house), the official executive mansion and office of the 

President of Argentina; Puente de la Mujer, located in Puerto Madero; 

and Estancia Santa Susana, a ranch and museum; and Jardín Zoológico 

and Jardín Botánico Carlos Thays. Both ladies made sure to explore 

several neighborhoods including Palermo Soho, Microcentro, Palermo, 

La Boca, San Telmo, Tigre and Barrio Chino. Both made sure to eat at the 

oldest café in the country Café Tortoni. They also had the chance to go to 

Recoleta cemetery where Perón is buried. And if this trip didn’t seem busy 

enough, the students managed to head to Colonia, Uruguay by ferry (an 

hour ride long) and added another stamp to their passports. 

Carla Louis, Jessica LeBron and Jane O’Connor at Siga la Vaca Parrilla in Puerto Madero 

Plaza de Mayo 

CUNY students at the Universidad Nacional Tres de Febrero (UNTREF) 

Matthew Murray, Jessica LeBron and Jane O’Connor waiting for the subte (train) 

18 - CENTER FOR WORKER EDUCATION 2011/12 ANNUAL REPORT Photos: Cel Garay - Xcel Photo

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT 

HEAD OF THE CLASS 

MARGARITA KRAVCHENKO IS NAMED CWE’S FIRST DIVISIONAL VALEDICTORIAN 

Kravchenko learned about CWE through her union representative at local 

2179. She started attending classes in 2008 and had Jason Chappell as 

her academic advisor. Kravchenko, like many of CWE students, worked 

while attending CWE at night. At first, she took two classes a semester 

because the only time she had to read was on the subway on her way to 

work or subway back home and sometimes on her lunch break. “At first 

it was hard to get into the rhythm of things,” she said. “I got laid off in 

2010, and I decided to devote my time to my studies.” 

A 4.0 student, Kravchenko was named CWE’s first divisional valedictorian. 

“I enjoyed CWE for several reasons including the student body and the 

variety of courses offered,” she said. “Going back to school was totally 

worth it.” 

As a recent graduate, Kravchenko is hoping to land a job in the 

publishing industry and looking to study library science in grad school. 

“My life goal is to never stop learning; I am a firm believer in the power 

of knowledge and its ability to make one a better and more complete 

person,” she said. 

Margarita Kravchenko: 4.0 student at CWE 

Margarita Kravchenko was born in the former Soviet Union (Kaliningrad, 

Russia) and lived there the first twenty years of her 

life. She relocated to the United States a month before 9-11. 

“Moving to the States was mother’s idea,” recalled Kravchenko,30, who 

currently lives in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. “She wanted something different, 

better for us. I can’t say we were poor but we were not well off. She 

thought moving here would change our status for the better. America 

is the land of opportunity. It is true but you have to work like a horse.” 

Her first few years in the States, Kravchenko opted to work to help 

support her family rather than going to school. Kravchenko had 

previously studied management for three years in her native country. 

When the time came to return to school, Kravchenko decided to study 

something different. “I didn’t like my studies over there. In the education 

system there you are assigned subjects you have to learn. There were 

some electives but not nearly as much as they have here. Subjects like 

statistics, mathematics. I’m not good at those sort of subjects. I like 

humanities and prefer history and art.” 

Margarita and her boyfriend Luke on the beach 

(Left) Margarita with her grandparents - (Right) Margarita and Katuriks 

Margarita and the girl next door 


Photos: Elena Romero

Photos: Elena Romero (image on top) 


THE THIRD TIME’S A CHARM 

THERESA ANNE FALCÓN GRADUATES CWE AND BECOMES ITS FIRST DIVISIONAL SALUTATORIAN 

attendees. “After graduation, I plan 

to continue my education in Graduate 

School. I plan to obtain a Master’s Degree 

in Bilingual Early Childhood Special 

Education as well as work towards my 

BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analysis) 

and my doctorate.” In addition, she will 

continue to work as a head teacher at 

a day care center that serves children 

who live in a homeless and/or domestic 

violence shelter. 

Theresa doing a cooking lesson with her students 

In June of 1992, Theresa Anne Falcón graduated high school and 

attended Bay Path College, in Longmeadow, Massachusetts in order to 

study Early Childhood Education. “I loved the school but unfortunately 

my parents were on the verge of a separation and I had to return home,” 

she recalled. “Never giving up my dream on obtaining a college degree, 

I immediately enrolled at Marymount Manhattan College and selected a 

major in Finance. It was not an education program, but I knew that this 

was going to help me eventually establish a solid career, if not establish 

me financially.” 

Her drive is fueled by her desire to be the 

best she can be at helping children move 

beyond any limitations as early in life as 

possible. Falcón knows firsthand that early 

intervention can change the trajectory of 

a child’s life and she aims to bring that 

support to children who have few other avenues for help. 

Falcón also helps run a sports program in Lower Manhattan for over 300 

children, mentors high school students who are applying to college, serves 

as a learning leader at her son’s school and volunteers in the religious 

education program at her church. “It is important for me to share my story 

on how long it has taken me to finish college and all the obstacles I had 

to overcome,” Falcón said. “Every moment is a learning experience that is 

true for the children as well as for me.” 

Falcón like many people, tried to work full time and go to school full time 

but it was an unsuccessful venture. Ultimately, she had to put school 

on hold and join the workforce full time. However, she spent several 

years thinking how she could return to school. In 2000, Falcón decided 

to go back to school and selected CWE. “It fit my schedule and had an 

Early Childhood Education Program,” said Falcón, who was working as 

a substitute teacher and was in a long-term relationship that eventually 

transitioned into marriage. 

Once her son Jimmy was born in 2002, Falcón found herself once again, 

putting school on hold. Concerned about her son’s development at age 

two, Falcón had her son evaluated and it was determined that he had a 

speech delay and emotional disturbance. “At that point, I became very 

involved with the special education process and my child’s development,” 

she said. Falcón waited until her child entered the public school system in 

2007 to finish what she once started. 

Theresa at CWE’s Awards Ceremony held May 21 

After 19 years of attending three different colleges in two states, Falcón 

can proudly say she is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Early 

Childhood Education. She is proud to be an AmeriCorp alumna and 

Kennedy Fellow. Her presentation on Applied Behavior Analysis at the 

2011 CUNY Early Childhood Student Conference won high praise from 


Theresa and her husband Jimmy 

Theresa and her son Jimmy

Photos: Elena Romero (images on bottom) 


WORKING CLASS HERO 

LESTIEL LOPEZ DISCOVERS HER NEXT CALLING WHILE ATTENDING CITY COLLEGE AND WORKING WITH VETS 

Some people who serve in the military are fresh out of high school. For 

many, it’s a way out from their current life of poverty, unstable homes 

or not enough money to attend college. For Lestiel Lopez, her reasons 

for joining the service were very different. 

Lopez, a 32-year-old Dominican and Costa Rican woman, knew she wasn’t 

going to college since the age of 15 after meeting a family that would change 

her life’s course. While vacationing at 15 with friends in Virginia Beach, VA, 

Lopez met a family with two daughters returning from the Navy. After hearing 

about their experiences overseas, Lopez decided that she wanted to serve 

her country too. While all her friends were applying for college and preparing 

for the SAT’s, in her junior year Lopez applied for Armed Services Vocational 

Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test. She passed and started Navy boot camp on 

Nov. 9, 1999. After three months of boot camp she began her journey on 

USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) ship, an aircraft carrier. “Life was great in 

the service,” she said. At the time when Lopez joined there were no major 

war conflicts. “My first year on the ship, I visited Rome, Dubai, Australia 

and Hawaii. Being a city girl, ship life was pretty easy to adjust to.” Lopez 

served five years active duty in the Navy as an aircraft captain, which meant 

she was responsible for the electrical maintenance of aircrafts. She enjoyed 

servicing planes and being in charge. She returned home to New York City in 

November 2004 and served three years inactive, making her total time with 

the military eight years. 

“When I returned home, I felt awkward and weird,” Lopez said, speaking 

of her adjustment to civilian life. So, Lopez decided to return to school. 

She enrolled in the Arts Institute (AI) and studied culinary arts & restaurant 

management where she graduated with an Associates degree. She was able 

to attend AI because of the Montgomery GI Bill (Chapter 30), which entitled 

her to receive a $1,000 stipend per month to help pay for school and living 

expenses. Lopez still had to take out loans to cover the rest of her tuition 

and living expenses. Upon graduation, Lopez worked at several high end 

restaurants including Asia de Cuba, Mercat, & Hallo Berlin as a sous chef and 

Lestiel receiving a “Good Conduct Award” on November 8, 2012 at NAS 

(Naval Aviation Station) Oceana 

Lestiel with fiancée Korey and son , Miguel 

Aboard (CVN 74) John C. Stennis aircraft 

carrier during Operation Enduring Freedom 

in 2001 

Graduation picture from aviation electrician school in Pensacola, Florida 

general manager. She also gained valuable experience working her family’s 

restaurant, Lali in Hell’s Kitchen. 

Lopez decided she wanted to complete a bachelor’s degree since she was 

eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33), which pays full tuition for fulltime 

students and gives a $2700 monthly living stipend. She enrolled in City 

College in 2010 and unfortunately had to withdraw because she did not do 

well in her classes. As a result, she ended up owing the military the tuition 

that was paid. Lopez took a year off from school until she knew exactly 

what she wanted to do with her education. During this time she met Welby 

Alcantara, a veteran coordinator at The of City College. He suggested she 

attend the Center for Worker Education and she did just that. She began 

working at the Office of Veterans Affairs as a work-study student in Fall 

2011 and simultaneously enrolled at the Center. “I love my job because I 

am able to help returning veterans receive all their benefits and make sure 

they don’t make the same mistakes I made,” said Lopez, who currently lives 

in Washington Heights with her fiancée Korey Kelly and her 3-year-old son 

Miguel. “The transition period is the hardest time and I want to help my fellow 

vets the way Welby helped me.” 

Lopez found comfort both at the City College Veterans office and the Center 

for Worker Education. “The people at the Veteran’s office understand me and 

life while in the service,” said Lopez, who will become treasurer of The City 

College Veteran’s Association this fall. “I love CWE’s flexibility and the fact 

that I’m in college studying with adults. I feel it’s very nurturing. The students 

and the faculty are inspiring and that motivates me to succeed.” 


TEACHING HIGHLIGHTS 

STUDENTS AT WORK 

PROFESSORS ASSIGN FINAL PROJECTS THAT PUSH THE BOUNDARIES OF LEARNING 

Completing school after a long hiatus can be difficult, but students 

at the Center are finding classes rewarding, especially because so 

many professors approach student projects with hands-on experience 

in mind. 

In Prof. Ursela Levelt’s “Women and Law” class, for example, students 

were asked to conduct a survey in spring 2012. Students designed survey 

questions on a number of public policy issues ranging from education, 

public health, child care to social security. The idea was to see whether, if 

it were up to women, laws would be very different. 

Students collected responses to the survey and entered these into a 

database resulting in a pool of 261 respondents. The data was aggregated 

based on gender and other sociological markers such as race, income, 

and education. The students then had to interpret the results for the 

various issues, locating gender or other gaps, and provide a possible 

interpretation for the existence or non-existence of the gap based on their 

own experience and the readings assigned in class. Their findings were 

reported in a term paper. 

Pronounced gender gaps were found requiring women to watch a 

sonogram before deciding to have an abortion, the importance of women, 

in particular Hispanic women, running for office, and the cost of child care. 

Another interesting finding was that Latinos, male or female, felt more 

favorable about child care by family members or stay-at-home mothers 

than any other group. 

Students learned how difficult it is to design good survey questions, how 

respondents want to engage in interaction about the survey questions, how 

men and women think much more alike than they assumed, and to use 

Zine/ graphic novels produced by students in Joanna Hermann’s “Writing Children’s 

Literature” course 

logical thinking while analyzing statistical data. In an informal anonymous 

evaluation, students overwhelmingly supported the assignment and said 

they preferred it over a final exam or a literature paper. 

Joanna Clapps Herman’s “Writing Children’s Literature” course involved 

reading, writing and critical understanding of the use of narrative and 

poetry in children’s literature. Students were required to critically read and 

analyze classic popular children’s books from the past and present. The 

course gave students the opportunity to make their own children’s books. 

Students were responsible for not only writing the story but physically 

making the book themselves. “We had to look at unconventional ways to 

making books,” said Sheila Romero, a student in the class who created 

a traditional book, a zine and a round pop-up book. “We looked at more 

creative ways.” Herman brought former students into her class to discuss 

how they tackled the class assignment. “They had done beautiful books— 

pop up books, scroll books, books that didn’t look like books. “The skies 

were the limit,” added Romero. “We didn’t have any specific rules as to 

how to make it. You relied on pure imagination. Whatever you wanted to 

do, you created it.” 

Students were required to develop a sample of a graphic novel and 

zine based on real-life stories. While students were provided pamphlets 

on making books, it was completely up to the students to figure out the 

approach they would take for their creations. 

Nina Woods, a student in Herman’s class, found the course motivating, 

extremely hands-on and creative. “The professor was able to nurture 

students to open up to something that they possibly never thought they 

could do,” Woods said, noting that the majority of the students were 

parents, teachers, and older adults. Woods created a children’s book, a 

zine and a mini-folding book. “She really opened the door to students.” 

Sample of children’s books made by students in Joanna Herman’s 

“Writing Children’s Literature” course 

Vincent Benedetto’s “Art On and Off the Wall” course was designed 

to acquaint students with a range of art related encounters and the 

22 - CENTER FOR WORKER EDUCATION 2011/12 ANNUAL REPORT Photos: Cel Garay - Xcel Photo

Maria Leli Nina Woods and Sheila Romero Morgan Cooley 

creative process. The course presented learning opportunities designed to 

encourage and engage students in thinking about and participating in the 

artistic process through interactions with materials, methods and discussion 

with colleagues. Artistic thinking and the development of criticism and 

artistic vocabulary and language was pursued via activities, practice, 

reflections, research, a museum visit, and exposure to art of various kinds. 

The end result was an amazing collection of artwork developed by students 

who had very little experience making art outside of the course. Students 

produced beautiful illustrations, paintings, prints, sketches, and later 

showcased them as part of their class finale at the Center. 

Elena Romero’s “Public Relations Writing” class tapped the 

entrepreneurial spirit of communication students. Many students opted 

to develop press kits and media campaigns for either their existing small 

businesses or businesses in development. Vincent Dipilato developed 

a kit for desired soups and pretzel food truck while Tracy-Ann Wilson 

envisioned owning a co-ed boxing gym in the Bronx. Students like Jessica 

Lebron, Melissa Hayes, Nikisha Lewis, Melody DeLeon, Eridania Marte and 

Lashana Nicolarakis-Simmons promoted existing small businesses such 

as two food catering services, a fashion accessory company, a hair salon, 

a make-up stylist and organic skincare line. “Promoting our own ideas 

and companies make the projects even more meaningful,” said LeBron, a 

student in the class who has been helping her friend Carla Lewis promote 

her catering business, Diva Delish. “Once the projects are done, we can 

put them into practice ultimately helping us grow our businesses. That’s the 

best kind of homework.” 

Student Shannon Ali and her artwork 

Photos: Elena romero 



STAFF SPOTLIGHT 

MOVING ON UP 

THREE CWE STAFF MEMBERS GET PROMOTED TO INTERIM POSITIONS THIS SPRING 

Trisha Baboolal, Interim Academic Advisor/ 

Recruitment Coordinator/Graduation 

Coordinator 

Trisha Baboolal joined CWE as office manager in 

2008. She has experience on both sides of the 

academic coin. Up until March 2012, she served as 

CWE’s office manager and by night, while working 

towards her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology at 

The Graduate Center of the City University of New York by day. “I enjoy being 

a part of the CWE family and working with the students, faculty and staff,” 

said Baboolal, who migrated to the United States from Trinidad and now 

resides in Long Island. “The atmosphere and setting of the Center makes 

this job a unique experience.” Baboolal’s decision to pursue her education 

in the States brought her to York College, where she earned a baccalaureate 

degree in psychology. When Dominic Stellini, former academic advisor/ 

recruitment coordinator/graduation coordinator at the Center became Interim 

Director of Collaborative Programs at the City College of New York, Baboolal 

was offered the interim position once held by Stellini. Her responsibilities as 

academic advisor are quite different than being an office manager. 

Her current day-to-day responsibilities include academic advising, 

conducting degree audits for liberal arts students and providing the degree 

verification of graduating students. In addition to those responsibilities, 

Baboolal has also co-organized the second annual CWE graduation 

convocation with her colleague Elena Romero. “The graduation ceremony 

entails coordinating the graduation ceremony information and its actual 

production,” She said. In addition to those responsibilities, Baboolal is also 

in charge of recruitment. “I help spread the word about CWE,” said Baboolal, 

who attends transfer fairs within CUNY, conducts workshops with outside 

organizations like the New York City Parks department. “So far, it’s been very 

exciting and very busy. I’m looking forward to growing, learning more about 

what I’m doing and also expanding upon it.” 

Baboolal will begin writing her dissertation in the fall and anticipates 

graduating in 2014. 

Liza Khan, Interim Assistant to the Dean 

Liza Khan began as a College Assistant at CWE 

in January 2010. “I was looking for something 

that could work with my school schedule, since 

I am a full time student,” Khan said. “I was also 

looking for stability.” Since college assistants are 

the “face” of the front desk, Khan quickly adapted 

to the needs of the Center. Her responsibilities 

included answering phone calls, making advising appointments, helping 

answer student questions, and basically making sure everything would run 

smoothly from an administrative point of view at the front desk. 

Nina Woods was promoted to Interim Office Manager and her position 

opened up, Khan was handpicked as her ideal replacement. 

Currently, Khan works with Dean Juan Carlos Mercado, IAS Chair Kathlene 

McDonald and Davi Saroop, Administrative Services Coordinator. In this 

position, Khan is responsible for processing invoices, making appointments 

for the Dean, sending information to all the adjuncts, sending teaching 

agreements/webgrade information, and conducting special mailings on 

behalf of the Dean and Chair. Khan reports to Mercado, McDonald and Davi 

Saroop. “Here at CWE we are like one big family, everyone is so helpful, 

caring, and supportive” said Khan. “It’s been a smooth transition. Everyone 

has been very helpful. The Dean’s a nice guy and Kathy is great to work 

with.” 

Khan is a candidate for a Bachelor of Science Candidate in Childhood 

Education for June 2013 at the City College of New York. She hopes to 

obtain her four-year bachelor’s degree and continue on to graduate school 

for Higher Education Administration. 

Ninoshka Woods, Interim Office Manager 

Ninoshka Woods, simply known as Nina at 

the Center, was recently named Interim Office 

Manager. She replaces Trisha Baboolal, who was 

named interim Academic Advisor. Woods reports 

to Davi Saroop. 

“The transition was not as difficult as it first 

appeared,” said Woods. “Having worked at the 

Center for five years, I already had the knowledge and experience and the 

framework of how the Center works. The main difference is that I have a 

closer interaction with students and facilitating the needs of staff and faculty.” 

Woods is responsible for managing the front desk, the custodial staff and 

security. 

She had previously served as the Assistant to Dean Juan Carlos Mercado 

since September 2007. Woods has had a long history working at City 

College. For over 10 years, she has worked for a variety of offices including 

Faculty Relations, the Office of Field Experiences, the School of Education 

and Financial Aid office at the uptown campus. She began her career as 

a work-study student, then became a college assistant, later, assistant to 

the Dean at Faculty Relations, and finally, Assistant to CWE Dean Mercado. 

She brings her experience as a student as well as long-term City College 

employee to the new position. 

Woods started at City College as an uptown student and transferred to CWE 

in 2011. She is completing her Bachelor of Arts degree with a concentration 

in Human Services at CWE this summer. 

Her hard work did not go unnoticed. When the Dean’s previous assistant 


FACULTY SPOTLIGHT 

OF THE URBAN MINDSET 

“Since I believe that we bring ourselves, our 

background, our values systems and lived experience 

to our teaching, scholarly enquiry, and writing, I 

acknowledge that the conclusions we draw and 

transmit, are filtered through this kaleidoscope of 

knowledge,” said Schaller. “Yet, we do use our 

intellect, specific training, reasoning and critical 

questioning to come to these conclusions, thereby, 

opening up the opportunity for cross-validation.” 

Susanna Schaller 

Susanna Schaller Joins CWE Faculty and Brings her Urban Planning and 

Latin American Experiences into her Pedagogy. 

Susanna Schaller came to the Center for Worker Education for the 2011 

Spring Semester as Lecturer in Public Administration. She currently teaches the 

public administration concentration as well as in the MA Studies of the Americas 

program. She earned her Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from Cornell 

University and is a certified urban planner. She also holds a dual Master’s 

degree in Latin American Studies and Community and Regional Development 

from the University of New Mexico as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Literature 

from Barnard College. “My MA work grew out of my experience living in the 

Southern Zone of Costa Rica in 1991 and again for a year and half of fieldwork 

in the mid 1990’s.” 

Since earning her Ph.D., Schaller has been actively engaged as a planner 

and community development professional in New York City. Her work 

has focused on urban governance and economic development as well as 

small business development and microfinance. She once served as Senior 

Planner to the Municipal Art Society in New York, worked extensively with a 

community development credit union in Upper Manhattan, and developed a 

microenterprise program as well as managed community-visioning projects for 

a Latino community development corporation in Washington, DC. During the 

fall of 2011, Schaller was fortunate to participate in professional development 

workshops as a Faculty Fellow at The City College Colin L. Powell Center for 

Leadership and Service that presented her the opportunity to develop a servicelearning 

course, partnering with the credit union in Upper Manhattan. They will 

be launching the Economic Development Workshop this coming fall. 

Until age fourteen, Schaller grew up in Germany. 

On her father’s side, Schaller is the daughter (and 

granddaughter) of an architect and urban planner 

who spent years excavating for her the histories of 

urban places and buildings, deciphering the many 

social meanings and political perspectives as well as 

economic realities embodied in the built environment. 

Her mother, a teacher and scholar, led Schaller to 

Mount Pleasant at the age of sixteen with a detour 

through the suburbs of Washington, DC. During 

the years in Germany, her parents were participants 

in the student movement and neighborhood social 

movements that organized against militarism, modeling antiauthoritarian 

education and confronted bulldozers threatening to tear asunder the fabric of 

inner city neighborhoods in Cologne, Germany. These formative years without 

a doubt color the lens through which Schaller perceives life in the city and 

frames what she sees as the role of urban planning in shaping a city’s built 

environment, social relations and economic organization as well as governance. 

Yet, no path follows a straight line; and neither did Schaller’s. At the age of 

fourteen, her mother, who is “American,” moved her children to the US to a 

suburb of DC in Montgomery County, MD. Her family moved to DC, two years 

later, and Schaller became an avid urbanite. “Nevertheless, when my mother 

first took us to the DC neighborhood that would become my first “home” in 

the US, my perception had already shifted. I saw the shattered glass on the 

sidewalk, the “loitering” men and the “eclectic” commercial corridor; and, I felt 

out of place,” Schaller recalled. “It took a year at a DC public high school to 

readjust my vision. And, despite leaving DC for college and again to live in 

Costa Rica and New Mexico, I returned to DC to work in economic development 

with a local community development corporation and to explore how different 

“ideologies of place” become expressed in the micro-politics of urban places.” 

Schaller’s research has grown out of this trajectory and examines the 

intersection of ethnicity, race and class in urban planning discourses and the 

construction of “ideologies place.” 


Photos: Elena Romero

STAFF AND FACULTY HONORS AND ACHIEVEMENTS 

ACADEMIC YEAR 2011-2012 

Carlos Aguasaco, Ph.D. 

Articles: 

“Sobre ‘El ocaso de la vanguardia’ de Octavio Paz. Mensaje a los 

poetas latinoamericanos del siglo XXI”. Revista opción 166 ITAM (2011). 

Forthcoming. 

Escribir en Nueva York: una (po)ética del sujeto en la crisis de la 

modernidad. La Jiribilla Revista de Cultura Cubana 10.532 July (2011). 

Digital. http://www.lajiribilla.cu/2011/n532_07/532_07.html 

Invited presentations: 

“Una lectura cartográfica de Decir New York: testigo propio”. VI New York 

Book Fair Expo. Queens Museum of Art. New York. October 9, 2011. 

“Escribir en Nueva York: una po-ética del sujeto en la crisis de la 

modernidad”. Coloquio Internacional: Identidades culturales y presencia 

latina en los Estados Unidos. Casa de las Américas. Habana, Cuba. July 

13 & 14, 2011. 

Venues of public displays or performances: 

Poetry Reading. General Consulate of El Salvador. Brentwood, LI. 

September 30 th , 2011. 

Video art screenings: 

Medialengua (2010) 

Art Museum of the Americas. Washington, DC. United States. April 26-28, 

2012. 

Contemporary Art Gallery Canary Islands Government. El Tragaluz Digital. 

Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Spain. May- September 2012 

Festival Close Up. Cuale Cultural Center. Puerto Vallarta. Jalisco. Mexico. 

3, 4, 5 May 2012. 

The Camagüey International Video Art Festival of Cuba. FIVAC. November 

25- 29, 2011. 

Honors: 

El boxeador (short story) was one of the ten finalists among more than 

eight hundred submissions in the IX Concurso Relatos Cortos para Leer 

en Tres Minutos “Luis Del Val” 2012 (Organized by Ayuntamiento de 

Sallent de Gállego, Spain). 

Appointed to the CCNY President’s Council on Inclusion and Excellence 

(2011-2012) 

Deborah Edwards-Anderson, Early Childhood Education 

Coordinator/Academic Advisor 

M.A. candidate, City College History Department 

2012 Sidney Ditzion Award for Best Essay in Social History 

Alessandra Benedicty, Ph.D. 

PUBLICATIONS: 

“Towards an Intellectual History of Possession: Reading “la crise” as a 

Textual Space in Vodou and André Breton’s Haitian Lectures and Nadja”. 

Studies in Religion/ Sciences religieuses. 41.3 (June 2012): 26 pages. 

Review of Trading Places: Colonization and Slavery in Eighteenth-Century 

French Culture, by Madeleine Dobie. Journal of Haitian Studies. 18.1 

(Forthcoming June 2012): 4 pages. 

Review of Cultural Globalization and Music: African Artists in Transnational 

Networks, by Nadia Kiwan and Ulrike Hanna Meinhof. Society of 

Francophone Postcolonial Studies Bulletin. (April 2012): 3 pages. 

Joanna Clapps Herman, M.F.A. 

Prose: 

After the Manner of Women, Fordham University Press, 2013 

Forthcoming. 

“Stitching Our Voices Together,” Embroidered Lines and Cut 

Threads: Women’s Domestic Needlework in the Italian Diaspora, 

Edited by Edvige Giunta and Joseph Sciorra, University of 

Mississippi Press. Forthcoming. 

“Psychic Arrangements,” She is Everywhere! Volume 3: An 

Anthology of Writings in Womanist/Feminist Spirituality , Mary 

Saracino. iUniverse February 15, 2012 

The Anarchist Bastard: Growing Up Italian in America, A 

Memoir, SUNY Albany Press, March 2011. 

Poetry: 

“His Big Romance,” Two Bridges, Issue # 2, Forthcoming. 2012. 

“The Smell of Language” Italian Americana, Summer 2012. 

“Marriage Poem # 2” and “Seen in a Marriage”, Word(s) Spring 

2011. 

Vicki Garavuso, Ed.D. 

Publications: 

Research Net: “How can we mentor the cooperating teacher The 

politics of other people’s classrooms.” 

Presentation: 

Presentation at the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher 

Educators Conference (Rhode Island), June 2012. 

Mary Lutz, Ph.D. 

Community Survey: 

“Community Needs Assessment: A Pedestrian Survey of West Harlem,” 

based on interviews with 1,117 randomly chosen pedestrians in the 

WEST HARLEM DISTRICT REPRESENTED BY COMMUNITY Board 9. 

Kathlene McDonald, Ph.D. 

Publications: 

Feminism, the Left, and Postwar Literary Culture. Jackson, MS: UP of 

Mississippi, 2012. 


“Hitler’s Bestiary from the Inside.” Rev. of In the Garden of Beasts: Love, 

Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin, by Erik Larson. Against 

the Current Jan.-Feb. 2012. 

“Nikki Giovanni.” The Literary Encyclopedia. 15 August 2011. [http:// 

www.litencyc.com/php/speople.phprec=true&UID=1759] 

Ursula Levelt, J.D. 

Honoree, for criminal defense work on behalf of Occupy Wall Street 

arrestees by the Public Interest Law Association of CUNY School of Law, 

NYC. 

Writer, “Occupy Labor Law!” Newsletter of the Labor & Employment 

Committee. National Lawyers Guild, May 2012. 

www.nlg-laboremploy-comm.org. 

Warren Orange, M.A. 

Co-Organizer, the Third Annual Is Hip Hop History Conference, , CCNY 

Center for Worker Education, February 24-25, 2012. 

Elena Romero M.S. 

Co-Organizer, the Third Annual Is Hip Hop History Conference, , CCNY 

Center for Worker Education, February 24-25, 2012. 

Author, Free Stylin’: How Hip Hop Changed the Fashion Industry 

(Praeger), April 30, 2012. 

Susanna Schaller, Ph.D., , AICP 

Selected Publications and Conference Presentations 

Schaller, Susanna with Gabriella Modan. 2011. “ Safe and Clean”: 

Community Reactions to Neighborhood Business Improvement District 

(NBID) Marketing in a Multi-ethnic Neighborhood. Presented at the RC21 

Conference: “The Struggle To Belong. Dealing With Diversity in 21st 

Century Urban Settings Amsterdam, 7-9 July 2011. 

Irina Carlotta (Lotti) Silber, Ph.D. 

Recipient, 2012 City Seeds grant for “Building Bridges: Indigenous 

Media.” The interdisciplinary grant is with Campbell Dalglish. 

Silber, Irina Carlota. 2011. Everyday Revolutionaries: Gender, Violence, 

and Disillusionment in Postwar El Salvador. New Brunswick: Rutgers 

University Press. 

Michele Sweeting-DeCaro, M.A. 

Co-Author, “It’s Possible! Living Beyond Limitations.” Habakkuk 

Publishing (July 2012) 


DIVISION OF INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES AT THE CENTER FOR 

WORKER EDUCATION 

INSTITUTIONAL FRIENDS AND AFFILIATES 

The City College Center for Worker Education wishes to acknowledge the 

many organizations who advocate for higher education for their members, 

staff and constituents and to thank them for supporting and promoting 

CWE’s programs for the working people of New York City. 

1199/SEIU United Healthcare Workers 

Alliance for Downtown New York 

American Express 

Borough of Manhattan Community College 

Brooklyn College Graduate CWE 

Brooklyn New School 

CCNY Office of Admissions 

Citigroup 

City of New York Department of Parks and Recreation 

Communication Workers, Local 1180 

Council of Supervisory Associates 

CUNY Office Of Admission Services 

Day Care Local 205, CD 1707 

District Council 37, Local 1549 

Downtown Lower Manhattan Association 

Ella Baker School 

Fire Department of the City of New York 

First Presbyterian Church Nursery School 

HealthFirst 

Hostos Community College 

John F. Kennedy Jr. Institute for Worker Education at CUNY 

Joseph Murphy Institute for Worker Education and Labor Studies 

Kingsborough Community College 

LaGuardia Community College 

Manhattan Country School 

Manhattan School for Children 

New York Federal Executive Board 

NYC Center Labor Council 

NYC Department of Health and Human Services 

NYC Housing Authority 

NYC Transit Authority 

Professional Staff/Congress/CUNY 

Quest: Community for Lifelong Learning 

Teamsters, Local 237 

Transport Workers Union, Local 100 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection 

United Federation of Teachers 

Volunteers of America 


CENTER FOR WORKER EDUCATION 

DIRECTORY 

Center for Worker Education (212) 925-6625 (212) 925-0963 Fax 25 Broadway, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10004 

Administration 

Juan Carlos Mercado Acting Dean Ext.246 jmercado@ccny.cuny.edu 

Liza Khan Assist. to the Dean Ext. 247 lkhan@ccny.cuny.edu 

Davi Saroop Administrative Services Coordinator Ext. 238 dsaroop@ccny.cuny.edu 

Nina Woods Office Manager Ext. 216 nwoods2@ccny.cuny.edu 

Robert Hernandez Computer Technician Ext. 262 robert@ccny.cuny.edu 

Faculty 

Carlos Aguasaco Lecturer, Spanish Ext. 224 caguasaco@ccny.cuny.edu 

Alessandra Benedicty Caribbean and, Ext. 207 abenedicty@ccny.cuny.edu 

Francophone Literatures 

Marlene Clark Associate Professor, English Ext. 210 mclark@ccny.cuny.edu 

David Eastzer Assistant Professor, Science Ext. 230 deastzer@ccny.cuny.edu 

Vicki Garavuso Assistant Professor, Ext. 240 vgaravuso@ccny.cuny.edu 

Early Childhood Education 

Mary Lutz Lecturer, Human Services Ext. 204 mlutz@ccny.cuny.edu 

Elizabeth Matthews Assistant Professor, Early Childhood Ext. 260 ematthews@ccny.cuny.edu 

Education 

Kathlene McDonald IAS Department Chair Ext. 207 kmcdonald@ccny.cuny.edu 

Seamus Scanlon Librarian Ext. 228 seamus@ccny.cuny.edu 

Susanna Schaller Assistant Professor, Ext. 267 sschaller@ccny.cuny.edu 

Public Administration 

Martin Woessner Assistant Professor, Social Science Ext. 259 mwoessner@ccny.cuny.edu 

Patai Program 

Staff 

Trisha Baboolal Academic Advisor/Recruitment Ext. 243 tbaboolal@.ccny.cuny.edu 

Coordinator 

Bonita Bonet-Haskins Financial Aid Assistant Ext. 241 bmhaskins@.ccny.cuny.edu 

John Calagione Senior Academic Coordinator Ext. 236 jcal@ccny.cuny.edu 

Jason Chappell Admissions Coordinator Ext. 257 jchappell@ccny.cuny.edu 

Deborah Edwards-Anderson Advisor/Early Childhood Ext. 235 edwa@ccny.cuny.edu 

Education Coordinator 

Warren Orange Advisor/Assistant for Schedule Ext. 239 oran@ccny.cuny.edu 

Elena Romero Advisor/Communications Coordinator Ext. 258 eromero@ccny.cuny.edu

ANNUAL REPORT - The City College of New York - CUNY

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